Dancing with the Stars judge Len Goodman recently announced that he is recovering a surgery that removed a tumor in his prostate. The interesting fact was that he found out about the cancer back in March, but decided not to deal with it until the eighth season of DWTS ended.
Len is a trouper for going through a whole season of Dancing with the Stars. He kept the news under wraps not only to America and Britain, but also many of the judges and crew for both Dancing with the Stars and British counterpart Strictly Come Dancing.
With the second week of competitions tonight on So You Think You Can Dance, I wanted to point out a trend: reality dance show contestants can't leave television. Several contestants and a few choreographers have jumped ship and have appeared on other reality shows.
The jump basically can plant an already established fanbase onto a different television show. One great example is Ty Murray on Dancing with the Stars. I'm not sure what the percentage of votes for Ty came from fans of Chelsie Hightower and her work from SYTYCD or his charm, but he definitely benefited from someone who knew to make routines that were camera friendly.
Considering how prevalent reality television is these days, it's got to be a pretty daunting task to try and put together a comprehensive list of the best and worst of all time. But Entertainment Weekly thinks they've done just that. They've compiled the top 20 reality shows of all time, but also the ten worst reality shows of all time. All in all, they did a pretty damned good job.
I completely agree with the top six, but they lose me with Jackass at number seven. I have never understood the appeal of filming morons doing stupid things on purpose just to be stupid. But there were some shows missing from the list completely, like Little People Big World, So You Think You Can Dance and Beauty and the Geek. Surely those shows are better than The Hills and The Real Housewives of Sesame Street, or whatever franchise they're spinning now.
Because you can never get enough of celebrities dancing, ABC has picked up Let's Dance, which they're calling a comedic reality show. It's based on a format that found success as part of the UK's Comic Relief programming. Rather than having celebrities commit to a full season to learn a variety of ballroom styles, a la Dancing with the Stars, this new show only requires a one-week commitment with the possibility of a "finale" return. And all they have to master is an already well-known dance.
ABC will kick off its upcoming fall season in earnest Sept. 21 with three nights of Dancing With the Stars. The hit show – that continues to gain viewers no matter how much I wish it would die and stay dead -- will lead off the network's prime time schedule on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays before being reduced to two nights a week to make room for a pair new comedies.
There's still no word on exactly when Lost will return, but the new mystery drama Flash Forward will bow Sept. 24 at 8 p.m., right before the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy.
The new seasons of Ugly Betty and Supernanny will debut in October with several new and renewed shows – like Scrubs, Brothers & Sisters, Eastwick and Private Practice – expected to show up on the network schedule later.
I can't watch I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!The show is basically Big Brother but with an unwillingness to compete. Why do celebrities sign up for physically and mentally demanding reality shows when they don't want to compete? I'm looking at you, Dustin Diamond. To attempt to get some viewer sympathy, the celebrities are playing for charity. I feel bad for the charities that Heidi and Spencer have because I wouldn't want their douchebag antics associated with the charity's image.
Celebrity reality shows can succeed without having to play the charity card. It's all about maintaining the quality level.
I know it's been out for a couple of weeks or so now, but the latest ABC House promo got my attention, so I went back and watched it. I remember networks used to do things like this; having characters from different shows interact, and I've always had a thing for crossovers. Hell, I watched Laff-a-Lympics growing up just because of the crossover aspect.
Of course, the primary difference with this one is the McSteamy v. Hurley ending; which I completely agree with. These kinds of creative initiatives help give the network an identity and give fans something to keep the shows in their minds through the summer. And there's so much more potential available here, and even on other networks to play with similar ideas. How about a game show with Dr. House competing against Dr. Bishop (Fringe)?
What's great about this is that it's an actual news story all by itself, and I'm not helping matters any by writing about it. The AP has published a story stating that Danny Gokey says he would like to try Dancing With the Stars. That's it. Of course, Paula Abdul has been saying that for years and she had to settle for dancing on Idol. But now that a rejected Bachelor finalist was a worthy competitor, why not a rejected American Idol finalist? Of course, Danny's main focus is his music and a new foundation he's set up in his late wife's name.
But he'd do it if it meant exposure for the foundation, which it would. And more exposure for him and any forthcoming projects he might have coming up as well. I see a real good trend here with reality castoffs sashaying across the dance floor. Who wouldn't want to watch Survivor's Coach doing a fox trot. Or Ron from The Biggest Loser. Of course, he'd want to give the title to his son.
With the latest seasons ofSurvivor, The Amazing Race, and American Idol wrapping up, fans patiently have to wait until the fall or spring 2010 for their favorite shows to return. But why wait? Several reality TV shows debut in the summer both as lighter fare than fall shows and a way to test for target audiences.
If one recalls, several summer reality TV shows have eventually moved to prime real estate in the fall or spring. If rumors are true the summer favorite So You Think You Can Dance will be the next to move, airing in the summer and fall.
Here are some alternatives for your favorite reality TV shows.
(S08E21) The night started with a grand swoop of the set, something I wished that would be used more often. Unfortunately, the episode really dragged on until the last hour. I guess I'm now prepared for the long results show for American Idol tomorrow.
I get to make my final jab at Samantha Harris for the season: someone has to fire her stylist. That dress was ugly.
The outcome was a little bit of a shock, but I would appreciate a win from any of the three contestants. We start (and end) the night with Lady GaGa, and she didn't do half bad.
Yesterday, we gave you a preview of ABC's upcoming fall comedies and dramas. Today, we got the official lowdown on the network's 2009-2010 schedule during its upfront presentation.
As expected, the network picked up a number of new shows and stuck with some of its most solid performers.
Returning: Lost (Update: Lost will be back, but exactly where and on what night has not been determined.), Castle, Scrubs, Better Off Ted, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Dancing With the Stars, 20/20, Supernanny, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, The Bachelor. Wife Swap, True Beauty, America's Funniest Home Videos
Gone: Samantha Who?, Cupid, The Unusuals, In the Motherhood, According to Jim
New:Cougar Town, Hank, The Middle, Modern Family, Flash Forward, Eastwick, Shark Tank, The Forgotten
New for Mid-Season:V, Happy Town, The Deep End
Watch this space for more details on the new shows and comments from ABC execs...
More on the schedule, comments and some details on the new shows after the jump.
We're finally at the end of the season with the three strongest dancers. After ten weeks, I have no clue how Belinda Carlisle did back in week one. At this point, you could tell me that Nancy O'Dell was eliminated in week two and I would believe you. The mirror ball trophy was placed in front of the judges table and the judges seem excited about the competition. Unfortunately, we got some more disappointing freestyle performances.
The interesting thing about the three competitors is that their strengths are in different categories. Shawn is probably the quickest learner and can technically perform. Gilles is best with Latin, and Melissa is best with Ballroom. Melissa probably has the biggest hill to climb, coming from third place and stuck with a Latin performance.
(S08E19) I normally have the opportunity to watch Dancing with the Stars in high definition, but this week's results show I watched from the 4:3 resolution. I have to admit, this show needs the extra sides of frame for HD. There is a degree of beauty missing from the show.
One thing I forgot to mention about Melissa's performance last night was that she got an unlucky draw. I find it unfair to have the Cha-Cha near the end of the season since it lacks the flair of the Salsa and Samba, or the passion of the Paso Doble. I gave her some credit for doing as well as she could, but she lacked the passion.
It turns out that Afton was cursed. Everyone that Afton touched, including herself, got eliminated. More about the professional competition and the elimination after the jump.
(S08E18) Tonight's episode didn't have to be two hours. I already suffered from watching a three-hour finale ofThe Celebrity Apprentice, and when I saw the show start with a professional group dance, I knew this episode was going to be padded. That three-minute buffer of dancing could be worse; Samantha Harris could have tried to interview the celebrities for three minutes.
I caught Samantha Harris this afternoon on the syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, covering for Meredith Vieira, and she was a little better on that show. I have to think that she just can't roll with the punches as well as Tom Bergeron. Her flaws really kicked in tonight as she fumbled through the whole show. Can't we have a contest to find a new co-host?
(S08E17) Tonight's show was a little better for filler and padding because of the pro dancer competition. The insanity of Cody Linley makes up for having to sit through Jamie Cullum.
I don't understand the comedy of Dance Center. Poking fun at the celebrities is one thing, but trying to be a bastard to Len Goodman just doesn't seem like it was in good taste. The only positive thing I got off the whole bit was that Mark = Dramatic Chipmunk.
We started off the night with Melissa's perfect 30 samba. I have a feeling there was more double sided tape today, but also Melissa's cleavage is not as squished tonight. Yeah, I looked.
Dancing with the Stars judge Len Goodman recently announced that he is recovering a surgery that removed a tumor in his prostate. The interesting fact was that he found out about the cancer back in March, but decided not to deal with it until the eighth season of DWTS ended.
With the second week of competitions tonight on 
Considering how prevalent reality television is these days, it's got to be a pretty daunting task to try and put together a comprehensive list of the best and worst of all time. But Entertainment Weekly thinks they've done just that. They've compiled the 
Because you can never get enough of celebrities dancing, 
ABC will kick off its 
I can't watch 
I know it's been out for a 
What's great about this is that it's an actual news story all by itself, and I'm not helping matters any by writing about it. The AP has published a story stating that 
With the latest seasons of
(S08E21) The night started with a grand swoop of the set, something I wished that would be used more often. Unfortunately, the episode really dragged on until the last hour. I guess I'm now prepared for the long results show for 
Yesterday, we gave you a preview of ABC's upcoming fall 
We're finally at the end of the season with the three strongest dancers. After ten weeks, I have no clue how Belinda Carlisle did back in week one. At this point, you could tell me that Nancy O'Dell was eliminated in week two and I would believe you. The mirror ball trophy was placed in front of the judges table and the judges seem excited about the competition. Unfortunately, we got some more disappointing freestyle performances.
(S08E19) I normally have the opportunity to watch 
(S08E17) Tonight's show was a little better for filler and padding because of the pro dancer competition. The insanity of Cody Linley makes up for having to sit through Jamie Cullum.
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
