TVSquad

Those Real Housewives series are big business for Bravo. So the big question Fox Reality is asking is if America is ready for the real Househusbands of Hollywood? Jane first brought us news of the Househusbands last December. Now Fox Reality has set a premiere date of August 15th, and provided a little more details as to what these husbands do.

As Jane hoped, it looks like a full reversal of the traditional roles. These men take care of the kids, run errands and manage the household while their wives work as a psychologist, a celebrity makeup artist, a newscaster, an attorney and Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show). It's certainly an interesting idea that will challenge America's traditional views of gender roles in this country.

When it comes to cooking competition shows, the two that consistently make the grade are Bravo's Top Chef and Fox's Hell's Kitchen. But while the two shows are ostensibly both about aspiring chefs competing for a prime position -- to beat the competition and emerge as number one -- there are really more things about the shows that separate them.

In terms of quality competition, food expertise and cooking skills, Top Chef is superior to Hell's Kitchen. They're both fun to watch, and I have followed every season of each of them. But the main thing they have in common is the kitchen. Read my five reasons and see if you don't agree with me that Top Chef has it all over Hell's Kitchen.

Your scary thought of the day comes from this Reuters article. When talking about how many reality shows are now facing pressure to cut budgets and shoot shows faster they drop this bomb in, "The rapid pace can affect a show's quality..." Great! Because what the TV world really needs right now is some lower quality reality programming. I get Fox Reality. Based on some of what I've seen while flipping by there, I really thought the bottom of that barrel had been discovered.

As part of the discussion they cite the rise in studio based reality, highlighting Fox's Moment Of Truth. They also throw out that crappy stat that it was the highest-rated new program of the season. Is there anyone, anywhere, including the producers of Moment Of Truth, that doesn't think that was entirely to do with American Idol? I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that when the Tuesday ratings are in they bring with them a karmic Nielsen slap that puts that show in its proper place.

This fall, the Fox Reality Channel will be airing a three-episode series titled My Bare Lady, which will take four female porn stars out of their usual element and place them on the London theater stage, where they will perform "legitimate" theater. The ladies will have only a short time to get their acting chops together for the performance in London's West End, where an audience will decide if they have what it takes.

Now, this seems interesting and all, but also just a tad condescending. The implication seems to be that porn is easy and real acting is difficult. In the interest of fairness, I think the "real" actors who train these women should themselves have to act in a porn movie. Memorizing your lines is one thing, maintaining an expression of eternal ecstasy while coated in honey and hanging upside down from a set of indoor monkey bars is something else entirely. And I speak from experience.

[via Chroma]