TVSquad

Reportedly, before Michael Jackson died suddenly in June, his brothers – and other family members – were putting together a reality show for A&E. After all, celebrity reality shows have a certain appeal, especially train wrecks like Being Bobby Brown or Hey, Paula. Not that the Jacksons were thinking that way. I'm sure they envision something classy and edifying.

Since Michael's death, the interest in this miniseries has escalated, much like the interest in all things Jackson. Will the brothers talk about Michael? How much? Will Michael's children be included in the show? All that and more will be answered when The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty debuts on A&E December 13, at 9 p.m. The plan is for two hour-long episodes to kick off the series.

If the endless reruns of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air just aren't providing your recommended daily allowance of Carlton, then I have some good news for you. Alfonso Ribeiro will soon be back on our televisions in an all new project. He's set to host a new show for GSN called Catch 21, starting on July 21st.

The show combines the card game 21 with pop-culture trivia questions and will feature three contestants facing off against each other. Forty episodes have been ordered and they will air weeknights at 7:30PM. It is created by Merrill Heatter and executive produced by Scott Sternberg (Hey Paula). Fans of GSN may also recognize that the show is also based on the game of the same name on the GSN website. I'll give it a go. If they can keep the speed of the questions up (Beat The Geeks), instead of endlessly stalling for dramatic effect (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), it could be a fun prelude to prime time.

[ via Cynopsis ]

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• FOX has a new Don't Forget The Lyrics at 8, then a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• "Shark Week" continues on Discovery.
• At 8:30, Bravo has a new Hey Paula.
• At 9, History Channel has a new Boneyard.
• Sci-Fi Channel has a new Who Wants To Be A Superhero at 9, followed by a new Mind Control with Derren Brown.
• ESPN has coverage of the X-Games starting at 9.
• At 10, USA has a new Burn Notice.
• There's a new Mad Men on AMC at 10.
• Also at 10: Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes.
• At 10:30, VH-1 has a new I Hate My 30s.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• FOX has a new Don't Forget The Lyrics at 8, then a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• TLC has a new American Hot Rod at 8, then new episodes of American Chopper and Hard Shine.
• Food Network has a new The Secret Life Of... at 8, featuring "Hollywood Eats."
• Also at 8: BBC America has a new Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
• At 8:30, Bravo has a new Hey Paula.
• At 9, Food Network has the finale of The Next Food Network Star.
• Sci-Fi has the season premiere of Who Wants To Be A Superhero at 9, then the series premiere of Mind Control With Derren Brown.
• CNBC has the new special American Greed at 9.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• There's a new Burn Notice on USA at 10.
• Sundance Channel has a new Live From Abbey Road at 10, with LeeAnn Rimes and Dr. John.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader at 8, then new episodes of Don't Forget The Lyrics and So You Think You Can Dance.
• TLC has a new American Hot Rod at 8, followed by a new American Chopper.
• At 9, VH1 has a new World Series of Pop Culture.
• At 10, USA has a new Burn Notice.
• There's a new Hey Paula on Bravo at 10.
• Also at 10: Sundance has a new Live From Abbey Road, with Iron Maiden, Gipsy Kings, and Natasha Bedingfield.
• At 10:30, Food Network has a new Ace of Cakes.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has the season premiere of Big Brother, followed by a new Pirate Master.
• There's a "Backyard Party" on a new Emeril Live, at 8 on Food Network.
• TCM has two Randolph Scott westerns starting at 8: Seven Men From Now and Decision At Sundown.
• At 9, Al Gore guests on CNN's Larry King Live.
• At 10, USA has a new Burn Notice.
• Bravo has a new Hey Paula at 10.
• Also at 10: Sundance has a new Live From Abbey Road, with Shawn Colvin, Ray LaMontagne, The Zutons, and Nerina Pallot.
• At 10:30, BBC America has a new Hollyoaks.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, CBS has a new Pirate Master.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader at 8, then a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• Tavis Smiley hosts a Presidential Candidates Forum with Democrats on PBS at 8.
• HBO has the first three episodes of John From Cincinnati, if you'd like to try to figure it out.
• At 9, Colin Powell guests on CNN's Larry King Live.
• USA has the series finale of Starter Wife at 9, followed by the premiere of Burn Notice.
• At 10, NBC has the series finale of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
• Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay at 10.
• Sundance has a new Live From Abbey Road at 10, with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, and Madeleine Peyroux.
• Also at 10: Bravo has the premiere of the reality show Hey, Paula.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Paula Abdul recently told OK! Magazine, "Being a judge on American Idol overshadows being a Grammy Award winner and selling millions of records." Paula went on to say, "My purpose is bringing out everybody's best and being that cheerleader to other people's success."

As for her on-going erratic behavior, Abdul once again denied alcohol or drug abuse. "If I appeared exhausted on television, it's because I am! I have a lot of sleepless nights because I'm in so much pain." Paula suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), a chronic neurological disorder.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Crazy = Entertaining. Paula Abdul has suddenly has production companies fighting over the rights to make her life into a reality show.
  
• Lost returned last night, and so did all those hidden "Lost Easter eggs" I love so much (spolier warning!).
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quicktime required). You can also subscribe to this vodcast via our feed.

Paula Abdul's new reality series, Hey Paula may never make it on the air if Pilgrim Films and Television has anything to say about it.

In 2004, Pilgrim's producers reportedly met with Paula to discuss creating a talk show together. Pilgrim claims the original talk show concept was scrapped, but a new concept emerged -- a reality show based on Paula's crazy professional and personal life, called Hey Paula. However, the project soon "fell apart" over Paula's demand for "editorial control." That allegedly didn't stop Paula from secretly taking the show to Bravo behind Pilgrim's back.