TVSquad

My second favorite angel has been named as the host of Bravo's upcoming reality show Shear Genius. Kevin mentioned the show in an earlier TCA post, but upon hearing the idea I wasn't that interested. I'm a guy that wears a Crimson Tide ballcap for about 18 hours a day, so hair, and the styling thereof, isn't really in my wheelhouse.

The addition of Jaclyn Smith as host though, that's enough to get me to tune in at least once and give the show a try. She'll be joined on the show by celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger as the head judge. According to NBC, the contestants will "go head-to-head in creative challenges that require more than just talent with a comb and scissors." If you have seen Top Chef or Project Runway, I think you have an idea about how this one is going to go. Although, it's one thing to watch Vincent make a model look ridiculous for 2 minutes in his "crap glued on poster board" getup, it is a whole other deal to watch someone get their head mutilated by a contestant's artistic vision. The potential for cringe inducing comedy is high.

I resisted the temptations of Project Runway's sister series Top Chef for the entirety of its first season. In my mind, America's obsession with celebrity chefs and food porn has resulted in only two things I can get behind - the pop communist iconography of the original, subtitled Iron Chef and gonzo chef Anthony Bourdain's macho prose on sex, drugs and eats.

This season, however, I've been completely suckered into the hot-and-heavy drama. I could chalk up my new fixation to a lost weekend, a bottle of scotch and a Bravo marathon, but I actually think the show has improved. Tom Colicchio, while no Tim Gunn, wears his quiet exasperation well. And, replacing former host Katie Lee Joel, Billy Joel's wife, with Padma Lakshmi, Salman Rushdie's wife, was a step in the right direction. Padma may not have much more going on in the spokesmodel department than Katie Lee, but you can always look at her and go, "Holy smokes. I guess surviving a fatwa qualifies you to date waaaaay out of your league."

Apparently, Katie Lee Joel is much better at marrying super-wealthy rock stars that are more than twice her age than hosting cable TV shows. According to this report, the wife of rock legend Billy Joel will not return to the just-announced second season of Bravo's Top Chef. Fans of the show didn't really appreciate Lee's (I won't say "Joel's", because I respect Billy too much) performance as the host of the show, calling her "robotic" and "wooden". No replacement has been announced as yet.

Well, guess it's back to keeping that delirious smile on Billy's face.

[via Defamer]