TVSquad

So, hot on the heels of Entertainment Weekly suggesting that Bravo wasn't giving Project Runway -- the new, and last before Lifetime takes over -- season its due, Bravo rolled out a press release today with the names of all 16 designer/contestants, as well as the celebrity judges for Project Runway Season Five.

On the celeb front, the show's landed Diane Von Furstenberg, Sandra Bernhard, Apolo Ohno, Brooke Shields, LL Cool J, RuPaul, Rachel Zoe, Cynthia Rowley and Francisco Costa. I can see potential fireworks from Sandra B and RuPaul. The rest -- eh. I mean, really, is Brooke going to be critical? And have you seen how Apolo dresses?

With the series finale of HBO's The Sopranos fast approaching (a week from this Sunday, to be exact) speculation is running wild as to what's going to become of Tony Soprano and his companions. The biggest question is whether or not Tony will alive or dead when the final credits role.

Michael Starr of the New York Post is betting that we'll know something about the series finale after the next-to-last episode airs this Sunday. Starr believes that this week's episode could be the one that features a final battle between Tony and his enemies, while the last episode could be the one that ties everything up in a tidy package, leaving Tony alive and kicking. Few clues are being given in episode description. For example, for this week's episode, "The Blue Comet", HBO writes 'The allegiance of those closest to Tony is put to the test and a case of mistaken identity has serious ramifications.' Not much to decipher from that notice, is there?

Its also been reported that show creator David Chase, who co-wrote this Sunday's episode and wrote and directed the series finale, has filmed several endings to The Sopranos to throw everyone off as to the fate of Tony. My guess is that Tony will wake up from a dream and Suzanne Pleshette will be there in bed next to him. Hey, it worked before!

Remember that Saturday Night Live sketch earlier this season, the one where they depicted a master acting class that prepared actors for bit roles on Law and Order? I thought of that after reading this.

The article points out that Law and Order has been quite a goldmine for actors who live and work in New York City. Most prime time shows are filmed in California, so to have a long-running show cast and filmed on the East Coast was an incredible thing for struggling actors trying to get a break into television and more established actors who prefer to live in NYC than LA. But now if it's canceled, that outlet might dry up (even if Law and Order: SVU is safe). As one actor points out, you can do several Broadway shows but if people can see you on just one TV show it's even bigger.

I guess actors can try out for soap operas and 30 Rock, but it's not the same.

The New York Post is reporting that Bravo is editing all of comedian Kathy Griffin's standup specials, because she makes several jokes about Anna Nicole Smith on them.

I actually thought of this when Anna Nicole died, how Kathy Griffin used to joke about Anna Nicole's reality show (and the fact that it would cause Daniel to go into rehab - ouch), how Anna Nicole acted, how she seemed when both of them were guests on The Hollywood Squares. It must be odd when a major part of your act actually dies, tragically and young, and you can't use that material anymore. I'm sure some comedians would still do it, but Griffin doesn't want to because she's genuinely sad about what happened.

Griffin just finished a new special for Bravo titled Everyone Can Suck It.

[via TV Tattle]

I have to admit that I have a strong appreciation for a television show that knows when its story has been told, when it has approached its final chapter and chooses to say "The End." The better the show is, the more I find this to be an important realization for the creators (and the networks!) to come to recognize and accept.

The New York Post is reporting that the creators of Battlestar Galactica have it in mind for the show's fourth season to be its last, a season which just recently got the OK for the full 22-episodes. It's not a set-in-stone plan ... yet. But as much as I love the show, I think this could be the way for it to go out on a high note (and let's not forget the planned 2-hour season-gap-bridging movie). It's refreshing to know that the creators have a plan and they're going to see it through, and not allow it to be milked beyond its capacity.

Since creator Ron Moore has said before that the planned spin-off series, Caprica, hasn't been picked up yet, I could see the plan being to end Battlestar should Caprica get a greenight. If Caprica hits a stop, maybe there will be a way to see Battlestar continue past its prime, but just for a little bit. I only wish other popular shows could follow the same example, but for some it's already too late.

I haven't seen Rita Cosby on MSNBC in several weeks. Not that I've really noticed, because I try to avoid her whenever possible. It's the voice. Yeah, sorry, no offense, but I just can't stand listening to her raspy voice. But now the NY Post is reporting that, after a three week vacation, the rasp is gone!

Supposedly, the three week break was an "enforced" vacation, and besides the rest that she got, Cosby won't go into details on what she did to change her voice. I'm assuming she didn't go through puberty, like that episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter's voice changed.

Can any TV Squad readers confirm this? I'm going to check MSNBC to see if she's on today.

[via TV Newser]

For his next stunt, magician/showman David Blaine plans to live among the wild beasts in the jungle.

Not a zoo, mind you, but a real, honest to goodness jungle, with wild, dangerous animals. He wants to be the next Tarzan, though several experts are advising him against him. Says zoologist Dave Salmoni of Animal Planet:

"I'd be amazed if he lasted a week in a place like the Sunderbunds ... after just 24 hours, chances are excellent that Blaine would run across a Bengal tiger - and it would eat him."

But something tells me that would be good ratings for ABC.

[via TV Tattle]

According to Page Six in the New York Post, Paula Abdul may have made up her claim that she was assaulted outside an LA club a couple of weeks ago. Why would she do such a silly thing? Well, two witnesses told the gossip column that Adbul was thrown out of the party at Xenii because she looked "drunk" and "out of it." Others said she was "falling-down drunk." The assault story was made up, allegedly, to cover up her embarrassment at being thrown out.

Wow. If this is true, then Paula really needs to get help, and fast. It's one thing to act like a kook on AI, it's another to accuse someone of a felony just to cover up some personal embarrassment. Although it would have been funny to be at that party and see her be more "out of it" than she usually is.

The New York Post is reporting today that the actual winner of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart was Bethenny and not Dawna. They changed the winner at the last minute, as Charles Koppelman's 6 year-old granddaugther told all of the cast members backstage that Martha was going to choose Bethenny, because Martha didn't like Dawna's fashion show. The judges decided to change the winner of the show because of the granddaughter's announcement. This sort of makes you wonder how real the entire process was. I mean, was Dawna the best candidate or not?

This is not a good thing.