TVSquad

I usually associate Real World cast members with drunken barfights, threeways, and tearful meltdowns--but politics? That's a first. Kevin Powell, former Real World reality star, is running for Congress in Brooklyn's 10th District. Old-timers like myself remember Kevin from the show's very first season, back when the cast members weren't equal parts hot and crazy.

Powell's post-reality career has set him apart from the typical fame-seeking MTV celebs. According to his campaign website, he's written seven books and is a successful lecturer and activist. That certainly beats stints on The Surreal Life and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

In the early days of reality TV as we know it, when the Real World was less of an alcoholic sex romp and more of a genuine social experiment, the "usual" way for talentless people become famous was to either be born into obscene wealth or fall down a well. Or both. Then, some time around the appearance of Survivor Season One, normal folks realized that they could capitalize on exaggerating their personalities on television. "Richard Hatch walks around naked? And he's gay? And painfully manipulative? Yes, I will sacrifice my time and attention to watch your crappy show."

• At 8, FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• At 8:30, G4 has their Comic Con '08 Live Preview.
• At 9, NBC has a new Baby Borrowers, followed by a new Celebrity Circus.
• PBS has a new Nova scienceNOW at 9.
• Also at 9: Sundance Channel has a new On The Road In America.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, TruTV has a new Black Gold.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.
• Bravo has a new Shear Genius at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new episode of The Real World.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, followed by a new Celebrity Circus.
• At 9, The CW has a new Farmer Wants A Wife.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime, then a new House Hunters.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Tru TV has the series premiere of Black Gold at 10.
• MTV has a new Real World at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has the Top Chef Reunion.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I'm in Los Angeles right now. From my observations: everyone is perfect looking, the weather is always beautiful, and everyone drives everywhere despite the fact that gas is approximately eleventy billion dollars a gallon and it doesn't appear that anyone is actually, you know, working. LA doesn't exist in any kind of recognizable reality. Let's put it this way: if the guys in Plato's cave were to figure out that the figures being cast onto their walls came from the Sunset Strip, they'd probably opt to stay chained up.

It stands to reason, then, that any genre springing to life in such an environment would bear no resemblance to what the rest of the world calls "reality". TV Squad therefore presents its first annual The Reality Shows Have Writers!? Award, recognizing those shows that in no way reflect a life that any human being on the planet is actually living but, for some reason, call themselves "reality shows."

• TLC has a Little People, Big World marathon all night.
• TNT has the NBA Playoffs all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, then new episodes of Supernanny and Boston Legal.
• CBS has a new Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular at 8, followed by new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new, two hour Deal Or No Deal at 8, then a new Law and Order.
• FOX has new episodes of 'Til Death, Back to You, and American Idol.
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8, then the series premiere of Farmer Wants A Wife.
• PBS has a new Secrets of the Dead at 8, followed by a new installment of Carrier.
• At 9, Rachael Ray guests on a new Larry King Live, on CNN.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
• Also at 9: Oxygen has the new movie Husband For Hire.
• At 10, Bravo has a new Top Chef.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• There's a new Real World on MTV at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new Wife Swap, followed by new episodes of Supernanny and Men in Trees.
• CBS has a new Big Brother 9 at 8, then new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8.
• FOX has the season finale of Moment of Truth at 8, then a new American Idol.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters, then a new Destination Truth.
• Travel Channel has two new episodes of John Ratzenberger's Made in America starting at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, followed by a new Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.
• Bravo has a new Top Chef at 10.
• Also at 10, MTV has a Real World reunion show, The Real World Awards Bash.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Like a lot of writers, I have an idea folder (it's manila, but I have it covered in puffy rainbow and unicorn stickers, so it's beautiful). As each week progresses, I jot down all my ideas -- for columns, for stand-up bits, for ransom notes -- and at the end of that week, I take stock of my creative output.

This week, I noticed that there were a lot of ideas that I wanted to share, but that weren't quite big enough for a full TV 101 column. I attached them to the end of my last column in a section called "Dribs and Drabs." It was a good thought, except that it took an already bloated piece (my writing makes the Unabomber's manifesto look like a dream of concise thought) and puffed it up into a 3000 word monstrosity. My editor suggested I break up the Dribs and Drabs section into its own piece, and that, dear readers, is what I did. Dribs and Drabs, after the jump...

I'm not going to argue with Mr. Klosterman. I admire him so much that for a short while, I thought he was my own Tyler Durden (all the ways I wish I could be -- that's Chuck). If we are, however, to take Klosterman's argument as truth -- that Puck and Pedro realizing the cameras were on them was the TV equivalent of Skynet becoming self-aware and destroying humanity -- we must then look to the second season of the show as the moment when Miles Dyson started working for Cyberdyne. That is, the seeds for television's unraveling were sown not during the third season of The Real World, but during the second. As 2008 is the 15th anniversary of The Real World: Los Angeles, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look back at how it managed to ruin everything...

As you probably know AOL TV is listing the 50 Sexiest Women of TV. This week they added numbers 30-21. Looking at these pictures just brings back memories--Katie Holmes on Dawson's Creek! I almost forgot she started on the small screen before she became the kept woman of that wacko Tom Cruise.

Their list over at AOL inspired me to create my own list--this time of Reality TV stars. Be sure to write who you would add to either AOL TV's list or my own list in the comments.

• At 8, CBS has a new Power of 10.
• NBC has a new hour-long Most Outrageous Moments at 8, then a new Last Comic Standing.
• At 9, TBS has two new episodes of House of Payne.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9, followed by a new Cash Cab.
• There's a new Lost Worlds on History Channel at 9.
• At 9:30, HGTV has a new Design on a Dime.
• At 10, FX has a new Rescue Me.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• TCM has The Maltese Falcon at 10.
• Sci-Fi has the season finale of Mind Control with Derren Brown at 10.
• Also at 10: MTV has a new Real World.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Adam reported earlier this summer that a Steve-O-hosted reality show titled Dr. Steve-O, formerly Camp Steve-O, was picked up by USA for the fall. The show focuses on the former Jackass star as he roams the land from redwood forest to Gulf Stream waters trying to toughen up our nation's men.

Dr. Steve-O has now added Trishelle Cannatella, formerly of Real World: Las Vegas and The Surreal Life, as the madman's assistant in "de-wussifying wimps."

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Of all the television I've watched in my life, there are few shows that I can say, I truly hate. Even a bad show has its place in TV history. However, if there is one thing I can't stand it's a show that doesn't live up to the hype. As always, these are only my choices. I'm sure you will have plenty of your own.

Because there just aren't enough versions of CSI, Spike is adding a reality show to the crime solving mix. The channel has ordered ten episodes of a new show called Murder from Bunim-Murray Productions. They are best known for The Real World, Road Rules, and The Simple Life.

The new show will find two teams of contestants investigating a replica of an actual crime scene under the watchful eye of Detective Tommy Le Noir, a 20 year veteran of law enforcement. The teams have 48 hours to complete their investigation before making their final presentation to Le Noir. The team that makes the best case will have a donation made in their names to charity.

The idea makes sense for Spike, given that they already run CSI and CSI: NY. Scheduling Murder in alongside those is a good fit. On the other hand, I can't help thinking that this show was already done with Murder In Small Town X. And just going on what we have here, it sounds like it was done better then.

We've already seen Survivor and Big Brother go the all-star route. And The Amazing Race is getting set to kick off their own version. Heck, it seems like every time I click by MTV there is another show filled with past Road Rules and Real World cast members. So why not American Idol?

According to TV Guide, Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe is trying to sell Fox on the concept. It's part of the planned songwriting competition. Lythgoe's idea is to narrow those entries down to ten songs and then bring in ten former Idol contestants to sing the songs on the show.

I'm not an Idol fan, but I have to say, that's a solid idea. I'm guessing they won't be able to get Kelly Clarkson, and chances are Jennifer Hudson won't be involved. But assuming that they can manage to get ten of the more popular contestants, this should make for another huge week of ratings. And an American Idol All-Stars CD... And an American Idol All-Stars Special Edition DVD... And... good grief, Idol is just a machine. At this point it's rivaled only by the power of Harry Potter.