TVSquad

Okay, here's the pitch. A reality competition show in which American contestants go to other countries and have to adapt. Does that sound like CBS's The Amazing Race? It did to me, but apparently it's not. ABC has ordered an unscripted competition show in which Americans go abroad and face challenges. I guess this is a case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?

If you're in the camp that believes that Tony was whacked by the Members-Only jacketed man in the final blackout of The Sopranos, then you'll probably be pleased to know that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. has taken a shot at the HBO drama, too.

During a recent speech at New Jersey's Rutgers University, Justice Alito opined that the Emmy-winning series besmirched not only Italians, but citizens of the Garden State, too. "You have a trifecta - gangsters, Italian-Americans, New Jersey - wedded in the popular American imagination," he said to a crowd of about 100. He was speaking about the stereotypes Italian-Americans have had to live with in the United States. Clearly, The Sopranos would be just the kind of depiction to draw his ire. After all, Uncle Junior and Paulie Walnuts are not characters to be emulated and admired, and creator David Chase never said they were.

I don't know what type of TV viewer is still interested in beauty pageants. I'm especially confused by people who would tune into this past weekend's Miss Teen USA Pageant. But if the show has more priceless moments like the one in the video after the jump, I might start watching in the future.

It's Miss South Carolina, who tries desperately - and painfully - to answer the question on why so many Americans can't even find the United States on a map. It's one of the great TV moments of the year. Host Mario Lopez must have been thinking about something really sad to keep from laughing.

If you can decipher what she says, please let us know in the comments. I predict she'll have a big future in modeling, or maybe as a model/TV anchor!

Aaron Martin, head writer for Degrassi: The Next Generation, has created and will executive produce a new series about college life for The N called The Best Years. An appropriate title if I do say so myself, because I think for many of us college was a really great time. I know when it came time for me to graduate they had to drag me kicking and screaming off the campus: "No! I still have so much to learn! So many items I've yet to turn into a bong!"

The drama focuses on freshman Samantha Best, a product of the foster care system who looks forward to a new start at Charles University in Massachusetts. The cast of both Canadian and American actors includes a rich socialite from the Midwest, a star basketball player and a famous child actor who leaves Hollywood to attend the university. Thirteen episodes are set to air next summer.

MTV's gay and lesbian Logo network is teaming up with comedian "Ant" (most of you will remember him from Last Comic Standing) to seek out gay life in small town America. For US of ANT the comedian will travel across the United States and visit random towns to see how the gay community is getting along. The comedian claims he'll be throwing a dart at a map to decide where to go, though I imagine a more scientific approach will probably be used. Or not.

 

Those of us who grew up in small towns know they don't always embrace alternative lifestyles. The idea has possibilities, and it will be interesting to see what the show does with its subject matter.