TVSquad

First Jerry Seinfeld's wife, now a View host.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck has been sued by another author who accuses her of stealing ideas for her book The G Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide. The plaintiff, Susan Hassett, says she sent a copy of her own book Living with Celiac Disease to Hasselbeck last year. And now this year Hasselbeck comes out with her own book (written with Peter Green) on the topic, and there seems to be a lot of similarities, including chapter titles and certain phrasing of words.

Gawker has some of the similarities and TMZ has the court documents.

There is nothing inherently wrong with turning a TV series into a video game spinoff. It can fill in the gaps between seasons to quell the viewers' hunger, let audiences explore characters from new perspectives and even give the more hardcore couch potatoes some much needed exercise even if they only burned 1/100ths of a calorie solely through their thumbs.

The problem is video game developers pick TV shows that should never even become a travel sized board game. Developers have given the greenlight to games based on shows like American Idol, Desperate Housewives and even ... Grey's Anatomy?!? I hope that last one was a first-person shooter.

There are far better shows that offer far more entertaining elements for a kick-ass video game. These are the shows that should be next in line for a pixelated re-treatment.

As many of you know, when I'm not writing for TV Squad I'm a cover model for Men's Health magazine. Bending over to type these blog posts has given me sculpted abs.

However, I probably won't be part of this new reality show, if this report is true. It says that Men's Health editor Dave Zinczenko is creating a new health/exercise-based reality show with the people who do The Biggest Loser. It's described as being a show that will "offer human drama while teaching viewers how they can eat their favorite foods and still lose weight." That makes it sound like it's going to be some serious health and medical show. I'm sure it will be more Biggest Loser than a Sanjay Gupta-hosted CNN special.

If it's based on the Eat This, Not That books, my fear is that, since it's a reality show, one of the "Not That" things will be bugs.

Craig Harper has written an interesting article about how to lose weight while watching TV. We are becoming a more sedentary society; Harper says that within a few years some of us will have movement patterns and daily activity levels of an oak tree. In the words of Chris from So You Think You Can Dance, "I'm not a tree." Chris isn't a tree. And you don't have to be one either--even though this fitness guru says so.

Here's how not to be a tree in a few years. The average American spends three hours a day watching TV (mostly in the evening). Harper says that roughly forty-five minutes of that block is spent watching commercials. And who wants to watch those? Most commercials suck. So, during each commercial break, you get up and do some step-ups (stepping up and down off a box, platform, step).

Harper even gets into the nitty-gritty math stuff. I don't speak math, but basically he says that a 150 lbs. person can potentially lose 48 lbs. in a year. I'm no expert but I think "potential" is the operative word in that sentence. Do you still get to eat the whole year? Still, Harper does put a good idea out there. Use your commercial time wisely.

Independent Lens doesn't shy away from featuring documentaries on difficult subjects, but out of all the ones I've seen so far, this one was the most heart-wrenching. Motherland Afghanistan follows an Afghan American doctor who returns to Afghanistan to work in a hospital to provide medical care and expertise for pregnant women who live in a land where infant mortality rates are high and medical supplies are always in short supply. Dr. Qudrat Mojadidi role at Afghanistan's largest hospital is not only to help patients, but to train the doctors and staff with the help of funding from the U.S. government.

Motherland Afghanistan focuses on a crisis in Afghanistan largely ignored here in the states, but it's worth seeing not only because it's educational, but because it shows there are still people willing to try and make things better despite the odds, and to help those in need not only through medical treatment, but through education as well.

Motherland Afghanistan, filmed and directed by Dr. Mojadidi's daughter Sedika, will air on select PBS stations tonight at 10 p.m.

I'm quickly coming to the realization that Michael Cera is a very talented guy, beyond his work on Arrested Development. The video after the jump is one of the funniest things I've ever seen on YouTube.

I'm not exactly sure what the parody is (who the heck is Aleksay Vayner?), but it's hysterical nonetheless. It's a faux-interview with Cera, where he talks about what it takes to be successful: in career, in relationships, in fitness, and in life in general. Like a teenaged, Hollywood star/Anthony Robbins. There are a ton of lines you'll be quoting to friends tomorrow, but my favorite might be about proving to his parents he could play guitar:

"Cut to nine years later, I play guitar every chance I get, when I'm not signing an autograph or reading a script or having copies of keys made. And whenever I see my mother calling on the phone, I'll pick up the guitar and play a song. They'll hear it and say, 'hi, I was wrong, how are you? I haven't spoken to you in a while.' "

[via Gawker]

On November 19, Dr. Sanjay Gupta will host a new Dr. Sanjay Gupta Primetime Special titled "The Happiness Cure," which initially sounded to me like the show would be about trying to find a cure for happiness, and I think we all know the cure for happiness is watching an infinite video loop of a kitten scratching a baby. However, the special is actually about where happiness comes from and how different people try to obtain it. Different segments will look at genetics, drugs both legal and illegal, and the effects of happiness on health. Personally, I have my happiness smuggled here once a week from China. Over time I've built up a tolerance and now the only thing that affects me is pure, unbridled ecstasy, which I keep in a cigar box under my bed. Comedian Richard Lewis and motivational speaker Tony Robbins will also appear on the special. It airs on CNN November 19 at 10 pm.

Our fitness-focused sister site, That's Fit, has posted FitTV, a list of this week's health and fitness related programming. Here are some quick picks from the schedule:

NBC
The Biggest Loser - 9/20, 8/7c (two hour season premiere!)

DISCOVERY HEALTH CHANNEL
I Lost It! (Episode: Carla & Shawn) - 9/19; 6:30am, 11am ET
I Lost It! (Episode: Allison & Robin) - 9/20; 6:30am, 11am ET
I Lost It! (Episode: Debi & Bob) - 9/21; 6:30am, 11am ET
I Lost It! (Episode: Dana & Caitlin) - 9/22; 6:30am, 11am ET
Relay For Life: Giant Steps - 9/23; 10am ET

VH1
Celebrity Fit Club (Episode: Put Up or Shut Up) - 9/18; 11PM ET

For the full list, check out FitTV: September 18 - September 24.

Our all-new sister site, That's Fit, has posted FitTV, a list of this week's health and fitness related programming. Here are some quick selections:

DISCOVERY HEALTH CHANNEL
Super Obese - 8/30, 8/31, 9/2
We Lost 800 Pounds: Robin and Jackie - 9/2
The Best and the Brightest - 9/2

BRAVO
Work Out - 8/27, 8/29, 8/30

VH1
Celebrity Fit Club 4 - 8/27 - 9/2

For the full list, check out FitTV: August 27 - September 2.

It seems everyone wants a piece of Omar Sharif these days. First a televised drama in Britain tried to woo the legendary actor, and now Sharif has turned down an offer of one and a half million pounds to appear in an Egyptian drama. Don't take it as snobbery, however, as the aging actor claims he's been turning down roles due to failing health. He also recently turned down the chance to lend his voice to the upcoming animated adaptation of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

According to a survey of 2,000 adults, Homer Simpson's eating habits set a bad example for children. I would add that his habit of ramming crayons up his nose, falling off cliffs, and getting shot with a nailgun are also unhealthy. Frankly, I'm surprised every child on the planet hasn't been eradicated by Mr. Simpson's irresponsible behavior. The contestants of Big Brother 6 were also slammed for eating unhealthy food. There may be some validity to all of this, but I'm not sure fictional TV has ever really advocated healthy eating.