TVSquad

Reality is not relative when it comes to television. Reality television, my friends, is here to stay. So when I let you know that GSN will air Carnie Wilson: Unstapled, a new reality show starring the former singer from Wilson Phillips and the host of The Newlywed Game, you shouldn't be surprised. At least not about another celebrity reality program. The fact that it's going to be on GSN -- that's the Game Show Network -- however, that's a bit of a shocker.

GSN has fallen in love with Carnie Wilson. Kelly Goode, GSN senior vice president for original programming and development, gushed about CW, saying, "Carnie is incredibly funny and earthy. ... She's a personality the viewers have fallen in love with. And she's a hit on The Newlywed Game.

Howdy from Pasadena! Anyone who's been following either TV Squad's or my personal Twitter feed has noticed that I've been busy at the first day of the TCA press tour. Cable is up first; today was a relatively light day, with the Travel Channel, Fox Reality, and Turner making presentations. AMC will have a cocktail party later today, where I'm sure Matthew Weiner is going to be bombarded by reporters with Mad Men questions before he even reaches the shrimp spread.

The first panel was for the Travel Channel's ode to regional food and gluttony, Man v. Food. Host Adam Richman and executive producer Charlie Parsons took questions from the critics about their upcoming second season and about why they pick the cities they pick. I love the show, but I always wondered how Richman was able to withstand the quantity challenges he puts himself through in many of the episodes. Richman's answer? A workout regimen that makes him sound more like a GNC employee than a guy scarfing seven pound cheeseburgers.

Kids starting to develop breathing problems? Might be time to drag them off the couch and away from Naruto.

Researchers say kids who watch more than five hours of TV a day are more likely to develop asthma, according to a story in Britain's Telegraph. Scientists found that the danger of these kids developing asthma was raised by more than half compared with kids who watch just one hour of TV a day.

As I'm reading this, I realize this theory has nothing to do with TV per se, but rather the fact that kids who watch that much TV are Certified Couch Potatoes. That means: 1) They don't get enough exercise; 2) their breathing is shallower than kids who play stick-ball and build forts in the woods; and 3) they eat more junk food, which leads to fatter kids, which is linked with asthma.

I love science. It allows you to say commonsensical things, but with proof. The latest non-revelation to be offered by researchers is that switching off the television does not guarantee that children will exercise. A four-year study of more than 10,000 American children ages 10 to 15 found no correlation between the amount of time spent watching television and the amount of time spent engaged in vigorous activity.

According to the study, long hours spent watching television has contributed to the obesity epidemic among children, but killing your television won't reverse the trend. Watching TV and physical exercise are not "functional opposites." If they were, everyone would be on a "no television" diet.

NBC didn't expect such a large response when it put out the call for the next installment of The Biggest Loser. Producers ended up canceling a casting call at a San Diego restaurant because they couldn't accomodate all the hopefuls. An estimated 1,500 people crammed inside and waited on the street near Dave & Buster's cafe, where the open audition was being held. No word on whether NBC plans to re-schedule that audition.

It's no secret this country has a weight problem, but do you think this turn-out is because people want to lose weight or they want to be on television? Or both.