Five Reality Shows We're Thankful For

The story of the Mayflower would have made for great reality TV, don't you think? The struggle to break free of a tyrannical government, the love triangle of Myles Standish, Priscilla Mullens, and John Alden, the intrigue and danger brought on by the unknown natives. If only Mark Burnett had been there with a camera and some pre-fab challenges, Thanksgiving might have turned out a little differently as members of both the Pilgrim and Wampanoag tribes were voted off the plantation, one at a time.

As we reflect this holiday about what we are grateful for, reality TV must be at the top of the list. OK, there's family, friends, health... all the typical items. But reality TV feeds our souls, teaches us great lessons, opens our eyes to new experiences, highlights the struggles of relationships, and allows us to bask in the glow of a bountiful meal. Guess we're more like the Pilgrims than we thought.

And so we present the five reality shows we are most thankful for.

So We Know We Can't Dance... But We Love to Watch

 

Dance has always been a big part of our lives... not doing it, but watching it. We're a little uncoordinated, but our sister is an amazing dancer. She's a tapper. So we spent our youth going to many, many recitals. We did participate in one. When we were five, we took classes for a year, culminating in an awe-inspiring rendition of "Pony Boy," complete with shiny streamer tails. We quickly realized that our sister is the hoofer in the family, and we are excellent spectators.

We were also brought up watching a lot of other dancers besides our big sis. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly movies played constantly. Every year our grandmother would take us to the Boston Ballet's world-renowned "Nutcracker." And we even had the honor of going to see Rudolf Nureyev (the Mick Jagger of the tights-and-tutu set) perform in "Giselle" — the first time we realized that dance could be truly sexy.

Do Reality Diet Shows Exploit the Overweight?

This weekend we sank our teeth into a big, juicy reality show we had never sampled before called “DietTribe.” We had heard about the series, which wrapped up its sophomore season on Friday night, but we'd never taken the time to watch the show about a group of robust friends who joined forces to lose weight together. And in order to be prepared for the finale, we gorged ourselves on an Internet feast of this cycle’s previous episodes. But before we indulged in the docudrama delicacy, we found ourselves pondering the moral question we’d asked ourselves before. Was this going to be a good-hearted series or another show looking to make a buck on a person with a problem?

"Seinfeld:" 20 Years Later

 
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the debut of "The Seinfeld Chronicles," the pilot for the legendary NBC comedy "Seinfeld." We miss the four friends' show about nothing and can't believe how great it's been to seem them reunite on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with "Seinfeld" co-creator, Larry David. So in honor of last night's final episode of "Seinfeld" on "Curb" we look back at the groundbreaking show's enduring catchphrases and check to see what the stars are up to now.

Who Will Be "In" on "Project Runway"?

When "Project Runway" made the long-anticipated move from Bravo to Lifetime this season we were nervous. We worried that the network most famous for melodramatic movies of the week and the D-List train wreck "Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" would ruin one of our favorite reality TV shows.

Turns out we could breathe easy. Not only was "Project Runway" as good as we remembered it to be, but Lifetime also upped the ante by adding a new show to our TV watching slate: "Models of the Runway."

Petite Passions: Free Museums

Even going to a free museum like the Getty in Los Angeles isn't cheap these days. While they charge zero dollars for admission, they've upped the parking bill from $8 to $15 per car. That's not unreasonable considering that the cost is usually split among a few visitors but we couldn't help but wage a search for a bigger bargain.

What we stumbled upon is a boon for art lovers nationwide... and all you need is a Bank of America card and you can get in free to over 100 museums across the country during the first full weekend of every month. And we're talking major institutions here. So grab your card and go - just make sure you don't spend too much in the gift shop or it will cancel out the whole savings concept.

To see a list of participating museums in your area visit:

Bank of America Museums on Us

"Project Runway" Stars: Where Are They Now?

 

Another season of "Project Runway" is coming to an end. There was a lot of brouhaha about "PR's" move to Lifetime for its sixth season and the relocation from Parsons the New School for Design in New York to Los Angeles' Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. And we were on the fence about the new weekly half-hour companion show about the models, featuring behind-the-scenes views from their perspective. But we have to admit it all worked out for the best.

The season kicked off with a two-hour "Project Runway: All-Star Challenge" special, in which eight previous contestants returned for a one-shot chance at $100,000. Coming back were Daniel Vosovic and Santino Rice from Season 2; Jeffrey Sebelia, Uli Herzner, and Mychael Knight from Season 3; Chris March and Sweet P from Season 4; and Korto Momolu from Season 5. Daniel took home the title we felt he had rightly earned all those years ago.

Seeing all these names and waiting to see who gets crowned this season's winner, got us wondering what some of our favorite former contestants been up to since leaving the design room. Here are three designers from every season who are still making it work.

Who Will Be "America's Next Top Model?"

The time has come for Tyra Banks to announce to the world "who will be 'America's Next Top Model.'" The answer has seemed pretty clear from day one of Cycle 13 - the 18-year old student, Nicole Fox. But she still has a few hurdles to jump.

Namely the often stiff and unflattering Covergirl commercial and, of course, the ultimate runway show. This season's lanky ladies will have the added pressure of smizing (smiling with your eyes according to Tyra) and modeling "h to t" (that's head to toe for those of you who, again, aren't tuned in to Tyra speak) having to cruise the catwalk in front of one member of the Hollywood elite - Eddie Murphy. We're not sure what he has to do with the modeling world (besides having dated one or two in his checkered personal past) and we hope for the girl's sake that they don't do anything to invoke his famous braying laugh.

"The Biggest Loser" Pulls out the Big Gunn

 If we had to pick one reality TV personality to be our all-time favorite, it would have to be Tim Gunn. The fashion guru, style counselor, and all-around sweetheart came into television consciousness as the mentor on "Project Runway," and this week our reality worlds collide as he takes on "The Biggest Loser."

For the third season, he'll offer fashion advice to the final six competitors on our favorite episode of each season: the makeovers. Understandably, most of these contestants have a lot of issues when it comes to shopping and accepting their new selves. But Tim takes them by the hands, leads them into Macy's, and helps them find their inner confidence to match their new outward appearance.

"America's Next Top Model": Where Are They Now?

 

The 2009 season of "America's Next Top Model" ended with a surprisingly unexciting winner (the incredibly forgettable Teyona Anderson) and controversy among the judges. Tyra Banks' supermodel search has been through 12 cycles, and as both Anderson and judge Paulina Porizkova leave Tyra for the dog-eat-dog world of fashion, we wonder what happened to the show's previous catwalk victors and arbiters.

"Celebrity Ghost Stories": Carnie Wilson is Scared Straight

Have you been watching "Celebrity Ghost Stories" on BIO? We have and we LOVE it. But we can't watch it live in its Saturday night timeslot. We have to record it and play it back in broad daylight with the curtains open. Then we immediately follow it up with something fluffy and mindlessly entertaining, like "Ace of Cakes" or "Leave it to Lamas." If we don't take these precautions, we see "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary" in the bathroom mirror while we brush our teeth and have nightmares for days. OK. So, we're not the bravest souls around. But this stuff is freaky.

There are many skeptics out there who say that these stars are just a bunch of C-list (at best) celebs looking for a career boost. Plus, they're actors, so they should tell a convincing tale. Even we confess that some of the stories could easily be extremely vivid dreams, incidents explained away by wild night of partying, or a case of wishful thinking after a traumatic ordeal. But for the most part, "Celebrity Ghost Stories" turned us into believers.

"Melrose Place" Cast: Then & Now

 
It's a great time to be a fan of nighttime soap operas. First the CW rolled out a new version of "90210," and then they launched a reimagining of "Melrose Place." Both shows are really bad, but like the originals, that's what makes them so good. We loved the mix of old and new on "90210," with original castmates Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty, and soon Tori Spelling walking the halls of West Beverly High. And were thrilled that alumni like Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, and Josie Bissett were moving their boxes back in to the poolside apartments on "Melrose Place" - even if they weren't signing three year leases. See who's already moved in (and out) and who's due to fill a vacancy in our "Melrose Place:" Then and Now.

The High-Voltage Chefs

As sisters, we're especially interested to watch the "Top Chef" competition dynamic unfold between brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio — or as we like to call them, the High-Voltage Chefs — who've been the clear front-runners since Day One. Between them, they've won six of the 11 elimination challenges (three each). Michael has been in the top group nine times, and Bryan seven. And of the two, only Michael has fallen into the bottom three on one occasion.

But their lack of support for each other in the kitchen is obvious. Every time one of them wins a challenge, the other is clearly more disappointed with himself for losing than he is happy for his brother's victory. Will their sibling rivalry get the best of them or will the friendly competition drive them right over the finish line?

TV Shows for College Credit

We took what some would consider the easy route when it came to picking our college classes. We studied communications, and a lot of the time we got to sit in lecture halls and analyze classic movies that were interesting to a student of the craft of filmmaking, but were not necessarily entertaining.

Now we hear that Harvard University is offering a class based on TV's "The Wire." And, frankly, we feel like we got gypped. If we could've earned a degree, from HARVARD no less, by watching prime-time TV shows, we would've been a lot more motivated to study.

Here's how Harvard sociology professor William J. Wilson justifies giving class credit for the cop drama: "'The Wire' has done more to enhance our understanding of the systemic urban inequality that constrains the lives of the poor than any published study." Really? Do you know the life lessons we've learned from "The Brady Bunch" or "Family Ties"? No one gave us a Bachelor's degree for our intensive studies of those shows.

So we're thinking that we'll open our own university and offer degrees to future pop culture fanatics in law, history, culinary arts and more. But we're going to do it the Harvard way — one TV show at a time. Here are some examples of our core curriculum.

Roxy Olin Is Harshing Our Reality TV Buzz

We love reality TV, and we love a good family drama. But we do not like when these worlds collide. 



Needless to say we were a little bit taken aback recently when Kevin and Scottie decided to have Scottie's friend Michelle McCormack be their surrogate on "Brothers and Sisters." Now the actress playing Michelle is competent — totally in keeping with the high quality performances we're used seeing on the show. But there was something unsettling about the brunette playing the former party girl. We'd seen her somewhere before, but we couldn't quite put our finger on it. Then it clicked: she's Whitney Port's new friend Roxy on "The City."

These Globetrotters Know How to "Race"

Let us be very clear about something from the get-go. We LOVE reality TV. Pretty much all of it. From "Survivor" and "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" to the "Real World" and "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Competition. Docudrama. Design and cooking shows. We dig them all.

But as the Emmy committee consistently reminds us every year, "The Amazing Race" is the greatest reality show of all time. Not only is it almost impossible to produce (try shoving your backpack in a sardine-like Indian train car, let alone your cameraman and sound guy), but the casting is perfect every year. There's always the weird-family-dynamic pair, the whiny-girl duo, and the clearly-not-meant-for-each-other couple. The formula may be predictable, but it's always entertaining.

Pantry Passions: Baked Acorn Squash

Artwork by Beth Harrington, 1974

This sweet and buttery side dish is perfect for a cold fall night.

Still Rooting for Kelly Osbourne on "Dancing with the Stars"

We predicted on the first night of "Dancing with the Stars" that this season Kelly Osbourne would take the whole thing. Not ones to go back on a prediction, we stand by that choice, although quite honestly, we know it's anybody's game. We can't remember a season of the show where the talent level in the race was so close.

We all know the truth: Kelly is the weakest dancer left. But she's grown more than anyone else, which is really what this show should be about. You've got Donny Osmond and Aaron Carter, who've been performing since they were in diapers. And Mya was taking dancing classes at age two. Even supermodel Joanna Krupa went to ballet lessons as a kid. Kelly has had a mildly successful music career where she pogo-ed around onstage, but she's clearly the underdog in this competition. And that's why we're rooting for her.

Worst Celebrity Death Hoaxes

 

Celebrities big and small, from William Hung to Maya Angelou, have been killed off before their times. The same day that Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died, Internet rumors were flying that Jeff Goldblum fell to his death during an on-set accident in New Zealand (the same rumor had been spread about Tom Hanks in 2006 and Tom Cruise in 2008) and that Harrison Ford was lost at sea when his yacht capsized.

Luckily, none of these reports proved to be true.

Not long after, somebody hacked into Britney's Twitter account and posted this message, "Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come."

The news is this: not only is Britney alive, so are Ellen DeGeneres and P. Diddy (whose accounts were also hacked), as well as George Clooney, Kanye West, and Rick Astley.

Here are some of the most legendary stories of other celebrities who've lived through rumors of their untimely demise.

TV Millionaires: How'd They Get So Rich?

In this tough economy, it seems like everyone is reinventing themselves just to get a job. They're exploring new career paths on a quest to make money. So we looked to our favorite TV moguls for inspiration. How did Thurston Howell III become independently wealthy? Where did Gomez Addams get his funds? And how would these and other fictional millionaires fare in this dismal economy? Here's what we found out about some of TV's most affluent characters and what made them so rich.

Petite Passions: Canelé

We don't know how you've been weathering the economic storm, but we've been trying to cut corners wherever we can. That means no more fancy dinners out, fewer movies in theaters, and definitely zero sprees at the mall.

So when we long for the days we can splurge once again, we remember an important adage to finding joy in life… “It’s the little things.” We don’t need fancy cars and wild extravagances. It's life’s small and simple pleasures that mean the most. These tiny indulgences, forgotten gems, and guiltless pleasures that can make a not so great, rainy afternoon a little bit better have become our Petite Passions…

Here’s the first in an ongoing series that might help brighten an otherwise lackluster day…

The Jackson Joke Moratorium is Over

 

The moratorium on being nice to the Jackson family seems to be lifted. First Kathy Griffin finally let it rip against the clan in her latest stand-up special "Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel," expressing her shock at the post MJ-death revelation that HE was the normal one in the family. And now, a scene featuring La Toya that was respectfully cut from the theatrical release of the film "Bruno" is being added as bonus material on the DVD. It shouldn't come as a surprise to Joe Jackson and his kids. The controversial movie about the leder hosened Austrian performed so badly, they need to do whatever they can to boost sales now. Read about the never before seen scene here.

Written by Amy & Nancy Harrington

Originally for GetBack.com

Surprising Facts about Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock is in the news, but not to promote a movie. She and her hubby, Jesse James, are in the middle of a knock down, drag out custody battle with his ex-wife over his daughter Sunny. The girl has been living with the couple full-time, while mommy Janine spent a little time in jail. Sandy's pretty good at keeping her private life private. In fact, few people had heard about the little girl, and that Sandy basically has been her full-time mom, until Janine decided to go on the "Today Show" to do a little mudslingling.

So we thought we'd look to find some other things we didn't know about "The Proposal" actress. Did you know her mother was a German opera singer, her dad was a Pentagon contractor, and her grandfather was a rocket scientist? Or that she lived in Europe until she was 12 and sang in a children's opera choir at Staatstheater Nuremberg? Read on to learn more fun facts about Sandra Bullock.

"Celebrity Ghost Stories": Joan Rivers

Bio Channel's "Celebrity Ghost Stories" premiered this week and we have become instant fans. While we're a little too cowardly to watch TV's haunted happenings on a regular basis, we check in occasionally with a few of the myriad of shows about the spirit world. We are intrigued by the paranormal, but Sonya Fitzpatrick's "Pet Psychic" is more our speed. Still, we couldn’t get enough of the "Celebrity Paranormal Project" where the B-list stars were left overnight in an eerie location with some heat sensors and overactive imaginations. So when we heard there was another star-studded ghost show, we had to tune in. And we were not disappointed.

Pantry Passions: Chicken and Mushroom Casserole

Artwork by Beth Harrington, 1974

Nothing says comfort food like a casserole and this chicken and mushroom extravaganza will not disappoint on a cold winter night. Serve with a side of green beans and cranberry sauce for a pre-Thanksgiving mini-feast.

Back in Black?

 

It was announced last week that "Men in Black 3" has been green lit by Columbia Pictures. Reportedly Barry Sonnenfeld, director of the first two "MIB" films will be at the helm once again, and Etan Cohen, who wrote "Tropic Thunder," is already working on the script. The big grey area...and this is a BIG grey area...is if Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will be back in "Black." Clearly, without them, the show can't go on. But to us, there in only one burning question. Will Frank the pug suit up again?  Wouldn't be the same without him.

Written by Amy & Nancy Harrington
Originally for GetBack.com

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

On last night's "Amazing Race," while waiting at the airport to fly from Dubai to Amsterdam, brothers, Sam and Dan, revealed to the other teams that they are gay. Other than the slightly disappointed female poker players, Maria and Tiffany (who had been flirting with them all along), no one seemed phased by the news. But the declaration did seem to have a liberating effect on the brothers, as they soared through every challenge on the leg, and landed first on the mat at this week's pit stop long before their competitors.

Taylor Tweets About "This Is It"

 

In perhaps the least of objective and possibly most overstated review in film history, Elizabeth Taylor tweeted and tweeted and tweeted today about her unabashed love of the soon to be released Michael Jackson documentary “This Is It.” In nineteen separate 140-character (or less) entries, Liz raved, “You owe it to yourselves and your loved ones to see this again and again. Memorize it and say to yourselves, ‘I saw genius in my lifetime’."  The King of Pops BFF went so far as to call the concert movie “the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen.” We’re sure it’s a highly entertaining piece of propaganda but has Liz watched “Casablanca” or “Citizen Kane” lately?

Written by Amy & Nancy Harrington
Originally for GetBack.com

Weird Facts About Nicolas Cage

 
News broke recently that Nicolas Cage owes $6.3 million in back taxes and that he's suing his business manager, Samuel J. Levin, for incompetence that caused him the huge tax liabilities and "catastrophic financial losses." It's pretty common knowledge that Cage is a brilliant actor ("Raising Arizona," "Moonstruck," "Adaptation") who has made more than his share of missteps, both professionally ("The Weather Man" and "Bangkok Dangerous") and personally (Lisa Marie Presley and some of those hairdos). But that's just scratching the surface of the Oscar-winning star. We've unearthed the strange ways he's dedicated himself to his acting craft, his eccentric passions and possessions, and his dangerous family background. Get to know Nicolas Cage a bit better by checking out these weird facts about the man and his career through the years.

Randy on the Run

 

As if it weren't bizarre enough that Randy Quaid was arrested a few weeks ago for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 hotel bill at the San Ysidro Ranch, the tale got more twisted a few days ago. Randy and his wife, were supposed to appear in court to deal with their fraud charges but they never showed. Now there's talk of extraditing them from Texas to California. Thus marking the first time, in a loooonnnnnggggg time, that anyone has sought out Randy Quaid. Read all about their troubles here.