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Las Vegas-set Top Chef 6's cast is older

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:02:04 -0500

This week, Bravo revealed the cast of Top Chef 6, which I will care about eventually--especially since the new season debuts on my birthday--but right now doesn't matter because I'm focused on and addicted to Top Chef Masters.

Anyway, there are 17 chefs competing this season, just like the fifth season, but this cast is older: Four in their 20s, nine in their 30s, and four in their 40s. (Last season, there were eight in their 20s, seven in their 30s, and two in their 40s.)

Season six will be set in Las Vegas and judged by Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Toby Young; it debuts Aug. 26, airing on Wednesdays but at an earlier hour: 9 p.m. ET.

Here's the list according to Bravo's press release; photos and bios are at BravoTV.com:

Ash Fulk, 29 Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Calif.; Resides in New York City
Ashley Merriman, 32 Center Sandwich, N.H.; Resides in Seattle, Wash.
Bryan Voltaggio, 33 Hometown: Frederick, Md.; Resides in Urbana, Md.
Eli Kirshtein, 25 Hometown/Resides in: Atlanta, Ga.
Eve Aronoff, 40 Hometown/Resides in: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Hector Santiago, 41 Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Resides in Atlanta, Ga.
Jennifer Carroll, 33 Hometown/Resides in: Philadelphia, Pa.
Jennifer Zavala, 31 Hometown: Cromwell, Conn.; Resides in Philadelphia, Pa.
Jesse Sandlin, 30 Hometown/Resides in: Baltimore, Md.
Kevin Gillespie, 26 Hometown/Resides in: Atlanta, Ga.
Laurine Wickett, 38 Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.; Resides in San Francisco, Calif.
Mattin Noblia, 29 Hometown: Biarritz, France; Resides in San Francisco, Calif.
Michael Isabella, 34 Hometown: Little Ferry, N.J.; Resides in Washington, D.C.
Michael Voltaggio, 30 Hometown: Frederick, Md.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
Preeti Mistry, 33 Hometown/Resides in: San Francisco, Calif.
Robin Leventhal, 43 Hometown: Sun Valley, Idaho; Resides in Seattle, Wash.
Ron Duprat, 40 Hometown: Mare Rouge, Haiti; Resides in Hollywood, Fla. and Naples, Fla.

Bravo's Top Chef Las Vegas premieres... [Bravo press release]

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Big Brother ratings up slightly over last year

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:57:30 -0500

More people watched Big Brother 11's first episode than watched the debut of the 10th season last summer, and the episode was the top-rated show in its hour--although So You Think You Can Dance won the night.

Overall, 6.59 million people tuned in to meet the new hamsters and reintroduce themselves to blockhead Jessie. That's up from last year's lowest-rated debut ever, when 6.3 million watched the Sunday debut, at least according to numbers published by Variety back then.

In a press release today, CBS says that last year's premiere was watched by 6.13 million, which obviously still represents an increase. Overall, CBS says the first episode was "up +10% in both households (from 4.0/07) and adults 18-49 (from 2.1/07), +20% in adults 18-34 (from 1.5/05), even in adults 25-54 and added +460,000 viewers (from 6.13m, +7%)."

The network also had success online--an 11 percent increase in viewers to its web site--although this is unsurprising since Big Brother has nearly always been about people who live and breathe online.

"Big Brother" Returns With a Time Period Win... [CBS press release]

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Jessie joins Big Brother 11 as the show kicks off with cast stupidity, producer manipulation

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:17:29 -0500

With all of the excitement about the return of guilty summer pleasure Big Brother, I forgot just what a crappy show it really is--especially when compared to its CBS siblings, since it seems like it belongs on some low-rent cable channel--and how it takes a while for me to embrace its crappiness, especially when there's no scheming or strategizing to distract me. That will come soon enough, though, and with this group of nutjobs, it should be fun.

Sticking to its very familiar formula, the first episode introduced us to the 12 new houseguests, almost all of whom already seem excruciatingly annoying, and to the mystery 13th houseguest: Jessie from Big Brother 10. Sheila's rumored return wasn't even a possibility (maybe she really is traveling for three months!), but once they revealed the people who might enter the house, I was desperate for Sheila to return.

Four past contestants showed up, each representing one of the cliques, and they were Cowboy (off-beat), Jessica (popular), Brian (brains), Jessie (Incredible Hulk CGI model stand-in, I mean, athlete). I was rooting the brains in the first competition--which involved large underpants, toilet seats, and "super wedgies"--because Brian is the least annoying and was only on the show for a week. But he was out first (you'd think the nerds could handle the wedgies, but for some reason that stereotype fell apart), and the jocks stereotypically won the first HOH competition, so Jessie re-entered the game. Julie Chen teased, "How will the housegests respond now that Jessie has entered the game?" Probably by getting out the way because he's so massive.

Speaking of Julie, she acknowledged her pregnancy in the first few moments of the game, and I actually missed the reference at first because her over-rehearsed attempt to pause dramatically, glance down at her uterus, and gesture with her hands actually looked at first like she was reading her lines off of her hands.

Because the show turned my excitement into annoyance in its first hour, here's a list of the things that irritated me:

The lame, corny scripted introductions to the cast ("this scientist is going to mix things up in the house," Michelle said while swirling a flask.) They're not actors, yet the producers force them to act, so our first introduction to them is awkward and unnecessarily fake.
The whole cast, although most of that is because of the way they were introduced to us. Casey, though, seems to be the most excruciatingly obnoxious, at least from episode one. I can imagine parents pulling their kids out of his class right now.
The clique twist, which seems lamer each time it's described. I don't mind the groupings--although three people does not make a good tribe--but playing up high school in a game that's already like middle school isn't appealing.
Julie's weak attempt to get viewers to identify with and root for a clique is annoying, as if we all belonged to the same four groups that producers who went to high school decades ago are convinced is still super-relevant today.
Forcing the houseguests to enter in pre-determined groups. They've already screwed with them by forcing them into alliances, and this is yet another way to manipulate the competition: the last four get screwed on their bedroom, period, so the producers decide who to punish. Stop meddling!
The fact that I had to hear Cowboy speak again without advance warning to stab myself in the eardrums.
The fact that I had to listen to Jessica and Eric do their baby-voice flirting without advance warning to stab myself in the eardrums.

But despite all of this, the show had me at Jeff saying, "I'm definitely not a arithmetic-type person, you know, reading books." Let the stupidity begin.

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SYTYCD Michael Jackson tribute cancelled as the show finds its top 10

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:16:10 -0500

So You Think You Can Dance has its top 10 and now gives control entirely to viewers, revealing Nigel Lythgoe revealing that there would be no Michael Jackson tribute because the show isn't allowed to use his music.

60-year-old birthday boy Lythgoe said that the show had its choreographers on board, but "yesterday, we got a note back -- whether it's Sony or the family estate, I don't know, but they would not clear the music for us. And it's very sad; for some reason, we can't do the show."

The top 10 finalist dancers, whose fates are now in viewers' hands for the remaining four weeks of the competition, are Kupono Aweau, Brandon Bryant, Randi Evans, Jason Glover, Evan Kasprzak, Janette Manrara, Jeanine Mason, Ade Obayomi, Kayla Radomski, and Melissa Sandvig.

That means Caitlin Kinney and popper Phillip Chbeeb were the last two contestants to be eliminated by the judges, and that probably shouldn't be a surprise with Phillip because he wasn't great with much outside of popping, which he does amazingly well. However, both will appear on the tour, as Lythgoe revealed, "I have secured with the producers that you and Caitlin will be on the tour." And since he's an executive producer, that's impressive dealmaking.

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Ryan Seacrest made $100,000 per American Idol 8 episode, is working on a three-year contract extension

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:58:59 -0500

For his hosting work on American Idol 8, Ryan Seacrest made $100,000 per episode. That's a total of "slightly less than $5 million this season," according to The Hollywood Reporter--significantly less than the $12.5 million a year that the Washington Post reported last year that Seacrest gets per year.

In any case, it's a lot of cash, and THR says he is working on a three-year deal with 19 Entertainment that "will give Seacrest a major pay raise and make him one of the highest-paid reality hosts on television." The paper doesn't mention what that number is, or who makes more than he does (Bergeron? Probst?). But Seacrest's hosting is just a fraction of the money he makes for his various projects.

Ryan Seacrest nears new megadeal [Hollywood Reporter]

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Potential TV show wants stories of people meeting online, and how we deal with death

Andy Dehnart — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:19:09 -0500

Two new web sites are seeking personal stories from people who met online that may be turned into a documentary style series.

The "two new story-driven websites" are "part of a multimedia project which we hope will culminate in a new TV series unlike anything that's on the air right now," according to a blog post on Web Lab, the nonprofit think-tank behind the two sites.

Produced by PBS P.O.V. creator Mark N. Weiss and producer Tom Yellin, the show--which has a working title of Stories--"will gather personal stories on a range of issues."

The two sites that are gathering those personal stories are Meeting Online, which wants "[stories] about the successes and failures of meeting people online," and How We Die, which "will explore how our most personal experiences have shaped what we believe about death and dying, and about the decisions we make for ourselves, for loved ones, or for patients at the end of life."

Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it? [Web Lab]

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Today is reality blurred's ninth anniversary

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:09:09 -0500

Today is July 9, 2009, and it also happens to be reality blurred's ninth anniversary--and this is the 9,387th post. (If I'd been less lazy and just posted 612 more times, that would have been pretty amazing.)

What started nine years ago as just me sitting in front of a computer bitching about reality television has evolved into--um, me sitting in front of a computer bitching about reality television. But back then I was 22, so clearly I'm a lot grumpier now. I appreciate everyone from those of you who have been around since the beginning to the ones who've made this site part of your lives since then.

It's celebration enough that Big Brother 11 debuts tonight, and while it's kind of half-assed to have a pseudo-party a week late, that's what I'll be doing: In part to celebrate this milestone and kick off year 10, we'll have another live blogging/chat event at 11:45 p.m. ET next Thursday, July 16.

Why so late? That's 15 minutes before the debut of Andy Cohen's midnight and sure-to-be-awesome chat show on Bravo. After that half-hour of mocking concludes, we'll stay up to watch Big Brother After Dark and/or the live feeds, at least until I get bored and/or fall asleep. I hope you'll grab a cocktail, your computer, and your television, or some combination thereof, and join in. More next Thursday, but mark your calendars now. No excuses.

And thanks for reading reality blurred for these nine years.

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Mark Burnett: "no decisions have been made" about Survivor 20, but it will be "really cool"

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:09:31 -0500

The 20th season of Survivor, long rumored to be some kind of all-star season (not again, ugh!) has not yet locked down its twists and creative direction, according to a recent interview with executive producer Mark Burnett.

Regarding the 20th season, which Jeff Probst confirmed to me will shoot immediately after season 19, Burnett told The Hollywood Reporter, "There's so much being discussed. No decisions have been made. Clearly it's 10 years (and) 20 seasons. We'll do something really cool but we certainly won't be making any big format changes."

Not made creative decisions yet? With plans for 20 to be in production in August, they'd better hurry up. Then again, they may have already made those decisions. For one, Burnett was known, at least in the early years, to lie about his show to throw people off, but more significantly, the Tuesday article also said he was interviewed in the South Pacific, so the conversation obviously occurred earlier, since he was in Los Angeles Wednesday for his Walk of Fame star ceremony.

Burnett also talked about his upcoming ABC series Shark Tank ("an extremely high-quality (show)" that "feels like (it) belongs up there with great dramas"), and discussed reviving the original Apprentice. While Donald Trump said the celebrity and original editions could air simultaneously, Burnett said "we could alternate seasons with it" but says they're not really focused on the regular edition: "Celebrity Apprentice has done so well, there's no way we're going to move off that right now. Only a fool would chance success."

By the way, The Hollywood Reporter's piece says reporter James Hibberd talked to Burnett while Burnett was in "an undisclosed location in the South Pacific where the 19th season of 'Survivor' is being filmed." Besides that being public information since March, and officially revealed in May, there was even a recent press release naming the 19th season's location, so you'd think it wouldn't have been easy to avoid such information. Consider yourself warned, people at trade papers, but that super top-secret place is--SPOILER ALERT--Samoa.

Q&A: Mark Burnett [Hollywood Reporter]

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Great American Road Trip moved to Mondays after debuting with low ratings

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:17:28 -0500

NBC's Great American Road Trip debuted Tuesday night, and already the network is moving it away from its highly rated golden child America's Got Talent, dumping the new reality show on Mondays at 8 p.m.

The premiere of the new series was watched by 4.657 million people, more than the 4.198 who watched ABC's crap The Superstars, which is definitely the inferior series. But an hour later, 10.434 million tuned in to America's Got Talent, according to TV By the Numbers.

Great American Road Trip, which features families traveling across the country in RVs while making stops to compete in challenges, made me nostalgic for the amazing USA series The Real Cannonball Run 2001, and even The Amazing Race's tragic family season, because at least that had stuff to make fun of, in addition to TAR's production values and Phil. And of course, it borrows most heavily from the original seasons of Road Rules, before they turned into Real World-style stupidity fests. NBC's new show isn't terrible, but it just fumbles a format that's been done before--and better.

NBC's Tops With Talent, But Road Trip Goes Nowhere [TV By the Numbers]

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Lifetime reveals Project Runway 6's cast; seventh season being filmed

Andy Dehnart — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:05:35 -0500

The cast of Project Runway 6 finished filming their season almost five months ago, but they're finally being revealed to the world now, six weeks before the new season debuts late next month.

Of the 16 cast members, nine are in their 20s, four are between 30 and 32, two are in their 40s, and one is 50. Seven are from New York. The AP runs down the cast, noting that "[t]hree of them -- Nicolas Putvinksi, Gordana Gehlhausen and Irina Shabeyeva -- hail originally from Russia, Bosnia and the Republic of Georgia, respectively."

Heidi Klum told the AP that the women are contenders and the source of drama. "Look out for the girls. The girls are very strong on season six. There's a lot of crying, there's fighting going on, there's a lot of drama going on -- but especially with the girls," she told the AP. Here are names, ages, and hometowns of the women and men:

Shirin Askari, 25, of Garland, Texas.
Louise Black, 32, of Dallas.
Ra’Mon-Lawrence Coleman, 31, of Milwaukee.
Rodney Epperson, 50, of New York.
Ari Fish, 26, of Kansas City, Mo.
Qristyl Frazier, 42, of New York.
Gordana Gehlhausen, 45, of San Diego.
Mitchell Hall, 26, of Savannah, Ga.
Althea Harper, 25, of New York.
Logan Neitzel, 25, of Seattle.
Nicolas Putvinksi, 27, of New York.
Johnny Sakalis, 30, of Los Angeles.
Irina Shabeyeva, 27, of New York.
Christopher Straub, 30, of Shakopee, Minn.
Malvin Vein, 24, of New York.
Carol Hannah Whitfield, 24, of New York.

Today at 9 a.m. ET, Lifetime is unveiling the show's new web site to go along with one of the worst promotional ads ever. I guess that ad is designed to draw in Lifetime's viewers, but it tries so hard to be cool and comes off as so lame.

Meanwhile, before the Project Runway, world even gets a chance to judge what the network and Bunim-Murray has done to save or screw up everyone's favorite show, the seventh season is currently being filmed. They started production on June 16, according to New York Magazine, which reported that they're once again staying at Atlas. A few days later, the contestants were awakened at 6:30 a.m. for some kind of trip, but the magazine hasn't reported on them since.

Perhaps the contestants were kidnapped and hidden in the BravoTV.com server room, or got lost trying to find the show on Lifetime?

After long delay, 'Runway' contestants revealed [AP] Project Runway Contestants Arrive, Begin Filming in NYC and Project Runway Contestants Up and At ’Em by 6:30 [New York Magazine]

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Bloggers suggest transforming "rushed" Fashion Show into a non-Project Runway clone

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:53:47 -0500

Bravo's Project Runway weak clone The Fashion Show is still airing, which is almost unbelievable because it feels like it's been on TV forever, and I haven't even been watching it. After the first couple episodes, I couldn't keep going, as it was just wholly uninteresting to me, never mind badly produced and conceived--and I loved Project Runway during its prime (and the final Bravo season was not its prime). So what's wrong with it? Two people who have stuck with the series but also don't like it have some thoughts.

Project Rungay creators Tom and Lorenzo--who admit they have "been rooting since Day One for Bravo to get this one right"--offer 2,400+ words on how Bravo can fix The Fashion Show, which they say Bravo "rushed ... into production too quickly before they could really figure out what they wanted to do." Here's a summary of their advice, which is definitely worth a read:

"The runway portion is too derivative of PR; the judges are not suited to their roles; Fern is lost, Kelly is useless, and Isaac is hogging the spotlight; there's no mentor; and the staging is terrible, not least because the principals are all very bad at getting their points across effectively. [...]

Go all in on the retail aspect of the show. Every week, the designers have to produce some garment, bearing in mind that it's for mass production. [...]

Don't fire Isaac. We realize that some of the readers might not agree with us on this, but when he's on, he's really on. So put him in a position where he can really be on. He shouldn't be a judge. He should be the mentor. [...] What we propose is that instead of casting the show with a bunch of designers, cast it with a bunch of newly graduated design students and put them in the role of Junior Designer to Isaac's Senior Designer. [...]

Fern should be the lead judge. She's a goddamn expert and she's playing second fiddle to Isaac, which is a travesty. Get rid of the judging audience and get rid of the runway show. [...]

Instead of having the models walk a runway, do it salon style and have them walk around right in front of the judges/buyers. Let every judge walk up to the garment and look at the seams and the pattern and the buttons and the zippers and everything that makes up the physical part of the garment. Not just to critique the execution, but to look at it to determine whether it's worth manufacturing. [...]

Unfortunately (for her), there's no role for Kelly in all this. You'll pardon us if we fail to shed any tears about that.

[...] And please, do something about the lighting, for god's sake. If you heed nothing else in this post, please just take care of that."

Based on what I've seen, all of that sounds great because it turns the show into something in the same universe as but still entirely different than Project Runway. A clothes-construction competition is going to always draw comparisons, but by changing it, Bravo might actually end up with the better show, particularly if Lifetime wrecks Runway. And based on the way Lifetime is advertising the new season, that's a strong possibility.

TFS: Mid-Term Report Card! [Tom and Lorenzo]

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Wes claims his girlfriend admission was taken out of context; says, "I would never go on national TV and sink myself knowingly"

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:07:10 -0500

Bachelorette 5 villain Wes Hayden is defending himself after Monday night's episode, and says producers constructed him into a villain and called his admission that he had a girlfriend "a baldface lie" and "totally a lie."

Appearing on The Bobby Bones Show yesterday, Wes explained his confession that he was the "first guy ever on the Bachelorette to make it to the top four with a girlfriend," which he now says was inaccurate:

"They don't play what I say after that. I said, 'I'm the only guy in Bachelorette history that made it to the final four without a girlfriend, I said, get real, dude. If I had a girlfriend, I would be home with her right now, and I wouldn't be putting up with this. They said stuff like that all the way through, all the way through like that. They can take whatever they want and just play what they want. There's also several other instances, you know, three or four shows ago, when I said, 'I can taste the fame and the fortune; it comes inside of me. I can feel it, I can taste it, it comes inside of me.' You know what I was actually saying was--there was a producer behind the camera, and they're asking the questions, and he says, 'So Wes, what's it like when you write a song?' I said, 'Man, it's different every time. Sometimes it takes five minutes, sometimes it takes days, but when it starts to happen, I can feel it, I can taste it, it comes out on pen and paper.' They can piece whatever that they want to piece together. It's not rocket science. That's how they get their drama, because I promise you: I do have a career. I've been a musician for 14 years and I would never go on national TV and sink myself knowingly."

What about the part when he said "my acting days are over"? Wes gave a less definitive answer, telling the radio show, "I was in the limo and I was just tired of the whole thing," and then adding, "Trust me, it's not what you think. If anybody wants to go on any kind of reality show, they really need to consider what could happen to them. Think about it long and hard, and if you do go on, don't say a whole lot because they can pretty much do what they want." Earlier, he said producers were "very adamant" about his attire (i.e. they wanted him to be the villain early on), and that he didn't mind how they edited him "but don't put words into my mouth."

In Wes' defense, in an era where editors splice together audio clips to create new sentences, which is happening with increasing frequency (and laziness: you can often hear the breaks because they don't do a good job adjusting levels), it's not implausible to think that they just clipped off the end of a sentence. But can you imagine how much work it'd be to construct an entirely different version of him over eight hours of television? And to plan that from the very beginning? That's quite the conspiracy.

Early in the conversation, Wes said, "all gloves are off right now. Number one, I don't care: The contract that I signed to go on that show was very, very thick. ... Basically, when you sign up for a show like this, you relinquish every right." But besides editing his dialogue, his accusations aren't very direct. Listen to the whole interview and decide for yourself.

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Mark Burnett gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star because he "revolutionized television"

Andy Dehnart — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:02:14 -0500

Mark Burnett will receive the 2,387th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today because, as The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's announcement says, he "has produced more than 1,100 hours of television programming which regularly airs in excess of 70 countries worldwide," never mind that he has "revolutionized television."

His ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard, and Jeffrey Katzenberg will speak. Those who get a spot on the Walk of Fame have to be nominated and pay $25,000 for their star, and show up for the ceremony.

Although he has definitely "revolutionized television," Burnett also has an ego that's roughly equivalent to that of an entire season of Survivor cast members. In a Variety profile (part of a trio of articles about his work; there are also features on Shark Tank and Wedding Day), Burnett says, "CBS was the first network to do unscripted drama. I felt confident in this format and turned (the original concept) from a gameshow to dramatic storytelling, where we built a world in which core values are the truth. The way you win is by getting rid of people in a way that they don't hate you, and in fact will reward you for getting rid of them by handing you a million dollars."

He deserves a ton of credit--and as a disclaimer, I'm quoted in the Variety piece saying as much--but this is a ridiculous exaggeration and part is just not true. While Survivor changed TV significantly, it was not the first network unscripted drama. ABC beat CBS with the first season of Making the Band, which was produced by Real World producers Bunim-Murray.

Nor did Burnett turn game shows into dramas; for that, we have Road Rules, never mind network series such as Who Wants to Marry A Multi-Millionaire and maybe even Who Wants to be a Millionaire, both of which found human drama in a competition.

Burnett also continues his pointless crusade against the term "reality TV," although his explanation basically says the he makes television out of reality: "'Reality' is a label some journalists created. What I do is unscripted drama. 'Survivor' and 'The Apprentice' put people into situations that aren't real at all. They aren't actually marooned on an island, and they aren't actually applying for any jobs," he said. But of course, what happens within those situations is real--unscripted, as he says--and that's why the genre that he's helped shape has worked so well.

Mark Burnett raises reality TV genre [Variety]

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My Life on the D-List gets more entertaining thanks to Kathy Griffin's contrived encounters with celebs

Andy Dehnart — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:35:00 -0500

Usually, I'd rip a reality show--particularly a docudrama that purports to document a person's life--for getting more contrived. But in the case of Bravo's Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, contrived set-up encounters with celebrities has actually made the show a lot better and a lot funnier in its fifth season.

The series has always worked because Kathy is so funny, and thus even when she's doing a bit or acting, it works because she's a fantastic comedian. But since her divorce from Matt, the show has been increasingly relying on annoyingly set-up situations rather than following her real life. Last season, for example, had far too many of those grating segments when Kathy called her staff together so she could announce something to them that they had either planned or clearly already knew about, and she'd try to riff on it but it wouldn't quite work, nor would Tiffany and Jessica's fake laughing.

A lot of docudramas are shot this way now, though: Producers schedule a time and place and event for the cast and cameras to show up, and film the results. That's why all of the Real Housewives who aren't actually friends magically appear in the same places over and over again. This can work if the situation allows them to really interact organically, but it works even better if it's a situation they would have been in anyway.

The set-up celebrity encounters that sounded formulaic when Kathy first announced them go in the opposite direction, because it's clear that Kathy is only meeting with them for the show--never mind that at least one was an excuse for product placement (the casino where she hung out with Lily Tomlin and interacted with the funny manager was listed in the promotional consideration section of the credits).

But the results have been fantastic, and more realistic than what last season gave us. Even though the situation is totally contrived, the interaction between Kathy and the celebrity guest is real, and we've laughed and learned a lot, from Bette Midler's ego and bitchy responses to Lily Tomlin's pure awesomeness. Most of the credit goes to Kathy's abilities as an improv comedian, but also to her celebrity guests, whose ability--or inability--to play off of Kathy make for great TV.

Although Kathy Griffin plus Maggie Griffin plus Betty White equals a television orgasm, especially for Kathy's beloved gays, their interaction wasn't as hysterical as I expected, and that's okay, because it seemed genuine and still had plenty of funny moments. And hell, Golden Girl Betty White went to eat at Sizzler, which is great, and she had some flawless lines, like when she told the camera: "Kathy, bless her dear heart, can bastardize almost anything with her naughty words, but I rise above that shit."

Even Kathy's time with Paris Hilton was okay, mostly because she ridiculed Paris without Paris realizing it. Still, Kathy's overnight stay at Paula Deen's house reigns supreme for me this season, as Paula was thoroughly amazing: willing to both take crap and dish it out, and even rise/fall to Kathy's risque level. And her sons and assistant were great, too.

Meanwhile, Kathy's mom Maggie remains the emotional center of the show, even when she's clearly unnerved by the fakeness of the set-up situations. Watching her talk about Don Rickles' similarity to her husband was touching--and the editors handled it perfectly, putting frosting on that warm chocolate chip cookie by ending the episode with Don Rickles being a grumpy bastard, and the pairing of those two scenes worked better than it sounds like it should have--sort of like this entire season.

My Life on the D-List, season five: A

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Wes Hayden finally dumped from Bachelorette 5 after admitting he has a girlfriend

Andy Dehnart — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:54:24 -0500

Bachelorette 5 villain/self-promoting whore/cheater Wes Hayden was finally sent home by Jillian Harris during last night's episode, and before he left, he admitted what eliminated bachelor Jake claimed all along: he had a girlfriend back home.

Previously, Wes adamantly denied dating a woman named Laurel, who has also denied still being with Wes, who's her ex. When Jillian confronted him last week, Wes said, "that's crazy." She kept him around despite the accusation, which horrified many viewers.

But this week Wes slipped up and admitted it: first while trying to lie, and then finally telling the truth to the camera after his elimination. First, he said to Jillian, "My girlfriend--I mean, ex-girlfriend." Watch him try to lie, stumble into the truth, and then attempt to recover (all while he subconsciously gives Jillian the middle finger):

In the car after being eliminated, Wes was apparently on a mission to get viewers to hate him even more, because that's what will motivate them to buy his music. He bragged, "First guy ever on the Bachelorette to make it to the top four with a girlfriend," and then he launched into some self-promotion, which transitions into something that sounds like he's going to try to hook up with women in Spain because he calls himself a "a free man" after saying he's "cuttin' off the chains," which doesn't exactly go along with the whole girlfriend thing. Then again, he may just be referring to being free of the cameras.

Whatever he's talking about, the whole clip pretty much exemplifies why he's such an ass:

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