Archive for March, 2009

Last week, ABC announced that Jewel and Nancy O’Dell

Jewel with would-be dance partner Tony Dovolani. Copyright ABC. Used with permission

had  to withdraw from “Dancing with the Stars” due to injuries sustained during rehearsal.  Jewel, who was to be paired with Tony Dovolani,  sustained a fractured tibia in both legs, while “Access Hollywood” co-host O’Dell suffered a torn meniscus, an injury that requires surgery. Ballroom dancing is not for wussies.

Jewel and O’Dell will be appearing in tonight’s two-hour premiere, which kicks off at 8 ET/PT, to discuss their injuries, but what most “Dancing” fans want to know are the names of their replacements. ABC, being a savvy network, intends to milk as much suspense out of this unpleasant twist as it can and would not officially confirm anything before air…but tabloid soothsayers have reported that “Girl Next Door” Holly Madison and Melissa Rycroft are their replacements.

Yes, that’s right — Rycroft, a 25 year old whose claim to fame was being brutally dumped on the latest edition of “The Bachelor,” is a star. She’ll do in a pinch, anyway,  and will be paired with Dovolani. Madison reportedly will dance with O’Dell’s partner Dmitry Chaplin.

This is good, uplifting news for all the kids out there. Why? Because it shows us that achieving fame with almost zero effort or outstanding talent is one aspect of  the American dream that’s still very much alive and attainable. You just have to be dumped in the right place — or, if you’re Ms. Madison, publicly dump the right person.

Best of luck, ladies. Here’s hoping you can outlast Steve-O. Be sure to read all the details of how the competition went down in our next-day recaps, conveniently linked on our homepage.

"Castle's" star Nathan Fillion. Courtesy of ABC. Used with permission

Between “The Bachelor” hullabaloo earlier this week and the upcoming “Dancing with the Stars” premiere, ABC is doing its darndest to stake a claim on Monday nights this spring. Dominance shouldn’t be a problem between 8 and 10 ET/PT. It’s the 10 o’clock slot that going to be a challenge, home the network’s new procedural “Castle” starting Monday night. (Check out our photo gallery here. A video preview is available here.)

More to the point, that’s where Nathan Fillion’s fans will find themselves as long as the show is on. Ah yes, our man Nathan. Sure, he had a nice run in “Desperate Housewives,” even saving Katherine Mayfair’s bacon in last May’s finale. But for legions of Joss Whedon’s faithful he will forever be known as “Firefly’s” Mal Reynolds, the wisecracking captain of the Serenity.

That’s a bless and a curse for this show, since Fillion’s novelist Richard Castle is more of a spoiled playboy than a rough and tumble rogue. He pairs up with the aggressive, no-nonsense and oh-so-good lookin’ NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) when a killer copies a murder from his books, and two begin the classic TV tango — he’s pitching woo, she’s pushing him away. In case that’s not enough for us, Castle has a smarty-pants teen daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) and a mother prone to diva-esque antics (Susan Sullivan) .

So, what can a little “Moonlighting” homage do for ABC? Hard to say…”Castle” is premiering late in the season, which usually would not bode well for its survival odds. Having said that, it’s been a lackluster season overall, so late arrivals may get a warmer welcome than they have in springtimes past. “Lie to Me,” another midseason contender, is holding up well.

“Castle” also is the kind of offbeat procedural that viewers seem to be appreciating this season (see: “The Mentalist”), in which a handsome lead (see: “The Mentalist”) is paired with an attractive female partner (OK, you get it) and with the help of witty banter and clever thinking, they consummate their relationship via crimesolving. Procedurals like “Castle” are comfortable sorts of shows — nothing special, but nothing so challenging that it alienates viewers. Comfort TV might be just the ticket these days. And, let’s be frank, having one of the most successful unscripted franchises on television as a lead-in doesn’t stink.

Even so, some IMDb users aren’t particularly optimistic. “I don’t mean to jinx it or whatever but a few of the TV series that Nathan has been a recurring main character (lead role or (sic) there abouts) have ended up being cancelled,” wrote user px54 on “Castle’s” message board, going on to cite the quick demises of “Drive,” “Firefly” and “Two Guys and a Girl.” “…I just hope they actually can finish what they’ve started and we can finally see the conclusion of something he’s in.”

From our boards to the programming executives ears, my friends. Discuss this title with other users on “Castle’s” message boards.

The Osbournes, from left: Jack, Sharon, Ozzy and Kelly

Fox has finally made good on its threat to return Ozzy Osbourne and his brood to TV.

The network will unleash “Osbournes: Reloaded” onto the world 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, granting it the post-“Idol” timeslot for maximum damage exposure.

Granted, “return” might be the wrong word to use here because, like some slacker college buddy, once Osbournes got comfy in our living rooms they were determined to stay there.

Kelly had a prominent role in the short lived ABC teen drama “Life as We Know It” during the 2004-2005 season; Jack enjoyed a short run in the UK series “Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie”; and Sharon’s most recent adventure involved, ahem, whipping wayward kittens into shape on “Rock of Love: Charm School.” Ozzy, meanwhile, has been getting wacky in those “World of Warcraft” commercials.

That said, the last time the Osbournes were on television as a family was in 2005, when MTV aired the final episodes of their unscripted sitcom “The Osbournes.” Now, that show was hilarious — unintentionally at first, then quite intentionally after it caught fire — and lit the wick of the celebreality craze still with us today.

But, the Osbournes? Doing a variety hour? It does make one wonder.

According to Fox’s press release, the show will feature “audience interaction, rowdy comedy, and hilarious stunts that will shock and amuse.” Why, what sorts of hilarious stunts, you ask? How about Sharon Osbourne unveiling a stripping grandmother? Or Ozzy dousing the audience in foam, or throwing french fries at unsuspecting customers during a bit at a fast food drive thru? But wait, America…there’s more. An ongoing feature will be the “Littlest Osbournes,” two wee child actors imitating Sharon and Ozzy “in all their four-letter glory.”

Clearly stage fright won’t be the issue here. Instead the question will be whether America is ready to embrace this kind of variety show or, for that matter, any other. Didn’t Rosie O’Donnell recently try to revive the format for NBC? Yes she did.

(We will speak no more on that subject, but our users had quite a bit to say about it.)

Then again, the Osbournes are pretty much the kind of family that forces Fox back to its roots, something it likes to do from time to time. (Or, if we’re counting animated families, every Sunday night.) They’re raunchy, bombastic, joy machines — like the Bundys, only with gobs of cash and a fierce loyalty to one another.

It could work. Couldn’t it? You be the judge. Here’s a preview clip from the show. Feel free to talk about it on IMDb’s message board for “Osbournes: Reloaded.”

Also benefiting from the plum slot following an “Idol” episode is a preview airing of “Glee,” a new musical comedy from Ryan Murphy (creator of “Nip/Tuck”). Yes, you read correctly — a musical comedy. Historically, scripted musicals don’t go over well with TV audiences, so Fox intends to do something a bit different this time and air the first hour at 9 p.m. on May 19, then re-launch the series as part of the fall line-up.