TV REVIEW
Reality charity show provokes sniffles, but writer calls it vain
New Yorker Mar 21, 08 6:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The new ABC show Oprah’s Big Give might be exactly what it claims—an epically scaled, nurturing-obsessed cult of personality—but the format is old and unsuitable, Nancy Franklin writes in the New Yorker , and the star is self-obsessed. The competition charity program sometimes reduced to her tears, Franklin allows, but mastery of manipulation is no great shakes in and of itself.
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But pitfalls lie amid flurry of documenting
Newsweek Mar 16, 08 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser)
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They’re known as millennials, the documentation generation, and the Look at Me’s. But what defines Americans born after 1982 is a mindset that every moment can be turned into a performance worthy of YouTube and MySpace and maybe parlayed into broader fame, Newsweek reports. Now sociologists are asking: Can healthy identities and relationships thrive in a generation obsessed with self-presentation and exhibitionism?
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She will pick her
'new best friend' from
20 hopefuls on MTV
Broadcasting & Cable Mar 15, 08 9:20 AM CDT
(Newser)
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She may have loads of money, impeccable fashion sense, and the world's eyes upon her, but what Paris Hilton really need is a best friend. So says MTV, anyway, and the network plans to air a reality show later this year in which the hotel heiress picks her new "bestie" from 20 wannabes living together, Broadcasting & Cable reports.
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Amid pregnancy rumors, 'couple of the moment' talks romance
Harper's Bazaar Mar 13, 08 5:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Their timing couldn't be better. Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou earned Harper’s Bazaar 's couple-of-the-moment title just as rumors began flying that Simmons is pregnant. “He’s a reality check for me, and I’m a fabulosity check for him,” says Simmons of her beau. The flamboyant entrepreneur and reality TV star met Hounsou, a fashion model and Oscar-nominated actor, last February.
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New show's contestants will compete to be the best philanthropist
New York Times Mar 2, 08 12:42 PM CST
(Newser)
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Heavyweight philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will outsource giving to a whole new level tonight: Her new ABC reality show, “Oprah’s Big Give,” makes charity a competition. Contestants compete to raise money for needy folks and causes, and each week the lowest-earner is given the boot, reports the New York Times. But warm fuzzies aside, even a blogger for Oprah’s hometown Chicago Tribune notices “something off-putting” about competitive giving.
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Kirsten Haglund nabs 2008 Miss America crown
Associated Press Jan 27, 08 7:43 AM CST
(Newser)
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Another year, another Miss America—it was Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund doing the delighted gasping as she donned her crown yesterday—and this time the pageant itself had a makeover. The 87-year-old competition is going for a hip new look and feel, adding doses of blue jeans and reality TV to draw in younger viewers, AP reports.
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NEW RELEASE
VH1 show exploits fame junkies looking to kick addictions
Boston Herald Jan 11, 08 6:19 PM CST
(Newser)
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VH1 has pulled off a difficult feat—it's brought reality TV to new depths of depravity, writes Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald. The network's new "Celebrity Rehab," which follows the struggles of B- and C-list celebs as they try to kick their varous addictions, is "heartless, exploitive and downright toxic," Perigard writes.
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If no deal comes soon, expect more dancing, survivors, idols on TV
New York Times Dec 9, 07 2:46 PM CST
(Newser)
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Reality will likely strike primetime TV with a vengeance if stalled talks between screen scribes and networks don't kick into gear, the New York Times reports. With most popular dramas on hiatus for lack of scripts, reality shows are about to explode onto the airwaves—and they may well stick around.
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Reality TV contestant with disorder becomes a viewer favorite
New York Times Dec 4, 07 3:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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Although she has been eliminated from "America's Top Model," contestant Heather Kuzmich, a consistent viewer favorite, continues to bring attention to Asperger's syndrome. Kuzmich, who has the neurological disorder, says she hopes to keep modeling and become a spokesperson for others with the condition, the New York Times reports.
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Racing champ gains trophy, loses fiancee
Associated Press Nov 28, 07 11:59 PM CST
(Newser)
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Helio Castroneves may have won big in "Dancing With the Stars" but he's lost his fiancee, AP reports. Aliette Vasquez announced she'd called off their engagement less than a day after the Brazilian Indy 500 champ won the mirrorball trophy in the show's grand finale. The Miami businesswoman's agent said there were no hard feelings.
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Studios deny overtime, meal breaks to reality TV writers, guild says
Los Angeles Times Nov 24, 07 4:15 PM CST
(Newser)
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With negotiations in the Hollywood writer's strike coming Monday, a new survey shows that writers for "unscripted" TV are denied overtime pay and meal breaks, the Los Angeles Times reports. Reality TV is a major sticking point in the strike, as studios insist that writers be classified as editors and story producers.
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Prime-time could get real if negotiations fail
Los Angeles Times Oct 16, 07 5:01 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Get ready for what might be a big dose of reality. Contract negotiations between Hollywood and writers aren't going well, and a strike could mean prime-time schedules would soon be dominated by such unscripted series as "American Idol." The sides remain divided on issues like splitting revenue from new media and whether reality shows should be unionized, reports the Los Angeles Times .
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She collected cool $260m; second-place Seinfeld nabbed $60m
Forbes Sep 28, 07 3:57 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey continues her reign as the Queen of Media, topping Forbes' list of 2007's 20 highest earning TV stars with a whopping $260 million. Jerry Seinfeld came in a distant second with $60 million—mostly from residuals. They were followed by Simon Cowell ($45 million), David Letterman ($40 million), Donald Trump ($32 million) and Jay Leno ($32 million).
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