Monthly Archives: August 2011

NFL Star and ‘Survivor’ Winners in Next ‘Amazing Race’ Cast

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 31, 2011

Former NFL tight end Marcus Pollard; a teen who has already won the discinction of being the youngest person to sail around the world alone, Zac Sunderland, and two winners of “Survivor” will be among the teams that compete in the 19th edition of “The Amazing Race” when it premieres Sept. 25. Ethan Zohn and [...]

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How Dave Celebrated His 18th Anniversary at CBS

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 31, 2011

With a Top 10 List of course: 10. Lovely bouquet from the guy who wants to cut my tongue out. 9. Went with Jay-Z and Beyonce to their latest ultrasound. 8. Put little party hats on all the Ed Sullivan Theater rats. 7. Tweeted like a son-of-a-bitch. 6. Tried to get a big name celebrity [...]

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Chaz, Meet Lacey

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 31, 2011

There were no same-sex couples dancing on “Dancing with the Stars” this season. In the couplings with celebrities announced this morning on “Good Morning America,” Chaz Bono, identified as “author and acivist,” will dance with Lacey Schwimmer in what will be Bono’s first regular slot in prime time TV since his parents’ “The Sonny and [...]

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Wednesday TV: Dietrich Closes ‘Summer of Stars’

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 31, 2011

It’s the end of August and a real movie icon winds up the month-long Summer of the Stars on Turner Classic Movies. The films of the singular German actress and seductress Marlene Dietrich run all day and will include “Kismet” (11:30 a.m.), the Alfred Hitchcock film “Stage Fright” (1:15 p.m.), Fritz Lang’s weird western “Rancho [...]

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Ebersol Back at NBC Sports, Advising

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 31, 2011

Dick Ebersol’s separation from NBC didn’t last long. After having been unable to come to terms last spring with the new owners of NBC, Comcast, Ebersol left after 22 years of leading the division and several Olympics it covered. Named as special advisor to NBC Sports president Mark Lazarus, just in time for the kickoff [...]

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Tuesday TV: Chili Peppers Return, Big Women Flaunt It

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 30, 2011

There may be a lot of pent up demand to hear the new album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Los Angeles group that hasn’t put out a new record in nine years. “I’m with You” is out in stores today. To celebrate, the band plays a lot of it in the concert special [...]

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Nancy Grace, Ricki Lake will ‘Dance with Stars’

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 30, 2011

Television’s most consistent connection with surrealism may be the semi-annual casting of “Dancing with the Stars.” Once more its producers has put on a tabloid-ready group of stars to love and hate this fal. Chief among them? Nancy Grace, the off-putting TV host and former prosecutor; who is not the only TV host among them. [...]

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‘Honeyboy’ Edwards: Last of the Original Bluesmen Dies

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 30, 2011

One of the last links with the blues greats of the early 20th century died early Monday morning. David “Honeyboy” Edwards died in his sleep in Chicago. He was 96. In his time he played with Big Joe Williams, was a pal of such mythological giants as Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and Johnny Shines. Edwards [...]

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Record Number of Viewers for MTV VMAs

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 30, 2011

Reports called it one of the worst MTV Video Music Awards ever. So kids loved it. The 2011 event drew 12.4 million viewers, making it the biggest audience ever for the event and in fact the most-watched program in MTV history, altogether up 9 percent from last year’s show. The network said it was the [...]

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Monday TV: Three More from MTV, Further ‘Basketball Wives’

By Roger Catlin | Published: August 29, 2011

MTV uses its platform of the Video Music Awards (which get worse every year) to launch new shows. So tonight comes three of them. First the network attempts to catch up on the viral video recap success of “Tosh 2.0” by employing its own daredevil Rob Drydek, left,  hosting his own show, “Ridiculousness” (MTV, 10 [...]

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