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Today's TWoP News: April 3, 2009

by Rebecca Bellotto April 3, 2009 3:12 PM
Today's TWoP News: April 3, 2009

Happy Friday, TV news fans! Welcome the weekend with these newsbites, and marvel over the fact that Jeff Probst has been wearing the same pair of shorts to the Survivor Tribal Councils for six years. I'm getting a brilliant idea: what if we got him to share with Ryan Seacrest, Howie Mandel and Tom Bergeron and then made a movie about it? We could call it The Brotherhood of the Traveling Shorts! I'd say we should try and rope Tim Gunn into this, but I get the feeling he doesn't really do cargos.

The first high-profile fight over NBC scheduling Jay Leno's new talk show during primetime has commenced. WHDH-TV, NBC's Boston affiliate, has decided they want to dump Leno's broadcast entirely and air news from 10PM until Conan's new broadcast at 11:35PM. Naturally, NBC is not having any of this and has threatened to pull their affiliation from the station unless it complies. But what if all the Boston affiliates refused to air the new Leno? And then every NBC affiliate decided they were tired of, say, The Apprentice? Woah... so that's what they meant when they said the revolution would not be televised.

In case you were starting to get worried about an impending shortage of skanks poorly-behaved women with questionable taste on cable (Rock of Love: Bus is ending soon, you know!), I have good news: Oxygen has renewed The Bad Girls Club for a fourth season! Huh, it looks like Season 3 was their first series to top a million viewers. Good for you, poorly-behaved women with questionable taste. Good for you!

If you watched the finale of Jon & Kate Plus 8 you'll remember that rumored-cheater husband Jon clearly stated that he was not looking forward to doing another season because of the stress brought on by fame. But now TLC has announced that the show is coming back for another season! Looks like life in front of the cameras can't have been too rough for Jon after all -- or maybe the fact that the network covers most of the Gosselins' expenses helped sway him. Lunchables for eight ain't cheap, you know.

Showtime's Californication is set to premiere its third season in the fall with some new stars added to its roster: Peter Gallagher, Kathleen Turner and Diane Farr have joined the cast. They just have to be careful not to let their characters' vices influence their personal lives, the way David Duchovny became a sex addict. Because he's a really intense method actor, not an attention-craving horndog.

Finally, the news you're actually interested in! Yes, Jeff Probst has said that he's been wearing the same shorts to Tribal Council (and at his house, and to the beach) for six years. That's economizing for you! However, his shirts on the show have to be custom-made, because apparently all the really Survivor-esque shirts out there have designer logos on them that can't be shown on TV. And that is not economizing for you -- but it doesn't matter, because when your shorts are that comfortable you just don't care about anything else.

A fellow named Greg Insco, a.k.a. Forrest Gump 2009, is walking from his home in Colerain Township, OH to hand-deliver his Survivor audition tape to CBS. The journey (according to Google Maps) is about 2,375 miles, so if he walks the 18-mile-per-day minimum he's set for himself, it will only take him... oh, 132 days. Or 18 weeks and 6 days, if that makes more sense to your brain. So check back on August 12ish and see if he made it!

It hurts me to write about anything to do with Speidi -- even typing that made my fingers bleed just a little -- but I'm sucking it up and doing this for you. Apparently "reality star" and "singer" Heidi Montag has gone ahead and told MTV News that The Hills is just beginning, and will in fact be better without Lauren! This wouldn't by any chance be a ploy to get MTV to keep you around, would it now? And as for her little comment that The Hills is just beginning...I actually don't have time to break that down, because I have to go vomit. Peace.

Let the world know what you think of this news below.

5 Comments

April 3, 2009 4:32 PM
writersblock
Reply

How I wish other NBC affiliates around the country would do the same thing as WHDH and just 'Say No to Leno!' NBC has no clue what they're doing. They were so desperate to hold onto Leno AND fill the void left behind by ER. So they are screwing up a lot of shows just to cater to Leno.

I don't see the appeal of this new show of his and I won't be watching. I'm trying to figure out how L&O: SVU can be on at 9 without some changes to it...

Cheap production costs and stale humor - sure, that's "must see TV."

Meanwhile "Life" will most likely not return and that's a real shame. Heaven forbid NBC invest any patience with a show.

April 3, 2009 10:34 PM
Sappho
Reply

hey...at least THEY didn't cancel Pushing Daisies.
I'm still mad about that.

April 6, 2009 10:06 AM
Genius
Reply

I've been waiting for the real fallout from the Jay Leno decision, and I'm glad it's finally happening. As much as I used to love NBC, I am hoping the Jay Leno experiment blows up in their faces.

April 6, 2009 12:17 PM
Ezz
Reply

I tend to agree with you guys that NBC is making a colossal mistake, although it's hard to blame Leno for taking a payday like that.

FOX has never been a pillar of scheduling power either, but at least they know that you cant show "Idol" EVERY night.

June 7, 2009 10:39 AM
Bonnie
Reply

Greg Insco has made it to California. Hopes to be in Santa Monica by the 15th.

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