All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Mad Men, season three, August 16 at 10PM ET on AMC. Be there, or be somewhere else, somewhere where people don’t knock back three vodka gimlets before lunch, aren’t nearly as dapperly-attired as Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and don’t have offices that are bigger than my entire New York City apartment. Yeah, not sounding nearly as much fun as Mad Men, right?

– Is designer Vera Wang going to be competing on the next season of Dancing With the Stars? And if so, does that mean we can count on less cheesy costumes?

– Plus-size model Emme has been hired to host Fox’s More to Love, the reality dating show that will feature “average-looking” people

– Discovery Channel’s 22nd annual Shark Week kicks off on August 2.

– Matt Mitovich at TVGuide.com says Rick Springfield will play, fittingly enough, Rick Springfield, when he guest stars on the new season of Californication, but he’ll be a naughty Rick Springfield, one whose sex play makes David Duchovny‘s Hank “look like a Jonas brother.” Not that I’m buying that whole purity ring business about the Jonas Bros. …

– In celebration of its 15th anniversary, TCM has created its own social network site, TCM Classic Film Union, for movie buffs.

– Gordon Ramsay has apologized for, well, basically, for being a tool. You can watch the apology here.

– I reeeally want to like Dr. Drew and trust his motives, but a real doctor prolly should offer to help Lindsay Lohan, or a less-famous addict, whether or not she accepts a reported six-figure offer to appear on his reality show, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, right? Of course, the story seems to be originating with Lohan’s dad, so, grain – no, make that rock, huge, ginormous rock – of salt on the whole thing.

– The Shield creator Shawn Ryan is going back to FX with a comedy about private detectives, called Terriers.

– Futurama‘s back! With 26 new episodes in 2010!

– Good news for David Letterman: He, with guest Julia Roberts, beat Conan O’Brien‘s Tonight Show on Tuesday. Worse news for Conan: His ratings keep dropping. Don’t count him out tho; remember his first years as Late Night host?

– More ratings wars news: Judge Judy beat Oprah. Whoa.

– ABC’s getting a jump on the competition by announcing its fall premiere dates.

– The ratings for the Nurse Jackie series premiere were so good, Showtime’s already greenlighting a second season, so go ahead and get hooked.

– Heidi Pratt‘s launching her own line of dry shampoo, after her shampoo shenanigans on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. I’m sure Oscar Blandi is shaking in his celebrity hair-cutting boots.

• No Comments
• Filed in Celebreality, Late Night, Reality, TV News
• Tags: Californication, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Conan O'Brien, Dancing With the Stars, David Duchovny, David Letterman, Discovery Channel, Don Draper, Dr. Drew, Drew Pinsky, Emme, Futurama, Get Me Out of Here, Gordon Ramsay, Heidi Pratt, I'm a Celebrity, Jon Hamm, Jonas, Judge Judy, Julia Roberts, Lindsay Lohan, Mad Men, More to Love, Nurse Jackie, Oprah, Rick Springfield, Shark Week, Shawn Ryan, TCM Classic Film Union, The Shield, Tonight Show, Vera Wang

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– The fact that Neil Patrick Harris is hosting this year’s Tony Awards (Sunday, CBS, 8PM ET) makes it the first Tonys show I’ve had any interest in watching, and the “Top 10 Signs You’ve Hired a Bad Tony Awards Host” list that NPH delivered on Late Show with David Letterman last night made me that much more excited to see how the How I Met Your Mother star can liven up the event. The list, BTW, was one of the best recent Top 10s, particularly the cheeky nods to the Eminem/Bruno brouhaha and the Jeremy Piven Broadway scandal.

– Speaking of award show hosts, Craig Ferguson as Emmy host? Yes, that should definitely happen.

– Ovation TV will air a documentary tribute to the late Heath Ledger this summer.

– Kung Fu star David Carradine‘s death may have taken a turn from sad to sad and creepy.

– Were the Dawson’s Creek kids really “four monstrous actors” once they got crazy famous on the show? A DC showrunner says so.

– If you haven’t read producer Josh Friedman‘s blog post about the end of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, check it out now. It’s hilarious, and sad, and is a reminder of how, no matter how much a fan base may love a show, it always comes down to business.

– The Shield leads all nominees for the Television Critics Association Awards, and if that makes you realize how much you miss Vic Mackey and the gang, check out what the cast says about the possibility of a big-screen Shield movie. Do we dare to hope?

– Guess who’ll be back on the island – or somewhere in the Lost universe – for the sixth and final season? Aaron’s mama Claire.

– And an article in Newsweek about how reality TV makes women look stupid makes some interesting points, though I’d suggest the author watch a couple of episodes of The Hills. From Spencer Pratt to Justin Bobby, and almost every other dude in between, these aren’t exactly flattering portraits of the American male, either. Not to mention Jon Gosselin, at least half the male Real World-ers, Danny Bonaduce, Flavor Flav, Survivor‘s “Johnny Fairplay” …

• No Comments
• Filed in Boob Tube to Big Screen, Celebreality, Reality, TV News
• Tags: Bruno, Craig Ferguson, Danny Bonaduce, David Carradine, Dawson's Creek, Eminem, Emmy, Flavor Flav, Heath Ledger, How I Met Your Mother, Jeremy Piven, Johnny Fairplay, Jon Gosselin, Josh Friedman, Justin Bobby, Kung Fu, Late Show with David Letterman, Lost, Lost Claire, Neil Patrick Harris, Ovation TV, Real World, Reality TV, Spencer Pratt, Survivor, Television Critics Association Awards, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Hills, The Shield, The Shield movie, Tony Awards, Vic Mackey