TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, November 26, 2006

Welcome home, all you holiday weekend travelers -- I hope everyone had a fine Thanksgiving Day!

Yes, it's the holiday season, but TV Newsy Bits doesn't take time for a holiday. TV Newsy Bits scoffs at holidays and comes up with even more bits o' television news for your perusal!

Um.

In the best bits out there, here's the scoop:

• After being suspended and shackled in a gyroscope over Times Square for two days in the rain, David Blaine freed himself within fifteen minutes of getting the go-ahead for his escape. He plunged through a plywood stage 50 feet below and walked away with a noticeable limp. The latest escapade was a charity bit which would give 100 needy children a shopping spree at Target. Now, what would have happened if he was seriously hurt in the fall?
• For those of you who are catching up on the news -- David and Mary Conley from Amazing Race 10 will be on Amazing Race 11: All Stars. The cast also includes Romber... again. According to the New York Post (and other sources), some previous teams are feeling very snubbed.
• Someone in comments asked me about Meerkat Manor - its regular time is Friday evenings at 8 PM ET/PT on Animal Planet when it runs back-to-back episodes for an hour. I could be wrong, but I think they have indeed aired all of season two at this time. (In other mere cat news, a mouse actually got into my apartment and my cat actually killed it. I didn't know the 13-year-old never-saw-a-mouse-before cat had it in him. It was a bit like Wild Kingdom in my living room. Yikes.)
• MSNBC had an article about the Reality TV Turkeys of the Year, naming Paula Abdul's questionable state of mind during American Idol and more. It's a fun read, even though we're the real authorities on reality television right here in this blog. Right?
• "Save the cheerleader, save the world." Actress Hayden Panettiere, who plays the cheerleader Claire on Heroes (my new television obsession), was interviewed in this Newsday article. Her Dad is a retired NYC firefighter. I'm sure he had to save a cheerleader or two over the years.
• Penn and Teller will host a new game show called Identity, set to debut December 18 on NBC. This Celebrity Spider article has the skinny on that.
• Has Travelocity's Roaming Gnome gone missing or been replaced? Oh, no! Whatever will the Amazing Race or Big Brother do sans Da Gnome challenge?
• According to this TVGuide.com spoilers article, Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame) will make an appearance as Hurley's father in a Lost episode set to air February 28. Now, that's a perfect Dad for Hurley, eh? Beware if you go to the article - spoilers on many shows abound.