Wednesday, May 24, 2006

The Summer of Reality (TV) Is Coming

Remember the olden days of television? There was little new content for the summer, thus we had to be content to watch repeats with the exception of a few variety shows. An example of summer fare was The Summer Smothers Brothers Show circa the late-sixties. There were other beach-related shows, too. But, that was about it. Mostly, television was reruns all through the lazy, hazy days of summer.

In the current TV market, networks compete with each other for viewers, and for the even more important advertising dollars. In scouting around for this year's summer shows, I found it to be a Summer of Reality TV more often than not. So, if you're not a reality television genre fan, you might end up with reruns or feel free to accompany your child to summer camp!

Now, this is by no means a complete list of all the new summer shows (and returning ones) for the season, but I took a look at the big networks to see the major players in the market.

On CBS this summer:
Of course, there's my guilty pleasure summer staple, Big Brother. This year, BB7 is being called Big Brother All-Stars.
Dates to mark on your calendar:
Wednesday June 21, as from
the CBS website -





For the first time in BIG BROTHER history worldwide, viewers will vote on which former HouseGuests will compete in BIG BROTHER 7: ALL-STARS. On CBS Wednesday, June 21 at 8PM ET/PT, Julie Chen will unveil the top 20 candidates from seasons past. Web voting opens right here [CBS.com site] after the show at midnight ET/9PM PT. The polls close Wednesday, June 28 at 11:59PM ET/8:59PM PT

Thursday July 6 at 8 PM ET/PT, it's the season premiere.
Just a note: I'll once again be blogging the live feeds in some capacity although it's too early to announce any details. Stay tuned!

RockStar: Supernova will premiere on Wednesday July 5 at 8 PM ET/PT. The second episode will be shown after the season premiere of Big Brother All-Stars the next day, then the regular day and time will be Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT. This is the second season for the show; last year's band was INXS. This season a new band (Supernova) will be formed with the winner accompanying former Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Metallica guitarist Jason Newsted, and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. The music genre isn't so much my cuppa tea, so I probably won't tune in too much to the show, though I'll give it a look-see from time to time.

On ABC this summer:
ABC-TV only has one of its expected five summer reality shows featured on its website - How to Get the Guy - a "romantic reality series." The premiere is slated for Monday June 12 at 10 PM ET/PT. I tend to not watch reality television dating shows, so don't look to me for reports on this one.


Other shows previously-announced, but no premiere dates available are:
1. Master of Champions - Six competitors vying each other in extreme challenges.
2. The One: Making a Music Star - This one follows musical academy aspiring singers and the audience will vote one candidate off each week. It sounds a bit lifted from American Idol in concept. I may or may not watch.
3. Buy It Now - This one is a bit of a fresh concept mixed with a house-makeover kind of family dream (or something similar). A family puts up prized possessions for auction on EBay; neighbors and friends also put items up for auction to help the family realize their dream. It's to be aired twice a week. I'm just using the remodel show concept as a comparison -- the dreams may be very different. Heck, they may want to go to DisneyWorld.
4. One Ocean View - Five young NYC professionals spend summer weekends at an exclusive beach. These Friends may remind us of The Real World as one of the producers of the MTV series has a hand in the series.

On NBC this summer:
Wednesday June 21 starting at 8 PM ET/PT is the two-hour premiere of America's Got Talent. This one is on my list to watch. Created and produced by American Idol's Simon Cowell and hosted by Regis Philbin -- I predict a summer hit! Yes, a talent contest, but an all-encompassing one, not just singing. I'm psyched for the debut!

The other summer show on NBC that I'm very interested in watching is
Treasure Hunters. It sounds like a cross between The Amazing Race and The Da Vinci Code (sans the religious aspect). The two-hour season premiere is on Sunday June 18 starting at 8 PM ET/PT. After that, its regular day and time will be Mondays at 9 PM ET/PT. Here's a bit of what the NBC website had to say about the show:


In this fast-paced adventure reality series, multi-player teams try to stay one step ahead of each other as they are mentally and physically challenged in their quest of a promised hidden treasure. The teams must avoid elimination as they travel to historically significant locations where they must decipher cryptic codes and puzzles, each with a clue leading them closer to solving the ultimate puzzle, and obtaining the coveted grand prize.
Last Comic Standing returns for its third summer stint Tuesday May 30 at 8 PM ET/PT. I may check it out now and then, but I lost interest in the show after the first season. I liked Rich Vos and he's a very local guy I actually talk to now and then, so I watched for him. Since then, yawn. (Well, for me, at least!)

On FOX this summer:
Hell's Kitchen's second season premieres Monday June 12 at 9 PM ET/PT. I enjoyed the first season with really-ranting chef Gordon Ramsay. I'll be watching. Or taping.

On Thursday May 25 (tomorrow) at 8 PM ET/PT, it's the second season premiere of
So You Think You Can Dance. I can take this show or leave it. I enjoyed the start of last season, but lost interest halfway through the season. I'll probably give it a glance now and then dependent on what's up against it. And, no. I don't think I can dance. If you saw me dance, you'd agree.

So, there's a bit of what's on the TV this summer. I have a few shows I'm really looking forward to watching, but predict I'll be listening to a lot of music and reading. Oh. And watching Big Brother live feeds and blogging. Now, that's a summer!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

For more information, contact
Greg Jacobs / 103 Degrees Management
103DegreesMan@gmail.com


Supernova defends itself against corporate copycats

COSTA MESA, April 24, 2006 — It's kind of like if that 1980s Top 40 nightmare Rick Astley was performing around town under the name The Jimi Hendrix Experience. A living block of has-been cheese trading on the name of a legitimate talent.

That's where the 1990s pop/punk trio Supernova find themselves these days as they spar with CBS and Mark Burnett over the use of the band's name. Seems the next round of the show "Rock Star" is searching for a singer to front a new band that the corporate suits want to call — appallingly enough — Supernova.

Of course the problem here is that there is only one Supernova, the one founded in 1989 in Costa Mesa, California, by band members Dave Collins, Art Mitchell and Hayden Thais (replaced in 1994 by Jodey Lawrence). This is the Supernova that released “Ages 3 & Up” on Atlantic Records in 1995, played the original Warped Tour in summer of 1995, did Warped again in 1999, and toured with the Buzzcocks, Boss Hog, Presidents of the USA and several other top acts. The Supernova that recorded the song "Chewbacca" for Kevin Smith's indie classic "Clerks." Yes, the very same band touring California throughout May with stops in Santa Cruz, Costa Mesa, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Ventura.

Recordwise, since 1995’s “Ages 3 & Up”, the band has gone on to release “Rocks” in 1998 on Amphetamine Reptile Records and “Pop as a Weapon” in 2002 through the Sympathy for the Record Industry label.

While the fight hasn't yet resulted in legal action, Supernova's attorneys have issued cease and desist letters to CBS and Burnett's production company, detailing the band's history and rights to its name. In return, the CBS/Burnett crew have flipped the real Supernova the royal corporate bird and ostensibly laid claim to the band's name.

The proposed "Rock Star" group includes Motley Crue drummer and amateur yachtsman, Tommy Lee, and fill-in musicians, Jason Newsted of Metallica, and Gilby Clarke of Guns 'n' Roses. Apparently Paris Hilton wasn't free.

There have even been comments on various forums across the Internet that the TV show's backers knew there might be trouble brewing over the band's name. In fact, in a story about the show on MTV's website, writer Chris Harris wrote " ... The ‘Rock Star’ camp could end up running into some legal trouble down the line over the supergroup's name. Back in the early 1990s, a poppy punk trio called Supernova emerged from California's Orange County."

So as the real Supernova plays its May tour dates, it'll continue the battle over the right to its own name. What a thing to have to battle over, the fight to keep your hard-earned band's name from being sullied by the spectacle that is reality television.

It'd be something like waking up hungover in a Tijuana alley, naked, bloody, your wallet and ID missing and a long ugly line of stitches on your belly from where persons unknown shanghaied one of your kidneys.

More info at:
www.myspace.com/supernova_army

SUPERNOVA TOUR DATES:
07/21/06 House/Blues San Diego, CA
07/22/06 Alex’s Bar Long Beach, CA
08/18/06 TBA Las Vegas, NV
08/19/06 TBA Scottsdale, AZ