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After having to wait more than a year to air its first Project Runway installment, Lifetime is wasting little time in debuting the next one.
The network has announced Project Runway's seventh season will premiere on Thursday, January 14 at 10PM ET/PT.
While it filmed in February at New York Fashion Week, Project Runway's sixth-season finale aired last night and was won by Irina Shabayeva.
The finale broadcast averaged 4.275 million total viewers and a 3.4 household rating. In addition, the episode generated a 3.2 rating in the Women 18-49 demographic, a 3.6 rating among Women 25-54 and 2.9 among Women 18+, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Project Runway's sixth season premiered in August -- more than a year after Lifetime Networks and The Weinstein Company first announced their five-year, 10-season deal to bring Project Runway to Lifetime from Bravo beginning with the reality competition's sixth season.
Following the announcement, Bravo's NBC Universal parent company filed a lawsuit against Lifetime and The Weinstein Company -- which was resolved this past April.
In addition to Project Runway's seventh-season premiere, Lifetime also confirmed the second edition of the show's Models of the Runway companion spinoff will debut on January 14 at 11PM ET/PT.
Both Project Runway's seventh season and Models of Runway's second season will air in HDTV (while they were broadcast in widescreen, this year's initial Lifetime editions aired in a non-HD format).
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Friday, November 20, 2009 - 04:00 PM EST
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NBC has announced The Sing-Off, a new Clash of the Choirs-like reality singing competition featuring a cappella groups, will premiere on Monday, December 14 at 8PM ET/PT.
Following its debut, new two-hour The Sing-Off episodes will air on the next two nights in the Tuesday and Wednesday at 8PM ET/PT timeslot before its finale airs live on Monday, December 21 at 8PM ET/PT.
The Sing-Off will begin with eight a cappella groups performing contemporary songs without the use of any backing tracks or instruments.
Home viewer votes cast following the broadcasts will determine which group receives the show's grand prize of an Epic Records/Sony Music recording contract.
NBC ordered The Sing-Off in March and it is being produced by Outlaw Entertainment, Tenth Planet Productions and Sony Pictures Television, with Joel Gallen, Deb Newmyer and Sam Weisman serving as executive producers.
Clash of the Choirs aired in December 2007 on NBC and featured celebrity-organized choirs from across the country competing against one another for home viewer votes.
Singer Nick Lachey saw his hometown choir from Cincinnati, OH win the show's $250,000 grand prize, which he donated to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Friday, November 13, 2009 - 12:18 PM EST
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Even quasi-celebrities apparently draw the line at disrupting their holiday season for some additional publicity and media exposure.
ABC has canceled the November 23 premiere date of Let's Dance, a new comedic reality competition that would feature celebrities attempting to re-create memorable dance routines, Daily Variety reported Monday.
The network had announced last week that it planned to premiere the five-episode series -- which would be hosted by Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List star Kathy Griffin -- immediately following Dancing with the Stars' ninth-season performance finale.
However sources told Variety that ABC had a hard time casting celebrities for the series due to the holiday season, causing the network to pull the plug on the project's premiere.
Find My Family, a six-episode reality series produced by RDF Media in which people are reunited with long-lost family members or loved ones, will now air in Let's Dance's previous Monday night timeslot, Variety report.
ABC ordered both Let's Dance and Find My Family in June. The series is based on Let's Dance for Comic Relief, a four-episode U.K. series that aired on the BBC earlier this year to raise money for the Comic Relief charity.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 12:19 AM EST
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ABC has announced Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas, an hour-long primetime music special starring the former American Idol third-season finalist, will air Monday, December 14 at 8PM ET/PT.
The special will follow Hudson as she travels to her native Chicago "to share childhood memories of the music, people and places that set the stage for her phenomenal success," according to ABC.
She will also perform holiday hits such as "Silent Night," "The Christmas Song" and "O Holy Night."
In addition, the holiday special will feature Hudson and singer Michael Buble performing "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Let It Snow" as duets.
It's been a busy year for Hudson, who performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl and subsequently saw her self-titled debut win a Grammy award for best R&B album in February. She also had her debut national tour earlier this year and welcomed her first child with fiance David Otunga in August.
Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, a two-hour variety special starring the American Idol fourth-season champ, will air the week before Hudson's holiday special on Monday, December 7 at 8PM ET/PT on Fox.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Monday, November 09, 2009 - 10:48 PM EST
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A&E has announced Intervention's eighth season will premiere on Monday, November 30 at 9PM ET/PT.
Intervention eighth-season episodes will continue to follow the life of addicts and give viewers an inside look at the impact addictions have on everyday life.
After documenting an addict's struggles, each episode concludes with friends and family members meeting with professional interventionists Jeff Van Vonderen or Candy Finningan to urge the addict to get treatment. If they choose treatment, the addict immediately enters one of several treatment facilities across the country that has a partnership with the reality series.
Intervention's eighth-season premiere will focus on Linda, whose dream to become an actress was shattered when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by joint dislocations. She subsequently started taking Fentanyl -- a painkiller 100 times stronger than morphine -- and became addicted to it, depleting her family's savings and forcing her son to become her caretaker.
In September, Intervention won Outstanding Reality Program honors during the 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony -- defeating Bravo's Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, which had taken home the award the two previous years.
Intervention has conducted 143 interventions since the reality series premiered in March 2005 and 111 of the individuals featured on the show are currently sober, according to A&E.
In addition to Intervention's eighth-season premiere, A&E announced the second season of Hoarders will debut immediately after Intervention on Monday, November 30 at 10PM ET/PT.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Monday, November 09, 2009 - 11:57 AM EST
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A&E has announced The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, a new docu-reality series that will follow brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito and Marlon Jackson as they prepare for a Jackson Five reunion, will premiere with back-to-back one-hour episodes on Sunday, December 13 at 9PM ET/PT.
Following its debut, The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty will move to its regular Sundays at 10PM ET/PT timeslot beginning December 20.
Each episode of the reality series will follow the brothers as they record new material and rehearse for a concert celebrating The Jackson Five's 40th anniversary while also documenting their personal and professional relationships with each other, their parents, and their children.
In addition, the series will show viewers how they dealt with the loss of their brother Michael Jackson -- who died in June at the age of 50.
"This deeply intimate portrait will provide viewers with a raw and honest look inside a musical dynasty," said A&E programming executive Robert Sharenow.
"For the first time ever, the remaining members of The Jackson Five allow cameras inside their very private world, giving the public a glimpse into how they balance their extremely busy personal and professional lives with the demands of celebrity."
The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty will also follow the brothers as the record vocals for a song on Michael's This Is It film soundtrack, attend the premiere of the film, travel to London to support Tito who as a special guest star for musical legend Gladys Knight at a Wembley Arena concert performance, and try to balance their obligations as The Jackson Five while also pursuing their individual interests and projects.
A&E began developing a one-hour special that would follow Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael as they prepared a new album and reunion tour earlier this year. It was reportedly intended to air as a "backdoor pilot" for a potential reality series.
While the project's status became uncertain when Michael passed away -- as A&E said it was taking a "wait and see" approach -- the network announced in August that it had decided to turn it into a reality series.
Family matriarch Katherine Jackson subsequently denied a report that claimed her late son's children Prince, Paris and Blanket -- whom she has legal custody of -- would participate in the reality series.
The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty is being produced by Point 7 Entertainment.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Monday, November 09, 2009 - 12:56 AM EST
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Judge Joseph A. Wapner will celebrate his 90th birthday by returning to the show that made him a household name.
Wapner will return to The People's Court on Friday, November 13 to litigate a special case in honor of his birthday. He will also receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.
Wapner served as judge on The People's Court when it premiered in 1981 and continued to do so until 1993.
"It was a happy marriage of my love of the law and the entertainment industry," said Wapner. "Returning to The People's Court on the occasion of my 90th birthday is a great privilege and honor."
Executive producer Stu Billett described The People's Court as innovative and said Wapner was a big reason why.
"In 1981, a simple show featuring small claims court cases found a television audience thirsting to hear compelling stories that they could relate to and found a judge in Joseph Wapner that was fair, knowledgeable and most importantly credible," said Billett.
"I am proud that decades later the show is still going strong and the public is still eager to see justice served!"
Judge Marilyn Milian currently stars on The People's Court, which is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Thursday, November 05, 2009 - 01:09 PM EST
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ABC has announced The Bachelor's fourteenth season will premiere Monday, January 4 at 8PM ET/PT.
Dubbed The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love, the season will star former The Bachelorette fifth-season bachelor Jake Pavelka, a 31-year-old commercial pilot from Dallas, TX.
In addition to the show's premiere date, ABC also announced The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love will be the first The Bachelor edition to air in HDTV.
The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss had revealed the show's fourteenth edition would probably film in HDTV during an interview with Reality TV World in February.
"We're talking about it now... it's something that we're preparing for," Fleiss told Reality TV World.
"It's just a matter of switching out equipment and just committing to it, but we've just been so busy shooting the show over and over again that we haven't had time to switch out. Next season's The Bachelor will probably be the first one we do in HD."
The Bachelorette fifth-season star Jillian Harris rejected Pavelka right before the hometown dates, however he later returned to the show to warn her about fellow suitor Wes Hayden, who he claimed had a girlfriend back home.
Hayden subsequently denied the accusations when confronted by Harris and Pavelka, and he reiterated his denial following his ouster.
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Posted by: Reality TV World staff on Thursday, November 05, 2009 - 08:34 AM EST
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Ryan Seacrest is giving ordinary people a chance to pocket some celebrity cash via a new reality series.
The American Idol host's production company has teamed with E! for Bank Of Hollywood, which will follow people as the pitch proposals to various celebrities in attempt to receive some of their own money, The Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday.
Bank of Hollywood is currently slated to premiere Monday, December 14 at 10PM ET/PT on E!.
"The idea's simple," Seacrest told The Reporter. "We are giving away tons of money to everyday people to alleviate the stress of today's climate and have fun."
Author and entrepreneur Candy Spelling, French-American poker player Vanessa Rousso, Wilhelmina Models president Sean Patterson and Pussycat Dolls singer Melody Thornton will serve as the show's celebrity panel, according to The Reporter.
The proposals from ordinary people will include a hopeful philanthropist raising money for charity and a graduate student who can't afford an engagement ring for his girlfriend, according to The Reporter, which added the amounts they request start at $2,000.
"This series is centered on the concept of innovative philanthropy. We're giving real people the opportunity to garner life-changing sums of money and, at the same time, fulfilling our judges' desire to make a difference in the lives of others -- one person at a time," said E! programming executive Lisa Berger.
"The panelists' big personalities and strong opinions, on top of requests that run the gamut from heartwarming to downright peculiar, are sure to keep things heated and always unpredictable."
Bank of Hollywood's format is based on the U.K. series Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway, which is hosted by comedian Bryan Callen, according to The Reporter.
Seacrest's Ryan Seacrest Productions is producing the series with Fever Media and BBC.
Seacrest currently has a deal with E! and serves as E! News' lead anchor, while his production company is behind the network's Keeping up with the Kardashians, Khloe and Kim Take Miami and Denise Richards: It's Complicated reality series.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, November 04, 2009 - 12:40 PM EST
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ABC has announced Let's Dance, a new comedic reality competition that will feature celebrities attempting to re-create memorable dance routines, will premiere live on Monday, November 23 at 9:30PM ET/PT.
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List star Kathy Griffin will host the new reality series, which will debut immediately following Dancing with the Stars ninth-season performance finale.
Let's Dance's first three episodes will each feature a different group of celebrities rehearsing and performing single or group performances for a celebrity judging panel, after which home viewers will get to vote for their favorite.
Two performances from the first three episodes -- one chosen by home viewers and one by the judging panel -- will then return to compete in the show's penultimate broadcast.
Home viewers will be able to vote immediately following the penultimate broadcast, and the winner -- who will receive a donation for his or her favorite charity -- will be revealed during the the following night's finale show.
Following its 90-minute debut, Let's Dance's two other first-round broadcasts will air Mondays at 9PM ET/PT on November 30 and December 7. The penultimate broadcast will air on Monday, December 14 at 9PM ET/PT and be followed by the finale on Tuesday, December 15 at 8PM ET/PT.
The show's celebrity participants and judging panel will be revealed in the near future.
ABC ordered Let's Dance in June. The series is based on Let's Dance for Comic Relief, a four-episode U.K. series that aired on the BBC to raise money for the Comic Relief charity earlier this year.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, November 04, 2009 - 11:30 AM EST
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MTV has decided to move its Gone Too Far reality series to late night.
The Intervention-like reality series -- which stars Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, who died in August due to an accidental drug overdose -- will now air in the Thursdays at 11PM ET/PT timeslot beginning with its fourth episode on November 5.
Gone Too Far's October 12 premiere averaged only 499,000 total viewers in its Mondays at 10PM ET/PT timeslot.
Gone Too Far was originally slated to debut October 5 and Goldstein had announced he had just wrapped filming the series in an August 26 posting on Twitter.
However three days later, New York Police Department officers found Goldstein's lifeless body in bed in his Manhattan apartment after responding to a 911 call from a friend who was concerned Goldstein had missed an airplane flight and wasn't answering his phone.
A crack pipe, half a bag of crack cocaine and prescription drugs were reportedly found nearby.
The New York Medical Examiner's office subsequently declared Goldstein's death an accidental drug overdose due to the combined effects of cocaine, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax, Benadryl and Levamisole, a substance commonly used by drug dealers to cut cocaine.
MTV then decided to debut the series on October 12 with the "consent and support" of Goldstein's family.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 01:03 PM EST
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GSN has announced Carnie Wilson: Unstapled, a new reality series that will follow the former Celebrity Fit Club fourth-season contestant in her everyday life, will premiere on Thursday, January 14.
Carnie Wilson: Unstapled will follow Wilson -- who also hosts GSN's The Newlywed Game revival -- as she juggles her careers as a game show host, singer, entrepreneur and activist while also serving as a wife and the mother of two young girls.
"I am thrilled to be working with GSN on my new series. I have so much fun doing The Newlywed Game, and I love to engage my fans and let them know about what's happening in my life," said Wilson.
"I know there are so many people going through the same stages of life that I'm experiencing, and this new series gives us a great opportunity for an honest and lively give-and-take."
Wilson underwent gastric bypass surgery in 1999, however she appeared on Celebrity Fit Club's fourth season in 2006 to help shed unwanted weight she gained following the birth of her first daughter Lola in 2005.
"Carnie's relatable life story is a perfect fit with our viewers, who are eager to discover the person behind the personality," said GSN programming executive Kelly Goode.
"In addition to being a charismatic and engaging entertainer, Carnie is a working mother with two very young children including a newborn, a businessperson, and a woman who has spoken honestly about her struggles with her weight. Our viewers love Carnie, and she has helped make The Newlywed Game our #1 rated show, so this is a natural direction for GSN."
Carnie Wilson: Unstapled is being produced by World of Wonder.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 02:52 PM EST
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TLC has announced that it will air You Ask, Kate Answers, a new hour-long Jon & Kate Plus 8 special in which Kate Gosselin will answer viewer questions, will air Monday, October 26 at 9PM ET/PT.
A promo for the special aired during Monday night's Jon & Kate Plus 8 broadcast, and some of the questions TLC teased Gosselin will answer include will you ever move, do you see yourself getting married again, where do you see yourself in 10 years, how do you feel about the attention your hair gets, and do you ever read the magazine articles about the family, among others.
TLC has received nearly 9,000 questions for Gosselin, People reported Tuesday.
Last week, TLC confirmed that Jon & Kate Plus 8 will no longer be re-launched as Kate Plus 8 beginning November 2 and the reality show's last original Jon & Kate Plus 8-titled episode will now air sometime in mid to late November.
In addition, a new premiere date for the show's Kate Plus 8 rebranding has not been determined yet.
Although the public didn't learn about it until two days later, Jon Gosselin had his lawyers demand TLC "cease and desist" filming his children, which he claimed was "detrimental" to their health, on September 29.
The demand came on the same day TLC announced plans to re-launch Jon & Kate Plus 8 as a Kate-focused series that would be retitled Kate Plus 8 and feature Jon on a "less regular basis" beginning November 2.
TLC immediately suspended "direct filming of the children... pending further conversations between both parents" however filming has remained halted, with Jon citing "an epiphany" for his newfound agreeance with critics' previous claims that the reality show is detrimental to his children.
TLC sued Jon for breach of contract late last week, alleging that his "cease and desist" demand was the direct result of the network refusing to release him from a contractually-negotiated exclusivity provision that was preventing him from earning "substantial sums" from other unspecified "appearances."
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 10:46 AM EST
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A&E has announced Steven Seagal Lawman, a new reality series that will follow the actor as he works as a police officer in New Orleans, will premiere with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, December 2 at 10PM ET/PT.
Steven Seagal Lawman will document the 57-year-old as he works as a fully commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish County Sheriff's Office.
In addition, the series will also follow Seagal while he's off-duty, as he pursues numerous ventures including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish.
"I've been working as an officer in Jefferson Parish for two decades under most people's radar," said Seagal.
"I've decided to work with A&E on this series now because I believe it's important to show the nation all the positive work being accomplished here in the New Orleans area to see the passion, commitment and fine police work that comes from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in this post-Katrina environment."
A&E ordered Steven Seagal Lawman last November, and the series is produced by ITV Studios and Steamroller Productions.
In August, A&E Television Networks sued Genuine Entertainment for falsely claiming that Steven Seagal Lawman's concept was stolen from Genuine by the network after a series of meetings between the two parties.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 01:32 AM EST
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VH1 has announced Tough Love's second season will premiere on Sunday, November 15 at 9PM ET/PT.
Similar to its first season earlier this year, Tough Love's second installment will continue to follow matchmaker Steve Ward and his mother JoAnn as they gather a group of eight women and attempt to improve their unsuccessful dating habits via a "tough love boot camp."
The relationship issues Ward will tackle with the women will include first impressions, jealousy, communication and convincing them to venture outside their comfort zones.
Once the women have completed the lessons, they will be sent out on dates with men hand-picked by Ward from his pool of eligible bachelors to see if they're ready for a relationship.
"We are thrilled with the latest installment of Tough Love," said VH1 programming executive Jeff Olde,.
"The series, and Steve Ward's very unique take on dating advice, continues to speak directly to our audience in a heartfelt, straightforward and entertaining voice. The fact that over 20,000 women applied for the eight spots on this season clearly demonstrates that Steve and JoAnn's brand of 'tough love' is truly resonating with our viewers."
VH1 renewed Tough Love for a second season in May after its first season averaged 1.9 million total viewers throughout its eight-episode run.
Tough Love is produced by Drew Barrymore's Flower Films production company and High Noon Entertainment.
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Posted by: Christopher Rocchio on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 12:55 AM EST
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