30
Aug
2011

Dancing With the StarsSupposedly Dancing With the Stars wanted to go more towards A-List celebrities this time around, but apparently they use a different alphabet then the rest of the world.

Apparently they decided to go with a mixture of people who USED to be on the A-List, and then add in some people you’ll be left scratching your head about until they eventually get voted off the show.  There’s a few easy picks for early eliminations, and a couple that might stick around … you know, like every other season of the show.

The professional partners for each dancer will be announced on Aug. 31st and I;ll make sure to update this past as soon as they are announced.

Star
Professional Dancer
David ArquetteKym Johnson
Ron ArtestPeta Murgatroyd
Chaz BonoLacey Schwimmer
Elisabetta CanalisValentin Chmerkovskiy
Kristin CavallariMark Ballas
Nancy GraceTristan McManus
Rob KardashianCheryl Burke
Carson KressleyAnna Trebunskaya
Ricki LakeDerek Hough
J.R. MartinezKarina Smirnoff
Chynna PhillipsTony Dovolani
Hope SoloMaksim Chmerkovskiy
  • David Arquette – Actor and part of the fairly eccentric Arquette family.
  • Ron Artest – Mandatory male sports star of the season.  At least this time he’s a basketball player.
  • Chaz Bono – Son of Cher and Sonny Bono, transgender rights activist.  (Now legally a man, Chaz was born a girl)
  • Elisabetta Canalis – Model and former girlfriend of George Clooney.
  • Kristin Cavallari – Actress … and I use the term loosely.
  • Nancy Grace – The insanely irritating “legal expert.”
  • Rob Kardashian - Yes, those Kardashians.
  • Carson Kressley – Fashion expert and formerly of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
  • Ricki Lake – Actress and former talk show host.
  • J.R. Martinez - Severely burned soldier from Iraq who is now a motivational speaker and actor on All My Children.  Definitely who I am rooting for.
  • Chynna Phillips – Actress and singer
  • Hope Solo – Goalie for the U.S. Women’s Soccer team.
Ryan O’Neal removed.

15
May
2011

Boston RobAfter four seasons, and 117 days, “Boston” Rob Mariano has finally won a season of Survivor.

First appearing in the fourth season,Survivor: Marquesas, in 2002, Boston Rob has gone on to play the game a total of four times, becoming one of the most notorious “villains” in the game. In the most recent season, Survivor: Redemption Island, he came back with a game similar to the one fans have seen him try to pull off before, but after learning from previous mistakes, he was able to finally pull off “a nearly perfect game” in the words of series host Jeff Probst.

While I personally have not been a fan of Boston Rob in past seasons, this year I found myself rooting for him from early on, realizing that he was the only playing a true game this year where others didn’t know what the heck they were doing.

Boston Rob famously married fellow Survivor: All Stars player, Amber Brkich, with whom he now has two children.  Between the two of them, they have both won a season of the long running reality competition, but Mr. Mariano proclaimed during the final hour-long reunion that this would be the end of his involvement with the series s a contestant.

It was a long road for Boston Rob, but thanks to his unwillingness to quit, his tenacity has paid off.  And in a sentiment I never thought I would utter, I couldn’t be happier to see Boston Rob win.

1
Mar
2011

Dancing With the StarsThe cast has been announced for the spring 2011 season of Dancing With the Stars.  And, again … how many times can you scrape the bottom of the barrel?

While a couple of people this year were once big names, they have definitely lost their shine.  It’s kind of sad when the biggest current name is probably Kendra Wilkinson.  I’ve come to the conclusion over the past couple seasons as the “stars” have gotten more and more comical that no one watches this show for someone they actually follow, they are simply tuning in for the pros, and I can’t say as I blame them.

Sadly, as always, I will endure the pain … and then question my own sanity when it’s over.  (and possibly cry quietly in the corner after each episode)

(Professionals added!)

Star Dancer
Chelsea Kane Mark Ballas
Chris Jericho Cheryl Burke
Hines Ward Kym Johnson
Kendra Wilkinson Louis van Amstel
Kirstie Alley Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Mike Catherwood Lacey Schwimmer
Petra Nemcova Dmitry Chaplin
Ralph Macchio Karina Smirnoff
Romeo Chelsie Hightower
Sugar Ray Leonard Anna Trebunskaya
Wendy Williams Tony Dovolani

And here’s a little something about each:

  • Chelsea Kane – Well, it’s been a while since we had a Disney actress, guess it was time again.
  • Chris Jericho – Oh goody, a wrestler.  I predict he’ll be out within three weeks.
  • Hines Ward – And here’s are required sports star.  I’m so tired of this formula.
  • Kendra Wilkinson – The former Playboy Playmate/Hugh Hefner girlfriend … apparently multiple other reality shows wasn’t good enough for her.
  • Kirstie Alley – Former actress, and a Scientologist … one guess who I’ll be rooting against.
  • Mike Catherwood – A radio host I am unfamiliar with.
  • Petra Nemcova – She was the model trapped in a tree during the famous 2004 Indian ocean earthquake where her fiancée was killed.
  • Ralph Macchio – Yes … The Karate Kid.
  • Romeo – Yet another rapper.  And actually the son of Master P who was on several seasons ago after his son injured himself.
  • Sugar Ray Leonard – Former boxing champ.
  • Wendy Williams – Talk show host … oh yeah, that should be entertaining.

1
Dec
2010

NaOnka and Kelly S. (AKA Purple Kelly) both quit Survivor: Nicaragua tonight.  Could someone please explain to me the thinking of people like this?

While I have given up my constant reality TV recaps of years ago, every once in a while something happens that just makes me comment, and this is one of those times.

There are people who would do anything to be on this show, or similar ones, and to see two people who get so close to the end of the show just up and quit.  This was day 28 of the season, and this season will run 39 days, it just makes me wonder how someone couldn’t finish this.  Yes, if you got injured in some way, that is one thing, but to just say, “I quit”?  Wow.

Then, to top it all off, NaOnka doesn’t step up to sacrifice her reward for the good of the tribe even after she declared she was quitting.  Instead Holly, a swim coach, stepped up and probably propelled herself to being the favorite Survivor of the season.

It is just beyond me how someone can quit something they’ve started.  You begin something, you’re making a commitment and you carry it out.  Period.  While I have never been a Survivor setting, i have put myself through physical activities I am not used to because people were counting on me, to the point that I once collapsed to my knees outside my hotel room in Tokyo and crawled in to my room on all fours and peeled off a shirt that probably had three pounds of sweat in it.  You know what?  The next day I was out in 96 degree heat with 96 percent humidity because that’s what my commitment required of me.

So, to any future Survivors, or players on any reality game essentially, suck it up.  You put yourself in this position, and there are thousands of people who would gladly take that spot you just walked out on.  This is the 21st season of this show, so don’t you dare try to say, “Oh, I had no idea it would be this hard.”  Bull.  Shut up, suck it up and live up to your obligations.

Okay … I feel better now.

8
Sep
2010

Discovery Networks has brought speculation to an end in regards to the status of Jake & Josh Harris on the hit series Deadliest Catch.

Jake and Josh Harris are the sons of the late Capt. Phil Harris who passed away due to complications from a stroke on the most recent season of the series.  As the season came to a close, Jake was dealing with his recently revealed addiction to drugs, and Josh was trying to figure out what to do with his father’s beloved fishing vessel, the Cornelia Marie.

With things in so much flux in their personal lives, it was unclear if the Harris brothers would continue in the next season of the series, but according to The New York Times, both of the brothers have signed up for new contracts.

The puzzling part is that the article does make it sound somewhat like the brothers may not be on the family’s ship, and may even be on different vessels.  I am sure we’ll know the details in the not too distant future, but still interesting to ponder what might happen with these boys in the aftermath of their father’s passing.

Discovery Channel President and General Manager Clark Bunting said in a statement, “Josh and Jake are part of the Discovery family. We shared a very tough year together and look forward to continuing this special relationship in the future. Right now, they want to get back to fishing and we are doing everything that we can to support that.”

King Crab season should be starting up in Oct. and will be featured in the new season to begin airing next spring.

31
Aug
2010

dwts2009Okay, the definition of “star” is getting stretched a bit thin on Dancing With the Stars this season …

The eleventh season of Dancing With the Stars kicks off on Sept. 20th and this latest round of “stars” leaves a lot to be desired.  The Spring 2010 season at least had a few more people I’ve heard of, or at least considered “stars” of some definition as opposed to “daughter of famous person.”  That isn’t to say I’m commenting on their family in any way, but seriously, how do you define her as “a star”?  I have to say I’m puzzled by that one.

Anyway, here is a list of all the stars and which professionals they are teamed up with.

Update 9/1/10: Updated the dancers to the official list.  Edyta Sliwinska has left the show.

Star Dancer
Michael Bolton Chelsie Hightower
Margaret Cho Louis Van Amstel
Rick Fox Cheryl Burke
Jennifer Gray Derek Hough
David Hasselhoff Kym Johnson
Florence Henderson Corky Ballas
Kyle Massey Lacey Schwimmer
Brandy Norwood Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Bristol Palin Mark Ballas
Audrina Patridge Tony Dovolani
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino Karina Smirnoff
Kurt Warner Anna Trebunskaya

Some quick facts on each:

  • Michael Bolton is probably best known for being the butt of jokes about the music industry as opposed to being known as a musician.
  • Margaret Cho is a well-known comedienne with an extremely dirty mouth.
  • Rick Fox is a former basketball player and is currently dating Eliza Dushku of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer and Dollhouse.
  • Jennifer Gray was in Dirty Dancing.
  • David Hasselhoff … come on … you know who he is.
  • Florence Henderson was Mrs. Brady on The Brady Bunch.
  • Kyle Massey … a rapper supposedly, never heard of him.
  • Brandy Norwood had a big singing career in the 1990′s.
  • Bristol Palin … I’m still trying to figure this one out.
  • Audrina Patridge was on The Hills.
  • The Situation is from The Jersey Shore on MTV.
  • Kurt Warner was a football player.

This has to be the least interesting cast in ages.

22
Jul
2010

You know fall is on the way when all of the broadcast networks set the premiere dates for their new and returning series.

All five of the broadcast networks have finally set their premiere dates for the fall 2010 season, with CBS being the last one to do so.  In general, expect to burn out the hard drive on your DVD the week of Sept. 20th as just about everything seems to be hitting that week.

UPDATED 7/30/10: NBC shifted a couple of dates.

ABC logo

ABC Fall 2010 Premiere Dates

Info on the fall 2010 ABC schedule can be found here.

20/20 – Sept. 23rd
America’s Funniest Home Videos – Sept. 26th
Better With You – Sept. 22nd
Brothers & Sisters – Sept. 26th
Castle – Sept. 20th
Cougar Town – Sept. 22nd
Dancing With The Stars – Sept. 20th
Dancing With The Stars (Results Show) – Sept. 28th
Desperate Housewives – Sept. 26th
Detroit 1-8-7 – Sept. 21st
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Sept. 26th
Grey’s Anatomy – Sept. 23rd
Modern Family – Sept. 22nd
My Generation – Sept. 23rd
No Ordinary Family – Sept. 28th
Private Practice – Sept. 23rd
The Middle – Sept. 22nd
The Whole Truth – Sept. 22nd
CBS logo

CBS Fall 2010 Premiere Dates

Info on the fall 2010 CBS schedule can be found here.

$#*! My Dad Says – Sept. 23rd
48 Hours Mystery – Sept. 25th
60 Minutes – Sept. 26th
Blue Bloods – Sept. 24th
Criminal Minds – Sept. 22nd
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – Sept. 23rd
CSI: Miami – Oct. 3rd
CSI: NY – Sept. 24th
Crimetime Saturday – Sept. 25th
Hawaii Five-0 – Sept. 20th
How I Met Your Mother – Sept. 20th
Medium – Sept. 24th
Mike & Molly – Sept. 20th
NCIS – Sept. 21st
NCIS: Los Angeles – Sept. 21st
Rules Of Engagement – Sept. 20th
Survivor: Nicaragua – Sept. 15th
The Amazing Race – Sept. 26th
The Big Bang Theory – Sept. 23rd
The Defenders – Sept. 22nd
The Good Wife – Sept. 28th
The Mentalist – Sept. 23rd
Two And A Half Men – Sept. 20th
Undercover Boss – Sept. 26th
Fox Logo

FOX Fall 2010 Premiere Dates

Info on the fall 2010 FOX schedule can be found here.

American Dad – Oct. 3rd
America’s Most Wanted – Sept. 11th
Bones – Sept. 23rd
Cops – Sept. 11th
Family Guy – Sept. 26th
Fringe – Sept. 23rd
Glee – Sept. 21st
Hell’s Kitchen – Sept. 22nd
House – Sept. 20th
Human Target – Sept. 24th
Lie To Me – Nov. 10th
Lone Star – Sept. 20th
Raising Hope – Sept. 21st
Running Wild – Sept. 21st
The Cleveland Show – Sept. 26th
The Good Guys – Sept. 24th
The Simpsons – Sept. 26th
NBC logo

NBC Fall 2010 Premiere Dates

Info on the fall 2010 NBC schedule can be found here.

30 Rock – Sept. 23rd
Chase – Sept. 20th
Chuck – Sept. 20th
Community – Sept. 23rd
Dateline – Sept. 24th
Law & Order: Los Angeles – Sept. 29th
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Sept. 22nd
Outlaw – Sept. 15th
Outsourced – Sept. 23rd
Parenthood – Sept. 14th
School Price – Sept. 24th
The Apprentice – Sept. 16th
The Biggest Loser – Sept. 21st
The Event – Sept. 20th
The Office – Sept. 23rd
Undercovers – Sept. 22nd
CW Logo

The CW Fall 2010 Premiere Dates

Info on the fall 2010 The CW schedule can be found here.

90210 – Sept. 13th
America’s Next Top Model – Sept. 8th
Gossip Girl – Sept. 13th
Hellcats – Sept. 8th
Life Unexpected – Sept. 14th
Nikita – Sept. 9th
One Tree Hill – Sept. 14th
Smallville – Sept. 24th
Supernatural – Sept. 24th
The Vampire Diaries – Sept. 9th

25
Jun
2010

Scattercast #101 will be the first episode to go down in history as not only did I have only my fourth guest, but it was someone who actually offered to be on the show!

David Montelongo left the A&E series Flip This House in 2007, and since then he has been off pretty much everyone’s radar.  This is his first interview since his departure to address what happened in the infamous “Little House of Horrors” (AKA “The Cat House”) episode, and why he chose to split with his brother/business partner, Armondo.

In the show we follow up on what he’s been doing, and the launch of his new site, Montelongo Coaching.  We then move on to the show, what brought about his departure with his wife Melina and how it impacted his personal relationship with his brother.  It is a frank and open interview, and David didn’t shy away from any of the questions I put before him.

We also discover our mutual love of another reality show, and discuss our desire to compete against one another on it.  (Hey, it wouldn’t be Scattercast without a bit of pop culture.)

It’s an intriguing interview for fans of the show, and those who have never heard of the Montelongos before now.  Enjoy!

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subscribe to Scattercast via iTunes.

21
Jun
2010

The Internet can be an odd place, and as a blogger you get some very odd e-mails that make you go, “Yeah, right, sure you are.” as people try to wrangle you into some scam or feed you false information. Sometimes though, those e-mails prove to be true, and they result in you getting to do something insanely cool.

Last week I received an e-mail from someone claiming to be Melina Montelongo, a former personality on the A&E series Flip This House.  She had found my post about the episode of the series where she and her husband David decided to call it quits with David’s brother, Armando.  The title of the episode was “Little House of Horrors”, but it is better known to fans of the show as “The Cat House”.  If you’ve never seen the episode, you can check out this YouTube video for some of the highlights, but it doesn’t really do it justice.

Since that episode aired on May 5, 2007, David has chosen not to speak about what transpired, and has gone on with his life.  As he prepares to launch a new venture, he has decided to finally speak about what happened, and this is what Mrs. Montelongo was contacting me about.  Having seen my post about the episode, and two others I had written about Armando, they felt I was a good fit for David’s first interview.  After trading several e-mails (and proving it was indeed her), we agreed to Mr. Montelongo appearing on my weekly podcast, Scattercast.

This week’s episode #101 will feature an interview people have been curious about for three years, as well as talking bout what Mr. Montelongo has been up since we last saw him on the show and what he has coming up.  You don’t want to miss it.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss the episode, you can subscribe to Scattercast via iTunes, or pick up the SeanPAune.com RSS feed to be notified of the episode as soon as it goes live.

(If you’re curious why I stress the image in this post is used with permission … read here.)

31
May
2010

On May 31st, 2000, CBS launched a series for the summer season that no one was quite sure how it would do, or if anyone even watch it.

Hundreds of episodes, 20 seasons and 301 contestants later, Survivor is still going strong, and can easily be blamed for the explosion of reality TV programming in the United States that followed it.

It was funny how no one saw this show catching on, and I didn’t start watching until about halfway through that first season.  CBS repeated the earlier episodes which allowed me to catch up, and I haven’t missed an episode since.  Despite the silliness of the whole thing, I enjoy watching how it shows no one learns from mistakes.  How many times can people pull the same ploys as players in previous seasons, and people will believe them?

I am also constantly amazed how players in the game, whom vote for the winner, hardly ever vote for the person who actually play the game.  ”You lied to me!”  Um … hello?  Have you not heard of this game called “Survivor”?  It does say “Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.”, not “Don’t lie. Make friends. Make people feel good about themselves.”  Vote for the people who actually play the game, and stop boting with your emotions.

All that being said, it is amazing the longevity of this show, and its impact on popular culture.  ”The tribe has spoken” has become such a part of our vernacular that no one even needs to state anymore what they are referring to.  Pretty impressive for a show no one was sure it would survive its first season.

13
Apr
2010

Tonight is the sixth season premiere of Deadliest Catch, an event that I usually look forward to every year, but yet I go into tonight’s episode in a somber mood, and one filled with trepidation.

As is well-known by now, Capt. Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie suffered a stroke during the Opilio crab season which will make up the second half of the season.  After making it to a hospital, and even recovering from a medially induced coma, he passed away.  According to the producers of the show, they went to leave his room as he recovered, but he motioned for them to come back and to continue filming.  Perhaps he knew he had an opportunity to do something most people never do, and that was for him to leave a memory of his final hours for his family.

While reviews of the season premiere say that there is no mention of Capt. Harris’ death in the season opener, they confirm what I suspected, and that is that it hangs over the heads of those who view it.  It almost feels ghoulish to know I will still watch this show knowing what is coming.  I am normally someone who enjoys spoilers for my favorite shows, but this time it feels like a mixture of blessing and curse.  On one hand I can prepare myself for what is to come, but on the other hand I know I will cringe every time I see him on screen, and potentially add a foreboding weight to every word the man utters up to the inevitable episode.

It has not yet been decided if the footage from the hospital room will be shown, that decision is being left to the Harris family working with the show’s producers.  Will we need to see that?  Who knows, and luckily some of that decision will be taken out of the viewer’s hands.

As silly as it may seem, these men have become part of the lives of their viewers.  Sure the editors dictate what we see, but for five seasons now we have let these men and their ships into our family rooms, and a bond of sorts has formed with them.  We care what happens to them, and knowing that we are speeding with each episode towards the passing one of them is an odd feeling.  A part of you wants to scream at the TV to warn them, that maybe they can get Capt. Harris help before the stroke happens, but, alas, our cries will go unheard.

No matter what, I will watch, but it will be with a different sensibility than seasons past, as, for once, I really wish I didn’t know what was coming.

2
Mar
2010

dwts2009Yep, it’s that time again, folks. Time to see what washed up, has-been “celebrities” ABC has decided are “stars” for the next season of Dancing With The Stars.

I have to say, I’m getting more and more impressed each season as they actually get people I know what they’ve done instead of leaving me scratching my head.  They’ve also been nice enough to announce the professionals this time around from the get go so we know who will be dancing with whom.  The line-up is … interesting, to say the least.

I know the links are a tad hard to read, sorry about that, but I wanted to make sure you could have quick access to information on each person.

Star Dancer
Aiden Turner Edyta Sliwinska
Buzz Aldrin Ashly Costa
Chad Ochocinco Cheryl Burke
Erin Andrews Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Evan Lysacek Anna Trebunskaya
Jake Pavelka Chelsie Hightower
Kate Gosselin Tony Dovolani
Nicole Scherzinger Derek Hough
Niecy Nash Louis Van Amstel
Pamela Anderson Damian Whitewood
Shannen Doherty Mark Ballas

An eclectic group to say the least.  Some quick facts on each:

  • Aiden Turner used to play Aidan Devane on All My Children.
  • Buzz Aldrin is the famous astronaut.
  • Chad Ochocinco is the  football players from the Bengals.
  • Erin Andrews is the ESPN sportscaster who was involved in that infamous, and unfortunate, peephole video scandal.  Luckily the man was later caught.
  • Evan Lysacek just won the gold medal in Vancouver for men’s figure skating.
  • Jake Pavelka was just on The Bachelor.
  • Kate Gosselin is the famous mother of eight children from Jon & Kate Plus Eight.
  • Nicole Scherzinger is the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls.
  • Nicey Nash is the woman with the annoying voice from Clean House.
  • Pamela Anderson used to be on Baywatch and Home Improvement.
  • Shannen Doherty was on the original Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed.

No clue who will win this one, but somehow I suspect it won’t be Buzz Aldrin …

Season 10 of Dancing With The Stars premieres on March 22nd.