Reality Repeats Itself
Until recently, producers of the popular MTV show The Real World were debating on where to shoot the 10th anniversary season. Las Vegas? Chicago? Paris? But after weighing their options, producers decided to bring the program back to its roots: New York City.
According to Variety, the new season will begin production this January in either Harlem, Chelsea, Gramercy Park, the Upper West Side, or Brooklyn. Sure, the Big Apple might not be as beautiful as Hawaii, but at least cast members will have the best hospitals at their doorstep. And with a history of excessive drinking on the show, I’m sure those’ll come in handy.
Want even more Real World? Bunim-Murray plans to begin production of Season 11 immediately after finishing up Season 10. So there will be two back-to-back seasons airing, starting next June. But will it be reality overload? With ratings growing higher every season, I doubt MTV is too concerned.
Surviving CBS
Advertisers looking to market their products next year on Survivor II: The Australian Outback are facing a challenge of their own. CBS, expecting very high ratings for the hit show’s second season, are asking for up to $600,000 per spot, Movieweb.com reports. But many companies are weary of this asking price, which is nearly triple the amount charged for commercials in season one.
In any event, CBS will surely be reaping greater profits next time around. So can’t it afford to award the final survivor more than the now-boring grand prize of a million bucks?
Married for the Very First Time?
Despite tabloid reports that British director Guy Ritchie will marry Madonna by Christmas, publicists for both claim that no such plans are in store for the couple. Madonna, who is set to release her latest album Music in a few weeks, has been recently spotted sporting a ring on that all-important finger. The Material Girl, however, denies the rumors and has said that the ring is merely a symbol of her boyfriend’s love and the birth of their child, Rocco, several weeks ago.
Some celebrities, however, may be more serious about walking down the aisle — namely Catherine Zeta-Jones, 30, and 55 year-old fiancee Michael Douglas. Zeta-Jones’ publicist told USA Today that there are plans for a wedding, but not later this month, as reported by a British tabloid.
My advice, Catherine, is to tie the knot before you need to start tying his shoes.
VMA 2000
Don’t forget to tune into MTV’s annual Video Music Awards tonight, with the Opening Act set to perform at 6:30 p.m. With a traditionally lighter atmosphere than most other awards show, the live VMAs promise to be as unpredictable and zany as ever. And where else but here could Eminem and ‘N Sync wind up as nominees in the same category?
In Brief ….
For the second week in a row, this weekend’s top grossing film was the cheerleader comedy Bring It On … Since joining the telecast, Dennis Miller hasn’t done much for the ratings of ABC’s Monday Night Football
Late-Night TV Monologue Quote of the Week
“I had a crazy day. Got up this morning and first the doorbell goes off and it’s a Jehova’s Witness. Then it rings again and it’s an Amway salesperson. Then it rings again and it’s a disoriented Anne Heche.”
–David Letterman
Archived article by Matt Chock