This collection of entries is from the Category "Big Brother".
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
CBS announces Big Brother 6 Online Offerings THEME
CBS announced that the show will have a Head Of Household Blog, and the Head Of Household is have a digital camera. The Big Brother talk show "House Calls" is back with "Big Brother 3" Marcellas Reynolds, and there'll be a "Big Brother Fantasy League". All of these items will be at the CBS website.
Oh, and as usual, RealNetworks will be broadcasting live feeds from the house.
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CBS.COM: THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION FOR "BIG BROTHER 6"
CBS's Official Website to Offer "Big Brother" Viewers a Wide Array of Bonus Features to Supplement and Enhance CBS's Three Weekly Broadcasts
For the First Time, A Head of Household Blog Will Provide Insight Into Life in the "Big Brother" House
Also New, The Head of Household Will Be Rewarded With a Digital Camera With Pictures Posted On CBS.com
CBS and RealNetworks Bring "Big Brother 6" to the Internet With 24/7 Live Video Channel For the Fifth Consecutive Year
"House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show" Returns For Its Second Season
Interactive "Big Brother Fantasy League" Offers Fans A Chance to Compete for Prizes
CBS.com, CBS's official website, will offer BIG BROTHER viewers a wide array of programming and bonus features this summer to supplement and enhance the Network's three weekly broadcasts, including for the first time a Head of Household Blog, in which a BIG BROTHER houseguest communicates directly to BIG BROTHER fans through CBS.com. BIG BROTHER 6 premieres on the CBS Television Network on Thursday, July 7 (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT).
"This summer, CBS.com is going all out to provide BIG BROTHER fans the broadest and most exciting companion experience we've ever offered," said Larry Kramer, President, CBS Digital Media. "From the 24/7 live Internet feed to the new blog to the daily talk show, BIG BROTHER viewers will have unparalleled access to activities in the BIG BROTHER house and a new level of involvement with the show."
New to the BIG BROTHER Internet experience is the Head of Household Blog, where fans will be able to read first hand accounts from each week's Head of Household on life in the BIG BROTHER house and what it's like to be under the constant gaze of dozens of cameras and viewed live on the Internet.
CBS.com will also provide a digital camera to the Head of Household with the pictures to posted on CBS.com along with their Blog.
CBS.com also announced the return of two other popular features: HOUSE CALLS: THE BIG BROTHER TALK SHOW and the interactive BIG BROTHER Fantasy League.
Returning for its second season, HOUSE CALLS: THE BIG BROTHER TALK SHOW is a no-charge, half-hour, streaming video daily talk show about the summer reality series seen every Monday through Friday (1:00 PM/ET, 10:00 AM/PT) on CBS.com.
HOUSE CALLS is hosted by Marcellas Reynolds, a houseguest from "Big Brother 3," and Gretchen Massey, an on-air host of "The Gretchen Massey Show," which is broadcast Sunday nights on Infinity Radio's KLSX-FM Los Angeles. The two hosts interact with viewers through phone calls and e-mails, discuss events that transpire in the BIG BROTHER house, offer prognostications, analyze strategies and interview former BIG BROTHER houseguests as well as current houseguests following their eviction.
Also returning is the "BIG BROTHER Fantasy League" game where fans compete for prizes based on the events that transpire in the house.
The official BIG BROTHER website at CBS.com will also include detailed summaries of all the events that happen during each televised broadcast, a live 24/7 chat room, popularity and opinion polls, a virtual tour of the BIG BROTHER house, descriptions of the week's challenges, voting history pages, photo galleries and a houseguest section with complete profiles.
For the fifth consecutive season, CBS and RealNetworks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK), a global leader in network-delivered digital media, have joined forces to provide exclusive 24/7 live video channel from inside the BIG BROTHER 6 house. The webcast coverage debuts immediately following the premiere of BIG BROTHER 6 on July 7 (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT), and will be accessible through the official BIG BROTHER 6 website at CBS.com and through the RealNetworks' Superpass™ subscription service website at www.real.com/bigbrother.
Subscribers to the 24/7 video stream can watch any one of four live camera feeds from inside the BIG BROTHER 6 house or catch all of the action at once with the special quad-cam view which allows fans to see four different video feeds simultaneously. Subscribers will also have access to an exclusive, subscribers-only web chat that will allow fans from across the country to converse about what they are seeing live on the feeds.
The entire three-month live 24/7 internet feed of BIG BROTHER 6 is available through RealNetworks' SuperPass subscription service, or fans may subscribe to receive the three-month broadcast for $29.99 or pay $12.99 per month with a free trial for everyone who signs up.
CBS/Endemol Entertainment will provide the content from the house, while RealNetworks' content delivery division, Real Broadcast Network, will deliver the 24/7 live streaming webcast feed.
To preserve the drama for BIG BROTHER 6 television viewers, CBS may block or delay the webcast for a limited number of real-time events that transpire in the house.
BIG BROTHER 6 will be broadcast three times a week on Tuesday (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) and Saturday (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).
Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner are the executive producers of BIG BROTHER 6 for Shapiro/Grodner Productions, in association with Endemol Entertainment.
About CBS.com
CBS.com, the official website of the CBS Television Network, has become the top web destination among all Network television websites. CBS.com has been the most trafficked website among its Entertainment competitors with more unique visitors every month for the past two years. With its proven success of intersecting traditional television with new media, CBS.com attracted a record high of more than 12 million unique visitors in May 2004 as a result of the "Survivor: All Stars" finale and online voting for America's Tribal Council. Home to the official websites for all CBS television series, CBS.com's notable sites include "Survivor," "CSI" and "CSI: Miami," "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race" and "Late Show with David Letterman."
About RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody® Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer® 10, the first product to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
CBS AND REALNETWORKS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE 24/7 LIVE VIDEO CHANNEL OF “BIG BROTHER 6”
LOS ANGELES and SEATTLE, July 6, 2005 – CBS and RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), the leading creator of digital media services and software, today announced that they will offer an exclusive live video channel from the “Big Brother 6” house 24 hours a day that allows fans to watch houseguest activity in real time, much of which never appears on TV. The webcast, which premieres Thursday, July 7, immediately follows the East Coast broadcast of the show at 8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT and will be accessible through the official “Big Brother 6” website at www.CBS.com and through RealNetworks’ SuperPass™ subscription service website at www.real.com/bigbrother.
Fans can choose either a discounted three month subscription of $29.99 or a monthly subscription of $12.99 per month with a free trial for everyone who signs up. Subscribers to the 24/7 video stream can watch any one of four live camera feeds from inside the “Big Brother 6” house or catch all of the action at once with the special quad-cam view which allows fans to see four different video feeds simultaneously.
“‘The Big Brother 6’ live webcast with RealNetworks has become immensely popular as fans can check-in on the houseguests at anytime and see the action unfold,” said Brinley Turner, Vice President and General Manager, CBS.com. “Whether used as a companion to the prime time series or as live theatre in its own right, it’s a unique Internet experience that further connects the fan to the show.”
“Big Brother 6’ online demonstrates how the Internet and TV industries can work together to create a richer experience for consumers,” said Dan Sheeran, Senior Vice President, Premium Consumer Services, RealNetworks. “Online subscribers will enjoy ‘Big Brother 6’ on TV that much more by following the 24/7 action and connecting online with their fellow fans.”
“Big Brother 6” follows a group of people living together in a new house specially built for this edition and outfitted with 47 cameras and 78 microphones, the most in “Big Brother” history, recording their every move, 24 hours a day. One by one, the houseguests will vote each other out of the house. At the end of three months, the last remaining houseguest will receive the grand prize. In a new twist this year, each houseguest is paired with a secret partner from the outside world and the final houseguest will win $1,000,000, the biggest cash prize in “Big Brother” history, if they complete the game with their teammate. If the twosome does not make it to the final two, the winner will win $500,000.
“Big Brother” 24/7 is a member benefit of SuperPass which also includes news and entertainment video, free music downloads, free game downloads premium online radio with over 70 ad-free music stations, Real® PhotoVideo for sharing personal photos and video clips, and more.
To preserve the drama for “Big Brother 6” television viewers, CBS may block or delay the webcast for a limited number of real-time events that transpire in the house. Other components of the official “Big Brother 6” website will include detailed summaries of all the events that happen during each televised broadcast, a live 24/7 chat room, an interactive “Big Brother Fantasy League” game, popularity polls, opinion polls, a virtual tour of the “Big Brother” house, descriptions of the week’s challenges, voting history pages, photo galleries and a houseguest section with complete profiles.
ABOUT CBS.COM
CBS.com, the official website of the CBS Television Network, has become the top web destination among all Network television websites. CBS.com has been the most trafficked website among its Entertainment competitors with more unique visitors every month for the past two years. With its proven success of intersecting traditional television with new media, CBS.com attracted a record high of more than 12 million unique visitors in May 2004 as a result of the "Survivor: All Stars" finale and online voting for America's Tribal Council. Home to the official websites for all CBS television series, CBS.com's notable sites include "Survivor," "CSI" and "CSI: Miami," "Big Brother," "The Amazing Race" and "Late Show with David Letterman."
ABOUT REALNETWORKS
RealNetworks, Inc. is the leading creator of digital media services and software including the award-winning Rhapsody® Internet jukebox service and RealPlayer®10, the first product to integrate finding, organizing, buying, playing and managing digital audio and video in a single product. Consumers can access and experience audio/video programming and download RealNetworks' consumer software at http://www.real.com. Broadcasters, network operators, media companies and enterprises use RealNetworks' products and services to create and deliver digital media to PCs, mobile phones and consumer electronics devices. RealNetworks' systems and corporate information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com.
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posted at 02:22 PM | Link | Big Brother § |
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Big Brother 6 Cast Announced THEME
Well, here we are in it's sixth year... gone is the house that we've come to know for 5 years (demolished to put up an office building). Instead, the "house" is now on the soundstage that CBS used for "Yes, Dear".
So, it starts next week. The Australia and UK versions have been underway this year for a while now (we're at about day 54 in Australia and Day 34 in the UK). These other versions have daily shows, showing recaps of the days activities. The UK has a second show, earlier in the day, that's a live show that also has guests and is sort-of like a "chat show" as they would say. Each has their own live eviction shows, done outdoors in front of large, rabid audiences. The Australia version has a Friday Night Live Games event, lasting a couple of hours, where the houseguests compete for 3 awards: The use of a "Rewards Room" (with food, alcohol, room service, DVD's etc. for the winner and a chosen guest), the assigning of tasks to the houseguests (yes, they have specific roles and tasks that have to be performed daily in house), and the ability to deduct "points" from any of the week's nominees, thus saving a friend or even themselves, but also risk re-shuffling the list and they may wind-up being a nominee themself).
Each show has something else we don't have: major activities for the houseguests to do every single damn day, risking their food budget money. This gives them something else to do - something somewhat interesting to watch - since the US houseguests don't seem to do a frickin' damn thing all damn day except sleep and sunbathe. Both Australia and the UK air their Nominations live, and each still has the main core component from the original Endemol recipe intact: the public votes out the nominees, not the houseguests,
In general, these shows are a hell of a lot better to watch and a hell of a lot more entertaining than what Shapiro & Grodner pulls off in their measly three shows a week.
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CBS REVEALS THE IDENTITIES OF THE 14 NEW HOUSEGUESTS COMPETING IN "BIG BROTHER 6"
Sixth Installment of Series Premieres on Thursday, July 7th on the CBS Television Network
All New "Big Brother 6" Twist Revealed
Houseguests Will Move into a Brand-New Home and Location
Julie Chen Returns as Host
CBS announced today the identities of the 14 houseguests who will compete in BIG BROTHER 6, as well as the new creative twist that will play out during the summer broadcasts.
This is the BIG BROTHER 6 Summer of Secrets. There are secrets in the house, secrets in the game, and this summer -- every houseguest has a secret.
For the first time, every houseguest will be entering the house and playing the game with a secret partner -- someone they know from the outside world. Friends, co-workers and significant others will play the Big Brother game as secret duos. The twist is that each secret team believes that they are the only pair in the house (pairings will be revealed to TV viewers during the first live broadcast on July 14). Each twosome knows that if they can keep their secret and end up being the last two people in the house, the winner will win $1,000,000, the biggest cash prize in Big Brother history, with the second place finisher winning $250,000. If a twosome does not make it to the final two, the winner will win $500,000.
"Big Brother" follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones recording their every move 24 hours a day. One by one, the houseguests will vote each other out of the house. At the end of three months, the last remaining houseguest will receive the grand prize.
This season, houseguests will move into a brand-new two-story home, including a built-in pool and Jacuzzi in the backyard. Like the contestants that will inhabit it, the new house is also full of secrets and surprises that will be unveiled throughout the summer.
BIG BROTHER 6 debuts on Thursday, July 7 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Following the premiere, BIG BROTHER 6 will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Saturdays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The Thursday broadcast, hosted by Julie Chen, will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests.
Following are the 14 houseguests, listed across in alphabetical order, who will compete in BIG BROTHER 6:
Maggie Ausburn, 26
Las Vegas, NV
Single
Emergency Room Nurse
Beau Beasley, 25
Pembroke Pines, FL
Single
Personal Shopper
Ivette Corredero, 25
Miami Beach, FL
Single
Waitress
Michael Donnellan, 28
Orange County, CA
Single
Artist
Ashlea Evans, 22
Plantation, FL
Single
Fashion Design Student
Howie Gordon, 34
Chicago, IL
Single
Meteorology Student
Sarah Hrejsa, 22
Chicago, IL
Single
Retail Manager
April Lewis, 30
Dallas, TX
Newlywed
Pharmaceutical Sales Rep.
Eric Littmann, 36
Boston, MA
Married Dad
Firefighter
Janelle Pierzina, 25
Miami Beach, FL
Single
VIP Cocktail Waitress
Rachel Plencner, 33
Parker, CO
Single
Horse Breeder
James Rhine, 29
Atlanta, GA
Single
Loss Prevention Manager
Kaysar Ridha, 24
Irvine, CA
Single
Graphic Designer
Jennifer Vasquez, 27
Plano, TX
Single
Arena Football League Dancer
BIG BROTHER 6 is produced by Arnold Shapiro & Allison Grodner Productions, in association with Endemol U.S.A.
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posted at 01:37 PM | Link | Big Brother § |
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
The summer's Guilty Pleasures are over... THEME
THEME
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Big Brother has been our Guilty Pleasure Of Summer since it started in 2000. What we enjoy so much more than the packaged shows that CBS airs is the live Internet feeds. It allows anyone with a Real Networks player to watch up to 4 different feeds live from the house 24/7... or thereabouts. The voyeur aspect of the feeds is unbelievable. Depending on who is up and what is going on, Carol and I could watch the house for hours. This year's crop of people weren't too bad, though they weren't the best we've seen over the years. We so addicted, we have a computer connected to our Sony 27" TV so we can watch with ease - the audio going out through the stereo system.
Anyway, it's over for the year. The winner this year - Drew Daniel of Urbana, Ohio gets over Michael "Cowboy" Ellis of Durant, Oklahoma.
Then, my favorite multiple-award-winning reality show - The Amazing Race - ended tonight as well. Tonight's show seemed like it was the most physical legs at the end of a race since the show started. Anyway, due to fog and luck, Chip & Kim McAllister wound up as the winners on The Amazing Bathmat in Dallas.
Fortunately, Amazing Race 6 will be starting in just a few weeks! « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:41 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 13 THEME
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After a very stupid "Dumb and Dumber" POV meeting earlier in the week, where Jase won POV and took himself off, the nominees are now Marvin and Scott. In the strategically correct move, Scott is voted out 4-3.
The main event of the show, however, was the Twin Twist. (Wanna see the segment? I have a copy of it here as a DIVX AVI - be warned it's 36Mb)
With all of the houseguests in the living room, Julie Chen asked Diane a question: How many houseguests have played the game this year? Diane answers 13 and Julie tells here that the answer is incorrect - there have been 14. Everybody looks confused and Julie continues to remind the houseguests that the them this year is "Do Not Assume" and that one of the housemates has been playing the game with their identical twin. Drew and Diane, who both have twins, seem to be saying it's not them. Cowboy blurts out "It's Holly." (WTF? As a side note, the houseguests for the next couple of days, continue to talk about Holly and her "twin" and about the numerous times when she changed the way she acted while in the house. I have no freaking idea where this came from...) Even after Julie says that the twins have actually changed places 10 times, Cowboy is still convinced it's Holly. Throughout this, Adria is looking as confused as everyone else. Julie tells the group that the twins' goal was not to be discovered or evicted for 5 weeks. Tonight, they have reached their goal. Now the houseguests are thinking through this. Jase thinks that Scott has a twin (but, of course, that wouldn't fit with what Julie just said).
Natalie walks into the house through the Diary Room door and place goes nuts (It turns out Adria never talked about being an identical twin). What is most priceless is the look on Jase's face - he had just lost Scott, so his alliance was short one key person, and now another person enters the game - and they're not on Jase's side. You could just see how screwed he knew he was.
Anyway, HOH competition nets Jennifer as the winner, just about sealing Jase's fate in the house.
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posted at 08:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
This year's Out-Of-The-House challenge THEME
Found this tidbit out on the web... it might be from Zap2It.
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The winner of the reality show's annual you-get-to-leave-the-house-for-a-while challenge will step out of the "Big Brother" set and onto the set of "The Young and The Restless," CBS' long-running daytime serial. The contestant will share a scene in the Genoa City Athletic Club with "Y&R" stars Michelle Stafford and Christian LeBlanc. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:44 AM | Link | Big Brother | 1 comment § |
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 5 THEME
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Clip show - nothing earth shattering if you watch the live feeds. They are so screwed this week for food. Imagine one whole week of just: Milk, yogurt, sausage, bacon, and seafood. That's it. You're probably better off on PB&J.
Marvin nominated Lori & Holly for eviction. That may change with the POV. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 4 THEME
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In a unanimous vote, Mike is the first person evicted from the Big Brother 5 house. After playing a Majority Rules game, Marvin becomes the new HOH.
Well, we now know the new twist: Yes, Adria has a twin Natalie. Since Day Two, they have been trading places inside the house, playing as one person - Adria. Their 4th trade was shown live during tonight's show. The twin outside the house is also sequestered from the outside world, but does not see what's happening in the house. The Twist? If no one finds out by Week 5, both twins can play the game as individuals at the same time, thus earning the twin the right to go after the money. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 3 THEME
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Nothing really new in the house. Mike and Jennifer are still nominated for eviction. Scott wins Power of Veto (POV) and leaves the nominations as they are.
I've been watching the live feeds on and off lately. I have to say that I'm loving this group of people. They actually talk about things, want to stay active instead of taking afternoon naps.
It sound like there was some twin swapping over the weekend - Adria accidentally referred to herself as Natalie, her sister's name. Then, a diligent live feed capturer over at TV Clubhouse actually got a screen grab of the two of them together in the Diary Room. So I guess it's safe to say that at least one set of twins have been playing in the house... Take a look at the pictures of them at their website, The Fitness Twins! « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 2 THEME
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Normally a Thursday live show, but it's all clips today since the houseguests have actually been in the house since the 30th of June. The houseguests won a Margarita building challenge to get their hottub unlocked. Yea. Project DNA unravels a little bit as Michael figures-out that Jennifer (aka Nokomis) is his half-sister, and proceeds to tell his posse before her tells her. It all goes down in a meeting that they call for the whole house in the living room, after which Big Brother calls the newly-found half siblings to the diary room to receive letters from their biological father, which they read to the house. It's interesting that there are people in the house that, even after the letters, don't believe the event at all.
In the first Nomination Ceremony of the season, HOH Jase nominates Mike and Jennifer. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Big Brother 5 - Episode 1 THEME
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A new crop of hamsters are back in the house! I can't talk much about the show, because I haven't formed any opinions yet. Well, that's not true. Lori made a stupid move by taking $10,000 cash and forcing the house to eat peanut butter & jelly in the very first challenge. Bad move. Oh, and Holly? Ditzy! She should go soon so we don't have to listen to her... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:35 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Big Brother 5 Cast Announced THEME
The cast for the U.S. version of Big Brother has been announced, along with a tour of the house.
Oh, and here's one of the twists: Two people that are in the house are related by blood... but don't know it.
And - for the first time - a daily internet talk show... with Marcellas!
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The house was also shown on Entertainment Tonight. The house layout is identical to all of the years prior, just re-vamped. The three bedrooms have themes: The Wood Room has 3 single beds (it's the open area near the Diary Room), The Cloud Room has 2 double beds and windows that open-up into the Wood Room., but the windows are actually liquid crystal and can be "glazed" just by flipping a switch. The last bedroom is the Cement Bedroom. Yes, everything is made of concrete, including the beds which have only a thin camping mattress pad on them! (It sleeps 4). This is the bedroom next to the bathroom, which looks the same.
The dining room looks the same. Between the dining room and living room, where there used to be bar stools and a ledge is now a fish tank. Actually, it's a shark tank as there's a few baby sharks in there. The living room couches are of course different, much squarer, with two green pieces for the nominees to sit in.
The Kitchen is larger, now with an island with chairs, a full size side-by-side refrigerator with ice & water dispenser, and it looks like multiple ovens.
The door to the backyard has been replaced with a sliding patio door. and it's further down as the kitchen is actually a bit bigger due to the new appliances).
The backyard still has the pool but has lost the basketball court. In it's place is a putting green. There's also two hammocks instead of one and a kick boxing station.
Now, the cast:
- Name: Adria Okins
Age: 30
Occupation: Web Designer
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala. - Name: Lori Valenti
Age: 26
Occupation: Yoga Instructor
Hometown: Boston - Name: Karen O'Neil Ganci
Age: 30
Occupation: Portrait Artist
Hometown: Saddle Brook, N.J. - Name: Jennifer Dedmon
Age: 21
Occupation: Restaurant Hostess
Hometown: San Antonio - Name: Diane Henry
Age: 22
Occupation: Cocktail Waitress
Hometown: Burlington, Ky. - Name: Holly King
Age: Get a load of this - CBS is releasing her age as "in her 20s"
Occupation: Model
Hometown: Los Angeles - Name: Scott Long
Age: 26
Occupation: Sales Representative
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa. - Name: Drew Daniel
Age: 22
Occupation: Recent College Graduate
Hometown: Urbana, Ohio - Name: Michael Ellis
Age: 23
Occupation: Security Officer
Hometown: Durant, Okla. - Name: Marvin Latimer
Age: 36
Occupation: Mortician
Hometown: Conway, S.C. - Name: Mike Lubinski
Age: 41
Occupation: Commercial Painter
Hometown: Eastpointe, Mich. - Name: Will Wikle
Age: 26
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Hometown: Tupelo, Miss. - Name: Jase Wirey
Age: 28
Occupation: Volunteer Firefighter
Hometown: Decatur, Ill.
HOUSE CALLS: THE BIG BROTHER TALK SHOW, a half-hour, streaming video daily talk show, will debut Wednesday, July 7 on CBS.com, one day after the fifth installment of BIG BROTHER premieres on CBS.
HOUSE CALLS, hosted by Marcellas Reynolds, a houseguest on "Big Brother 3," and Gretchen Massey, an on-air host on Infinity Radio's KLSX Los Angeles, will interact with viewers though phone calls and e-mails, discuss events that transpire in the Big Brother house, offer prognostications, analyze strategies, interview former "Big Brother" houseguests as well as current houseguests following their eviction.
HOUSE CALLS is believed to be the first live Internet talk show produced exclusively for a television network.
HOUSE CALLS will be broadcast live Monday through Friday (1:00 PM/ET, 10:00 AM/PT). The call in phone number is 323-CBS-1000.
"BIG BROTHER has been the model for convergence between the Internet and television and this innovative programming takes it one step further," said David Katz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Interactive Ventures, CBS Television. "HOUSE CALLS will be another avenue for 'Big Brother's' loyal fans to offer opinions and dialog. This really puts the chat back into chat rooms."
HOUSE CALLS: THE BIG BROTHER TALK SHOW will be produced by Eye Net Works, a division of CBS.com. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 06:33 PM | Link | Big Brother § |
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Gwyneth wants a Big Brother film? THEME
Gwyneth Paltrow is apparently a big fan of Big Brother U.K. So much so that she has contacted her godfather - director Stephen Spielberg - about pursuing a feature film based on the 'Big Brother' reality show concept.
posted at 08:32 PM | Link | Big Brother § |
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Big Brother UK Fight THEME
I've been watching UK's Big Brother 5. I don't know why, I just wanted to see how they treat the show over there, which is such a huge hit and media circus there compared to how the show is treated here and how so many people hate it here.
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I'm not watching the live feeds - they're not available outside the UK. Instead, I've been watching the broadcast shows. It's so popular there that there are shows every day of the week, the eviction show is live with a huge live audience (actually, it's just outside the house), one of the digital channels over there (E4) actually broadcasts the live feeds. To top this off, there's also a second show (Big Brother's Little Brother) that's aired almost daily. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, speaking of ridiculous, something historic (soft of) happened. It all started when 2 houseguests were removed from the house in what was thought to be an eviction. Instead, they just went into another room inside the house, where they lived for about 4 days, watching live feeds of their housemates. They were put back into the house (it's a long story on how... you could always go to the website and read about it), but a food fight erupted. That escalated into an honest to God fight, where the houseguests trashed the house. The staff had to call security into the house to restore the peace, and viewers called the police to help out. It was tense and intriguing to watch... too bad it was so hard to understand the diverse amount of heavy accents... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 05:43 PM | Link | Big Brother § |
Sunday, April 04, 2004
TAR6 Casting, TAR5 Sighting, new rules... and a Big Brother Tie-in? THEME
Well, it looks like The Amazing Race 5 is still shooting and has made a stop in Canada. According to the Calgary Sun, the racers had a challenge - either a Roadblock or Detour - at Bow Falls near the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
Also, in something of a shock if you follow the show, casting is now active for The Amazing Race 6, which is due to shoot in August. Applications are due April 13.
Another article also mentions that CBS will couple Big Brother and the Amazing Race to create a two-hour reality block on Tuesdays from 9-11 (8-10 Central). Both shows will have 90-minute season premieres on Tuesday, July 6, and will remain on Tuesdays. (Big Brother 5 will be Tuesday nights 9-10pm ET, Thursdays 8-9pm (evictions live in the eastern timezone), and Saturdays 9-10pm ET.)
In still another twist and tie-in, Big Brother 4 Runner-up Alison Irwin and her boyfriend Donny are one of the teams on Amazing Race 5.
There is a report that The Amazing Race may have two new twists (other than Alison):
During non-elimination weeks, the team that finishes last will be stripped of all their money -- and not be given any coin at the start of the next leg of the race.
There'll also be a new "yield" component to the game that will let each team slow down someone who's lagging behind them in the race. The "yield" can only be used once by each team.
posted at 08:17 AM | Link | Amazing Race § |
Friday, October 10, 2003
Oh, this can't be good... THEME
I don't know, I just don't see this going anywhere... and if it does, I have no clue how this could impact Big Brother (or even the CBS Morning Show)...
CBS head Les Moonves is dating Julie Chen.
posted at 04:22 PM | Link | TV § |
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 33 - FINALE THEME
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Here it is, the final episode of the season. The first segment is about Alison and Jun in the house alone, and how they're feeling after the final eviction. Then we see the jury amd Robert joined then while they were at CBS (aw, no Jury House for Robert). There's a lot of discussion on how the finalists played. This past weekend, the Jury asked a question of each finalist. (The girls were upset that they couldn't see the Jury during the Q&A.) The questions were tough and pointed. The girls twisted and squirmed in their chairs. The jusry didn't feel some of the answers were good, or even accurate or pertinent at times. Then we see the actual voting process - putting the keys of the winner into the box. After the votes were cast, the jury was sequestered again and shown the complete season of the show. (Prior to this, they never saw any Diary Room footage or any footage of private conversations talking about other people). Then, everyone (Jury and others) came together and confronted each other on their issues in the house as a "round table discussion". All of them are shown live with Julie Chen in her little studio outside the house. They pack up, walk across the bridge and go into the house to meet Jun & Ali, who look extremely nervous about having everyone back in the house. Each of the houseguests reveal their votes - Jun wins 6-1. Jun's boyfriend Bob is waiting for her outside the house, while Alison's parents are waiting for her. Everyone leaves the house. Julie interviews the girls, and they are not surprised that they were not congratulated by the jury after the votes were over. Alison gets a message from Donnie... but it's hard to say if it's positive. Julie and all the houseguests (minus Scott, of course, as he is an un-person to the show) say goodbye from the front of the house. The last shot is of the mime eating cookies and milk on the couch inside the house watching the show on the plasma screen...
And so ends Big Brother 4. Though it appears to be a ratings winner this year, I didn't feel the same about the show. In fact, toward the end, based on how the game was played and who was still left in the house, I was disappointed. Oh well, I guess we'll have Big Brother 5 next July... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 31posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Friday, September 12, 2003
Mime loose in the hoose THEME
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Imagine the last three houseguests alone in the house. With a mime. For three hours. Lets just say that Ali has issues. Anyway, Robert wins a luxury competition to view a movie in the newly renovated media room (the old Desert bedroom) with a guest. Robert chose Ali. The movie is Runaway Jury (with John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman) which won't be out until next month! And they will be going to the Premiere at the Kodak theater! But for now, they're watching the movie before the public release tonight. While they were in the Desert Room watching the movie, the mime came back (and scared the hell out of Jun who was in the house "alone") and kept Jun company for an hour, while torturing Ali's stuffed animals. He left before the movie ended. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:49 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 29 THEME
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Well, we see stories about Robert and the women, the first 3 evicted houseguests (Amanda, Michelle, and David), we see Jee arrive at the Jury House (and Dana, even though she's screwing Justin every night (or so we think) STILL looks pissed-off), and we see Alison use the Power of Veto as she takes herself off of nomination for the third time, automatically putting Erika up as a nomination for eviction. As Erika sits down in the orange chair we see a commercial about applications are now being accepted for Big Brother 5. After the break, we see Alison tearfully evict Erika live to her face. DAMN. I didn't want to see that happen. Eventually, it's time for the final Head of Household competition. It's going to be in three parts (The first is tonight, with the winner going to Part 3. Part 2 is probably tomorrow, with the winner going to part 3. The two people in Part 3 battle to win the final HOH). Anyway, just as last year, this will be an endurance challenge where you must hold onto your key. This time, the remaining houseguests are standing on little houses. Not a big deal... for a little while. Then a snow machine kicks-in over the wall, throwing "snow" (or more likely shaved ice) onto the houseguests. Apparently it's coming down in chunks, some larger than your fist and it hurts. The show ends and we are left to find out the results by watching the live feeds on the internet.
Update: Well, this didn't last long - only about an hour and a half. First out was Jun, followed quickly by Robert. Alison wins the first part of the final HOH challenge. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Saturday, September 06, 2003
Big Brother Final 4 doings THEME
First Robert gets Head of Household. He then nominates Jun & Alison for eviction. Then Alison gets Power of Veto, which means she'll take herself off and Erika will be put in her place. Which means to me that Erika is gone next week.
This show sure got screwed-up this year...
Update: And then Rob gets a T-Mobile phone call from home for the America's Challenge and Allison wins a Luxury Challenge to get a ride in a blimp (but she doesn't like flying) along with Jun (who has motion sickness)...
posted at 07:51 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 26 THEME
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It's Day 61 in the Big Brother House and oh, what a twisted game this has been... We saw an entire segment on how Robert lies. We saw a segment from the Jury House where we got TOO MUCH INFORMATION about Justin & Dana - <shudder>. Then we had a live Veto Ceremony where Alison uses the Veto on herself, so Jun puts up Robert in her place, all of which doesn't matter at Jee gets voted-off 2-0. In his goodbye message to Jee, Robert says "I'll do it for the Dream Team". Ugh. We found out that the last night of the show is now September 24. It got moved-up because CBS ordered a few more shows and so far the houseguests don't know that they will be in the house a little longer than they thought.
Late this afternoon while I had the live feeds on, I saw aa little goof. The crew didn't go to the "Front of the House" camera (and play that godforsaken them music over and over) during a rehersal for tonight (yes, they actually reherse the live show). They had the camera on in the empty "Desert Room" and the producer was giving instructions to the houseguests over the house P.A. (I didn't get the good parts, but I did get a short piece here as an MP3). I found out that the housegusests, after the eviction, were put into the old Desert Room so the crew could setup the living room for the HOH challenge. So, they do the HOH challenge tonight, which is guessing the answers of questions that were given to the Jury House guests. Erika and Robert tie. The tie breaker question is a math question, with the winner being closest without going over. The question: from the time the exes entered the house until now, how many hours have you been in the house? Erika answers 1440, Robert answers 800. Correct answer: 1434. Erika is over by 6 hours so Robert gets HOH for the week. Crap. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:04 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Saturday, August 30, 2003
Erika's boyfriend!!?? THEME
On the Internet feeds during the week, Robert walked out into the backyard where Erika was alone and asked her if this was the same house that the first season used. She said yes, to which he replied something about that it's funny that she is living in the same house as "him"...
Huh? "Him" is her current boyfriend!!! So, who would that be???
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posted at 02:11 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 23 THEME
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Yes, another twist in the show. First, during the live eviction voting, Jack was evicted on a 2-1 vote, against HOH Jee's wishes. Over the course of the past day or two, the crew have been removing items out of the house. The HOH competition was a quiz to identify the items. Jun won it. Julie Chen, after a commercial break, calls Jun to the Diary Room to tell her that there's a limo outside and she's leaving the house. her only question was where? She's going to New York to be a guest at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City! Jun puts on a blindfold and leaves, with her housemates on the couch waiting for her. And waiting... and waiting...
Update: Sure enough, there's Jun on the Red Carpet during the VMA pe-show being interviewed by Gideon. She was also in "the Pit" for the whole show. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Friday, August 22, 2003
Gnome Food Challenge THEME
This afternoon, the Houseguests had a food challenge - even though they are eating PB&J for the next 5 days. The task - demolish garden gnomes in te backyard. The winner gets one meal from McDonald's on each of the 5 days and gets to invite one other houseguest. What would be a nice twist?
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posted at 04:19 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 20 THEME
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In a not too startling event, Justin is voted out of the house. In what was more startling to me was watching a segment on the Jury House where Dana has been staying. Holy crap this is a gorgeous place! It's not on the CBS lot as we had originally heard. Jee won the HOH competition tonight, which was a bocce ball/skee-ball event, and just about sealed the fate of either Jack or Erika.
At the end of the show, Julie Chen made this announcement to the houseguests and left them hanging:
"Well everyone, we told you from the very beginning you should never get too comfortable in the Big Brother house. Remember that our motto is 'Expect The Unexpected'. And everyone should know that the unexpected begins tomorrow. Goodnight houseguests."
What is it? How about isolating each houseguest to a room? How about "selling" Power of Veto to a houseguest? The stakes? How about PB&J for everyone else for a week? Two weeks? A month? How about geting POV before the nominations are made? How about an HOH taking the deal? « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Monday, August 18, 2003
Announcements to Houseguests THEME
This post is only for those people out there that are a bit obsessed with Big Brother, so the rest of you can just move along to another post right now...
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First, I'm sure you already have these feeds, but in case you don't, here are 5 broadband feeds that wont time-out after 30 minutes (because they're not feeds from CBS!)... Now, if you have been watching the feeds, there's something you've heard everyday that never makes it into the shows. The production staff does not like to talk to the houseguests outside of the Diary Room. Instead, they had an announcer produce a series of recoded announcements that the crew can put together at and use at any time. He recorded each of their names plus the word "Houseguests" and a series of "commands". The crew can then direct anyone to do something that needs to be done. If you've never heard them before, or if you're a fan and have heard them and want to hear them again, I'm going to try to collect a bunch and post them here. Check back every once in a while to see what I've added, if anything. Wakeup callsDiary RoomMiscellaneous « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:01 PM | Link | Reality TV | 2 comments § |
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 17 THEME
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Well, I was at a baseball game tonight, but I had purchased a new Sony Walkman that has a TV band, so I listened to the show from my seat (trust me - it was more entertaining than watching the ball game). The twist for tonight is that the Eviction Voting (which is usually done in the house sometime on Tuesday) was done live on the show (with houseguests going into the Diary Room and casting their votes). Nathan was voted out 5-0. Then came the Head of Household competition - the "Steel Cage Match". It's a little convoluted, but basically it's an endurance challenge - stand in a cage with your housemates and be the last one standing. No food, no drink, no sleep. This started around 10 minutes before the hour (that would be about 6:50 BBT - Big Brother Time, which would be Pacific Time). The show ends, so to follow the competition, you had to go online and watch the live feeds.
Update: What did you miss? Well, around 10:17 BBT Jun finally can't take it anymore and asks Jack for his shirt which she wraps around her waist to cover her butt as she pulls down her pants to pee. Yes, she peed live on the web. At around 11:17 BBT Alison borrows Jacks shirt and pees as well. Ew. Just a few minutes later, Robert leaves the cage, says he has a migraine, goes inside and starts swearing about Jack being ready to fall and in general being his normal pissy self (if you ever watched the live feeds, you know what I'm talking about). At 11:35 BBT Jun leaves the cage. Not sure why. Now comes a lot of negotiating and strategizing with those people left in the cage. At 1:19AM BBT Jack leaves the cage, followed just 4 minutes later by Jee, and one minute later Alison leaves. Erika is the last in the cage and wins HOH. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 14posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Friday, August 01, 2003
BB4 Erika in a movie? THEME
I was watching the live feeds just a few minutes ago, and found out that Erika said that she was a dancer in the movie Dance with Me (she was a Club Salsa Dancer and danced on-screen for a few seconds with Chayanne) and that she has had an agent. Now, I'm not surprised by this. I was a year or two ago when I was naive enough to realize that Reality Show Contestants may have alterior motives and actually signup with agencies...
posted at 12:09 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 11 THEME
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The house is in chaos. They don't like what Nathan did this week. Dana nominated Alison and Jack for eviction. Nathan, who has become very close to Alison, won the Power of Veto and removed her from nomination, forcing Dana (who Jack says in tonight's show has "her brains in her panties" and "has as much sex appeal as a buzzard's crotch" (!)) to put up David. Alison and Nathan realize that they have become the target of the house, and practice non-stop to try to win the Head of Household competition. It's obvious that everyone likes David, but he's a really strong player. By a vote of 5-2, David is evicted from the house. Then, in Dana's own nightmare realized, Alison wins Head of Household. The only thing I feel is good about that is I think she'll get rid of people I don't like. God, these people are young. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Friday, July 11, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Episode 3 THEME
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Tonight, an awful lot of talk about how hot Nathan is, and then how hot Michelle is.
Then a Food Challenge: teams of two must put enough potatoes into a drum to be within 25 pounds of the partner's weight to win a food category. So, for the week, they won Snacks/Desserts(Scott/Amanda) - 18lbs off, Breads/Pastas/Cereals(Jee/Dana) - 23lbs off, and Beer/Wine/Soft Drinks/Juices(Justin/Alison) - 24lbs off. They're not going to have any Dairy (Jack/Jun) - 31lbs off, Meats/Poultry/Seafood(David/Michelle) - 38lbs off or Fruits/Vegetables(Robert/Erika) - 40lbs off.
I'm not happy with a LOT of people in this house - most of them are coming across as too "young". Anyway, Nathan nominates Amanda and Jee. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:04 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Big Brother 4 - Premiere THEME
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Well, the next edition of Big Brother has started. The house is still the same house, but redecorated. Much more colorful. No real feelings for the houseguests. They won their first food challenge. CBS got the reaction they had hoped when the 5 exes entered the house. An awful lot of people freaked over the situation. Should be interesting, but I'm not sure it's something I want to watch. We'll see.
Oh, here are the exes... - Amanda Craig - Scott's Ex - 25, Bar Manager, Chicago, IL
- Jee Choe - Jun's Ex - 23, Bookkeeper, Elmhurst, NY
- Justin Giovinco - Alison's Ex - 22, Headhunter, Pittsburgh, PA
- Michelle Maradie - David's Ex - 19, College Student, Boca Raton, FL
- Robert Roman - Erika's Ex - 33, Restaurant Manager, Los Angeles, CA
« hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:09 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
First boot out of the Big Brother 4 House... THEME
The show hasn't started broadcasting yet (though the houseguests are in the house), and CBS has booted out one of them.
Brandon Showalter, a 28-year-old computer engineer from Newport Beach, Calif., got booted after he was caught trying to make contact with his girlfriend while he was sequestered in a hotel for a week prior to going into the house, and has now been replaced with the ex-flame of one of the other contestants.
posted at 11:32 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 03, 2003
9 Big Brother 4 Houseguests announced THEME
9 of the 13 houseguests for Big Brother 4 were announced today...
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Lets see what kind of crop we have... - Alison Irwin - 22, Retail Manager from pittsburgh, PA. Her personal hero is Britney Spears, her favorite actress is Cameron Diaz, and she has a cat named "Meow Meow". Oh boy...
- Brandon Showalter - 28, Computer Engineer from Newport Beach, CA. His personal hero is The Rock, and his favorite TV shows are Jackass and Punk'd.
- Dana Varela - 28, Karate School Manager from Queens, NY.
- David Lane - 21, a former Army Ranger from Deerfield Beach, FL. His personal hero is Fred Flintstone.
- Erika Landin - 33, Pilates Instructor from Los Angeles, CA. Must be a transplant since her favorite sports teams are the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls.
- Jack Owens Jr. - 58, retired FBI Agent from Birmingham, AL, divorced.
- Jun Song - 27, Investment Manager from new York, NY. Her favorite outdoor activity is Laying out in Central Park.
- Nathan Marlow - 23, Personal Trainer from Edmond, OK. He's going to miss The O'Reilly Factor.
- Scott Weintraub - 33, a Waiter from Chicago, IL (oh, oh...). He's from Chicago but his favorite team is the Knicks? His favorite magazines are Slam, Playboy, and Penthouse, his favorite movie is Old School and he likes rap.
Everyone is single except for Jack who was divorced. The "X Factor" houseguests will be announced later - probably after the houseguests enter the house tomorrow, but most likely on Tuesday July 8 - the night of the Premiere show. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 04:32 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
The Big Brother 4 "twist" THEME
OK, here it is, before it gets officially announced later this week...
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On this next edition of Big Brother, there will be 13 houseguests instead of 12. Of the 13, only 9 are "total strangers".
Huh?
Well, there is going to be 4 houseguests that are "exes" - former spouses, ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends of other houseguests. They may have parted on good terms or not. The exes were recruited after the 9 houseguests were cast. The houseguests all enter the house on July 4th, though the first airing of the show isn't until July 8 (this is pretty typical for the show - gives them time to edit things together before the scheduled air date), and they were sequestered on June 29. The house is - allegedly - newly constructed on the same lot as the old house.
Another possible twist - according to a rumor, only seven houseguests would vote for the winner and they would be sequestered after being evicted from the house. In fact, according to reports, they will be put into a second house where they will still be taped, and some of that footage will be added to the show. However, they will only be allowed to see selected portions of the show, and nothing from the Diary Room, so they cannot change their minds based on what they see there. (Sounds like that big Danielle backlash from last year got to the producers).
In another case of backlash, no one will be brought back after getting booted out (like Amy last year).
There are no houseguests that are married this time around, and they have the youngest and oldest houseguests to date (19 and 59).
Other rumors - The U.S. version will be seen in the U.K. (Why? Their ratings are down this year, why broadcast another version, unless their's is so boring? The U.K. version is also in the middle of something very cool - they're swapping one of their houseguests with one from Big Brother Africa, which is a huge ratings winner on that continent, as well as igniting a new understanding of the people of its many countries.)
Oh, and Real.com picked-up the live internet feeds again for this season.
Let's see how much of this is true next week... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:22 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
TAR4 and BB4Just as a reminder for you Reality TV junkies out there - one of THE BEST Reality game shows - The Amazing Race - starts it's 4th season this Thursday at 8pm (7pm Central) with a 90 minute premiere. (Hey! It's Jerry Bruckheimer! How can you go wrong?!?)
Big Brother 4 will start Tuesday, July 8. The schedule looks like it will be on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm (7pm Central) and the live show will be Wednesdays at 9pm (8pm Central).
posted at 10:04 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 81 - Finale
LISA WINS!!!
With the exception of Jason (which was expected), everyone Voted for Lisa - Lori, Tonya, Eric, Josh, Chiara, Gerry, Roddy, Marcellas, and Amy. Lisa wins 9-1. I've been watching the live feeds the last few days, just to see what they would say. Danielle called it - she knew she was going to lose 9-1. Big Brother 3 was very enjoyable this year (compared to last). The live feeds rule - instead of seeing the edited production on CBS, watching the houseguests live their lives like guinea pigs in a lab situation was intoxicating to watch. It showed the truth, it showed how much the people tried to like each other in a situation that didn't allow it to happen. It's an experience that I would love to try someday, though I know it would never happen. I'm going to miss these (as Roddy would call them) "knuckleheads".
posted at 09:02 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Saturday, September 21, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 77
The First Head of Household became the Final Head of Household as Lisa wins the final phase of the challenge over Jason who had won Phase II over Danielle. Then, on the live show, Lisa evicts Jason. Danielle was distraught, and after the live show was over, she told Lisa everything. Everything about Jason, (including the fact that she wasn't going to take Lisa to the final, even though she gave her word), and even some truths about Roddy. Wednesday night, the evicted houseguests vote on who gets $50,000 and who gets $500,000. Go Lisa! (Wish it was Jason.)
posted at 09:08 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Thursday, September 19, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 75
After 6 nominations, Amy finally gets the boot out of the house for the second time. The final Head of Household competition starts, as the first of three parts. Part One is endurance as the three remaining houseguests sit in liferafts in a pool, with one hand clutching their key which is in the nomination box in the middle of the pool. Last one that still has their hand on the key wins this phase of the competition. Oh, there's wind, lightning and cold rain that pass through every once in a while.
Update: Jason accidentally let go after about 30 minutes. After about 4 1/2 hours, Danielle gives up and Lisa wins Phase One - only after Danielle lies to Lisa that she doesn't have an alliance with Jason, and then lies again to say that it will be Lisa and Danielle in the final. So, Danielle lies, and admits to lying, but when Roddy may have lied, he was the devil? Bitch.
posted at 09:05 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, September 12, 2002
Big Brother 4
CBS has started accepting applications to Big Brother 4 to be shot in 2003.
posted at 11:17 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Big Brother 3 - Day 68
Let's see if I can summarize a week... Jason nominates Amy and Marcellas. The houseguests all fail the Dinner Party From Hell food challenge and everyone eats Peanut Butter and Jelly for the week. The Power of Veto is now the Golden Power of Veto - the added twist is that if you are a nominee and you win it, you can take yourself off the block. Marcellas wins the Golden Power of Veto. Because of other programming, CBS hasn't broadcasted Big Brother until tonight. The Power of Veto meeting was held tonight live on-air. This meant that: 1) If a nominee is removed, the HOH (Jason) has to nominate someone in their place (again Live on-air), and 2) Since the Veto Meeting was held live on-air, the voting must be done live on-air. Marcellas doesn't use the Veto. Danielle goes into the Diary Room and votes to evict Marcellas. Lisa goes into the DR and votes to evict Amy. Jason, as HOH now has to break the tie vote - live in front of the nominees. In a distressed speech, Jason evicts Marcellas in something that no one except Danielle saw coming. Amy is shocked. No, She's SHOCKED. Marcellas looks worse - numb, zombie like. He leaves with little to say. Danielle wins the Head of Household competition for the first time since the show started. Damn - I wanted her out.
UPDATE: I was watching the live feeds at about 10:30pm. The houseguests were outside at the table, just talking. Then Julie Chen came over the speakers and said "Houseguests!" And they all replied "Hi, Julie!". Julie: "It's time for this week's luxury challenge!" (they cheer) "We have hidden four cell phones in the house..." (Amy screams) "Settle down, Amy. When I say go, you have two minutes to find them. Once you have found a cell phone, you must stay in the room that you found the phone in..." ... and the feed shifts to the Front Of The House (this is done on the internet feeds when the producers don't want you to see something happening in the house. They play that damn theme music on an endless loop forever). According to tonight's show, the winner of the competition will be able to call home. They were off the net for two hours. Apparently Amy won, being able to talk to her mother. I think the cell phones were from Verizon T-Mobile- Amy was complaining about the connection quality. She also won $10,000, too.
posted at 09:02 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Saturday, September 07, 2002
Big Brother 3 Court Date
According to The Smoking Gun, Chiara Berti "pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunk driving charge. On August 30, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge sentenced Berti to three years probation, fined her $1191, and ordered Berti to attend a three-month alcohol awareness program. The 25-year-old also has to take part in California's Hospital and Morgue program (H.A.M.), which brings participants to the L.A. coroner's office for an up close look at mangled bodies from car crashes, gunshot victims, etc. In addition, restrictions will be placed on Berti's driver's license so that she will only be allowed to drive to and from work." Includes the Smoking Gun hallmark - documentation!
posted at 08:35 AM | Link | Reality TV | 2 comments § |
Thursday, September 05, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 61posted at 08:06 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Friday, August 30, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 56posted at 09:43 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Eye yi yi
It's been four years, and I've been having trouble reading - time to get new glasses. I went to LensCrafters at Woodfield to get my eyes checked and get some new glasses. I have never had my eyes dilated, so that was also in the cards tonight. That, and the god awful retinal photography that really does blind you for a while. Turns out my distance vision hasn't changed at all - it's just that closeup reading part. Think the amount of time I've spent in front of a computer all these years has taken its toll? The exams and doctor visit went well. the doctor put the drops in my eyes to dilate them and I went out to the front of the store to pick out my frames. I really didn't want to change my regular glasses too much, so I picked out a similar frame. For sunglasses, though, I wanted a change. I picked out some RayBan frames and made sure that I could get the lenses with the bifocal no-line thingy and they could, so I got my order in. I could get the sunglasses tonight (cool!) but my regular glasses would take at least 10 business days (bummer!) due to the coating I wanted on them. I went back to the doctor so he can scope of the back of my eyes while they're dilated. Then it was off to Stir Crazy Cafe for dinner while the sunglasses where finished.
On the way to Stir Crazy, we were passing a Gingiss Formalware place when I noticed this really familiar face staring at me from a poster. It took a while to figure it out, but it was Marcellas from Big Brother 3! After dinner, back to pickup my sunglasses and have Carol drive us home - having your pupils dilated is a trip and I don't think I could have handled the headlights in the dark on the way home.
posted at 08:32 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, August 23, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 49
In a highly convoluted food challenge, the houseguests only win half the food they need for the week. But, they get Dunkin Donuts products for breakfast all week. Later in the day, Jason nominates Gerry and Amy for eviction. Later tonight, the houseguests are painting garden gnomes. Go figure.
posted at 01:41 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 48
Chiara got evicted on a vote of 4-1, which, if you've been watching the live feeds, was a shock. I had thought that Roddy was a goner. I even felt that way during the live show when they were showing the houseguests discussing their decisions in the Diary Room (the DR). Jason won Head of Household in a quick competition. It looks like Chiara leaving the house has really effected Roddy, much more than I had expected. I found out later what it was - Chiara has been sleeping with a small blanket - believe it or not - since she was a kid. Yes, a security blanket of sorts. She can't sleep without it. You would always see it near her when she was in bed. Well, she left it in Roddy's bag when she left. Roddy showed this to the houseguests later tonight and all of them were crying and quiet...
Speaking of Roddy... I got this link from my BlogMom Erin - it's a webpage where someone has been doing screen captures of the houseguests when they've been naked on the live internet feeds... (It's really mostly Tonya, with a few of Amy and Roddy)
posted at 08:13 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 46 - Sheryl Crow
Just got finnished watching the private Sheryl Crow concert in the backyard of the Big Brother house over the internet. She only did three songs - All I Wanna Do, Soak Up The Sun, and Steve McQueen. But she had a full stage, lighting, her band, and it sounded absolutely great (it sounded like it was perfectly mixed). And to see the houseguests reactions was priceless. It'll be broadcast tomorrow night.
posted at 10:35 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Saturday, August 17, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 43
Amy nominates Chiara and Roddy for eviction. The houseguests find out there's no America's Choice question for the week - my guess is because of the private Sheryl Crow concert (which is actually happening Tuesday night at 10pm ET but will be shown in a special 2 hour show on Wednesday).
posted at 07:36 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 41
After a difficult week for the houseguests, Josh was evicted by a 5-0 vote, which actually wound up being a little surprising. Danielle had made a push to kick Roddy out because he is viewed as the strongest player. In a separate competition, Lori, Tonya, Amy and Eric competed for a chance to re-enter the Big Brother house with questions about how much money they would be willing to give up and how much PB&J they are willing to eat. This whittled the group down to Amy & Eric. The houseguests then voted 5-2 to allow Amy back into the house! The Head of Household challenge required the houseguests to sit in a large bathtub while "things" were poured into it. The last one out wins. After enduring squid, seaweed, slime, eels, and cod liver oil, Amy won Head of Household! How can she make a balanced decision on who to nominate for eviction while being in the house less than 24 hours? Next week: a private concert by Sheryl Crow!!!
posted at 10:30 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Saturday, August 10, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 36
Drama in the Big Brother house... yesterday was Nomination day and Chiara nominated Josh and Roddy, only after getting everyone's word that they would vote Josh out. Josh immediately went ballistic and started packing his bags to leave immediately. Roddy stopped him, and got everyone together to agree that if he promised to stop playing the game and campaigning, it will be a good week. Everyone agrees - except Josh who says "he'll try". That lasted an hour, when he started cornering people one at a time to campaign against Chiara to everyone that would listen. This made Danielle try to talk Marcellas into voting out Roddy because the opportunity was there. So far, as of this morning, Josh is still in the house. This could be an interesting week to watch.
posted at 09:32 AM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Thursday, August 08, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 33
Oh. My. God. Well, the eviction vote comes down to 3-3. That forces Gerry to break the tie - and he evicts Eric. More on the eviction in a sec. Chiara winds up winning the Head Of Household challenge. Now, I had read something in a Las Vegas paper that when Tonya was evicted, she was sequestered. I thought this was unusual, as in all prior years, the U.S. houseguests always went back to their family. I've been trying to figure out why they would sequester the evicted houseguests. We found out tonight when Eric was evicted - next week, one of them gets to go back into the house and back into the game! Now, where have the evictees been? Well, Lori for the last three weeks has been sequestered in Cancun, Tonya has been in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Amy has been in Ixtapa. So, they've been out of the country, not able to see anything happening with the game. Interesting! Within 30 minutes after the end of the show, through discussions with some of the houseguests, there's no doubt in my mind that Chiara will nominate Josh and she has the votes to evict him already.
posted at 08:23 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Saturday, August 03, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 28
Quick update before the show: Chiara, Roddy, Danielle and Josh lose this week's food competition (a betting game on how much of an item someone can eat in 2 minutes), and have to eat PB&J and jalepeno-stuffed olives for a week (watch the show, you'll see). Gerry nominated Eric & Lisa for eviction. Chiara wins the Power of Veto, but will probably not use it. Late this afternoon, Roddy, Lisa, Jason, and Eric stood in front of the camera in the kitchen and asked all of the viewers of the internet feed to not vote for them for this week's America's Choice competition and to only Vote for Danielle (viewers vote by phone on who they would like to see get a letter from home).
Update: The sweet appeal to help out Danielle in the America's Choice poll was apparently too late. Jason won the letter from home.
posted at 06:16 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, August 01, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 26
Now for an unnecessarily WAY too long-winded Big Brother 3 summary...
From the Live Show tonight:
Funny interview between Julie Chen and the houseguests. Amy is evicted by a 7-0 unanimous vote. After a long time being tied, Gerry won Head of Household over Eric. Oh, no... "another new twist to the game" next Thursday night. And is it wrong that I'm drinking a Stolichnaya Citrona while watching the eviction?
Now, from the Live Feeds over the past few days:
Lisa's "thing" on her butt, which may not have been a spider bite, put her through hell for a few days - severe pain (she can't sit down because her butt-cheek hurt so much) required medication, which caused her to sleep a lot. The houseguests had to use toilet seat liners as a precaution while the doctor ran tests on her blood to figure out if it was contagious. She was afraid to get in the hot tub or lay out in the sun. There is significant amount of late-night talk between Danielle-Marcellas-Jason on what to do going forward - specifically, break up the couples no matter what. And whatever you see on the TV shows, Josh is one hundred times worse when watching the live feeds. He NEVER stops playing the game, and just flits between groups and individuals passing information and deception. He sucks. He must leave. Gerry lays on the couch in the morning after he's all sweaty from his morning cardio workout. Josh says he was "called on the carpet" by Big Brother for doing the same thing "because it isn't sanitary". Chiara was the subject of side bets among the houseguests - it was $1 bet with Roddy (in cardboard poker chips that they made for their poker games) that she would get called at least three times by the crew to put on her microphone. By 1:30 on that day she reached 3 times, and everybody went nuts (The over/under on the bet was 3). The crew had to tell her (in the Diary Room) that she had better get used to wearing the mic, or she would be put up for a penalty nomination and could get kicked-out. Did you know they give a 5-hour warning to the current Head Of Household to clear out their personal belongings so that the room can be cleaned and turned over so the new HOH can get the room during the Live Show? Did you know that they weren't allowed to wear anything from any major league team (cap, shirt, etc)? Did you know they were sequestered in a hotel for one week prior to the show, and entered the house on Saturday July 6 and not on Wednesday July 10?
posted at 07:58 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Monday, July 29, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 23
Let's see, what can I tell you about what's going on in the house... Eric won Power of Veto and didn't use it, Marcellas won the America's Choice Private Dinner, which was held in the Diary Room, and he invited and Amy as his guest. Lisa was bitten on her ass by a spider, and now Eric is worried because she was nauseous and may have been seeing things last night, and may be delirious. She saw the doctor, said it was a bite, and that she may get a fever and it should swell a bit for a couple of days. Hew drew some blood for testing anyway. One piece that I saw Saturday night that will NEVER be broadcast on CBS: the girls sitting out in the backyard at a seminar being held by Lisa. Topic? Her guaranteed method of oral stimulation of a man's... well, I don't want to say exactly here because I don't wont a ton of hits from Google from people looking for Porn! The next night, a piece that probably will be aired - Lisa, Danielle, and Chiara on the hammock being all giggly about the bodies of Roddy and Eric as they were throwing around Marcellas's rubber ducks (using the International rules for Championship Duck Tossing...). Oh, there were quite a few people with bad dreams and nightmares last night, including Lisa who dreamt that Eric was throwing her through the walls of their bedroom.
posted at 01:26 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Friday, July 26, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 21
Quick update on the live feeds: The houseguests got a Mexican dinner last night, sometime after 10pm their time. It was the first real meal for half the household that was eating PB&J for the week. There was a food challenge early this morning (CBS woke them up at 8am which, for them, is unheard of) which they won, so there's new food for them for the week. They had a Subway six foot sandwich for lunch, after the challenge. Roddy nominated Amy and Marcellas for eviction. Both of them threatened to walk out later in the day, but I belive it took the producers to turn them around while the two of them were in the Diary Room. Here's another twist - Josh went to Gerry to discuss a "coalition" for the next week or two.
posted at 08:58 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 20posted at 08:09 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Mole 2 - Episode 11 and Big Brother 3 - Day 19Alright, time to catchup on the Reality Television shows that I watch...
Al is gone, and we're down to the final three. Poor Al, having to stay in the "Tiny Bubbles" room of Anderson's Fun House is just too much for a mere mortal. The pot is up to $536,000, and now it's just down to Heather, Dorothy and Bill, who I still believe is The Mole. We'll know in two weeks.
Danielle didn't use the Power of Veto to try and save Josh or Tonya from possible eviction. I've been watching the live feeds regularly and I can't tell who's leaving tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if it was Tonya. However, there was a big argument between Marcellas, Amy, and Tonya, that was all resolved, but I believe may have shaded the feelings of anybody on the fence in voting and may throw Tonya out. Josh needs to go. Amy needs to go. Eventually, Gerry needs to go, too.
Update: I was watching the live feeds tonight. There was a time when Tonya told Josh her boyfriend's phone number so that he could call him if he gets out of the house. Well, the crew was asleep at the switch and they didn't cut to that infernal Front Of The House camera with the continuous loop of the the theme music. Tonya was told that her boyfriend was getting inundated with phone calls. I think this was a wakeup call that people really are watching the Internet feeds, so they have to start thinking about what they really want to say.
posted at 09:04 PM | Link | The Mole § |
Friday, July 19, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 14
Watching the live feeds today... apparently there was some kind of "argument" or at least "loud discussion" between Josh and Gerry. I also missed what appears to have been a food challenge of some sort. Half the house is eating PB&J sandwiches, the others are cooking. Apparently it was an eating or drinking challenge that was "gross" with lots of vomiting. Ew. Late this afternoon, I was watching Marcellas talking to Roddy in the HOH room, and he said he was affraid of what Josh could do in the house. It sounded a lot like what was said about Justin last year. Anyway, after an extended time in a network blackout (imagine watching the front of the Big Brother house, with the theme song playing on continuous loop for hours), it sounds like Marcellas nominated Josh and Tonya for eviction.
Update: Danielle won Power of Veto. Let's see what happens after the weekly Monday household meeting.
posted at 10:26 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 18, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 13posted at 08:11 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 12
So, Gerry uses his Power of Veto to veto the nomination of Marcellas. As Head of Household, Lisa then picked Amy to join Lori as the two houseguests nominated for eviction. I've been watching the live feeds when I have spare time, and Lori needs to go. Amy is actually growing on me, and she is more entertaining to watch. Lori is just a "box of rocks" as my wife Carol would say. Josh still needs to go (he's still and arrogant S.O.B.), and I think Gerry should be on the chopping block as well. He comes across a bit too sanctimonious for his own good, philosophizing a bit too often. Get rid of him.
posted at 09:20 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
Saturday, July 13, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 8
Quick BB update - Gerry won the newly minted weekly "Power of Veto" Award, which allows him to Veto one of the two nominees. What doesn't come out in the show is that he already knows what he wants to do, and he doesn't have to tell anybody until Monday. If he vetoes somebody (he doesn't have to), the HOH has to nominate someone else, and it cannot be the person who holds the Power of Veto.
posted at 11:03 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Thursday, July 11, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 6
Nominated for eviction: Lori, the 37 y.o. Bank Representative from Foxboro, WI and Marcellas, 34 y.o. Fashion Stylist from Chicago.
Got my RealOne player all updated, watching the feeds this afternoon. This is not like last year's group of idiots. This is a decent group to watch.
posted at 08:06 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Big Brother 3 - Day 5 - First Episode
Here we go again... CBS has started Big Brother 3. Actually, it started over the weekend when the houseguests entered the house, it's just that there were no live feeds available over the internet to see what's going on. I absolutely hate to admit this, but watching the live feeds have been a great pastime of mine over the last two years. I don't know why, it just is. The house looks the best out of the three years - the decorators did a good job. OK, first HOH (Head of Household) - Lisa, the 26 y.o. bartender from L.A. The people that I need to get the hell out of the house: Amy, the 23 y.o. Real Estate Appraiser from Memphis, and Josh, the 28 y.o. arrogant prick of a Waiter from Long Island.
posted at 09:03 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
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