Bands on the RunReality
Bands on the Run
Reality TV: If video did indeed kill the radio star, then made-for-reality TV bands have their weapons drawn for the gussied-up video stars who fill what's left of musicvideo in music television. VH1 updates"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"for a trio of scruffy rock bands, adds an element of the entrepreneur contest at the heart of"Risky Business"and then gets it all on tape for"Bands on the Run."It's"Survivor Rock'n'Roll"for these bands of dubious distinction competing for fans'dollars and VH1 fame.
Hurley to strut on'Catwalk'
Reality TV: Reality skein based on Bravo's'Project Runway'– Elizabeth Hurley will host"Project Catwalk,"the first U.K.-based TV competition to focus on fashion design, due to air next year on satcaster channel Sky One. Format is based on Bravo's"Project Runway,"which was produced by Miramax Television.
Survivor: The Australian Outback (Survivor II)
Reality TV: Die-hard fans might miss Richard, Rudy and the queen of tapioca, but there are plenty of greedy and paranoid players on the prowl for $1 million in"Survivor: The Australian Outback."CBS shrewdly scheduled its money train right after the Super Bowl, and the show that earned the year's most lucrative timeslot is sure to ignite hype and water cooler chatter once more. It should — it's the original and still the best.
Big Brother
Reality TV: Ten strangers, three months and one network that has taken the reality TV craze one step too far. CBS'much hyped Euro import"Big Brother"debuted Wednesday night with all of the style and drama of a Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol commercial.
Reality hit parade strikes up the band
Reality TV: Nets gear up for singing celebrities — Forget directing: It turns out what actors really want to do is sing. At least that's the fervent hope in TV land, where two nets — and possibly a third — suddenly find themselves scrambling to sign up semi-famous faces who harbor a secret desire to be made over into crooners.
The Mole
Reality TV: The race is on. Not the race to identify the fink in ABC's new reality series"The Mole,"but rather the network-wide scramble to create a new"Survivor"– that is, other than"Survivor 2."The Alphabet net thinks it has a winner with this action mystery series, mainly because"The Mole"is a big hit in Europe. But then again, so are plastic sandals for men.
Temptation Island
Reality TV: A knock-off of"Survivor,"Fox's"Temptation Island"is merely a lightweight libido experiment. The network behind"Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire"continues to churn out copies, and this one is nothing but a trip into the shallow thought processes of unstable dudes and dudettes.