Recession Meets Divorce
Perhaps the only thing worse tha losing your job in this economy is realizing you can't afford to get divorced. That you are stuck not only with a house you can't sell, but a spouse you can't afford to buy out. Even worse, they can't buy you out! So what do you do?
You stay under the same roof with the former love of your life and make the best of it.
“Primetime: Family Secrets” goes behind the scenes with one Phoenix-area family, Shari and Chris Stewart and their three children, as they navigate their slow-motion divorce and juggle their day-to-day lives in this uncharted territory.
For nine months the Stewarts granted unique access to their most intimate moments -- at home, in divorce mediation, and with their family therapist and attorneys -- to capture the reality of what it’s like to weather nearly a year with someone you no longer love, but with whom you are forced to live while negotiating the end of an 18-year marriage. “We both don't look at each other in the eyes anymore when we're passing in the hallway.… It's a lot harder than I expected,” says a candid Shari. And what toll does it take on the children? The 13-year-old daughter says: “All I keep thinking is ‘why me? Why us? Why our family?’... I thought our family was perfect.”
Cynthia McFadden reports on the new face of divorce in America on “Primetime: Family Secrets,” airing TUESDAY, JULY 20 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Shaq's Back!
Shaq may not have won a championship this year, but he's poised to go up against another slate of world class athletes in an effort to beat them at their own game.
Over the course of six episodes, O’Neal will race Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Concord Speedway; take on pop singing sensation Justin Bieber in Orlando; challenge daytime host and author Rachael Ray to a cook-off in the Big Apple; team up with NBA All-Star Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles to outrun Tyson Gay in a 200-meter relay race; tee off with Charles Barkley on The St. Regis Monarch Beach golf links; attempt to defy illusionists and comedians Penn & Teller at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino; partake in a spelling bee against Scripps National Champion Kavya Shivashankar; box against Sugar Shane Mosley in an exhibition match at Caesars Palace in Vegas; challenge Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Champion Joey Chestnut outside Serendipity 3 in Las Vegas, and more.
“I’m out to prove that I can compete beyond athletics,” said O’Neal. “I’ve spent all year sharpening my skills and I want to win. There’s no challenge bigger than me.”
The series closely follows Shaq and his adversaries throughout the rigorous training process and the pre-game hype leading up to every challenge. Each week Shaq will compete in an athletic challenge or a non-sports competition, with some episodes featuring Shaq taking on two challengers. To level the playing field, O’Neal will negotiate a handicap with his opponent and train with a coach prior to the challenge.
In the first season, O’Neal competed against World Champion Michael Phelps in swimming; Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in football; championship fighter Oscar de la Hoya in boxing; two-time National League MVP and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols in baseball; and two-time Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor in beach volleyball, with the help of U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Serena Williams.
Kid In A Candy Store
The series is hosted by Adam Gertler and follows him as he tours the U.S. in search of unusual, delicious and beloved candy and confections and new insight into how these outrageous treats are made. From ice cream made with beets, to Peeps art, to extreme candy factories it’s a fun ride.
I was fortunate enough to be on-set for taping of the episode about "gourmet popsicles" at Las Paletas in Nashville. Adam Gertler was decked out in a retro western wear shirt and with his dark nred-ish hair, I was reminded of both Woody from Toy Story and Howdy Doody. And I mean that with great respect. He's a natural fit for this show and has a genuine child-like excitement that translates well on-screen.
He actua;lly makes the viewer feel as though they were right there with him. And he makes you want to tune in to another episode to see what unique sweet he's bringing you!
There will be a sneak preview of episode 1 (“Weird and Wacky”) this Sunday, July 11, at 10:30 p.m. following Next Food Network. Beginning on Monday July 12, two episodes will air back to back every Monday night at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. throughout the rest of July.
LeBron's Gone but the Ladies aren't
TV Land has picked up Hot in Cleveland for a second season some 3 episodes into the breakout sitcom's freshman run. The cable network has ordered 20 new episodes, which will begin production in the fall with a launch tentatively scheduled for January 2011.
Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White will return as regulars on the show, created/showrun by Suzanne Martin and executive produced by Martin and Hazy Mills Prods.' Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. “We are so excited that Hot in Cleveland was embraced by viewers in such a big way,” said TV Land president Larry W. Jones. “We absolutely love the show and can’t wait to see what hilarious new experiences these characters will encounter in the next 20 episodes.”
Betty White may be 88, but her comic timing is in it's 20's. She is the star of Hot in Cleveland, but her supporting characters aren't half bad either. For anyone who has ever lived in Los Angeles, you can certainly understand the ladies joy at being in a place of "normal" people.
This is a show for the over the hill gang of late 30 something's, not uber cool 20 something's.
Columns,
Diddy on the Record
Premiering on Tuesday, July 20th at 8pm ET, Diddy goes one-on-one with Fuse host Toure’ for a candid conversation touching on everything from his last night with The Notorious B.I.G., finding out his father was murdered and his highly-anticipated new album Last Train to Paris.
On The Notorious B.I.G.’s last day alive:
“He was supposed to go to London but he was like, ‘Yo I’ve never asked for anything, can we just all hang out together tonight and celebrate the album? I’ll go to London the next day’” He was on me and I was like, ‘No no no no no.’ Then finally I gave in, so he was like, ‘Whatever we do, we going to go into this club, and you ain’t going to leave my side tonight. None of that running.’ I was known for just running around the club and he was known for posting up with his crew. He liked dark liquor and smoking weed, I like champagne and just hanging out, meeting girls. He was like, ‘You’re gonna hang out with me tonight.’ That’s why there aren’t really a lot of pictures of me and Big before that, hanging out at places, because I was always so spastic, just running around the club. That was really the only night we did that, per his request.”
On finding out his father was murdered and was one of Harlem’s leading drug dealers:
“I had looked up my father's name, and I saw an article about my mother wearing a full length chinchilla to a funeral and taking me, and I was in a mink, and the story was of the glamour and the decadence of our family, and how he was the kingpin of Harlem, and how he had got assassinated. I understood why my mother didn't tell me the truth because where I was living, I probably would have been one of the biggest drug dealers out there. The type of person I am, I would have wanted to follow in my father's footsteps.”
On his mother being a big influence:
“My mother is why I am, who I am today. People can say what they want to say, but I just represent being sucker free, working hard and being positive. I don't hate on nobody, I'm not a negative individual. I just wake up and I go for mine and I try to work the hardest I can work. I could have gone a lot of different routes, but I decided to go the route of hard work.”
On the motivation to continue after all his success:
“The motivation is to be better. There’s been room for improvement for me as a recording artist even as a producer, as a man, as a mogul. It’s not even about greed or ‘when will he stop?’ because I’m just not going to. I’m not going to stop, probably ever. It’s a love; it’s not money because the money has been achieved.
On his biggest business mistake:
“I think one of my biggest business mistakes was not realizing that everybody wasn’t like me. Everybody didn’t have the drive and determination; everybody’s just not built for that. I think that some people need more time, and more nurturing…I mean artists that I’ve had. I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a little bit more nurturing and I’ve been a little more patient.”
SHOW: “Diddy: On The Record with Fuse”
AIRS: Tuesday, July 20th at 8pm ET
CHANNEL #: DirecTV 339 / Cable subscribers, check local listing at Fuse.tv
ONLINE: Fuse.tv
Good Luck Charlie Still Lucky
Disney Channel has ordered up a second season of its newest out-of-the gate hit, "Good Luck Charlie" -- just three months after its premiere. Development has also begun on a holiday-themed "Good Luck Charlie" Disney Channel Original Movie. The movie, being written by Geoff Rodkey ("R.V.," "Daddy Day Care"), will star the talented series cast, Bridgit Mendler, Jason Dolley, Bradley Steven Perry, Mia Talerico, Leigh-Allyn Baker and Eric Allan Kramer. The announcement was made today by Gary Marsh, president, Entertainment, and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide.
Rookie Blue Renewed
ABC and Canwest jointly announced today the renewal of this summer’s No. 1 new scripted series, “Rookie Blue.” The drama was renewed for a second season just three weeks following its highly rated premiere on ABC.
“Rookie Blue” stands as the most-watched television show in summer’s Thursday’s 9:00 p.m. hour. Sparked by this positive viewer response to the series, the second season is currently in development and will move into production in Toronto later this summer.