TVSquad

The summer of 2000 started out to be a typical one for television: repeats, theatrical movies edited for television, repeats, shows that needed to be burned off because they were so bad, and repeats. It was a formula that hadn't really changed for the Big Three networks in several years. And, it was one that viewers had gotten used to as they mourned the last episode of their favorite series and waited with eagerness for the new season to begin in September.

Then, something happened. CBS decided to air a 'game show' about a group of strangers stranded on a tropical island. Survivor began at the end of May and continued into the end of August. Along the way it gained more and more fans and produced more and more publicity for both the show and the network. By the last episode, on August 23rd, Survivor had become a huge success as well as one of the highest rated original shows ever to air in the summer.

Little did CBS know that this summer replacement show would begin the Reality Revolution and change the landscape of network television forever more.

Television and the talent show have been partners since the very first days of the industry. Taking the best (and sometimes worst) performers and putting them in front of the camera, these shows introduced viewers to personalities that either faded into the background or became household names. Usually, these personalities had a talent that would entertain the public -- singing, dancing, telling jokes -- that they would use once they left the talent show stage to increase their fame.

It continued in this fashion throughout the decades. Until, of course, the 21st Century and the Reality Revolution. While standard, yet bigger and bolder, talent shows continued, network programmers began to realize that there were more talented people than just performers. There were models, clothing designers, chefs, hair stylists, and businesspeople out there ready to show their stuff and make it big. So, they turned some of their attention away from singers and dancers and focused on the others. The result? A schedule full of top models, top chefs, top businesspeople, and top inventors.

In other words, the talent show had returned to television in a big way.

Executive television producer Mark Burnett is being sued by his former business partner Conrad Riggs for $70 million. Burnett, a British television producer, is best known for kick-starting the reality television genre in the United States. He's been on the producer and creator train for shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice, Rock Star, The Contender, Martha Stewart Apprentice, Pirate Master, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, On the Lot (with Steven Speilberg), and more.

So, why is he being sued for the big bucks? Read on past the jump.

I've noticed that one of the more overused phrases on reality shows is "I'm not here to make friends." It's that moment in the competition where some controversy/confrontation comes up and the player that everyone seems to dislike the most explains to them that they're "there to win the game" and "not here to make friends." Of course, the fact that many of these people probably can't make friends even in real life probably doesn't even cross their minds.

Now someone has taken a bunch of those "I'm not here to make friends" moments and created a YouTube montage. You'll see contestants from shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model, The White Rapper Show (whatever that is), Project Runway, Forever Eden, Hell's Kitchen, and other shows. One player even says "I ain't here to make no friends," which is at least a twist on the phrase.

It has gotten to the point where they really have to outlaw this phrase from all reality shows, though I think the phrase would make for an awesome t-shirt.

A day hasn't gone by where we haven't received some sort of tip or email asking us, the TV Squad, how to get on [insert reality show here]. Unfortunately no, Simon Cowell does not work for us, and Donald Trump isn't my BFF, so we really can't help all that much.

The folks at RealityWanted.com often send us a list of new and existing reality shows that are looking for new, er, talent, and they've given us permission to make mention of them here. We'll try to make this a regular feature as often as we get a new list.

This time we have The Real Housewives of NYC ,The Moment of Truth and other new shows.

A couple of days ago I posted of the rumors that O.J. Simpson was being eyed as a possible participant in the next season of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice. NBC and Trump's reps are now calling it complete hogwash, saying he was never being considered for a spot.

This whole thing seemed fishy from the get-go. On Howard Stern's radio show last year, Trump mentioned how he distanced himself from O.J. (scroll down to 'Donald Trump Calls In' at 9:25 AM) and made it pretty clear he had doubts about his innocence, even though O.J. attended his wedding. Now Trump is having meetings with the guy, even after that whole show-down in Vegas over memorabilia (trial still pending). So what's changed?

One has to wonder if the "leaked info" regarding O.J.'s interest in Celebrity Apprentice was merely a publicity stunt to drum up interest in the show, even just by making more people aware that it exists.

O.J. Simpson is interested in appearing on television again, though for a much different sort of reality show than the interior of a courtroom. Namely, The Donald's boardroom.

O.J. reportedly is interested in appearing in the next season of Celebrity Apprentice (there's going to be another season?) and has even asked Trump to allow him to participate. From the Page Six article: "Simpson really wants to do it. Trump and NBC are thinking about it, but are being very cautious," their source said. "There's a certain amount of heat associated with Simpson." Ya think?

I'm betting Simpson's appearance on the show will boost ratings in some circles, while others will cry for a boycott of the show. I'm not sure where O.J.'s going to have time to finish tasks for The Apprentice when he's so busy scouring golf courses all over America in search of his late wife's killer. Maybe that will be the final Apprentice task.

In the strangest case of offbeat casting I've ever written about, the Lifetime Channel has cast Donald Trump to executive produce and narrate a new series called Trump Towers. Unlike The Apprentice, this would be a scripted series.

The show would be a nighttime soap opera set within Trump Towers itself. Lifetime Entertainment President Susanne Daniels describes the series as "Desperate Housewives in Trump Tower with The Donald narrating." According to the article, Lifetime also has several other series in the works with a concentration on comedic appeal.

Given the fact that the Lifetime Network has historically been a women's network and Trump's behavioral history can hardly be called female-friendly, one wonders why this premise was proposed in the first place. The series might even make more sense for the network if the narrator was Ivana Trump or Marla Maples.

Obviously, this is an attempt by Lifetime to cash in on Trump's fame. This is another example of Jay Black's theory of channel drift.

Well, here's something about reality TV that didn't make me gag. Survivor mega-producer Mark Burnett has a new unscripted project, greenlighted by CBS, called Jingles. It's a competition show in which contestants have to create tunes for products, commercial jingles. No mud wrestling, no unlocking keys to puzzle pieces the size of boulders, no eating slugs wrapped in wild boar bacon. This time it's all about catchy melodies, clever hooks and lyrics that incorporate product info whether the products an erectile dysfunction pill or a new luxury car.

After weeks of tasks, bickering between Piers and Omarosa, "You're fired!" and money raised for charity, Donald Trump finally said the words "You're hired!" (figuratively) to one of the two final contestants: America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan and country singer Trace Adkins. Since I know some of you haven't watched the finale yet, I'll name who was crowned winner of the first edition of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice after the jump. I can confirm though that it's a man!

This coming Thursday, NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice will come to an end. Either the arrogant Brit or the American Cowboy will hear the words "You're hired."

In an unsurprising move, Donald Trump decided in last week's episode to have Piers Morgan and Trace Adkins face off during the final task. This decision goes against that of CNBC's Erin Burnett and Jim Cramer, brought on to interview the Top 4 contestants, but The Donald knew better than to have Carol Alt and Trace as the final two contestants. Both are really good contestants and played a clean game but, let's admit it, a live finale with Carol and Trace is not as promising as a Piers and Trace one ratings-wise.

A few words to describe the celebrity version of NBC's The Apprentice: drama, tempers, egos, backstabbing, bitching, arguing, egos and... more egos! This week, the bruised egos are those of America's Got Talent's Piers Morgan and of The Apprentice (Season 1) Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. Since the beginning of the season, both have been strong and opinionated players on their respective teams. Even if they didn't have to work together, Piers and Omarosa were pretty vocal about what they thought of each other. This week, hell broke lose when Trump decided to mix up the teams and the enemies ended up, you guessed it, on the same team!

Even if you don't watch The Celebrity Apprentice, it's pretty much a given that you watched this week's preview (after the jump) during which we see Stephen Baldwin tell Donald Trump that he can't continue working with Piers Morgan.

Let's face it, Baldwin and the America's Got Talent judge have not been seeing eye to eye from the very beginning of the show. Even if they somewhat worked well together on the tasks, their business relationship was pretty much a hate-hate one or at least a "I'm tolerating you because I have to." But in light of the Vincent Pastore fiasco from last week, Baldwin has had enough and may give The Donald his resignation... or will he?

If you watched The Celebrity Apprentice this week, you probably still are thinking and talking about that boardroom scene (and I use that latter word here to mean both "a subdivision of the episode" and "an exhibition of anger or indecorous behavior"). Even if it looked childish at times, we have to admit that this was one of the most entertaining boardroom ever!

In short, during the task America's Got Talent's Piers Morgan, who was project manager for the men's team, sent The Sopranos' Vincent Pastore over the women's team to spy on them. Of course, it backfired: Vinnie, who did it willingly (see the first video after the jump), eventually admitted to the ladies that he was sent there to spy but that he now wanted to be a double agent; and, later on the episode, Vinnie and Piers had a major argument about the "rat project". In the boardroom, Vinnie revealed to Trump what had happened. This was followed by more argument between Piers and Vinnie, and comments from the women, the other men, Trump and his children.

I didn't think he could do it, but the Donald did it. I've been a fan of The Apprentice since its first season, but I threw in the towel with last season's lackluster gimmicky Los Angeles version of this unreality show.

But I started watching again this season as the celebrity (although far from A List celebs) started playing the game donating winnings to their favorite charities. Although my favorite Gene Simmons (of KISS fame) committed Apprenticide before my very eyes, only Lost will keep me from watching it as it airs.