Celebritology Archive: Reality Check

Count Me Out of 'I'm a Celebrity,' Too

Update: A rep for Speidi says the couple is still in Costa Rica and still in competition and that Spencer's buddy and sister were the people under blankets at LAX (Why?). Whatever. I'm still not watching. -- 2:01 p.m. ET --- As a woman who freely admits to watching the trashtastic "Daisy of Love" and "Real Housewives of [insert any city here]," my reality viewing standards are what my father would describe as "high mediocre." But even I have limits. If you haven't already been watching NBC's month-long daily dose of reality, "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here," don't start now. Clue: A show is obviously flailing when the biggest star power it can draw is Speidi -- aka Heidi Montag Pratt and her doofily villainous new husband Spencer Pratt, stars courtesy of another reality show (MTV's "The Hills"). Apparently realizing that neither the waxen-faced Janice Dickinson nor...

Are We to Blame for Susan Boyle's Breakdown?

Friends gathered in Blackburn, Scotland to watch Susan Boyle compete on Saturday's 'Britain's Got Talent' finale. (Getty Images) Susan Boyle -- spinster, aspiring singer, Internet sensation -- was hospitalized Sunday for exhaustion after failing in what she may well have viewed as the defining event of her life -- the reality TV talent show "Britain's Got Talent." If Boyle's sense of self sounds skewed only consider what the 48-year-old Scot has been through in the past several weeks. She rose from obscurity to the dizzying heights of celebrity -- at least YouTube celebrity -- with her impassioned delivery of "I Dreamed a Dream." In a bit of TV manipulation the likes of which should be given some kind of award, she became a symbol of hope for every older, overlooked average schlump harboring a hidden talent. Boy was she talented, we said. Too bad about the whole homely thing....

Courtesy of "Jon & Kate's" Eight, a New Look at Child Labor Laws?

One positive upshot of the whole "Jon & Kate Plus 8" mess could be new guidelines about kids featured in reality shows. Much discussion has been devoted to the question of whether or not Jon and Kate Gosselin have broken any child labor laws by chronicling their brood's every move on a reality show and as mentioned in this morning's Mix, the state of Pennsylvania is investigating after receiving a complaint. Reality shows are a blind spot in current child labor laws. E!'s Leslie Gornstein last week interviewed labor attorney Paul Moretti, who doubted the Gosselins were violating any current standards -- standards set up to limit the amount of time kids spend acting on movie and TV sets. "Chances are, courts would say this doesn't count as labor, because the children are doing things they would be doing whether there was a camera or not," said Moretti. "Show...

Scuttling Jon and Kate Gosselin's Mom and Pop Business

The Gosselin clan in happier times. (TLC) I am so sick of Kate and Jon Gosselin, the broody pair who preside over a household of tots on TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" and have now knocked bona fide celebs off of the tabloid covers with their latest shenanigans. Love them or hate them, the truth is we are in the uncomfortable position of enabling the Gosselins to spin an overzealous fertility treatment into a lucrative mom and pop business. The Gosselins are prime examples of self-made celebrities. People who -- like Paris Hilton or Tiffany "New York" Pollard -- become famous not for any particular talent, but for the ability to self-market. Which is why I'm feeling a bit manipulated by the revelations of infidelity that surfaced a couple of weeks back, just in time for Monday's season premiere of the show's fifth season. What started as vague...

Brooke Hogan Wings Her Way Back into Pop

We knew Brooke Hogan -- the prematurely-aged-by-tanning celebu-spawn of one-time professional wrestler and reality show star Hulk Hogan -- had bad taste. I mean, would anyone possessed of even a smidge of common sense wear this? So it's not surprising that Hogan thought an airbrushed van art version of herself rocking a set of wings that would make a unicorn cry with envy would be just the thing for the cover of her new album, "The Redemption." Warning: Not even queen of '70s album cover art Stevie Nicks achieved this level of mystical idealization of self. (Screengrab from Brookesworld.com) Unless you're a fan of reality TV stars turned recording artists, you may not know that Hogan released her first album, "Undiscovered," in 2006. And despite pushing Brooke-the-pop-star hard on "Hogan Knows Best," the album's biggest single, "About Us," never made it above the 33rd spot on Billboard's Hot 100. Maybe...

Reality Check: 'Dancing With the Stars'

Denise Richards splits for partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. (ABC) If you're not much interested in D-list celebs or ballroom dancing, then you probably won't be setting the DVR to tape "Dancing With the Stars" for the next few months, but last night's season premiere was eminently watchable. Tacky costumes? Check. Big hair? Yep. Spray-on tans? Got 'em. Stars? Not so much. Faux-lebrities? Take your pick. While the show takes big liberties with its name (stars these are not), the dance-off is artery-clogging cheese TV at its best and last night's season premiere did not disappoint, despite the lack of any really big names or a Heather Mills-ish must-see moment. Last-minute substitutions -- "Girl Next Door" Holly Madison for Jewel and "Bachelor" jiltee Melissa Rycroft for Nancy O'Dell -- failed to build much in the way of excitement. In fact, the show's wildcard -- recovering addict and "Jackass" alum Steve-O --...

Older Entries in This Category »

Reality Check: "Housewives'" Alex McCord Still Annoying, Liz , January 28, 2009

Reality Watch: 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF', Liz , October 1, 2008

Reality Check: Cloris Leachman's Overexposure, Liz , September 24, 2008

Reality Check: Pam Anderson and P. Diddy, On the Loose and in Need of Assistance, Liz , August 5, 2008

Reality Check: Living La Vida Lohan, Liz , May 28, 2008