Reality TV News

What have Tameka “Tiny” Cottle Antonia “Toya” Carter done to deserve their own reality show?

They've taken part in a relatively obscure hip hop ground named Xscape and given birth to two babies sired by rapper T.I. (Cottle); and gotten divorced from Lil’ Wayne (Carter).

According to BET, Tiny and Toya will be based in Atlanta. It will follow the lives of these BFFs, as they strive “to find inner-strength, peace and purpose."

Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, seen here being licked by T.I., is coming to reality TV.

Men and women won't be competing for a Shot at Love with Aubrey O'Day. But the singer will, indeed, star in her own MTV reality show.

Why did turn down the chance to flaunt her supposedly bisexual nature in front of the camera?

"I didn't feel it was the right fit for me, 'cause I'm an artist first. Although I have fun at events and stuff, it's not really at all who I am as an artist," O'Day told MTV.

Okay. So, what will O'Day's series be about?

"It's a docu-soap about me taking the stage again and of my own life... The show is going to be amazing. I'm going to be singing, dancing and acting."

And nudity. We have no doubt, lots and lots of nudity.

From Tila Tequila to The Ikki Twins to... Aubrey O'Day?

According to celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, the former Danity Kane singer is likely to serve as the latest bisexual bachelorette to headline MTV's reality show dating competition, A Shot At Love.

"She's in final negotiations," an insider said. "Aubrey will be singing the theme song and hopes this opportunity will help her launch a solo recording career."

It will help her launch something, alright! Like weekly trips to the gynecologist.

O'Day, who has posed naked in Playboy, decided to become a quasi lesbian in the summer of 2008. Her career needed a boost.

From near-death to reality show fame.

DJ AM, who was involved in a scary place crash in September, will star in his own intervention-style series on MTV.

Tentatively titled "Gone Too Far," the show will reportedly feature the famous DJ and focus on his battles with drug addiction. Look for it to chronicle various interventions for individuals whose lives have spiraled out of control.

DJ AM will be present throughout the intervention process. Hey, he's just as qualified as Dr. Drew!

Fantasia Barrino, a former American Idol finalist that has suffered from recent financial problems, will star in an upcoming reality show on VH1.

It will likely debut in early 2010.

"Fantasia has one of the most fascinating stories in show business, from her tough upbringing to her meteoric rise on the national scene thanks to American Idol,'" Jeff Olde, executive VP of original programming at VH1, told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Her challenges from fame and her unwillingness to fail have combined to create a larger-than-life talent who appeals to music lovers around the world. So many people wanted to work with her on this, but Fantasia is now part of the VH1 family, and we're so happy to have her."

On the same day that Nadya Suleman landed her own TV show, an even more disturbing piece of television news has come to our attention:

The disgraced former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich - who pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and fraud charges this week - has signed a deal to star in NBC's summer reality series, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Blagojevich's participation requires court approval because the show will be shot in Costa Rica and he's not allowed to leave the United States, due to his unrepentant lying and cheating.

If he takes part, Blagojevich would be one of 10 celebrities competing in a series of jungle challenges to raise money for charity. The series will premiere June 1.

Not so long ago, reality TV was the last place any self-respecting celebrity would wish to end up.

Now, though, the famous - and almost-famous - are lining round the block to get on the most popular shows, like Dancing With the Stars or Celebrity Apprentice. And it isn't for the money.

Stars on a multi-character scripted drama can make upwards of $50,000 an episode - sometimes way upward.

On reality shows, celebrities get what is referred to as Most Favored Nation status - which means nobody gets more than anybody else.

The celebs on Dancing With the Stars, for example, get $200,000 for the season, whether they're booted or not, a bonus of $100,00 if they're number one, and smaller bonuses if they're number two or three, an agent said.

So Marie Osmond made what Emmitt Smith made, what Cloris Leachman made, what Belinda Carlisle made this season - and she was the first one booted off.

Of course, every reality show is different. A celeb with a show built around his or her life is likely to get producer credit and maybe something on the back end. Participants on an existing show generally get a flat fee without residuals.

"Between scripted shows and reality shows," said a leading TV agent, "in the success scenario there's just no comparison - and that's the way it should be. On scripted shows, they have to have talent."

But, in Hollywood, there's always more than money. Especially former celebs are sniffing out any opportunity to put themselves on the map - or sell themselves in a different guise to new fans.

"It's all about the endorsements and other appearances. There's a lot of heat coming off that show," the TV agent said.

Lauren Conrad has become a mega-celebrity by committing her young adult life to video on the MTV series Laguna Beach and its follow-up The Hills.

Continue Reading...

Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss is giving Shayne Lamas and her "good-looking" family the Kim Kardashian treatment - reality TV show style.

"Not that the Kardashians aren't good looking, but the Lamas family is a very good looking family," Fleiss told Reality TV World.

"You see Shayne, her sister Dakota and [their brother] A.J. and obviously [her father] Lorenzo is there anchoring it with his rugged handsomeness.  They're wild, crazy characters, but they're also very good looking."

Fleiss provided details about the E! reality series starring The Bachelor: London Calling winner and her family and friends, which was announced as being in development when The Bachelor exec inked an exclusive deal with Warner Bros.

"It's very strong. [E! programming executive] Lisa Berger is very happy with it," Fleiss said. "We think it has a chance to be a real hit for them."

Fleiss said the series hasn't officially been ordered by E! but added "it looks very good. We just shot the pilot and we're about to go back into production."

Shayne Lamas received the final rose and a marriage proposal - both of which she accepted - from The Bachelor star Matt Grant on the season finale last May.

Despite insisting they were in love, the couple eventually called off their engagement in July after a report surfaced that she had traveled to Las Vegas and cheated on him with media mogul Justin Wenerger.

Shayne Lamas subsequently denied she cheated on Matt Grant and instead claimed that although the couple hadn't announced it at the time, their relationship was already over before her trip to Sin City.

In addition, Shayne attributed Grant's inability to handle her hard-partying Hollywood lifestyle as the reason why the couple spilt.

Bravo is apparently in production on a real-life Gossip Girl - a reality TV series centering on private-school kids in New York City, according to numerous reports.

Comparisons have already been drawn to reality shows about wealthy high school kids like Laguna Beach (which spawned an even bigger hit spinoff in The Hills).

MTV, which produced Laguna Beach and is filming Season 5 of The Hills, tried making an East Coast counterpart a few years ago, but it never got off the ground.

Would you watch a real-life Gossip Girl reality TV show?

The series is scheduled to premiere later this year and will be following the same production style as the webisodes that Bravo ran of the children of The Real Housewives of Orange County. No single school will be featured exclusively.

If the Bravo version gets past pre-production, expect to learn a whole slew of semi-celebrity names like Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.

Ricki Lake got her start in show business by hosting a talk show.

Therefore, she has experience with insane people and will make an ideal lead in the upcoming series Charm School Gives Back.

This edition of the VH1 franchise will star shameless skanks girls from Rock of Love Bus and Real Chance of Love.

Here's the opening of the network's press releasing, announcing plans for the show:

The third installment of 51 Minds and VH1’s Charm School is going to a whole new level and showing a side of the girls from Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels and Real Chance of Love you’ve never seen before…the compassionate side. That’s right, these once love struck reality beauties will now learn self-improvement through selfless acts.

Legendary talk show host, documentary film producer and author Ricki Lake will try to tame the wild ladies by asking them to do…gasp…charity work, in Charm School Gives Back, premiering in Summer 2009.