Jessica Simpson’s The Price of Beauty premieres on Monday, March 15 at 10/9c on VH1 *** Three Stars

By Robin Rowe

Jessica Simpson visits a Thai monastery in The Price of Beauty

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/15/2010 – “Beauty is an easy thing to become obsessed with,” says VH1 The Price of Beauty star Jessica Simpson. “People put so much pressure on women to be beautiful. There’s always a new diet to follow, a new beauty product to use, but is that really what defines beauty? I’m going to travel the world and see what makes a woman in different cultures feel beautiful.”

The Price of Beauty is part beauty guide, part travelogue, as Jessica Simpson and her peeps (stylist Ken Paves and friend CaCee Cobb) travel to sample beauty in a different culture each week. In each country a “beauty ambassador” shows Simpson the goals and consequences of the local quest for beauty. The first episode, premiering tonight, travels to Thailand. Upcoming episodes will go to France, Uganda, Japan, Brazil, Moroco, and India.

“The Price of Beauty is a show I’ve inherited, but I’m very happy to have inherited it,” says RDF USA CEO Grant Mansfield. “It’s great to have Jessica Simpson in a show like this on VH1.” (For more about RDF USA, see this story.)

“The Price of Beauty was an internally generated idea here at RDF and we immediately wanted to (more…)

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RDF, with TV shows VH1 The Price of Beauty premiering tonight and ABC Wife Swap having its season premiere April 2nd, is combining with mega-TV European producer Zodiak to become the third largest TV production company in the world

By Robin Rowe

RDF produces The Price of Beauty starring Jessica Simpson

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/15/2010 – “The Zodiak deal for us is potentially transformational,” says RDF USA CEO Grant Mansfield. “It gives us access to a huge catalog of successful formats in Europe, rather than just in the UK.”

Mansfield has only been at RDF USA for about four weeks, but has worked at RDF in London for about seven years and is a significant shareholder. Besides being the U.S. CEO, he’s group director of factual entertainment and comedy, overseeing most of the production out of the UK. He sees vast untapped potential for RDF in the U.S.

“Natalka Znak is a key part of our strategy going forward,” says Mansfield. “She’s going to join as chief creative officer. She’s the star producer of non-scripted programming in the UK at the moment. She’s created and produced three of the biggest hits in the UK and a lot more besides. She’s also made those shows for the U.S. market. She’s made I’m a Celebrity and Hell’s Kitchen over here.” Znak, who Mansfield hired four months ago, will serve as the creative head of the company when she arrives in May.

“We’re very keen to get back to (more…)

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Premiering on The Travel Channel on March 14th at 10pm, “losers” get prizes while “winner” worst driver will have his or her car crushed by 40-foot tall Robosaurus *** Three Stars

By Robin Rowe

Robosaurus crushes a boat in America's Worst Driver

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 3/14/2010 – “I knew they’d be bad, but not this bad,” says America’s Worst Driver co-host Jill Simonian. “They made me feel much better about my own driving, as pathetic as that sounds. I’ve always loved cars and racing, but my mom and sister hate driving with me because I make them nervous.”

Simonian was picked by the show’s producers after seeing her in an old audition tape. They contacted her through Facebook. “For my next audition they put me in a car with Alonzo and said drive and talk,” says Simonian. “I was petrified I was going to get into a fender-bender.” Production started shooting three days after her wedding, postponing a honeymoon to Greece. Meanwhile, Simonian was on the road shooting for five weeks. “I kept picturing my husband at home, and thinking he hates me now,” says Simonian. “He says he doesn’t!”

The format of the show is four drivers, nominated by friends or family to be America’s worst driver, spend a day in city driving and a second day on an obstacle course to determine who’s the worst. Show hosts Alonzo Bodden and Jill Simonian explain each challenge. What makes the show funny is (more…)

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As American Idol cuts singers from 71 to 24 last night, Simon Cowell regrets one decision and Jessica Furney channels Tonya Harding

By Robin Rowe

American Idol Judges, Ellen DeGeneres says she hadn't planned to be a judge

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2/17/2010 – Tonight’s episode of American Idol will pick 17 more finalists. For seven American Idol contestants, last night’s episode was a joyful relief as they made the cut for the final 24 who will be voted for by the American public.

Ellen DeGeneres says she became an American Idol judge by accident. “I called a friend of mine who works at Fox to get tickets to come see the show,” says DeGeneres. “She said sure, would you like to be backstage, in the front row, or a judge? I said, oh, those are my options? It’s better seating to be a judge. I’d like to be a judge.”

The seven finalists chosen on the show last night had made sacrifices to be part of American Idol. They’d left jobs or were separated from their families to be in Hollywood. “Big Mike” Lynche missed the birth of his first child while singing in American Idol. As an overjoyed Lynche approached the judges to hug them, Ellen DeGereres said, “Don’t pick me up again, my back!” But it’s too late, as Big Mike picks her up again when he hugs her and all the Idol judges. Randy Jackson tells Lynche not to forget Ryan Seacrest.

One singer who didn’t make the cut was Jessica Furney, whose outburst before judges was a Tonya Harding-style beg for mercy that blamed others for her problems. After being (more…)

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Joel McHale the M.C. at 60th Annual ACE Eddie Awards recognizing television and film editors

By Robin Rowe

30 Rock wins Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television at 2010 ACE Eddie Awards

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2/14/2010 – Film and TV editors took home some special Valentines in the form of Eddie Awards trophies during the 60th Annual ACE Eddie Awards held tonight at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Lynne Willingham, A.C.E. won for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial television for Breaking Bad: ABQ. Ken Eluto, A.C.E. won for Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television with 30 Rock: Apollo Apollo. Louis Cioffi won for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television with Dexter: Remains to be Seen. Alan Heim, A.C.E. and Lee Percy, A.C.E. won for Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television with Grey Gardens. Kelly Coskran and Josh Earl won for Best Edited Reality Series with The Deadliest Catch: Stay Focused or Die.

NBC Community star Joel McHale served as master of ceremonies at the (more…)

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Disney DVD Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Present Minnie’s Bow-Tique is great for entertaining and teaching young children *** 3 Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse presents Minnies' Bow-tique

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 2/13/2010 – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Presents Minnie’s Bow-Tique is all about Minnie Mouse. Not really. Many other Disney characters are here, too. From the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series, these four episodes all feature Minnie Mouse. One episode has never been shown before, hasn’t broadcast on TV.

Minnie’s Bow-Tique is the grand opening of Minnie’s Bow-tique a store with every kind of bow imaginable. Everything is great until Pete, who’s embarrassed about buying a bow for his favorite aunt, has a few accidents in the shop. Can Minnie help him find a new bow for his Aunt Mabel? In the Big Bow Show the Clubhouse gang show off the latest in bow fashion under a big rainbow.

Minnie’s Picnic shows Minnie arranging a picnic in Mickey Park for twelve people. As your child watches he or she can help Minnie get everything she needs for the picnic. This is the one the younger ones will like the most as it’s the most (more…)

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TV series Seducing Cindy premieres on Fox Reality tonight at 9p/8c or catch the sneak peak online now *** 3 Stars

By Robin Rowe

Cindy Margolis, premiering in Seducing Cindy tonight

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/30/2010 – “I’m a hopeless romantic,” says Seducing Cindy star Cindy Margolis. “On the show I fall in love with more than one person, which I never would have thought possible. Every date was something out of a fairy tale. Everything was so beautiful…waterfalls and roses and chocolate fountains and candles, date after date. I never wanted to leave.”

In Seducing Cindy, 25 men are faced with a series of challenges to compete for Cindy’s heart. Margolis is the spokesperson for the charity Resolve, the national fertility association. “I did a challenge with the guys right off the bat,” says Margolis. “I had them give me their sperm samples. You want to see shock on a person’s face? ‘Hi. How are you? Here’s my Playboy and here’s a cup. I want your sperm sample.’ I had my (more…)

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Emily Blunt’s 2010 Golden Globes red carpet dress and other celebrity items raising money for charity

By Gabrielle Pantera

Emily Blunt Golden Globes dress on auction online, other celebrity gifts by Madison & Mulholland

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/25/2010 – Despite being caught in the rain, Emily Blunt looked fantastic in a Dolce & Gabbana gown on the red carpet at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation charity auction website is now offering that dress for sale and other celebrity items to raise money for charities including Haiti disaster relief.

Madison & Mulholland hosted a gift suite where Golden Globe nominees and celebrities were invited to create a gift bag for charity. Celebrities signed and personalized the items to be sold online at The Clothes Off Our Back. Let’s take a look at what’s in these gift bags (more…)

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Lifetime movie fails to address boys’ responsibilities in teen pregnancy ** Two Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

Camryn Manheim in The Pregnancy Pact

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/23/2010 – “Almost one in three girls become pregnant before they’re twenty,” says Cameron Manheim. “One in six girls in the U.S. will become teen mothers.”

The Lifetime TV movie The Pregnancy Pact is inspired by a true story. Time Magazine created a media frenzy when it reported that the rise in the number of pregnancies at a high school was the result of a “pregnancy pact”, that unmarried teenage girls were trying to get pregnant.

Thora Birch stars at Sidney Bloom, an on-line journalist who returns to her hometown to investigate the sudden spike in teenage pregnancies at her old high school. The teen pregnancies in this small town rise to 18. Lorraine Dougan stars as Nancy Travis, the head of a local “conservative values” group and mother to one of the girls who’s under 16 and pregnant.

Camryn Manheim, as school nurse Kim Daly, tries to (more…)

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George Clooney asks a billion TV viewers to help, reaches worldwide and across all major U.S. networks to broadcast the benefit tonight at 8pm

By Robin Rowe

Beyonce to sing from London in Hope for Haiti, Madonna will sing from NY

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/22/2010 – George Clooney, who’d organized the widely televised benefit for victims of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, was in New York when news reports came in of a devastating earthquake in Haiti. “The next morning I called Judy MacGrath at MTV,” says George Clooney. “She said, ‘We’re thinking about doing something, too. Let’s do it.’ By the time I flew back to L.A., the other networks had signed on. Every single network. At some point, it got to be you couldn’t be the network that didn’t.”

Clooney’s mission is to raise as much money as possible for the victims. “First and foremost, raise a lot of money,” says Clooney. “If we could pick up shovels and go, without being in the way, a lot of us would do that.”

“I think music a strong way to help people begin the healing process,” says Hope for Haiti producer Joel Gallen. “Artists have deep feelings that we all share. This is a way to express themselves through songs, many of which are doing songs they didn’t even (more…)

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