Stay Tuned

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 6, 2012 2 coverstory By Dee Wright TV Media "Pawn Stars" vs. "Hardcore Pawn," "Wife Swap" vs. "Trading Spouses," and "Hoarders" vs. "Hoarding: Buried Alive." "American Idol" on Fox was followed by NBC's "The Voice," and Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" led to "Top Chef" on Bravo. Even "The View" and "The Talk" are of- ten lumped together, though they have different discus- sions and guests. "Big Brother" starts Sea- son 14 on Thursday, July 12, on CBS. There are several real- ity shows that put strangers in a new environment and make them compete against each other for a variety of prizes. etworks usually wel- come a little bit of friendly competition. Once a new series premise is developed, other networks tend to take the idea, tweak it a little bit, and launch it on a different station. Such was the case of N Rachel Reilly won "Big Brother" last season er" in 2000, putting a group of strangers into a house that is fully equipped with video and sound equipment, re- cording their every move and conversation. Between Head of Household competitions (which are usually based on physical endurance) and in- house alliances, the houseg- uests are gradually evicted one by one, until only one is left standing. Houseguests compete for $500,000. Back in June, ABC pre- miered a series called "The Glass House." It features 14 people who've never met as they live in a house made en- tirely out of glass, with cam- But every once in a while, someone gets their toes stepped on, and the lawyers are called in. CBS launched "Big Broth- If you think those two ideas are quite similar, you're not the only one. In May, CBS sent a letter to ABC president Anne Sweeney informing her that if ABC goes ahead with airing "The Glass House," CBS would take legal action. And since the ABC series pre- miered on June 18, there will likely be more legal recourse. According to the documen- tation filed by the eye net- work on May 10, provided by "The Hollywood Reporter," CBS is concerned with more than just a similar game. "'The Glass House' remark- ably employs at least 19 for- mer producers and staff from CBS's hit reality television se- ries 'Big Brother,' is a carbon copy of 'Big Brother' and an obvious attempt by the de- fendants to capitalize on its unique success," states the complaint. "CBS seeks to stop the defendant's blatant theft of its copyrightable expres- sion, trade secrets, and other eras and microphones captur- ing everything. The fate of the contestants is entirely in the hands of the viewers, who control every elimination and detail by voting online. The winner will take home $250,000. Mimicry not fl attery CBS and ABC face off over new reality series confidential and proprietary information." Now, the idea that "Big Brother is watching" was hardly CBS's idea in the first place. The concept was first discussed in George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty- Four." Orwell presented the idea when describing that ev- eryone is constantly being monitored by the govern- ment. The novel was released in 1949, and it took 50 years for someone to use it as inspi- ration for a TV show. In 1999, Veronica network in the Netherlands took the idea of constantly being watched and spun it into a successful series. Since then, the show has erupted to more than 40 different countries, each with a bit of a different spin on the original concept. These extensions usually still have "Big Brother" -- in Eng- lish or another language -- in the title. Network drama aside, Sea- son 14 of "Big Brother" promises to be another rat- ings hit. Past seasons have boasted many twists that played on the houseguests' vulnerabilities. In Season 5, two contestants discovered they were actually brother and sister; Season 4 reunited ex-lovers; Season 11 separat- ed the players into groups -- the Haves and the Have Nots. While the Haves enjoyed full meals and comfortable beds, the Have Nots had to eat un- appealing combinations -- like eels and eggplants -- and An early promo for the new season promises more house- guests than ever before, which means that there'd have to be at least 17 people in the house. The commercial also alludes to multiple big twists, which could be re- vealed before the door to the house is even unlocked. One consistent aspect of every season has been host Julie Chen. Chen greets the players before competitions and evictions, as well as inter- viewing the houseguests af- ter they are evicted one by one. Chen has been brand- loyal to CBS, having worked on the eye network for most of her career. She's even mar- ried to CBS president Leslie Moonves. Chen is also one of the visionaries and hosts of "The Talk," the daytime motherhood-themed talk show that took the place of "As the World Turns." Last season's winner was sleep on cots or lawn chairs with the lights always on. Season 11 introduced Pando- ra's Box, in which the Head of Household is tempted with a reward in exchange for some form of punishment. 27-year-old Rachel Reilly, a model and waitress from Las Vegas. She first appeared in Season 12, when she met and fell in love with fellow house- guest Brandon Villegas. Ra- chel and Brandon, now en- gaged, returned for Season 13 along with several other previous guests, and Rachel came out the winner. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: One of the band members in "Wayne's World" looks like Brendan Fraser in his "George of the Jun- gle" days. Is it him? A: "Wayne's World" was filled with long-haired, rock 'n' roll types -- including, of course, Wayne himself -- so it's hard to say for sure which one you're referring to. But it wasn't Brendan Fraser. That said, the confusion's understandable -- as you point out, quite a few of Fraser's early successes in- volved him sporting the unkempt mane of hair that has long been a rock music hallmark. The 1997 comedy "George of the Jungle" certainly does come to mind, but another obvious link would be the 1994 hit "Airheads," in which he actually plays the leader of a band that goes to comically excessive lengths to get his tape on the radio. However, the members of Crucial Taunt, the fictional band led by Tia Carrere in "Wayne's World" (1992), were actual musicians, though one moonlighted as an actor as well. And as mentioned earlier, it's hard to say for sure, but he's likely the one you're referring to. George Foster, the guitarist with straight hair (and thus a closer resemblance to Fraser) ap- peared in both the first "Wayne's World" and its sequel, "Wayne's World 2," released the following year. That same year (1993), he also appeared as a musician in the big- screen remake of "The Beverly Hillbillies." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. A/Krazy Tom's 2 x 3

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