New Cast of Dancing With The Stars has Florence Henderson & Bristol Palin

I was pretty much non-plussed when I saw who was going to be dancing on Dancing with the Stars, starting September 20.

The announcement was made live in 2 segments during Monday night's Bachelor Pad on ABC. I'd bailed on last night's Bachelor Pad before Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke made "The Announcement."

As it is with most DWTS casts I only know how a few of the dancers are.

Florence Henderson, aka Carol Brady, of Brady Bunch fame, I know. Florence is now 76, which will make her one of the oldest dancers to have danced on DWTS.

Florence should be entertaining. Maybe not as funny as Cloris Leachman, but close.

And then there is Bristol Palin, with her claim to being a 'star' being the unmarried daughter of Sarah Palin who produced a baby with off and on again baby daddy, Levi Johnston. Will Sarah be in the audience to cheer on her daughter? Will Levi? Will the baby be there?

I know who Jennifer Grey is, she being of Dirty Dancing fame. I know who Margaret Cho is, she being a comedian. I have heard of the singer Brandy before. But I could not pick her out of a line-up.

I have never heard of Audrina Partridge before. Apparently she is on a Reality TV Show.

Of the dancing men I know who David Hasselhoff is. I don't like him. Almost enough to make me not want to watch. I know who singer Michael Bolton is. I know Kurt Warner plays football.

I have never heard of Kyle Massey, who raps and acts. Or Rick Fox, who dribbles a basketball. Or Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. No clue what the situation is with Mike.

I wonder who gets paired with Florence? Maks Chmerkovskiy would make an amusing partner for Florence.

Jimmy Fallon Wins Best Emmy Host Ever Accolades While Top Chef is Best Reality TV Show

I am now a Jimmy Fallon fan after watching, well, the opening of Sunday night's Emmy Awards Show.

The opening was a mini-Glee episode. I like Glee.

Jimmy Fallon sang Born to Run as the Glee Club got bigger. As it got bigger it turned into a big production number that eventually ended up live on stage at the Emmy's.

I am not a huge fan of awards shows. Unless the parts between the awards are entertaining. This year's Grammy's delivered in that regard. The Academy Awards Show, however, did not. I watched the former, bailed on the latter.

I also bailed, eventually, on last night's Emmy Show. But I was entertained for a good hour and a half. Maybe 2.

I liked Jimmy Fallon's singing tribute to shows we've lost. Like LOST. And 24. I found that amusing.

Reading who won, this morning, I don't think anyone won anything on anything I watch except for one.

TOP CHEF!

Best Reality TV Show. Ending the 7 year (or is it 8?), run of The Amazing Race being Best Reality Show over and over again. The Amazing Race has grown tired. While Top Chef has gotten better and better. Padma was beaming, just beaming, up on the Emmy stage with the Top Chef crew. I do not recollect Phil Keoghan ever beaming. He does great stuff with eyebrow emoting. But no beaming. I am a big fan of Padma beaming.

Below you can watch the Born to Run opening of the 2010 Emmy's and join the Jimmy Fallon fan club...

Project Runway: Casanova Wins, A.J. Out

I was ready to bail on Project Runway after last week's bizarre episode where the designers had to design a look that went with a so-called hat made by an annoyingly pinched little man, who, apparently, is famous for making hats.

Except.

They weren't hats. The hats were more like masks. It was all odd. And not entertaining, like the week before when the designers had to design a look out of junk they bought at a party favor store.

Michael Costello won the hat/mask challenge, giving him immunity this week. A week in which the designers competed on teams of 6.

Last week's winner got to pick first. He picked the female douchebag from Portland, Oregon, named Gretchen. Heidi then picked a name out of a bag. That name, Apriil, got to start the next team. On and on the picking went til Peach was left, by default on April's team.

So, Michael's team had all the winners, while April's team had the losers. Both teams took a different approach, with Michael's team quickly taken over by overbearing Gretchen.

Gretchen is one very odd, very annoying girl. I'd been looking forward to Gretchen getting her comeuppance. This episode delivered that comeuppance.

Gretchen dissed the other team's collection at the Runway Show. She did a lot of know it all, holier than thou, dissing. Usually when a lot of dissing is shown the disser ends up with ironic pie on their face. Gretchen ended up with an awful lot of pie on her face.

So, April's team wins. The judges heap praise. Eventually Casanova wins, which was also foreshadowed when he had a major diva moment, ready to give up and go home, because Tim Gunn had disliked what Casanova was doing. Again. Thus shattering what remained of Casanova's confidence. That and he was very upset because the show was making him fat.

Casanova is Reality TV Gold. That is an extremely flattering photo of Casanova at the top. In reality Casanova sort of looks like a monkey. A Puerto Rican monkey, who is funny, with a funny accent, saying stuff like, "Again Tim Gunn he break my heart, he saying I design for sluts and old ladies."

After Casanova won, the losing team comes out and gets a big dose of reality from the judges. Overbearing Gretchen does all the talking, then switched her spin, as if thinking no one would notice she was totally contradicting herself.

On and on Gretchen talked, pretty much throwing herself under the bus. Where she deserved to be.

But, in the end, with it down to Gretchen and A.J., it was A.J. Thouvenot who got the 2 cheek kiss from Heidi Klum.

And then it got even better, Gretchen comeuppance-wise. Back with the other designers, A.J. lamenting being out, oh the unfairness of it all, Tim Gunn comes in and interupts A.J., pretty much agreeing with him, and then addressing the others, telling them that Gretchen bullied and manipulated them.

So, Gretchen is annoying everyone, including the extremely nice, wise guy known as Tim Gunn. Ivy claimed Tim's words caused an ah ha moment for everyone. Methinks it is going to be fairly funny now, watching a deflated Gretchen, post-comeuppance. There is no way this was the first time in her life that Gretchen found herself on the receiving end of being put in her proper place.

Levi Johnston Takes Back Apology To Grandma Sarah Palin While Running For Mayor of Wasilla

I don't know what Levi apologized to his baby, Tripp's, grandma, Sarah Palin, for. Apparently the apology took place in People Magazine with Levi now regretting apologizing.

I wonder if Levi regrets taking his clothes off for Playgirl Magazine? If I were he, I would.

I wonder if Levi and Kathy Griffin are back dating again, now that Levi and his baby mama, Bristol Palin have decided not to get married. Again.

Meanwhile, Levi has decided to run for Mayor of Wasilla, the same office Sarah Palin held before she became governor of Alaska for 2 years, before quitting.

A Reality TV Show is being pitched to the networks, starring Levi. It is called Loving Levi: Road to the Mayor's Office.

I am thinking a lot of high hilarity should ensue. Surely Bravo can find room for Levi's show? I'm sure Kathy Griffin will show up in Wasilla to campaign for Levi, taking her Life on the D List show with her.

Top Chef D.C.: Tiffany & Ed Dominating, Amanda Packs Her Knives and Goes

Last week on Top Chef it was Tiffany winning both the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges, making, I think, 2 in a row for Tiffany in the Elimination Challenge department. Tiffany won $10,000 and a trip to Paris. Tiffany was very happy to win a trip, due to getting married soon.

Last week Ed was hoping he'd win the trip because it would make his fiance happy.

This week Ed won the Quickfire, but it was not a High Stakes Quickfire, so no $10,000. But, Ed did win the Elimination Challenge and a trip to Australia.

Angelo has had a rough time of it the past 2 weeks. Early on Angelo seemed to be the chef to beat for Top Chef. Now, not so much.

I really like Tiffany. What an infectious laugh. She's funny and fair. Ed has also grown on me. Though I could have gone without seeing him walking around in Tiffany's dress.

Last week we learned, from Angelo, that he has a Russian mail order bride that had him hoping to win the $10,000 Quickfire so he could get her into the U.S.

This week we learned that Angelo has only met his mail order bride a couple times, but they talk for hours, almost every night. We got to listen to their lovey/dovey conversation. I won't say it was sickeningly sweet. However, at Judges' Table the Judges did say that the strange Asian themed hot dog, that Angelo made for the baseball stadium concession stand Elimination Challenge, was too sweet, And soggy.

Angelo started off, when we first met him, seeming to be a bit of an arrogant guy, but the way he owns it when the stuff he cooks is not good, makes him very likable. That and he is funny.

Last week we got rid of the annoying Alex, this week the annoying Amanda. I like all who remain. Except for Kevin.

Tiffany for the win. Or Ed. Or Angelo. Or Kelly.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians and the 14 Other Top-Rated Cable TV Shows

I had not seen the Nielsen's Ratings list of the Top 15 Cable TV Shows til yesterday.

I had assumed that the Cable TV Shows I watch on Bravo were top-rated Cable TV Shows. I was wrong.

Not a single show currently running on Bravo is in the Top 15.

No Flipping Out, no Top Chef, No Real Housewives of D.C. or New Jersey.

A show that used to be on Bravo, but moved to Lifetime, Project Runway, is also not in the Top 15.

I thought Project Runway was one of the most popular Cable TV Reality Shows.

I watch none of the Top 15 Cable TV Shows. Number 1 is The Closer in TNT. Never seen it. Number 2 is Rizzoli & Isles, also on TNT. Never heard of it. Pawn Stars on the History Channel is Number 3 and 4. I have heard of Pawn Stars, but have never watched it. Of all the good stuff on the History Channel it seems sad that Pawns Stars is the History Channel's top-rated show.

I have heard of Jersey Shore on MTV. Never watched it. It's Number 6 with 5,5 million viewers.

I have heard of Hannah Montana. Something called Hannah Montana Forever, on Disney, is Number 14.

The only show on the list of the Top 15 that I've actually watched a little of. And been appalled by, is Keeping up with the Kardashians on E!. 4.7 million viewers watched the Kardashians last week.

Anyway, below is Nielsen's Top 15 Cable TV Shows...

Rank	Show name	Network	Day, time	Viewers in millions
1.	The Closer	TNT	Mon., 9	6.8
2.	Rizzoli & Isles	TNT	Mon., 10	6.5
3.	Pawn Stars	History	Mon., 10:30	6.2
4.	Pawn Stars	History	Mon., 10	6.1
5.	Giants/Jets	ESPN	Mon., 8	5.6
6.	Jersey Shore	MTV	Thurs., 10	5.5
*	Burn Notice	USA	Thurs., 9	5.5
8.	True Blood	HBO	Sun., 9:02	5.4
*	Covert Affairs	USA	Tues., 10	5.4
10.	Royal Pains	USA	Thurs., 10	5.3
11.	American Pickers	History	Mon., 9	5.2
12.	WWE Raw	USA	Mon., 10	4.9
13.	Kardashians	E!	Sun., 10	4.7
14.	Hannah Montana Forever	Disney	Sun., 8	4.6
*	WWE Raw	USA	Mon., 9	4.6

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for August 16 - August 22

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for August 16 - August 22. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

ABC's Bachelor Pad drops out of Top 20, while CBS's Big Brother puts 3 episodes in Top 20 at #9, #10 and #12. Vikings/49ers #1, followed by America's Got Talent at# 2 and #.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average (in millions)
1.	NFL: Vikings/49ers	NBC	10.8	--
2.	America's Got Talent (Wed)	NBC	10.3	11.9
3.	America's Got Talent (Tues)	NBC	10.2	11.8
4.	Wipeout	ABC	9.0	8.9
5.	NCIS	CBS	8.8	16.6
6.	Two and a Half Men	CBS	8.5	13.4
7.	60 Minutes	CBS	8.4	12.0
8.	Big Bang Theory	CBS	8.0	13.1
9.	Big Brother (Sun.)	CBS	7.7	7.6
10.	Big Brother (Wed.)	CBS	7.6	7.3
*	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	7.6	13.9
12.	Big Brother (Thurs.)	CBS	7.5	7.5
13.	America's Funniest Home Videos	ABC	7.0	--
14.	The Mentalist	CBS	6.9	14.3
15.	Criminal Minds	CBS	6.5	12.1
16.	Flashpoint	CBS	6.4	6.9
*	Rookie Blue	ABC	6.4	7.3
*	Wipeout	ABC	6.4	7.9
19.	NFL: Patriots/Falcons	Fox	5.8	--
*	NASCAR	ABC	5.8	--
*	Soy tu Duena (Mon.)	Uni	5.8	5.4

Bachelor Pad: Weatherman Jonathon & Gia Sent Home While David & Natalie and Peyton & Jesse B Have Wild Fantasy Suite Romps

You're looking at the Bachelor Pad party people in the pool prior to their numbers being reduced by 6.

This week it was Swimsuit Model, Gia and Weatherman, Jonathon, who got kicked out of the Bachelor Pad.

The coveted sacred immunity rose was won this week by David and Peyton. They won the coveted sacred immunity rose in a blind kissing contest in which they were voted the best kissers.

As a reward David and Peyton got to go on a date with 3 girls and 3 boys of their choosing. And then at some point in the date each got one of those special cards, with last night's special cards telling the winning kissers that they could take one of the girls, or in Peyton's case, boys, to one of those notorious Fantasy Suites for a night of special hanky panky.

David picked Natalie, she being the slutty one Jesse B had finished having his way with. Peyton picked Natalie's ex, Jesse B, who, the morning after the wild night in the Fantasy Suite, explained to Peyton that the reason she was bruised was, "We went at it pretty rough last night." Or words to that effect.

The producer of Bachelor Pad has said that an impregnation took place while Bachelor Bordello Pad was filmed. Is Jesse B the papa to be?

I think it was the winning kisser, David Good, who was a bit non-plussed about the serial kissing contest, due to being a bit of a germaphobe. The reality did come down to the fact that it amounted to kissing every girl and boy in the house.

The Bachelor Padders get way too intense over who is going to get sent home. A lot of yammering about strategy. I don't see a lot of strategy. I don't get how the Bachelor Pad game works. When it is down to 2 remaining how is the winner picked? At some point do the two tribes merge, with only 1 being voted off and that one becoming a member of the jury, ala Survivor?

Anyway, I could only make it through half of last night's Bachelor Pad. I fast forwarded through the rest while I had lunch. By the conclusion of the 2 hours I'd come to the conclusion that that Gia is one dumb chicky. Wes is like Shakespeare, only cuter. And how many times did Gia use the word "amazing" to describe Wes? It was amazing.

I may not watch any more Bachelor Pad. I don't care who wins the money. Or who is the next guy Natalie has her way with. Or who is the next girl Jesse B bruises in an impregnation attempt.

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Lisa Wu Hartwell Out

I don't know why Lisa Wu Hartwell has been removed from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Maybe it's because she'd grown very boring and contrived by the time the second season rolled around.

Of the multiple Bravo Real Housewives franchises I only watch the New York and Atlanta girls. I've seen not a moment of the D.C. Housewives.

Two new housewives will replace Hartwell. One is model Cynthia Bailey. The other is a lawyer named Phaedra Parks.

Bailey is not a wife. She's a single mom who is old friends with old Atlanta Housewife, Nene Leakes. Apparently Cynthia Bailey's plot line involves trying to hold on to her long time boyfriend, who I assume is the father of the child. I'm likely wrong in that assumption.

Phaedra Parks is an entertainment attorney with several high profile clients. She is married to a younger man who has done jail time.

Meanwhile, Kim Zolciak, she of boinking Big Poppa fame, is still saying she is involved with a woman, while she continues to pursue her music career, looking for a follow up hit to Tardy For The Party.

Nene gets a job while her marriage to Greg crumbles to pieces.

Sheree Whitfield has moved on from being a failed high fashion designer, with her She by Sheree line, to now being an actress, likely with success equal to her fashion designing.

Kandi Burruss is still recovering from the murder of her ex-fiance.

Over in the New Jersey Housewives world, Danielle Staub has been removed from the show. I've not watched a complete episode with the New Jersey girls. I find them disturbing. But I have seen enough of Danielle Staub to get why it would be a good idea to get her off TV.

And then we have my favorite housewives, the New York City girls. If Bravo decided to dump Danielle Staub, surely the same boot will be given to Kelly Bensimon. I have seen polls showing viewers find Bensimon far more disturbing that Staub.

Nielsen Rating's Top 20 for August 9 - August 15

The Nielsen Rating's Top 20 TV Shows for August 9 - August 15. The first number is the ranking, the second number is the season average, then the show name and network. The last number represents the number of viewers in millions. An asterisk * indicates a tie.

Rank	Show name	Network	Viewers in millions	Season-to-date average (in millions)
1.	America's Got Talent (Wed)	NBC	10.7	11.9
2.	America's Got Talent (Tues)	NBC	10.5	11.9
3.	NCIS	CBS	8.7	16.8
*	Two and a Half Men	CBS	8.7	13.5
5.	The Big Bang Theory	CBS	8.5	13.2
6.	60 Minutes	CBS	8.4	12.1
7.	Wipeout (Tues.)	ABC	8.0	8.8
8.	Big Brother (Thurs.)	CBS	7.2	7.4
9.	NCIS: Los Angeles	CBS	7.4	14.0
10.	Big Brother (Wed.)	CBS	7.1	7.1
*	Hell's Kitchen	Fox	7.2	7.4
12.	Big Brother (Wed.)	CBS	7.1	7.1
13.	The Mentalist	CBS	7.0	14.4
14.	So You Think You Can Dance (Thurs.)	Fox	6.7	7.6
15.	Criminal Minds	CBS	6.5	5.8
*	Minute to Win It	NBC	6.5	5.8
17.	Bachelor Pad	ABC	6.4	6.4
18.	CSI	CBS	6.3	13.3
19.	Wipeout (Thurs.)	ABC	6.2	8.1
20.	48 Hours Mystery	CBS	6.1	6.1
*	CSI: Miami	CBS	6.1	11.5