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Thursday, July 17, 2008
7/17: Idol gets five Emmy nominations, Idol auditions begin today, Kimberly Caldwell’s new gig
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“American Idol,” as usual, was nominated for best reality program. For the past five years, it has lost out to “The Amazing Race.” The show has one just one Emmy for a lesser category. The other three shows are the same as last year: “Dancing With the Stars,” “Top Chef” and “Project Runway.”
I am a huge fan of “The Amazing Race.” It wins because it’s an amazingly difficult show to shoot and intricately paced and choreographed. And it’s fun. It has never been a huge hit but draws a fairly steady fan base. “Idol,” seen singularly out of context, simply isn’t as impressive as “Amazing” to voters, especially those that probably don’t watch it.
The Emmy folks created a new category for best reality show host and naturally, Ryan Seacrest is nominated. He has a solid chance of beating out Jeff Probst (“Survivor”), Tom Bergeron (“Dancing With the Stars”), Heidi Klum (“Project Runway”) and Howie Mandel (“Deal or No Deal’).
I wrangled a canned quote from Mr. Seacrest via his assistant:
“I am grateful to be nominated in this new category and am thrilled that the academy is continuing to recognize unscripted programs. I am looking forward to attending and covering the red carpet so I can ask Tom Bergeron who he is wearing.”
-And it’s hard to believe but “Idol” has already started auditions today in San Francisco. Atlanta, as noted, is not part of the itinerary this year. For folks in this town who want to audition, the closest city is Jacksonville, Fla. Get more info here.
-Here’s some interesting factoids about Jason Castro. He’s really not a dope. He got a solid 1340 on his SATs and went to Texas A&M on a petroleum engineering scholarship. More here.
-Season two’s Kimberly Caldwell, who has made a nice niche for herself as a host on two shows on TV Guide Channel, has a major hosting gig with CBS’s upcoming show “Jingles.” And yes, the show is about folks coming up with catchy jingles. (See the cross-promotional advertising possibilities!). Gene Simmons will be a judge. It’s always good to see a female host. She should do a good job. Launch date has not been set.
