Further evidence that reality TV is on thin ice
FORGET DANCE STEPS – these stars better brush up on their triple loops. Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton will host Fox’s “Skating With Celebrities,” which will pair six screen personalities with six professional figure skaters.
Dave Coulier, Bruce Jenner, Todd Bridges, Kristy Swanson, Deborah Gibson and Jillian Barberie will be paired with skating stars including Nancy Kerrigan, Tai Babilonia and Kurt Browning for the six-episode competition.
Olympic gold medalist Dorothy Hamill will be among the judges.
“No doubt there will be plenty of falls, bruises and scary moments,” said Mike Darnell, Fox’s executive vice president of alternative programming.
“This competition will require our celebrity skaters to not only demonstrate rhythm, but also athleticism, grace and balance … on ice, and before a team of unforgiving judges with both Olympic and world championship experience,” Darnell said.
Fox didn’t announce when the show will premiere.
Jonesing for the stars
Star Jones Reynolds is returning to the red carpet for the prime-time Emmys.
For the second year, Reynolds, a co-host on ABC’s “The View,” again will host E! Entertainment Television’s arrivals show, “Live From the Red Carpet,” Sept. 18 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
In addition to the Emmys, Reynolds has hosted E!’s coverage of the Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Rancic: I’m fired
Bill Rancic, winner of the first season of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” says he’ll stop working for Donald Trump when his contract ends in March.
“I’m gonna go out and start another business of my own,” said Rancic, who has been overseeing construction of the 90-story Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. “That’s in my blood.”
He also said there are plans for him to appear in the fourth and fifth seasons of “The Apprentice,” in which contestants use their business savvy to compete for a job with Trump. The fourth season premieres Sept. 22.
She’ll probably be the teacher’s pet
Monica Lewinsky has been accepted for a one-year master’s degree course at the London School of Economic and Political Science.
Lewinsky, a former White House intern whose affair with Bill Clinton nearly brought down his presidency, will be working on a degree in social psychology.
Make that No. 67 with a bullet
Rolling Stone will publish a note written by gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson shortly before he committed suicide in February.
Written in black marker, the note is titled “Football Season Is Over” – a reference by avid NFL fan Hunter to the recently concluded Super Bowl.
It reads: “No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. … No Fun – for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax – This won’t hurt.”
Thompson shot himself four days later at his home in Aspen, Colo., after weeks of pain from a host of physical problems that included a broken leg and a hip replacement.
The birthday bunch
Actor Cliff Robertson (“Spider-Man”) is 80. Actor Topol (“Fiddler on the Roof”) is 70. Actor Hugh Grant is 45. Actor-comedian Adam Sandler is 39. Actor Goran Visnjic (“ER”) is 33. Actress Michelle Williams (“Dawson’s Creek”) is 25.