Pageant coming back in revised version
Miss America is set to return to television – as a reality show.
ABC dropped the pageant last year because of low ratings, but organizers have signed a deal with the William Morris agency to develop a new version.
For a series of six or seven episodes, film crews will train their lenses on contestants in regional competitions as they hone their interview skills, tone their glutei, and cry with joy and/or despair on their way to the live finale.
Rather than coming in at the tail end with the 10 finalists, said Mark McMaster, the pageant’s president and chief executive officer, “We have to show their backgrounds, their strengths, their fears and ambitions, so there’s a connection between the TV set and America.”
Possibilities for the revised version are such cable outlets as A&E, USA, TNT, Oxygen and E!
Underwood tops ‘Idol’ odds
Carrie Underwood, the 21-year-old Oklahoma native with a voice made for country, is the favorite to win this year’s “American Idol” competition, according to online oddsmakers BetWWTS.com.
The odds, established after the first set of “Idol” eliminations last Wednesday night, have Underwood as an 11/4 favorite. Mario Vazquez, a 27-year-old New Yorker who wowed the judges with a Michael Jackson cover, was the second pick with 7/2 odds. Anwar Robinson and Vonzell Solomon were a joint third choice at 6/1.
The next round of performances begins tonight with four more eliminations set for Wednesday.
Hawk to die on ‘CSI: Miami’
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is set to turn up on CBS’ Monday night drama “CSI: Miami” – as a corpse.
In the episode, set to air March 21, Hawk will play Jake Sullivan, a skater and video game tester whom the CSI crew believes may have been murdered. This leads the team deep into the world of video game production.
Hawk’s real-life video game series is one of the most popular in the business. His list of television guest starring appearances includes “The Simpsons,” “LAX” and “Complete Savages.”
‘CSI,’ meet ‘Kill Bill’
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is going to get the Quentin Tarantino touch.
The “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction” director, who occasionally drops in on television, will direct the hourlong season finale of the CBS crime drama.
He’s also helping create the story, in which a member of the “CSI” team faces danger, the network said. An air date wasn’t announced.
Tarantino had a recurring guest role on the ABC spy saga “Alias” and directed an episode of NBC’s “ER.”