Big Brother Craze

..,rumor mill keeps on burnin… ROLLIN… ROLLIN… Rollin on the 9th season…
(Doot doot do do doot doo…)

Ahem. Sorry, bout that, I couldn’t resist channeling a little Tina. The rumor mills are still going strong concerning Big Brother 9 - the commercials asking for applications are still playing, the open calls are still going on in select cities, and though there was a new contract placed on the table today, the Writer’s Strike is still going strong.

So what’s all that mean? Networks are going to run out of scripted shows. There’s nothing they can do to change that without, you know, coming to terms and stopping the strike - and while on one hand it sucks the big one, on the other, things are looking brighter and brighter for an early season of Big Brother!

In fact, it seems over at BB9Dish, Carolyn has got a new rumor/scoop posted yesterday that if true, well! It will make for a very interesting season.

Or an annoying one. Whatever. Here’s what she got in her email:

The season will be called, “HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES”. It will be 6 celebrities (paid a handsome fee for their appearance) and 6 non-celebrities. The celebrities would live in plush surroundings at one end of the house and the non-celebrities would live in the other end in “basic” surroundings, complete with mechanical rats and roaches. They unwittingly vote each other to move back and forth between the areas until they are merged. Alice Cooper is one of the celebrities under consideration-so is George Michael. 3 nights a week starting Sunday Jan. 13, right after AMAZING RACE finale.

….Alice Cooper and George Michael? Oh my. And Evel Dick posted on his MySpace that when he went to an open casting call to check it out and say hello to folks, Joey Buttafucco was there, which Joey confirmed in an article posted in part at Reality BBQ:

“Joey Buttafuoco was one of about 70 houseguest hopefuls who participated in an open casting call this weekend in Los Angeles for CBS’ Big Brother. While waiting in line before his audition, Buttafuoco chatted with BB8 winner Dick Donato (yep, he was there, too). “I support the writers strike because they’re entitled to get what they work for,” said the 52-year-old, who’s appeared in such films as Finding Forrester and Mafia Movie Madness. “I don’t believe in crossing the picket line or anything like that because this program isn’t going to be happening for quite some time. Am I right?”

Nope, Joey, I think you’re wrong. Clearly Celebrities would mean D list (Where’s Kathy Griffith? Now THAT would be fun!) or worse. Or, the occasional b-list model, as one of the comments at BB9Dish said:

Joanna Krupa, a B list model, was on Howard Stern a couple of weeks ago. She said she was going to be on a major reality show on a major network but couldn’t give anymore details about it. Joanna is also Janelle’s #1 myspace friend. I have no doubt in my mind she’ll be on the new BB.

Of course, the other date everyone is flinging around with glee is February 7th. Keep in mind that CBS has refused to either confirm or deny any of this! All we have is their casting director’s assurance on her MySpace blog that they are indeed coming back early for BB9 and to get their applications in ASAP.

And hey - That’s not ALL the rumors - here’s even MORE about possible twists….

So - if that is INDEED what the new season will entail, what’s your take on it? Love it? Hate it? CAN’T WAIT for Big Brother no matter WHAT twist Grodner puts on it all? Hit the comments button and let me know! On your mark, get set…. Discuss!

Oh stop - you know what I mean! Mike, the quiet man who ate much meat while in the house - was nice enough to sit down and answer some questions for all of us here at Big Brother Craze! It struck me, as I emailed back and forth, that he simply is what he seemed to be - a really nice guy, with integrity and confidence. Read on - I’m sure you’ll agree!

1. How did you come to be chosen for Big Brother 8? Were you a recruit, or apply as a fan of the show - what can you tell us of the process that got you there?
I simply saw an ad on the internet for a reality show, applied for it, and next thing I knew was being called in for an interview. I found out it was for BB, and having watched the past 2 seasons of it, was interested in advancing through to being on the show.

2. What kind of strategy did you enter the house with, and would you do differently if you had the chance?
I went into the house trying to get to know everyone as best I could, and asking them lots of questions. I would pay particularly close attention and compare questions that they would more likely tell the truth on vs. ones where they were more likely to lie about. At the same time I would also study their body language. This could be used later on during the show when asking questions to determine if they were lying or not so I knew where to place my trust. I wouldn’t have done anything differently if given the chance.

3. What were you thoughts when the enemies twist was revealed? How scared were you that one of YOUR enemies would be walking down those stairs? Relieved when they weren’t? Did the knowledge of the enemies/people who knew each other change your strategy at all?
I wasn’t scared in the least bit that I would have an enemy coming down those stairs. I just don’t have people out there that I hate or hate me. The enemies twist immediately made my strategy turn to eliminating one member from each group of three enemies for fear that they would all have a common bond in the house (regardless if enemies or not at that point) and join forces against the rest.

4. After leaving the house, how much of the show did you watch? Did you watch BBAD or the feeds?
I only watch about a half dozen shows. I did watch some BBAD but no live feeds. My schedule was and still is quite busy, which didn’t allow me much time to dive into the shows.

5. One thing almost all houseguests have in common, is that they think they aren’t portrayed correctly on the network shows. How do you feel CBS portrayed you?
Poorly. Many interactions whether it be conversations, ideas, strategies, revelations, activities including dates with the girls simply wasnt aired. Unless someone is in a power postition or their decision is going to have a drastic impact in the house it wasnt aired. So I looked like a mystery man to most when in fact I wasnt in the least bit.

6. Do you think they portrayed the other houseguests fairly?
I think everyone at some point during the game was portrayed differently. Some not as severe as others.

7. Could you describe each houseguest for us as one who knows them better then we could?
Carol - sweet
Joe - loud
Nick - athletic
Kail - hearty
Dustin - aloof
Jen - optimistic
Amber - emotional
Jessica - lofty
Eric - sly
Jameka - genuine
Zach - smart
Daniele - pompous
Dick - unreserved

8. You had the unique perspective of seeing the America’s Player twist played out from outside of the house since your early eviction. What do you think of the twist, and how Eric shouldered the load of AP?
I didn’t think the twist was a huge wow factor by any means. But, I do think Eric did a good job of manipulating others during the game. There were some tasks that seemed very unchallenging though and almost handed to him.

(more…)

Be sure to check out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning, too! Eric, Jessica and Dustin will be there, and around 9:20 am (EST) they’ll be interviewed by the one, the only, Neil Patrick Harris! (If you live under a rock - NPH was Doogie Howser, and currently starts on How I Met Your Mother.)

Erick, Jessica and Dustin will be sitting in the VIP section to enjoy the parade. I’ll be on the lookout for clips of their interview (so someone, capture and upload, huh?) and will share it if I find it.

Don’t miss it! And from Big Brother Craze - have a wonderful holiday! Be safe out there!

Edited to add:
For those of you popping by and searching for the youtube of the event - here ya go!

..watching tonight’s Survivor: China, and what to my wandering eyes should appear? No, not Santa, but a gift none the less! With all the rumors, and the talks, and the strike, and the steadfast refusal of CBS to confirm or deny, and the slip of Robin Kass, Casting director on her Myspace… THIS is the one thing that made me go “ohhhh you know, maybe it’s really TRUE!”

What was it? A commercial asking for applications for Big Brother 9! In my experience, those only show up a couple months before the premiere of a new season – especially when in conjunction with fired up Casting Calls across the country!

With the latest press release, it also confirmed that Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan would again be at the reigns as Executive Producers, and our favorite Chen-bot would return as host. I do hope they have enough time to program her correctly!

Also announced, to my delight, is that Big Brother 9 “will follow a group of strangers” – which means no celebrity edition! So here’s hoping that all this is indeed pointing to an early run of our favorite addiction! Here is the latest list of casting calls:

BIG BROTHER 9 CASTING CALL - Dates/Cities/Locations and Local Times:

Nov. 17 Los Angeles - Exclusive Casting Studios, 7700 Sunset Blvd. (12 Noon-3 PM)
Nov. 17 Columbia, S.C. - WLTX-TV, 6027 Garners Ferry Road (10 AM-2 PM)
Nov. 18 New York - NY Castings, 243 West 30th Street, 3rd. Floor (12 Noon-8 PM)
Nov. 23 Houston - Meridien, 1503 Chartres St. (7PM-10PM)
Dec. 1 Houston - Moes Grill & Bar, 5000 Katy Mills Circle (2PM-5PM)
Dec. 1 Schaumburg, IL- Woodfield Mall, “Cool Waves” Nordstrom lower level (12PM-3PM)
Dec. 1 Atlanta -America’s Mart, 240 Peachtree Street 1st Fl. Rm. A (12 PM-3 PM)
Dec. 1 Brooklyn, NY - Duff’s Brooklyn, N. 3rd Street & Kent Avenue (7 PM-10 PM)
Dec. 1 Charlotte, N.C. - Cans, 500 West 5th Street (12 PM-3 PM)
Dec. 1 Chicago - Ontourage, 157 W. Ontario Street (10 PM-12:00 AM)
Dec. 1 Hillsboro, Ore. - The Streets of Tanasbourne 19350 NW Emma Way, (12 PM-3 PM)
Dec. 1 Kansas City, MO -Screenlands Crossroads Theater, 1656 Washington St. (1 PM-4 PM)
Dec. 7 Columbus, Ohio - Spice Bar, 491 N. Park Street (10 PM-12:00 AM)
Dec. 7 Scottsdale, Ariz. - Suede Lounge, 7333 E. Indian Plaza (12 PM-3 PM)
Dec. 8 Boston - Felt, 533 Washington Street 3rd & 4th Floor (12:00 Noon -3 PM)
Dec. 8 Broomfield, Colo. - FlatIron Crossing, 1 West FlatIron Crossing Drive In the Dillard’s Court (10 AM-1 PM)
Dec. 8 Columbus, Ohio - Park Street Patio, 533 Park Street (2 PM - 5 PM)
Dec. 8 Tampa, Fla. - The Dubliner Irish Pub, 2307 W. Azeele Street (12 PM- 3PM)

What do you need to bring? Your application, filled out, and your winning personality. Good luck!

So – in light of all of that? Dig the new banner, kids. When I know more for sure, you’ll know too!

Here it is, at long last! We all know how busy our America’s Player has been since leaving the house, with all the interviews and making appearances with Jessica all over the place, winning giant martini glasses, and such - so it’s no surprise that he took a little longer then planned to get back to me. However - as we saw all summer long, Eric is a man of his word, and as such as answered all my questions in depth and personally.

No wonder we love him! So here you go, the Summer of BB8, in Eric’s own words (as led - er, questioned - by me, of course!) Enjoy!

BBC: As a ridiculously knowledgeable Big Brother Fan, what was your original strategy before finding out about the America’s Player twist?

Eric: Actually, I was still able to execute many of the basic strategy points that I planned to implement.

A) Wait as long as possible to make an alliance
B) Use the first 2 weeks to protect myself with the HoH while working hard/playing hard/being non-threatening
C) Forging relationships with as many other houseguests as humanly possible (allowing me options later on, as the game is ever-shifting)
D) Come across as a jokester & not a physical threat, so that people wouldn’t see me coming when I made my moves later in the game
E) Always be a part of the majority (as well as the majority within that majority). I consider it a sliding scale of alliances. Be a part of the group in control of the house (ie the LNC’s original 7), but within that group have the majority of 4-5 people, and within that 4-5 have a three, and within that 3 have a two (for example within the original 7 there was the 5 of us that were closer, then me/jess/jameka, then me/jess…obviously this shifted midway through the game)
F) Don’t be afraid to make a big move that shakes up the game

BBC: How did they present the option to you - did you think even for a second of turning AP down? Was Samantha, who we saw in previews but never entered the house, your replacement if you had said no? (SOMEONE has to know who this girl was! I’m betting on you…)

Eric: First of all, absolutely no clue who Samantha is/was, haha. (BBC: DANG IT! Who WAS this girl?!) I found out about the twist roughly 3 days before the show began. I did indeed go through the complete casting process just like everyone else…trust me, this was a bigger shock to me than anyone! The executive producers brought a packet of info to my hotel room and asked me to look it over. I never considered turning it down for a second…I was thrilled and honored to be selected for the show and was ready to fill whatever role they had in mind for me.

BBC: How much of the show have you been able to catch up on? Network, Feeds (via YouTube or refeeds), BBAD, the gazillion of Tribute videos for both you and Jessica?

Eric: I’ve made it through about 2/3 of the episodes so far. Honestly, once you’ve lived it - it’s a tad anticlimatic to watch. Naturally I’ve always loved the show, so that’s not the problem. It’s just that watching 3 hours a week can never compare to living all of the drama 24-7. Jessica & I both love the tributes. They really are a ton of fun to watch - it’s a great reminder of how much fun and happiness we truly shared in the house. It’s our own version of a scrapbook of memories!

BBC: Many houseguests of all seasons think they aren’t shown as they really are on the network shows - how do you feel CBS portrayed you? The other houseguests?

Eric: I think the portrayal was accurate, but not nearly as dimensional as it could have been. For me, so much of what was shown was related to AP that I don’t think people got to see some of the other sides of me on CBS (sense of humor, passion for the show, knowledge/strategic value).

(more…)

You know everyone is talking about it, everyone is hoping, everyone is speculating – will there or will there not be a Big Brother 9 as early as February? Will it be a normal one, or a celebrity bitch fest? WHEN WILL THEY TELL US?

Well – It seems there’s a bit of a scoop posted over on Zach’s blog by his friend Mike – you’ll have to take it for what it is (hearsay!) but perhaps he’s not messing with us… MAYBE IT’S TRUE and oh my goodness how cool would THAT be?

Big Brother 9 Confirmed
By Sysop
November 9, 2007

In a conversation today with Robyn Kass of Kassting Inc the primary casting agency for Big Brother, it was confirmed that Big Brother will commence in February.

They are very busy at casting the show as I write this and Robyn asked me to pass on the word to get your applications in or contact her at her website, http://kasstinginc.com/ .

I asked Robyn during our conversation if the Big Brother rumors were speculation or was there a basis in fact? Robyn replied “We are casting with the thought in mind that the house guests would move into the house during the first week of February.

I can not quote on the following, but my feelings are it will be a normal Big Brother, not a Celebrity Big Brother and it is a strong possiblility that the summer Big Brother will also take place.
Mike

Ooooooooh just the thought makes me giddy, how about you?! Soon as I hear more, I’ll post more!

And no, this time I’m not talking ‘bout sex (baby, let’s talk about you AND me… er. Uh. Sc’use me.) but rather about the Hollywood Writer’s strike that’s due to start tomorrowish. What’s that got to do with Big Brother? Well! Two little sentences in a recent article by Variety TV, posted on November 2nd, has people in an uproar.

The article talks about the fall launch of Network TV and how it’s not really been the high note that the big networks expected it to be, and many of the head honcho’s are worried about what the strike will mean to Network TV.

“It’s been an abysmal season,” says one entertainment president. “What ultimately worries me about a strike is, are we hastening the narrowing of network TV? If we have to put up a sign that says ‘gone fishing,’ luring viewers back is going to be even more difficult.”

Sunday night, CBS showed that they’d already gone to their best bench players, and started Amazing Race – the Emmy winning race around the world. While it’s not been a complete disaster, the season may have been disappointing enough to have some execs looking for a ‘mid-season do-over’.

For CBS, our favorite network here at Big Brother Craze for obvious reasons, They’ve had some solid hits, and a few ok’s, and they’re pretty content with the numbers so far, but they do have midseason plans. There’s 48 hours mystery shows plus game shows and such waiting in the wings. In January they’ll have to fill various time slots, Kid Nation, and for a few weeks, Survivor while we’re between seasons. The contingency plan is what the Big Brother Fans in a buzz – two little lines:

Then there’s “Big Brother.” Summer staple could easily return as soon as March — maybe even with a long-rumored celebrity edition.

While the thought of a celebrity edition makes me want to throw up a little – depending on the definition of ‘celebrity’ and all – the thought of an additional run of Big Brother as soon as March? THIS makes me GIDDY and all kinds of tingly and happy!

Now it does continue to say that launching a new comedy night might be easier – but we can always hope, right?!

Advice for Applying for BB9!
So, you think you have what it takes to be locked in a house with strangers to strategize your way to winning $100k? Great! Little confused about the whole application, or want that all important insider information? Well, the folks over at Reality Wanted totally have your back! They posted an interview with BB Casting Director, Robyn Kass yesterday, getting all the scoop on what they’re looking for and what NOT to do while applying.

Boogie arrested!
Reports say that Mike ‘Boogie’ Malin was arrested in Denver at a sports bar after getting into an altercation with a woman! Apparently the big bone of contention? The fact that he was wearing his Boston Red Sox jersey, while the Rockies lost the World Series in a 4 game sweep. There’s little to be found in the way of further details, just that he was celebrating the win, and spent 15 hours in jail before making bail, for “Allegedly assaulting a waitress at a local sports bar.” His PR group says they’re working with the legal team to handle the ‘misunderstanding’.

Are the Dastardly Donatos still talking?
According to their postings on MySpace, Evel Dick and Daniele Donato are still on good terms, and on October 31st, hopped a flight to Europe, headed to celebrate their win in Dublin with some of ED’s friends. A last minute decision, they both said that’s the way they prefer to travel, and that things are going well with them. They text often, talk often and get together for the occasional meal and random flight overseas. Guess being locked up together for months and winning $550k goes a long way toward mending relationships!

Surprises
Yup. Still coming. At this point I’ll be just as surprised as you when they occur….