Big Brother Craze

..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!