Subject: Reality Shows

• Star Stuck: an Update

  June 17, 2008

• Chattanooga Stalks Nashville

  Speaking of nanny state intrusions into our lives (i.e. beer-buying habits), here's another question: Should Nashville force restaurants to post calorie counts on menus? We don't know (or much care), but the Chattanooga Times Free Press does. That newspaper intrudes into our city's affairs today with an editorial headlined "Big Brother Stalks Nashville."

  January 7, 2009

• American Idol's 'Opry Night': Johnny Cash Rolls in Grave

  After watching the video posted above, I can now say with unequivocal certainty that I'm a believer in capital punishment. Tuesday night was "Opry Night" on "American Idol," which featured contestants taking on country classics. As if it isn't bad enough for us to witness the ceaseless bastardization of country music that transpires on a daily basis in our fair city, "American Idol" has done us the service of allowing this Hot-Topified turd, Adam Lambert, to corpse-rape Johnny Cash before ou

  March 19, 2009

• Nuncrackers at The Factory at Franklin

  November 20, 2008

• Ralphie May at Zanies

  November 20, 2008

• Love of Rock

  July 3, 2008

• Words of the Week

  June 5, 2008

• Cool Corporate Tools for the Slacker Generation

  Local author gives advice to people who know more about reality TV than résumé-writing

  January 24, 2008

• Survivor: The Novel

  What happens when the inventor of a reality show gets voted off his own fake island?

  July 26, 2007

• Idol Wild

  Even indie kids love them some American Idol

  July 5, 2007

• Public Art

  May 31, 2007

• UnReal

  Bickering, booze and lusting for stardom at the airport Marriott

  June 8, 2006

• Episode 32

  June 8, 2006

• Taylor-Made Success

  June 1, 2006

• The Prosecution Rests<$>

  The Tennessean's error compounds negative perception of defendant

  March 25, 2004

• Star Stuck

  Heading into its fourth season, Nashville Star is a TV hit—but so far, winning is no guarantee of country fame

  March 16, 2006

• How Could We Be Wrong?

  Which is worse: losing your seat, or losing your mind?

  August 25, 2005

• The Unreal World

  Athens Family Restaurant owner claims "mental anguish," threatens to sue ABC

  May 26, 2005

• Face the Music: Dean Fields

  June 10, 2004

• Death on TV

  What a deposition of Nashville's medical examiner reveals

  April 21, 2005

• Dear Audra

  Former Nashville rock singer Venus Envy finally levels with her rival

  February 17, 2005

• Architects of Success: Don't Let the SongDoor Hit Ya on the Ass on Yer Way Out

  International songwriting competition "SongDoor" has uh, opened its doors for submissions as of yesterday. It's an annual competition that accepts songs from all over, in all categories, with a grand prize that gives the winner a demo recorded in a "hot new recording facility," among other prizes. Songwriting competitions are a dime a dozen, so, if I were a songwriter, I'd be as wary of most of them as any poet ought to be of those poetry website offers. You know, where any would-be wordsmith c

  April 16, 2009

• HEALTH ♦ BEAUTY ♦ FITNESS

  January 13, 2005

• Group Therapy

  Stars and bars

  April 15, 2004

• Trumped Up Charges

  February 19, 2004

• The Now Sound

  Jessica Andrews comes of age

  June 5, 2003

• A Real Piece of Junk

  There’s nothing genuine, or interesting, about The Real Cancun

  May 1, 2003

• Get the Cameras in Here

  An experienced hand finally takes over the film commission, and he plans to court producers posthaste

  April 24, 2003

• A List

  March 20, 2003

• A List

  February 27, 2003

• Same Idea, New Cast

  A new Nashville-based reality show can’t be that bad, right?

  January 30, 2003

• Character Assassination

  Barris memoir plays straight on big screen, making it even crazier

  January 23, 2003

• Gloria Who?

  November 21, 2002

• Reality TV Goes Christian

  Nashville producers create a show with no sex, no drugs and no cussing

  October 3, 2002

• Bubba Goes to Hollywood

  A local documentarian stirs national debate with a reality TV show about hillbillies

  September 5, 2002

• Centers of Attention

  From The Bachelor to Bill Clinton, it seems everyone’s desperate for a little TV exposure

  May 16, 2002

• The Year in TV

  December 6, 2001

• Dead Man Walking...Live!

  By Ben Taylor

  April 19, 2001

• That's The Ticket

  April 12, 2001

• "Top Chef" Tour Pulling into Hillsboro Village on April 24

  With food-TV mania reaching across all ages, maybe the next generation of Transformer action figure will morph from an 18-wheeler into a demonstration kitchen/traveling amphitheater. Oh, wait, that already exists, and it's pulling up to the Belcourt Theatre on Friday, April 24. Nashville is the eighth stop on the 21-city Top Chef tour, and former cheftestants Antonia Lofaso and Ryan Scott are dropping by for a series of cooking demonstrations and tastings in their 44-foot rig, which expand

  April 21, 2009

• O'More Student Fashion Show at TPAC

  May 7, 2009

• John Rich Charged With Assault, Battletapes Update and More: Newsy Bits

  "What do you (allegedly) tell a former Nashville Star contestant with a black eye? Nothing...you done told him once already."* Non-shutter-downer of Detroit John Rich turned himself in to Nashville police yesterday and was charged with assault and harassment for allegedly smacking former Nashville Star contestant Jared Ashley in the face. He posted $3,000 bond. (AP.) * The candles are a bit much--where was this filmed, Pier 1?--and the earrings don't really match the necklace, but Ana Vidovic s

  May 29, 2009

• Dispatch From The Bachelor Tryouts in Cool Springs

  See that rose? You can have one just like it for the low, low price of your dignity.Because Pith is far too manly to admit that we've ever watched ABC's drama-fest The Bachelor, we sent correspondent Kathryn Williams to Cool Springs to cover auditions for the reality show's 14th (!) season. Why did she agree to such an assignment? Because she's got a book to promote! The Lost Summer, her second young adult novel, is the perfect gift for any niece, sister, cousin or inappropriately underage lov

  July 17, 2009

• Who's the Top Master Chef of Top Chef Masters?

  Tonight begins the four episode final arc of this season's abbreviated Top Chef Masters competition. Unlike the regular Top Chef, which is populated with some creative up-and-comers, or the frightening Hell's Kitchen, whose contestants often look like they couldn't boil water, TCM brings the heat every week. What began with 24 renowned chefs is down to the six semi-finalists. The final sextet is made up of more than just celebrity cheftestants. These folks can really cook! Most of them own and

  July 29, 2009

• Ralphie May at Zanies

  November 19, 2009

• Bo Bice Fan Club Christmas Party at The Rutledge

  December 10, 2009

• Golden Nugget: Christmas in the Name Of

  If you follow music stories out there in the blogosphere, then you're sure to have heard about Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" taking the No. 1 spot on the British charts in this, the week leading up to Christmas. The song, which was a hit for the band in 1992, accomplished such a feat by selling 500,000 copies (via download) as a result of a grassroots Facebook campaign to end Simon Cowell's annual yuletide reign over the British charts. For the last few years Cowell's Idol-e

  December 21, 2009

• DJ Pauly D from MTV's Jersey Shore finds a little slice of Newark on Second Avenue

  January 28, 2010

• Headline Homes: An American Idol contender buys, a former Titan sells as we survey Nashville's hottest, highest home sales for January 2010

  February 11, 2010

• Morning Roundup: Would You Like Some Cocaine With Your Big Gulp?

  The new (improved?) guns-in-bars bill is locked and loaded, as far as a House committee is concerned. ... TSU's got some explaining to do to keep its accreditation. ... Rep. Frank Niceley's bill to reapportion congressional districts every two years dies in a tie vote. Hat tip: Kleinheider. ... Police bust a Jefferson Street market for allegedly selling pot, cocaine and ecstasy. Whew, we were afraid they might be selling wine. ... Mayor Dean sentences Nashville to three consecutive years of acou

  March 11, 2010