'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' premieres with Sanjaya

Since his quest to become the next American Idol back in 2007 didn't pan out the way he wanted it to, Sanjaya's quest to become the champ of NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! began last night with much more attainable odds for an actual victory for the faux-hawked one. Watch a pre-season impromptu interview of Sanjaya on his way to the jungles of Costa Rica:

Sanjaya is playing for Shriners Hospital for Children TBC as his charity. Other celebrities starring this season include Frangela, Stephen Baldwin and, until today, Spencer and Heidi Pratt. The stars of MTV's The Hills dropped out after being embarrassed to be spending time with the likes of "reality stars," which they apparently think they are not.

If this is any indication of how the season will go, it looks like Sanjaya might have an easy trek to the top of the ticket.

I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here airs Mondays through Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET and will wrap up with a finale on Wed., June 24.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Sanjaya + Blago + Costa Rica = Good TV? NBC thinks so...

The latest Idol alum to sign on to another reality series is none other than Season 6's Sanjaya Malakar. It was only two years ago that he was sent packing from the show after weeks of controversy from the media at large, but Sanjaya apparently feels it is the right time to return to the small screen.

Access Hollywood reports that everyone's favorite fauxhawk-sporting Washington state resident will appear on NBC's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which is set to premiere on Mon., June 1. Other celebrities slated to star on the monthlong extravaganza are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV's The Hills, Janice Dickinson and disgraced former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Well it's good to know that Sanjaya will be in good company.

The premise of the show is that the unsuspecting celebs will be dropped in an undisclosed location (this time, the jungles of Costa Rica) and they will be challenged to make their way back to civilization. Sounds like an adventure!

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Heidi Montag made it to Hollywood..in 2004

Yes, it's true. The star of MTV's The Hills tells J-14 magazine that she actually made it to the Hollywood round in 2004 for what would have been Season 4. As dug up by veronicamarsfan on IDF, according to the summer 2007 issue of the magazine:

Heidi Montag has proudly admitted that she, among the likes of William Hung, is an American Idol reject! Montag, who stars on MTV's hit show "The Hills" with Lauren Conrad, says "I auditioned for American Idol in late 2004 in San Francisco, but my audition and Hollywood performances never aired on TV," laughed Heidi.

When asked what Simon Cowell said to her about her singing, she joked, saying, "He thought I was horrible and he made me cry! No, but seriously, when I first auditioned, the judges didn't really like me. Simon said I was just another pretty girl with an okay voice. Randy said that I was better than most of the people they had seen in San Francisco. Paula said she was on the fence, but I seriously got down on my knees and begged her and she finally said yes. But it didn't matter because I ended up getting cut on the first day of Hollywood. I was really upset, but I got over it because I had just moved to San Francisco to start a new life."

It's a sad fact that Heidi will never have the chance to grace the Idol stage, but something tells IDOL LIVE that this is a good thing. America was spared seeing this on its TV screens.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...