VH1 to resume "Surreal Life" w/Charo, Flava Flav, a New Kid, etc.
“The Surreal Life” Premieres Its Third Season On VH1 Sunday September 5

Let the games begin! “The Surreal Life” has started production on its third season and has welcomed an all-new cast, including Charo (“cuchi-cuchi!”), Dave Coulier (Full House), Flava Flav (Public Enemy), Jordan Knight (New Kids On The Block), Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) and Ryan Starr (American Idol). The cast was introduced to one another and their new home earlier today. This group of pop culture originals will play house in a Hollywood mansion and have their lives videotaped 24/7. Known for its unique personality pairings and its hilarious situations, “The Surreal Life” promises to deliver yet another season of talked-about television. The first season of “The Surreal Life” featured such incredible pairings as Gabrielle Carteris, M.C. Hammer, Vince Neil, Corey Feldman, Emmanuel Lewis, Jeri Manthey and Brande Roderick; while the second season featured Traci Bingham, Ron Jeremy, Tammy Faye Baker, Trishelle Cannatella, Erik Estrada and Vanilla Ice.

Six Pop Culture Originals:

Charo - A pure pop culture original. A master of the flamenco guitar, she made the most “Love Boat” appearances ever - and nobody understood one word she said! Dave Coulier - You Ought To Know he was Alanis Morissette’s inspiration for that smash hit! Uncle Joey from Full House is bringing all the voices in his head with him. Flava Flav - The “OG” hip-hop pioneer of Public Enemy. He’s back and he’s still got the clock! Jordan Knight - The original boy band-er. Once a “New Kid” he is taking a shot at the “Surreal Life” before his first national solo tour. Brigitte Nielsen - The original female action star! At over six feet tall, Red Sonja looks great when she kicks butt with or without her clothes. Ryan Starr - From the original American Idol. She’s 22 and still the hottest woman to ever sing for Simon. What a Surreal collection! “Surreal Life is executive produced by Mark Cronin, Jill Modabber and Jeff Olde for VH1.

Spike TV's Joe Schmo 2 debuts tonight
Tonight (Tuesday) at 10 p.m. ET, Spike TV debuts a second season of its spoof reality TV show. Joe Schmo 2 tackles relationship reality TV shows as it fools two people into thinking that they're on a real reality TV show, not a fake show populated entirely by actors. Jane Schmo, aka Ingrid Wiese, who holds a master's in international relations from Syracuse, tells the Seattle P-I that being tricked "was a little embarrassing, but it's been a great experience so far." She wasn't even angry: "I feel like I'm really lucky to have been on this show, as opposed to a lot of the other shows that are out there, because I don't think this show was making fun of the people who were on the show, but the genre itself."

Burnett's Casino Series Premieres

Tuesday night is the series premiere of Mark Burnett's The Casino. It's on at 9:00 ET/PT (check local listings, etc.) on Fox. Of course with so little unscripted/reality TV on these days and the many hours when there's nothing on worth watching, it's scheduled opposite For Love or Money. The Casino is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at life in Las Vegas. Let's hope Burnett's magic touch continues and this turns out to be another hit in his string of hits.

Burnett Wants To Produce Rob & Amber's Wedding
Survivor All-Stars couple Amber Brkich and Rob Mariano may have their nuptials aired on TV, a la Trista and Ryan, if Mark Burnett has his way. Rob tells The Boston Globe as part of its profile of the couple that "Mark Burnett is very interested in producing our wedding." Burnett doesn't deny that: "Obviously, the wolves are circling around them, trying to profit from young love. They understand the dangers. If the wedding reveals them to be the funny, vulnerable, and interesting people that I know them to be, away from the Machiavellian game, then people will come to like the at-home Rob and Amber. I don't want it to be some reality television farce. I would like to work with them and protect them." Don't expect a special this fall, though, as they don't have wedding plans yet. Amber says, "We don't care about being hot." But they are taking advantage of their current hotness: Rob says that they "fly everywhere first class, get put up in the penthouse suite, people offer us huge sums of money just to show up at places -- you would be stupid to turn that down."