This Is Platinum Hit

     Bravo's newest reality competition show is Platinum Hit. With echoes of Project Runway in the manner in which the contest happens, though every week is group work week, Platinum Hit sets itself apart from the other music competitions like American Idol and The Voice because contestants are judged not on how well they sing, but on how good they are at writing songs. The series begins with 12 hopefuls, and in the first contest, each are assigned thirty minutes to write a tag for a piece about Los Angeles. Four tags are chosen, and then those four winners choose two others to help them write a full song based on the tag, with eight hours to do so. The four trios perform their songs, and the judges send one contestant home. They are told that every week will be a collaborative effort, though it's probably safe to assume that won't be the case once the field narrows considerable.

     The results are mixed, though some pretty decent music comes out of the challenge. The winning song, conceived by Nick Nittoli, is wonderful, as is the runner up. But the two songs in the bottom are both dreadful, drawing a distinctive line in the sand. A contestant is eliminated from the losing team. While the two assistants try to pin the blame on the guy that wrote the original tag, host Jewell has none of it, demanding to know what each member contributed, and reminding them that all of them have responsibilities. Ultimately, the one that goes home is the guy who contributed very little, Nevin James, rather than the team leader.

     The host of Platinum Hit is Jewell, and she is tough as nails. Not only does she work with the contestants to explain the challenges, but she also sits with the judges and freely comments. She is outspoken, but fair. While in other reality shows the host is not really a participant, it is already clear this will not be the case with Jewell, and why not? She knows the industry, and what it takes to make it.

     Kara DioGuardi, who you may remember as an American Idol judge, shines much brighter in this series. She is a song writer herself, and really brings that knowledge and talent together in a way that will help these aspiring authors. Without having to compete with Simon and Randy, knowing she is the main voice of the judging table, Kara comes across as much more competent than in her previous television work. While Jewell is also a strong voice, the two have a good chemistry and working relationship, and these women run this show. In fact, it's hard to even remember after who the other judges are.

     The contestants are mostly complete unknowns, though a few have some visible work. Scotty Granger has been on Wipeout and The One: Making a Music Star, so he's practically a professional reality TV contestant. Amber Ojeda was in several episodes of Veronica Mars as different characters, and then recently appeared in an episode of Terriers. Jackie Tohn has the longest credit list, with spots on CSI: NY, Memphis Beat, The Closer, Angel, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Veronica Mars, Strangers With Candy, The Nanny, and The Sopranos, as well as making it Hollywood on American Idol's eighth season.

     This series is new, original, and has fresh voices. While some of the gooy Bravo directing and music bring it down slightly, it is worth watching this summer, far better than The Voice or other reality shows. Give it a chance. Platinum Hit airs Mondays nights at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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     Click here to watch the first episode of Platinum Hit streaming for free, and click here to buy the music featured this week.

Thinervention With Jack Warner

    Two years ago, Bravo canceled a popular show called Work Out amid much controversy and drama, cause by comments that may or may not have been said by trainer and owner Jackie Warner about a breast cancer survivor's implants. While much about what happened hasn't been revealed publicly, it meant the end to one of the few reality shows I enjoyed and watched. Now, however, Jackie has returned with a new show called Thintervention With Jackie Warner on the same network.

     The new show differs quite a bit from the old one. Sky Sport Spa, Jackie's gym, is no longer the setting, though she has a new gym. All of the other trainers, who created such interesting drama, are also gone, replaced by one assistant, Craig Ramsay, who appeared very little in the first episode, and only in the context of helping train. Similarly, there is also a therapist, but she is shown only while in session.

     In fact, the focus has shifted from the people doing the training to the trainees themselves. Eight clients are trying to loose varying amount of weight. One some viewers may recognize as former cast member Jeana Keough from another Bravo show, Real Housewives of Orange County, now divorced and plumped up. I never watched her former show, so I don't know how she currently compares to when she was last seen, but that's the impression given by her conversations so far. The other contestants were no one I had heard of or seen before. Jeana seems to have a bit of a crush on fellow contestant Joe, but the only one that stood out to me in the pilot is Nikki, a frequent smoker and drinker who does not wish to give up the lifestyle.

     As far as reality shows go, this one is typical. Meaning, I will not be watching it. But if you are into weight loss types of programs, this one may be fore you. Thintervention With Jackie Warner airs Mondays nights at 10pm on Bravo.

Article first published as TV Review: Thintervention With Jackie Warner on Blogcritics.

Kathy Griffin's Life on the See-List

       Six seasons in, with a couple of Emmys under her belt to show for it, can Kathy Griffin really still claim she's a D-List celebrity?  Isn't she at least B or C list by now?  Sure, she does crass, embarrassing things to help her keep that status, but I don't think she shocks anyone any longer with anything that she does.  I think it's time for an upgrade, and perhaps even a title change for her popular series.

     We're already six episodes into Season Six, and Kathy has had quite a bit of entertaining adventure already.  And not only that, she's been pretty serious.  In last night's episode, she publicly had a pap smear poolside at a hotel to raise awareness for women's health.  Last week, we saw her hold a rally in Washington D.C. to support the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in our military.  Admittedly, she got her vagina waxed and vajazzled before the pap smear.  She also called the Majority Whip a Queen.  She's still Kathy, and Kathy has to be zany.  However, these were important topics that she devoted real effort to working on.  While many of the things she does are just publicity stunts, those two were meant to accomplish something more than just get her in papers.  And I'm sure they did, though it's hard to measure on woman's efforts in a widespread, slowly occurring change.  I definitely give her an A for effort.

     Now lest you think Kathy has become a tireless crusader, she has also managed plenty of ridiculous acts this season.  In one episode she judged, and then participated in, a young child beauty pageant.  She went to Wasilla, Alaska to hang out with Levi Johnston and leave a note on Sarah Palin's door.  She held a yard sale of her own, as well as her mother's, stuff.  She created merchandise to promote her mother.  Speaking of her mom, Kathy has brought new levels of humiliation on poor Maggie.  Maggie refused to attend the pap smear, for one.

     Plenty of bigger name stars have also made appearances, including Liza Minnelli and Joy Behar.  If you'd like to see more of Kathy, tune in to her show on Bravo Tuesday nights at 10pm.

Project Run to L.A.

     Project Runway concluded its sixth season this past Thursday.  This was the first season on Lifetime, after a five year run on Bravo.  It was also the first season set in Los Angeles, the previous five having taken place in New York.  Little about the show changed in its new setting.  Though the contestants were no longer at the Parsons School of Design, the fabulous Tim Gunn was still there to guide them along, offering them his advice and wisdom.  There were perhaps a few more celebrities stopping by, and the two popular judges Nina Garcia and Michael  Kors were unfortunately there a little less, though of course they were present at the finale.  Other than that, it seemed to be business as usual on the actual show.  There was a spinoff series as well this year, Models of the Runway, that showed what happened to the models between runway shows.  It was uninteresting and certainly unneeded, especially the final episode, which featured flashbacks from the season.  This replaced a better idea, which was a reunion show that brought back the designers.

     The talent this season was fierce.  While inventiveness had been prevalent in the past, it was frequently overshadowed by the drama, in fighting in the work room.  There was still a bit of drama this year, but not as much.  Irina, the winner, was a bit harsh at times, and there were a couple of tear eruptions during the runway shows, but for the most part, the talent shined.  As a fan since the beginning, the drama has always been my favorite part, but the show still managed to reel me in without as much of it.  What was truly inexplicable, though, was that Christopher Straub made it to the Top Five.  He placed at the bottom week after week, and yet he kept hanging on.  Thankfully, he did not get to show at Fashion Week in Bryant Park.

     The top three were Irina Shabayeva, Carol Hannah Whitfield, and Althea Harper.  Though each presented a fantastic collection, the judges were a bit harder on them in the final show than they usually are, perhaps because expectations of these three were so high.  Unfortunately, Irina won the day.  Supporters of Irina will note that she frequently placed in the top, and had consistently good designs week after week.  And I don't put any stock in the rumors of Althea copying off of Irina, especially in the finale.  They were states apart working on those collections.  The real shame is Carol Hannah, though.  She was the sweetest of the contestants, and battling her illness in the final days leading up to the runway show, she definitely had viewers rooting for her.  Many of us are terribly disappointed at her third place finish.  True, her collection did not tie together as well as the others, but for goodness sakes, she actually used color!  Irina's was predominantly black!

     This past year and a half, Project Runway has been mired in legal battles, as networks fought over who would air it.  Because of that, fans of the show had to wait over a year between the completion of season five and the start of this most recent one.  The good news to come out of all of that fighting, and the fact that Runway filmed this season quite awhile ago, is that TV's best reality show will be returning in two short months!  Season seven premieres in January on Lifetime.