HISTORY

Mudcats premieres on February 9, about a group of men in Oklahoma called “mudcatters”, who have been taught by their fathers and grandfathers the hand-fishing method with the purpose of passing the method down to their children and grandchildren.

Discovery Channel

New show, Beast Tracker, will premiere on Discovery on February 1. The show follows Dr. Andrew West, a marine biologist, as he tracks down exotic animals, including alligators and Burmese pythons that pose dangerous threats to human lives.

TLC

A new fashion reality series will soon premiere on TLC. From the producers of What Not To Wear comes the untitled show featuring a plus-size retail store, Jim and Lisa Dolan, the husband-and-wife team who own and operate it, and the customers who frequent the shop.

Sorority Girls will premiere on January 31. Five sorority girls from the US will be attempting to establish the first sorority in Leeds in the UK. The eight-week series will try to combine the upbeat American culture with traditional British culture.

Two new series are about to debut on TLC about love and royalty. Undercover Princes and Undercover Princesses follow six heirs as they travel to Germany, South Africa, Uganda and India to search for their true loves — anonymously. During their search, they also need to take care of themselves, including cooking their own food and getting real jobs. Undercover Princes premieres on January 31 and Undercover Princesses premieres on February 28.

Animal Planet

• Northwoods Law is a six-episode show about a game warden service in Maine that will premiere in March.

SCIENCE

• A new show premiered on the SCIENCE Channel last January 24. Monster Bug Wars delves deep into the world of insects, their mating, hunting and survival instincts. Dr. Linda Rayor and Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry are the experts who shed the light on these insects.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, the boxing pride of the Philippines, has proven to fans and critics, in the boxing ring, why he is a boxing champion. A lot of people know about him and his family through media. But few people really know the man behind the champion, his trainer, Freddie Roach. This January, HBO has turned the spotlight on him.

HBO: On Freddie Roach follows the life of Freddie Roach, who owns and operates Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, CA, and has produced world boxing champions, including the eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao, and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. A former champion boxer, Roach was forced to quit when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and lost five of his last six fights. He retired from professional boxing at 26.

He apprenticed with his former trainer and mentor, Eddie Futch. The first boxer Roach himself trained was Hollywood actor, Mickey Rourke, in 1991. Rourke gave him the gym equipment that Roach would eventually use in Wildcard. Since 1991, Roach has trained Oscar de la Hoya, Virgil Hill and British boxer and former WBA light welterweight World Champion Amir Khan.

On Freddie Roach shows the man behind the success of world boxing and mixed martial arts champions — how he transforms them from boxers to champions, while dealing with Parkinson’s Disease.

On Freddie Roach premiered on HBO on Friday, January 20, at 9:30pm ET/PT.

(U.S. Army photo)

Tabatha Coffey is nothing short of obnoxiously opinionated. A native of Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, Coffey’s reputation precedes her at any location she takes over. After revitalizing many salons, according to a recent interview in the Hollywood Reporter, she believed that, “It was such a natural progression (to take over more than just salons). I believe business principles are business principles, they follow through. So, it was a great transition to now move into other businesses not just hair salons.” Tabatha often says that it is exciting to see a salon, or any other business, go from “rags to riches,” especially in this economy. Somehow Tabatha is almost always successful in turning around her assigned salon, and has an uncanny ability to revamp every aspect of the business, from the attitude of the owners, to the cleanliness of the staff,  even to the way salons advertise.

As someone who watches the show regularly, I can never get enough of Tabatha’s “no nonsense” approach. Many of the salon owners and staff are simply out of touch with reality, and need the stern tactics of Tabatha to alert them to how idiotic their decisions are. In a recent episode, a salon owner yelled throughout the episode that she had lost complete faith in her staff, even after her staff had shown significant improvements. Tabatha did not even hesitate to instruct the owner to sell the salon immediately. In another recent episode it was revealed that a salon owner was living in the salon. Tabatha took it upon herself to help the owner find a place to live, and even got her discounts. In every episode, Tabatha’s unique ability to instruct and coerce business owners and staff is nothing short of remarkable.

Many critics and viewers are highly anticipating the newest episode in Season Four in which she takes over a gay bar that is in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Tabatha will be put to the test as to whether her tactics really can work on other businesses that have nothing to do with her passion: hairdressing. Tabatha even took on the tough assignment of taking over an entire beauty school. Be sure to watch Tabatha Takes Over every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern on Bravo.

Rachael Ray vs Guy: Celebrity Cookoff

The celebrities on Rachael Ray’s team are Aaron Carter (who got kicked off the first episode), Summer Sanders, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Taylor Dane.

Guy’s celebrity list consists of Cheech Marin, Alyssa Campanella, Coolio,  and Joey Fatone.

It is your basic four on four. I am not sure why there are only four to each side, other than the fact that this season is going to be a short one.

The first show started out with a trial run of the celebrities making their favorite things. They ran into a little trouble when forced to get by without ready-made products such as ranch dressing. After all their prep work, they took their food to the people who voted on the teams. Guy’s team won, partially fueled by their very creative way to encourage people to vote for their food.

The two losers boiled down to a fight between Aaron Carter and Taylor Dane. In a showdown, they had 10 minutes to create a dish. Then Guy and Rachael choose Taylor Dane as the winner while a still exuberant Aaron Carter left the fight.

There are more challenges left for the celebrities to face. As the very short list of celebrities winds down, one thing is guaranteed. Some charity is going to be very lucky with a very nice donation.

Despite the celebrities, the show itself is just kind of mediocre. The main problem is that Rachael Ray and Guy are both nice guys, almost too nice for a challenge show. There is more competitive spirit in the competitors than in the leaders.

Furthermore, watching celebrities cook is more of a “seen that somewhere” rather than anything really different. You do get some insight into their cooking pasts. But it is kind of hard for some of them to make the transition from screen to what people would consider “normal.”

I am not sure that I will watch this to the end. It lacks some of the edge that other Food Network shows have. But if you want to watch, it airs on Food Network on Sundays at 9 PM/10 Central.

PS. If you don’t know who some of these celebrities are, you aren’t alone.

Premieres

• Premieres have just been announced by the FEARnet network. FEARnet’s first original scripted series, Holliston,  will premiere its first season on April 3, and the second season of Todd & The Book of Pure Evil will premiere on March 13.
• Combat Cash will premiere its four-part series on Discovery Channel on January 18 at 10 pm. Combat Cash follows Bob Thatt and his partner Owen Thornton as they search for military artifacts and collectibles. All Star Dealers will premiere on Discovery Channel on January 24, as they search through trash to find treasures among vintage baseball memorabilia.
• Find Our Missing premieres on TV One on January 18. This ten-part series follows the stories of missing people who have disappeared without a trace. Their stories are being told to show and share with the audience. If they know any information about the missing people, they are encouraged to contact the police or FBI to help find them.
• An eight-episode original series will also premiere on Netflix on February 6 called Lilyhammer. Lilyhammer stars Steven van Zandt, who will play a New York mobster who is sent to rural Norway.
• Braving the Elements will premiere this March on The Weather Channel. Braving the Elements follows the lives of people who work outdoors and how their jobs are affected by weather, seasons and extreme locations.
• On USA Network in March, watch out for the second season premiere of Fairly Legal and the final season premiere of In Plain Sight.
• Get set for a lot of spring premieres on the Bravo Channel. Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis, Shahs of Sunset (about young Persian-Americans living in LA), Love Broker (about matchmaker Lori Zaslow in New York) and Million Dollar Listing New York will all premiere this March. Around the World in 80 Plates (with Curtis Stone and Cat Cora) will premiere in May, and Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding (about Kim Zolciak’s wedding to Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann) will premiere in spring 2012. Kathy Griffin’s new talk-show, Kathy, will also premiere in the spring.

Project Runway

The Designers

Anthony Williams (Season 7) is back to entertain us with his designs and stories. Since his last appearance, he has worked as a fashion director for Macy’s, designed freelance, and provided all of Stacey Dash’s wardrobe for the first season of VH1′s Single Ladies.

April Johnston (Season has started her own clothing company called “Mangled Courtesan”, inspired by her own dark and gothic romantic aesthetic. Her “April Johnston for Project Runway” line is also available at Jo-Ann stores nationwide. And she showed her collection at the Charleston Fashion Week in March 2010.

Austin Scarlett (Season 1) was the favorite to become the first-ever Project Runway winner. Despite not winning, he has not let that defeat him. Since the show, Austin has produced couture collections, joined NY-based Amsale as Creative Director of their luxury gown collections, had his designs featured on TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress, designed theatrical costumes for Shen Wei Dance Arts and hosted a reality show with Season 2′s Santino Rice, On The Road With Austin and Santino, that created couture designs from local items.

Elisa Jimenez (Season 4) is a freelance fashion designer and teacher and has designed costumes for Disney’s High School Musical 3 and The Killing Room.

Gordana Gehlhausen (Season 6) has moved her boutique, GOGA by Gordana, from Charleston,South Carolina to San Diego, California.

Jerell Scott (Season 5) is still freelance designing and has created custom designs for Katy Perry, Christina Milian, Nicki Minaj and Selma Blair. He has also designed wardrobes for Rachel Bilson on Hart of Dixie and Nicole Scherzinger on The X-Factor.

Kara Janx (Season 2) has opened her own clothing studio, Kara Janx, in New York City. She designs ready-to-wear clothes, bridal gowns, and special occasion dresses for both everyday women and celebrities, including Emma Watson and Olivia Palermo.

Kenley Collins (Season 5) has opened her own clothing studiowhich is sold in local shops and from her website. She is also the lead singer for Jetblack Bullseye.

Michael Costello (Season has been working hard to promote his namebrand and his business. He has since opened a showroom to showcase his collections.

Mila Hermanovski (Season 7) launched MILA and her Spring/Summer 2011 collection at the LA Fashion Week. Her clothes have since been sold in stores all over Los Angeles, CA. She still designs costumes for TV and film, with latest projects including Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and Glee.

Mondo Guerra (Season has become an HIV/AIDS education and awareness advocate and has spoken for UnAIDS in Washington, D.C. on World Aids Day as well as for AIDS Walk New York. He showed his Fall/Winter 2011 collection at the El Paseo Fashion Week with Project Runway alums, Michael Costello and Christopher Collins.

Rami Kashou (Season 4) has made custom designs for Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan as well as for celebrities Heidi Klum and Rihanna. He is also working with a famous mall chain to design and sell bridal, bridesmaids’ and cocktail collections. Rami is also filming a pilot for a new reality show.

Sweet P (Season 4) created a limited-edition collection with her husband, artist Sage Vaughn. She also made a big decision to attend make-up school and she is now also working as a make-up artist for film and TV.

Project Runway All-Stars is now showing on Lifetime every Thursday at 9pm/8c.

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway-all-stars

His second mission is to give aspiring models a reality check, a kick in the a**. And Paul Fisher is “the KICK” and “the A**”. He’ll tell it like it is and he’ll say it to your face, whether you’ll make it or not. And he’s not afraid to tell agencies what kind of models they should get to succeed. In Remodeled, he’ll show the transformation of an aspiring model to full-fledged professional model ready to compete with the best.

Remodeled brings you Paul Fisher’s newest venture called The Network. The Network aims to change what people know about the modeling industry starting with the little ones.

Remodeled premieres on The CW on Tuesday, January 17, 9/8c.
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/remodeled

About Paul Fisher

Paul Fisher is a modeling industry veteran of about twenty years. He’s worked with Naomi Campbell, Nicky Hilton and Kimora Lee Simmons. He started out in the modeling business when his grandfather gave him $10,000 to make a beginning. Paul has never looked back ever since. He went on a ten-year hiatus before coming back two years ago and founded The Network.

Howie Mandel

For one hour, Howie Mandel shows you every step of the way, from rehearsing the routines, figuring out and fine-tuning speeches, to the actual performance itself. Flash mobs have announced a wife’s pregnancy to her husband, an applicant’s getting a job offer, and even a marriage proposal.

In the first episode, a separated father, Ion, wants to make amends with his teenage daughter, Meagan, who got left behind when Ion  abandoned the family. Ion left when he couldn’t deal with the aftermath of his son’s death. But now, Ion  wants to make it up to Meagan, apologize to her and recreate the bond they had in the past. And he’s doing all of that with a flash mob.

About the Host

Howie Mandel has been in show business for over 30 years. He is probably best known for his hosting stint on Deal Or No Deal and as a judge on America’s Got Talent with Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan. He’s also the best-selling author of his no-holds-barred memoir, Here’s The Deal: Don’t Touch Me, which spent several weeks on the bestseller list. He currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, Terry, and their three children.

Catch the premiere of Mobbed on January 4, 2012 at 7 –9/8c on FOX.

http://www.fox.com/mobbed/

Inside The Actor’s Studio Apartment

Inside the Actor’s Studio Apartment is the brainchild of Daniel Bowers. He is the producer and director of this hilarious new web series getting to know up-and-coming comedic actors. He produces the show along with writer Bill Sawalich  and videographer Jim Pusch. Inside the Actor’s Studio Apartment interviews real actors in their own homes. Past guests have included Tracee Chimo, Kristen Schaal, Kurt Braunohler, Grace Helbig and Justin Akin. New episodes come out every few weeks, so be sure to check their site regularly to catch the latest interview!

About the Creators

Daniel Bowers is a filmmaker and has produced several films including A. (anonymous), Gus and Roy. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and daughter.

Bill Sawalich, photographer and writer, lives in Missouri with his wife, daughter, and dogs. He was once on the verge of meeting Nicolas Cage in the flesh.

Jim Pusch is an “old school” videographer and worked on Star Wars Episode II.

http://insideact.com/?page_id=23; http://blip.tv/iasa

Freckle and Bean

Created by Heather McCallum and Elena Crevello, Freckle and Bean is about the adventures and misadventures of James (Elena Crevello) and Emma (Heather McCallum) as they live their lives in Los Angeles. They realize fate was what brought them together, and it’s the same reason they’re still together in LA, pursuing careers and dreams in Hollywood. The thirteen-episode series wrapped last summer and all their episodes are now available online on Blip.tv.

About the Creators

Heather and Elena both have undergraduate degrees in theatre, Elena from NYU and Heather of UNC at Wilmington. They’re both actors/writers trying to make it in LA.

http://freckleandbean.com/; http://blip.tv/freckleandbean

• Dark Minds will premiere on Investigation Discovery on January 25, hosted by crime author M. William Phelps and criminal profiler John Kelly. They work together to solve and bring justice to unsolved homicide cases — but only the ones they believe have been done by serial killers. An anonymous source, a convicted murderer with multiple life sentences, is helping them catch these killers.
• Operation: Osmin on nuvoTV will be back with its second season on January 13. Osmin Hernandez is a former military officer who’s now making a living as a personal trainer and he’s made it his mission to whip 20 people into great shape in 30 days.
• A special preview of Betty White’s Off Their Rockers will be broadcast on NBC on January 16. It will air right after Betty White’s own TV special, Betty White’s 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl.
• Jamie’s American Road Trip will premiere on BBC America on January 3. Join Jamie Oliver as he travels the US to discover the best ingredients, the best recipes and the best restaurants out there.
• Cajun Pawn Stars will premiere on the HISTORY Channel on January 8. Based in Alexandria, Louisiana, the show focuses on the lives of Jimmie DeRamus and his family as they handle the operations of Silver Dollar Pawn and Jewelry Center.
• Philly Undercover premieres on January 7 on the NatGeo WILD Channel. The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has teamed up with a police team undercover to go deeper into the dogfight industry and protect the animals being hurt in the process.
• Animal Planet has a new show and it’s about the Gator Boys Alligator Rescue Team. Gator Boys follows Paul Bedard and Jimmy Riffle as they rescue alligators before they become victims of trappers. Gator Boys premieres January 8.