Articles by Barb Oates

TV News & Program Updates

Santa Claus, Indiana, Gets One Big Holiday Surprise Tonight!

December 25, 2020 Barb Oates 1

Lara Spencer, known to television fans as a regular contributor on Good Morning America and host of the hit series Flea Market Flip, will work with a team of designers, contractors and volunteers to give the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, the biggest Christmas present it has ever received on HGTV’s Surprising Santa Claus (Friday, Dec. 25 at 9/8c). It will be a race against the clock as her team tackles two surprise home renovations and a special bonus for the town square that will spread holiday cheer to the whole community. “It’s been a difficult year for everybody and […]

Drama

Meet Aliyah Royale and Alexa Mansour of ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’

October 4, 2020 Barb Oates 1

Fans of The Walking Dead will immediately recognize the three-ringed logoed helicopter that whisked away our favorite leader, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), to who knows where. The helicopter returns in the premiere episode of the franchise’s third series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, this time transporting a representative from the mysterious Civic Republic (Julia Ormond) who has an arranged meeting with a civilized colony in Omaha. The colony in Omaha is home to the first generation of children who were raised in this postapocalyptic world. These children were schooled with some normalcy and were sheltered from the horrors occurring outside […]

Interview

Lots to Love and Learn From Dr. Q of E!’s New All-Female “Dr. 90210”

September 27, 2020 Barb Oates 2

E!’s new Dr. 90210 (Mondays 10/9c beginning Sept. 28) features quite a colorful cast of trailblazing, female plastic surgeons. The show is a bit Botched meets Real Housewives Plastic Surgeons as cameras take us inside the offices of four plastic surgeons — Dr. Cat Begovic, Dr. Kelly Killeen, Dr. Michelle Lee and Dr. Suzanne Quardt — to follow their patients and demanding schedules, as well as go inside their homelife. From excess skin removal, third-breast extraction and a double mastectomy to facial cysts and post-childbirth vaginal rejuvenations, these surgeons are proving a woman’s touch can go beyond skin deep. We […]

David Dobrik is host of Dodgeball Thunderdome
Comedy

David Dobrik Talks “Dodgeball” Strategy

September 2, 2020 Barb Oates 1

If you don’t know David Dobrik, you need to. The Slovakian-born YouTube sensation is a self-made multimillionaire whose become one of the biggest influencers on social media today. The Wall Street Journal named him “Gen Z’s Jimmy Fallon,” People named him Sexiest Heartthrob of 2019 and Discovery Channel named him host of the hilarious Dodgeball Thunderdome (Wednesdays at 9/8c). Dobrik, who grew up in Vernon Hills, Illinois, has fond memories of the sport growing up, which was mainly played at his school when they had a substitute gym teacher. “We never got to actually pick our own teams, because our […]

Magazine Archive

After 30 Years, The Lifetime Original Remains A Favorite

July 10, 2020 Barb Oates Comments Off on After 30 Years, The Lifetime Original Remains A Favorite

From Sleeping With My Student to Psycho Stripper, there’s no denying some of these Lifetime originals stop you dead in your tracks with their salacious titles. The Lifetime Original Movie dates back to July 31, 1990, with the Nancy Allen starrer Memories of Murder. For 30 years, Lifetime originals have solidified their place in the pop culture lexicon. The movies have garnered over 63 Emmy nominations, eight Golden Globe nominations and 20 Critics’ Choice nods. Many, however, are best remembered as being worthwhile biopics, punch-you-in-the-gut tear-jerkers, unbelievable true-crime stories or sensationalized cheesy guilty pleasures you just couldn’t turn away from. […]

TV News & Program Updates

“Lost On Everest” Captures The Search For A Lost Explorer

June 30, 2020 Barb Oates Comments Off on “Lost On Everest” Captures The Search For A Lost Explorer

In 1924, two British mountaineers — George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine — pioneered an unthinkable expedition. The duo set out with minimal equipment and attempted to summit Mount Everest. They were last seen on the mountain’s northeast ridge just a few hundred meters from the top. Did they ever summit? Were they actually the first to do so? National Geographic’s Lost on Everest (Tuesday, June 30 9/8c) sets out to answer those questions. “This story jumped out because it was trying to figure out one of the greatest mysteries in exploration,” renowned filmmaker and expedition climber Renan Ozturk shares. […]

Interview

Organization Expert Cassandra Aarssen Teaches Us How to Clean Up Our Clutter in ‘Hot Mess House’

June 23, 2020 Barb Oates 1

Good news for you clutter kings and queens out there. You’re not messy, lazy or disorganized! “You’re just not organizing for your unique style,” tells Cassandra “Cas” Aarssen, a recovering super slob now professional organizer, bestselling author, YouTuber and creator of clutterbug.com. Cas brings her talents to HGTV in the new self-shot series Hot Mess House airing Wednesdays. Each episode of Hot Mess House starts with Cas meeting her clients via Skype and then taking a video tour of their home, where she then helps them identify an organization style that works best for their life. “When you want to […]

Interview

‘Survivor’ Ethan Zohn Reflects on His Life And Two Runs On The Show

May 13, 2020 Barb Oates Comments Off on ‘Survivor’ Ethan Zohn Reflects on His Life And Two Runs On The Show

A lot has happened in the last 20 years since we were first introduced to the likes of Richard Hatch, Kelly Wiglesworth, Rudy Boesch, Susan Hawk and 12 other contestants in the premiere season of Survivor, which began in May 2000. Just think about it. iPhones didn’t exist. There was no Facebook or Twitter or YouTube. What we had was this new reality show about an eclectic group of individuals trying to outwit, outplay and outlast one another to win a million dollars. Fans of the series will never forget that first season finale when a scorned Hawk delivered to […]