Perhaps, Ruben Studdard was too busy…
ABC is hoping for a slam-dunk when it airs a new reality TV series starring NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal aiding overweight children. According to network execs, the show will focus on childhood obesity and health. The series, which will run during the summer months, will feature the Miami Heat star and his effort to help Florida schoolchildren lose weight.
Show producers say the series is currently being filmed in Broward County, Florida and tracks the lives of the children involved. O’Neal will reportedly be on hand to support the children and (in episodes yet to be shot) will lobby politicians on causes including school nutrition.
Shaq’s new show is a take off of the British series “Ian Wright’s Unfit Kids,” which featured the former soccer star. However, the issue of childhood obesity is not foreign to the father of six. The former Los Angeles Laker has been outspoken about the topic for the last few years and has donated money to various community organizations, which help raise awareness about the problem of overweight children.
But, Shaq’s not the only one with a new gig. Former talk show host Jerry Springer will soon be back on TV.
According to NBC, “The Jerry Springer Show” host and “Dancing with the Stars” alum will be the new face of “America’s Got Talent.”
That’s right… so long Regis… hello Jerry.
Regis Philbin was the show’s front man during its premiere season last year, but according to show producers, Philbin who is also the star of his New York-based show “Live with Regis and Kelly,” opted not to return to “America’s Got Talent” because of the “heavy travel schedule” involved with the show’s tapings in Los Angeles.
As for Springer, network executives say he is “the perfect ringmaster” for the TV talent competition. In a statement about the new host a show producer said: “To say the least, Jerry is known for presiding over an unpredictable show where the unexpected is the typical order of each day.”
“I’ve been around some of America’s most talented individuals on my talk show,” Springer told reporters, “so I’ll feel right at home hosting ‘America’s Got Talent.'”
The 63-year-old hosted his own daily talk show for 16 years before calling it quits.