Morning Buzz for May 9, 2011

Good Monday morning.  It’s the start of a new week and we’ve got some stories to recap from this weekend and this morning.

*The entertainment business has been filled with poorly kept secrets recently.  Another was confirmed today.  Today Show host Meredith Vieira officially announced this morning that she will leave NBC’s long running talk/news show.  Meredith began hosting September 2006 and simultaneously hosts Who Wants to be a Millionaire.  There’s no official word if she will be staying with or leaving Millionaire but given the show is in pre-production for the new season and we’ve not heard any mumblings, nor is there any reason to believe she’d leave, it’s a safe bet she’ll return for the show’s tenth syndicated season.

*Congratulations to the cast and crews of ITV’s The Cube and Channel 4′s The Million Pound Drop which won BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards last night.  The Cube won the “Entertainment Craft Team” award while The Million Pound Drop won an award for Digital Creativity.

*A small alert for people that live in New York or Los Angeles that stemmed from a conversation last night after research.  If you are a college student or just want some spare cash, being an audience member is actually a pretty nice gig.  Many game shows will actually pay you to show up.  For instance, a game show taping this morning will give you $8 an hour for sitting there for 6 hours.  So you’ll clear about close to $50 to clap and smile.  If you’re bored some afternoon there are far worse ways to spend an afternoon.  Be sure to keep checking here and other audience casting websites so you can find out when the opportunities come up.

*We got an interesting reaction when we posted some clips of BBC’s new game show Don’t Scare the Hare.  It was either enjoyed or hated.  There didn’t seem to be any middle ground.  BBC is still posting some clips of the show.  Here’s another moment.  Regardless of feelings about it, the show’s definitely trippy.  It’s sort of like The Cube or Minute to Win It on acid.

*Two reality-related things went on this weekend.  First, The Amazing Race crowned its newest million dollar champions last night.  The sisters team of Kisha and Jen took the top prize home.  Also, the full judging lineup for Fox’s The X Factor has been announced.  Joining Simon Cowell at the judges table will be record executive L.A. Reid, UK X Factor judge and singer Cheryl Cole, and former American Idol judge Paula Abdul.  Hosts will be Nicole Scherzinger and host of BBC’s 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show Steve Jones.