Dan Gross: What's the over-under on Pete Rose's new show?
"PETE ROSE: Hits and Mrs." will premiere Jan. 14 on TLC. The reality show about the Phillies legend and his former Playboy model fiancee, Kiana Kim, began shooting earlier this year.
"PETE ROSE: Hits and Mrs." will
premiere Jan. 14 on TLC. The reality show about the Phillies legend and his former Playboy model fiancee, Kiana Kim, began shooting earlier this year.
A TLC announcement says that the couple are happily engaged but that their families each have reservations about the upcoming nuptials. Complicating things is that Rose and Kim live in different cities - she in Los Angeles with her two children and Charlie Hustle in Las Vegas.
A 'Soul Train' record
It's official. The Philadelphia Soul Train Line Dancers set the Guinness World Record for largest ever "Soul Train Line," by assembling 291 dancers outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in February. The event, organized by Sheila Simmons and also cosponsored by the city and Radio One's 100.3 WRNB, was set up to honor "Soul Train" host Don Cornelius, who committed suicide on Feb. 1. WRNB's Soulful Sunday host Dyana Williams points out that Philadelphia was the birthplace of the "Soul Train" theme, written by Philly staples Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
New news boss at Fox
Fox 29 has named a news director to replace Steve Schwaid, who left after one year in July.
Jim Driscoll starts as vice president and news director on Jan. 2, GM Dennis Bianchi announced Tuesday. Driscoll comes to Fox 29 from the Fox-owned WWOR My9 TV in Secaucus, N.J., where he worked for more than five years.
Shoemaker on Showtime
Montgomery County native/comedian Craig Shoemaker's new Showtime special, "Daditude," aired throughout November and should now be available on demand. Shoemaker, who graduated from Springfield High School, says the special is "probably the biggest thing in my career and yet I haven't seen it yet." He's one of those performers who can't watch his own material. "I get too critical. I can see the giant crease in the middle of my forehead or my boob sweat," he says.
The special, and Shoemaker's comedy of late, deals with his "Journey through life being single, then married, divorced and remarried," he explains. He has three children; Justin, 14, Jared, 8, and Jackson, 3, who were all raised in Los Angeles, but "have been trained to be Sixers, Eagles, Phillies and Flyers fans."
His parenting inspired him to write books What You Have Now and What Your Daddy Had Then, and What You Have Now and What Your Mommy Had Then. The comedian, who worked as Chevy Chase's sidekick on his short-lived talk show and also appeared in the film "The Lovemaster," also has a foundation called "Laugh it Off," which promotes laughter therapy at nursing homes.
Byko's book blunder
It's a good thing Harry Gross writes our personal-finance column, not Stu Bykofsky.
Turns out Bykofsky is losing $2.40 on each copy of his new book, Cats are Supermodels, which is being sold on consignment through the PAWS (2nd & Arch) animal-adoption center or at pet store Buzzy's Bow Wow Meow (701 Montgomery) in Narberth. The book retails for $10.95, and he sold it to PAWS and Buzzy's for $6, so they make $4.95 on each book they sell. Taking printing and production costs into play, Byko is losing money on each consigned sale of the book, published through his Stuniversity Press.
He doesn't care, though, because the stores do good work for animals. The book, with illustrations by former Daily News graphic artist Brad Guigar, can be ordered at catsare- supermodels.com.
It's a humor book about cats, and Byko used his miserable, rotten, awful, no-good cat, Ashes (trust us, we've met him), as a springboard.
Local cookies on 'Today'
Fishtown's Whipped Bakeshop (636 Belgrade) prepared "Ho Ho Hoda" and "Kiss Me I'm Kathie Lee" cookies for "Today" show fourth-hour hosts Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. Local style expert Lilliana Vazquez appeared on the show to talk about holiday gift ideas and mentioned the Ugly Holiday Sweater cookies from Whipped. She gave Gifford and Kotb a box of cookies from Whipped's Zoe and Brennen Lukas, but off-air presented the hosts their own custom cookies.
For more info on the cookies, visit whippedbakeshop.com.