
After it failed to block the Monday premiere of ABC’s The Glass House over similarities to its own Big Brother, CBS is hitting back with a
tongue-in-cheek “press release” about new reality series Dancing On The Stars. Read the spoof announcement below. Meanwhile, the judge handling CBS’ request for a temporary restraining order against ABC and Glass House has yet to hand down his official ruling after declining to grant the TRO at a hearing Friday, when he also said he was leaning towards denying the request. It will likely come down by end of this week. In addition to laying out the similarities between Big Brother and Glass House, CBS also has argued that the ABC series is being produced by former Big Brother producers in violation of nondisclosure agreements. Despite the publicity surrounding the legal battle, Glass House premiered to soft ratings on Monday premiere, earning a 1.6/4 in 18-49.
CBS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF “DANCING ON THE STARS,” AN EXCITING AND COMPLETELY ORIGINAL REALITY PROGRAM THAT OWES ITS CONCEPT AND EXECUTION TO NOBODY AT ALL
Los Angeles, June 21, 2012 – Subsequent to recent developments in the creative and legal community, CBS Television today felt it was appropriate to reveal the upcoming launch of an exciting, ground-breaking and completely original new reality program for the CBS Television Network.
The dazzling new show, DANCING ON THE STARS, will be broadcast live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and will feature moderately famous and sort of well-known people you almost recognize competing for big prizes by dancing on the graves of some of Hollywood’s most iconic and well-beloved stars of stage and screen.
The cemetery, the first in Hollywood, was founded in 1899 and now houses the remains of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, producer Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Paul Muni, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, among many other great stars of stage, screen and the music business. The company noted that permission to broadcast from the location is pending, and that if efforts in that regard are unsuccessful, approaches will be made to Westwood Village Memorial Park, where equally scintillating luminaries are interred.
“This very creative enterprise will bring a new sense of energy and fun that’s totally unlike anything anywhere else, honest,” said a CBS spokesperson, who also revealed that the Company has been working with a secret team for several months on the creation of the series, which was completely developed by the people at CBS independent of any other programming on the air. “Given the current creative and legal environment in the reality programming business, we’re sure nobody will have any problem with this title or our upcoming half-hour comedy for primetime, POSTMODERN FAMILY.”
“After all,” the spokesperson added, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.



based on their comedies, I did not know CBS was this funny.
+1
Spill that tea CBS!
This whole episode is more entertaining than most of the crap that is on either ABC or CBS.
Maybe CBS should have their attorneys write their scripted programming and their writers litigate their cases. They couldn’t do much worse.
This is just getting stupid.
This is hilarious.
Fake Press Release.
Aren’t they all?
Cancel everything! Everyone unemployed! Everyone…NOW!!!
The thing is, Glass House will be different from BB: it won’t have Alison Grodner to manipulate the house guests. A good thing, that.
Lame. Even The Onion would reject this.
Wow, that is so childish from CBS. They got BBC to tell them about making their Sherlock Holmes show elementary.
They said it was different because Dr Watson in their version was a woman…big difference.
They can do it, but nobody else…
As far as this press release, how tasteless about dancing on people’s graves…how insensitive can they be…The person who wrote that should be fired for making fun at dancing on peoples graves…
Very low and childish
This is HILARIOUS.
ABC should trade the lawsuit from CBS over Glass, House, Dancing with the Stars, Duets and two pilots to be named later for one of the NCIS shows…and, some cash consideration.
I
GLASS HOUSE is another mean spirited “reality” show that has the same tired format as CBS Big Brother contestants split up and compete in silly games -first episode (and the last one I’ll watch) had two token old people just like the demographics of BIG BROTHER – I watch the British version of Big Brother
far more interesting
Am I the only one who finds this hilarious?
All reality/game shows are “petty” and “kind of tasteless.” To me, this is CBS acknowledging it.
Which is, of course, why I don’t watch them.
Translation: Les Moonves is a sore loser.
As a publicist, I think this probably goes to far. But as someone who’s sitting on the outside of this whole ordeal, I think it’s hilariously sassy.
Petty and tasteless indeed. Not to mention petulant and self-involved. Sad to see this from Moonvesland.
its a joke guys. get a grip. jeez
whoosh..
I think it’s a tacky way to do it, but it’s funny as shit.
it’s a joke people need to calm down and its a really funny one at that. besides the thing isnt even all about the similarities of the show but the fact that many producers from big brother went to work on the glass house and are basically breaking contracts signed at big brother stating they wouldn’t disclose show and channel secrets.
“OK … everybody together now … 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 …
Stupid beyond belief. Not funny and it only makes them look desperate. I hope the judge sees this it will infuriate him and he’s going to rule in ABC’s favor. CBS just sunk their own lawsuit with this idiotic parody. ABC should sue them for stealing The View and airing it as The Talk. Whoever approved this should be fired today without fail. Idiots.
The sad thing is I’d rather watch Dancing on the Stars than Dogs in the City.
I appreciate CBS’s initiative with this press release, but the problem is that it’s just not funny…much like all of CBS’s comedy series.
This is the only amusing thing I’ve ever seen come CBS.