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Let’s face it, reality competition shows are getting a little old. You’ve seen all the cooking, sewing, and voting off you can stand. Syfy is trying to change that attitude with shows like Face Off, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge, and now, Wizard Wars.

How about if we put magicians to the reality challenge test? But, what could that mean? How do you put magicians through the paces of a reality competition show? Well, according to Wizard Wars, you give them a random assortment of everyday items, and make them impress Penn & Teller.

Yeah. That sounds about right.

Be sure to set your DVR so you don’t miss this one. It’s hitting August 19th, and it looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Photo by: Dale Berman/Syfy

Syfy Premieres New Competition Series Wizard Wars On Tuesday, August 19 At 10 P.M.

It's not exactly surprising that minority actors are underrepresented in television, but the fact is no less dispiriting, and the UK television industry is in particularly lousy shape. In a lecture at BAFTA, British comedian and actor Lenny Henry ("The Magicians," "Chef!") said that the percentage of black, Asian and minority ethnic (or Bame) people working in British TV has fallen 30.9% from 2006 to 2012, and they know only make up 5.4% of the workforce. In the 85-minute lecture, Henry proposes legislation to encourage the employment of minority actors in major roles for British television. It's a terrific speech, both for Henry's proposal and the humor he brings to the subject (speaking of a previous talk in 2008: "At the talk's conclusion I said, 'I hope that things would now change, and that I don't have to come back and repeat myself in another five or six years' time'...yeah."). While Henry does...

British reality TV producer Sam Donnelly has signed with ICM Partners. The agency has already booked Donnelly’s first U.S. gig, recently closing a deal for her to join NBC’s America’s Got Talent as an executive producer. In her native UK Donnelly executive produced the local Talent version, Britain’s Got Talent; BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, on which ABC’s Dancing With The Stars is based; and The Magicians.

"I didn't know you could become legendary by getting the crabs."

Before you think the worst, David Hasselhoff is reflecting on the latest honour to be received by this most multi-faceted of our cultural heroes - having a newly-discovered crab named after him by scientists, by virtue of the crustacean's unlikely broad and fluffy chest. And The Hoff is loving it:

"I have a Guinness Book of World Records entry as the most watched person on television, now I have a new entry as the only man who has a crab named after him. My daughter sent me a photo of the Hoff Crab - I think it’s very funny, very cool and endearing."

This is only the latest episode in the unique career of David Hasselhoff, with his enduring global success and celebrity. He's a massive pop star in his ancestral Germany, and has been taken truly to British hearts,...

Joe McElderry and Outnumbered stars Tyger Drew-Honey and Daniel Roche are to appear in BBC One's The Magicians. The two actors from the family sitcom will feature in several illusions with magician pair Barry and Stuart for the returning series. McElderry joined them as they recorded a 'Grand Illusion' at Westfield Shopping Centre last month, which involved asking a member of the crowd to pick a random CD from a music store. The volunteer picked Joe McElderry's Classic Christmas, and discovered that their apparently random choice had been predicted in advance. McElderry said: "I've always been a fan of magic so it was nice to be a part of it and see how it all works and be able to trick someone else. I was quite nervous - I was just hoping they wouldn't do something like make me disappear forever!" (more)...