FreemantleMedia

Kathy Griffin, fresh from her recent Bravo television special, will host ABC's newest dance show, 'Let's Dance.'

The Wrap reports that the new Fremantle Media production, announced last June, will enlist Griffin's comedic candor in a reality competition show which challenges celebrities to re-enact famous dance routines.

Set to air over five episodes, the 90-minute premiere of 'Let's Dance' will follow the performance finale of 'Dancing with the Stars' on November 23rd at 9:30PM. Griffin will play ringmaster while celebs choose their routines and compete, hoping to return to the grand finale in mid-December.

Kirstie Alley will soon star in a new untitled A&E docu-drama reality series.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the show, produced by Fremantle Media North America ('American Idol'), will follow the comings and goings of single mother Alley and her constant battle with weight (no word yet on whether she will appear in a bikini).

Alley, 58, is best known for her work on 'Cheers,' for which she received an Emmy in 1991. She also starred in the comedy 'Veronica's Closet,' which ran for there seasons on NBC, as well as the short-lived Showtime series 'Fat Actress.'

The only question surrounding Fremantle Media's decision to stream episodes of American Idol on their website is, "Duh... what took you so long?" Given the ridiculous ratings, and the fact that just about every performance was available on YouTube anyway, it's something they should have been doing a long time ago. But better late than never I suppose. Fans will be able to watch entire episodes on the website, after they air, sponsored by McDonalds and MasterCard. Individual performances will also be available on phones to Cingular customers.

Adage.com has an article that gets into some of the crazy numbers surrounding Idol. For example, the show is now valued at $2.5 billion as a franchise. It also brings in $500 million in TV ad dollars. Last season the show received 570 million votes and 65 million text messages. And the site attracted 40 million unique visitors.

This news is also good for Fox, who produces the American Idol website in a revenue sharing agreement. Freemantle had been approached by "a major portal" that wanted to host the site and they considered taking it away from Fox. The show premieres January 16th with a two hour episode.

[ via Lost Remote ]