NEW YORK — Television already has “The Biggest Loser.” Dr. Mehmet Oz is looking for the biggest number of losers.
“The Dr. Oz Show” said Monday that it had netted its 1 millionth participant in its “transformation nation” health effort, and the number is climbing. One of those people will win a $1 million prize in May.
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Since September, Oz has urged viewers to participate in a health challenge he is co-sponsoring with Weight Watchers. The number of registrants has increased steadily to a point that Oz said he’d never imagined the program would reach.
“It is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life,” Oz said.
Oz’s program has seven steps, starting with the simplest: Tell a friend to get some moral support. Participants are asked to register with Weight Watchers and go to a center to have their body mass index calculated.
Other steps include connecting with a doctor, learning your family’s health history, getting more sleep, managing stress better and starting new fitness habits.
A sample of 96,000 registrants who had weighed in at Weight Watchers determined they had collectively lost 672,000 pounds, or an average of 7 pounds per person, the show said.
The show will select 10 finalists it believes best embody the effort – not necessarily those who lose the most weight – and viewers will choose a favorite this spring for the $1 million prize.
People need to register by Feb. 26 to be eligible.
Participants are sent weekly email reminders by the show of things they need to do to reach their goals, tailored to their individual circumstances.
“Fundamentally, it’s about making it easier to do the right thing,” Oz said.
Oz also said he hoped the project would be a model for using TV to accomplish worthwhile goals.
Travis charged with public intoxication
SANGER, Texas — Country singer Randy Travis has apologized after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church.
Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy said police arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol. Travis was taken to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.
The singer, who lives near Sanger, apologized in a statement to The Associated Press “for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.” Travis, who launches a concert tour Friday, says he’s “committed to being responsible and accountable.”
Danza to play wiseguy in musical ‘Honeymoon’
NEW YORK — Tony Danza is Broadway-bound, starring in a musical based on the movie “Honeymoon in Vegas.”
Producers said Monday that the former “Taxi” star will play a Vegas wiseguy in the show, which will make its debut in November in Toronto. It is headed to Broadway in the spring of 2013.
The musical features music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown and a book by Andrew Bergman, who also directed and wrote the film.
The 1992 movie starred James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. It tells the story of a reluctant groom whose bride-to-be is courted by Danza’s character.
Danza was on Broadway in “The Producers” and in the 1997 production of “A View from the Bridge.”
Awards season helps Clooney catch up
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — George Clooney says the best thing about Academy Awards nominations is hanging with old and new friends.
At the annual Oscar nominee luncheon Monday, Clooney said he’s made new pals on the awards circuit this season and has been happy to catch up with longtime friends such as Brad Pitt and Viola Davis.
Clooney said he had not seen Pitt for a year until last month’s Golden Globes. Both are up for the best-actor Oscar – Clooney for “The Descendants” and Pitt for “Moneyball.”
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