Kate Gosselin

This week has provided another strange chapter in the saga of Kate Gosselin. The reality star mom from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" was accused in court by her estranged husband of withholding $33,000 from their joint bank account. Then, in a taped segment on Monday's episode of the show -- which is ending its run next month in the wake of the couple's increasingly nasty divorce -- Kate entertained the idea of becoming a cartoon character. That same night, she was holed up at Maria Shriver's Women's Conference in Long Beach, signing books for fans as security officials shooed away photographers who dared approach.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday. Kanye West gets booed after telling a festival crowd in England that people look at him as if he's Hitler. ( Denver Post ) Meanwhile, Jay-Z and West's joint album "Watch the Throne" is out. ( Los Angeles Times ) "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" had a huge box-office weekend. ( Los Angeles Times ) Robert Pattinson, Taylor Swift and a particularly loopy Ashton Kutcher picked up Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night.

No Jon, but Kate is enough for ABC win Is there anything Kate Gosselin can't do? The reality star made her debut on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and helped power the talent show to its best season-premiere numbers ever. Almost 24 million people tuned in to the two-hour episode and helped drive ABC to a Monday-night win in both viewers and key demographics. Of course, many may have been tuning in to see if Gosselin would stumble and still others might have checked out the show to see what Pam Anderson would wear or whether football star Chad Ochocinco would score big off the field.

SERIES The Secret Life of the American Teenager: In this new episode, Ben (Ken Baumann) seriously considers proposing to Adrian (Francia Raisa), while Grace and Grant (Megan Park, Grant Harvey) discuss how far to take their relationship (8 and 10 p.m. ABC Family). The Event: After negotiations fall apart, Sophia (Laura Innes) and the rest of the Sleepers mourn their losses in this new episode (9 p.m. NBC). Relapse: This new series explores the perils of recovery from addiction (9 p.m. A&E)

Maria Shriver's annual women's conference has always been an A-list affair, and this year's event is no different. Cindy McCain and Elizabeth Edwards are among those expected for the Long Beach conference in October. But it's a relative newcomer to the media spotlight -- reality TV personality Kate Gosselin -- who is likely to draw the most attention. Shriver says she invited the star of TLC's "Jon & Kate Plus 8" at the suggestion of her teenage daughters. The invitation was sent five months ago -- before Gosselin announced her split from her husband after 10 years of marriage.

A roundup of this morning's arts and entertainment headlines: "American Idol" contestants answer burning questions after Tuesday night's show. Find out what's up with Siobhan's butterflies... (Idol Tracker) Susan Boyle is writing an autobiography. ( BBC) Sam Mendes to direct, Robert Downey Jr. to play the wizard in the planned sequel "Oz The Great and Powerful." (Playlist, 24 Frames) Such a tease: "True Blood" will release six mini-episodes online before its June premiere.

Critics can say what they like about Kate Gosselin, but she's probably the best weapon yet devised against Simon Cowell. Gosselin, the tabloid über-mom-turned-reality TV ultra-villain, finally got ushered off ABC's " Dancing With the Stars" last week. That's unwelcome news for the network, because during her short tenure she probably did more than anyone else to push the 10th season to the series' best ratings ever, allowing it to threaten Fox's " American Idol" as America's most-watched show.

Get ready for a reality show version of "Big Love." TLC, the cable network behind hits "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and "19 Kids and Counting," is hoping to strike ratings gold again with "Sister Wives," a series about a polygamist family in Utah that will premiere in September. Much like the HBO drama "Big Love," which follows a polygamist and his three wives, "Sister Wives" is about Kody and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Unlike "Big Love's" Bill Henrickson, though, Kody is looking to add to his family by taking on a fourth wife, Robyn, who has three children of her own. For TLC, "Sister Wives" will likely generate a little controversy, but the network is no stranger to that.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday. Kanye West gets booed after telling a festival crowd in England that people look at him as if he's Hitler. ( Denver Post ) Meanwhile, Jay-Z and West's joint album "Watch the Throne" is out. ( Los Angeles Times ) "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" had a huge box-office weekend. ( Los Angeles Times ) Robert Pattinson, Taylor Swift and a particularly loopy Ashton Kutcher picked up Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night.

Walking through the doors of a crowded San Francisco bar, Kristin Curtin was all business. Her eyes moved from face to face before coming to rest on a pretty young woman chatting up a male patron. "You could just tell the way she was interacting with him that he was mesmerized. There were hundreds of people in that pub, but she just captured my attention," recalled Curtin, a freelance casting producer. She gave the woman her business card and a pitch about why she might want to try out for a new NBC reality show that combines love and adventure.

The Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Jamie Lee Curtis; Sara Bareilles. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Style expert Tim Gunn; physicist Stephen Hawking. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Regis and Kelly Katie Holmes; Tim Gunn. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View (Season premiere) David Letterman. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Oprah Winfrey Show Four women who say they were child brides in America. 3 p.m. KABC Dr. Phil 4 p.m. KCBS The Ellen DeGeneres Show Katie Couric; Kate Gosselin; Gabourey Sidibe.

There is a freak show quality to this year's newly announced list of "Dancing With the Stars" participants, even by the show's increasingly bearded-lady/Kate Gosselin standards. Honestly, how is one supposed to react to a list on which David Hasselhoff looks like a dignified elder statesman? The big news, of course is Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor, former vice presidential candidate and current Fox News commentator Sarah Palin. Upon first glance, Bristol does not possess even the slightest, most cobwebby version of stardom (not to mention any hint of hidden dance talent)

Get ready for a reality show version of "Big Love." TLC, the cable network behind hits "Jon & Kate Plus 8" and "19 Kids and Counting," is hoping to strike ratings gold again with "Sister Wives," a series about a polygamist family in Utah that will premiere in September. Much like the HBO drama "Big Love," which follows a polygamist and his three wives, "Sister Wives" is about Kody and his wives Meri, Janelle and Christine and their 13 kids. Unlike "Big Love's" Bill Henrickson, though, Kody is looking to add to his family by taking on a fourth wife, Robyn, who has three children of her own. For TLC, "Sister Wives" will likely generate a little controversy, but the network is no stranger to that.

Monica Larson is the kind of viewer the cable outlet TLC craves. A loyal fan for years, the mother of five from Westlake Village is now getting her kids hooked on family-oriented reality series like "Cake Boss" and "Say Yes to the Dress." "I love that, overall, their shows are interesting without having to 'push the edge' in terms of language, innuendoes or content," Larson said. Heartland values are indeed what TLC pushes, carving out a profitable niche in a reality TV marketplace otherwise filled with sex-drenched youth soaps (MTV's "Jersey Shore")

Critics can say what they like about Kate Gosselin, but she's probably the best weapon yet devised against Simon Cowell. Gosselin, the tabloid über-mom-turned-reality TV ultra-villain, finally got ushered off ABC's " Dancing With the Stars" last week. That's unwelcome news for the network, because during her short tenure she probably did more than anyone else to push the 10th season to the series' best ratings ever, allowing it to threaten Fox's " American Idol" as America's most-watched show.

A roundup of this morning's arts and entertainment headlines: "American Idol" contestants answer burning questions after Tuesday night's show. Find out what's up with Siobhan's butterflies... (Idol Tracker) Susan Boyle is writing an autobiography. ( BBC) Sam Mendes to direct, Robert Downey Jr. to play the wizard in the planned sequel "Oz The Great and Powerful." (Playlist, 24 Frames) Such a tease: "True Blood" will release six mini-episodes online before its June premiere.