Word on the Street

Yes, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will be back for a new edition of "The Simple Life." But no, she doesn't know when it will start or what the format will be ... or even if the two former friends are speaking to each other.

The Hilton-Richie situation is also complex. Friends since childhood, they succeeded with a daft reality show, putting them in strange settings; then came a feud, with Hilton acknowledging that they weren't speaking.

A new edition will be interesting, Liguori said, now that both are engaged. But what will it be like? "We'll just have to figure that out."

Fox built its reputation on offbeat shows - from "Idol" and "Simple Life" to "Joe Millionaire" - from the reality show division led by Mike Darnell. It's had reality success this summer with "Hell's Kitchen" and "So You Think You Can Dance"; overall, for the full season, Fox is No. 1 in its favorite Nielsen ratings category, ages 18-49.

There are no reality shows on the fall lineup, but many will be waiting. They include "Idol" in January, plus "Simple Life," "Trading Spouses," "Nanny 911" and something new: "XQuest" will use video-game technology to put contestants in an outer- space situation; it's from a team that includes "Apollo 13" director Ron Howard and "Halo" video-game producer Alexander Seropian.

More odd reality touches will probably come, Liguori said. "Mike's an incredible showman."