By GLENN GARVIN

It’s not August yet, but the dog days are surely upon us where television is concerned. Perhaps in an effort to make the new season that starts in September look better, the networks are bombarding us with cheapjack reality shows made with little money but lots of hostility.

It says something creepily unpleasant about broadcast-network executives that all three of the shows debuting over the next two days are based on the principle of public humiliation of the innocent. And if any of the shows become hits, it will say something creepily unpleasant about us.

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Gordon Ramsay is joined by restaurateur Joe Bastianich and chef Graham Elliot on Fox's 'MasterChef', which starts Tuesday. (Fox TV)

By JOHN TANASYCHUK

South Floridians Paul Berger and Barbara Estevez were so eager to appear on Fox TV’s new “MasterChef” that didn’t even know what they were competing for.

It wasn’t until they arrived in Los Angeles that they learned the grand prize was $250,000 and a cookbook contract.
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Light cycles, wizards, vampires and superheroes made for another colorful Comic-Con.

San Diego’s annual pop-culture convention wrapped up Sunday after four days of comic books, costumes, celebrity appearances and TV and movie previews.

A new take on “Tron,” the latest “Harry Potter” film, HBO’s “True Blood” and Marvel’s “The Avengers” were among the highlights of the 41st annual festival.

More than 120,000 fans attended the sold-out event at the San Diego Convention Center. They came for the toys and collectibles, the people-watching and a chance to see early footage from anticipated films.

“I was just focusing on ‘Tron,’” said Michael Faustino, 28, who has been coming to Comic-Con since 2004. He also picked up some Tron and G.I. Joe toys.

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Father knows best.

Standing before a forest of microphones after former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced that he wouldn’t testify at his corruption trial as he’d promised, defense lawyers Sam Adam Sr. and Sam Adam Jr. wasted no time explaining why their client opted for the rare-for-Blagojevich move of keeping his mouth shut.

Sam Sr. told him to.

“Well, he didn’t (testify) … because he took my advice and it’s still my advice and someday we will know the answer of who’s right and wrong,” the 74-year-old father, a grizzled criminal attorney, told reporters at the federal courthouse.

“It came down to an argument between an old bull and a young toad,” the younger attorney added. “The old bull won.”

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George Clooney will be recognized for his humanitarian efforts at the Emmy Awards.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will present the 49-year-old actor with its Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the ceremony next month.

Clooney is being honored for the “Hope for Haiti” TV special, which is nominated for an Emmy award, and his efforts to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina and raise awareness about genocide in Darfur.

John Shaffner, chairman and chief executive of the TV academy, said Clooney was “an obvious choice” for the award because he used the power of television to move people to act.

The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was established in 2002. Clooney is the fourth recipient of the honor and will receive the award at the Emmy ceremony on Aug. 29.

Filipino singing sensation Charice Pempengco has had noninvasive cosmetic procedures in preparation for her debut in the second season of the hit TV show “Glee.”

The 18-year-old Charice, whose singing career rocketed after appearing on Ellen DeGeneres’ and Oprah Winfrey’s shows, underwent a 30-minute Thermage procedure, involving an anti-aging skin tightening device, and Botox treatment to make her “naturally round face” more narrow, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo told ABS-CBN television.

Charice, in the same interview, said last week’s face makeover was part of her big preparations “to look fresh on camera” for the Fox show “Glee.”

“All people will be anticipating how will Charice look? Is she good enough to pit against Rachel Berry? So of course there is tremendous pressure,” Charice said.

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It wasn’t a happy hour for Annie Whittington on “Big Brother.”

The 27-year-old bartender from Tampa, Fla., was revealed to viewers Thursday as the 12th season’s saboteur and was then unanimously evicted from the voyeuristic CBS reality competition.

The contestants, who were unaware she was the mole, chose to keep cocktail waitress Rachel Reilly, 26, from Las Vegas in the camera-laden house instead of Whittington.

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Heirs of the late Lucille Ball and her second husband are sparring over the planned auction of the some of the couple’s prized possessions.

Among the items on the auction block are love letters between Ball and Gary Morton, a Rolls Royce and some of the actress’ awards. Morton was the comedienne’s second husband.

The items were consigned to Heritage Auction Galleries by Susie Morton, who married Gary Morton after Ball’s death in 1989.

Ball’s daughter from her first marriage with co-star Desi Arnaz wants some of the items returned. An attorney for Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill says she will go to court Friday to try to block the sale if the items are not returned.

Susie Morton asked a judge Monday to determine that she has the right to offer the items for auction.

Court records show a $1 million sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former assistant against Steven Seagal has been dismissed in Los Angeles.

Kayden Nguyen claimed Seagal forced her to stay in a Louisiana home and that the action star repeatedly fondled her. The allegations led to the suspension of filming on the reality series “Steven Seagal Lawman.”

No reason was given for the dismissal granted Tuesday. Seagal’s attorneys had been trying to resolve the case through private arbitration.

Attorneys for Seagal and Nguyen did not immediately return phone messages Wednesday.

Seagal had denied the allegations through his attorney.

Dustin Hoffman is coming to TV and HBO is lucky enough to have landed him.

HBO says that Hoffman will star in “Luck,” a new drama series about the horse racing world and the owners, gamblers and jockeys who are part of it.

Other cast members include Dennis Farina, Nick Nolte and Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens, who appeared in the film “Seabiscuit.” HBO said Wednesday that the series will begin shooting this fall in Los Angeles, with locations including the Santa Anita Park racetrack.

The pilot episode was written by David Milch, whose credits include “NYPD Blue,” and directed by Michael Mann, whose movies include “Ali” and “Public Enemies.” Milch and Mann are executive producers for “Luck,” along with Carolyn Strauss.

An air date for “Luck” was not announced Wednesday by HBO.