Hey, look! Up in the sky! It's someone vaguely famous on a flying trapeze!

ABC and NBC are both looking to air celebrity circuses [1] this year, with stars performing their own versions of classic big top acts. NBC's Celebrity Circus [2] includes professional circus entertainers who will judge the tiger-training, trapeze-flying stars. ABC, meanwhile, is looking to revive the '80s spectacle Circus of the Stars [3], which featured a host of celebrities including Scott Baio, Jennie Garth, and even Lucille Ball.

I just watched some clips of the original Circus of the Stars, and it's incredibly bizarre; how did I miss this show the first time around? I never thought I'd see Weird Al Yankovic climb one of those tall poles that wobbles in the air or Rebecca Arthur from Perfect Strangers perform a trapeze act, but, well, now I have. NBC's reality TV director has said the circus shows will hook people "like flypaper," and it does seem addictive in that "what will they do next?" kind of way. So, I suppose it's time to start guessing who will appear on this year's circuses. Danny Bonaduce? Tara Reid?

To watch some clips from the old Circus of the Stars, just .

Source [4]