If this is a joke, it's a very weak one... but 'tis so often the way with reality show concepts. Justin Timberlake, they're saying, has been signed up as executive producer of a new US reality show, where contestants battle it out for a cash prize. Tony Disanto, executive vice president of programming and series development for MTV, said: "Genre-busting and reinvention is at the core of what we do, and 'The Phone' does just that. Each week will be an action-packed mini-movie."

Well that sounds great. What kind of "bustin'" and "action" will they be up to? Here's an example: the show begins with two hidden cell phones ringing in different areas of a large city. People who answer their phone will have five seconds to decide whether they want to play for a cash prize. Now, call me cynical, but I get people phoning me up offering me cash prizes all the time and while it's certainly stressful, I wouldn't necessarily say it was an action-packed adventure. So, is this the whole show? What's next, "The Email: Spam Survivor?"

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