Muncie, Indiana is suddenly the new television hotspot. A week after the local high school passed on a chance to host a basketball-based MTV reality show, CBS is joining its police department.
The Muncie Star-Press reports that producers have been in town arranging for a cast of "celebrities" to become Muncie police officers for a new celebreality series. Right now, the Hollywood sharpies are casting and negotiating how much access camera crews will have in the local jail if a celebrity makes an arrest.
But the big questions are:
Who are the celebs?
And will they get to carry real guns?
Sorry, Michael Richards is not among the Hollywood lawmen. Nor are Paris and Nicole. Sources are saying former TV CHiP Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne, former pro wrestler Trish Stratus, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and little Jason "Wee Man" Acuña from Jackass are in the running for a chance to be on the other side of the Mace can.
And sadly, the celebs won't be getting guns and they won't be going out on their own to respond to domestic disputes.
Each will, however, be paired up with a training officer and go through a TV Police Academy of reserve officer training-- including physical exams, basic firearms and defensive tactics training and, among other subjects, psychological testing (some of that aforementioned crew might be able to put Mark Fuhrman to shame on that one).
The mayor says Muncie turned down MTV's offer to follow the high school basketball season because it didn't want to exploit the kids. He says CBS is a better fit, and that the producers agreed not to paint Muncie as a hick town.
The taping is expected to begin in the next few weeks and last about a month. Everyone's sworn to secrecy on the plans, because they're afraid paparazzi might get in the way of the real-life celebrity policework.