Charles Barkley Like You've Never Seen Him Before

Make sure that you're well stocked on chips and beer, because if this isn't appointment TV, I don't know what is: Charles Barkley is going to undergo a televised colonoscopy. It's all part of part of a "Stand Up to Cancer" special being aired Sept. 5 by NBC, CBS and ABC. Let's just be glad that it's a one-shot thing and not a reality series, I guess. Is there a more fitting metaphor for our fascination with fame? Finally someone is taking the next inevitable step and shoving a camera up a celebrity's ass. Damn paparazzi!

Sir Charles, 45, says he was surprised that the show approached him, but was happy to participate in promoting awareness for colonoscopies, which screen for prostate and other cancers. Barkley said that when he told his friend Fred Lavner, of NB2 Apparel, about being asked to undergo the procedure on television, Lavner replied they were "probably just looking for the celebrity with the biggest ass."

I can't imagine that Barkley would carry the entire show, so it's probable that other celebrity colons will be involved. May as well start your pools now. I'm going with, let's see, Jerry Jones, Jim Leyland and Mark Mangino. The latter, of course, will be filmed in 3D and star Brendan Fraser. Inside Scoop On Charles Barkley [Philadelphia Daily News]