From crooners to calendar girls, celebs do their part for charity

We’ve watched some of our favorite TV stars to see if they can dance, “But Can They Sing?”

VH1 is premiering its new “American Idol”-like show Oct. 30, where an odd group of celebrities is scheduled to compete using their vocal chords.

Contestants include Joe Pantoliano of “The Sopranos,” Michael Copon of “Power Rangers Time Force,” former heavyweight champ Larry Holmes, soap opera legend Morgan Fairchild and model Kim Alexis.

My favorite part – it’s not about the money. In the end, the winner will be selected by viewers, and the prize money will be donated to the champ’s favorite charity.

Also in the name of doing good deeds, it’s hard to shake your head at people when they’re doing something for the right reasons. Even if what they’re doing is slightly, shall we say, risque.

Female contestants from “The Apprentice” have teamed up to poke some fun at the show while raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims by making a pinup calendar.

“The Apprincess: Fired Up and Giving Back” shows the scantily clad women making fun of some of the “Apprentice” tasks they had to perform while on the show, according to the reality TV news Web site.

I admit, I haven’t seen the calendar, so I’m not sure just how far they go, but some of the shots are allegedly quite suggestive.

One more tidbit. As I heard someone say earlier this week, Martha is going all “Oprah” on us, and I doubt we’ll see her teaching us how to make blueberry crepes anytime soon.

In addition to her “Apprentice” spinoff and talk show, she’s reportedly gearing up for a reality TV home improvement show.

The show is expected out next year and will feature a group of women who either are coming off welfare, bankruptcy or out of rehab who work together with mentors to renovate a house, according to a report earlier this month from E! Online.

Martha’s company already has purchased a 125-year-old house in Norwalk, Conn., for $700,000, which will be used for the show.

It’s like the women of “Starting Over” with hammers and saws. Watch out, Martha – some of those women seem a little angry at times, so you might want to lock up the power tools and stick to making curtains and centerpieces for the first few episodes.