It's Not Gossip, It's Commentary
Rachel Maddow recently called-out Bill O’Reilly on David Letterman, claiming that he and the folks over at Fox News want to frighten white people by reporting negative stories about black people. O’Reilly called the theory “preposterous,” and Maddow came back with a clip to prove her point.
Good job Maddow! To see the original interview with Letterman that started the feud, watch the second clip. The O’Reilly discussion happens about minute six.
Nick Lachey recently said that he might interested in a reality show about his relationship with Vanessa Minnillo. What’s that saying? “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me?” To be fair, he said “never say never,” and is not currently shopping anything around. That being said, when the interviewer asked the question, I expected an emphatic, “Hell Fu*K No!” A friend of mine knew a producer from Newlyweds, who quit the business after the show. She allegedly said that she takes full blame for breaking-up the Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey marriage, and insists that those producers engaged in morally questionable behavior, often meddling in their marriage for ratings. I’m aware that Simpson and Lachey signed up for the show, but that was before reality television producers became known for their manipulative behavior. Five years later, there is no excuse. Nick — you’re on your own.
I watch The View daily, and yesterday’s show painfully reminded me that it might be time for Whoopi to leave. When Bachelor Jake Pavelka told her he was “star-struck” by her, she looked very unimpressed — and rightfully so. Bachelor Jake is a giant douche, and I am sure Whoopi was fantasizing about polishing her Oscar while interviewing him. She often discusses how she isn’t part of “social media” and how she avoids many of the television shows that are sadly part of our current pop-culture. Although that’s precisely why I love her perspective, it also makes her slightly beyond the chat-fest. When I saw the Real Housewives of DC on the show, I shed a little tear for the good old days of cinema and television, and I thought of Ghost and Sister Act. I imagine Whoopi did too.
Brooke Burke is a personal favorite. She took over from Samantha Harris as co-host of DWTS, and I think she’s doing a great job.
Gilles Marini was the best choice in DWTS history. He was an unknown actor that appeared in the first Sex and the City film, and the show helped him gain further attention. No word yet on whether he’s been able to land acting gigs because of it, but he sure is nice to look at.
This Saved By the Bell alum gained hosting success after the show. Mario Lopez is currently hosting Extra, and has filled in for Larry King on CNN in the past. No return to acting though.
Stacy Keibler went from wrestler, to dancer, to “actress.” She appeared on the short-lived series, What About Brian, and she currently has another TV series in the works. We’ll see how it goes.
Many people think that Hannah Montana became a success because of Miley Cyrus. The truth is, the show didn’t become a smash hit until Billy Ray Cyrus discussed it while appearing on DWTS. So yes — you can blame Billy Ray Cyrus for all things Miley.
I already regret adding Chad Ochocinco to this list, but I’m too lazy to delete him. He has one of those terrible VH1 reality dating shows. I guess it’s better than nothing?
Chuck Wicks is a country music singer that surfaced on the pop culture radar after appearing on the show. He also dated his dancing partner, Julianne Hough, which certainly helped. Lucky for him, he was out for more radio play and album sales, and not an acting career.
Nicole Scherzinger already had success with the Pussycat Dolls when she appeared on DWTS. She’s rumored to be the new judge for the UK ‘X-Factor,’ which may or may not be a step up from her singing group.
I put Erin Andrews on this list because I respect that she wanted to be known for something positive, instead of the terrible stalker-incident. Good for her! Plus, she has a great personality.
Melissa Rycroft might be the only person in history that has turned a bad-breakup into an incredible career boost. She went from The Bachelor, to DWTS, to television host for Entertainment Tonight. That’s quite the corporate ladder.
John O’Hurley was a favorite of mine from Seinfeld. He also did a great job on DWTS, and was robbed of the trophy. He now hosts Family Feud, which is quite possibly the best job on the planet. Little hours, high pay.
I often pick on Mtv for destroying my favorite reality show, The Real World, but they’ve filled the void with a show that far surpasses it. Teen Mom is by far the best reality show on television. It’s a spin-off the controversial and successful, 16 and Pregnant, and it follows 5 girls as they struggle to manage teenage life and motherhood. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting, and I’m officially addicted. The show runs a close second in the ratings to Jersey Shore, which is either very different or very similar to Teen Mom — I can’t decide. Watch the trailer below.
Growing Pains — Steve Dorff & John Bettis — “As Long as We Got Each Other”
Cheers — Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angelo — “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”
The Golden Girls — Written by Andrew Gold, Covered by Cindy Fee — “Thank You For Being a Friend”
Welcome Back Kotter — John Sebastian
The Wonder Years — Joe Cocker Cover of Beatles Song — “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Laverne & Shirley — Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox — “Making Our Dreams Come True”
Mr. Ed — Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
Fresh Prince of Bel Air — Will Smith and Quincy Jones III
Charles in Charge — David Kurtz, Michael Jacobs, Al Burton & performed by Shandi Sinnamon
The Jeffersons — Ja’net Du Bois & Jeff Barry — “Movin’ On Up”
Punky Brewster — Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angelo — “Every Time I Turn Around”
Mary Tyler Moore — Paul Williams — “Love is All Around”
For more that I did not cover, go to Paste Magazine
When I read that Desperate Housewives “jumped-the-shark” it got me thinking. Is it really fair to say that a television show is not as good as the first season? Unfortunately, most shows today hit their peak during season one. Why? Because they have such high-concepts, and it becomes impossible to duplicate that momentum. Desperate Housewives was so great when it started, because of the mini-murder mystery. When the mystery was complete, the show was too. Sure Marc Cherry tried to keep it afloat by inserting other mysteries, but he painted himself into a corner. Had the story been secondary to the characters, and not the other way around, perhaps it would not have taken such a hit. Look at Grey’s Anatomy. It began as character driven, and became story driven after season two — which is when the decline began (remember all those bombs and car crashes that strangely kept happening every other episode?). Interestingly, many of the most successful shows in television history got better after the first season, when the show had an opportunity to “find its way.” Both Seinfeld and Cheers, for example, did not immediately catch on. Those shows were built around the characters, not the intense story-lines, and it therefore avoided the creative roadblocks. So what’s the solution? Stop getting greedy and start getting creative. When someone pitches an idea that doesn’t involve a car-chase, don’t kick them out of the meeting. Also — don’t sack shows that struggle at their outset. Have some darn patience.
Ellen DeGeneres is definitely capitalizing on her ‘American Idol’ attention. First she starts a record label, and now she’s getting a variety show. With the exception of my Julianne and Derek Hough idea, I don’t think the variety show format will work. Rosie O’Donnell already failed at it, and just about every reality television show is basically a variety show anyways. How would you classify ‘America’s Got Talent’? The other thing that bothers me about this news, is that almost every time one of Ellen’s daytime guests tell her to get involved in something, she says that she doesn’t have the time. I remember when Kathy Griffin told Ellen to do stand-up in Iraq, and Ellen said she gladly would but there just isn’t room in her schedule for it. I guess her schedule is free after all. Watch the interview below at the three minute mark to see what I’m referring to.
With all the remakes and ripoffs in the entertainment industry, I’m surprised no one has thought of this. Derek and Julianne Hough, the brother/sister dancing duo on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ should get together and host a variety style talk show. They’re both beautiful to look at, and all attempts to venture out of the dancing world and start other projects, have pretty much fallen flat. Why? Because they never tried this idea before. To top off the strange Donnie & Marie connection, the two are both Mormons. They grew up in Utah and moved to London at an early age to further their dancing careers (where they interestingly trained with the parents of fellow ‘Dancing With the Stars’ professional, Mark Ballas). Though it pains me to admit this, I did not actually come up with this idea on my own. An executive at my office did, and he gave me permission to take full credit. I just couldn’t do it though. So in an effort to maintain his anonymity while still making him sound cool, I’ll just call him C-Dog. If anyone steals this idea though without forking over some major dough, I’ll sue you. Hear that dancing duo?
Jim Breuer added to his roster of hilarious appearances on Howard Stern today. Of the many stories he told, my favorite involved his tumultuous relationship with former ‘Saturday Night Live’ head writer, Adam McKay. Breuer recounted the many times that McKay nixed Breuer’s sketches with Tracy Morgan. According to Breuer, McKay was threatened by his success on the show, and made it his mission to get him fired. When Breuer received a private phone call from Lorne Michaels asking him to go to dinner and ‘make nice’ with McKay, he refused and was subsequently fired/quit. Despite being infuriated by this story, it’s at least refreshing to hear that infighting and backstabbing exists no matter where you work. We can all breathe a sigh of relief and stop dreaming of the days that we escape our “desk jobs.” Oh yeah – Breuer also revealed that he, Tracey Morgan, and Colin Quinn, tried to gang rape Will Ferrell in an effort to get him to break character. It didn’t work. Ferrell stayed in character.