Tag: ABC

Star Jones on Joy Behar — No More Bad Blood?

Star Jones appeared on Joy Behar’s HLN show to promote her new book, Satan’s Sisters, and I was shocked to discover that she appeared agreeable and friendly. I’ve been picking on Star Jones a lot lately, mostly due to her poor behavior on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. I was also shocked to discover that this interview took place at all. Star left The View in a very dramatic fashion, disclosing to the press that she was “fired” and announcing her departure before the producers had originally planned. Translation? — She pissed everyone off. Since then, she’s apparently become PR savvy, because everyone knows if you want to clear your image, you return to the scene of the crime. Since she’s likely banned from The View for eternity, Joy Behar’s show is the next best step. Watch the interview below.

Grey’s Anatomy Musical Episode — It Didn’t Work

I just watched this much talked about Grey’s Anatomy episode, and I really wanted to like it — I promise I did. Unfortunately, it simply didn’t work. The plot surrounded Dr. Callie Torres, who was near death following a car accident. In the process of trying to save her, just about every doctor breaks into song, which is loosely justified by Callie’s hallucinations. There’s a few problems with this. First, in order to justify awkwardly singing in the middle of a hospital operation, each song must take place in Callie’s presence, otherwise it’s not a hallucination, and it’s instead just a crazy doctor that should be fired for singing on the job. Second, the song choices should have been somewhat thematic. It just doesn’t make sense to sing Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol and Breathe by Anna Nalick. It felt too random, as if they picked the songs out of a very large hat. I realize that Shonda Rimes has some very talented cast members whose voice she wanted to feature in her show. But if I were advising her, I’d tell her to take a note from Ally McBeal instead of Glee, and have the actors randomly sing at a bar after work instead. It would have made much more sense that way. Watch a clip of last Thursday’s episode below.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Kirstie Alley Take a Fall on DWTS

Just when you thought Maksim Chmerkovskiy was an invincible Superman-like dancer, think again.  On tonight’s Dancing With the Stars, Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy tripped mid-dance and fell to the floor.  Maksim blamed it on himself, saying, “his leg just gave out,” and Kirstie assured him that he need not apologize.  If these two weren’t already my favorite dancers on the show, they certainly are now.  It’s incredible that they immediately got back up and Maksim danced through his very obvious pain.  Did I mention that Maksim was wearing a very revealing shirt tonight?  That certainly helps with my overall assessment — not that I’m biased or anything. Watch below.

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Repeats Yesterday’s Show — I’m No Fool

Want to know an easy way for a television network to pocket a ton of ad revenue without doing any work? Run a clip-show! Tonight’s Dancing With the Stars “results show” consisted of an hour long recap of yesterday’s show, and I found myself completely baffled. “At some point they have to have original content,” I thought. No such luck. At the very least ABC could air back-stage material or dress rehearsal footage for the first hour. Instead, the entire hour consisted of the brilliant Tom Bergeron wasting his skills on just introducing yesterday’s dances, which I could have easily watched online instead. I understand that ABC wants to maximize their best product, but isn’t it possible to have original content for that initial hour? Sure, it’s possible. But it’s also expensive, and I’m guessing the theory at ABC is — why do it if we don’t have to? I know your tricks ABC.

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Premieres — Kirstie Alley Rocks the House

Just when I thought there would be no one to root for on Dancing With the Stars this season, Kirstie Alley shocked me.  I knew she’d be worth watching, but I had no idea she’d be incredible.  Her performance with Maksim Chmerkovskiy was the best of the night, and they actually had surprising sexual chemistry.  I use the word “surprising,” because I never thought Maksim and Kirstie would get along, given that they are both strong personalities.  I suppose it makes sense though.  Maksim needs someone to slap him around and compensate for his sometimes awkward interview demeanor.  Did I mention that Kirstie looks hot?  Can someone sign me up for their workout routine?  Watch below.

Dancing With the Stars Costume Designer: “Celebrities Not as Hot as They Think”

Randall Christensen, the costume designer for Dancing With the Stars, revealed that his biggest design challenge is the celebrities’ distorted body image. When I first read the article, I thought he was about to discuss how the celebrities are too insecure to wear the revealing costumes, but it’s actually the opposite. According to Christensen, “a lot of times they really think they’re in better shape or a lot more toned than they are.” Nothing pleases me more than hearing about an “untoned” celebrity. That’s not because I like to swim in the misery of others, but rather, I enjoy knowing that I’m not the only one with a fat ass.

Celebrity Apprentice Debuts — Star Jones v. Everyone?

It always shocks me when celebrities appear on reality shows and openly broadcast their bad behavior.  In the case of Star Jones, it’s especially surprising.  First, Jones has some major career cleanup to do after being fired from The View and subsequently bad-mouthing the staff.  You would think she’d make a considerable effort to appear agreeable — even if she has to lie to do so.  If you watched the most recent episode of The Apprentice, then you know that Star Jones and Dionne Warwick were exceptionally disagreeable.  The challenge was to draft a children’s book, and both Star and Dionne insisted that they receive writing credit on the book apart from the team’s general credit.  If you’re familiar with entertainment contracts, then you know that credit is a big deal in the industry, so it’s understandable that both Star and Dionne would be knowledgeable of receiving separate credit.  That being said, this is faux task on Celebrity Apprentice and not a legitimate book deal for a major studio.  Their immaturity was ridiculous, as was their condescending conversations with team leader, Lisa Rinna. That brings me to my favorite line of the episode, which came from Lisa Rinna when she said, “those bitches are not going to take me down.”

Peter MacNicol Rescues Grey’s Anatomy — Ally McBeal Nostalgia Ensues

I was elated to hear Peter MacNicol joined Grey’s Anatomy. He was my favorite actor on Ally McBeal, and he hasn’t had a similar role in years. In recent Grey’s Anatomy episodes, he’s played a cold-hearted doctor, but series creator Shonda Rimes delivered in last Thursday’s episode, when MacNicol showed his emotional side and asked out a nurse he has a crush on. If I knew Shonda Rimes, I’d beg her to make him a series regular instead of just a guest-star, because I fear he only has a few episodes left on his contract. The scene I’m referring to is on minute 35 of the video below. Enjoy!

Dear Media, STOP Interviewing Michael Jackson’s Kids

I know there’s an insane interest in what Michael Jackson’s life was like behind closed doors, especially regarding his children.  I also know that it’s very difficult to turn down  an interview that will likely generate ratings.  That being said, there’s still an underlying moral code that should be executed by the media, and there’s a definitive line in the sand when it comes to Michael Jackson’s children.  First, while Jackson was alive, he was adamant about shielding his kinds from the media.  He made his wishes clear, and it wasn’t until his death that we heard any of them even speak.  Now, every media outlet wants an interview, including Oprah who apparently didn’t get the moral memo.  Until they’re eighteen, I don’t want to hear from them.

Cheryl Burke Upset With Paparazzi for Publicizing Her Weight Gain

Call me a heartless prick, but I love to see pictures of celebrities when they gain weight.  It’s not because I enjoy the misery of others, it’s just that I’d like to believe that celebrities are sans cellulite because they have the time to spend the entire day doing squats.  So when pictures emerged of Cheryl Burke in a bikini looking larger than she did on Dancing With The Stars, I found it comforting.  I thought, “wow, Cheryl is a real human being that puts on weight during her breaks from the show.  Maybe now I won’t feel so bad about my gigantic ass.”  Unfortunately, Cheryl didn’t see it that way.   Instead, she’s said that those pictures forced her to go on an extreme diet and the paparazzi basically ruined her life.  So here’s my advice to Cheryl Burke: either get out of the kitchen or develop thicker skin (no pun intended).  Sensitive people don’t belong in this business — it’s way too cutthroat.