Regis Philbin to Undergo Heart Surgery
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Late Night, Talk Shows, Syndication, Gossip,
One of the hardest working guys in showbiz is going to have to take it easy for a little while. Regis Philbin, 75 (can you believe that?), has scheduled open-heart surgery for later this week. Philbin made the announcement today on Live with Regis and Kelly, saying, “There’s some plaque in some arteries and I got to get it cleaned out.” Huh, sounds a bit oversimplified, but Philbin said that chest pains and shortness of breath led his doctors to this decision. He also expressed his concern, saying “Darn it, I don’t want to do it. Nobody wants to do it, I guess.” Friend of Philbin, David Letterman underwent a quadruple bypass back in 2000. His recovery is expected to take five weeks and perky co-host Ripa commented that she would dress as a nurse and give him a sponge bath during recovery. In the meantime, look for a cavalcade of guest hosts to fill the void on the chatfest.
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| Yahoo! News
Gallery: Regis Philbin to Undergo Heart Surgery
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Rachael Ray to Hawk Dunkin’ Donuts
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Talk Shows, Cable,
In her attempt to take over the world, Rachael Ray has just signed on as a spokesperson for Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ is launching a new “health-conscious” menu and wants Ray to sell the heck out of it. Not only will she be the face/voice/whatever of the new line of healthy food and beverages, but she will also help to develop the products. Basically, with the recommendation to avoid trans fats, Dunkin’ is steppin’ up and yanking the trans from their lineup. Ray, of course, is excited (when is she not?)—saying, “I am excited to work with Dunkin’ Donuts’ team of chefs as they expand their menu to include new items for customers looking for more health-conscious options.” Dunkin’s president, Robert Rodriguez, said, “Rachael’s philosophy of creating quality meals quickly and without pretense for busy people living busy lives is the same driving force behind the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.” Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that she is a household name and all around American girl that people are strangely drawn to. Cha-ching!
Gallery: Rachael Ray to Hawk Dunkin’ Donuts
Star Jones Gets Gig at Court TV
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Cable, Cable/Satellite,
Star Jones Reynolds is back baby. No longer tethered by Barbara Walters and her brand of bull, Star is running the show this time. Reynolds will host a talk show of sorts on Court TV, specializing in criminal justice and pop culture. Huh? Well, we’ll have to find out what that’s all about in the fall, when the show will debut. No details on the show’s title just yet. Reynolds has some experience in this area, having started her career as a lawyer and then as a legal commentator for Court TV in the early 90s. Her job as co-host of The View began in 1997, and well, you know how it all went down—after her contract wasn’t renewed last summer, she announced on the show that she would be leaving, making Barbara very grumpy. That was Star’s last appearance on The View. Of her new show, Star commented, “This is the perfect time in our culture to see how the law, politics and entertainment come together. Some people say it has been on a collision. I say it has been connected.”
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Star Jones Gets Gig at Court TV
Is Tyra Banks a Sociopath?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, America’s Next Top Model, Talent, Editorial, Features,
I’m not a psychologist or a psychiatrist; my training in that department goes only up to and including my Psych 101 class freshman year at Cornell. I’m just somebody who watches a bunch of TV, and watches clip shows like “The Soup” which boils down even more TV for me. All this having been said however, let me say this: I think Tyra Banks is a sociopath.
That’s not a value judgment at all. I guess it’s not technically a mental health judgment either because of my aforementioned lack of psychological training. But here’s the thing: I’ve been watching Top Model for a few seasons now, I’ve seen many clips of her talk show (I tried sitting through a whole episode and I just … yeah, no), and something’s always bothered me about Ty Ty Baby and I could never quite put my finger on it. Finally, though, when I saw Tyra salute herself on her talk show for being a trailblazer in African-American history (she was the first person of color to appear as the cover girl on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition), it all came to me.
She’s not just a narcissist; Tyra Banks has absolutely no sense of empathy. Having no ability to empathize is what (many websites tell me) catapults someone from simple narcissism to sociopathy.
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Gallery: Is Tyra Banks a Sociopath?
Rosie O’Donnell Apologizes for Comments to Co-Host
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Gossip,
Rosie O’Donnell’s big opinions have gotten her in trouble again. This time, she butted heads with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday’s show. While the show is called The View, I believe the format’s intention is to be a bit more tolerant of other people’s “views,” especially when you’re sharing the same table. Rosie and Elisabeth couldn’t see eye-to-eye on whether or not the government should be privy to citizens’ telephone conversations. Elisabeth was ok with it, but Rosie was not and berated her on the show, saying, “Elisabeth, you are very young, and you are very wrong.” Thursday, Rosie posted an apology on her web site via haiku (ugh, enough with the haikus already). The poem began, “i said some of elisabeths comments were ignorant / which was ignorant itself.” There was no mention of the incident on Friday’s show, so seems life will go on for The View‘s ladies.
Read More | People
Gallery: Rosie O’Donnell Apologizes for Comments to Co-Host
Jimmy Fallon Rumored to Take Over for Conan
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Late Night, Talk Shows, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Rumors,
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jimmy Fallon is reportedly being considered as the next host for Late Night. With Conan O’Brien scheduled to take over The Tonight Show hosting duties from Jay Leno in 2009, NBC is looking for someone to fill Conan’s rather large shoes. The New York Times reported that NBC executives are discussing a deal with Fallon, but the deal makes no promises that he will win the coveted hosting job. Carson Daly, host of Last Call, would love the job, but NBC has not yet made that an option. Quite honestly, I would much rather see Fallon take on the job over Carson. Fallon has hosted MTV awards shows in the past and even filled in for David Letterman in 2003. And he’s funny. I don’t think the same can be said for Daly. It’s unclear if anyone can really match Conan’s wit, but it would be nice to see someone like Jimmy Fallon taking over. The deal with NBC may not end in the hosting job, but does guarantee that any projects he does will be exclusively for NBC. Marc Liepis, a spokesman for NBC, told E! Online that “the stories are speculation and unconfirmed.” Fallon hasn’t done too much since leaving SNL, except for the films Taxi and Fever Pitch, as well as lending his voice to Arthur and the Invisibles. He’s got a couple of indie films coming up too. Personally, I’d love to see him on my TV every night—just have Tina Fey be his first guest. I really miss them on Weekend Update.
Read More | Yahoo News
Gallery: Jimmy Fallon Rumored to Take Over for Conan
Former Survivor Contestant Joins Rachael Ray Show
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Reality, Talk Shows, Syndication, Survivor,
Following in the footsteps of Survivor contestant Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who co-hosts on The View, Survivor castaway Colby Donaldson will be joining Rachael Ray. Perhaps an effort to appeal to the male demographic, or just another personality to cut Ray’s over-the-top persona? His job is “content buddy”—he’ll give viewers more of a male perspective and conduct interviews. Donaldson told Us magazine that he is “thrilled to now be with Rachael Ray enjoying this daytime adventure with real people. I love hanging out with Rachael and the food perks are pretty great too! It’s good to know my days of eating bugs are over!” Ray’s show has done very well in the ratings and earned a renewal, so seems Donaldson will be sitting pretty on the daytime talk show. You may remember him from his runner-up status on the Australian edition of Survivor, or from the all-stars edition, where he was the seventh to be booted. You could have seen him on Curb Your Enthusiasm, or maybe you know him from the razor ads. At any rate, he will be a handsome addition to the show.
Read More | Reality TV World
Gallery: Former Survivor Contestant Joins Rachael Ray Show
Rachael Ray’s Show Renewed Through 2010
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Talk Shows, Syndication, Ratings, Renewals,
Brace yourselves… we’ve got two more seasons of Rachael Ray-isms to endure. Her daytime gabfest has been extended through the 2009-2010 season. Don’t get me wrong, I love her recipes and can sorta stomach her 30 Minute Meals program on the Food Network. An hour of her talk show Rachael Ray is just way too much to endure though. Her personality seems over the top—maybe it is genuine, but there is just too much hyper energy behind it for me to stick through an entire hour of her show. Folks love her though—she really appeals to the masses and she’s the polar opposite of stuffy Martha Stewart. Her show is the top new syndicated show of the season, so she certainly has a following. Roger King, CEO at CBS Television Distribution, said of the renewal, “It’s clear that Rachael’s devoted fans are happy to welcome her into their living rooms every day and the positive response from our affiliate stations has been tremendous. We look forward to many more years of fantastic shows from Rachael and the show’s talented creative team.” Can she keep the energy up for a couple more seasons? My money says yes, and then some.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Rachael Ray’s Show Renewed Through 2010
‘Today’ Show Adding A Fourth Hour
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, NBC, News, Ratings,
I literally had to do a double take when I read that the Today show was going to extend to a fourth hour. Huh? Really? I know America loves a morning news program, and no one does it better than Today, but that seems a wee bit excessive. What will hour four look like and why are they doing it? Well, the expansion, which is set to begin in September, takes the top-rated show the extra mile. More time on the air, more money, blah, blah, blah. NBC News president Steve Capus said of the extension, “The success of the Today show has been remarkable throughout its history, and the program has never been in a better position than it is right now. This is a tribute to all the dedicated hard work of Matt [Lauer], Meredith [Vieira], Al [Roker], Ann [Curry] and the entire behind the scenes team. You can’t do this with a program that isn’t a powerhouse—and that is exactly what we have at Today.” No word yet on who will take over anchor duties for the fourth hour. Vieira is under contract as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, so she bails after 9 a.m. More details about anchor duties will come as the extended show gets closer.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: ‘Today’ Show Adding A Fourth Hour
Oprah Takes on the Oscar Special
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Award Shows, Prime Time, Talk Shows, ABC, Grey’s Anatomy, Oprah Winfrey Show,
Move over, Barbara Walters. There’s a new Oscar special on the horizon. That’s right, Oprah Winfrey will be presenting a pre-Oscar ceremony special, in the spirit of Walters’ now well-known celeb chat. While Walters has yet to announce her guests, Winfrey has revealed that The Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special will have celebrities interviewing one another. This fresh take will feature Julia Roberts interviewing George Clooney, Nicole Kidman asking questions of Russell Crowe, and Jamie Foxx chatting with Sidney Poitier. The Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special will air three days prior to the Oscar ceremony on Thursday, February 22nd, on ABC, following Grey’s Anatomy. Walters special, as she has historically done, will air on Oscar night, February 25th. No word yet on whether or not Winfrey will appear on the special, although she is the executive producer of the show.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Oprah Takes on the Oscar Special
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