Martha Stewart Signs on For Third Season
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication, Ratings, Renewals,
Yesterday, reports said that Martha Stewart had fired a co-executive producer—but that didn’t stop the news that her syndicated show has been picked up for a third season. Mark Burnett, executive producer for The Martha Stewart Show, said of the news, “Thanks to NBC Universal and our station partners for showing such incredible support so early in this, our second season. We look forward to a third year of entertaining content, filled with great storytelling and how-to information that will make a difference in the daily lives of our viewers.”
Is there nothing this woman can’t do? I’m glad to hear she’s getting another season—while I’m not a regular watcher, I do enjoy catching her shows from time to time. It’s always interesting to see her guests try to crack through her icy exterior. She is a domestic robot!
Read More 
| Zap2it
Gallery: Martha Stewart Signs on For Third Season
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Oprah Pays it Forward—With Debit Cards
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication,
Ever the gift-giver, Oprah gave the audience of Monday’s show something a little bit different. Each member of the audience received a $1,000 debit card. But here’s the catch—each person must donate that money in some way to someone else. While it’s not a car or extravagant gift, the debit cards are, as she puts it, the “gift of giving back.” The 300 audience members received the cards, sponsored by Bank of America, to donate to the charity of their choice. “I can honestly say that every gift I’ve ever given has brought at least as much happiness to me as it has to the person I’ve given it to,” Oprah said. “That’s the feeling I want to pass on to you.”
To keep people honest, they are not allowed to give the money to a relative, but they can divide it among several charities. They also received a DVD recorder for taping the experience of donating their money. The stories will air on a future show. Oprah told her audience, “You’re going to open your hearts, you’re going to be really creative, and you’re going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person. Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000.”
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Oprah Pays it Forward—With Debit Cards
Madonna to Set Things Straight on Oprah
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication, News, Rumors,
If you’re having trouble keeping up with all of the latest happenings of Madonna’s recent adoption of 13-month-old David Banda, look no further than Oprah to clear things up. Things were going swimmingly with her and hubby Guy Ritchie’s recent adoption process. In fact, many child rights groups were saying that things were going too easily for the couple—and too quickly. Madonna was able to gain custody of the child easily and even have him come to live with them in England. Typically, Malawian laws do not allow international adoptions or require the parents to live in the country for up to one year for evaluation. Then, the boys’ father spoke out, saying that he didn’t really understand the permanency of an adoption. He told the Associated Press on Sunday, “If we were told she wants to take the baby as her own, we would not have consented, because I see no reason why I should give up my son.”
So, where does the adoption stand and what is all of the controversy about? Madonna will be shedding light on the details during an upcoming interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show will air on Wednesday.
Read More | E! Online
Gallery: Madonna to Set Things Straight on Oprah
Mel Gibson Calls DUI Arrest ‘A Blessing’
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, ABC, News,
Apparently it was the wake-up call that Mel Gibson needed to get sober. Too bad it was also a huge image-breaker and public humiliation. I’m speaking, of course, about his DUI arrest in July, complete with anti-Semitic comments. He’s finally come forward in an interview with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America to talk about the incident and the subsequent fallout. In the first part of the interview, which aired this morning, Gibson called his arrest “a blessing,” saying that he needed “public humiliation on a global scale” to get sober. Commenting on the incident and his alcoholism, Gibson said, “Sometimes you need a cold bucket of water in the face to sort of snap to, because you’re dealing with a sort of malady of the soul, an obsession of the mind and a physical allergy.” Jewish leaders, addiction experts and PR gurus believe that he still has a way to go on rebuilding his reputation, with many saying that he is hiding behind alcoholism and not taking full credit for the incident.
The second part of the interview will air on Friday morning on Good Morning America.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Gallery: Mel Gibson Calls DUI Arrest ‘A Blessing’
Jon Stewart Nixes Notion of Presidential Bid in 2008
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Talk Shows, Cable, Daily Show, The, Cable/Satellite, News,
While most of us rooted in reality can pretty much identify that an entertainer like Jon Stewart would never run for president, there are some optimists out there who love the idea. Case in point: the T-shirts reading “Stewart/Colbert ‘08.” Call me a naysayer—for while Stewart is smart, funny, entertaining and devilishly handsome, the prospects of his presidential run will never see the light of day. Stewart recently commented on the shirts at the New Yorker Festival, saying, “Nothing says ‘I am ashamed of you my government’ more than ‘Stewart/Colbert ‘08.”
Stewart is, however, doing his part by making politics interesting and entertaining—including having guests such as Bill Clinton and Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on The Daily Show. He also has high hopes of getting the Bush administration to appear as well. Well, that’s probably about as likely as Jon Stewart running for president.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Jon Stewart Nixes Notion of Presidential Bid in 2008
David Spade Gets Another Season of ‘Showbiz Show’
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Talk Shows, Cable, Cable/Satellite, Renewals,
The Showbiz Show With David Spade has been given the go-ahead by Comedy Central for a third season. Spade’s look at entertainment news is always a good bet for a few laughs. There are always some duds, but overall Spade pulls out some good snarky stuff. Comedy Central will air 13 new episodes of the half-hour show, beginning in February. Given the entertainment news format, you would think this type of show would not so much have “13 episode seasons,” but continue to be an on-going show. I mean, entertainment news is happening every day, why limit this type of show to just 13 episodes? Spade commented, saying “I want to get back on the air as quickly as possible so that we don’t miss out. There is too much good stuff going on right now in Hollywood. We have to catch up.”
In other Spade news, he will be appearing in the mid-season replacement comedy Rules of Engagement. The comedy will look at an engaged couple, a married couple, and a single guy, with Spade playing the engaged man’s best friend.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: David Spade Gets Another Season of ‘Showbiz Show’
Weighing in on Megan Mullally and Rachael Ray
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication,
Well, now that I’ve caught a bit of both Megan Mullally’s and Rachael Ray’s new daytime offerings, it’s time to weigh in. I have always enjoyed Mullally’s character on Will & Grace and find her very entertaining when she’s on other talk shows. So, she definitely has a likability-factor. She’s quirky and fun, nice but not too nice, and has a lot of energy. Overall, I found her to be delightful (at the risk of sounding old-fashioned), but I do think she has to find her groove. There were a couple of moments on today’s show with guest Eva Mendes, where I found she could have interjected more into the conversation. Her interview with Jenny McCarthy yesterday was fun though, and I find her show opening to be interesting enough.
Rachael Ray also has a lot of energy—and perhaps too much! I’m wondering if they will tell her to scale back the intensity because she is over the top with enthusiasm. I do watch her Food Network 30 Minute Meals because I enjoy cooking, but have never been able to stomach her other shows on the Food Network. With her new talk show, it’s almost unwatchable—perhaps because of her mile-a-minute chatter or just the fact that she is so completely overexposed. Food TV shows, cookbooks, magazine, daytime talk, guest appearances… just too much of Ray for my tastes! The Hollywood Reporter is even calling her show “potentially annoying.”
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Weighing in on Megan Mullally and Rachael Ray
Megan Mullally Tries Daytime Talk
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication,
Brace yourself for the next daytime talk entry—The Megan Mullally Show—and let the cards fall where they may. I don’t mean to sound cynical. I really like Mullally and I think her turn as a fill-in for David Letterman (in 2003) proves she can do the job. If you’ve ever seen her being interviewed, she’s very entertaining too—daytime talk shows come and go however, and I hope she won’t be the latest casualty.
Hopefully Mullally can overcome expectations that she’ll be like her character Karen Walker from Will & Grace. Her show begins on Monday, including interviews (of course), comedy sketches and studio audience interaction. Mullally hopes to bring a little edge to her show, saying, “I don’t have to start as Little Mary Sunshine. What people really want in this talk show is (for) me to be naughty and edgy. We’re doing it.” Be on the lookout for guests such as Will Ferrell, Felicity Huffman, Carol Burnett, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—with that roster, she’ll be off to a great start! Her Will & Grace co-stars (Debra Messing, Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes) will also be gracing her show at some point. Best of luck Megan!
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Megan Mullally Tries Daytime Talk
Meredith Vieira’s First Day on the Job
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, NBC, HDTV, Internet, News,
Meredith Vieira woke up a little earlier than usual this morning to start her new gig on the Today show. While I was only able to catch about a half hour of the program, I’d say she’s off to a great start; Internet reviews agree, saying that Vieira had a solid debut. She seemed at ease and comfortable in her surroundings. She’s by no means a newbie at this sort of thing, but she does have big high heels to fill following Katie Couric’s departure. Her rapport with the rest of the Today show gang, her ability to handle tough news, as well as interject levity and silliness when necessary, all bode well for Today and its ratings. She has pretty wide appeal and I’m sure saying things like she felt “like it’s the first day of school and I’m sitting next to the cutest guy” (referring to Matt Lauer) will make her a welcome morning addition.
Today also revealed its studio, all shiny and cool for their venture into high-def. Bright and modern, the colors and furniture are sure to “pop” for high-def viewers.
Read More | CNN
Gallery: Meredith Vieira’s First Day on the Job
Ellen DeGeneres to Host Oscars
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Award Shows, Prime Time, Talk Shows, ABC,
Ellen DeGeneres has been tapped to host the 79th Annual Academy Awards on February 25th. Laura Ziksin, producer for this year’s show called DeGeneres to offer her the hosting job. DeGeneres was thrilled by the offer, saying, “There’s two things I’ve always wanted to do in my life: One is to host the Oscars. The second is to get a call from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day’s diary entry.”
DeGeneres is no stranger to hosting award shows, having successfully co-hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994, then again in 2001 and 2005. She has proven to be an entertaining emcee to such events, and her quick wit and easy-going demeanor have wide appeal. “I’ve always wanted to host the show, ever since I hosted the Emmys,” DeGeneres said. “Obviously, it’s a huge honor, although it’s not always a great situation. If you do well, they don’t talk about it, and if you don’t do well, you’re torn apart. But I like the challenge, and I’d like to put my stamp on it. In fact, I’m thinking of stretching it out even longer to two nights like Rock Star: Supernova.”
Read More | Hollywood Reporter
Gallery: Ellen DeGeneres to Host Oscars
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