You'll notice the date on the press release I'm linking to is November 20. Sorry about the late post, but I got a little sidetracked by the holidays and then got sick, so just GET OFF MY CASE ALREADY!
Sorry about that, I must have some kind of chemical imbalance or something. I'll try not to lash out so much. Anyway, GSN is airing a special about Chuck Barris on December 10 at 8 pm titled Chuck Barris: My Life on the Edge. Many of us remember Barris as the host of the Gong Show, but he was also a producer for the show, not to mention for shows such as The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game. In his own way, Barris pioneered what would eventually become a television staple: real people making asses of themselves for the amusement of both the home and studio audience. Barris also wrote a book, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, in which he claimed to be a CIA assassin while also working on his game shows. The documentary will feature an interview with the man himself, as well as George Clooney, who directed the film adaptation of Barris' book, and celebs such as Jamie Farr and Phyllis Diller.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-03-2006 @ 9:44PM
dwacon said...
Philadelphia's own Chuck Barris was a legend... and should be honored for creating a format that producers have been ripping off for the past couple decades...
But what makes him more interesting is the George Clooney film (with ingenious portrayal by Sam Rockwell). Was he the killer spy he claimed to be or was he not?
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dwacon
http://dwacon.blogspot.com
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12-04-2006 @ 1:31PM
Jim Kosmicki said...
Barris' books have all been fictionalized accounts of various portions of his life -- and all are worth reading. The Gong Show Movie was panned at the time, but I've since seen it for the first time, and if you've read his books and know about his personal battles, it's a very interesting movie about depression and creative blocks.
i look forward to this documentary. And the Clooney movie was good, but by making the stories physical, it really did eliminate much of what worked in the book -- in the book, it's clear that Barris hates his job, but desperately wants to be successful. Since he's only successful at what he doesn't like or respect doing, he creates a Walter Mitty like reality that's so much more interesting. The problem in the film is that it is so much more interesting, and since both the "reality" and the reality of Barris' life are being recreated, the difference between the two is much harder to see. And it's not the fault of the film-makers. I like the movie a lot as a movie, but there are limitations to film as a form of communication.
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