If things don't work out for Project Runway winner Christian Siriano in the fashion biz, he might want to consider a full-time gig as a talk show diva. As the number one guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show today, Christian was fierce, fun and oh-so-comfy that at times I thought Ms. O had her own little Ed McMahon or Andy Richter... but with a lot more style.
Oprah devoted the show to reality TV and the big get was Adam Lambert, the runner up in last season's American Idol. You wouldn't have guessed he was second place based on the assertion by Oprah that he was the top choice of her viewers when asked which reality star they wanted to see on her show.
I know I'm cynical, but I think it was planned. Adam's album is coming out on November 23 and there's already been lots of buzz, including the CD cover.
Sarah Palin has a memoir coming out next month, Going Rogue. And as part of what I'm sure will be a big media blitz promoting the book Palin will appear on Oprah.
This could be an interesting episode. Palin has not really talked at length since leaving her position as Governor of Alaska, and Oprah was a rather, um, huge supporter of President Obama's. Oprah is advertising the appearance as a "world exclusive," but I can't imagine that Palin wouldn't do other shows.
The episode will air on November 16. The book comes out the next day.
In the last month, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and Michael Bublé have all appeared and sang on The Oprah Winfrey Show. All three have had number one albums. Coincidence? No. Good promotion (although Whitney had already reached number one by the time she warbled on Oprah). Therefore, I have to wonder why Jon Bon Jovi has entered an exclusive "artist in residence" deal with NBC Universal? For two months, Bon Jovi will promote the new Bon Jovi CD, The Circle, only just on NBCU channels.
You'll see him on Today, The Tonight Show, The Jay Leno Show, Saturday Night Live, a segment of the NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams and a sit down with James Lipton on Bravo's Inside the Actors' Studio. When The Circle is released on November 10, you'll know all about it... if you've watched NBC and Bravo.
The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:
"I mean, if we can have a bajillion stripper movies, can't we have a least a handful or 50 library flicks that not only entertain, but also do great things for the communities across the country?" I couldn't have said it better myself. Check out how a movie starring Parker Posey may save a library.
Chris Rock was on Oprah today talking to women about his new documentary Good Hair. It sounds absolutely fascinating to me, and is already stirring up a lot of Controversy. Check out the review on Cinematical.
It's been a good week for Barbra Streisand. Her new CD, Love Is the Answer, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 chart, beating out Mariah Carey, Madonna and Paramore. Not bad for a lady who had her first chart-topper in 1964 with People. Well, tonight on BBC America, you'll have a chance to hear Streisand talk about the CD and sing two songs from it as well. Friday Night With Streisand & Ross airs on tonight at 9 p.m. on BBC America, a special edition of the UK talk show starring Jonathan Ross.
I don't usually watch the Olympics, so it wasn't too devastating to me that Chicago lost out to Rio De Janiero in the bid to host the 2016 games. But that doesn't mean I was rooting against Chicago, like some people were, as this clip from last night's Colbert Report shows.
Like you, I wanted to take a shower and pour bleach into my ears after hearing what Mackenzie Phillips had to say on Oprah yesterday (thanks Oprah). But one of the interesting revelations that has come out of all of this is that Phillips had done heroin and was high during a One Day at a Time reunion on Today last year. Here's the clip from that episode.
Bonus: I didn't realize that One Day at a Time was based on the life of Meredith Baxter's family.
Kathy Griffin was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to promote her new book Official Book Club Selection. You can see the whole interview on YouTube or on ABC's site, but the highlight was a clip from her new biopic where she plays reality show star Kate Gosselin.
Brown was offended that Oprah did a show last March about domestic violence, based on Brown's public assault on his lover, the singer Rihanna. The incident took place in a car after they had both been to the Grammys. Brown was found guilty, ordered to stay away from Rihanna, sentenced to five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service.
Dr. Mehmet Oz has a new show debuting on September 14 (thanks Oprah!), and the show is going to be taped right next to the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon studio at NBC. Last night he gave Fallon a tour.
Oh, if you're wondering why Fallon is taking off surgical gloves at the start of the tip, he had just given Oz a rectal exam.
Sadly, Whitney Houston's GMA appearance was sad. Her voice cracked and she seemed to be struggling to sing one of her biggest hits, "I'm Every Woman," which ironically was used as the theme for The Oprah Winfrey Show for years. I say ironically because Whitney explained to the fans at one point that her voice was a wreck because she had talked too much during her appearance on Oprah earlier in the week. Ouch!
The entire appearance was enough to make you cringe. At one point, Whitney called her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, out to the stage to sing with her. Bobbi has grown into a beautiful young woman from the teenager she was on Being Bobby Brown, the infamous Bravo reality show starring Whitney and then hubby Bobby.
Michigan Avenue, also known as the "Magnificent Mile" in Chicago will be closing down part of the street so Chicago's own Oprah Winfrey can do a live location taping to open her 24th season. It will no doubt be a show so ostentatious and so grand that it could only be Oprah. Naturally, since Oprah is generous to her people, the show and its accompanying performance by the Black Eyed Peas is free and open to the public.
It's hard to believe that Oprah is going into her 24th season. Actually, it's not that hard, as it feels like Oprah has always been around. Oprah is likely such a big part of the economy of Chicago that she probably has the Mayor in twice a week to clean her apartment.
If this is how the Queen of Daytime Television is starting her 24th season, how is she going to top it when she starts her Silver Anniversary season? Will she simply given a thousand bucks to every person in Chicago?
It looks like The Brady Bunch is going to have to replace Jan again. Eve Plumb is holding out from appearing on a reunion for The Oprah Winfrey Show in September due to a disagreement with fellow Brady alum Maureen McCormick. Apparently during a book tour, McCormick "confessed" in jest to a lesbian affair between the two of them that didn't actually happen.
The lesbian concept sounds like something out of Not The Bradys (warning: link NSFW). Of course, all Brady fanatics remember how Eve Plumb opted not to appear in the variety show Hell that was The Brady Bunch Hour from 1976 to 1977. I wonder if they'll get Geri Reischl to replace her for Oprah.
I wonder if Eve Plumb did, in fact, get upset by McCormick's comments and if so, why? If it were me, I would have said McCormick was kidding and taken it in stride. Maybe she's holding out for more money from Ms. Winfrey?
I'm not sure if people were given just a select group of celebrities to choose from or they were allowed to choose anyone they wanted, but a new poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs says that more Americans would like to share a rental home with Kelly Ripa this summer than any other celebrity. After Ripa came the Obamas, then Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.
That would be a great reality show though: Vacation Home. With those above guests? I'd watch that.
I know the Internet has been harsh on Twitter lately, what with Oprah signing up for an account and that stupid Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN thing. But it's time to prepare yourself for a whole new world of online Twitter bashing.
Creating a show based on the popular Web service isn't necessarily a bad idea. I'm sure someone could do something creative with it. But the people developing the upcoming Twitter TV show have other ideas. According to the AP, "The show would harness Twitter to put players on the trail of celebrities in an interactive, competitive format."
Ugh.
Really? Twitter is bringing us a celebrity stalking game show?