If you're scratching your head and asking "Sanjaya Who?" then you probably don't own a TV, or a computer for that matter. For two months, Sanjaya-hysteria ruled our television airwaves (sometimes three times a week). Thanks to a little show called American Idol, Sanjaya became one of the breakout reality TV stars of 2007.
Like many breakout reality TV stars, Sanjaya Malakar was able to successfully steal the spotlight from his more worthy opponents, gliding by on personality and charisma. He's living proof that a winning grin and luscious locks can sometimes take you a lot farther than actual talent.
Interesting news on Howard Stern's SIRIUS radio show this morning (I didn't listen to the show, but I have been listening to the satellite station's holiday music channels!). The King of All Media says that the people over at CBS' Late Show with David Letterman approached him about being the first guest when the show returns with new episodes...on December 3, which is next week! Stern says he thought about it but doesn't really want to go against the writers that are on strike.
(S05E15) When I used to teach high school English, one of my biggest pet peeves was reading a paper from a student who was obviously stretching two pages of ideas into the required four pages of the assignment. I actually preferred it when students came up short in page count instead of insulting my intelligence with superfluous words, plodding pacing, and ridiculous font and margin tweaks.
Watching the two hour -- that's right two hour -- finale ofLast Comic Standing, I couldn't help but be reminded of my teaching days. Tonight's finale was like an essay written using Comic Sans 16 point font...
Welcome to Subtle Subtitles. For those of you who are uninitiated to the purpose of this feature, we're asking you to come up with your funniest quote or description for what's going on in the screen grab we choose for the week. Winners are announced in the following Friday's contest.
1st place to Chris Wyant: 2nd place to Brent McKee: "I don't care what you say Henry, these things do not make us all look like professional poker players." 3rd place to Brooke Thorington: "Brush fires were ignored as thousands stood in line for Corey Hart's 'I Wear My Sunglasses at Night' comeback tour."
This week, a scene from this week's episode of Rescue Me ...
Yes, like you, I had just assumed she died several years ago, but Kitty Carlisle Hart lived a long, happy life and passed away today at the age of 96 after contacting pnuemonia in December.
TV fans will remember her for her long-running spot on To Tell The Truth. She was on the show from 1956 to 1967. Other TV appearances include a Kojak movie in 1990, The Howard Stern Show, I've Got A Secret, Password, and What's My Line.
She was also in the classic Marx Brothers comedy A Night At The Opera, as well as the films Radio Days and Six Degrees of Separation. She also appeared in several operas and Broadway plays and was awarded the National Medal of Arts from President Bush in 1991.
Our corporate siblings at AOL have a fun interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus posted to their "TV Tattler" site. My colleague Geoff Bennett asks her some questions about her Emmy win for Old Christine -- she took the statuette to work the next day and placed it on the craft services table -- casting Blair Underwood as a love interest, and what it's like to play a working mother while being one herself.
But the question that got my attention was when Geoff asked Julia about her reaction to the Michael Richards incident. While she wouldn't condemn her friend and Seinfeld co-star, Julia was pretty truthful about how she felt at the time it happened: "At first I thought someone was kidding. I couldn't believe it. The whole thing was just so profoundly sad and heart-breaking. I was just really devastated by it."
Talk show host Don Imus has been suspended from his show by both CBS Radio and MSNBC, which telecasts his radio show every morning. The suspension is for two weeks but doesn't start until next Monday.
This is because Imus referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." Imus went on Al Sharpton's radio show on Monday and, as Howard Stern pointed out today, probably made things worse by the apology he made there and other comments he made.
MSNBC says that any "any future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word." I wonder why the suspension doesn't start til next Monday. Do they want the ratings bump the controversy is going to create? Will Imus talk about it on his show the next four days? CNN has certainly been talking about it all day.
The self-proclaimed "King of All Media," Howard Stern, wants to "kill" American Idol, and Eric the Midget isn't happy about that at all. When Stern first joined Vote for the Worst to support Sanjaya, I really thought it was a one-time bit. But Stern seems committed to disrupting Idol's game and destroying the show's credibility. How far will Sanjaya get? I'm thinking Top 5. If Stern continues to rally his fans, Sanjaya could go all the way.
American Idolwins FAVORITE TV SHOW! At the Nickelodeon's annual Kids' Choice Awards. Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul showed up this weekend to accept the award, but Simon Cowell was a no-show. Too bad, if ever anyone needed to get slimed . . .
According to the Nielsens, the Kids' Choice Awards show was watched by more 6-to-11-year-olds than American Idol. Who says kids today watch too much TV?
Last night on American Idol, we all said "Bye Bye Curly." Did curly-haired Chris Sligh deserve to go home so soon? Or was there some vast conspiracy to oust Sligh for his on-air shout-out last week to Vote for the Worst?
At the end of last week's performance, Chris reportedly said, "Hi Dave." David Della Terza is the man behind VFTW, a snarky website he founded in 2004. Dave was thrilled by Sligh's on-air acknowledgement. But the Idol producers were not amused. According to Dave, the producers edited out the "Hi Dave" when the show aired in England.
Well, Yippee. Just when I thought we were half way through the season, and my job would be getting slightly easier (Yay for half hour results shows!) the Idol producers decide to see just how much they can push their baby, by adding even more one-hour shows to the schedule.
The producers claim that they are making the switch to one-hour results shows a month earlier than expected because there hasn't even been enough time for the booted singers to perform their farewell songs on air during the crammed 30-minute editions.
(S06E23) So, 30 million votes were cast last night. And here's what we're told:
Phil, Melinda, and Blake ARE NOT the bottom three.
Chris S, LaKisha, Jordin ARE also NOT in the bottom three.
Sanjaya, Haley, Gina? Nope, NOT the bottom three.
Which only means one thing:
Chris R and Stephanie ARE the bottom two.
It also means that Sanjaya IS in the Top 10 and will join the Idols on tour. Is this a victory for Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern? Or is it really a victory for the Idol producers who can now count on Sanjaya's teenybopper fans shelling out loads of cash to see him live and in concert?
I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Artie Lange's career. Maybe it's because I listen to him every day on Howard Stern's Sirius radio show and I get a daily dose of Lange's everyguy persona and funny wisecracks. I'm also fascinated by the fact that, while he's doggedly determined to be a success in his comedy career, he is pretty much unable to resist just about every temptation known to man, from drugs to gambling to food to booze. Yet, no matter how addicted he is, he is so open about his life that he's been able to endear himself to the show's fans, and his career has taken off as a result.
Case in point: he announced this morning that he'll guest star on six episodes of Rescue Me this season, playing a fireman buddy of Denis Leary's character of Tommy Gavin. Perhaps this is part of the development deal Lange signed with FOX last year, as the show is on FX. But it may just be a part of the fact that, no matter what he gets into in his personal life, producers know that Artie has a following and can deliver a good performance. Either way, it's good to see him getting more and more work. He just needs to get some sleep and stop being so "sick," as he has been lately.
The DIY network has created its own programming as an alternative to Super Bowl Sunday, which is one week from today. The cable network will air a knit-a-thon, called Super Knit Sunday, which is just a marathon of the series Knitty Gritty. The event is in conjunction with the charity, Wake Up America! It starts at 5 pm, so get your needles ready, people!
Other counter programming is also pretty creative. Howard Stern is planning an "all-wardrobe function all-the-time transvestite flag football game" for Halftime and the Hallmark Channel is offering a "tear-jerking Commercial-a-thon".
Here's what on the other blogs via the internets.
If you're scratching your head and asking "Sanjaya Who?" then you probably don't own a TV, or a computer for that matter. For two months, Sanjaya-hysteria ruled our television airwaves (sometimes three times a week). Thanks to a little show called 
Interesting news on Howard Stern's SIRIUS radio show this morning (I didn't listen to the show, but I have been listening to the satellite station's holiday music channels!). The King of All Media 
(S05E15) When I used to teach high school English, one of my biggest pet peeves was reading a paper from a student who was obviously stretching two pages of ideas into the required four pages of the assignment. I actually preferred it when students came up short in page count instead of insulting my intelligence with superfluous words, plodding pacing, and ridiculous font and margin tweaks.
Yes, like you, I had just assumed she died several years ago, but Kitty Carlisle Hart lived a long, happy life and 
Our corporate siblings at AOL have 
Talk show host Don Imus has been 
The self-proclaimed "King of All Media," Howard Stern, 
Last night on American Idol, we all said "Bye Bye Curly." Did curly-haired Chris Sligh deserve to go home so soon? Or was there some 
Well, Yippee. Just when I thought we were half way through the season, and my job would be getting slightly easier (Yay for half hour results shows!) the Idol producers decide to see just how much they can push their baby, .jpg)
(S06E23) 
I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Artie Lange's career. Maybe it's because I listen to him every day on Howard Stern's Sirius radio show and I get a daily dose of Lange's everyguy persona and funny wisecracks. I'm also fascinated by the fact that, while he's doggedly determined to be a success in his comedy career, he is pretty much unable to resist just about every temptation known to man, from drugs to gambling to food to booze. Yet, no matter how addicted he is, he is so open about his life that he's been able to endear himself to the show's fans, and his career has taken off as a result.
The DIY network has created its own programming as an alternative to Super Bowl Sunday, which is one week from today. The cable network will air a knit-a-thon, called Super Knit Sunday, which is just a marathon of the series Knitty Gritty. The event is in conjunction with the charity, Wake Up America! It starts at 5 pm, so get your needles ready, people!
Celebrate the 4th by watching television!
Stargate Atlantis season five - An early look
Saving Grace season two: An early look
