jerry springer-related stories
Posted Jul 1st 2009 11:03AM by Eliot Glazer
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Web, Talk Show
The late eighties and early-to-mid nineties brought out some of the filthiest, bottom-feeding talk shows our country has ever seen. From Morton Downey Jr. and Sally Jesse Raphael to
Jerry Springer and
Maury Povich, it was the era when "trash TV" became a symbol of a country's swift spiral down one giant cultural toilet in opposition to people like
Larry King and
Oprah Winfrey, who effortlessly made interviews with, like,
Fran Drescher come off looking like
Masterpiece Theater.
Around the latter half of the "boom" came
Ricki Lake, the formerly obese star of
Hairspray (no, seriously, that was basically her résumé), with a show that combined the usual elements of trashy talk (read: "freaks") with something impossibly dumber yet: catchphrases. Unlike today, when it takes weeks to months for squawk-boxes to latch onto cultural buzzwords like "metrosexual" and "baby daddy," Ricki Lake was trotting out episode "subjects" like "You're not all that!" and "Dump that zero and get yourself a hero!"
Naturally, she was a smash.
Continue reading Ricki Lake Minisodes might be high art, right?
Posted Jun 22nd 2009 2:27PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, America's Got Talent
"The biggest talent search in the history," as former
America's Got Talent host Jerry Springer used to say over and over again, is beginning
its fourth season on Tuesday.
Judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan will return to give their two cents about the acts performed on stage in front of them. One cast change is the arrival of
Nick Cannon as host. Let's hope that Nick won't read the teleprompter too much and will have better interactions with the contestants than Springer did.
Want to know more about this season's
AGT? Details coming up!
Continue reading Are you ready for America's Got Talent to take over your summer?
Posted Apr 30th 2009 8:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Game Show, Pickups and Renewals
Maybe my home town should offer tax incentives to the networks. It's working for Connecticut. Not only did NBC announce that the half-hour
syndicated version of Deal or No Deal is returning for a second season with host Howie Mandel, but it will be relocating and filming in Connecticut.
I guess with a game show it doesn't matter where you film since it's the same set all the time, but are there as many incredibly gorgeous chicks in Connecticut as there are in California? Isn't Cali where they all go to see their dreams of being an actress reduced to standing on a stage next to a briefcase?
Continue reading Syndicated Deal or No Deal renewed and relocated
Posted Feb 25th 2009 2:04PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free, TV Squad Ten
Television as an industry is in need of a major overhaul. It's old, dusty, soiling itself, and not keeping up with the technology that changes from day to day. If it were an old, sick animal, or Larry King, it would probably be put to sleep. Alas, so many of us rely on the old biddy that it would be hard for us to say good-bye.
Luckily, I am a resourceful, intelligent and, dare I say it, gorgeous human being who has some ideas in mind to freshen up the television landscape. Yes, it may mean sacrifice from some of us (mainly network executives) and we may lose something in the process. But, in the end, the industry that we love to quietly despise while watching Cheaters will thrive once again.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: What I would get rid of in television
Posted Feb 12th 2009 4:27PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Casting, Reality-Free, America's Got Talent
Last week, we learned that
Jerry Springer would not return as host of NBC's
America's Got Talent due to other commitments. TV Squad readers and I made a few suggestions to the network as to who could take on the role: David Hasselhoff, Brian Dunkleman, Neal Patrick Harris, and George Hamilton. The network went with option 5:
Nick Cannon.
As you can see, the audition and elimination process to find a new host was quite fast when compared to the months it takes to discover the next greatest sensation in America on the show! For sure, Cannon didn't have to perform in front of a live audience and the show's three judges -- Piers Morgan, David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osbourne -- to get the job.
Continue reading America's Got Talent discovers a new host
Posted Feb 12th 2009 11:04AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Video, Talk Show, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
It's amazing how many bad talk shows there are on the air. I'm not talking about
The Late Show with David Letterman or
Late Night with Conan O'Brien or
Jimmy Kimmel Live. Those are good shows, and if you clicked on this list expecting to find any of them, you're going to be disappointed. The shows I picked are the talk shows that deal in exploitation, human degradation, and feature terrible, terrible people. In short, daytime talk shows!
Well, OK, I did include one late night talk show, but you'll have to click after the jump to see which one it is.
1. Maury (syndicated). Really, was there any question that this would be number one? It shouldn't even be called Maury anymore, they should just go ahead and call it Paternity Tests!, since that is what it's most known for. Doesn't Povich have enough money? Can't he do something else in his life besides this show? What does Connie think of this? Who knows, considering she co-hosted
one of the worst shows from a few years ago. If aliens watch our TV broadcasts and happen upon this show every single morning, we're all doomed.
Continue reading The six worst talk shows on TV right now - VIDEOS
Posted Feb 6th 2009 2:01PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Casting, America's Got Talent
Back at the very end of August, it was announced that NBC's
America's Got Talent was renewed for a fourth season. When I wrote about this renewal, I included a few ideas to revamp the series because even if
AGT is one of the most popular summer shows, it doesn't mean we like everything about it!
Let's go down memory lane and remind ourselves of the first suggestion I wrote in that post:
- Change the host. Jerry Springer reads the teleprompter way too much. Also, his interactions with the contestants are sometimes painful to watch because Springer doesn't know what to tell them or how to act around them.
Could it be that the show's Powers That Be read my post? (Please don't burst my bubble here and let me think for a few seconds that I actually played a part in making my suggestion come true.) AOL announces today that
Jerry Springer is leaving AGT!
Continue reading America's Got Talent seeking new host
Posted Dec 4th 2008 9:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: OpEd, Video, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
OK, so yesterday I listed
six bad things about four good shows, so I thought today I'd flip it around. Even bad shows have good aspects.
1. Jerry Springer. I could probably plug a dozen other shows into the number one slot, including
Dr. Phil,
Tyra Banks,
Maury and others, but let's go with the classic. There's one good thing about this show:
it makes you feel infinitely better about your own life. If you're feeling bad about something that's going wrong in your life, maybe you've had a fight with your significant other or you've lost your job or you've lost your wallet, just turn on this show. Within five minutes you'll be saying, "wow, I'm glad I'm not any of these people." (
Cops gives me this feeling too, but I actually like that show.) And that includes the people in the audience.
Continue reading Four good things about three bad shows - VIDEO
Posted Oct 4th 2008 3:03PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, America's Got Talent
If you've been reading my
America's Got Talent reviews over the summer, you know I was not happy with
last week's results. But since I'm a passive viewer (aka I do not vote), I had to accept America's choice as best new act in America. Since the finale aired, I've been reading comments TV Squad readers left on our site and what the
Entertainment Weekly AGT reviewer and readers had to say about the winner. Reading those comments left me with one question: who voted for the winner anyway?
Continue reading America's Got Talent aftermath: fan reactions against the winner
Posted Oct 1st 2008 10:29PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Reality-Free, America's Got Talent
(S03E17) "The best new act in America." - The NarratorNot to worry, I won't spoil who won the
America's Got Talent before the jump. So since I have space to kill before I chit chat about the result show, let's use it for stats, shall we?
The first episode of the season aired on June 17, meaning that we spent 3 months and a half watching the competition unfold. In total, we've spend 31 hours and 13 minutes (including commercials) watching acts ranging from the awful to amazing as well as listen to the judges comments and Jerry reminding us that it's "One winner, one nation." Why 13 minutes? Well, the president's address last week cut the Top 5 episode short to 43 minutes according to NBC.
Now that I've used a few lines with stats that make us sound like people who didn't have much to do over the summer, let's get down to business....
Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 317 (season finale)
Posted Oct 1st 2008 6:00AM by Maggie Furlong
Filed under: Interviews, America's Got Talent
The stars were out at NBC's big fall kick-off party, but no one was having as much fun as Jerry Springer and Piers Morgan.
The two opposing sides of some very emotional dice on
America's Got Talent actually get along famously ... when they're not still bickering over whether a certain 4-year-old contestant should've gone home.
We talked to Jerry and Piers about what they're looking for on the show, whose name gets chanted the most and why Springer has become a total softie.
Continue reading Quick Chat with Jerry Springer & Piers Morgan
Posted Sep 25th 2008 8:05AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent
(S03E16) "Tonight is the night you choose your winner." - JerryHaving watched
America's Got Talent all summer long, I should have been looking forward to this week's episode, especially since we were treated to the final performances. Somehow, I found myself not caring. I actually ended up surfing the web while watching the episode, something I usually never do. Could it be because the presidential address to the nation on the economy killed the mood? Or maybe it was because the finalists basically gave performances that were similar to what they've been giving us all season?
Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 316
Posted Sep 18th 2008 12:01AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent
(S03E15) "You got everyone in this room including a girl I'm dating." - The Hoff to Joseph HallOther performers "got everyone in this room" as The Hoff said because the Top 10 offered a good number of fantastic performances. It will be difficult for America to vote for the
America's Got Talent winner next week because the competition is fierce. This week, the judges actually told at least three performers, in one way or another, that they were front runners but there can be only one winner. But first, they must get voted through to the Top 5. Who will make the cut?
Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 315
Posted Sep 11th 2008 10:32PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent
(S03E314B) "Who's life will change tonight?" - The Voice-Over GuyAmerica's Got Talent's Mr. Voice-Over Guy was right, someone's life changed this week. Well, technically 10 lives changed during the results as Jerry announced the acts that made it to the Top 10. These ten amazing and not-so-amazing acts now have a chance to win a million dollars and headline a show in Vegas (I'm sure you were able to finish my sentence before completely reading it since Jerry said the latter part of it 10 times tonight!).
There were some surprises, a heart-stopping moment, and some "what were they thinking" moments during this rather dry but to the point 30-minute results show.
Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 314B
Posted Sep 10th 2008 11:50PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent
(S03E14) "I'm looking for the next Terry Fator." - PiersWell, Piers, I think what you are looking for is for Nuttin But Stringz, pictured right, to win this season of
America's Got Talent. I doubt they'll get a 100 million dollars five-year deal but the brothers are rockin' the house and making the crowd go wild! They could easily win this competition and headline their own show on the Vegas strip. We'll soon discover if America thinks so too!
Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 314
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