joan rivers-related stories
Posted Jan 27th 2010 9:00AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
Joan Rivers was in the middle of a previous late night feud in the 1980s, so she has a unique perspective on the talk show wars. I've been wondering whose side she would be on. Is it Team Leno? Team Conan? Team NBC? What does Rivers have to say about the chaos involving NBC, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and
The Tonight Show?
"They can all f**k themselves."
[via
Roger Ebert]
Posted Dec 23rd 2009 2:30PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Awards
There have been three constants in this late stage of Joan Rivers' career. First, her project will involve her daughter Melissa. Second, she will work for E! Entertainment. Third, it will involve interviews on the red carpet of some awards show. All three of these are true in her new series of Fashion Police specials for E! Although in this case, Melissa Rivers is a producer and won't generally be appearing on screen.
I remember her best as the voice of Dot Matrix in Spaceballs. I did watch her Comedy Central Roast and found it to be lackluster. After all the plastic surgery, I'm surprised she can even move her mouth anymore. It's frozen in a grin like Jack Nicholson's Joker.
I'm fascinated to know why Joan Rivers' red carpet interviews are so popular that E! keeps asking her back. Does anybody out there watch and like the interviews? Isn't it like watching a train wreck?
Posted Sep 10th 2009 3:02PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: TV Royalty, The Apprentice, Interviews, Celebrities, TCA Press Tour
Joan Rivers was in Pasadena in July to promote her show on TV Land,
How'd You Get So Rich?, but when I spoke to her after her presentation, I was more interested in a couple of issues. First, her longevity in a business that takes even older comedians and tosses them to the side (Cosby, for instance, is more community activist than comedian these days). Second, I wanted to ask her about her experience on
The Apprentice, which included her
feuds with wedding planners, Clint Black, and Annie Duke.
But, Joan being Joan, she also randomly let loose on Brooke Shields, Sarah Palin, and whoever else was in her mind during the ten minutes we spoke.
We start off by talking about longevity. She feels one of the reasons she stays relevant is that she doesn't live in the past. "I don't give a shit about Johnny Carson," she said.
Continue reading Joan Rivers on longevity, Brooke Shields, and not caring about Johnny Carson
Posted Sep 10th 2009 9:11AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: The Apprentice, Interviews, Celebrities, TCA Press Tour
I'm starting to slog through my backlog of TCA-related material, and I wanted to make sure this got out there before it gets lost. When I interviewed Joan Rivers while I was in Pasadena, I asked her about
the incident on The Celebrity Apprentice finale where David Tutera, whose firm was helping to plan both teams' parties, pulled out of the show completely after Joan requested changes to his plans.
After Tutera presented a panel introducing the second season of his WE show
My Fair Wedding, I caught up with him outside the ballroom to get his response to Joan. He knew the questions were coming, because I had mentioned them to his publicist, but I wanted to ease into things by asking him about the show and its upcoming season. Oh, and I asked him for suggestions on how to throw a relatively inexpensive wedding in New Jersey, but that was just for personal reasons.
But Tutera seemed ready. He answered Joan's charges calmly and without the same rancor she used.
Continue reading David Tutera gave up on The Apprentice, not just Joan Rivers
Posted Aug 31st 2009 7:09PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Nip/Tuck, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
This isn't her first time, but I can't think of a better
guest star for the final episode of Nip/Tuck than Joan Rivers. What her role will be in the finale remains to be seen; hopefully it won't have to do with semen-based facial creme. Rivers says even she doesn't know what the episode will be, explaining that "
they only send you your pages for what you're filming."
That's like Lost-level secrecy. Nip/Tuck has had its shockers through the years, and since the creators knew this ending was coming, they've certainly had time to prepare. Supposedly Rivers won't be the only star making an appearance. "Star-studded" is the word I've seen being thrown about.
Continue reading Nip/Tuck secures Joan Rivers for its last episode
Posted Aug 14th 2009 5:35PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Subtle Subtitles, Reality-Free
If you haven't seen our game before, we give you a picture from a recent episode of a TV series and you provide the caption!
Last week's winner is amiguet with this:
"This is the only part that hasn't had work."This week's picture is from the new CBS reality competition show
There Goes The Neighborhood.
Continue reading Subtle Subtitles: There Goes The Neighborhood
Posted Aug 12th 2009 2:00PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Ratings, Reality-Free
Despite heavy promotion,
The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers was
down 32% in the ratings compared to its last roast of Larry the Cable Guy. Most of the blame for the poor ratings is being shifted to ESPN which had the Yankees-Red Sox game on at the same time.
In general, it seems like the roasts are declining in the ratings. Joan got less than Larry who got less than Pamela Anderson who got less than Bill Engvall. Perhaps America is just getting sick of "C" level celebrity roasting (even though that level is probably all Comedy Central could afford).
For me, the roasts are kind of hit-and-miss. I liked the Shatner roast, and I caught some of the Joan Rivers roast and found it to be underwhelming. What do you think? Did you like the Joan Rivers roast? Do you think Comedy Central should lay off the whole roasting concept for a little while?
Posted Aug 9th 2009 10:00AM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
A couple of years ago, I interviewed Joan Rivers for the
Boston Globe. She was playing a local theatre, and I hadn't yet had a chance to talk to her, and I wanted to talk a bit about her past in Second City and as a pioneering female comic. But since a lot of her shtick is slamming celebrities, and she helped invent what I guess you'd call "red carpet comedy," I thought I'd try to find a couple of people to do a point/counterpoint. Funny thing is, I couldn't find anyone for the counterpoint, anyone who wanted to go on record saying anything uncomplimentary against Rivers.
You can find plenty of people who will make jokes about her plastic surgery, or her failed talk show from the 80s, or her TV marketing, but that all seems a bit superficial. No one seemed to have a terribly valid criticism outside of those clichés. And that's what I think you'll see at the
Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers Roast Sunday (10PM). From the clips I've seen, some of the sharper comics have found a new approach to those tropes, and you'll see plenty of plastic surgery jokes. And I'm sure you'll hear plenty of them from Rivers herself (a debt, there, I think owed to Phyllis Diller).
Continue reading Roasting Joan Rivers
Posted Aug 7th 2009 5:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Subtle Subtitles, Reality-Free
If you haven't seen our game before, we give you a picture from a recent episode of a TV series and you provide the caption!
Last week's winner is Scott with this:
"All of them, Anderson.Continue reading Subtle Subtitles: Joan Rivers
Posted Aug 6th 2009 9:31AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
TV Land has a little gem on their hands, methinks with
How'd You Get So Rich? When I was younger, I used to get a kick out of
Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous. When your mother comes in and asks you which utility you want the most this month, it's kind of nice to imagine what it would be like to live in such opulence.
Joan Rivers was on
Late Night earlier this week, and she spoke of the idea behind the show. When traveling around the country, she'd see these mansions scattered around and wonder what the story is behind them. These aren't celebrities, after all. They're just ordinary people. So the title question came to mind.
What's great about the show is that it's presented in such an uplifting way. It's telling you that all things are possible. You too could have these amazing houses and cars. All it takes is hard work and dedication, and sometimes a great idea like tonight's founder of
Billy Bob Teeth.
Continue reading Joan Rivers wants to know How'd You Get So Rich?
Posted Aug 6th 2009 8:31AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Watercooler Talk
This show actually isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, it's fluffy and you'll forget about it the day after you see it, and I doubt I'll watch it again. But it's good to see a hidden camera show that goes out of its way to
help an unsuspecting person instead of embarrassing/fooling/arresting them.
Did anyone else catch this, and will you watch it again?
Posted Jul 30th 2009 7:29AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: TV Royalty, The Apprentice, Interviews, Celebrities, TCA Press Tour
I had the great honor of interviewing the legendary
Joan Rivers after her TCA panel promoting her new TV Land show
How'd You Get So Rich? While the panel was hilarious, Joan was in fine form during the interview, telling me a good story about why she doesn't dwell in the past, criticizing Sarah Palin and Brooke Shields, and giving her one-millionth rebuke of her
Apprentice rival, Annie Duke, or "Annie Douche" as she called the poker star during the panel.
But Rivers also took some vicious shots at
David Tutera, the party planner who left her
and Duke high and dry on
The Celebrity Apprentice's finale, quitting after Joan asked him to make some changes to his plan. Since Tutera is scheduled to do a panel on his show
My Fair Wedding on Friday, I wanted to post what she said about him here and then give Tutera a chance to respond.
Continue reading Joan Rivers takes her shots at David Tutera - TCA Report
Posted Jul 28th 2009 4:30PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Reality-Free
The traditional comedy roast has been hijacked by the cable networks and reproduced with more disappointing results than a sperm bank run by General Motors.
Comedy Central has done the best job for the most part while others like
A&E's extremely mismanaged Gene Simmons Roast made for lower quality television are as horrific as those painfully dated
Dean Martin's Roasts that are sold on infomercials in the wee small hours of the morning.
The secret to doing a good roast isn't really that much of a secret: hire people who are actually paid to be funny. That's why the Roast of Joan Rivers could be the best one yet.
Continue reading Why the Joan Rivers Roast should be tighter and funnier than her current facelift
Posted Jul 21st 2009 11:15AM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, Emmys
Kathy Griffin is so ubiquitous these days, you might have to dust off an old cliché (and change it slightly) to describe her - The Queen of All Media.
Kathy Griffin: My Life On the D-List is getting the best ratings of its run, she was a guest on Privileged, her CD,
For Your Consideration, was nominated for a Grammy, her book comes out in September, and she continues to tour as a stand-up comedian. She was also recently tapped to host the Shmemmys (The Creative Arts Emmys) and to roast her good friend Joan Rivers for Comedy Central. She may not be getting Ryan Seacrest's 45 million dollar paycheck, but she may be challenging him for most entertainment jobs held simultaneously.
I caught up with her by phone recently and had a long conversation. So long, in fact, that we have posted two different versions - this is the short one. There is an
unedited version here, for those who need every last morsel of Griffin they can get.
Griffin actually started out by asking me a question.
Continue reading Kathy Griffin: The TV Squad Interview
Posted Jul 7th 2009 3:02PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Kathy Griffin is no stranger to the anti-celebrity acerbic wit, particularly on her Bravo show
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. Now she will need to call upon that talent as she has been
selected to host The Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers on August 9th.
Truthfully, Joan Rivers' humor through the years has been pretty self-deprecating. Rivers will likely enjoy the attention. Given her own penchant for roasting celebrities (or kissing up to them, such as while working the red carpet), using Kathy Griffin as her roastmaster seems a pretty logical pairing. I wonder if, along with the Comedy Central regulars that are at every one of these, her daughter is going to be one of her roasters.
The Comedy Central roasts in general have been hit-and-miss for me, although they've been a ratings winner for the channel. I really enjoyed the William Shatner one (probably because the years of infighting between the
Star Trek cast gave the insults a little more credence).
Next Page >
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
