(S04E07) "It still counts!" - Whoopi Goldberg, on her Daytime Emmy
I wonder how 30 Rock will handle today's deal with Comcast. I'm sure Tina Fey and the rest of the writers are already working on an episode or two about the takeover. They've already had a plot this season about budget cuts and other network moves, and I think this could be one of those weird times where a real-life event is closely tied into a fictional TV show and can actually re-energize the show in some way. That's going to be an interesting plot to watch.
Of course, the real question is, how will all of this affect the Sheinhardt Wig Company?
Last night I watched three episodes of Sherri. I didn't plan on doing it, and I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but I watched three episodes (two repeats and one new episode). It's not bad. I mean, it's incredibly sitcommy, but it's entertaining, and Sherri Shepherd has always been a great comedic actress, appearing on shows like Friends and Suddenly Susan, and of course her regular roles on 30 Rock, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Less Than Perfect.
Last night's new episode was the Halloween episode. What did you think?
The second-season premiere doesn't really focus on Rita's music so much. While we do still see her at practice, she's mainly dealing with mom stuff, specifically in relation to Hallie, her oldest daughter. In fact, what we have is a perennial family-sitcom classic-- the parent having to give the child "The Talk."
Sherri, premiering tonight on Lifetime, is a very confusing show. It has flashes of genius, with several lines that made me laugh out loud ("Screw me once, shame on you. Screw a white woman -- we done"). At other times, however, it's bogged down with over-the-top dialogue and atrocious acting.
The premise behind Sherri is basically Sherri Shepherd's actual life. Both the real and fictional Sherri has held down jobs at a law office while working as a comedian and an actress, with bit parts on television shows. They both got married and had a son, only to find out that their husband was cheating on them.
I feel sorry for the poor intern who had to put this thing together. I understand that Lifetime is a cable network and all, but they've become pretty high-profile lately. I would think that if they were going to send out press kits, then maybe they could spring for more than some confetti and crappy stickers printed out on the office ink jet.
Even Sit Down, Shut Up, which is last press kit I did, at least had a t-shirt. It was actually a super-comfy American Apparel shirt, and I still wear it around the house. The Rita Rocks/Sherri press kit, on the other hand, is a do-it-yourself lunchbox-type thing, filled with confetti, containing the DVDs, a bunch of crappy candy, and some un-inflated balloons. It's kind of the saddest thing I've ever seen.
Last week on The View, Sherri Shepherd showed off her new body, clad in a bathing suit, and now it seems there was more to her remake than just good health and looking better. Shepherd's Lifetime sitcom, Sherri, will premiere on October 5, and you just know it's her intention to score a big time success. Lifetime has had this in the works for months. This is the network's first fully-owned sitcom, so you gotta believe the net has a lot of faith in Sherri.
The show is based on Shepherd's stand-up, which is the same formula that worked for Roseanne, Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Tim Allen (Home Improvement) and a half-dozen other comics, and the exposure Sherri gets from The View won't hurt at all.
The same demographic that watches The View tunes in to Lifetime shows like Drop Dead Diva and Army Wives. Oh, and don't forget the Lifetime movies. Ladies love Lifetime.
Those combative ladies on The View have another bee floating around in their Marge Simpson size bonnets. This story, however, caused perhaps the most egregious and heated debate/clusterf#*$ of noise in the show's history.
Cookie Monster has been in "cookie rehab" of sorts for about three years now. The View ladies finally caught wind of it and went off on a three minute tear about it using voices that are normally reserved for members of WTO protests or people who are on fire.
How bad did it get? Elisabeth Hasselbeck was the "good cop."
It was inevitable. Ever since Rosie O'Donnell grew a second head and spit venom at Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View has been on the radar. Even without current host Rosie O'Donnell, there's been buzz with new co-host Whoopi Goldberg. Hasselbeck keeps causing trouble on the set with her lone conservative voice, Whoopi is outspoken in her own right, Joy Behar is a lunatic and even Barbara Walters has been known to snag a headline or two. Of course Lifetime wants a piece of that buzz. And to get it they're grabbing ... uh ... Sherri Shepherd?
Doesn't Sherri Shepherd think she'll fall off the edge of the earth if she goes too far? I thought she was still there because they didn't want to have to rebuild the table with one fewer chair. Huh, I guess I was wrong. Lifetime picked up Sherri Shepherd's sitcomSherri for 12-episodes.
Television has had crossover events for years, but I never expected one involving such polar opposites. The View's Sherri Shepherd will be appearing on next week's WWE Smackdown in the corner of wrestler MVP.
I envision the following scenario: when she appears at the event, she will try to get between the wrestlers and get them to discuss their differences. When they stop fighting and reconcile their misunderstanding with each other, she will grab a steel chair from the side of the ring and clock MVP (or his opponent) upside the head.
Actually, that's more of an Oprah scenario, and Oprah doesn't need either the money or the ratings of a WWE appearance. Maybe Shepherd is a wrestling fan.
I cannot imagine two shows that are as different as WWE and The View. Totally different concepts. Totally different audiences. Do you think this news will get more women to watch WWE or more men to watch The View?
Hasselbeck has had a lot of battles on the show with her co-hosts, from Rosie O'Donnell months ago to Barbara Walters. But today was the day I actually felt bad for her. The group was talking about the election, and how nasty the election could soon get in the final few weeks (Joy wasn't on the show today, so it was Elisabeth, Whoopi, Sherri, and Barbara). After playing the funny debate sketch from Saturday Night Live, the women discussed Governor Palin's attack on Barack Obama over the weekend, linking him to Bill Ayers (probably a desperate gambit by McCain but a fully legitimate one, I believe). Now, this has been brought up before, most notably by George Stephanopoulos in a debate and also by Hillary Clinton if I remember correctly, but the McCain campaign is bringing it up again.
So when the women discussed it, you can pretty much guess what happened.
The Daytime Emmys are coming. The nominations have been announced and ABC plans to broadcast the award presentation on June 20 at 8 p.m. (EST) with Sherri Shephard and Cameron Mathison sharing the hosting duties. One of the things that invariably drives soap fans nuts is not being able to see the Emmy submissions; that is, the actual shows that the Blue Ribbon Panels are seeing when they choose the Emmy winner from the set of nominees.
On Friday, May 30, the experimental episode will show how The View is made, by lifting the curtain so you can see how the magic happens. They've chosen to show the upside down, backstage View on that Friday - and don't worry about marking it in your calendar. You can expect plenty of reminders from Barbara Walters (if she's there), Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd. With all that behind the scenes footage, only half of the show as seen originally -- from the camera's point of view -- will be seen.
View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck is coming back to the ABC show on Monday with her new son Taylor Thomas, who I believe used to star on Home Improvement.
Hasselbeck has been on maternity leave since October and has been living in Arizona (her hubby Tim is a quarterback with the Arizona Cardinals, who didn't make the playoffs). The daytime show has been using a lot of celebrity guests to fill in Hasselbeck's seat (and/or Barbara Walters' seat, when she takes the day off from the show) including Dana Delany and Jessica Simpson (and many others, but they were the cohosts on the days I actually watched the show). This will be the first time all five hosts will be back together in a few months.
Some people don't think this should be a "top story" of 2007, as I've heard it decried already around the interwebs, but the fact remains that this feud was all over the news, garnered high ratings and made The View one of the most buzzed about shows of 2007. Regardless of if you think Rosie was being a bully or Elisabeth was being a baby or if both were being words we don't say in polite company, it was a big deal. I know when I heard she was joining the show for its tenth season, my first thought was "The View is still on the air?"
Last week on 
Those combative ladies on The View have another bee floating around in their Marge Simpson size bonnets. This story, however, caused perhaps the most egregious and heated debate/clusterf#*$ of noise in the show's history. 
It was inevitable. Ever since Rosie O'Donnell grew a second head and spit venom at Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The View has been on the radar. Even without current host Rosie O'Donnell, there's been buzz with new co-host Whoopi Goldberg. Hasselbeck keeps causing trouble on the set with her lone conservative voice, Whoopi is outspoken in her own right, Joy Behar is a lunatic and even Barbara Walters has been known to snag a headline or two. Of course Lifetime wants a piece of that buzz. And to get it they're grabbing ... uh ... Sherri Shepherd?
Television has had crossover events for years, but I never expected one involving such polar opposites. The View's Sherri Shepherd 
I don't know if the rumors about 
The Daytime Emmys are coming. 
Well, the 
ABC in turning things around on The View -- at least for one day. In what a cynic might call a stunt, 
Some people don't think this should be a "top story" of 2007, as I've heard it decried already around the interwebs, but the fact remains that this feud was all over the news, garnered high ratings and made The View one of the most buzzed about shows of 2007. Regardless of if you think Rosie was being a bully or Elisabeth was being a baby or if both were being words we don't say in polite company, it was a big deal. I know when I heard she was joining the show for its tenth season, my first thought was "The View is still on the air?"
Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!
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The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!
