Hey guys, remember when you were a kid and you really wanted to see a boobie but your parents had Cinemax blocked and your house did not yet have the ability to magically access the bottomless reservoir of nudity on the Internet? Your mind would do whatever it could to see a boobie. It would trick you into thinking two conveniently placed melons were boobies. It would make you think that the Calgon commercial accidentally showed a boobie. It would get you to watch every episode of Benny Hill with the hope of seeing a boobie.
That's how I feel of this recent news post at Newsbusters that claims 2012 star John Cusack uttered a rather nasty word on a recent episode of The Early Show. And no, it wasn't boobie.
Maybe it's just my hearing. Can you hear the word? It's supposed be towards the end of the video after host Harry Smith asks Cusack "Does it seems like 20 years ago already?" in reference to the 20 year anniversary of his classic film Say Anything.
the early show-related stories
Did Cusack cuss?
So what will CBS do now that Guiding Light is going away?
Yesterday - a day usually set aside for light-hearted pranks and various other yuk-yuks - will forever be remembered now as the day that CBS got rid of Guiding Light, the longest running drama on TV (it started on radio in 1937 and TV in 1952). It's probably the starting gun for other networks to get rid of their soap operas. It's a dying genre, either gone forever or scattered here and there on the TV landscape. It's really sad. Fans can mourn the death of a long-running network show, but a big part of pop culture is dying too. I watched the show since the late '70s/early '80s, and while I drifted away a few years ago, I've been watching it again, so it's going to be weird that it's not on anymore. I'll be recording that last episode and grabbing the inevitable collectible issue of Soap Opera Digest.
So what will CBS do now that they'll have another hour on the schedule Monday through Friday? A look at some of their options after the jump.
Continue reading So what will CBS do now that Guiding Light is going away?
What's On Christmas Day: Marathons, Movies, and Specials
Here's a quick guide to what's on Christmas Day, stuff to watch while you're opening presents, making snowmen, and eating way too much pumpkin pie. - HGTV and Food Network have holiday programming all day.
- TNT is showing Law and Order all day.
- TBS is showing the movie A Christmas Story all day.
- Nickelodeon and TV Land have Christmas episodes of various sitcoms and dramas all day.
- BBC America also has Christmas episodes all day long.
- At 7am, all of the morning shows (Today, Good Morning, America, and The Early Show) will have Christmas features, music, and recipes.
- At 8, Lifetime has a Golden Girls marathon.
- Sci-Fi has a Star Trek: TNG marathon at 8.
- Bravo has a Christmas episode of The West Wing at 8, then a Top Chef marathon.
Continue reading What's On Christmas Day: Marathons, Movies, and Specials
Is there unhappiness at The Early Show?
I don't usually watch the morning shows. If I'm watching TV at that hour, I instinctively go to NBC's Today Show because that's what I have watched over the years. Diane Sawyer kinda bugs me so I don't usually watch Good Morning America, and The Early Show has never had anything that really made me think, "hey, I gotta watch that."
Now comes word via The New York Post that a lot of people just aren't happy at the CBS morning program ever since executive producer Shelley Ross took over last September. In fact, 21 staff members have left the show since she took over. I haven't seen turnover like this since that Paris Hilton sex tape.*
In an interview with TV Newser when she took over, Ross talked about the changes that were going to come to the show and made a point to say that she's not hard to get along with as a boss and that "people enjoy working with me. They walk out of my office and say, 'Oh my God, she was so helpful, so nice, and her notes were great on my script.'"
Hmmm...they actually say "oh my God, she was so helpful?"
* Thank you, I'm here all week!
Big Brother 9's host Julie Chen is everywhere! - VIDEO
Now, I'll admit that I'm a fan of the reality show Big Brother. After all, I'm the one who brings you the live feed reports so you can know what happens in the house before it airs on the show. But I'm not here to talk about that. Nope, I'm here about the ChenBot and the publicity machine surrounding the first winter edition (thanks, WGA strike!) of Big Brother!I've stumbled upon Julie three times in the past 24 hours and the show doesn't even air until later this evening! From an interview with AOL's Angel Cohn to an appearance on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson to another hype segment on The Early Show, she's everywhere!
Continue reading Big Brother 9's host Julie Chen is everywhere! - VIDEO
CBS launches new Early Show tomorrow
Prepare to be dazzled. Okay, that's probably not the right word to use when Harry Smith is involved. CBS is re-launching The Early Show tomorrow morning, complete with new set, new role for Harry Smith, new faces, and (most importantly) a new, aggressive attitude. The Early Show and other morning programs on CBS have consistently placed third behind NBC's powerhouse Today and ABC's Good Morning America. It's been so bad that 43 CBS affiliates have opted not to run The Early Show and have instead provided their own morning content.Starting tomorrow, Harry Smith will be the main anchor of The Early Show and pretty much at the helm of the broadcast.
Continue reading CBS launches new Early Show tomorrow
Big Brother 8's Evel Dick and Daniele after the win
It's the day after the big (and often controversial) Evel Dick Donato first place win on Big Brother 8, as well as his daughter Daniele's second place win. Together, they won $550,000. Not chump change for sure, but I'd like to see this show increase its grand prize to a million like other reality shows of its ilk.Julie Chen interviewed both Dick and his loving Evel Spawn on The Early Show -- the CBS website has an extended version of that interview available online as well as the initial interview itself.
But the kicker is a set of video interviews with all of the houseguests posted by the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles. Those took place in the yard before the wrap party and include such treasures as Amber telling us she taught America it's okay to cry. Yeah, right. [A tip of the hat to commenter OrkMommy for the link to the CBS backyard interviews!]
Katharine McPhee will promote album release all over TV
American Idol's Season Five runner-up, Katharine McPhee, is going to be sharing her very special McPheever all over the TV in the upcoming weeks while promoting the January 30th release of her self-titled debut album. So McPhee Phans, set your TIVOs:January 29 -- Tonight Show With Jay Leno
January 31 -- The Today Show
February 1 -- Live With Regis & Kelly
February 1 -- A guest appearance on Ugly Betty
February 5 -- TRL
February 6 -- The Early Show
Februay 7 -- Jimmy Kimmel Live
February 8 -- Larry King Live
Continue reading Katharine McPhee will promote album release all over TV
Anderson Cooper: the $4 million dollar man
CNN's Anderson Cooper has just signed a new contract with the cable network, and this one is estimated to be worth $4 million dollars a year, a raise from the $2 million dollars a year he is getting under his current contract.
The Broadcasting & Cable article linked above also says that because Cooper is no longer available, producers of The Early Show are going to have to look elsewhere for a new host for the morning show. Though I never heard definitive word that Cooper was in line for the gig, just that the show was undergoing major changes.
Cooper hosts the nightly news show Anderson Cooper 360 and has started to also contribute to CBS' 60 Minutes. The new contract is a multi-year deal.
So readers...is he worth it?
[via TV Newser]
Dave Price is right
Verne Gay over at Newsday is reporting that Dave Price, the weatherman/cohost on CBS' The Early Show, is going to replace Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right. He says he heard the news from a trusted source and that it's "definite."
Price will stay with The Early Show while doing the game show every day. I know, you're thinking, but The Price Is Right is filmed in Los Angeles and The Early Show is in New York City. He'll pre-tape the game show on Fridays and do The Early Show live the other days.
No idea how I feel about this. I don't watch The Early Show that much and I've only seen Price a couple of times, so I don't really have an opinion of Price. Though I think this is probably the first time in history that the name of the game is also the name of the host, and that's kinda funky.
[via TV Tattle]
Who will replace Ed Bradley?
That's the question the industry is asking today, after the veteran 60 Minutes reporter died of leukemia a couple of weeks ago.
CBS News and Sports President Sean McManus says that he is going to start looking for additional reporters for the Sunday night show after the New Year rolls around, though he doesn't say that they will be "replacements" for Bradley. But people are starting to talk about it anyway, wondering if CBS will get another big name to fill the vacancy. Some are saying it might be CNN's Anderson Cooper, though those rumors about Cooper joing the network (probably as host of The Early Show) have surfaced before. Others are saying Lara Logan or Byron Pitts, though many think it will be somebody who already contributes to 60 Minutes, like Bob Simon or Scott Pelley.
Who do you think should replace Bradley, if anyone? Just a couple of reporters to add to the rotation, or a star to actually say the words at the start, "I'm ______ _______."
Out of the Blogosphere
Were Seth Myers and Amy Poehler stoned the other night on SNL? Dave Thomas has been investigating all weekend, and here's the evidence he's gathered. - Over at Best Week Ever, a picture of Bill Maher dressed as Steve Irwin for Halloween.
- CBS' Early Show debuted new graphics this morning? And I missed it!
- Check out David LaChapelle's sexy Christmas commercial for a UK drugstore chain. Note: it includes a woman fisting a turkey (and I hope that's the last time I have to type the phrase "fisting a turkey.")
- Paul Davidson asks: is multiple personality disorder really a super power?
Networks appeal FCC fines
ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX have all filed appeals to the FCC's fines for indecent
language and subject matter in their programming. The biggest fine was against CBS's Without a Trace for a
scene showing too much of a teen-age orgy (or maybe they didn't like the subject matter altogether?). For that, the FCC
says CBS must pay an unprecedented $3.63 million. There were also fines against The Early Show on CBS for
sucking - ha! just kidding - for profanity in 2004 when a Survivor castoff said "shit", and against
The Billboard Music Awards on FOX for the same thing.The networks are all appealing the fines on the grounds that the FCC's tough new stance on indecency is vague and inconsistent.
What's wrong with Judi Dench?
Three network talk shows passed on
interviewing British actress Judi Dench, and Harvey Weinstein says it's because of her age. Dench is 71 years old and
was recently doing the rounds to promote her movie, Mrs. Henderson Presents, for which she was nominated for
an Oscar. Weinstein says she was turned down for interviews with Today, Good Morning America, and
The View. The producers of those shows reportedly told Miramax that Dench "didn't fit their
demographics." The View and GMA released statements in response to Weinstein's whining, both saying that there wasn't room for Dench on their shows at that particular time. Both trumpeted Dench's previous appearances on their programs.
Didn't they try The Early Show on CBS? That show is so desperate for ratings, they'll take anyone.
9/11 news coverage unfolds on web
It's
been four and a half years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I don't know about you, but I still get a
little emotional when I think too hard about how that morning unfolded. But, if you're interested in looking back at it
from a journalistic point of view, here is a good
place to do it.The non-profit television library called The Television Archive has amassed Canadian and American media coverage of that morning over a 15-minute time period from when the first plane hit, through the second plane hitting the towers, and to the first reports of a third plane hitting the Pentagon. You can see how the news outlets responded, who got it right, who got it first, and who, initially, got it totally wrong. For example, Charlie Gibson of Good Morning America, remained totally calm as he reported what he was seeing. While Bryant Gumbel, who was at The Early Show on CBS at the time, saw phantom planes after the first two crashed into the towers, and he got all panicky on air. The entire video montage is about 30 minutes, but you may have to wait a few days to watch it, because now the website is timing out, probably from so much traffic.
[Via Digg]
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Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
