Friday, October 21, 2005

Show biz buzz for 10-21-05

Apparently Donald Trump is blaming his Apprentice show's drop in ratings compared to last season on jailbird Martha Stewart. Trump's Thursday night NBC show currently attracts about 10 million viewers while Martha's show gets 6.6 million. Martha's show is exactly like "the Donald's" except for her letter she writes at the end to the ousted contestant. Thankfully, she has dropped her version of "You're fired" which was "You just don't fit in." She must have received many complaints regarding this phrase which sounded like a ridiculous high school taunt used by the popular crowd. Before long, Martha's show will not "fit in" to the NBC lineup. Trump feels that putting the 2 shows on consecutive nights was a mistake. That may be true, but Trump is also one of the executive producer's of Martha's show and he should have done something to distinguish the 2 shows. I think that interest in Trump's show may have lessened even without the Martha factor. But then again, I thought that Survivor would have been cancelled by now too after its umpteenth reincarnation.

From the say it ain't so file, according to the Bob and Tom radio show (which is a great show you should check out if you haven't), there will be a second season of Rock Star on CBS. Instead of looking for a new lead singer for INXS, the program will look for a singer to front Van Halen. Van Halen have been churning out great rock and roll since their groundbreaking first album in 1978. Their lead singer merry-go-round has included David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and for one album, former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone. I hope this story isn't true since a great band like Van Halen should choose another method of finding a lead singer. The group has recently performed some tour dates with Sammy Hagar, but they must have had a falling out. No matter who the next lead singer is, the group will retain its signature classic sound thanks to the virtuoso guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony.

Johnny Carson was a reclusive man who was rarely seen in public. Since his passing in January, information has been learned about why he was so private. The F.B.I. has a 400 page file documenting the many death threats and extorsion plots against the late night legend. Trumpeter Doc Severinsen has recently commented on how Carson was a shy man who didn't like socializing in large groups, but he also kept to himself out of fear for his life. Sidekick Ed McMahon has written a book about his time with Johnny which will be in bookstores soon. It should be an interesting read.

*Source for some material in this article:Entertainment Weekly magazine and Inside Edition

1 comment:

Darren Weeks said...

Hi there, ShowBiz...

I subscribed to your news feed and noticed the new post.

I'm very disappointed about CBS' move to bring back that hideous show, Rock Star. As I recall, it was so terrible last season, they had to shift part of it to VH1, which is also owned by Viacom. Apparently, the "eye" isn't seeing very clearly these days! If CBS knew their viewers, they would tone down the "reality" a little and strive to put something a little more imaginative on TV.

And while we're on the subject of CBS (and sore eyes), why is it that all of their Evening News anchors look like they're a banana-peel slide away from the funeral parlour? I mean COME ON! Are there any younger news anchors working at that network?

It seems every night they have to get Bob Schaffer out of the moth balls, prop him up so that he can do the news, then return him to the cabinet when he's done. I just don't understand why "journalistic integrity" at CBS seems to be defined by the number of lines in a person's face. Are we supposed to trust someone simply because they are old?

Not that I'm against old people, mind you. I'm sure that if the Bird Flu, SARS, Monkey Pox, West Nile Virus, the evil terrorists, and that mountain lion that wanders my yard don't all get me, I too will one day be a geezer.

I just thought that after enduring Dan Rather's nightly trip from the coffin to read the teleprompter, that I'd have someone a little more pleasant to look at at the end of his tenure. Instead of the Evening News, maybe they should call it, Tales from the Crypt.

Oh well, hang in their kiddo. You're doing a whale of a job. Kuddos to the kiddo.

Your pal, Darren Weeks