Shows like ET, Extra, Access Hollywood and the Insider seem to thrive on making the most meaningless stories sound like important breaking news. ET and the Insider, which are basically carbon copies of one another, are the most annoying. These 2 are shot in neighboring studios on the Paramount lot. Both shows share the always annoying fashion guru Steven "Cojo" Cojucaro. Pat O'Brien worked as a sports commentator for many years before working as an anchor for Access Hollywood. In fall of 2004, he launched The Insider with co-host Lara Spencer, who had hosted the PBS show Antiques Roadshow. Often the same exact footage will air on ET and The Insider. One will say they have an exclusive story, and then the other will do the same story claiming it's exclusive. The Insider will air a story, and then a few weeks later the same exact packaged story will air! The other entertainment shows don't do this. The Insider seems to have trouble filling their half hour with celebrity footage. They will do stories on botched plastic surgery or home video of wedding bloopers. They will often do stories that have nothing to do with Hollywood, like the glorification of sisters who look like walking skeletons at death's door, calling them the anorexic twins. The thing that's ironic is that these type of shows probably do more damage than any other source when it comes to contributing to the prevalence of eating disorders in America. The never ending images of size zero actresses who still think they are fat is an epidemic. The bone thin entertainers showed on these shows achieve their look through personal trainers, chefs, liposuction, plastic surgery, and eating disorders. They set up unrealistic expectations and give people the impression that looks are all that matter in life.
Leeza Gibbons, John Tesh, Bob Goen, Julie Moran and Maria Menounos have left ET. Were they fired, did they quit, or did they get tired of covering all the meaningless stories day after day? One has to wonder. The stories on these entertainment shows always leave me asking the same question--who cares? Does it really matter where Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were last sighted? Is it really earth shaking news to hear about Lindsay Lohan's latest car accident? I like learning about celebrities, I write this blog about them after all, but these shows are obsessive about the stars. They talk about how intrusive the paparazzi are and how they need to give celebrities their space. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! ET, Insider and the rest are part of the problem as much as magazine photographers.
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