Over the past few months Conan O’Brien has proven to be very adept (and funny) at using Twitter. Furthering his comedic mastery of new technology, he has now used YouTube to announce the long-awaited name of his new talk show, premiering Nov. 8 on TBS. It’s Conaw … er, Conan. Well, see for yourself:
On Wednesday, October 28, CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins former Bachelor Dr. Travis Stork and the rest of the crew on TV’s syndicated The Doctors to separate the facts from fiction about the H1N1 virus and vaccination.
“This is an example of when doctors are the worst patients — I thought it was anything but H1N1 when I first got sick,” explains Dr. Gupta, who says he was shocked to learn that he contracted the swine flu while on assignment in Afghanistan.
Dr. Gupta and The Doctors doctors also discuss why kids should be a priority when it comes to the vaccination: “There are healthy kids getting infected and dying from H1N1,” reveals Dr. Gupta.
In addition to discussing the swine flu, Dr. Gupta will talk about his new book, “Cheating Death: The Doctors and Medical Miracles that Are Saving Lives Against All Odds,” and join The Doctors in explaining what goes on inside the body during the moment of death — and the cutting edge new procedures that doctors can do to prolong life as soon as a patient flatlines.
by Karl J. Paloucek
Something interesting happened on television last night. It wasn’t that CBS’s Late Show host David Letterman told the story of numerous affairs he’s had with female employees and of the person who tried to extort him for $2 million dollars based on knowledge of that information — it was the manner in which the story was told and the reaction of the audience that were interesting.
What we saw was a masterful use of the medium of television. Suspending value judgments for the moment, I think it would have to be agreed that over the years, Letterman has used his forum to deal with some very tough subjects and has often done so with intelligence and wit. Offhand I can remember the Challenger disaster in 1986, his own recovery from bypass surgery in 2000 and certainly 9/11 among the [Read more →]
By Ryan
FOX Sports’ MLB and NFL play-by-play announcer Joe Buck gets to leave the confines of the broadcast booth and stretch his legs as host of a new sports talk show this month. Joe Buck Live premieres June 15 at 9pm ET on HBO (HD), and will air quarterly.
When Bob Costas left HBO earlier this year to join MLB Network, a spot opened up for Buck on HBO’s roster. But Joe Buck Live won’t be Costas Now with Buck’s name on it. “I think it would be the worst thing in the world for me to go in and try to imitate Bob. I think Bob is the absolute best doing what he does,” Buck tells us. “I think this is my chance to try and do something different.” Whereas Costas Now often confronted the big sports issues, Joe Buck Live will be lighter in tone and content. “I’m going to attempt to have some fun with these guys or girls, whoever the interviewees are, and try and bring out the light side of sports from time to time and mix that with the hard questions and the serious issues. I think we can cover it all, and at the end of the day have a good time doing it.”
Sports fans who’ve heard Buck in the FOX broadcast booth over the years might be a little surprised at the sportscaster’s comedic chops. “I think most people might be surprised that I can handle different things,” he says. “I don’t know that the average fan is aware that I have other sides to my personality than just ‘Ball 1. Strike 2. Touchdown.’”
by Karl J. Paloucek
History was made last night, with the fourth changing of the hosts on NBC’s The Tonight Show as Conan O’Brien took over from car collector Jay Leno. First episodes of new formats, even for veterans, can be a little rusty, so let’s take a look at …
What went right:
The opening sequence with Conan running across the country to Los Angeles — nice touch running across Wrigley Field, as well as showing the side of Tribune Tower (Full disclosure: Tribune Company owns Wrigley Field and Tribune Tower, as well as this website), but nicer still was the use of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender,” in effect usurping Pearl Jam as the first band to “rock” Conan’s The Tonight Show.
Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show Band actually KEEPING the ultra-hip John Lurie theme song from the old show.
The opening monologue got off to a nice start with this apt line: “I think I’ve timed this moment perfectly. Think about it: I’m on a last-place network, I moved to a state that’s bankrupt, and Tonight Show is sponsored by General Motors.” [Read more →]
By RabbitEars
Nominations for the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards were announced yesterday. PBS led the way with 56 nominations, followed by ABC with 50, syndicated shows with 49, CBS with 30, NBC with 20, Nickelodeon with 13, Disney Channel with 10 and Food Network with 10. Several other networks followed with single-digit nominations. The awards ceremony, hosted by Vanessa Williams, will air August 30 on The CW.
By Lori Acken
John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent and anchor of the network’s new Sunday morning news show State of the Union (which recently lured executive producer Michelle Jaconi from the time slot’s NBC titan Meet the Press) understands the appeal of the comedic news satire programs and uberopinionated prime time current events shows which have become big audience draws in recent years.
Just don’t expect him to jump on the bandwagon.
“Some people watch those shows because they’re provocative,” King explains. “I watch some of them, because I learn. It’s like intelligence gathering. Some people go to those shows because they can be fun. Sometimes they’re shout festivals, but sometimes it’s provocative, challenging conversation. My idea is, ‘Let’s have a show with provocative conversation with all views — not just one view.’ My goal is to try to have that conversation, but involve everybody. Let the people watching make the decision.” [Read more →]
By ButtonKnows
Couple things about Thursday night’s episode of BIO Channel’s “The Chris Isaak Hour.”
First of all, Rodney’s back and I am relieved with a Capital R. In fact, I considered blaming my delinquency in blogging last week’s Michael Bublé episode on my protesting Furry Little Brother’s recent absence. But mostly I just ran out of time. The show was good. When it repeats, you should watch it — or watch it again — because even if Bublé’s uberslick crooner shtick is not for you, the combination of Chris Isaak and Michael Bublé in a single camera shot is about as pleasing a multi-generational, gender-ational, musical-taste-ational thing as I can think up, I swear.
To that end, the other thing is this: As much as I enjoy learning a thing or two or more about the singers and bands who serve as his guests (and I always do), I now realize that I crave Isaak’s preternatural, unblinking, Ken Doll-meets-Mister Rogers serenity as a sort of weekly video therapy session. He puts the warmth in cool. Or the cool in warmth. Or something like that. Beats the hell out of yoga. Looks and sounds better, too.
Anyhow, on to the episode. If you’ve grown accustomed to seeing Chris and a single guest, each on one sofa with acres to spare, the sight of Chicago’s founding members Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Walter Parazaider crammed onto one, and Robert Lamm, Chris and a snoozy Rodney on the other is a little comical.
On the other hand, these guys have toured together every single year since the advent of their band 41 years ago, so they’ve probably been in closer quarters than these.
By ButtonKnows
Wichita Lineman? Check. Galveston? Check. Rhinestone Cowboy? Check, check and check.
Tommy Smothers saddled up on a hippopotamus? GRAVY!
If it’s been a while since you’ve seen television’s original Good Time guy, Glen Campbell, on the tube, Thursday night’s episode of The Chris Isaak Hour, has everything you’re hoping for and then some. With one caveat.
Because Campbell’s public appearances have been few and far between of late, you may need a few moments to adjust to the reality that the once boyish-faced Campbell is now 70-something, not above a little Burt Reynolds-esque “freshening” and sometimes a tad quavery in the pipes.
Does it diminish the pleasure of spending an hour with the pride of Delight, Arkansas, and a reverential Isaak? Hell, no.
By ButtonKnows
I know me some Fleetwood Mac and I love me my Stevie Nicks. So much so that my purse is crafted (by Karla of Chicago’s “Bagitude,” not me and some duct tape) of an actual Rumours album cover in homage to the multiple discs I wore out and replaced.
And I still wish I would have tried a little harder to convince my only daughter’s dad to let me name her Rhiannon. A little, anyway.
So fellow fanatics, let me spare you some opening-credit sweats — the Stevie Nicks that appears on Chris Isaak’s retro-cool sofa in Thursday night’s episode of BIO’s The Chris Isaak Hour is exactly the one you are hoping for. [Read more →]
