TV Chatting

The May Sweeps are almost over.

Then, the Networks basically give up and present the 21st Century version of Soccer Made In Germany.

But thank God NBC doesn’t.

They’re bringing back the usually entertaining Last Comic Standing.

Frankly, I don’t give a whit about their personal lives and “back stories.” But I do like seeing fresh comedians (and even some of the flops.)

And since this is America, we can even make comedy a competition. That’s what makes us strong as compared to, say, the Canadians.

I’m just sayin’, Winnipeg.

My Gal Jessica at NBC has more:

Just wanted to give you a heads up that Last Comic Standing is coming back for its 6th season starting May 22nd. Check out a promo clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8wZ51OuF84&NR=1 and a couple auditions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wfW31GoK8 and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeZ6zM-vvMw.

Guest judges for this season include Angela Kinsey and Oscar Nuñez from The Office, George Wendt and John Ratzenberger from Cheers, and Lonny Ross and Keith Powell from 30 Rock. See more at the official Last Comic Standing site: http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing/

Feel free to share with your readers and catch the new season of Last Comic Standing on NBC starting on May 22 at 9:30pm/8:30c.

Photo: Ghosts of comedians past. Triana of “Last Comic Standing,”
Femme Fatale Magazine Release Party, October 5, 2004.

Technorati Tags: NBC, Last Comic Standing, Soccer Made In Germany

Caught this item from The Hollywood Reporter today:

John Cleese, Richard Schiff talk politics
Posted: 30 Apr 2008 11:05 AM CDT
John Cleese and Richard Schiff of "The West Wing" spoke out about celebrities' political endorsements Tuesday night at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

The Hollywood Reporter reports today that the Weather Channel is for sale:

Weather Channel bidders line up

Posted: 29 Apr 2008 07:51 AM CDT
NBC Universal and CBS Corp. may be among those readying bids for the Weather Channel, which is being put up for sale by its owner, Virginia-based Landmark Communications.

See: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3iad7629cf5da06c79959514a43adfdb0a

I don't care what the new owners do, as long as they don't get rid of my sweetie Vivian!

Why are people, particularly those in the media, so stupid about race?

The Huffington Post reports that a Republican flack Kellyanne Conway on MSNBC said the following today:

“The person who has criticized them is Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton has been criticizing Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright. and I think that’s the real issue, I think that’s why Barack Obama had to push back. She is the chief white woman in this country, calling into question Jeremiah Wright’s bonafides and she has made that issue on the campaign trail. Republicans aren’t saying much about it at all, including John McCain. He had one thing to say about it early on.”

Read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/29/kellyanne-conway-msnbc-gu_n_99299.html

As Rodney King said, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

The Huffington Post reports that CBS news personality Katie Couric’s CBS Evening News ratings have hit a historic low:

Last week, the CBS Evening News marked a new low in the ratings, recording just 5.39 million total viewers for the previous week.

This week, the Katie Couric-led broadcast sunk even lower than that, reaching a new new low of 5.34 million total viewers for last week…

Ouch, Katie, ouch!

WB fans, it's alive!

The WB Relaunches as Free, Video Site
As first reported by Mediaweek March 10 (to view it, click here.), Warner Brothers Television Group announced on April 28 that it would launch TheWB.com, a new free, video-centric Web site. See http://www.mediaweek.com for the details!

Is it so wrong to love a serial killer who has a droll sense of humor, a cute sister, solves crimes, and kills people who deserve it? That's the interesting conundrum with CBS/Showtime's Dexter.

Ah, the excitement of reality shows.

The exotic locations.

The interesting people.

The fun of working in “The Business.”

Oh, an being treated like a sweatshop worker.

Reuters has more via Truthout:

TV “Sweatshops� Under Fire
Steve Gorman reports for Reuters: “Tuesday’s news that a dozen former workers on major US reality shows like ‘American Idol’ had filed state labor complaints shows the campaign to end what many describe as sweatshop conditions on these programs…

Photo: What, working with Jeff Probst on Survivor isn’t reward enough? Television personality Jeff Probst arrives at The Alliance for Children’s Rights 15th Anniversary Awards Gala held on March 10, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.

Technorati Tags: reality shows, Survivor, Jeff Probst, unfair labor practices, sweatshops

My very perceptive wife had a funny comment after viewing the news coverage of the nearly 500 women and kids leaving the FLDS polygamist’s ranch near El Dorado, TX:

“Looks like an episode of “Big Love,” the way all the women are dressed*.”

Click here for MSNBC’s coverage and a photo that proves her point.

*Lots of old fashioned “prairie” dresses that cover the women from neck to wrist to ankle.

Photo: The cast of HBO’s Big Love dressed in their civvies.

Technorati Tags: Big Love, FLDS, polygamy, polygamist ranch, El Dorado, Texas, HBO

Between a trip to Billings, MT last week for a candidate training school and being sick as a dog for the past week, I haven’t been able to publish much here on TV Chatting. 

As I catch up with work, I hope to be back to posting on a more regular basis.

Thank you for your consideration.

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I don’t know about you, but with a photo this hot, the TV show has gotta be good!

Yeowsa! This will get your blood flowing!

My Gal Jennifer has all the juicy details below.

Wife Swap Aftermath

“The day after,” both Moms talk to MomLogic about what happened when the cameras were off.

(Los Angeles – January 31, 2008) – MomLogic talked with “Lumberjack” Mom, Andrea, and “Burlesque” Mom, Sarina, (Ravenna Black, pictured) about their experiences on last night’s Wife Swap. To hear about their best and worst moments, what the kids thought when they got home and whether or not they would do it again, visit MomLogic.com.

Link: http://www.momlogic.com/2008/01/wife_swap_aftermath.php

Technorati Tags: Wife Swap, cheese cake, reality shows, momlogic.com, Lumberjack Mom, Burlesque Mom, Ravenna Black

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My Gal Jennifer, formerly at CBS, has a new gig at momlogic.com.

And she has story that combines  Nip/Tuck with The Biggest Loser.  And removing your panniculus.

Read on–if you dare! (It’s a little graphic at times.)

Beyond a Simple Nip/Tuck

More and more Moms like The Biggest Loser’s Suzy Preston are getting total body lifts.

When you lose a huge amount of weight, what happens to all that extra skin? More and more people are having it surgically removed, according to the New York Post, in an extreme surgery called a “total body lift.� Although there were only 207 total body lifts performed in the US in 2000, over 10,000 body lifts were performed last year alone.

According to plastic surgeon Dr. Dennis J. Hurwitz, author of the The Total Body Lift Book, this is largely due to a huge rise in extreme weight loss surgical procedures. (200,000 Americans are estimated to get gastric bypass surgery in 2008.) However, Dr. Hurwitz, who has performed hundreds of these procedures, says many Moms are also getting the procedure done as well to combat loose, hanging skin after childbirth.

But some women get the surgery before childbirth. Case in point: Suzy Preston, 31, of The Biggest Loser fame, had a total body lift following her dramatic 95-pound weight loss last year. “Last July, I had a total body lift, and had eight pounds of skin removed,� she tells Mom•Logic.

“After the surgery, my body was so tight and pulled together!� But four months after her surgery, Suzy got pregnant. “When my skin stretched out, it hurt,� she recalls. “I got a hernia from the pregnancy because my skin was so tight. It was really painful when it stretched out again.�

Now, five months after having birth, Suzy says she wouldn’t recommend the surgery to anyone considering getting pregnant. “When I get all this baby weight off, who’s to say I won’t have loose skin again?� wonders the new Mom of son Rex. “I would wait to go under the knife until you’re done having kids.�

But even Suzy says the surgery was worth it, and she’d do it again in a heartbeat. However, it does come at a cost: The procedure is $25,000 to $40,000, and patients risk infections and blood clots as a result of the eight-hour surgery. Yet, the results of a total body lift are often dramatic and life-changing.

See for yourself by checking out these “before� and “after� shots, courtesy of Dr. Hurwitz.

Click here to see a gallery of other people’s transformations, courtesy of Dr. Hurwitz. WARNING: They’re pretty explicit!

LINK: http://www.momlogic.com/2007/11/whats_a_total_body_lift.php

About Mom•Logic.com: MomLogic.com is an online community “for thinking moms who don’t have time to think.� In addition to posting topical and relevant stories, the site features breaking news and how it affects the lives of mothers and their families in an ever-changing world.  MomLogic.com is produced by Telepictures Productions, an industry-leading producer of syndicated programming and winner of 49 Daytime Emmy Awards. Sabrina Weill (formerly of “Seventeen�) is editor-in-chief.

Photo: Suzy Preston from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,� 2005 Radio Music Awards - Arrivals, December 19, 2005.