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Clinton Criticizes ABC

September 08, 2006

"I think they ought to tell the truth, particularly if they're going to claim it's based on the 9/11 Commission's report," Clinton told reporters in Arkansas yesterday.

He was responding to the upcoming ABC miniseries, “The Path to 9/11,” which depicts the U.S. response to the threat presented by Osama Bin Laden -- and includes the Clinton era -- in a tale about the series of events that led up to September 11, 2001.

Officials -- including Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, Democratic Senators Harry Reid of Nevada and Charles Schumer of New York -- have all asked ABC to either fix the show or cancel it completely.

In a statement, ABC responded by saying that ''no one has seen the final version of the film, because the editing process is not yet complete, so criticisms of film specifics are premature and irresponsible.''

The Washington Post, citing a network executive it did not name, reports today that ABC plans to make minor changes in response to the complaints from former Clinton administration officials.

ABC said that for dramatic and narrative purposes ''the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue and time compression.'' The cast includes Harvey Keitel, Patricia Heaton and Donnie Wahlberg. The ABC executive said the ''adjustments and refinements'' are ''intended to make clearer that it was general indecisiveness -- not any one individual,'' the Post reports.

Four More Years!

CBS Corp. and David Letterman have agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep the comic on the ''Late Show'' through the 2009-10 television season. This is, of course, according to two executives who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal wasn't fully done.

So, should we gear up for a Dave v. Conan showdown?

On the one hand, we like Dave. And we really miss the days when he was so famous, he could make his deli guys into celebrities.

On the other hand, Conan works downstairs. (We're both part of the NBC/Universal family.) And we’re all hoping he’ll stay in New York City when he takes over for Leno. Even Mayor Bloomberg told him he wasn’t allowed to leave. New Yorkers eat dinner at 9pm, so of course late night TV should be broadcast from here.

Letterman has suffered through health problems in recent years that has led to some speculation that he might not want to do the job much longer. Heart surgery in 2000 and a case of shingles in 2003 kept Letterman off the air for brief periods. But Letterman has apparently concluded that he's up to the challenge of competing with O'Brien, who took over Letterman's NBC show after his move to CBS.

DeGeneres to Host Oscars

Big news! The Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that Ellen DeGeneres will host next year's Oscars.

It will be the comedienne and TV talker's first time hosting the Oscars. She's hosted the Emmys twice solo and once as a co-host, and she hosted the Grammys twice. But she'll be an Oscar newbie.

''Ellen DeGeneres was born to host the Academy Awards,'' said producer Laura Ziskin in a statement. ''I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show. Now all we need is a lot of great movies.''

The 79th Annual Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 25th, from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Ellen responded in a statement: ''When Laura Ziskin called, I was thrilled. There’s two things I've always wanted to do in my life. One is to host the Oscars. The second is to get a call from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day's diary entry.''

Marcia Cross is Preggers!

September 07, 2006

Real Quick: The “desperate housewife” we’re most afraid of, Bree Van de Kamp (played by Marcia Cross), is having a baby.

Not on the show. It's not a ratings ploy. The actress, Marcia Cross, is really having a baby with her stockbroker husband. She's due in April.

''She's over the moon,'' co-star Eva Longoria told People magazine at the time of the couple's engagement. ''I'm so excited for her. It's so beautiful to see her this happy and so in love.''

Congratulations, Marcia.

Clayken Put to Work

We read this morning on the AP: “Clay Aiken is in line to be named to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House said Wednesday.”

And then we laughed and laughed.

Then we read a little further, and realized he would be serving in an advisory capacity to the organization, which despite it's complicated name isn't for people who went to state schools, but rather the much-lauded President's Panel on Mental Retardation. It was established in 1961 by President John Kennedy.

A White House press release said President Bush intends to make the appointment, but officials did not specify when. We wish Clay the best, and hope to see the swift implementation of the President's Council on tween-market Pop Stars.

Helen Raises Hell

September 06, 2006

The FCC is not taking any of this lightly. And they can't.

We've been reporting for weeks about the fringe groups demanding politeness on television. This time, the "Parents Television Council" wants the FCC and other federal agencies to fine NBC for Helen Mirren's "vulgar and obscene" behavior during the Emmys.

Did she show her boobs? No. But she did mention she had them.

As she was walking up to the stage to make her (truly charming) acceptance speech for "Elizabeth I," our girl Helen said she was relieved that she didn't trip on her dress and fall "ass over tit." We'd never heard this term before. We've heard our mothers say things like "fall down go boom" and, oddly, one of our interns claims his mother says, "ass over tittleberries." (Exsqueeze me? I'm in love.) But, watching the Emmys, we sort of missed the whole event.

During the show, Calista Flockhart payed homage to Helen by saying the exact same thing. We totally weren't paying attention -- nobody was. Except, apparently, for America's long-suffering children.

We quote the statement by the Parents Television Council: "It is utterly irresponsible and atrocious for NBC to air this vulgar language -- when millions of children were in the viewing audience." Really? Children watch the Emmys?

So, yes. It's expensive to get fined for swearing on the telly, and Congress very recently raised those fines from $32,500 to $325,000. But for heavens sake -- did anyone's children adopt the quirky British phrase and make it their own? Was there a rash of "ass over tit" jokes at school the next day?

Everybody breathe. It's live TV. It's going to be fine.

Telethon Record

September 05, 2006

It’s been going on every Labor Day weekend since 1966. And this year, they set a record.

Jerry Lewis' annual telethon for muscular dystrophy raised a record $61 million, bolstered by a huge donation from a group of firefighters.

The producers are also crediting, oddly, the lack of a major hurricane before the show. The past few years were marred by hurricanes -- including last year, when Katrina knocked out television stations along the Gulf Coast and donors focused on hurricane support. ''I think there was a great sense of relief that there weren't any storms,'' said Bob Mackle, Muscular Dystrophy Association spokesman.

''We did good,'' said Lewis, 80, looking choked up as the final figure, $61,013,855, flashed across the board Monday. ''I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart for so many little people that can't thank you, can't show their appreciation in any way.''

Leading the contributors was the International Association of Fire Fighters, which donated a record $23.5 million.

Eulogy for Steve Irwin

We are saddened to announce the loss of the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, who was killed Monday by a barb from a giant stingray. The 44-year-old Irwin's heart was pierced by the serrated, poisonous spine of a stingray as he was shooting a new TV show on the Great Barrier Reef.

Irwin became known throughout the world for his supreme love of reptiles, his huge and enthusiastic arm gestures, and his catchphrase (“crikey!”). A trademark move was to hunt down one of the huge saltwater crocodiles that inhabit the rivers and beaches of the Outback in Australia's tropical north, leap onto its back, grabbing its jaws with his bare hands, and then tie the animal's mouth with rope.

Irwin appeared to be a total lunatic, but a lunatic of the very best kind -- he pursued with full gusto the things he loved doing. And, who knew? The majority of the profits he received from his television work went to buying enormous tracts of land for use as conservation space.

''I am shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death,'' Australian Prime Minister John Howard said. ''It's a huge loss to Australia.''

Irwin is survived by his wife Terri, daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and two-year-old son Bob.

CBS Stands Tall Under Fire

The religious right wants to sanitize 9/11. The always-busy and extremely conservative American Family Association is up in arms about CBS's plan to air an uncensored 9/11 documentary named "9/11."

The film, which first aired in 2002 and has been screened numerous times since then, is currently on schedule to run this Sunday, September 10, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of the terror attacks. The documentary has won a Peabody Award, has been aired several times in the last five years, and was filmed inside the towers during the collapse.

Frankly, we're a little stunned that anyone would oppose the airing of this film. And we're impressed by CBS's strong position that they will not edit it. A representative from CBS has this to say: ''We don't think it's appropriate to sanitize the reality of the hell of Sept. 11th. It shows the incredible stress that these heroes were under. To sanitize it in some way robs it of the horror they faced.''

Does this country really need to pretend that on the nightmarish hell of 9/11, many in peril did not use the f-word?

The American Family Association responds: ''This isn't an issue of censorship. It's an issue of responsibility to the public.'' The group says it's mission is to promote the biblical ethic of decency.

So, the American Family Association wants us all to pretend that nobody said bad words on arguably the most tragic day in modern American history. They want us to change our change a depiction of history, ignore a first amendment right, and adhere to a an ethical code of conduct based on strict religious doctrine. Sounds a bit like the Taliban, doesn't it?

Stay strong, CBS!