Celebritology Archive: TV
An all-star lineup of Oprah replacements
Oprah may not have been a celebrity when she embarked on her broadcasting career some three decades back, but the woman is star power personified at this point. And when she exits the airwaves in September 2011 -- as she's expected to announce later today -- she'll be leaving a huge high-wattage void in our lives. Who better than another celeb to replace Oprah and take over the mantle? O's replacement must come equipped with a sense of his or her own divinity and a roster of A-list friends to parade before the public. Below, we offer five celebs who might just have the heft to fill Oprah's shoes: 1. Tom Cruise: Seriously, this guy's movie career is going nowhere and his 2005 couch-jumping episode is only one of TV's most memorable moments. And with pals like John Travolta, Will Smith and the Beckhams on speed dial there'd be no...
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Liz
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November 20, 2009; 11:04 AM ET |
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Kate Gosselin: Addicted to fame, but not exploiting her kids?
Kate Gosselin is addicted to fame. She regrets sniping at estranged husband Jon. She doesn't trust many people. Bottom line: It's hard being Kate. And in a very special interview last night on TLC -- "Kate Gosselin: Her Story" -- we got to hear about her hardships for 60 whole minutes. And yes, I watched so you didn't have to. While Jon Gosselin is busy dating the daughter of his wife's plastic surgeon and consulting a rabbi in search of a moral compass, Kate talked sniveled to Today's Natalie Morales about her own struggles and how her eight kids are coping with the circus that surrounds their young lives: Kate on scolding Jon at every possible opportunity: "I was very hard on him and I would never deny that. I felt very much like a lot of weight rested on my shoulders. “I was wrong to treat him that...
By
Liz
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November 3, 2009; 10:08 AM ET |
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Catching Up with a Greener Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles. (Getty Images) You may know Mario Van Peebles from his turn as Malcolm X in "Ali" or perhaps from one of his many TV roles (he's been on everything from "All My Children" to "Law and Order" and, most recently, "Damages"). Or maybe you remember him as the star of 1985's "Rappin'" or the director of 1991's "New Jack City?" Courtesy of his mom and eco-conscious pals like Ed Begley Jr., Van Peebles is turning over a new, greener leaf. On Sunday his new show, "Mario's Green House," premieres at 6 p.m. ET on TV One. The show chronicles Van Peebles on his quest to reduce his family's (wife Chita and their five children) environmental impact. With President Obama's renewed focus on climate change, the show couldn't come at a better time. Last week, I talked to Van Peebles about the show and his approach to...
By
Liz
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September 23, 2009; 12:00 PM ET |
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Catching Up With...
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Ann Curry, Hard News Hold Out?
Suddenly NBC second-stringer Ann Curry -- she of the sycophantic Brangelina interviews -- has been cast in the role of a crusading hard newswoman who bravely defies the dumbing down of news by insisting on covering "credible" news like Iran and Darfur rather than give in and start following the Britney beat. Or so Curry, the New York Observer and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof would have us believe. Curry says she would never stoop to cover a story of, say, a topless Britney Spears caught shoplifting (a hypothetical) and blames average Americans for our insatiable appetite for tabloid journalism. From the Observer's coverage of a conference attended by Curry on how Twitter is affecting the news biz (linked above): "The reason I have to fight every time to do these stories is because the truth is that it's hard to get the majority of Americans or even a...
By
Liz
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June 18, 2009; 11:59 AM ET |
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Drew Barrymore on the Brink?
Drew Barrymore is a lot of things: Former child star. Romantic comedy staple. Recovering addict. Producer. Serial dater. She's also, at 34, on the brink of the best acting years of her life. On April 18, we'll see an entirely new Drew when an adaptation of "Grey Gardens" -- based on the life of Jackie Kennedy cousin Little Edie Beale -- airs on HBO. Drew takes on the role of "Little" Edie opposite Jessica Lange, who portrays her equally eccentric mother "Big" Edie. There's been some blowback from fans of the Broadway production of "Grey Gardens," who would've liked to see Christine Ebersole star in the HBO version. But the production was a labor of love for Barrymore, who placed high stakes on the role. As she recently told E! Online, anxiety caused Barrymore to drop a noticeable amount of weight during filming: "The expectations I put on myself...
By
Liz
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April 8, 2009; 10:43 AM ET |
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Friday List: Who Can Bring the Funny Back to 'SNL'?
Last weekend, I sat through an entire "Saturday Night Live" for the first time in years. Despite a few rare exceptions -- Andy Samberg's collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin -- the late night institution lost its edge sometime in the '90s and never seemed able to regain its reputation for cutting edge comedy. But last weekend, guest host (and "SNL" alum) Tracy Morgan totally brought the funny back. Maybe it was his energy. Perhaps he helped the shows writers to polish up their usually lackluster comedy. Whatever it was, one thing is certain: Morgan acted as a catalyst for the entire show. We expected Morgan to totally crush, but somehow everyone else seemed funnier, too. Here's a sampling: Which brings us to today's Friday List mission: If one guest host is capable of bringing the flatlining "SNL" back to life, surely others can, too. Who should...
By
Liz
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March 20, 2009; 11:15 AM ET |
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Friday Lists
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