Jimmy Fallon and President Obama slow jam the news
Jimmy Fallon had a very special guest on his show last night.
Fallon was broadcasting his NBC show from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina and nobody was quite sure what to expect from funny man Fallon.
President Barack made an appearance and talked about student loan debt and the crisis with the current grant programs, but the funny moments came earlier in the show when Jimmy and Obama did a “Slow Jam the News” skit – and it was hilarious!
POTUS in the house!
Fallon is always funny but to “get” the President of the United States Barack Obama makes me think NBC is pulling out all the stops to try and increase ratings.
It goes without saying that Ryan Seacrest is one of the hardest working men in Hollywood and has amassed a career that spans radio, television, producing, and along the way has become a household name.
In fact, the Hollywood Reporter has named him the most powerful man in Reality TV today.
But change might be in the air for Seacrest.
Ryan appeared on the NBC “Today” show to chat with Matt Lauer and make a much anticipated, and hyped big announcement.
The big news turned out to be that Seacrest was joining the NBC family and his first project will be participating with the network for coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
But there may be more below the surface that has not been flushed out to the public yet.
Watch Matt and Ryan on the Today Show
E! Entertainment and Ryan have been working together for years and American Idol is on the FOX Network and now Ryan’s working with NBC/Comcast – awkward?
With Seacrest joining the NBC team some have speculated that Seacrest may take over the Today Show from Matt Lauer.
The two even joked about that conversation in the video above but we don’t see it happening anytime soon.
The big news now is what happens with Ryan’s upcoming contract negotiations with the executives at FOX and American Idol for next season. Will he say?
Seacrest says he is unable to comment on his contract with Idol but an announcement will be coming soon.
We suspect he can stay as long as he wants.
And in case you’re not aware, thirty-eight year old Seacrest is also the executive producer of the TV shows “Melissa and Tye”, “Shahs of Sunset”, “Food Revolution”, “Kourtney and Kim Take New York”, “Khloé and Lamar”, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”, “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest”, and just about every red carpet or awards show presented on the E! Network.
But for now we know he is not taking Matt Lauer’s job away and suspect he will remain on American Idol for as long as he wants.
America's Got Talent - Howard Stern to replace Piers Morgan
Howard Stern has a new job – and not everybody is happy about it.
Stern, fresh off a $400 million deal at Sirius XM Radio has been named the new judge on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” replacing Piers Morgan.
Howard Stern
While we are glad that Piers Morgan is gone because we really hated him and thought he was one of the most prideful and stuck up people in the world, we were not prepared to hear that Howard Stern will be replacing him.
And the Parents Television Council is not happy with AGT either – saying the move was a desperate act by the failing network to try and grab ratings at the expense of polluting the minds of our children saying,
“We are stunned the network would hire Howard Stern, a performer who is synonymous with shock, profanity and obscenity. The once-proud broadcast network has lost its way and has made it clear it holds no concern whatsoever for children and families. Not coincidentally, in just over three weeks the network will be standing before the United States Supreme Court arguing for the right to use the F-word at any time of the day, even in front of children."
The move may actually backfire on NBC because America's Got Talent is supposed to be about the contestants and not the judges.
Over the past two seasons viewers grew tired of the constant infighting between judges Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel saying it distracted from the show.
Funny man Jonah Hill stopped by to talk with NBC’s Jimmy Fallon last night and it turned out to be one of the best late night interviews we have ever seen.
We had no idea Jonah Hill could be this funny, and he certainly has dropped a few pounds.
In fact, that is an understatement – he has lost a LOT of weight and is looking good!
Jonah was there to plug his new movie with Brad Pitt called “Moneyball” and to talk about his new show he just sold to FOX called "Allen Gregory" - his new animated series that tells the story of one of the most pretentious 7-year-olds of our time.
Jonah told a hilarious story about meeting with the people from FOX during a party and running into Matthew Morrison from “Glee” for the first time.
It’s a great inside look at Hollywood parties, famous people meeting other famous people, and snobbery.
The interview is hilarious!
By the time that interview was over we didn’t really care about “Moneyball” and had turned into huge Jonah Hill fans for life!
And by the way, his new show Allen Gregory looks like it could be another hit for FOX. It is an animated show and will follow “The Simpsons” staring October 30, 2011.
Take a look at this trailer and you’ll see what we mean:
We got to give kudos to Jonah Hill – he really seems to be getting a lot funnier and more comfortable in his own skin. Gone are the days of that awkward fat actor who seemed to be only strangely funny at times.
Daytime television host and funny lady Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia De Rossi, have landed a new comedy show on NBC.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) says the comedy about two sparring sisters was offered to all the major networks and several cable channels but in the end NBC won out.
While Ellen will not appear onscreen for the show, her production company “A Very Good Production” will spearhead the project and DeGeneres will act as Executive Producer along with Don Todd and Lauren Corrao.
Portia De Rossi will have a leading role in the pilot and the final show as one of the two sisters.
De Rossi is best known for her role as Nelle Porter in “Ally McBeal”, Lindsay Bluth Fünke in “Arrested Development”, and a run on the shows “Nip/Tuck” and “Better off Ted”.
Ellen and Portia
De Rossi will also be part of the new “Arrested Development” movie that will reunite stars Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor.
While “Arrested” the movie has found a production company no production or release date has been made public.
Emmy winner Ellen DeGeneres plans to stick to her daytime variety show “The Ellen Show” and is currently working on the comedy “Laughing Stock” – a comedy series hosted by David Steinberg that will feature interviews with some of the best comedic minds of the last five decades.
You can expect “Laughing Stock” to premier sometime in 2012.
Ellen also continues to help grow and promote the music career of 14-year-old Greyson Chance who has been signed to her Record Company “Eleveneleven” and just released his first album "Hold On 'Til The Night" last month.
NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 65-year-old told reporters that the cancer was found at an early stage and she believes her prognosis is excellent.
Mitchell is the wife of ex Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The two were married in 1977 and this is Mitchell’s second husband.
In a statement she told reporters,
"I had planned to be hiking in Wyoming last week, but instead discovered that I am now among the one in eight women in this country who have breast cancer. For you women out there and the men who love you, breast screening matters. Do it. This disease can be completely curable if you find it, at the right time."
True.
And while men can develop breast cancer it is almost always found in women. And women over 50 years old are more at risk.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi at the Mayo Clinic says that screening mammograms should be done every two years beginning at age 50 for women at average risk of breast cancer.
But he says before age 50 screenings should not be done routinely and should be based on a woman's values regarding the risks and benefits of mammography.
This view differs from the American Cancer Society who recommends screenings starting at age 40 for women at average risk.
In other words, if you think you are at risk or feel a change in you breast GET A MAMMOGRAM – no matter how old you are.
The NBC Network has really got some people upset – including me.
During this weekend’s U.S. Open Golf coverage, NBC aired a group of patriotic children reciting the pledge of allegiance.
But right at the point where it says “One Nation under God” the network switched to a cutaway shot.
When the shot returned to the children they skipped the line referring to “under God” before continuing.
This is how it came across in the broadcast,
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, with liberty and justice for all.”
Wow.
NBC for their part quickly tried to wash over the incident by having host Dan Hicks read the following statement,
"It was our intent to begin our coverage of this U.S. Open championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being here in our nation's capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we'd like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it."
Why would NBC think reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in its entirety would upset anybody?
One interesting note - the words "under God" were not added to the Pledge until 1954 when President Eisenhower signed Congressional legislation to add the words.
But when our country doesn’t have the balls to bring God into our national pastime or Government, we are really sending the wrong message to everyone – including our children.
Our country was founded on Godly principles, yet today there seems to be an effort to remove any reference to it from our national discord.
Shame on NBC.
I would be more embarrassed as a host to have to plug a Donald Trump reality show, or an interview with Snooki from Jersey Shore than to use the “G” word in a promotional spot.
It's the early 1960’s, and the legendary Playboy Club in Chicago is the door to all your fantasies... and the key is the most sought-after status symbol of its time.
But for one NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City that “key” may not be as impressive as the network believes.
KSL-TV has said they will not air the new TV series this fall when it hits the airwaves because it does not fit the “image” of the station and it would be offensive to its viewers.
They say the show, which centers on the Bunnies and patrons of the original Playboy Club in 1960's Chicago, is inconsistent with the type of programming they offer.
“The Playboy brand is known internationally. Everyone is clear what it stands for. We want to be sure everyone is clear what the KSL brand stands for, which is completely inconsistent with the Playboy brand.”
So will all the other affiliates pile on?
Probably not.
You see, KSL is owned and operated by Deseret Media Companies which is controlled by the Mormon Church.
And the “Church” has a long history of attempting to protect Salt Lake City citizens from any harmful or immoral thing that may interfere with their ultra conservative and pure lives.
Kind of makes you wonder how they felt last night when “The Book of Mormon” cleaned up at the Tony Awards, but that’s a discussion for a different day.
Actually, all the initial reviews of The Playboy Club we’ve seen have been positive. The show is a flashback to how we were really acting and living during the 1960’s and is a part of our history.
Kind of like Joseph Smith is part of the Mormon Church’s history – both the good and the bad.
And there is a lot of bad.
But we respect KSL and their decision and wish them well in their journey to moral purity but caution them of an old saying,
“Judge not lest you be judged.”
Perhaps a better approach would be to air the show and let the individuals with those television boxes in their homes decide through their own free to simply switch off that box of moral turpitude.
Seems simple, right?
Here is an extended series trailer of what to expect this Fall when the The Playboy Club premiers.
Donald Trump, ever the proud man, announced today that he was NOT going to run for president even though he felt he would have won the general election.
But some insiders say that NBC’s announcement yesterday that the network was prepared to recast the bad haired goofball on his own “Celebrity Apprentice” reality show was the real reason behind his exit.
Trump told reporters,
"I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half-heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector."
Really? Donald, did you really think the country would vote for you? Is your pride and ego that big?
Others point to his awkward firing by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month, and the grass roots effort in Indiana to oust him from the prestigious job of Pace Car driver as another reason.
Others say that behind the scenes NBC was growing concerned at all his hot air, and the effect it was having on “The Celebrity Apprentice” sudden ratings decline.
In the end we may never know what the final straw was.
But when Trump decides to tell us we’re sure it will be the biggest, most successful reason the HE has ever created.
Personal Note:
Deep down we all knew, and so did Trump, that he would never have a chance at the job of President. It’s just sad that he, and the media, had to waste so much of our time the last three months pretending like it could actually happen.
In what can only be described as major bad news for the NBC network, reports are surfacing that BOTH Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer say they will be leaving the Today show later this year.
Some are wondering if the network can survive yet another high profile departure after the blow from Alec Baldwin yesterday that “30 Rock” is over.
When asked about the speculation, NBC press handlers said,
“There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it’s not our practice to comment on any of it. Matt Lauer has a long term contract with NBC News and ‘Today. ”
True. But both host contracts are due to expire at the end of this year, and “ET” reported that Lauer had been telling everybody he planned to move on once his contract expired in December. And TV Guide was reporting earlier this week about Meredith’s desire to exit the show.
TV Guide says Vieira has been in discussions with NBC executives for several months about extending her contract, but she is said to be exhausted with the demanding early hours and is ready to move on.
Vieira also said that the health of her husband, who has battled multiple sclerosis and cancer, will be a factor in considering her future on the program.
It doesn’t appear that there is any personal friction between the two hosts, in fact they seem like they get along pretty well, even in live embarrassing moments like when Matt Lauer’s divorce turned into laughs on the show.
On critic stated,
“Of course NBC is going to deny it. They just lost ’30 Rock’ and now their morning news lineup is falling apart.”
There has been some speculation that Vieira, Lauer, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are gracefully trying to exit the network before the Comcast NBC Universal deal begins to impact daily operations.
One insider commented,
“Comcast is going to chop up every bit of content they can mine from NBC and either charge for it or try to keep others from embedding it on the internet. The days of being able to freely use NBC content are over.”
THAT seems to make more sense than anything else – the big stars want to get behind NBC before the Comcast takeover is complete because they see what the future will look like and they don’t want any part of it.
But it could also be the oldest ploy in the Hollywood playbook – act like you’re going to leave just before your contract expires so they will offer you more money for the next season.
Somehow, in a sad way, that seems to make the most sense of all.
Its been a long time since we saw Jerry Seinfeld on television, but soon we will be able to watch his cumulative executive producer skills unfold on his new situation comedy/reality show "The Marriage Ref."
Set to debut after the 2010 Winter Olympics, the news is there will be appearances by Madonna, Sarah Silverman, Ricky Gervais and others. Tom Papa will head up the show as "The Marriage Ref"
A preview is scheduled for Sunday, February 28 following the Olympic closing ceremonies before the official premiere on Thursday, March 4 on NBC.
The show takes a funny look at the unpredictable and hilarious institution we call marriage.
Seinfeld and company showcases the funny and interesting situations surrounding single life in New York City. And married life takes center stage as celebrities, comedians and other Hollywood celebrities candidly comment, judge and decide who's right and who's wrong in real-life disputes between real-life spouses.
It turns out that John F. Kennedy was just like the rest of us. He feared losing his presidential campaign, and he feared having to start over at age 45.
A new series of audiotapes has been uncovered showing JFK as just another guy, sitting around the fire smoking cigars and drinking cocktails with friends and family.
The audio recording was made on January 5, 1960.
On the tape, an un-guarded JFK can clearly be heard just months before becoming President, and just 3-years before his assassination. He talks candidly about his life, politics and his own health. Kennedy is asked why he decided to get into politics, and what he would do if he had to get out if he lost the election. It is a truly stunning series of recordings.
Brian Williams summed it up best:
"I've listened to all of it -- and it is chilling, haunting and fascinating at the same time. Having read just about every book extant on the Kennedy family and his presidency, I already know there is material here that will be in the next printing of various textbooks".
A snippet was played Monday evening on William's NBC Nightly News broadcast, and below is an extended version of the entire audio tape. It is an amazing listen.
