Chelsea strikes a Playboy pose with a touchy-feely Leno.

Here is a tweet I just so happened to see before watching The Jay Leno Show this Wednesday, October 28:

@ChelseaLately:  If you watch the Jay Leno Show tonight, you’ll notice that Jay was obviously hitting on me. Awkward.

Honestly, I foresaw this. Okay I didn’t, but I had a hunch that Leno would somehow act too “friendly” towards Chelsea Handler on his show.  I don’t know why. There is no big connection between the two. But she is an independent, pretty, and funny woman, and how could anyone not like her for that?  Many people find these qualities in her to be attractive.  She is also one of the only female comedians to host her own late night TV show, which is automatically earns her respect.  As it turns out, Handler announces during her visit with Leno that she will be on the cover of Playboy’s upcoming December issue.  Maybe Leno found this news to be too exciting.

If she finds Leno to be awkward, then I’m not sure how she is going to live after having revealing photos of herself be published in the upcoming weeks.  Perhaps we can call her interview a “test run.”  She will certainly have more men oggling at her in December.

But Handler is already taken.  She is known for making jokes about her boyfriend, Ted Harbert, who is the president and CEO of Comcast Entertainment.  Naturally she makes more jokes about him on The Jay Leno Show, which are instigated by Leno for asking Handler if she is still single (she and Harbet briefly broke up but are together now).  As a comedian speaking about her man, she is entitled to throw a few jabs for laughs. 

Chelsea and her man Ted Harbert

Leno seems to enjoy these remarks and jumps in on the fun calling her boyfriend an old grandfather, someone who went to school with Hugh Hefner and that he rides a rascal scooter.  Ouch.  Who knew Leno could be so competitive over a woman.  It’s like watching a PBS nature program where a male wildebeast competes with another male wildebeast for the attention of the female wildebeast. 

Leno’s jokes go too far and provokes Handler into doing something that we rarely see:  exalting her boyfriend. Handler doesn’t like to be anyone’s bitch.  That includes Leno.  While at the beginning of the interview she is neutral, after Leno’s teasing, she clearly goes on the defensive.  This is when Leno makes the leap from going too far to downright creepy.  After forcing a confession out of her about her nude pictorial in the upcoming December issue of Playboy, Leno asks her another series of creepy questions like: “What does your father think of the Playboy spread?” (okay, Jay)

Leno asks her if she wants to see the Playboy cover (having gotten it from Hefner himself).  When she says emphatically “no”, Jay gives a response that is talk show gold (and… yeah… creepy):

“Well here’s the thing: nobody cares what you think. See, you are too use to getting what you want. What you need is a guy to say “no.”

You see, Leno is that guy that says “no.”  Chelsea calls Leno out:

“This is a very interesting side of you, Jay. Now everyone is finally starting to realize that you are exactly like Dave Letterman.”

SLAM!  The audience goes wild over this joke.  It will go down in talk show smackdown history.  Chelsea Handler is nobody’s bitch.  

Leno grabs Chelsea’s hand and takes her to the unveiling of her cover.   Yes, she looks beautiful on the cover.  And yes, though it was great tv, it was (as Handler said) awkward and (as I said) creepy.  We like our Leno non-sexual please. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Jay Leno Jokes David Letterman Extortion Plot (justjared.buzznet.com)
• David Letterman becomes butt of rivals’ jokes (telegraph.co.uk)

Katey Sagal on Sons of Anarchy

Katey Sagal visited Chelsea Lately this Tuesday, October 27, to promote her show Sons of Anarachy on FX, a huge hit this fall which, coincidentally has been killing The Jay Leno Show in the ratings (something NBC surely didn’t expect).  She and Chelsea Handler spend most of the time, though, chit-chatting about other things: menopause, motherhood, childbirth, husbands and boyfriends and drinking (Handler will always somehow bring up alcohol in a conversation).

They speak briefly about the show Sons of Anarchy, in which Sagal plays a lead character, but the two go off topic soon after (most likely because of the FX show’s serious nature, which would just be too serious for Handler to handle).  Sagal is best known for her lead role in the FOX sitcom  Married With Children.  But more recently, she’s enjoyed being a cast-member on the animated show Futurama (another FOX show).

Why the career change from comedy to more serious acting on Sons of Anarchy?  Sagal explains

“[I'm] trying to find something other than comedy to do because I’ve done it for so long.  I had some dramatic chaps I wanted to stretch.  This was something I was looking to do.” 

Funny Katey as Peg Bundy

Of course, the fact that her husband, Kurt Sutter, is actually the creator of Sons of Anarchy might have had something to do with it too.  I’m not saying she had no career options and had to play the part.  I’m just saying there is that connection.

Despite Sagal’s emphatic claim that that she is done with comedy, she will be returning to her role in Futurama, (which initially was canceled in 2003 by FOX but will be returning in 2010 on Comedy Central. There has been a lot of anticipation for the return of the cult-hit show, so a few words from someone on the inside would have been nice to hear.  But it’s okay, Chelsea.  2010 is right around the corner.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Katey Sagal: Peg Bundy to motorcycle mama (cnn.com)
• Katey Sagal talks about contentious Futurama negotiations – TCA Report (tvsquad.com)
• Sons of Anarchy’s Katey Sagal talks to TV Squad…again (tvsquad.com)

Sykes and Fox - finally, a winning team?

This is Wanda Sykes‘ “moment,” (as Oprah (@oprah) described it during her interview with the comedian on Friday).  Sykes’ slate is full (proof positive it’s her time to shine).

She is currently a lead character on CBS’s sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which was nominated for two Emmys this year (Sykes herself was nominated for an Image award as well).  Sykes also has a brand new HBO stand up comedy special called I’ma Be Me.  She even has her very own late night talk show on FOX called The Wanda Sykes Show, which will premier Saturday, November 7 at 11pm.  These are all great things for her, which only the best of celebrities could hope to have.

But I can’t help wonder: “Will The Wanda Sykes Show be successful?”

While this may be Sykes’ best year in her career, that doesn’t guarantee us that her new show will be successful.  Sykes has a history of shows that just never caught attention and were quickly canceled.  There was her first sitcom, Wanda At Large, which air from 2003 to 2004 for a total of two season (and not only that, but on FOX of all stations).  After that, she starred in another sitcom, this time called Wanda Does It on Comedy Central, which premiered in 2004 and only lasted one season.

And how could we possibly forget the legendary decade-long feud between Wanda Sykes and FOX?  In a statement on her website, she addresses the old FOX feud and their new improved relationship as only she can:

“Yes, my relationship with FOX hasn’t been the best, but if Rihanna can go back to Chris Brown, I can go back to FOX. Oprah tried to talk me out of it, but I think FOX has changed.”

Sykes’ television career didn’t kick off until 2006 with The New Adventures of Old Christine, although the difference between this show from her others is that she isn’t the star of the show – she is the best friend of the star.  Nevertheless, she has caught attention from critics for her performance, which has been well received.  I think she’s hilarious.  And let’s not forget her hysterical contributions to Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (seasons one and two).  Again, however, she was the supporting role (David’s neighbor), not the star.

Brian Mcknight - keeping the Saturday night tak show seat warm for Sykes?

But her old shows were just sitcoms.  She is going into new territory in November – late night TV.  But does being funny alone always lead to success success?  It’s a tricky, unpredictable  question.  Going head-to-head with David Letterman or Conan O’Brien would be suicide, and (at the other end of the spectrum) other minor late night talk shows already have their niche fan base that would be difficult for Sykes to tap.  So, rather than compete with the big guns, The Wanda Sykes Show will air only on Saturdays.   This is smart on FOX’s part, so that they will have Saturday night to the themselves when it comes to late night talk show TV.   But it’s also risky because not many people stay home on Saturday nights.  Brian McKnight’s new talk show (on CW) also took this same safe-yet-risky move when launching The Brian McKnight Show (already, after only two weeks on the air, there’s chatter online about it being canceled soon).

Now, there is always the problem that FOX has never had any quality late night talk shows. Actually, they have all done horribly despite have the best comedians in entertainment at the helm.  Sykes may by funny, but so was Joan Rivers in the 80s when she hosted The Late Show on FOX, which only lasted two season from 1986-87 (after causing a notorious rift between her and her former boss, talks how legend Johnny Carson, after she dumped him to take the FOX gig – karma?).

Fox and Chevy Chase proved to not be ready.

After Rivers, FOX created The Wilton North Report in 1987, which was canceled four weeks later.  In 1993, FOX got mega star and comedian Chevy Chase to host his own late night talk show entitled The Chevy Chase Show, which was a legendary Hollywood epic failure of catastrophic proportions.  The show was put out of its misery after an embarrassing 25 episodes (considering the host was one of the most respected comedians of his time.  In 2006, FOX premiered Talkshow with Spike Feresten, which also only aired on Saturday nights.  The show lasted for three season before it was canceled in 2009 (some speculate to make room for Wanda Syke’s new talk show).

As you can see, late night talk shows on FOX have been very unsuccessful (to say the least).  The prime reason for Feresten’s half-decent success was that the show aired after Mad TV, which pretty much gave viewers a reason to stick around and watch Feresten’s show.  The Mad TV series finale was in 2009.  Coincidentally, Feresten’s show was canceled soon afterwards.

So, the big question:  Will The Wanda Sykes Show crack the late night talk show code for FOX and if so, how will that change the late night talk show wars (or will it?)?

I like Sykes.  She’s genuinely funny and has her own fun, unique style of comedy.  But I can’t help but think FOX is cursed when it comes to late night talk shows, just looking at its disastrous history. They’ve always done better with prime time TV.  FOX and Sykes may have mended old, bitter wounds and, sure, they’ve kissed and made up, but is that really a good thing for all parties involved?

During a press tour last week to promote the show, Sykes gave a simple answer to the question of what exactly will be the winning formula in her show that will draw viewers from other shows to her show.  Her response was simple:  “ME!!”  She also added that the new talk show also might help her marriage, “I’m married, so this was a great excuse to get out of the house on a Saturday night.”

Best of luck, Wanda.  I look forward to watching your show starting this November, because Saturday Night Live hasn’t really been doing anything for me lately.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Rip Empson: HuffPost Review: Wanda Sykes’s ‘I’ma Be Me’ (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Wanda Sykes Defies CBS Boycott, Appears On ‘Leno’ To Talk Twins, Roman Polanski, And Legalizing Marijuana (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Wanda Sykes: Obama Inspired Me To Do Talk Show (huffingtonpost.com)

Kelly Osbourne and dance partner Louis Van Amstel

Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of mumbling rocker Ozzy Osbourne and television personality Sharon Osbourne, dropped in on Chelsea Lately to talk about one thing: dancing.

Kelly Osbourne is taking a different direction in life by participating in season nine of Dancing with the Stars.  You see, only the most worthy of celebrities, politicians and athletes go on Dancing with the Stars, otherwise why would Kelly Osbourne be on the show? To put her stardom into perspective, some other excellent dancing celebrities on the ABC program this season include Chuck Liddell, Aaron Carter, Melissa Joan Hart, and Donny Osmond, all of whom are simply the best of the best.

All joking aside, she has surprised us with her performance on the show, now reaching the half way point of the season. Most of her achievement on the show is owed to her dance partner, Lous van Amstel, who is professional dance champion, and was with Osbourne on Chelsea Lately.  He has been a dancer on Dancing with the Stars before, but has never won a competition.  Nevertheless, Osbourne has learned and benefited from many of Amstel’s dance lessons.  Not only is she going into week five of the show, but she has gotten into shape – she told Chelsea that she has lost 14 pounds – and has also learned the meaning of discipline too.  Discipline, as we know from her reality show on MTV, was not a part of her lifestyle for some time.

“I don’t really have good discipline. It’s something that I am learning in the process of doing this show.”

Are celebrities who go on Dancing with the Stars just using up the last minute of their 15 minutes of fame?  Well, from hearing Osbourne’s interview with Handler, the show seems to have an unexpected higher power over the stars that may be for the best.  Osbourne admits that she takes her dancing very serious, to the point of becoming emotional and frustrated over the little things in life, such as her dance shoes getting wet (I know, the worst!).  This new and improved attitude is a good thing for Osbourne, since it reveals a vigorous work ethic in her, which is something you wouldn’t expect from a someone who grew up in such a famous and wealthy family.

I hope the best for Kelly.  I hope she goes to the finals and wins, honestly.  She tells Chelsea that she didn’t expect to get this far in the competition, saying that she is “taking each week as it comes.” Even though watching the daughter of the “Prince of Darkness” dance is a little uncanny, like nuns shooting shotguns, it beats listening to her first record Shut Up! I’m rooting for you, Kelly!

The RZA

The RZA (@RZAWU), also known by many other names (Bobby Digital, The Prince Rakeem, The Rzarector, The Abbot), is one of hip-hop’s most influential and talented artists and producers.  He is the also the head figure of hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan (hence being known as The Abbot of Wu-Tang).  Along with producing and recording countless records, he is also an author.  The RZA dropped in on The Colbert Report to talk about the release of his new book, The Tao of Wu, and to shed some of his own wisdom to everyone.

I couldn’t help but wonder how the RZA would act during the interview.  Stephen Colbert’s (@ antics bridge satirical conservative play with the absurd.  This style can make some of his questions and comments difficult to respond to, but only if he wants them to be.  However, in this interview with the rap legend, Colbert is very receptive to RZA and respectfully allows him to speak about the new book.

Colbert asks RZA several questions about the The Tao of Wu to test the artist’s actual knowledge and wisdom.  The number one thing to know about the wisdom of the Wu, RZA tells Colbert, is that “truth will set you free from all things.”  These sound like lofty words that hold no real meaning, however, later in the interview the RZA really shows off his smarts, making his claim to be very thoughtful and meaningful.

Colbert, perhaps sincerely curious or just doing his typical play of devil’s advocate, asks RZA about the legitimacy of truth.  RZA, without missing a beat, responds by quoting the Bible’s Ecclesiastics.  This comes as a surprise, since it isn’t expected of celebrities to actually be filled with such information.  In fact, I don’t really expect anyone to carry such knowledge unless you are getting paid to do so.

“They say truth out of season, there are no truths.  There’s a time and place for everything. That’s why we look in the book of Ecclesiastics, which is a great book of the Bible.  It says there’s a time for crying, a time for mourning, and a time for truth. So everything has it’s time, but you got to have that at least inside of you first so you know when to aggravate your own power.”

RZA’s book is a memoir of his own experiences, which he uses to build and construct his own unique philosophy.  Besides working on what seems to be an endless resume of careers (artist, producer, composer, actor, director, author), RZA is also self-educated on many works of philosophy and theology.  His book, then, shouldn’t be passed off as some artist’s ramblings, but rather something to read in earnest consideration.

It would have been nice if Colbert asked RZA where and how he acquired so much enlightenment.  What exactly are some of RZA’s experiences that have shaped his philosophy?  Not to pass judgment, but does RZA necessarily have the most noble past life for us to be admiring?  Most likely not, however his transformation form his rough upbringing in the streets of New York City to becoming who he is today is most certainly admirable, therefore making his memoir a real candidate for the true life story of growing up from hardship to harmony.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Common, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah, The Roots, Consequence & friends @ Terminal 5 (Hennessy Artistry) – pics & video (brooklynvegan.com)
• Wu-Tang: Chamber Music (jambase.com)
• Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA to appeal royalties lawsuit (guardian.co.uk)

Gary Shandling (today)

If you saw Garry Shandling on The Late Show with David Letterman this past Monday, October 12^th, you probably noticed that his face seems, well, not the same.  Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one.  Letterman, too, seemed to have been wondering about Shandling’s looks as well.

Shandling dropped by the show to talk about his DVD release of The Garry Shandling Show: The Complete Series collection on October 20 (a multi-Emmy-award-winning show that was the foreshadowing of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David.  Letterman and Shandling talk about the classic show at first, of course (standard talk show banter and product-plugging), until Letterman brings up something that may have been a big concern for Shandling:   time.

The Gary Shandling Show first aired a little over 20 years ago.  You can see very clearly that, like the show, Shandling has aged considerably.  Letterman takes every opportunity available to bring up the subject of Shandling’s health and looks throughout the interview.  Shandling (known for his super-sensitivity and comedy routines about his unfortunate, homely looks) deflects Letterman’s brutal questions with jokes about cops and rescue workers, prescription medicine commercials, Swine Flu, his last appearance on the Late Show, and (of all things) Kayne West.  These jokes elicit laughs from the audience, but that didn’t dissuade Letterman from asking about the matter at hand:  Shandling’s face.

Did Shandling's face receive a new lease on life?

You see, these days, there’s Gary Shandling the man and Gary Shandling’s Face (two separate personalities with lives of their own).  There’s a debate happening online at this very moment as to what exactly happened to Gary Shandling’s face.  Is it an odd, but natural, aging process or did he succumb to plastic surgery?

A Google search of “Gary Shandling plastic surgery” will turn up a bevy of blog posts and news articles on the curious (and some say frightening) morphing of his features from a man with average looks to a man who has had one too many run-ins with the plastic surgery scalpel.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who is familiar with Shandling’s comedy shtick (the Jewish, awkward, perpetually self-conscious ugly duckling who is as likely to ask you “how do I look?” as he is to ask you “how are you?”). Whatever is going on with his face (and face it, there’s something going on there), Letterman seems to be in on it and having fun ripping Shandling (like a big brother who knows just the right buttons to push to cause you anxiety over that big pimple on your face).  Shandling, is awkward as ever in his reactions.  It makes you wonder exactly what happened once the cameras were turned off.

Honestly, though, are we crazy or does Shandling look different?