'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Bob Barker makes the press rounds, likes Viagra
It's starting. Bob Barker's got less than a month's worth of The Price is Right tapings left, and his tribute special is supposed to air on May 17. So now we're starting to see Barker pop up in magazines and newspapers, doing what are essentially exit interviews. In this month's Esquire, for instance, Bob is the subject of the magazine's "What I Learned" page (no link yet), giving his recipe for a vegan enchilada bake and saying, "I'm still sexually active. Just not as active as I once was. I think Viagra does help. You should try it. It might surprise you. And your friend."Ooookaaay then. A little tamer is The Washington Post's examination of 'The Cult of Bob Barker,' written by the paper's pop culture expert, Hank Stuever.
In the article, Stuever not only talks to Bob and TPiR producer Roger Dobkowitz, but he sits in for a taping, describing audience members that range from old ladies with oxygen tanks to screaming, jumping college kids. He also mentions the generic Barker's Beauties we see these days (both articles touch on the sexual harassment suits filed against Bob by Dian Parkinson and others, but only briefly), and discusses Bob's day, from his morning lifting weights and using the elliptical machine to his 1PM entrance on stage.
Finally, Stuever mentions that some contestants have recently gone public to talk about how amazed they were that they had to pay taxes on their winnings (well, duh! That's my sophisticated editorial response to that), but that none of them had any bad will towards the show or Bob.
I am not looking forward to seeing what TPiR is going to be like without Bob. Even if they get a host that doesn't irritate the hell out of me -- and John O'Hurley is not on that list -- TPiR and Barker are so intertwined at this point that anyone who follows Bob will suffer in his shadow.
[via Mediabistro]
50 Comments