EdSullivan
Could Paula Abdul thrive as a talk show host?
Paula Abdul needs some career advice. In the wake of her departure from American Idol, the sometime choreographer/occasional singer and QVC pitch woman has been rumored to be doing all kinds of TV projects. Most have turned out to be rumors and nothing more, but in an interview with TV Guide, Paula said there is a TV dream she covets. Paula Abdul would like to host a TV talk show. I can't imagine a worse TV vehicle for Paula, especially the kind of talk show she envisions. She said, "It would be a lot of fun variety with a ton of unexpected stuff and tributes to everyday people getting their big chance."
That sounds perfectly cloying, especially if you assume that Paula will be pretty much herself, pretty much like she was on American Idol, which was uncritical, sweet, gentle and pleasantly unfocused.
TBS to try vaudeville...no kidding
Memo to TBS: vaudeville is dead. Apparently, the folks at Turner never got that news flash. TBS has greenlighted a vaudeville pilot to be hosted by Harland Williams. The half-hour installments -- should it get picked up -- would be a late-night entry. That means you'd have to be up late and probably pretty bored with infomercials to not surf away from the jugglers, puppets, plate spinners, gymnasts and other novelty acts likely on the program.
TBS is serious about this concept, tentatively called The TBS Comedy Roadshow, and if they emphasize the comedy aspect, maybe it'll find a niche. But the term vaudeville makes me very wary.
The George Carlin of the 1960s - VIDEOS
For most, memories of George Carlin on television come from his many HBO specials starting from the 1970s and continuing up until the present day. For others, it was his appearance during the very first Saturday Night Live back in 1975. But, there was another George Carlin that many don't remember. That is the very young George Carlin from the 1960s.
Before the beard, and the long hair, and the swearing and his "the world is doomed" attitude, George Carlin was a traditional suit-and-tie stand-up comic. He began by teaming up with comedian Jack Burns in the late 1950s, then eventually went his own way. During that time he came up with a number of famous routines including "The Indian Sergeant," "The Hippy-Dippy Weatherman," and "Wonderful WINO." Many of these routines would be performed on shows like The Tonight Show (both the Jack Paar and Johnny Carson versions) and the Ed Sullivan Show.
After the jump you'll see two examples of his mid-60s television appearances.
Happy birthday, Elvis - VIDEO
Do you know what today is? I'll tell you what day it is: it's Elvis' birthday. In honor of the King, I'm going to teach all of you how to do a passable Elvis impersonation. Here's what you do: speaking in the lowest register your voice can reach, say this line: "A hubba hayba hubba hayba baby." Gyrate your hips while doing this and sneer. Now marry a teenager. Now take drugs and die. There you go, you're a rock and roll icon.
Elvis' Ed Sullivan appearances coming to DVD
Elvis Presley made three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1950s. It was on his third and last appearance that he was filmed only from the waist up to obscure his gyrating dance moves, gyrations that no doubt would have hypnotized every teenage girl in America and turned them all into mindless slut zombies willing to do Elvis' bidding whenever he so desired. Thankfully, CBS stopped that particular catastrophe from ever happening. The complete episodes featuring Elvis and containing the original commercial breaks will be included in a new DVD box set titled, Elvis Presley: The Sullivan Shows. The set will be released on November 21.A toast to Toast of the Town
On this day in 1948 CBS premiered a little variety show known as Toast of the Town hosted by Ed Sullivan. The show was later renamed The Ed Sullivan Show and ran for twenty-three years. Martin and Lewis made their comedy debut on the show, and numerous bands got the chance to discard their musical abilities for one night and just stand around and lip sync. That may not sound like much, but the show hit its peak in the 60s and I think we all know how hard it is to lip sync after taking twelve hits of acid.
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