April 8, 2004

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Letterman vs. CNN

Last Monday Letterman aired a television clip of a clearly bored 13-year-old boy fidgeting as he stood behind President Bush during a speech given in Orange County, Florida. CNN aired the same clip during a news report on Tuesday to lighten up the broadcast, but anchor Daryn Kagan informed viewers that, per White House sources, the video was a fake, and the boy, Tyler Crotty, was edited in. Letterman was displeased by the report from the White House, and accused them of lying about the tape, and said that the administration at CNN was trying to make him look like a “dope.” Letterman also booked Crotty to appear on his show in order to prove that the video is, in fact, real footage. “That is an out and out 100 percent absolute lie,” Letterman said. “The kid absolutely was there, and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape.” CNN immediately reversed itself the next day, saying that the White House was not the origin of the false statement and that Kagan simply “misspoke.” To which Letterman shot back, “Now I’ve called the White House liars, and you know what that means — they’re going to start looking into my taxes!” CNN subsequently apologized to the comic for reporting that the tape was false. They went on to say that the kid was at the event, just “not necessarily standing behind the President.” To this, Letterman replied, “We didn’t somehow work some kind of animatronic robotic magic and superimpose him.” Letterman proved the authenticity of the tape by speaking to the boy’s father, a wealthy Republican fundraiser, who confirmed that the boy was standing behind the President and fidgeting because he was so excited that he stayed up the night before and was very tired. By the end of the week, CNN and Letterman appear to have cooled down and have returned to their regular programming.

Screwed Up, in Reality

As if Nick, Jessica, Paris, Ozzy, and Anna Nicole aren’t enough, it appears that Bobby Brown wants to have his own reality series co-starring his famous wife Whitney Houston. Television cameras were spotted last week in Atlanta filming Brown and Houston with their daughter, dog, and rehab coach. Spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer told E! network that Brown is funding the reality series through his production company. There is not word yet on what networks (if any) will pick up the show, and also what the show will be called. Although I’m sure that they won’t have a hard time mustering something up (Drugged Out in Atlanta? Two Singers, a Daughter, and a Rehab Coach?). It seems that whatever the title is, the cameras will have a lot to keep up with considering Brown’s latest night in jail for failing to pay child support payments to the mother of his two eldest children, and Whitney’s recent bout with rehab for unspecified drug treatment.

Breastlash Continues

Due to Janet Jackson’s exposure at the Super Bowl this past winter, ABC, due to pressure from the FCC, has decided to put a five-second delay on many of its live shows. Such shows as Good Morning America and The View will be delayed. ABC implemented the delay last Wednesday when Jackson appeared on Good Morning America to promote her album Damita Jo. “We’re in the process of taking the steps necessary to ensure that what we air best serves our stations and our audience,” ABC Daytime executive Felicia Minei Behr said of the delay. I’m questioning her logic, however, because as I see it, most of the audience could use a little boob to make their lives more exciting.

Archived article by Amanda Hodes