this guy had at least some credibility-- considering his format-- but instead of moving to one of the alternative cable networks, or podcasting on the web, he is turning into jenny jones.
tuned in halfway through to this murderabilia episode today for the first time, and the show is pure exploitation. ironically, he is accusing some members of his panel of that very thing.
"Ugh! I don't like this." --Ambrose Bierce
I completely agree.
This show is so vapid and so cult of personality-based. And it's actually a hell of a lot worse than the other vapid talk shows out there, because it uses it's hosts reputation as a hard hitting news journalist to elevate it and give the show a veneer of credibility, when it's just as sensationalistic and exploitative and as fawning over celebrities as any other show. So when people tune in they're immediately given this fake impression that what they're watching is better than The View or Dr Drew or Dr Phil when it absolutely isn't.
I watched the episode with Madonna and Anderson complimented her horrible movie for how beautiful the cinematography is. LOL. The cinematography makes that movie look like a perfume commercial.
'veneer' of credibility-- oh, you said it. that is really the worst part-- that bait-and-switch element is just one more insult to an audience one assumes he feels deserves exactly what they're getting.
"Ugh! I don't like this." --Ambrose Bierce
I think "bait-and-switch" describes it even better. And the "switch" part is SO blatant! The audience even claps at all the right parts, just like every other talk show. Ugh. It's such an obvious ego stroke for Anderson. He just says all the right things, the feminist, tolerant, sweeping things, that will inevitably get a good audience reaction and make him look like the paragon of all things good, like the guy with the best personality in the world. There's nothing wrong with saying those things in and of themselves, it's just in that format it makes the dialogue so one-sided and so oppressive. It's just SO vapid.
It's just such hypocrisy. And that MOTTO. Where the real conversation beings...SUCH hypocrisy and arrogance. And then he disguises the arrogance by trying to appear humble and relatable. In the Madonna episode she straight up asked him what it was like to be descended from the Vanderbilts, from a line of great beauties. And he started up with some sh!t about his dad growing up poor and him only knowing the hillbilly side of his family - funny how he didn't mention that to Dolly Parton. But Madge was like "yeah, SURE." It was about time someone called him out on being so desperate to be liked.
hahaha-- that is insane! i finally saw one of his stints as time sq. host with kathy griffin last new year's, and it's not like he doesn't have anything to to with mom, a.k.a. gloria vanderbilt (jeans), plus he grew up knowing diane arbus FFS! what a load of lovely, silver-haired $#!t.
also, the personality projection thing from your 1st paragraph finally reminds me-- i grew up watching the donahue show (mega nerd that i am), and as much as i probably still like him, this sounds all too familiar...
"Ugh! I don't like this." --Ambrose Bierce
But the difference is Donahue never pretended to be anything he wasn't. He knew what his show was and ran with it. You can't accuse him of hypocrisy as far as I know.
And yeah it's ridiculous. It sounds like Anderson has a whole list of explanations for the more unrelatable aspects of his life and just reads them off whenever confronted with them. Ugh.
well said.
"Ugh! I don't like this." --Ambrose Bierce
I agree with all of your observations. I made the mistake of watching the Anderson show today because I try to like him for some odd reason.
Aside from becoming completely flummoxed by Kristen Chenowith mentioning her lipstick was named "fire in the hole", he also continued his habit of reporting the name of every cat or dog mentioned. This has grown into the most annoying obsession of his and many other tv talking heads.
Anderson is ridiculously obsessed with his dinner menu and pet names and unfortunately for us that's not entertaining. If I absolutely have to watch something his nonsense is still preferable to Dr.Phil,Kyle or Ellen.
thanks for watching so i don't have to. ( btw, i have no idea how to express that without accidentally sounding sarcastic, just so you know. i need a [sincerity] emoticon.)
"Ugh! I don't like this." --Ambrose Bierce