On TV
Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 05, 2004; 1:00 p.m. ET
Post TV Columnist Lisa de Moraes takes a look at what's on the tube in a fast-paced give and take about reality, non-reality, cable and you name it.
Join Lisa on Thursday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the latest on TV.
De Moraes has written "The TV Column" for The Post since 1998. She served as the TV editor for the entertainment industry trade publication the "Hollywood Reporter" for almost a decade.
A transcript follows.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
I Love Lisa De Moraes:
Simple Life 1=Cute, charming, funny, entertaining.
Simple Lige 2=Joe Millionaire 2.
Am I wrong? Lisa de Moraes: Hi. According to the ratings, you're not far off, though Simple Life apparently continues to wow teenaged girls. The phenom is over...
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Washington, D.C.:
I had the bad judgment to watch the first 20 minutes of "The Player", the new reality dating show on UPN. Take the Bachelor/ette formula and take it up several notches in sleaze, cheese, posturing, and T&A. Scary.
Lisa de Moraes: Fortunately I have an excuse for watching "The Player" -- it's my job. And UPN wonders why TRWCT were worried that their other reality show, "Amish in the City," would be a skeeve-fest. Wonder where the press got THAT idea?
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Arlington, Va.:
Those Amish kids are adorable. What this country needs is a reverse rumspringa, where teenagers from the outside spend a year or two living in the Amish way of life. Think how much good an interval like that would have done for Paris and Nicole.
Lisa de Moraes: I'd love to see Paris and Nicole spend a week in an Amish community. Of course, I'd also love to see them spend a week in prison...
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Comic, AL:
I'm not sure whether to ask you or Gene Weingarten this question, but I thought I'd start with you, since you are a woman.
As a wife and mother, should I feel guilty for finding Two and A Half Men absolutely hilarious? Is it really funny or is there something wrong with me?
Lisa de Moraes: It is funny -- and yes, there is something wrong with you. See, you can have it all.
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Boca Raton, Fla.:
I'm one of the few, the proud, the people who watch John McEnroe's show on CNBC. It's a very good show (take my word for it, please). What is the problem? Is it the crappy lead-in from the spectacularly unfunny Dennis Miller, or is it that most people don't watch CNBC once the financial markets close? Or both?
Lisa de Moraes: The problem is that you are the ONLY person who thinks it is a good show. Though it only debuted a short while ago. it has already flatlined -- 0 ratings -- on three nights...This may have something to do with the fact that he does not seem to be able to: conduct an interview, read a list of questions, throw to commercial break -- the list goes on and on...
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Columbia, Md.:
Ms. de Moraes --
Have you had a chance to see Divine Design with Candace Olsen on HGTV yet? Isn't she HILARIOUS? She is so precious!
She does some amazing things with her room designs, but aagh!!
Lisa de Moraes: When you say she does some amazing things with her room designs but aagh! does that mean you like the room designs or you do not like the room designs or is she 'aagh' in some other way...Personally I have never watched one of these room remake shows in which the end results did not give me nightmares...
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Miami, Fla.:
Lisa; I LOVE your writing and your attitude
toward TV shows, networks and —-
especially —- executives. Please come to
Miami. The TV writer at the Herald is a
real stiff! We need you!!
Lisa de Moraes: I was with you all the way until you got to the part about the TV writer at the Herald being stiff...but thank you very much!
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Slough Paper Co.:
Is it true that the second season of The Office was the last? Is it because they sold the rights to have a U.S. version made? I'm crushed.
Lisa de Moraes: No, the second season of "The Office" was the last because the creator had the good sense to end the series when it's at its best. Here in the states we like to run very good series into the ground: Friends, Raymond, Cheers, ER,...
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Washington, D.C.:
George Eads/Jorja Fox:
Was their humiliating attempt at a contract holdout for real, or some sort of bizarre publicity stunt? And why won't she fix that gap in her teeth?
Lisa de Moraes: Their botched plan was real and what have you got against gaps in women's teeth? Eads is no gem -- don't you want him to fix up something, like maybe his brain? I'm sorry, but that whole alarm clock thing was just an insult to our intelligence, such as it is....
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Troy, Mich.:
What do you think of 'Rescue Me'? I find it to have the right amount of balance between humor and drama and tragedy. Very well done!
Lisa de Moraes: I think it's "The Job" redux. I loved "The Job." I actually liked "The Job" better. I miss "The Job." sob.
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15th and L, Washington, D.C.:
Did you go to the Showtime party that was in the cemetery? Was it as bad as other critics made it out to be?
Lisa de Moraes: I did not attend. I am extremely superstitious. I hear it was in very bad taste. Maybe that's Showtime's new tagline: "Showtime: it's not TV, it's bad taste..."
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Paris, NI:
As the critically acclaimed Simple Life II came to its dramatic and tear jerking conclusion last night (-wipes up excess sarcasm that fell onto keyboard-), I finally realized why this show is popular: Paris and Nicole are the Beavis and Butthead of this decade. AC DC and Metallica T-shirts have been replaced with Gucci and DKNY. “Eh-heh, eh-heh. That’s cool.” has switched to “That’s hot.”
Any word if there is going to be a SL3?
Lisa de Moraes: I'm sorry -- the critically acclaimed "Simple Life"? I thought critics hated it. Personally, I loved it, but I thought I was in the minority among The Reporters Who Cover Television. I totally subscribe to your Beavis and Butthead theory, except that I don't think they are off this decade so much as they are the Beavis and Butthead for chicks. Now I hope someone takes that concept and does their masters degree paper on it at one of those unversity "schools of communication"....
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Washington, D.C.:
George Eads might have given a stupid reason for why he got fired and never showed up but he's still hot. He can mash my potatoes anytime!
Lisa de Moraes: sorry, but when they're that stupid, they're not sexy...he seemed dumb as a post at his press tour Q&A...
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Chicago, Ill.:
Yet again Les Moonves comes across as a lot more arrogant and prickish than any of the other arrogant p_ _ _ _ s that run the networks in these network presentations. Why does Les just seem so much worse to me?
Also, the Fox show ripping off ABC's wife swap is actually kind of funny. Critics say that the ABC show is much better, any idea why?
Lisa de Moraes: He may seem worse to you because he's actually not afraid to speak his mind in front of TRWCT, unlike some of his counterparts.. personally I'd much rather listen to Les than some of those corporate-speak suits the other networks serve up. I may not always agree with Les, but at least he's got a point of view.
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Washington, D.C.:
Did you think Eads was good as Evil Knievel? And how did that show do?
Lisa de Moraes: The son's jump did a much bigger number than the flick. Apparently viewers would rather see the read deal -- even if it is only Junior -- than a flick about EK.
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Woodbridge, Va.:
What have you heard about the Bernie Mac Show? Is it still on Fox roster or have they cancelled it?
Lisa de Moraes: It is still on the Fox schedule, though it's a matter of faith sometimes, given how Fox loves to slap Mac all over its schedule. It's practically a crime what they've done to this great show...
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Lisa DeMoraes is MY American Idol!:
So, what's your role going to be at the Washington auditions for American Idol. Can the "We Watch So You Don't Have to" column start then? It's my favorite part of The Washington Post!
Lisa de Moraes: my role is to stay as far away as possible from the auditions...
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Georja:
Will I be tossed out of this chat for asking who George Eads and Jorja Fox are? Am I un-American or something? I'm still in the hot 18-34 demo, I swear, but I am hopelessly out of touch.
Lisa de Moraes: Sorry, I should have explained. They are second-string actors on CBS's "CSI" series who both did not show up for work on their first day of shooting for the upcoming TV season. Reps for both had mentioned that the actors wanted more money, trade reports said, so it was not too much of a shock when the head of CBS, Les Moonves, fired them both. Eads then began crying that he didn't show up because he had accidentally set his alarm clock wrong -- like I said, there's a point at which you're too stupid to be sexy -- but he never did explain the incredible coincidence of Fox not showing up as well on the very same day, nor the press reports about how his reps were telling CBS he'd like more money....There,in a run-on sentence, you have it.
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Washington, D.C.:
You're back! I missed this chat.
I'm going to be busy this fall with school. Fotunately, I have TiVo. Is there any new show I should TiVo? I already have American Idol, Survivor, and Apprentice scheduled ...
Lisa de Moraes: I'd strongly urge you to TiVo some scritped programming. You've got all dessert there, you need some vegetables....I actually like a bunch of the new shows this year which may just be a sign I'm starting to crack.
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Washington, D.C.:
Please tell me you've seen "Lost" and that it looks good. I'm only going to pick up one show this fall and from the looks of it, this is the only one with any potential.
Lisa de Moraes: Yes this new ABC drama series from the Church of JJ is terrific -- if you like shows about a plane that crashed on a mysterious island and only the hot young people in the plane survive and what's up with that, and three seasons later they still have not been found, and ooh, there's a big scary monster on the island that screams "Come see me at Disneyland when ABC-parent Disney turns me into a new ride" and then eats the crash survivors them one by one, but only the less hot ones, so it's okay.....
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Arlington, Va.:
Are you aware that your "We Watch So You Don't Have To" has caught on and the same principle is being used in other places? Like USA Today. They have a page that they do the recap on hot shows. Did they copy you?
Lisa de Moraes: I like to think so...
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Washington, D.C.:
Hey, George Eads is hot! I have a serious crush on that hot boy.
Speaking of hot dumb boys (and girls), big props to Big Brother 5 -- this summer's Paradise Hotel! The unintentional comedy on that show is amazing.
Btw, could someone please bring Zack from Paradise Hotel back to TV?
Lisa de Moraes: re your crush -- get over it. This guy's so dumb he doesn't know the difference between "am" and "pm" on his alarm clock. No potential for a serious relationship there... And yes, Big Brother is unintentionally comedic in so many ways this year.
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Bethesda, Md.:
So, does Sarah Jessica Parker have a good chance of winning the Emmy now that she has submitted the final ep for consideration?
Lisa de Moraes: I actually thought the final episode was pretty weak. She's been far better in other episodes.. I have no idea how to call that race this year.
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Lst Comic:
Is there any way we can really be expected to take this show even half way serious as a competition if Tammy Pescatelli is one of the last comics on this show?
Lisa de Moraes: No. But were you taking it "halfway serious" before? If so, that was your mistake....
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Alexandria, Va.:
Oh, like you didn't lift "We Watch So You Don't Have To" directly from Television Without Pity ...
Lisa de Moraes: hello, kidding....You may want to check out the Get a Grip chat at 3 p.m.
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Washington, D.C.:
I may be way out of loop here, but any word on The Simpsons' actors' contract talks? Have they been resigned, or are we still in limbo?
Lisa de Moraes: No, they re-signed....
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Re: "Lost":
What's the Church of JJ?
Lisa de Moraes: The Church of JJ Abrams. He's the creator of "Lost" as well as "Alias" and "Felicity" -- two series that were given many more chances to succeed than they deserved...JJ has his many fans, particularly at ABC, despite his lack of ratings success.
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Somewheresville:
This may be a fluff question for a cloudy day, but here goes --
What is your favorite TV show of all time?
Lisa de Moraes: That's a very hard question to answer. Some week's I think British crunchy gravel dramas are my absolute faves -- the Colin Firth version of "Pride and Prejudice" being at the top of the list, although I also adored "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" which I'm guessing no one on this chat ever saw. (I'm also very fond of an earlier version of "Pride and Prejudice" because it got me through a particularly bleak period of my life when I was living in Tokyo -- long story.)I'm nuts over the very old, British adaptations of PG Wodehouse's Bertie and Jeeves books, starring Hugh Laurie (who's headlining a new Fox series this fall) and Stephen Fry. They are about the funniest things I've ever seen. But then "American Idol" starts up again, and I plan my whole life around it for months because I can't live without my weekly fix. Problem is, I'm fickle.
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Washington, D.C.:
Ok, I'm not a reality TV junkie (although I do love The Amazing Race)... but I have to admit that I'm hooked on Trading Spouses. I just love seeing the two "fish out of water" moms in environments so unlike their own. Should I be ashamed?
Lisa de Moraes: Absolutely not. it's one of the more interesting reality-series concepts....
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Arlington, Va.:
So, George Eads is dumb as a post? No problem! He's hot, and I wouldn't need him to talk anyways ...
That said, the whole GE/JF walkout on CSI cracked me up. Yeah, it worked on WEST WING, but that's because that's a character-driven drama, not a formula-driven franchise show. I like both editions of CSI just fine, but most of the actors on those shows seem to be giving the exact same performance. You probably could swap characters from each one and wouldn't make much of a difference.
At least the LAW AND ORDER franchise makes an attempt to have regular characters that are more than one-dimensional (Elizabeth Rohm and Vincent D'Onofrio's first partner not withstanding.)
Lisa de Moraes: Ah, if you don't need your male company to actually speak, then you're fine with Eads. And yes, "CSI" is much closer to "Law & Order" in that the actors can be swapped out, than it is to "The West Wing" -- although there was a part of me that really wanted to see Allison Janney replaced on WW. She gets on my nerves. Now, of course, it's too late.
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"many more chances to succeed than they deserved":
I respectfully disagree with this idea, because while Alias and Felicity may have had their moments of lesser-quality, both shows were very good overall, with well-developed, realistic characters (yes, even Alias, with it's out-there plots, is driven by the core characters). That's what creates fan loyalty. Also, too many genuinely good, well-written shows aren't given enough time/chances to "develop an audience" -- i.e.: Freaks and Geeks, Wonderfalls, My So-Called Life, etc. If anything, I'd like to see networks err on the side of generosity -- at least give US the chance to decide whether or not it's good -- than to pull the plug on the too-few shows out there that have potential to be great.
Lisa de Moraes: I's sorry but Alias with its Kingdom of Whocares, or whatever the heck that "mythology" was this past season was just awful, awful television. And which of those characters was "realistic"? I can ask this snarky question, you see, because we're OUT OF TIME! Bye and thanks for joining me!
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