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Talk Show Circuit Celebs Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - Judging from the number of celebrities whose resumes read, "singer-turned-actor" or "triple-threat," it’s safe to say that the name of the game in Hollywood is "diversification." The more projects on the go, the better; and many stars seem to think that it’s good to have your fingers in as many pies as possible. The problem, of course, is that not everybody can do everything; and it’s hard to fake being a singer, dancer, or actor when you don’t have the natural abilities in those fields to start with. Maybe that’s the reason why so many celebs opt to try their hand at talk show hosting – because everyone can talk, right? ...Right? Back in the mid-90’s, Carnie Wilson, daughter of Beach Boy Brian Wilson, had parted ways with her band mates of the popular vocal trio, Wilson Phillips. Wilson was looking for something new, and decided to launch her own talk show, Carnie! which debuted in April 1995. The show lasted a little over a year (a comparably respectable run for talk shows) until Wilson’s network decided to fill her spot in the talk show ring with a stand-up comedian and actress by the name of Rosie ODonnell. ODonnell ended up making the biggest mark of her career with her immensely popular talk show, The Rosie 'Donnell Show, which lasted for the next 6 years. The mid to late-90’s must have been a big time for celebrities to weigh in with their own opinions on their very own talk show. That’s when Sweatin’ to the Oldies fitness guru, Richard Simmons decided to exercise his talk option with his own show, DreamMaker. The show proved to be an unsuccessful feat, and Simmons was soon sweatin’ off the air – just two months after the show debuted in 1999.
What do you do when the character you play on TV is one of the most unpopular kids at school? Why, you start your own talk show, of course! That’s what Gabrielle Carteris, a.k.a. Andrea Zuckerman from Beverly Hills 90210 decided to do in 1995. Her self-titled talk show, Gabrielle, was yanked off the air almost as soon as it debuted, proving that if you play a know-it-all on television, people might not be so eager to take your advice in real life. Of course, just because you’re popular in the public eye doesn’t mean that your talk show will fare well, either. In 1998, former LA Laker, Earvin Magic Johnson decided that since he was good at shooting hoops, he might as well try shooting the breeze with other celebs on his own talk show, Magic Hour. Unfortunately, even Magic’s lineup of A-list celebrity guests failed to help the show stay on the air longer than 2 months. It’s hard enough for a celebrity to make the talk-show transition, but it’s even harder for stars who are best-known as being part of an ensemble cast, rather than a standalone star. Sitcom actress, Tempestt Bledsoe, who played Vanessa Huxtable on The Cosby Show struck out on her own in 1995 when she took up hosting duties on The Tempestt Bledsoe Show. Cancelled after just one season, the show would not be the first started up by a former Cosby kid. Both Malcolm Jamal Warner, who played Theo, and Raven Symone who played Olivia have also had their own shows; albeit not of the talk show variety. It would seem, from the above examples, that a celebrity has a pretty slim chance at making it in the talk show circuit. Unless, of course, you’re model-turned-mogul, Tyra Banks, who first made waves in television a few years ago with her enormously successful reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model. In 2005, Banks took her small screen success one step further by launching her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show. Currently in its second year, the show has been nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards, and gotten everyone talking about Tyra’s breasts, Tyra’s weight, Tyra’s love of Vaseline as a cosmetic, and several other issues both directly and indirectly related to Tyra. -GM
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