GH Harding
DONAHUE WAS KING — I was a fan from his first day in NYC. Who was this silver-haired devil whirling around his live audience? Whether it was John Wayne, Bill Clinton or Ringo Starr, he was a whirling dervish. Donahue always said his audiences were the real stars; they were the buyers who made shows like his possible… and he was right.
Phil Donahue had the first real talk show where his audience could have a say, first in Dayton, Ohio, then in Chicago, and then in New York. Oprah, who I think stole his format, may have gotten more attention, but Donahue’s choice of topics was absolutely stunning and diverse.
His 44-year relationship with Marlo Thomas was also pretty amazing. She somehow disappeared from the radar after her series The girl; although we would see her in tireless commercials for St. Jude, which her father Danny founded.
Think of everyone who followed in Phil’s footsteps: Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Montel Williams, Joan Rivers, Jenny Jones, Maury Povich, Gordon Elliot, Tyra Banks, Jerry Springer, Bill Boggs, Lee Leonard, Richard Bey, Stanley Siegal, Morton Downey Jr. … just an endless stream of competition, but Phil was the best.
Truth be told, after Phil, I became an avid Larry King fan and he definitely took some elements from his show. I first met Donahue at my dentist’s office, if you can believe that. We started talking and soon became acquaintances. He was definitely the one.
No question, Phil was the king. RIP.
Maria Bello
BELLO TO THE WATERFRONT — (Via Deadline) Maria Bello (Beef) has a regular role alongside Holt McCallany in the new Netflix family drama series The Waterfront, written and executive produced by Kevin Williamson.
Inspired by true events, The Waterfront delves into the story of the troubled Buckley family, whose attempts to maintain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire force them to resort to increasingly dangerous means to stay afloat.
Bello plays Mae Buckley, a complex woman married to Harlan (McCallany) and mother to their two children. After her husband retires from the family business, she and her son continue to run the fishing business in a very questionable way in a desperate attempt to save the family.
Williamson and Ben Fast are executive producers for Outerbanks Entertainment. The studio is Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, with which Williamson has an overall deal.
Bello won the Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress this year for her role in Beef. Her film credits include The History of Violence and The Cooler. She will next be seen in the French-English film Hell in Paradise.
Zachary Quinto
SHORT RECORDINGS — The Trailer for Zachary Quinto’s new show Beautiful minds are a bit threatening. He was great as Spock in the Star Trekmovies and I don’t think I can get this image out of my head… Are you a fan of McDonald’s? They have been on the scene since 1940. Hard to believe, right? Read this article from the Independentin Great Britain – https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/mcdonalds-sales-fast-food-chain-competition-high-street-b2597337.html …Monkee-Micky Dolenz was DJ at CBS FM; and he plays a wedding DJ in the new Zom-Com The zombie wedding. Watch the trailer here: https://app.box.com/s/sdj45thmqo6x2q70uky5hd8so505v7ub … SIGHTING: PR-Pascha David Salidor and family celebrate his birthday in Don Pepe …
Robert F. Kennedy
When we Emmy Favorites, we left out Truman Capote Swans Miniseries about effects. What an exquisitely made show from Ryan Murphy; from the casting to the script to the fashion.
Tom Hollander
An absolute highlight and Tom Hollander as Capote was great.
My prediction: He will win … HBO announced on Tuesday that Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranosa two-part documentary about the iconic mafia drama of the premium cable channel The Sopranos and the visionary behind it, will premiere on September 7. The two parts will air back-to-back, starting on the 7th at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, and can also be streamed on Max. Here’s the trailer:
Nassau County Exec Bruce Blakeman has curated some great “free” concerts at Eisenhower Park this summer – where I lived close by for years. Living Color; Don Felder and even a Taylor Swift tribute band. The response to Blakeman has not been good, but with numerous commercials and some creative bookings, we are giving him a E for the effort … The FBI Katherine Renee Kane, who played Agent Tiffany Wallace, will be leaving this season. It’s a shame, because she was great. Overlord Dick Wolff is definitely keeping his costs down – insiders report that he is still upset that his early law and order Stars got so rich. What a pity. Wolff is definitely not one of the good guys … A big compliment to Wednesdays National Radio Day … I saw Ben Affleck’s 2010 drama The city again and was simply blown away. Simply sensational direction. With Rebecca Hal, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner simply brilliant… Happy Bday Al Roker (70) and Debbie Gibson (54)!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Mark Bego; Colin Quinn; Glenn Friscia; Vito Bruno; Alan Cumming; Carson Daly; Matt Lauer; Lee Jeske; Randy Alexander; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Michael Ellis; Frankie Crocker; Greg D’Alessandro; Steve Immerman; Tony Seidl; Markos Papadatos; and SADIE!
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