On TV
Reality, Non-Reality and Everything In-Between

Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 29, 2007 1:00 PM

Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, June 29, at 1 p.m. ET to ponder the fate of one Anthony Soprano (insert unknowable inky blackness here) and give you the latest on Donald Trump's tramp reclamation project.

Read the latest TV column: 3.2 Million Pay a Visit to Paris Via CNN (Post, June 29)

More TV Columns | de Moraes on TV blog | On TV Live Online transcripts.

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.

The transcript follows.

____________________

Befuddled in L.A.: Lisa, I'm perplexed. Befuddled, even. So many journalists are pooh-poohing Paris Hilton coverage, blatantly saying they won't cover her and mocking those who do (as if simply not covering Paris and Anna Nicole means they now can be discussed in the same sentence as Edward R. Murrow). Yet there was a bidding war to interview her, albeit on TV, and there have been countless print reviews (The Post, etc.) and bloggings about her appearance with Larry King. If no one cares, why does everybody care?

Lisa de Moraes: Hi. Yes, TV news on-air talent and media columnists want it both ways. They want to sneer at the story -- tabloid instincts, checkbook journalism, blah, blah, blah -- but, then, on the night of the interview, they all stuck their own greedy snouts into the trough, as I said in today's column. ... Clearly people -- as in TV viewers, magazine buyers, Internet trollers, etc. -- do care about this story, but journalists think they have to hold their noses when reporting about Paris as if somehow that keeps them "clean". ...

_______________________

Anderson Cooper: I never watch the "360" show, but caught it after the Paris Hilton interview. I thought he was hilarious. Loved his line about why she was "pretending to be a moron or whatever it is she does." Yes, I know it's one thing to be all snippy about it while still covering it, but I really thought he was extremely funny, in a very snarky way. But am I the only one who thinks so?

Lisa de Moraes: I loved watching the son of Gloria Vanderbilt sniffing at someone who's become a celeb because she's the child of a gillionaire. Of course Anderson never had any doors opened for him because of his mother...

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Are we going to continue to get thinly veiled advertisements for movies every time a NBC actor is in a movie? The previous two weeks of "The Office" have been unbearable.

Lisa de Moraes: Sadly, that passes for "synergy"...

_______________________

Paris and Larry: Lisa, I know you did want to watch Paris's interview on Larry King. But with that being said. I would give Paris a about C and Larry an D -- a lot of times he should have had a follow-up question for the questions she left hanging out there, but did not. Her people who coach her did not do a good job on a few questions. On the Bible passages question they made big mistake on their part, as it was reported by TMZ.com that she had been reading the Bible in prison.

Lisa de Moraes: He couldn't seem to stay focused. Didn't you get the feeling you were watching one ADD person interview another? Very unsatisfying interview. The only time he challenged her on a response was when he asked her what was her favorite passage in the Bible was, as she'd said she'd read it in prison and was a religious person. She turned to look at the notes that had been provided to her by her wrangler, apparently couldn't see the notes and, just like she said, her voice went up into baby-doll speak because she was nervous when she responded that she didn't really have a favorite passage. If you're going to go with the "I read the Bible to stay strong in prison" routine, you sure as heck need to have an answer down cold as to favorite passage! And, while I'm at it, why bother trying to turn her into Mother Teresa in the first place? Why can't she just be a vapid kinda-pretty girl who likes to party? There's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone needs to be cause-y...

_______________________

Four Corners, Md.: I know I'm the only person in America who feels this way, but I'm going to miss "Studio 60" -- Diet "West Wing" is better than nothing. Any thoughts or predictions as to where we might see Sorkin, Whitford, Perry or Weber end up? For the first time in nine years, no Bradley Whitford on my television in September. Sigh...

Lisa de Moraes: Sorkin has a play heading to Broadway about the guy who really invented the television. Sorkin just cannot get away from television...

_______________________

Herndon, Va.: The divine Ms. de Moraes: My son's Fathers Day gift was a DVD of "Rome's" first season (I don't have HBO). I thought it was great, but understand "Rome" has collapsed about 400 years short of when the Roman Empire did. Too costly for the amount of viewers attracted, or just not popular?

Lisa de Moraes: You're saying the same thing twice. It was not popular -- at least not popular enough to warrant shelling out the big bucks this gorgeous production cost. HBO insists it does not care about ratings, but if people aren't watching their HBO, eventually they're going to wonder why they're paying for HBO. Of course, there is the porn...

_______________________

At home in Virginia: Your winners and losers this week answered my "what the heck" question from Monday night. Tuned in a little late for my beloved "Creature Comforts" and found "Christine." I can't believe CBS blew it off after only three episodes. I remember when it was written up as the best summer show coming to the networks. The CBS Web site for the show is wonderful, but I guess not long for this world. Only hope there is a DVD ... a huge waste of talent if there isn't.

Lisa de Moraes: It's such a shame. Lovely little show, but CBS was not the ideal network for the program and CBS clearly wasn't sufficiently committed to the project to take care of it. Which of course leaves you wondering why the heck they ordered it in the first place. It's always curious when a network bothers to shell out the millions of bucks for a show and then yanks it quickly -- particularly a quirky little show like this one and a summer launch. Don't you get the feeling there were two factions at the network -- the one that loved and bought it, and the other one, in charge of scheduling it and deciding when to pull the plug?

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Lisa, did you read an article about Isaiah Washington now blaming his firing because he's black? First he was hurt, then he was angry, then he was resigned, now he's accusing. Why can't he just move on like every other actor/actress who was let go from a show? Give it a rest already. He is soooooo milking this.

washingtonpost.com: Ex-'Grey's' Star Cites Racism for Firing (Post, June 28)

Lisa de Moraes: Actually he needs to stop "milking" because his comments seem to be making ABC's case for why he was removed from their show "Grey's Anatomy." He does seems to be showing signs of anger-management issues; I read one interview in which he blamed Knight for setting up the feud between Washington and McDreamy -- the one in which Washington was alleged to have used the slur against gays in the first place...

_______________________

Midwest: So now that our favorite celeb is out of prison, how long before the release of "Caged Wisdom: Hilton Edition"?

Lisa de Moraes: Prison was so good for Paris -- miraculously cured of claustrophobia...

_______________________

Washington: I'm proud to say I did not watch that interview. I watched the Paul Simon tribute concert on PBS, which was a great show.

Lisa de Moraes: You really don't want to miss it. It was a revelation ... seriously.

_______________________

Baltimore: Now that CBS in its infinite stupidity has chosen to not air the last several episodes of "Creature Comforts," do you know whether the shows will be burned off online? I can't tell you how cheesed I was to turn on CBS at 8 p.m. this past Monday and see a rerun of what amounted to "The Old New Adventures of Old Christine."

Lisa de Moraes: You guys need to start a rabid "save CC" campaign -- like the crazy survivalist-fans of "Jericho." I suggest sending CBS suits all the slugs you collect from your garden..

_______________________

Larry's Paris interview could have been great: ... but they tarted it up and dumbed it down. Right? Right? They must have!

Lisa de Moraes: It definitely was not tarted up. Paris was wearing an outfit that looked like something cooked up in an episode of "Project Runway" in which the competitors are asked to create a Junior League ensemble out of granny's old cami-knickers...

_______________________

"Studio 60" Theory: Why it Failed: Watching the burn off episodes, I figured it out:

"West Wing": fine acting + great writing + serious issues = we cared/watched; "Studio 60": fine acting + great writing + non-issues = we didn't.

Then Amanda Peet gets pregnant. Sorkin decides to write it into the storyline; discovers no one's watching (or cares) and throws in an Iraq storyline and a troubled pregnancy. Hopes to get the "West Wing" crowd by being more serious. And it didn't work.

I've always enjoyed Sorkin's "relationship" with the military. You always know where he stands, but he treats the military with great respect (think John Amos as Joint Chiefs Chair). Not sorry to see it go, but thankful for the Christmas episode and the music download of "O Holy Night" by the New Orleans musicians. Goosebumps.

Lisa de Moraes: The writing on those last few episodes certainly seemed desperate in trying to drum up more viewers...

_______________________

Portland, Ore.: I have just discovered "Friday Night Lights" and it is really good. I recommend people check it out at nbc.com -- you can watch the whole season online. Give it a few episodes. I was kind of iffy on it for a while but it has grown on me. I swear on Julie and Matt's cuteness that I don't work for NBC!

Lisa de Moraes: Only because you swear you don't work for NBC, and because nobody ever lies on this chat, did I take this one ... and I've given it more than a few episodes and I still side with the majority of people in this country who have put this show in their Life is Too Short category...

_______________________

New York: Anderson Cooper's lineage is no secret, and I don't think he was sniffing at her privilege as much as her pretending to be stupid. Really, what's Cooper supposed to do because he was born to a Vanderbilt? No have a real job like Paris? Let's be fair here.

Lisa de Moraes: Sorry to break it to you, pookie but it appears she's not pretending and really is dumb as hair. ... What Cooper is supposed to do is get to the root of why she is so popular, etc., rather than just sneering it it. I can get sneering about Paris on the street. Cooper's allegedly a journalist and if he's going to do the Paris story on his show, which he did, maybe he should focus on explaining why she's become the It Girl. ... Cooper is uniquely positioned to explain what it's like to be the child of a gillionaire and the country's fascination with them...

_______________________

Forget Caged Wisdom...: I'm waiting for Judith Regan to publish, "If I, Like, You Know, Did It."

Lisa de Moraes: It would have to be really, really good to top the original...

_______________________

Chicago: "Studio 60" did not fail because it was a great show about something that wasn't serious. The writing was not that good -- especially for the female characters -- and Sorkin's point of view was just stupid. Steve Weber and his character were the best things about that show, and Sorkin even ruined him in the last episode.

Lisa de Moraes: It was a revelation to see Steven Weber as the chairman of NBS network. Who knew he could act?

_______________________

"Creature Comforts": Count me in as one of those who was disappointed that it died a quick death but not surprised. When I saw the show, the first thought that came to my head was "how did this show make it to network television," and what nice drug was being consumed by the "suit" who green-lighted it? I also started the countdown clock to its eventual demise. This was a show that folks I know either loved or hated, no middle ground. I'm sure there are enough "Wallace & Gromit" fans to ensure a DVD release.

Lisa de Moraes: I'm not sure what there was to hate. It was so charming, well-executed and uncontroversial. Your friends who hated it -- what did they say about it?

_______________________

Anderson Cooper: Okay -- I might be spelling his name wrong. Whatever. My husband hates the guy. One of the many reasons (yeah -- some real hate there) is because the guy is such a hypocrite. He is where he is because of mommy and her powerful name and legacy.

Lisa de Moraes: To be fair, he's also extremely bright, aggressive, very pretty, and emotes well on screen from scenes of disasters.

_______________________

Washington: Hi, Lisa! I happen to be one of those strange people who enjoy reruns of scripted TV shows, so I'm pleased that at least a few of them -- "House," "Ugly Betty," NBC's Thursday night comedies and CBS's Monday night comedies -- are being shown this summer. So here's my question: What about the rest? (I especially miss "Boston Legal.") Do awful reality shows (oops, I repeat myself) really grab that many more viewers during the summer?

Lisa de Moraes: Look at the numbers on the TV page last Wednesday and you'll see the answer is "yes" if the reality series is catching on. "Desperate Housewives" reruns are doing about 3 million viewers, "CSI" reruns down to 9 million. Meanwhile, "America's Got Talent" clocked 12 million-ish...

_______________________

New York: Was Babwa Walters mad that Paris went to Larry and not her for the first interview? After all she talked to her in jail, didn't she?

Lisa de Moraes: Babs was mad that the interview looked like it was on its way to NBC instead of to her (and yes, Babs told "The View" viewers -- and Ryan Seacrest -- she talked to Paris from jail a couple weeks ago) ... but then someone mysteriously leaked to the press some of the terms being slung around in those talks, and NBC backed off and ABC took a pass, and Paris's parents wound up placing their little girl in the hands of Larry King by default...

_______________________

New York: Paris' publicists suck. You don't get religion from being in jail for three weeks. Come off it. Don't do what everyone else does. She should have spent that time figuring out the most ostentatious, decadent ways of spending all the vast sums of money at her disposal. Paris should have done that interview from a penthouse rooftop hot tub overlooking Las Vegas as she sipped Dom out of the butt cheek dimples of a Chippendales dancer.

Lisa de Moraes: Ick, ick, ick -- tell me more...

_______________________

"The Office": I watched some "Office" repeats last night and they just don't stand up to repeated viewing. I could watch the British version over and over again, but I could barely stomach the episodes last night. I do think it got better later in the season, though.

Lisa de Moraes: It does seem to be getting kinda thin, doesn't it? Sometimes the British model -- 13 episodes a season, two or three seasons and out -- seems like a better idea than the U.S. model -- 24 episodes a year until the horse is really most sincerely dead...

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Cooper also worked his way up even to the extent of being a newscaster on ABC's overnight World News Now. If you can succeed when doing the news at three in the morning, you can succeed anywhere.

Lisa de Moraes: And let's not forget hosting "The Mole" -- and his modeling gigs. Those helped, and I'm only half-kidding. I, for one, learned a lot pumping gas and doing tune-ups on cars...

_______________________

Paula: Are we not talking about her show today?!

Lisa de Moraes: I'd love to talk about her show. ... Favorite line paraphrased (re: Joan Rivers): "I wanted to ask her what doctor her face was wearing." ... Who knew Paula had that in her?

_______________________

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India: You know what drives me nuts? When people use "throw up" as a noun, as in, "don't step in that puddle of throw up." Ugh!

Lisa de Moraes: So glad you mentioned this. ... Just today someone near and dear used "barf," a word to which I object in the strongest terms. I much prefer "vomit."

_______________________

Re: Paris Hilton and "Anderson Cooper 360": I thought it's funny that Anderson Cooper kept sneering at Paris, but devoted an entire hour to her -- sneering at her, piggy-backing on Larry's interview and asking questions about her. Sheesh. If you are going to do an entire episode on someone you despise so much, why don't you at least explain the reason behind it. I think one of the guests said "it looks like you are the only one here today who didn't like Paris after that interview." Did Paris sound sincere yet dumb, or was that whole thing an act?

Lisa de Moraes: Like I said, greedy snouts in the trough. And clearly some of Paris' comments were an act. The never-done-drugs line comes to mind...

_______________________

Anonymous: "He is where he is because of mommy and her powerful name and legacy." Hmmm -- President Bush, Paris Hilton, Donald Trump ... I'd say getting places because of who you were born to is pretty much how this country works, isn't it?

Lisa de Moraes: Another point Anderson might have raised with his panel of expertainers ... lost opportunity...

_______________________

The Business of "Look at Me": "New York" is right. Paris should spend every waking minute doing the most heinously ostentatious things she can come up with, if only to up the ante with the other celebutards. Steel cage debauch-off between Britnah, Lindsay and Paris? I'm in!

Lisa de Moraes: I want to see them together on next year's "Idol Gives Back." I want to hear them talk about Darfur ... I want to hear them spell Darfur...

_______________________

Washington: You're right about Steven Weber's acting being a revelation. I looked forward to seeing him, even when "Studio 60" got stupid. This season I also realized Tim Daly is hot, thanks to his spot on the pre-pilot for the "Grey's Anatomy" spin off. A good year for the ex-"Wings" brothers, I guess.

Lisa de Moraes: I had that figured out ages ago, re: Daly...

_______________________

New York: See, I told you they'd put more Ari back into "Entourage." You happy now? Also, is there going to be another season of "Extras"? Have you watched that yet?

Lisa de Moraes: I am happy about more Ari on "Entourage." He really is the star of the show...

_______________________

"Creature Comforts": Maybe hate was too harsh a word -- boring would be more appropriate. I personally loved it, found it charming, etc. But I've been an Aardman fan going way back.

Lisa de Moraes: Me too. It's definitely not an action-packed series; maybe your friends prefer "CSI"?

_______________________

Rockville, Md,: Anderson Cooper also kinda started out on "Channel One News," which is like a 10-minute world news report shown in middle schools and high schools. Lisa Ling and Allison Stewart are a few others who were on that program too and made it big.

Lisa de Moraes: With advertising -- piped into your public schools and students forced to watch. Not a fan...

_______________________

Reston, Va.: Could the caveman show be any worse than "According To Jim"?

Lisa de Moraes: It is so much worse. I did not think it was possible, but they did it ... see today's column, above...

_______________________

Hey Paula: Jacob over on Television Without Pity hated it. I love Jacob, but I am going to have to watch it at least once (got it on the DVR).

Lisa de Moraes: He's not the target audience. He's also at his best when hating a show, but you have to watch the show in order to fully appreciate the hate...

_______________________

Seattle: Here's the thing: I'm graduate school-educated, I care about politics, literature, old jazz music and fine wine. I like to go hiking and camping, but also enjoy Sunday mornings with coffee and the "McLaughlin Group." I'm on my way to being a stereotypical liberal elite.

I'm also an obsessive fan of professional wrestling and have been so for years. Given the major media attention given to the bizarre circumstances surrounding Chris Benoit's murder-suicide, and that TV shows and Web sites focusing on the stories have enjoyed big bumps in traffic, can we finally move past the "rasslin' is for hicks, yuk yuk" meme? It's just as valid a form of entertainment as "American Idol," "Survivor" or any other dog-and-pony show on television. Plus, I think certain media outlets have shown that paying attention to sports entertainment can be very profitable.

washingtonpost.com: WWE and USA Wrestle With Fallout From Chris Benoit Case (Post, June 27)

Lisa de Moraes: I was shocked to discover some of my friends are avid WWE watchers ... which just goes to show, you never can tell...

_______________________

"The Office": The episodes that depend too much on the Pam/Jim will they/won't they aren't as funny ("The Secret"). I do, though, like "The Olympics," even the second time.

Lisa de Moraes: The will they/won't they moves are a time honored NBC trick to gin up ratings. remember "Good Morning Miami"? Nothing but... remember Rachel and virtually every male character on "Friends"?

_______________________

Baltimore: You should do stand-up comedy! Who can I pay to get rid of the talk-thru-her-teeth lady of "So You Think You Can Dance?"

Lisa de Moraes: You need to talk to the network -- but honestly, it's not going to happen...

_______________________

Re: Seattle: I'd like to set the record and say WWF back in the late '80s and early '90s was good entertainment. This new WWE stuff is pathetic.

Lisa de Moraes: There was a difference? I'm all ears -- tell me more...

_______________________

Annandale, Va.: Add to the growing list of Things Meredith Vieira should not do on the "Today" show: technology demonstrations. Wow. Just painful to watch. Couldn't get the iPhone to do anything she wanted. It was like watching The PC Guy from the Apple commercials try to sell it.

Lisa de Moraes: Now I'm really sorry I did not watch the "Today" show today...

_______________________

Herndon, Va.: The divine Ms. de Moraes: There's "porn" in "Rome?" So far in my DVD viewing there's some full frontal nudity, but no porn. In what episode does that start?

Lisa de Moraes: No, pookie, there's porn on HBO...

_______________________

CNN: Anderson Cooper is much better than the guy that was there before him. I can't remember his name, but he was such a bore and seemed to think he ran CNN. Glad he hit the road.

Lisa de Moraes: Aaron Brown...

I'm out of time. Bye...

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.