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Print Cliff Lipson, CBS Erik Estrada will be on patrol in Muncie, Ind. |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Illustration by Tony Tye and Curt Chandler, Post-Gazette Click for larger image. |
Actually, I'm sure even the folks at CBS, if Osbourne or Jackson or Estrada put a gun to their heads, would acknowledge that giving guns to washed-up celebrities is not a good idea. But it may make for good TV. Make that good train-wreck TV. At moments, CBS's "Armed and Famous" (8 tonight) rises to that low-bar level.
When Estrada, after he's gone through some rudimentary police training, handcuffs an elderly, toothless drug dealer, he calls her "Sweetheart"; she's thrilled to be arrested by the actor who played Ponch on "CHiPs."
"This is the wrong way to meet you, Ponch," she says, smiling and laughing all the way to jail. "I wouldn't miss" one episode of that show.
It's a sweet, funny moment -- in a pathetic way -- that serves to point out how ridiculous the concept for the show is (actually, the opening credits also help, making a mockery of police training by showing the "building" of these celeb cops). Why in the world the Muncie, Ind., police department agreed to go along with this is a head-scratcher.
"Armed & Famous" is essentially "Police Academy" meets "Cops." It's a VH1 or E! or Spike TV show that somehow made it onto the air at CBS (the Tiffany network no more, it seems).
The first half of the premiere follows these D-list celebs as they get instructions on how to work as police officers. In a training-range simulation, Jackson draws her gun on an unarmed motorist. Later, she insists on a tablecloth and finger bowl while dining at a restaurant where peanut shells are routinely tossed on the floor.
If it didn't feel so calculated, so scripted, "Armed & Famous" might be a guilty pleasure. But in tonight's premiere, the show is never more than junk-food TV that makes a mockery out of a public institution, one that's designed to "serve and protect" but fails to do either by participating in worthless ratings bait like this.
Hail the King
Larry King, who celebrates his 50th year in broadcasting in 2007, says he doesn't understand why advertisers target young viewers, but he understands it's the way the game is played.
"It bothers me because I'm 73," King said. "Technically, what we're saying is, I don't appeal to myself."
As part of that, King said the balance of his show is between covering news people need and offering up celebrity interviews that they want to see.
"This is a dilemma for anyone in the business," King said. "I can certainly make a case that the terrible situation in the Sudan is worth a lot more than the Lacy Peterson murder case, but what will be watched more? You have to deal with the People magazine culture and the culture of news and try to balance them both. But the weight would come down on the weight of what is celebrity."
As part of the celebration of his anniversary year, King will be interviewed by "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric on his own "Larry King Live" program in April.
CNN defends Nancy Grace
Odious CNN Headline News anchor Nancy Grace -- who's helped boost the network's ratings through overly judgmental, sometimes nasty interviews -- wasn't at press tour and probably for good reason. She's been lambasted in the press for fudging details of her personal history and for her interview with a woman who subsequently committed suicide. She's also been parodied on "Boston Legal," "Saturday Night Live," "Justice" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
"CNN's brand translates very broad and very deep," said CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton. "It stands for integrity and accuracy, class, timeliness, a number of different brand attributes, so how far then can you go? ... [Several years ago,] Headline News changed format to personalities that are provocative, with a point of view and try to engage in the conversation. I think Nancy has done that."
Wait -- he honestly believes Grace brings integrity and class to the CNN brand?
"Absolutely," Walton said. "Again, you can choose to not agree with her point of view. I'm not judge and jury or the morals police."
Funny, because Grace sure seems to think she is.
MTV on the move
Pittsburgher Susie Meister, one of the early stars of MTV's "Road Rules" who's appeared in several follow-ups and also does some reporting for WQED's "On Q," has been lured back for the series reboot, "Road Rules '07," which premieres Jan. 30 at 9 p.m. This time, viewers will have a say in who stays in the RV and who gets the ax by casting their votes at MTV.com.
Also, the next season of "The Real World" will be shot in Sydney, Australia, for airing late this year.
Channel surfing
A high-definition feed of CNN will launch in the fall. ... The History Channel will take a look back at the history of the future with "Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier" (9 p.m. Feb. 19) with Leonard "Spock" Nimoy as host. ... HBO's "The Wire" will have its basic cable premiere with a three-night marathon at 9 p.m. today [1/10] through Friday on BET. "The Wire" will regularly air Thursdays at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 18.
