Who, What, When, Where?!: Miscellaneous Celebrity News 2.0

[SunnyBeBe]

16 hours ago, letter8358 said:

Grace Under Fire star Brett Butler broke, ashamed, and living with depression

It’s sad she’s struggling, but I find it challenging to imagine her squandering 25 million dollars, which she admits she did.  It’s nice others are trying to help her now.  Certainly someone who knows her from the business could help arrange a modest place to live.

[SmithW6079]

16 hours ago, letter8358 said:

Grace Under Fire star Brett Butler broke, ashamed, and living with depression

I remember watching her show and liking it a lot, but then I read about her drug and alcohol problems. Originally I felt sorry for her, but when I read that she had exposed herself to her young (i.e. minor) co-star, I lost all sympathy. A man would have been "cancelled" for such behavior, but she suffered no ramifications. (Although I guess you could call her spiral into addiction, depression, and bankruptcy ramifications.)

[SunnyBeBe]

8 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

I remember watching her show and liking it a lot, but then I read about her drug and alcohol problems. Originally I felt sorry for her, but when I read that she had exposed herself to her young (i.e. minor) co-star, I lost all sympathy. A man would have been "cancelled" for such behavior, but she suffered no ramifications. (Although I guess you could call her spiral into addiction, depression, and bankruptcy ramifications.)

I had no idea.  

[andromeda331]

3 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

I remember watching her show and liking it a lot, but then I read about her drug and alcohol problems. Originally I felt sorry for her, but when I read that she had exposed herself to her young (i.e. minor) co-star, I lost all sympathy. A man would have been "cancelled" for such behavior, but she suffered no ramifications. (Although I guess you could call her spiral into addiction, depression, and bankruptcy ramifications.)

Yeah, I remember when that came after it happened. Yes, Brett lifted her skirt and flashed her breasts at the boy playing her son Quentin. His father (or parents?) found out about it and pulled him from the show. He tried to keep acting but kept getting asked about the incident and ended up quitting acting.

[Bort]

32 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

Yeah, I remember when that came after it happened. Yes, Brett lifted her skirt and flashed her breasts at the boy playing her son Quentin. His father (or parents?) found out about it and pulled him from the show. He tried to keep acting but kept getting asked about the incident and ended up quitting acting.

He committed suicide eventually. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, merylinkid said:

ON THE OTHER HAND, how conveeeenient that we are suddenly hearing claims of her assualting employees right when she asks her dad to step down.

I do not follow this saga closely and maybe there are conspiracies but if her dad is backing off, it's also be possible she is getting more freedom and that's why we're hearing about more things coming out.

I've always wondered about the Britney fans who have been very involved in the #FreeBritney movement.  I get that having Jamie step away is going to feel like a victory.  But are they really prepared for what a free Britney might look like?  I know the argument has always been that it's her money and she should be allowed to squander it any way she likes.  I think that's an easier concept to accept when it's in the hypothetical and only about money.  

 

[Katy M]

48 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

I remember watching her show and liking it a lot, but then I read about her drug and alcohol problems. Originally I felt sorry for her, but when I read that she had exposed herself to her young (i.e. minor) co-star, I lost all sympathy. A man would have been "cancelled" for such behavior, but she suffered no ramifications. (Although I guess you could call her spiral into addiction, depression, and bankruptcy ramifications.)

I had no idea.  I had kind of wondered why they changed and aged up the kid.  Now I know.  That's terrible.

[Bastet]

30 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I had no idea.  I had kind of wondered why they changed and aged up the kid.  Now I know.  That's terrible.

Yeah, she'd had breast implants and was showing them off on set, which is bad enough with adults, but the kid was there, too.  (I don't think the actor playing Libby was.)  Her behavior escalated over the next season (her relapse played a major role in that; she was an utter mess), which is why Julie White (Nadine) quit at the end of it, and then the show was canceled halfway through season five. 

[cleo]

I used to be on the fence about the Mullaly/Messing thing- or maybe just confused bc there are no details. But since then I have occasionally seen DM target people that I don't think deserved it at least twice and she especially got angry when some of her comments were challenged- and I think the points raised were worth considering, not just someone being a troll. It's rare but it slips out from DM once in a while.

So I kind of can see what MM is saying as possible 

[DkNNy79]

21 minutes ago, cleo said:

I used to be on the fence about the Mullaly/Messing thing- or maybe just confused bc there are no details. But since then I have occasionally seen DM target people that I don't think deserved it at least twice and she especially got angry when some of her comments were challenged- and I think the points raised were worth considering, not just someone being a troll. It's rare but it slips out from DM once in a while.

So I kind of can see what MM is saying as possible 

This feud is very puzzling to me, because we don't have any details.  The 4 main cast members seemed so close.  Its one thing that Meghan and Debra are at odds, but if what Meghan is saying is true she is indicating that Will and Sean are in Debra's corner.  I mean, they may be neutral - I don't think I've heard either of them say anything taking one side or the other.

[letter8358]

Alanis Morrisette says her postpartum depression has gotten worse after each pregnancy

Edited August 20, 2021 by letter8358

[JustHereForFood]

8 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Old news but I don't think I knew this...

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/will-grace-star-megan-mullally-claims-shes-being-bullied-at-work/news-story/c5b79244e9d15c8f55baa39870cdf7fa

Thanks for posting, I didn't know this. This is the only celebrity feud that I have been interested in, because I love the series and as others said, the cast seemed so close. 

[cleo]

If it is true that DM is a bully- they usually manage to make sure they have others with them even just as bystanders-  some people don't want to be the next target. Bullies make sure they are not the ones standing alone. 

Not blaming the rest of the cast but the fact they are still connected with Debra and not Megan does not say to me DM is automatically in the right.

[JustHereForFood]

What I don't understand is that the writers seemed to be really against Debra Messing, looking at the storylines they gave her in the last season. So I don't know if they sided with Megan, or were just pissed at Debra that the show was finished because of the feud.

[Luckylyn]

I think Mike Richards hiring as host was shady to begin with since he was already working as Executive Producer when he essentially hired himself for the job.  I was so confused when this guy I never heard of was selected.  There were other people who were better suited who got passed over.  

[truthaboutluv]

4 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

 I was so confused when this guy I never heard of was selected.

Mike guest-hosted after Ken Jennings and he got a very strong positive response, to the point that he became a trending topic. There were many people, in the immediate aftermath of his guest-hosting, saying he would make a great host. 

But as more and more guest-hosts came and let's be honest, the bandwagon behind LeVar Burton got louder, backlash started to ensue regarding Mike because I think many did realize he was likely going to get the job. 

And just to be clear, I'm not defending the guy's douchy behavior and I'm perfectly fine with said douchy behavior coming back to bite him in the ass. Just shedding some light on how it is he did become and at one point was a favorable choice for the job. 

[Popples]

When the dictionary starts throwing shade, you've really screwed up.

 

[DearEvette]

regards Mike Richards: I know people are concentrating on the sexist and racist stuff he said on his podcast -- which frankly was terrible.  And also shows a long standing pattern of the way he talks about women.  He is a terrible slut-shamer and body shamer.  And like Joss Whedon has no problems firing a woman because she got pregnant.

But the whole way the process shook out was, imo, incredibly unethical.  He was the person who was supposed to hire Alex's replacement but according to people who knew him for years his one abiding desire was the host Jeopardy.  He was the one who helped prep and rehearse the hosts who had no idea they were competing against him, he was the one who selected which tapes which went to focus groups(shutting out other producers from the process), it is largely implied that he pretty much sabotaged Levar Burton's segment by giving him the least prep time of any host and because of the scheduling (Burton's segments got the worst ratings because they were during the the Olympics and some got preempted). LeVar Burton was being pushed as a replacement when it was clear Trebek would not be able to return so he has some sentimental support from the gate.

One of the reasons his own run was successful was because it came when interest was highest at the show's early post Alex return and he had finessed it so that Ken Jennings', the other big sentimental favorite, run was truncated so that he himself was able to 'step in'  and take over even though other EPs say that the small scheduling conflict Ken had could have been accommodated.

It is all just really shady as hell.  Not to mention the fact that over the years Jeopardy has built a type of reputation for itself that reads as 'venerable' and this guy comes along with all his baggage and bad optics and abuse of power and becomes the story rather than the show.  It is too bad.

[SunnyBeBe]

5 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

regards Mike Richards: I know people are concentrating on the sexist and racist stuff he said on his podcast -- which frankly was terrible.  And also shows a long standing pattern of the way he talks about women.  He is a terrible slut-shamer and body shamer.  And like Joss Whedon has no problems firing a woman because she got pregnant.

But the whole way the process shook out was, imo, incredibly unethical.  He was the person who was supposed to hire Alex's replacement but according to people who knew him for years his one abiding desire was the host Jeopardy.  He was the one who helped prep and rehearse the hosts who had no idea they were competing against him, he was the one who selected which tapes which went to focus groups(shutting out other producers from the process), it is largely implied that he pretty much sabotaged Levar Burton's segment by giving him the least prep time of any host and because of the scheduling (Burton's segments got the worst ratings because they were during the the Olympics and some got preempted). LeVar Burton was being pushed as a replacement when it was clear Trebek would not be able to return so he has some sentimental support from the gate.

One of the reasons his own run was successful was because it came when interest was highest at the show's early post Alex return and he had finessed it so that Ken Jennings', the other big sentimental favorite, run was truncated so that he himself was able to 'step in'  and take over even though other EPs say that the small scheduling conflict Ken had could have been accommodated.

It is all just really shady as hell.  Not to mention the fact that over the years Jeopardy has built a type of reputation for itself that reads as 'venerable' and this guy comes along with all his baggage and bad optics and abuse of power and becomes the story rather than the show.  It is too bad.

I haven’t followed this story, but since they haD ample opportunity to prepare, why would they end up with such a horrible situation?  

[Bastet]

24 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I haven’t followed this story, but since they haD ample opportunity to prepare, why would they end up with such a horrible situation?  

Because, as is typical, no one at Sony gave a shit about the allegations from his time at Price is Right (if they had, they wouldn't have signed him to a development deal to begin with, or installed him as the new EP of its two flagship game shows when Harry Friedman announced his retirement plans, never mind given him the hosting gig), and they were either too lazy or too dumb to assign a freakin' intern to listen to his podcasts (or even look into the fact he'd had a podcast) to see what's out there in his own voice.

Now it's all known, and the public reaction isn't going to die down in the few weeks before the new season starts, so they've yanked him from in front of the camera (letting him say he's chosen to step down so as not to be a distraction) but still keep him on as Executive Producer, even though it's actually even worse - for employees and contestants, not the studio's reputation - to have someone like that running the show (hiring, firing, and promoting, overseeing contestant selection, and setting the overall tone of the offices and studio) than being the face of it.

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

regards Mike Richards: I know people are concentrating on the sexist and racist stuff he said on his podcast -- which frankly was terrible.  And also shows a long standing pattern of the way he talks about women.  He is a terrible slut-shamer and body shamer.  And like Joss Whedon has no problems firing a woman because she got pregnant.

But the whole way the process shook out was, imo, incredibly unethical.  He was the person who was supposed to hire Alex's replacement but according to people who knew him for years his one abiding desire was the host Jeopardy. 

As far as a boss hiring himself, how ethical does the hiring of a gameshow host need to be? It is not like it is the selection of a supreme Court judge or something. As for the podcast stuff, what I read in some articles did sound kind of jerky, but then again so does a lot of what podcast hosts say. By that logic Conan O'Brien shouldn't host a game show.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Kel Varnsen

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I haven’t followed this story, but since they haD ample opportunity to prepare, why would they end up with such a horrible situation?  

I really dont know why Sony did not have a plan in place once Alex went public with his diagnosis.   It became a matter of when not if.  I know Alex was a national treasure, but as the saying goes, the show must go on.   

[cleo]

How ethical does it need to be- well they could have hired anyone they wanted. I think what gets me is this whole song and dance as though these other hosts actually had a chance. It was all bullshit imo. And then pretending like he had legitimately earned the job. All of that deception and games with it just doesn't sit well. They didn't need to do any of that. If they wanted Richards they should have just come out and said this is Trebek's replacement.

But honestly I increasingly think the tone of that show and Trebek himself will not be replaced. So that fact that it is immediately turning into a shitshow is sad but not surprising.

[DearEvette]

27 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

As far as a boss hiring himself, how ethical does the hiring of a gameshow host need to be? It is not like it is the selection of a supreme Court judge or something.

Ethics don't always have to rise to the level of life altering to still be important.  Also the American quiz show industry has an oft-trotted out history of scandals that ruined reputations and trust in the fairness of the games themselves. Those were also the result of behind the scenes shenanigans by producers. 

Sure this may not seem like some highly important thing, but this is an industry of perception.  And when you are talking about competitive quiz shows like this, the perception of fairness from top to bottom is super critical.  And from there, It isn't a huge leap to begin to wonder, well if this guy manipulated this what else is he willing to manipulate?

[Kel Varnsen]

4 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Ethics don't always have to rise to the level of life altering to still be important.  Also the American quiz show industry has an oft-trotted out history of scandals that ruined reputations and trust in the fairness of the games themselves. Those were also the result of behind the scenes shenanigans by producers. 

Sure this may not seem like some highly important thing, but this is an industry of perception.  And when you are talking about competitive quiz shows like this, the perception of fairness from top to bottom is super critical.  And from there, It isn't a huge leap to begin to wonder, well if this guy manipulated this what else is he willing to manipulate?

The boss hiring themselves thing doesn't seem like a huge deal to me. I mean I doubt Tina Fey did some huge casting call to find the perfect actress to play Liz Lemon.

[WinnieWinkle]

6 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

The boss hiring themselves thing doesn't seem like a huge deal to me. I mean I doubt Tina Fey did some huge casting call to find the perfect actress to play Liz Lemon.

If she had a bunch of people  auditioning - and especially giving them week long try outs that were being broadcast - and then picked herself I think we'd be talking about what a crappy thing that was to do.  Casting yourself in your own show that you created to be your show isn't really comparable to what seems to have happened here.

[Vermicious Knid]

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour: The Mike Richards 'Jeopardy!' Fiasco Was Maddeningly Predictable

Quote

 

Richards stepped down from the days-old hosting gig in a note on Friday morning, saying that it was clear to him that he would be "a distraction" as a host. He apologized not for any of his behavior, but for the "unwanted negative attention" that the show had experienced and the "confusion and delays" in the transition. He intends to stay on as the boss....

It's temping to take this apart piece by piece, isolate the individual bits of information that seemed to put this situation over the top. But really, why? This went in a maddeningly predictable way.

It was like watching a rubber ball bounce down a flight of stairs: isolated parts of the trajectory might be surprising, but the end result was always going to be the same. This was always a bad idea, and it got worse, and the show's leaders dug in their heels and tried to ride it out, and it got worse again, and now it's over. It's an utterly unforced error from a show that had every opportunity to find someone who would not have had to resign, as the putative host of Jeopardy! for crying out loud, for being too controversial....

If anything, you can argue that it's more pressing that Richards be relieved of the EP job than of the hosting job, and that the only reason he'd leave the latter and not the former is that he's leaving the one that draws more attention and thus more fire.

The substantive problem with these remarks is not that he was somehow going to make them on the air on Jeopardy! in his capacity as host, since he probably wasn't going to call anyone a slut while calling on her during the Daily Double. The substantive problem with these remarks is the attitude they convey and, in the context of management jobs, the environment they could create for employees.

Stay tuned. Perhaps the implosion isn't even over.

 

 

[Zella]

We're going through a hiring process in the office that is not part of my workplace but is over it, and I can't even fathom how unethical it would be for, essentially, the director of the hiring committee to go through a public charade of interviewing and considering other candidates before hiring herself.

That's really quite a separate issue from hiring internally after posting a position or even just someone behind-the-scenes appointing themselves as the successor without considering other people. If they had wanted him to be considered, he shouldn't have been involved in working behind-the-scenes with other candidates, and if he was always going to be chosen, they should have been more upfront in stating that, even as they let other hosts take over for the season. 

The Jeopardy thing has definitely been a clusterfuck, for many reasons, and I feel like him keeping the EP job is likely going to make other people leery of taking the hosting job--and rightfully so. Even beyond the fact that he has maintained a toxic atmosphere on other shows, it would seem to me like there's a lot of potential and motive for him to sabotage whoever does get the job that he clearly wanted and had taken from him in a very public fashion. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Zella

[Guest]

2 hours ago, cleo said:

How ethical does it need to be- well they could have hired anyone they wanted. I think what gets me is this whole song and dance as though these other hosts actually had a chance. It was all bullshit imo. And then pretending like he had legitimately earned the job. All of that deception and games with it just doesn't sit well. They didn't need to do any of that. If they wanted Richards they should have just come out and said this is Trebek's replacement.

Clearly he was a bad choice but it’s not like it wasn’t a reasonable pick on the surface. He had the second highest ratings of all the guest hosts. 

Did they really present it as the guest hosts being the hiring process? I don’t watch Jeopardy but I thought it was just a series of guest hosts as a gimmick and time filler. Just looking at the people chosen there’s no way many of them would have been or wanted to be the new host.  

[aradia22]

Quote

As for the podcast stuff, what I read in some articles did sound kind of jerky, but then again so does a lot of what podcast hosts say. 

There's basic shock jock offensiveness and then there's the stuff he said, some of which was so bafflingly racist that I question what broke his mind for him to think this way. This isn't a lazy "I hate my wife" joke.

Spoiler

In the podcast’s third episode, Triffon discusses some acting roles she has auditioned for; Richards says she should try out for Taiwanese roles because of her height.

During an episode in which Triffon discusses problems at her apartment, he says, “Does Beth live, like, in Haiti? Doesn’t it sound like that? Like, the urine smell, the woman in the muumuu, the stray cats.”

Quote

The substantive problem with these remarks is not that he was somehow going to make them on the air on Jeopardy! in his capacity as host, since he probably wasn't going to call anyone a slut while calling on her during the Daily Double. The substantive problem with these remarks is the attitude they convey and, in the context of management jobs, the environment they could create for employees.

Yup. If he stays on, how many years will it be before we're reading an article about all his scummy behavior behind the scenes? And the way he maneuvered himself into the job does call into question how ethical he would be in running the show. I'm sure there are ways to skirt the rules and get the casting results you want or extend/cut short someone's run based on the question categories. And this is JEOPARDY. Like, take this mess over to The Bachelor or America's Got Talent.

[Door County Cherry]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

We're going through a hiring process in the office that is not part of my workplace but is over it, and I can't even fathom how unethical it would be for, essentially, the director of the hiring committee to go through a public charade of interviewing and considering other candidates before hiring herself.

I think what Richards did was even more unethical.  He wasn't in charge of the hiring decision; he was just in charge of the process.  But he controlled what episodes from the guest hosts were sent to focus groups.  It sounds like he controlled when people would guest host.  He controlled marketing.  It sounds like he rigged the game. 

40 minutes ago, Dani said:

Did they really present it as the guest hosts being the hiring process?

Yes.  Richards did.  I'm sure some hosts were just there for fun but it was definitely an audition process. 

[letter8358]

Ron Perlman on The Island of Dr. Moreau 25 years later and working with Marlon Brando: "It was a mess. It was a complete mess."

I remember Marlon Brando scaring the shit out of me with his Kabuki makeup and mu mu dresses. He looked freaky in that movie!

Edited August 21, 2021 by letter8358

[Zella]

39 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

I think what Richards did was even more unethical.  He wasn't in charge of the hiring decision; he was just in charge of the process.  But he controlled what episodes from the guest hosts were sent to focus groups.  It sounds like he controlled when people would guest host.  He controlled marketing.  It sounds like he rigged the game. 

Yeah from everything that is coming out, it seems like he had a lot of power behind-the-scenes and used it in a very strategic but underhanded and unethical way. 

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

Yes.  Richards did.  I'm sure some hosts were just there for fun but it was definitely an audition process. 

Okay. That’s a pretty sketchy thing to do. As soon as I saw that a producer was on the list I figured he was going to be the new host. Although, wasn’t it still an audition process since they did pick one of the others for the primetime and special gig? Technically they didn’t lie even if it was clearly deceptive. 

Out of curiosity, have any of the guest hosts said anything about the process? I wonder if they were misled or if they knew all along that they weren’t serious contenders for the daily show. 

44 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

I think what Richards did was even more unethical.  He wasn't in charge of the hiring decision; he was just in charge of the process.  But he controlled what episodes from the guest hosts were sent to focus groups.  It sounds like he controlled when people would guest host.  He controlled marketing.  It sounds like he rigged the game. 

I just read an article that mentioned this and it is what I have an issue with. He put himself very early in the rotation which led to much higher ratings because interest was high. Then the audience favorite was placed much later when the novelty had run out. 

I don’t have a problem with him being hired just because he is the executive producer but he shouldn’t have been allowed to stay in that position while the process was ongoing.  

[Zella]

Another thing with Levar Burton being placed later is that, if I remember correctly, he wasn't even initially picked to guest host. That was only a concession after the internet got loud about it. I think Richards was aware from the beginning that Burton was a potential audience favorite--I've seen people talk about Burton as a Jeopardy host even before Trebek died--and initially wasn't even going to have him be a guest host. 

[cynicat]

To me, the optics for whole Michael Richards fiasco are uniquely amplified because of the squeaky clean aura of the Jeopardy show.  Conducting an elaborate sham hiring process when a candidate has been hand selected in advance happens every day in the business world.  When it's this obvious, it erodes trust.  Been there.

 Jeopardy has always been a show perceived as uber ethical , trustworthy and honest. This whole clusterfuck has tarnished that image.

[merylinkid]

4 hours ago, Dani said:

Although, wasn’t it still an audition process since they did pick one of the others for the primetime and special gig?

Very carefully selecting someone who could not be asked to take on full time duties if Richards bombed.    Mayim Bialik has other committments that keeps her from doing the regular gig.     Oh and by selecting a woman he can say "oh look, I can't be a sexist pig, I picked a woman as the co-host."   While carefully making sure that the woman he selected is no competition to him.   

 

Alex Trebek said who he would like to be considered as his successor.   Not a one of them got a try out.   Could be they didn't want the job despite Alex giving his blessing.   OR Richards knew that anyone Alex wanted would automatically be favored by fans.   

How Richards can stay as EP after all this  came out, and in light of what was said upthread about who knows WHAT he will manipulate, I have no clue.   Guess Sony is aiming to be the next CBS.  

[Crs97]

[Anduin]

27 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Wait. LeVar Burton is taking over as Deadpool? Have I read that right?

[Luckylyn]

I thought it was his way of pointing out the online support for Burton to take over Jeopardy like how online fans supported Reynolds becoming Deadpool.

[Anduin]

3 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I thought it was his way of pointing out the online support for Burton to take over Jeopardy like how online fans supported Reynolds becoming Deadpool.

Naah, I don't see it.

[WinnieWinkle]

14 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I thought it was his way of pointing out the online support for Burton to take over Jeopardy like how online fans supported Reynolds becoming Deadpool.

Yep, I thought it was a nice little shout out - would expect nothing less from a class act like Reynolds. I wonder if Burton would even be interested under these very shady circumstances.  I know I certainly wouldn't want to work for the guy who had to quit the high profile job I subsequently got!  

Edited August 21, 2021 by WinnieWinkle

[Blergh]

Since Mr. Richards is the exec producer, I don't see how he can be gotten rid of unless somehow enough viewers get sponsors to dump major revenue blocks that even Sony Pictures can't ignore their threatened bottom line but I don't see how that can happen (and seriously, there are FAR more urgent first world matters at hand for folks needing to organize for the sake of the better good of our nation and the world more than getting to dump this [as it turns out] this rather boorish person from being an exec producer. At least he's no longer going to host so that's something. 

P.S. Did anyone imagine a year ago that someone named 'Michael Richards' would wind up soiling (and Jeopardy-zing ) his own nest in much the same way his namesake Seinfeld regular  had done in 2006?

[SmithW6079]

9 hours ago, Dani said:

Did they really present it as the guest hosts being the hiring process? I don’t watch Jeopardy but I thought it was just a series of guest hosts as a gimmick and time filler. Just looking at the people chosen there’s no way many of them would have been or wanted to be the new host.  

Everything I read is no, the guest host gig was not an audition. Unfortunately, some of the guest hosts (and the Twitterverse) started treating it like it was, hence the outrage that LeVar Burton wasn't hired, even though he was far from the best. And we know once the Twitter mob starts demanding things, it better happen or else.

[SunnyBeBe]

So, this is the latest report of why there was an altercation with the housekeeper.  If true, it does make sense as to what happened.  The good news is the dogs are safe.  
 

https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/21/britney-spears-dogs-digestive-issues-ill-human-food-vet-taken-away-housekeeper/

 

[WinnieWinkle]

15 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So, this is the latest report of why there was an altercation with the housekeeper.  If true, it does make sense as to what happened.  The good news is the dogs are safe.  
 

https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/21/britney-spears-dogs-digestive-issues-ill-human-food-vet-taken-away-housekeeper/

This is what is considered newsworthy?  No wonder celebrities like Britney Spears end up with mental health issues.  And I seriously wonder what that housekeeper was thinking.  Clearly not at all interested in keeping her job that's for sure.

[DearEvette]

Quote

Everything I read is no, the guest host gig was not an audition. Unfortunately, some of the guest hosts (and the Twitterverse) started treating it like it was, hence the outrage that LeVar Burton wasn't hired, even though he was far from the best. And we know once the Twitter mob starts demanding things, it better happen or else.

Sony and Jeopardy were being kinda coy about that though.  They announced they would be searching for a permanent host.  They announced that they were adding guest hosts in the interim.  And yes, they said that the guest host stint was 'not necessarily' an audition.

But yet... some contestants have gone on record saying they were asked by production "What did you think of..." host after their taping.  Also this wasn't just twitter, even as early as December 2020 many legit news outlets and industry trades were reporting the guest host stint as related to the search for the permanent host.  If Sony insists they weren't, they why focus group the different hosts? 

Also, why announce a search if you are not really searching? Most people would have no issues or questions about the selection process* if they had simply announced Richards from the jump and with a start date and indicated until he was ready to start permanently they were going to go the guest host route.  Yeah, the Levar Burton fans would have been mad, but if they had been presented with a de facto decision out of the gate they would have eventually figured that was the process. But Sony deliberately, imo, allowed people to believe the half-truth.  If they are blaming people for feeling misled then they are culpable in that perception.

 

* I single out the selection process because the problematic sexism and racism would have still been an issue regardless of the how the selection process occurred.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Very carefully selecting someone who could not be asked to take on full time duties if Richards bombed.    Mayim Bialik has other committments that keeps her from doing the regular gig.     Oh and by selecting a woman he can say "oh look, I can't be a sexist pig, I picked a woman as the co-host."   While carefully making sure that the woman he selected is no competition to him.   

Richards didn’t select the new hosts. Sony executives made that decision. He had the ability to stack the deck and manipulate the data used to make the selection but he’s still not the one who picked Mayim.

Many (if not most) of the guest hosts had other commitments and never could have seriously considered as a host for the daily show. 

My only point is that it was still an audition process for a permanent host since Mayim was, specifically, announced as a permanent host. They technically didn’t lie. 

3 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Everything I read is no, the guest host gig was not an audition. Unfortunately, some of the guest hosts (and the Twitterverse) started treating it like it was, hence the outrage that LeVar Burton wasn't hired, even though he was far from the best. And we know once the Twitter mob starts demanding things, it better happen or else.

After reading more I don’t think it’s quite that clear cut. Not all the guest hosts were in the running so it wasn’t an audition process. However it was still clear that the new host would come from the guest hosts and how each did would be a factor. 

I feel like boiling that outrage down to people upset they didn’t get what they wanted is really unfair. It ignores some very real and serious issues that have been raised. What you are calling the Twitter mob is demanding representation and integrity. To me, that’s not a bad thing.

It’s very easy to point out everything awful about social media but they also push for really useful and needed change. In many aspects the world would be better with out social media but in many other aspects we would really lose out. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Guest

[WinnieWinkle]

10 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I single out the selection process because the problematic sexism and racism would have still been an issue regardless of the how the selection process occurred.

What I don't understand is just how wonderful is this guy at his job that this kind of information coming out isn't resulting in him getting fired?  People get fired all the time for lesser offenses that, arguably, are not job related.  What more could he possibly have said that would have been offensive enough for the PTB to show him the door?

[PepSinger]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

I feel like boiling that outrage down to people upset they didn’t get what they wanted is really unfair. It ignores some very real and serious issues that have been raised. What you are calling the Twitter mod is demanding representation and integrity. To me, that’s not a bad thing.

Thank you. Asking for representation and integrity is not the definition of a “mob.” The reason the “mob” is angry is because this kind of unfair shit is ubiquitous in employment, and people - like me - are *tired* of it and have suffered because of it, whether directly or indirectly. The Jeopardy debacle is a microcosm of an ongoing problem in employment.

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by PepSinger