Media: Full Frontal With Samantha Bee in the News

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[nowandlater]

Samantha was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning, and she and other media outlets kept referering to her as a "late night host."

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/samantha-bee-joins-the-late-night-boys-club/

 

I looked it up, and her show starts at 10:30 and ends at 11.

 

Isn't that timeslot considered "primetime"?

 

Sorry for being nitpicky. I had been wondering for months because they kept saying she was getting a "late-night show" on TBS. But Conan already occupies the 11 pm slot four days a week. So I thought it was either going to be on at midnight (which is not good) or Friday at 11 (also not good), or Saturday at 11 (also not good, though it could kind of be an SNL lead-in) or Sunday (not good because of John Oliver.

 

So her show is on at 10:30 pm. And it's in primetime. Yet she's being called a "late-night host."

Edited February 2, 2016 by nowandlater

[Qoass]

I thought the most interesting point brought up in that profile was that she would have liked to stay with The Daily Show but was not considered for the hosting spot.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I thought the most interesting point brought up in that profile was that she would have liked to stay with The Daily Show but was not considered for the hosting spot.

That's not how I read it and not what she has said in other interviews. She has portrayed it as she wouldn't have wanted any daily show because of the pace and having three young children and anyway she and Jason were already leaving for TBS. And creating her own show was more appealing than trying to take over someone else's established show.

[Qoass]

My takeaway was that she was disappointed that they didn't at least ask.  Sometime you want the opportunity to say no.

[SomeTameGazelle]

My takeaway was that she was disappointed that they didn't at least ask.  Sometime you want the opportunity to say no.

 

I had read this EW interview first where she bluntly said that she didn't care, so it didn't strike me in the same way.

 

This NYT piece was also interesting.

[possibilities]

Sam Bee interviews Cameron Esposito: http://www.vulture.com/2016/03/samantha-bee-talks-to-cameron-esposito.html?mid=full-rss-vulture

[Qoass]

Woo-hoo!

 

Show is picked up through the end of the year!

[Victor the Crab]

Good. :)

[attica]

Extreeeeemely good.

[trow125]

Fresh Air had a nice long interview with Sam today, now available for streaming/downloading.

[Kromm]

Sam makes the Hollywood Reporter The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media list.

 

Her entry there does point out "the Monday-night TBS series has outrated lead-out Conan O'Brien by 55 percent".

[maraleia]

She posted a pic of herself with her voting sticker today https://twitter.com/iamsambee

This is the first primary she's ever voted in since she didn't become a citizen until mid-2014.

[ALenore]

Lots of articles on Full Frontal's panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, including this one from EW where she talks about how her show on rape kits helped pass legislation in Georgia 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/20/tribeca-2016-samantha-bee-full-frontal

The show helped pass rape kit legislation
In March, Full Frontal ran a segment in which Bee reported on the hundreds of thousands of rape kits across the United States that go untested for DNA evidence, and how a Republican state senator in Georgia blocked a bill last year that would have required law enforcement officials to find, count, and test those kits. As Miller tells it, after the segment aired, legislations were able to get the proposal passed.

“At the eleventh hour, after our piece ran, it got a lot of attention and they managed to get it passed by attaching it to another bill — a legislator sacrificed her part of a bill that had to do with background checks for guns and they put in the rape kit in a way that it wouldn’t go through committee, so [it] would just get an up or down vote without going up in this committee,” she explained. “So it got passed at like, 1 till midnight and the supporters were tweeting at us and letting us know.”

 

[zxy556575]

The show and Sam were nominated for two TCA awards: Individual Achievement in Comedy, and Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. Congrats!

[pennben]

Nice article from The Rolling Stone on Bee and the show.  In particular, although I've read about it before, the staff she hired I think is so critical to success here:

 

Quote

Bee took the same approach to hiring writers, creating a blind application process that didn't favor people who'd already had success. (It spelled out, for example, how scripts should look when submitted, leveling the playing field for the uninitiated.) Lo and behold, she ended up with a writers' room that looked kind of like America: 50 percent female; 30 percent nonwhite. One of her hires had been working at the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. "We don't feel like we solved the diversity problem. We didn't fix racism, quite," Bee jokes. "I mean, we almost did. We'll see how things pan out. I'm feeling really good about it." Anyway, the strategy worked. "I have literally filled my office with people who have been underestimated their entire careers. To a person, we almost all fit into that category. It is so joyful to collect a group of people who nobody has ever thought could grasp the reins of something and fucking go for it."

[pennben]

So, while I was disappointed that the show itself didn't get a nomination, based on what I highlighted in my last post just above, I think it is absolutely fantastic that the show got a nod for the writers.  Well-done show!

[wknt3]

13 hours ago, pennben said:

So, while I was disappointed that the show itself didn't get a nomination, based on what I highlighted in my last post just above, I think it is absolutely fantastic that the show got a nod for the writers.  Well-done show!

Agreed on all counts. And the NY Times agrees with us too -
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/15/arts/television/emmy-award-2016-snubs-surprises-game-of-thrones-samantha-bee.html?_r=0
I'm guessing it will be nominated next year as the criteria seems to be an algorithm based on online video views and it seems to be doing quite well in that department, but it got a bit of a late start compared to others. It's also an excellent well done show, but that doesn't seem as important, based on this year's nominees.

Edited July 15, 2016 by wknt3
added NYT link

[candall]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 0:25 AM, pennben said:

Bee took the same approach to hiring writers, creating a blind application process that didn't favor people who'd already had success. (It spelled out, for example, how scripts should look when submitted, leveling the playing field for the uninitiated.) Lo and behold, she ended up with a writers' room that looked kind of like America: 50 percent female; 30 percent nonwhite. One of her hires had been working at the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. "We don't feel like we solved the diversity problem. We didn't fix racism, quite," Bee jokes. "I mean, we almost did. We'll see how things pan out. I'm feeling really good about it." Anyway, the strategy worked. "I have literally filled my office with people who have been underestimated their entire careers. To a person, we almost all fit into that category. It is so joyful to collect a group of people who nobody has ever thought could grasp the reins of something and fucking go for it."

This is so fucking awesome!  Thanks, @pennben.

I always pause to wonder as the nominated late-night shows do their humorous little sketches for the awards show and it's largely one big group of young white guys after another.

Edited July 19, 2016 by candall

[purist]

On the @FullFrontalSamB Twitter account there's a short (and awesome) video from Sam and the message: 'Here is Sam's first #RNCinCLE check-in! Watch these every day for more jokes/proof of life.'

[wknt3]

Kevin Reilly talked a lot about Full Frontal at TCA. Apparently TBS would like to do more specials for election season and more digital content. I hope they do increase their online presence since as I said before it seems that it's how the newer shows get considered for Emmy noms. It seems TBS is really happy with the show.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/turners-kevin-reilly-wants-more-916010

[Qoass]

Other than the author not knowing the difference between "prey" and "pray", this is fun.

[pennben]

Okay, so I've started this without the technical savvy to put in the link from a tweet I wanted to, but now that I'm here, I'll just describe it and maybe someone else knows how to get the media into here.

I follow Full Frontal on twitter.  As you all may recall one of Sam's correspondents spent some time trying to get folks at the RNC to say "Black Lives Matter".  I remember thinking at the time she, Ashley Nicole Black, a black woman, deserved hazard pay for going through that assignment.  

Anyway, the show tweeted a short clip where Sam acknowledges the job she did and gives her a "treat".  It was delightful, but I really appreciated it because it showed they recognized how awful that day must have been for her and yet she did such a fantastic job.

So, hopefully someone is smarter than me (this feels like a small ask) and can bring a link over here.

Edited August 5, 2016 by pennben
can't figure out how to link what I want to; apparently have lost some ability to spell.

[purist]

1 hour ago, pennben said:

the show tweeted a short clip where Sam acknowledges the job she did and gives her a "treat"

Here's a link to the tweet. And it is TOTALLY delightful.

[attica]

Squee!

[BoogieBurns]

I loved that video clip. Sam seems like the best boss on the planet. 

[purist]

Full Frontal has won the TCA award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. Linda Holmes from NPR, who was at the awards ceremony, tweeted: 'News/Information winner Samantha Bee ends her acceptance for her show, "Now I'll take your questions on how I achieve work-life balance."' TV critic Alan Sepinwall quoted Linda's tweet and added: 'HUGE laughs and applause for that line.'

The Full Frontal Twitter account posted three tweets (the last one has a photo of Sam and her team accepting the award):

Quote

We'd like to thank the spunky pre-teens who run this twitter account for helping us land a TCA (Teen Choice Award). #TCA16

We have just been informed that this is not a Teen Choice Award. We'd still like to thank the teens - PLEASE watch our show.

For real though, we're so grateful to the Television Critics Association! We love you back! #TCA16

[wknt3]

This NYT op ed is getting some attention online. I guess it helps the show's chances for awards etc.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/campaign-stops/clintons-samantha-bee-problem.html?referer=http://www.google.com/ 

I hope if Sam responds it's online so it isn't just one long bleep.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, wknt3 said:

This NYT op ed is getting some attention online. I guess it helps the show's chances for awards etc.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/campaign-stops/clintons-samantha-bee-problem.html?referer=http://www.google.com/ 

I hope if Sam responds it's online so it isn't just one long bleep.

For some reason I cant link it but Andy Richter went on a twitter tearr about this article. 

[Just Here]

Richter's tweetstorm that biakbiak mentioned:

 

[Just Here]

Bee has responded:

[trow125]

Sam will be a guest on "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" tomorrow (Sept. 30).

[Victor the Crab]

Need to stay awake for that!

[biakbiak]

Sam has her own leaked bus tape.

[purist]

Post-election edition of Real or Fake? - and it's fabulous.

Edited November 20, 2016 by purist

[zxy556575]

52 minutes ago, purist said:

Post-election edition of Real or Fake? - and it's fabulous.

The fire breathing, lightning, electric guitar and tiara are awesome, but the best part of the thunder c graphic is that they blurred out the tiger's eyes. Now none of us will recognize her in the wild!

[possibilities]

"Thunder Cunt" is an awesome name to be called. Hear her roar!

[ebk57]

Sam and Jane Pauley talk to the guy in the NYT who does these Sunday gabfest articles.  No real insight here, but pleasant enough.

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/fashion/table-for-three-samantha-bee-jane-pauley.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

[purist]

Very good article from the Melbourne Age today in which Sam talks about satire in the age of Drumpf. Excerpt:

Quote

"I think we're going to learn what it means for satire because it's not funny, it's not comedic, it's outrageous and it's jaw-dropping. I think there are stories we will be able to tell, but I will say it's extremely challenging ... We are going to have to imagine the previously unimaginable. Everything that's going to happen from here forward is unprecedented, probably."

[ALenore]

Sam is going to host her own White House Correspondents Dinner! 

From A.V. Club:

Quote

 

Lots of venerable institutions, including the notion of democracy, are under threat thanks to the new administration. We might not even be able to look forward to the annual roasting of the leader of the free world at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (and not just because he’s already been spray-tanned to the far end of a Pantone swatch). With President Donald Trump denouncing virtually every media outlet that doesn’t rhyme with “box poohs,” the odds of the Correspondents’ Association hosting the event aren’t looking too good. So, just as she stepped up in the late-night vacuum following Jon Stewart’s Daily Show exit, Samantha Bee is going to hold her own shindig. 

The Full Frontal host tells The New York Times that she’s planning a “counter-event” on April 29, the same night that the Correspondents’ Dinner will be held, if it’s held. Dubbed the “Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” Bee’s event will be held at the Willard Hotel. But the goal isn’t necessarily to draw attention away from whatever stilted gathering journalists are roped into attending, though. According to Bee, she and her team aren’t “trying to supersede it. We just want to be there in case something happens—or doesn’t happen—and ensure that we get to properly roast the president.” The lineup has not been finalized or teased, but it will likely air on TBS. Proceeds from the Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner will go to the Committee To Protect Journalists.

 

[possibilities]

I predict much more than three times the ratings for this than for the WHCD.

[anna0852]

I hope she sells tickets. I'll pay all the money to attend. 

[Hanahope]

When you think that if Hillary had won, Sam probably had a good shot at being the comedic guest, I guess this is the next best thing she could do.  Frankly, I'll be surprised if there is such a dinner, as I don't think rump has good memories of the one he went to.

[possibilities]

The WHCD this year will, if it happens, invite fans of Trump, and they will roast his "enemies". That's my prediction. Trump did get roasted on Comedy Central, but I don't think he'd do it again in this particular venue.

However, I think Sam should still do her event. I'm sure they could sell tickets, so it shouldn't be hard to fund. And I do think very seriously that ratings would be good, so TBS or whoever broadcast it would make out fine.

Would be nice if the ticket sales went to charity.

[formerlyfreedom]

Conversation about Sam and her show - not the WHCD itself, please.

[peeayebee]

I don't know how I missed this! I just read about it at the AV Club. How absolutely awesome. I wonder if it'll be broadcast live like the WHCD.

[Delwyn]

Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the people Sam interviewed on the show when she visited Russia during her "Freedom of Depress" segment, has fallen ill from the effects of poisoning again. It was surreal to recognize him in the news because of a comedy show.

[possibilities]

I wonder if Sam will cover it again.

[ebk57]

Sam in on Fresh Air today. 

http://www.npr.org/2017/03/06/518771517/samantha-bee-on-trump-s-win-i-could-feel-this-seismic-shift

[meowmommy]

Whoops.

Quote

Polarizing funny lady Samantha Bee has apologized for a segment that inadvertantly mocked a young, politically conservative brain cancer patient as having a “Nazi haircut.”

“We deeply apologize for offending @_that_kyle in our CPAC segment,” the show said on Twitter. “ We only learned of his condition today & have removed him from the piece.”