Rob and Amber, 'Real World,' goodbye to Betty Hutton
Posted: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:03 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:
Grab bag, TV, Tributes
Some readers have complained that "American Idol" is beginning to dominate this Weblog. Sorry about that, but it's likely to play a prominent role in posts here until the show's May finale. It's the 800-pound gorilla of TV right now, and with stories such as the Mario Vazquez lawsuit, the show just keeps pushing itself into the news.
But let's take a quick break and discuss some of the other TV and entertainment news of the moment.
SEE YA, ROMBER
• Rob and Amber Mariano, practically professional reality-show contestants, were surprisingly knocked out of "The Amazing Race" Sunday night. Some conspiracy theorists are already claiming the couple lost intentionally, but the Marianos themselves told CBS' "Early Show" that they just made too many mistakes.
BRAVO, TWoP
• Television Without Pity, the popular and hilarious TV commentary Web site whose founders have been regular and valued contributors to MSNBC.com, has been purchased by Bravo. Their official announcement of the deal promises the "same no-holds-barred commentary and critique" as ever.
TIME TO GET 'REAL'?
• I've dogged MTV's "Real World" in the past for its horrendous decline from an interesting docu-soap about kids with dreams to a drunken melee of perfect bodies and below-basement-level IQs. Could the pioneering show be returning to its smarter roots? The casting Web site for Bunim-Murray Productions now claims "we are searching for cast members with career and life goals that they want to pursue in a major metropolitan city." Could we be returning to the days of Norm, Julie and Heather B., and away from the days of Trishelle and Tyrie? Seems too good to be true. (Link via Reality Blurred.)
NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS
• I fear that Betty Hutton's death will get lost in all the more salacious news stories of the day, and I didn't want the news to pass by without noting that as a kid, I had this poster from her production of "Annie Get Your Gun" on my bedroom wall for years, and her version of "His Rocking Horse Ran Away" still makes me laugh. (If you've never heard it, at least read the lyrics, but if you can find a copy of the song, do listen to it. It's a funny and sweet domestic picture that's chockfull of vintage details -- G-men and girdles and more.)
Hutton's Associated Press obituary sums up her charm well, noting "Unlike other actresses who have been called 'blonde bombshells,' Hutton had a screen personality that had more to do with energy and humor than sex." That's a great tribute to her firecracker screen personality, even if her life offscreen was reportedly often troubled.
Update: I didn't know Hutton had a variant of poker named after her! "Betty Hutton" apparently is the name for "seven-card stud, with nines and fives wild." (Via Metafilter. )
