Brooke Hogan and Jon & Kate: Will summer TV be filled with disintegrating families?

  Get ready for this summer's latest ratings juicer: celebrity couples' marital problems played out on cable TV.

Exhibit A: The way Brooke Hogan's unscripted VH1 series Brooke Knows Best closes its June 7 season debut episode with a tension-filled telephone conversation between Hogan and her mother, Linda Bollea. The conversation exposes nerves rubbed raw during the bitter, public divorce battle between Linda Bollea and ex-superstar wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea.

"You've just been acting like a teenager," Brooke Hogan tells her mother, criticizing her romance with 19-year-old Charlie Hill, while refusing to see her during a visit in Clearwater.

"I feel like my whole life's been flipped upside down," Linda Bollea replies.

At least the Bolleas are not alone.

Last Monday, an audience of nearly 10 million watched Jon and Kate Gosselin's relationship crumble in an episode of their unscripted show about raising eight children, Jon & Kate Plus 8 — the largest audience for any unscripted cable TV show in history.

Dogged by rumors of infidelity, paparazzi and a growing rift fueled by their TV-bred fame, the Gosselins could barely muster an answer when asked on camera about the future of their relationship.

They join a growing list of couples who found relationship crises quickly followed big TV series: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson; Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston; Britney Spears and Kevin Federline.

Which raises a pointed question: Is this a devil's bargain? Are these families trading increased opportunities and fame for a level of scrutiny bound to damage the family?

Deggans on PBS' NewsHour tonight and CNN Sunday talking Leno farewell, Jon and Kate and more

(UPDATE: Just found out I'll be on PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer tonight during the show's last 15 minutes to talk about Jay Leno's transition from the Tonight Show. I won't be on with Jim, but I'll be talking with one of the show's correspondents. The show airs at 7 p.m. in our market, so look for me around 7:45 or so.)  

I haven't been on CNN's media show Reliable Sources since it was included with John King's Sunday morning political analysis block, State of the Union.

So I'm excited to join host Howie Kurtz at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday to talk about the Conan/Leno transition on NBC's Tonight Show, the journalistic feeding frenzy over the Jon & Kate Plus 8 show and the cultural implications of this kind of television.  

Given that my pal and fellow TV critic David Zurawik from the Baltimore Sun landed on Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World list after his RS appearance Sunday,  I should be on my guard (how dare a TV critic talk about how a TV channel covers news or spends it's money!).

But I'm supposed to be appearing with comic Andy Kindler (Raymond's nebbishy sportswriting pal on Everybody Loves Raymond), so I'm hoping we'll have a little fun -- beside tweaking those who deserve a little bit of it.

At least, it will save me from watching the show at home and throwing stuff at the screen when I get too excited.

Got anything you want me to tell Howie, Andy or America? Feel free to leave it here before the broadcast.

I'm not promising anything, but if I see something really sharp, I'll toss the idea in the discussion and bring your idea to a national audience.

Analyzing Jay Leno: Why doesn't the Tonight Show host get Carson-level respect?

Forget Rodney Dangerfield; Jay Leno is the guy in Hollywood who gets no respect.

You can feel it now, even as he winds up to his last show tonight in the big chair of the Tonight Show, the greatest talk program in the history of television.

Past Tonight Show leaders are hailed as seminal figures in television: Steve Allen as the irrepressibly brilliant man of all talents; Jack Paar as the compelling, volatile storyteller; Johnny Carson as the smooth, spot-on king and kingmaker.

But how will Leno be remembered? As the guy who got Hugh Grant to apologize on air for picking up a hooker? The man who brought the Dancing Itos to pop culture history?

Part of this problem is of Leno’s own making. He started his Tonight Show hosting stint under a cloud, for the way he outmaneuvered David Letterman to succeed Carson, after establishing his career with well-regarded appearances on Letterman’s NBC show (to say nothing of the way his then-manager, Helen Kushnick, abused and alienated Hollywood until Leno had to fire her).

After that moment – exemplified by a scene in Bill Carter’s excellent book The Late Shift, where Leno secretly listened into a conference call among NBC executives about whether they would keep him as Tonight Show host – Leno was forever the backstabbing, hacky populist, while Letterman was the pained, creative talent.

Now, at a time when he should be basking in 14 years at the top of the late-night ratings, Leno faces whispers over the way he outmaneuvered NBC to take over the 10 p.m. timeslot this fall – a move that seems to undercut his successor, Conan O’Brien, while threatening the network’s relationship with its affiliates.

Bill Maxwell retires from the St. Pete Times

One of the St. Petersburg Times' sharpest minds and most fearless columnists is heading for a new challenge: Bill Maxwell is retiring.

Like many regular readers, I don't always agree with Bill's words, but I have always respected his conviction and admired his talent. I supported Barack Obama's candidacy, while Bill remained skeptical; Bill stresses personal responsibility in addressing the problems facing poor black folks, while I advocate a more wide-ranging approach.

But, unlike today's parade of TV-fed talking heads, you never get the sense Bill's positions are fueled by anything other than his own values. No positioning for popularity points or jockeying to fill a TV segment; whether he is outraging some readers by speaking out on the plight of the Palestinians or irking others by revealing the shortcomings in historically black colleges, his work pulses with his own passions and gains scope through the lens of a life well-lived. (Here's a blog post from me summing up my compliments and concerns about his stories on the black college where he taught.)

Bill will continue to write his Sunday column for the newspaper's op-ed page as a correspondent. But he'll be leaving the editorial board -- another experienced employee choosing the early retirement benefits offered by the newspaper to help shave its staffing costs.

Here's the Times memo announcing his departure.    

"Bill Maxwell, who has enlivened our editorial board meetings and enriched our pages with his curiosity and strong opinions, is retiring. That does not seem to be the right word, because Bill will not be sitting still. He has a number of projects in mind, and he will continue to write his Sunday column for us as a correspondent. That is great for him, because he will be able to roam around the city and the state even more than he does now. And while we will miss his insights and his humor in our meetings, we will be lucky to continue to have his powerful voice on the op-ed page.

Bill came to the Times in 1994, leaving his teaching position at Sante Fe Community College near Gainesville. Phil Gailey had been reading Bill’s column in the Gainesville Sun and convinced him to join us. For a decade, he wrote fearlessly about issues ranging from race to education to migrant workers to his own experiences growing up in rural North Florida.

He left us once, but the cause was noble. Bill resigned in 2004 to teach at Stillman College, a small historically black school in Alabama. It was a bumpy two years, but Bill touched the lives of many students there before we persuaded him to return to the Times in 2006. His heartfelt series on his experiences at Stillman received national attention and triggered many thoughtful discussions about the future of historically black colleges and the challenges of inspiring students to reach their potential.

Now Bill is leaving again, sort of. His last day is Friday, but I hope he remains on our pages for some time to come. Bill’s columns offer an unvarnished truth about subjects that need to be discussed – and few have the talent or the courage to tackle them as he does."     

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My favorite Jay Leno moments

In tribute to Jay Leno's departure from the Tonight Show Friday, here's a sampling of his best moments on the show:

Barack Obama visits Leno (March 19, 2009): The first time a sitting president ever visited a late-night show proved that someone should have done it sooner (but left the Special Olympics joke at home). Obama comes off as relaxed, witty and charming while Leno gets another groundbreaking pop culture moment on his air.

Hugh Grant comes clean (July 10, 1995): With one question -- “What the hell were you thinking?” – Leno cemented his ratings dominance over Letterman, turned a career-ending arrest by Grant into a cheeky joke and established a history of allowing controversial celebs to save their public images by submitting to a few moments on his couch (Exhibit Z: Monday’s twitchy appearance by self-described “Octo-Mel” Gibson).

Arnold Schwarzenegger announces governor’s bid (Aug. 6, 2003): It felt surreal, watching the star of Conan and the Terminator movies announce a serious bid for the California governor’s race from the heart of showbiz culture. But the spectacle made the front pages of every newspaper in the country and gave Leno enough space with Republicans for years worth of George Bush jokes.

A fictional Leno secretly listens in to an NBC conference call (1996): There were no paparazzi to capture the moment when it happened. But HBO’s game version of The Late Shift book re-created the moment when Leno crouched in a closet and listened to NBC executives discussing whether they should retain Leno as Tonight Show host, with Daniel Roebuck as the lantern-jawed comic (see the 2-minute mark; WARNING -- explicit language).

Bobcat Goldthwait sets Leno’s guest chair on fire (May 9, 1994): Letterman was the one with the reputation for awkward onscreen moments, so it was notable for Leno to suffer a rare moment of reality when comic Goldthwait squirted lighter fluid on the guest chair and set it on fire. Goldthwait got banned from the show for his trouble, simultaneously earning a spot in TV talk show history.

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As Emmy voters consider picks, Deggans recommends a few dark horses

You may have noticed the ads touting various TV shows plastered with the phrase "for your consideration."

It's that time of year again: the Emmy voters are making their choices.

Every year, some names are obvious. House star Hugh Laurie always gets a nod for managing acerbic one-liners while pretending to limp and hiding his British accent. 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin always gets props for shining on one of TV's best comedies at a time when there's not much competition.

But there are a few names bound to be missed in all the hoopla. Here's a few folks I hope the Emmy academy doesn't forget come nomination time (announced July 16):

Best Supporting Actress, drama: Allison Pill, In Treatment -- It doesn't get the attention of some basic cable shows, but HBO's series about a tangled therapist and his patients is a serious seminar on acting. And no one has nailed their moments better than Pill, as a student in denial about her advancing cancer.

Best actor, drama: Charlie Hunnan, Sons of Anarchy -- The industry seems to have overlooked this amazing FX series about a family-run motorcycle gang and their various criminal enterprises in a California town. But in a show stocked with great performances, Hunnan stands out as the gang's second-in-command and leader in waiting, Jackson "Jax" Teller. Doesn't hurt that Hunnan is another Englishman hiding his accent in a note-perfect portrayal of a California dude.

Best guest actor, comedy: Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live -- As the only consistently funny element of a venerated comedy franchise, pop star Timberlake should get something for his achievement. The Motherlover video alone should be eligible for some kind of "most likely to make milk shoot out your nose" award, or something.

Best actress, drama: Parminder Nagra or Angela Bassett, ER -- I  know; before the finale, you pretty much stopped watching this show completely. But take it from one of the five or six ER fans who watched religiously, Nagra notched an amazing arc as overstressed student turned surgery ace Neela Rasgotra. And St. Pete homegirl Bassett's work nailing tough ER boss Cate Banfield was also a highlight.

Best actor, drama: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad -- Star Bryan Cranston gets all the attention on this AMC series as a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who starts making meth to pay his bills. But Paul also shines as his knuckleheaded former student and business partner, playing Jesse Pinkman as a clueless, self-destructive loser without ever veering into parody.

And here's the best comedy short of the year: *  

American Idol vote controversy proves Fox should release vote totals at the contest's end

Even though AT&T employees in Arkansas helped Kris Allen fans place "power texting" votes for him in American Idol's finale, the results did not affect the ultimate result, Fox TV said in a statement today.

But I say the controversy makes the argument from something Fox should do every year: release the show's vote totals to the public for review, once the season is done. 

The Hollywood Reporter Web site has Fox's response in an interesting follow-up to the New York Times story today noting that staffers at AT&T -- an Idol sponsor -- provided free text-messaging services at two parties supporting Allen's in Arkansas.

The Reporter also did the math, concluding that, if the 80 or so cell phones supposedly distributed by AT&T staffers were used to vote for him throughout the May 19 performance show, he would get a maximum of 96,000 text-messaged votes -- hardly enough to sway a competition that Fox said attracted 100 million votes.

Of course, since vote totals are not released to the public, we only have Idol's word that there were 100 million votes, or that their screening process filtered out bulk voting, or that the margin between the finalists was big enough that 100,000 or so votes wouldn't matter, anyway.

I understand why votes totals aren't released during the show; they would skew the competition by telegraphing which contestants are more popular than the others.

But once the competition is done, there seems to be little problem in releasing vote totals for the finalists, broken down by week, so the public could see how the competition progressed.

I'm not holding my breath on this one. But given the intense public interest -- and laws on the books against manipulating game shows -- there seems to be a potent argument for pushing Fox to disclose how its voting totals played out.

Click below to read Fox and AT&T's statements, as published by the Hollywood Reporter: *

Tampa Tribune and WFLA-Ch. 8 owner Media General eliminates 85 more full-time positions

(UPDATED VERSION)

The Media General subsidiary that oversees the Tampa Tribune, NBC affiliate WFLA-Ch. 8 and several other bay area news platforms, today announced the elimination of 85 full-time positions in its Tampa platforms.

John Schueler, president of Media General's Florida Communications Group, would not specify names until he was sure every affected employee had been notified. But he said the reductions included more than 20 newsroom positions; the FCG Web site TBO.com reported 25 full-time newsroom positions eliminated.

This news comes two months after the company eliminated 65 jobs in Tampa, leaving some industry observers to wonder how FCG can keep all its platforms going. Schueler said that attempts to boost their advertising share were working, but not well enough to stave off the cutbacks.

"We're working hard to keep as many feet on the street as we can," he said, expressing hope this might be the last job reduction implemented at the company. "We're doing it like everyone else is -- (asking) staff to pick up duties when we let others go." 

The only confirmed name among the departures is morning anchor Bill Ratliff (left), who announced his June 25 retirement from the company weeks ago.

There are rumors about some veteran Tribune reporters who may be involved, but until I can confirm them, I won't publish any speculation.

According to the Web site, the cuts included 17 people from the Tribune newsroom, six from WFLA and two open positions.

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Conan O'Brien on taking over Tonight Show Monday: '(I'm) like a racehorse put in the stall five years ago'

He's days away from taking over the most storied franchise in late-night TV; a show that has only been hosted by four other people in the space of 55 years.

But Conan O'Brien sounds unruffled to the point of boredom while talking about his impending June 1 debut as the new host of NBC's Tonight Show, shrugging off controversy about the old host sticking around to lead a 10 p.m. show this fall -- imagine if Johnny Carson had moved to prime time after handing his show to Jay Leno back in 1992 -- and emphasizing his friendship with the previous regime.

"Jay staying with the network and going to 10 o'clock has made the transition easier for all of us," O'Brien insisted in a conference call with journalists Tuesday. "He's happy, I'm happy. It's kind of a godsend."

In the course of an hour, O'Brien also reveals his Tonight Show will keep his old theme from Late Night With Conan O'Brien, but in a new form, and his approach to the new show will mostly be about channeling his old self in a new Los Angeles studio. Now 46 and married with two kids, he's a very different man than the unknown 30-year-old who took over David Letterman's old time slot in 1993 -- an experienced hand given the biggest playground of his career.

With a hat tip to Esquire's What I've Learned series, here's some observations from O'Brien sans questions, as he prepared to take the hottest seat in late-night:

"Johnny Carson, when I first met him years ago, told me: just be yourself. That’s basically, all anyone who knows anything about these shows tells me – do it your way. These shows are such an extension of the host. A host has to put his stamp on it, that’s the only way it’s going to work.”

"In my career, I never once said I’m going to do X because that would be a good rating. I always seem to do things that were funny, and the ratings follow. Foremost in my mind was really to try hard to give people a good show try and establish that the Tonight Show – the tradition at least continues.”

"I have a rule, which is don’t over-think this. My most important job is to think of funny things to do with my writers and really enjoy this. When I’m having fun it seems to be good television. If I’m happy, it tends to look good on television. I know it’s a big responsibility, but man it would be a shame not to enjoy this.”

Post-Memorial Day extra: Deggans talks Cheney and Miss California on NPR

Last week was so busy, I never found time to post a link to my most recent appearance on National Public Radio -- as one of four voices on a debate segment in the show Tell Me More, called The Barbershop.

The segment actually aired on May 15, featuring me and Tell Me More host Michel Martin trying to temper columnist Ruben Navarette's aggressive criticism of President Barack Obama. How we wound up talking about Miss California Carrie Prejean, I'll never know -- but we spent WAY more time on the "controversy" than I expected.

Since I'm catching up from being off yesterday, here's a post linking to the segment. Check it out by clicking here.

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