Last week was an emotional roller-coaster for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Just days after brother-in-law Matt Hasselbeck's Seattle Seahawks were deprived of a Super Bowl win, she and the other ladies of ABC's The View racked up 10 Daytime Emmy nods. Is this the year that they at last grab the gold for Outstanding Talk Show Host? Just minutes after the nominations were announced, TVGuide.com caught up with Hasselbeck, aka that sunny Survivor, to discuss the show's chances and to tackle a very hot topic — the questionable refereeing during that Super Bowl loss.
TVGuide.com: First of all, congratulations on The View's nominations [including best talk show]!Elisabeth Hasselbeck: Thank you. The show's been nominated right from the jump, so it's nice to know it's always been in the game. It's certainly deserved it every single year.
TVGuide.com: From where you're sitting, when
read more
Answer: This humble game-show host can bluff at poker with the best of them. Question: Who is Alex Trebek? Too bad that he ultimately lost on, well, not Jeopardy!, but Celebrity Poker. Hey, at least he fared better than Sean Connery in an SNL parody of Celebrity Jeopardy!. Tonight was quite an exciting night: Dave had to call for security when Michael Vartan tried to return to the table after getting his butt kicked by Anthony Anderson's quad five slow play; those same fives reared their ugly heads when Alex landed a set to take a bunch of Anthony's cash; and awesome poker-player Annie Duke (whom I want to be just like when I grow up) dropped by for a short visit. So cool, as she's like, the coolest chick in this often male-dominated game. I think that even though she picked newcomer Amber Tamblyn to win, she'd probably be pretty proud that Curb Your Enthusiasm's Cheryl Hines
read more
Question: I have a question. Why are reality shows termed "reality shows" when they are, in actuality, a competition? People are competing for a prize. That's a game show, so why aren't they called game shows? I can understand shows like MTV's The Real World being called a reality show because at the end of their stay, the kids pack up their stuff and leave. But a show like Survivor is a competition.
Answer: True, which is why when it comes to finding a designation for them at the Emmys, there's a separation between "Reality-Competition Program" (which will likely be won by The Amazing Race again) and "Reality Program" (an all-encompassing umbrella for shows as diverse as Antiques Roadshow, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy). While you're absolutely right that many of these shows are glorified game shows, they also tend to include new elements of unscripted drama and enhanced production elements that have formed the basis for a basically new genre of
...
read more
