Donald Trump gave Michael Laungani not so much a Bronx cheer but a Rutgers one, when the 29-year-old Chicagoan nearly cost the ill-fated Gold Rush guys their most valuable asset: a bevy of collegiate pom-pom girls. Was Michael simply too nice a guy to play with the reality-TV sharks? (And why does he want to tangle with real sharks?) Here's what he told TVGuide.com the day after his firing.
TVGuide.com: Dude, where did you come from? So many people I've talked to agree that you kinda just appeared out of thin air on Week 7.Michael Laungani: [Chuckles] A lot of people said I was "flying under the radar." I looked at it this way: If flying under the radar means not getting involved in meaningless gossip, self-promotion or pet
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Question: Please settle a bet between my friend and me. I am positive that I remember the actor Morgan Freeman on the kids' show The Electric Company in the mid-'70s. My friend says no way. Who is right? I have a bottle of very good wine riding on this!
Answer: Well, this oughtta pop your cork, then, Jessica. (And, at the risk of beating this horse to death, all you goofuses who hold back on the details of your betting should take note of Jessica's gallant move of telling me what she and her pal have at stake in their bet.)
Freeman did indeed play Easy Reader, the afro-wearing character who helped a generation of children learn to read on the brilliant Electric Company, from 1971 to 1976. That role followed acclaimed work on stage and represented the actor's first break in television, but his feelings about the job seem to depend on when you ask him about it. In 2001, when he served as chair of the
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Question: In your Aug. 15 column, you commented that you didn't understand the market for edited R-rated movies on broadcast and basic-cable television. I was a little surprised by that remark, because it was somewhat insensitive for you. The market for edited-for-TV movies exists because there are many people who really want to see Titanic (yes, I know it's PG-13) but don't necessarily want an extended view of Kate Winslet's breasts. It exists because there are people who want to see an inspirational story like The Shawshank Redemption, but don't necessarily want the F-word hurtled at them numerous times. These are the same people who would probably enjoy Deadwood or The Sopranos were it not for HBO inserting as much profanity as possible just because they can (a topic you have also addressed). The fact is that many people avoid R-rated movies in theaters because of moral or religious objections. With the "offending" material cut from TV airings, at least these people can experience ...
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