BY JENNIFER WULFF
TALK SHOW
With a string of sweet-natured subs—Kelly Monaco, Deborah Roberts, Kellie Pickler—taking Star Jones Reynolds's seat for the past few weeks, The View has never been sunnier. And I've never been more bored. Brandy was so amiable, she had Barbara Walters cooing: "You're adorable on this show—everyone loves you!" Zzzzz. One of the few memorable moments came when Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who had been on a fasting diet for seven days, went on a hilarious eating binge during a dessert-tasting segment.
According to View producers, official auditions for the empty seat won't begin until after Rosie O'Donnell arrives, when the show returns from hiatus on Sept. 5. My vote? Gayle King, one of the first rumored to replace Reynolds. On a July 19 visit, she was self-assured when discussing the rumors about her BFF relationship with Oprah. As a mom and a former reporter, she has the right mix of personal and professional experience. Plus, she'd add some much needed diversity to the panel.
Meanwhile, I'm still mourning the loss of Star. I haven't been this sad at the demise of a love-hate relationship since The Swan went off the air.
WE (Sundays, 8 p.m. ET)
REALITY
Calling all Bridezillas fans! WE has added another weddings show to its schedule that will have you elbowing your husband until he bruises. The brides on this show don't throw off attitude—they toss around cash. And lots of it. Bengal tigers, 12-course dinners, 17-piece bands. No expense is spared at these elaborate events. Between ooohs and ahhhs, you want to find some reason to find fault with these couples for the utter excess of it all. But darnit, most of the brides seem to realize it's really the love that makes a wedding special. The rest is for fun! Even the grooms are sweethearts. "When we walked into the tent ... it looked like it was kind of like a fairy tale," says one. "Then I realized it was ours." Now that's beautiful.
ABC (Mondays, 10 p.m. ET)
REALITY
It has all the right ingredients—11 hot single New Yorkers (including a set of twins), one shared beach house and, of course, a hot tub. Alas, this faux-feeling reality series is so boring, they couldn't even make the introductions sound fun: "John is really funny and a total romantic." Go on! "Lisa's the shy one, but, hello, check out the body." Please. With TV this dull, I'd sooner check out a book from the library.
The hardest part of filling in on The View? "Choosing my outfit," says Dancing with the Stars judge Inaba, 38, who describes her July 10 gig "like stopping by for a cup of coffee." Inaba, whose third season of Stars starts Sept. 12, says her best View moment was getting a hug from Walters at the end. Anything she'd like to tell her? "I'd love to go back," she says. "It was one of the best experiences I've ever had."
Fear Factor (NBC, Aug. 1, 8 p.m. ET) This week's competitors, chosen by viewers, take part in a stunt dubbed "the largest explosion in Fear Factor history!" Awesome.
The World Series of Pop Culture (VH1, Aug. 3, 10 p.m. ET) If you're lost on the whole Middle East conflict, but you do know the name of the oldest Cosby kid, this is the game show for you.
Inside the Actors Studio (Bravo, July 31, 9 p.m. ET) Dreamy Hugh Laurie undergoes a little invasive interviewing by James Lipton.
Shark Week (Discovery Channel, begins July 30) Among the specials in the 19th year of the franchise (hosted by Mike Rowe—see box on page 40): Science of Shark Sex. Sounds painful.
Shock to the System (here!, Check listings) Morgan Fairchild plays a socialite whose son is murdered. Gay detective Donald Strachey (Chad Allen) is on the case.
1) HOST MIKE ROWE. With the perfect balance of humor and respect, he digs right in with everyone from septic tank cleaners to roughnecks to turkey farmers. "Holy crap!" he'll say, before barfing into the ocean while grinding chum.
2) THE LESSONS. Whether learning what a vomitologist does (hint: it's as gross as it sounds) or how that burger you couldn't finish eventually ends up fertilizing a vineyard, the "ohhhh, so that's how that works" moments are priceless.
3) THE MANLY MEN. My boss wears Prada shoes. His boss wears Gucci suits. The guys on Dirty Jobs? Instead of shopping for reptile-skin briefcases, they're working up a sweat skinning alligators, and until smellavision catches on, that's what I call sexy.
COMEBACK QUEEN
The actress, 43, talks about her Emmy nod for The Comeback, which is out on DVD Aug. 1.
Is it bittersweet getting a nomination for a canceled show?
No, it's wonderful. Just because it was canceled doesn't mean we weren't doing good work.
Did you wake up early that day?
No, but people started calling at 6 in the morning. My husband kept answering the phone and I thought, "Oh, there's some crisis!" Courteney [Cox] sent flowers, which was nice.
How do you rate your odds?
If I don't win, it won't be a big shock. I'll just keep doing things I wanna do, you know?
At the Television Critics Association's summer conference in Pasadena, Calif., stars of the network's fall shows hosted Q&As with the press. Some snippets from TV critic Tom Gliatto.
CLOTHES ENCOUNTER Asked what she might wear when she starts as CBS's news anchor on Sept. 5, Katie Couric smiled tightly. "You're kidding, right?" she said, clearly preferring questions about her work, not her wardrobe. "I've actually gone to Charlie Gibson's stylist and discussed that at length." Somehow, I think she was kidding.
WON'T CRY UNCLE While chatting about Everybody Hates Chris, which will move to the CW network this fall, Chris Rock admitted that of the first season's 22 episodes, "there were three I hated." So which ones were they? As much as he was prodded, Rock stayed firm. "I can't do that," he said. "Hey, I got three uncles I hate too, but I won't tell them."
ANIMAL MAGNETISM The session to promote Anne Heche's new comedy-drama Men in Trees was dominated by questions about a raccoon that Heche's character encounters on the show. Creator Jenny Bicks explained that Elvis, as he's called, had a terrier play stunt double for a scene in which the raccoon runs down a set of stairs. "However, I would not tell the dog that," she said. "The dog thinks its stunt double was the raccoon. It's complicated."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
