While NBC and Ryan Seacrest were all sorts of excited to announce their new reality project, Momma’s Boys (apply here!), last week, at least one person wasn’t to thrilled.
That would be Lutfu Murat Uckardesler, who claims to have invented the show’s format (slogan: “mothers of eligible bachelors help their sons pick the right woman”) with Perfect Bride, which has found ratings success in Turkey, Italy, across the Middle East.
“Last week, I was surprised when our clients started calling and sending emails of congratulation to us on our U.S. sales,” writes a representative of Uckardesler. “I was surprised as we had neither sold rights nor entered into any negotiations. Reading the press releases from NBC and Ryan Seacrest Productions, I was shocked to discover that even their wording was identical; ‘Mothers are now choosing the perfect brides for their momma’s boys.’” CONTINUED »
SEACREST, OUT As expected, Ryan Seacrest shoots down those rumors that he’s replacing Larry King. But the pre-show buzz was almost enough to get you to tune in, wasn’t it? [HP]
Ryan Seacrest on rumors he’s taking over for Larry King: “I will be on Larry’s show Thursday night. We will talk more about it with Larry. Larry is going to be on CNN as long as Larry wants to be but I am going to be Larry’s guest Thursday night and Larry and I are going to talk about everything.” [AH]
We could’ve sworn this reality show script had already been written, sold, and produced (MTV’s Parental Control?), but Ryan Seacrest and NBC are teaming for a new gimmick: Momma’s Boy, where “mothers of eligible bachelors help their sons pick the right woman.” It’s going to be a late summer entry, premiering after the Olympics. [Z2I] It’s also going to be Seacrest’s umpteenth show he works on, solidifying his “new Dick Clark” status, and those bags under his eyes.
It’s unclear if The Scoop’s Courtney Hazlett knows Larry King renewed his contract with CNN through 2010 or whether she just chose to overlook it in favor of the deal’s loophole, which doesn’t guarantee King his 9pm timeslot, but she’s pushing rumors that Ryan Seacrest is planning to take over for King, supposedly, in 2009. Which, um, would be impossible? Not according to a CNN source, who claims the American Idol host is in “serious negotiations” to assume hosting duties by year’s end.
Either way, the gossip mill chum isn’t good news for Katie Couric, whose camp has been putting out feelers for the King slot for months.
Update: Worth noting: This isn’t the first time MSNBC gossip Hazlett has run into trouble with her reporting (but when haven’t us gossips?). As the Observer notes, she had to have her story about James Frey pulled from the website on Thursday because it was based on false info.
A new Emmy category, “outstanding host for a reality or reality-competition program,” could pit Ryan Seacrest, Jeff Probst, and Tyra Banks against each other in a contest for making the most dramatic facial expression and repeating the most obnoxious trademarked phrase. CONTINUED »
At left, the new issue of Details: “Ryan Seacrest knows what you think of him.”
At right, the January issue of The Advocate: “Lance Bass knows you talk trash about him.”
It’s not that we think Dan Peres copied The Advocate.
It’s just there are so few things you can say about gay people to make them sound interesting.
(Click image for a larger version)
Last night it took two hours for Ryan Seacrest to get through all of the twelve contestants remaining on American Idol. Hopefully it’ll take even less time to debunk the rumors that he’s sleeping with Sunset Tan reality “star” Holly Huddleston.
The In Touch that’s hitting newsstands today will report the Idol and E! News host is dating the E! channel personality, notwithstanding the fact that back in March 2007, In Touch’s website was pleased to run a poll titled “Is Ryan Seacrest gay?” (In that week’s issue, they also had “ex-girlfriend” Shanna Wall proclaim his straightness.)
Ryan also had Perez Hilton on his radio show yesterday, where the celeb blogger asked Ryan straight out if he was gay; Ryan denied it, claiming he had been with a woman for 12 hours straight recently.
How the over-employed Seacrest finds 12 hours in his day to do any single thing remains a mystery. Exposing the “I’m straight” ploy Ryan pulled last time with Teri Hatcher and the help of BFF Ken Baker (now on staff at E!) and Us Weekly, however, does not.
The exiting Us Weekly veteran is “in final negotiations with E! with Ted [Harbert, the network president] who loves him and Ryan Seacrest pushed to get him this job,” says the inbox. “Ryan has made it easy for his friend to get a job there. No official announcement yet but he is already working stories for them. He’s very excited about his new role thanks to the one friend he has left in Hollywood. With Ryan’s help he is negotiating for a big role and the top guns at E! love Ryan and love Ken.”
In a recent, sort-of revealing interview with a London tabloid, resident American Idol meanie Simon Cowell denies being a closeted homosexual, though refuses to address questions pertaining to why he wears the same black t-shirt every single day. Says Cowell:
If I was [gay] why hide it? It’s not as if the music business would be an odd place for a gay man to work. And anyway, if I was trying to hide the fact that I was gay, I would be off playing rugby every Saturday, wouldn’t I?
Either that or you’d be going tanning, getting your highlights retouched and having your eyebrows waxed and overcompensating by pretending to date Teri Hatcher.
• Ryan Seacrest will produce Tales From the Hoff, a new E! scripted sitcom featuring David Hasselhoff that we’ll all be sure to miss.
• NBC plans to launch a game show called “My Dad is Better Than Your Dad,” pitting fathers and children against other families in the spirit of friendly competition. Because there’s nothing healthier than telling a small child, “Your dad kinda sucks.”
• Three men are charged in connection with the Jan. 9 murder of PC World editor Rex Farrance. Nope, nothing funny about that.
• Apparently we’re not the only ones who think MSNBC producer Dan Abrams is too pretty to stay off-camera.
• If you think Bill O’Reilly’s comment about the difference between black restaurants and white restaurants was stupid, wait until you hear Sherri Shepherd’s reaction.
• Breaking: Reality television inspires romance that doesn’t last.
With the 59th Annual Primetime Awards less than a month away, Fox finally (and somewhat begrudgingly) names the ubiquitous Ryan Seacrest as its host.
Which is strange because typically, as you may know, the Emmy’s tend to be hosted by someone who’s (a) funny, and (b) named well in advance, thereby giving the network sufficient time to adequately shove said host-to-be’s name down our throats and generally over-promote the notoriously boring and self-congratulatory snoozefest.
• Usher insists that the nuptials are still on track despite ample evidence to the contrary (i.e. he’s a philandering mama’s boy who traumatized his fiancee by canceling his wedding just two days ago).
• If you missed Beyonce’s fall (and the subsequent “I’m okay—wait, no I’m not” stumble) here’s your chance to watch it all over again. And again. And again. She’s so self-conscious!
• Actress Anne Hathaway ditches her own Hampton’s premiere (of Becoming Jane) in favor of an embarrassing public fight with her boyfriend. She then recovers/overcompernsates by showing up “all smiles” to the “rager” of an after-party.
• In a misguided attempt to defend Anne’s honor, Cinema Society founder Andrew Saffir says, “If [Anne] seemed emotional it was because she had not yet seen the film in its entirety, and she found even the little she watched of the opening very moving.” Riiiiight.
Okay, so remember that time pretentious musician (and avid Grey’s Anatomy watcher) John Mayer totally “dissed” Ryan Seacrest by referring to him as the “Anderson Cooper of E!” and then answering his obligatory query about Jessica Simpson in garbled Japanese?
Well, it turns out it was all sort of pre-planned! And, in case you needed more evidence that Mayer is kind of a douche, there’s this!
JOHN Mayer knew he was facing questions about his relationship with Jessica Simpson when he did an interview with Ryan Seacrest [at the Grammy’s] last year, so he came prepared. “Ryan Seacrest is like my own little Richard Simmons,” Mayer told GQ.com. “I like bits. I practiced that line for three days. When Ryan says, ‘You know I have to ask you’ - which is one of the dumbest prefaces of all time - I think, ‘Maybe I’ll just answer you in Japanese. And then you’ll have to figure it out. So now I’m the guy on top.’ “
Tough words, but we think Ryan Seacrest will be able to shake them off. Besides, we hear he’s actually more of a “bottom” anyway.
**The red carpet footage, in cased you missed it, after the jump.**
• Unable to tamper with her ankle monitoring bracelet and not content to simply sit back and sip on Shirley Temples, Lindsay Lohan has apparently figured out the secret to a happy, sober existence: total Ecstasy.
• Either that or LiLo’s holed up in her room getting high on whippets, chugging cold meds, and screaming “Mo’ Tussin!”
• An unleashed Suri Cruise terrorized a Barnes & Nobles on Monday, throwing books at Katie Holmes’ feet and generally pissing off all the bookish singletons looking for love in the self-help aisle.
• Ryan Seacrest needs a new beard, preferably one who doesn’t say things like, “Beer doesn’t give you a yeast infection, right?” or start singing, “I’m not wearing pantyhose.”
• Usher finds a clever way to alienate his biggest and only fan.
• Gwen Stefani sues Forever 21 for making even crappier clothes than usual.
NBC may have paid $1 million for Paris Hilton’s interview – outbidding ABC by some $900k – but what did Ryan Seacrest and E! have to pay for access?
Nothing. CONTINUED »
• Christina Aguilera tricks her new hubby into wearing an effeminate grass skirt by telling him, “You are beautiful. No matter what they say.”
• Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson’s adulterous affair-turned-relationship is over, even before it “officially” ever began.
• Thanks to Sarah Silverman, Cisco Adler’s balls will be hanging around for just a little while longer.
• Victoria Beckham defies gravity and mandatory pants-or-skirt requirement in this revolutionary corset singlet.
• Watch out Lindsay—there’s a new hottie in town. And she doesn’t have “mandatory drug-testing” written into her employment agreement.
• Who knew Ryan Seacrest acting like himself could be so damn hilarious?
Did you hear about Ellen falling down, hurting her back and being put on mandatory bed rest? Well, apparently a horrific injury wasn’t enough to prevent her from yakking it up on her daytime talk show. So, the laid-up lesbian lass did what anyone in her (horizontal) position would have done: she hosted the most recent episodes of the Ellen DeGeneres Show straight from her hospital bed—while gabbing with celebrity guests on adjoining gurneys.
CONTINUED »
First off, kudos to Us Weekly, who managed to score actual celebrities for Thursday night’s Hot Hollywood party in L.A. Remember when Star editorial director Bonnie Fuller tried lining up a few notables for her book party and forgot that her magazine might have insulted them and enraged their handlers?
But there’s Lindsay Lohan, Ciara, Rose McGowan, Ashley Simpson, David Arquette, Ali Larter, Justin Chambers, and Lauren Conrad. (Okay, that last one doesn’t count.)
Also making appearances? Ryan Seacrest and Carmen Electra, of course, otherwise known as the best friends of Us’s online chief Ken Baker, who’s holding the mic, next to Brandi Williams. Not that we’re implying there’s anything less than sanitary about this synergy of personal and business interests, of course. The way Ryan makes his entrance on the American Idol stage is certainly worthy of style recognition, as is the way Carmen moves those bottles of NV.
Editorial Director
