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Damon Lindelof, writer and executive producer of “LOST” and other hit TV shows, says he won’t work with Disney-ABC while Jimmy Kimmel is out.
Don’t forget, “LOST” was a huge hit for ABC.
He says, “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”
This is just the beginning of ripple waves from Bob Iger and Dana Walden’s decision to suspend Kimmel. If this goes on into next week, we’re going to see a lot more posts like this one.
Jon Stewart usually hosts “The Daily Show” on Monday nights.
But given last night’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel by ABC, Stewart will host the show tonight.
It airs at 11pm on Comedy Central, owned by CBS, which canceled Stephen Colbert.
There will be fireworks, no doubt.
I expected Stewart to be seething and spot on in regard to ABC’s censoring of Kimmel. It should be brutal.
Kimmel is staying silent for now, although he has every right to be angry and feel betrayed by the Disney higher-ups for not protecting him from the Luddites and cowards at ABC, Nexstar, and Sinclair media.
Remember, Kimmel started his career hosting The Man Show on Comedy Central for five years back in 1999. Despite various items about Kimmel’s ratings being low — all planted today by ABC and Disney — don’t forget, he was gone for the summer and only returned to his desk two weeks ago.
Mostly it’s a lot of young women who will be working on social media.
They did snatch the editor in chief of Mediaite to cover Washington. Also, a big catch sounds like Lindsey Underwood, who escaped the The Washington Post Style Section.
But the main focus is on their new West Coast editor. As foretold by the magazine’s new editor, Olivia Nuzzi has joined Vanity Fair.
Nuzzi comes with her own scandal. At New York Magazine, last year, it was revealed she had some kind of affair with Robert Kennedy Jr., the absolute nut case now Health secretary to Trump.
Nuzzi wrote a big feature about Kennedy and fell for him or whatever, and they conducted some type of relationship that Kennedy described as digital or viral or online.
Whatever it was it broke up Nuzzi’s engagement to another journalist. It also violated just about every code of journalism that should exist. She didn’t tell New York magazine what was going on. When they found out, they fired her.
Vanity Fair global editorial director Mark Guiducci, 36, who got his job because he was a friend of Anna Wintour’s daughter, is working hard to establish himself. He’s doing a great job so far. Nuzzi, he says, will be editing stories across platforms and topic areas, with a focus on events, industries, and culture of the Pacific region, as well as writing for the magazine.
I do like her Anna Wintour-like sunglasses author’s photo. She’s workin’ it, that’s for sure.
Under Graydon Carter, we cared so much about Vanity Fair. That ship has sailed and been blown up by the Houthi’s. Guiducci doesn’t have much power– Wintour has to approve everything. His Oscar party will be held not in several massive tents on Santa Monica Blvd but in a powder room at the Four Seasons. His profiles and news will be safe Valentine’s. And Nuzzi’s role in all this will be heavily scrutinized by people much more curious than myself.
Meantime, semrush.com says VanityFair.com has dropped 14% in traffic. Newsstand sales? Forget it.
Guiducci is like Trump when he says everything wrong is due to Biden. Guiducci blames it all on past editors. He fired movie reviewer Richard Lawson, who joined The Hollywood Reporter. Also fired two more movie writers who are thriving outside of Conde Nast.
Let’s put our own sunglasses on and get back to work!
The station featured the Yankees every day. They also had the best 11pm reruns with “The Honeymooners,” “The Odd Couple,” and “Seinfeld.”
Well, that was a long time ago, in a far away galaxy.
No one ever took Channel 11’s news shows seriously, and their ratings have always been way behind the main channels 2, 4. 4. and 7. A lot of people probably don’t realize they still have news, although I’m always pleasantly surprised to see Magee Hickey and Kaity Tong.
These days, Channel 11 is owned by guess who? Nexstar, the conservative network that just forced ABC to oust Jimmy Kimmel.
The owner of Nexstar is Perry Sook, and that name will sound familiar to WPIX viewers. Perry Sook, Jr. is a sportscaster on the station.
He’s not the lead. That’s Mark Malusis, Joe Mauceri, Nelson Figueroa. But Sook Jr. is there, and we can surmise he had at least some inside pull. I’m sure he loves sports, like all of us, but his background according to his website, is musical theater. He played Shrek in a national tour.
Singing or dancing, don’t downplay this: the Sooks are on the rise. Senior Sook controls 200 TV stations and not just at ABC but at all the networks. He is deeply conservative. In addition to Nexstar, Sook also owns News Nation, which — despite some familiar faces — a right leaning news network that would love to take on Fox News.
Coming on the heels of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC from his talk show, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, et al remained silent. They seem like they’ve been gagged by ABC.
The opening segment is a rerun of yesterday’s conversation about with discussion of Kash Patel’s Congressional Hearing.
Basically, the show opened with a birthday greeting to Sarah Haines, with a white background and colorful sprinkles on the floor.
Then the lighting darkened and the show subbed in yesterday’s segment about Patel’s hearing. There was no other morning greeting because they were now returning to somethingrom yesterday.
Guests like Eugene Levy and Terry Bradshaw are scheduled live this morning.
They returned from commercial to a discussion about RFK Jr and nothing about Kimmel or anything referring to what happened to Kimmel.
There’s absolutely no way Whoopi or Joy would not have commented on the Kimmel suspension unless ABC forbade them.
The great comedian Wanda Sykes was supposed to be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel’s show last night.
Of course, that didn’t happen since the show was suspended before taping time.
Sykes says Trump didn’t stop the Ukraine or Gaza wars as promised the first week of his administration but “he did end freedom of speech within his first year.”
“For those about to pray,” Sykes tells her followers, “now’s the time to do it.”
The Writers Guild of America is standing up for Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.
Let’s not forget that Disney’s egregious decision to suspend Kimmel’s show affects not just the host but his entire staff including Guillermo.
These are real people backstage and in the crew whose lives depend on the show.
Kimmel did nothing wrong. He’s being railroaded by people who are denying the First Amendment and buy into Trump’s authoritarian program.
Did I ever think I’d be writing such things? No. But freedom of speech and all journalism is being threatened by Trump and his cronies. We are at a major turning point.
Will Kimmel’s suspension be temporary or permanent? I can’t imagine him apologizing for what is his right as an American.
Whatever happens, it won’t be easy.
WGA Statement on ABC’s Decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other – to disturb, even – is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people. It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.
As a Guild, we stand united in opposition to anyone who uses their power and influence to silence the voices of writers, or anyone who speaks in dissent. If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the Constitution. What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree.
Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.
The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.
this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.Â
The Hot Topic should be Jimmy Kimmel getting suspended by their own network.
You can guess where Joy Behar stands on this issue. Whoopi Goldberg? I can’t imagine her not taking Kimmel’s side.
And then what? Will Disney fire all of them, too?
With the Kimmel suspension, Disney now gambles on whether anyone will do business with them again.
This could certainly affect this year’s Oscars, which are set to be hosted again by another comic, Conan O’Brien. Will Conan do the job if Kimmel isn’t back on the air?
How will ABC deal will all these comedians who go live on their air?
What’s happened tonight with Kimmel raises a lot of questions about how broadcast television is going to operate under Trump’s authoritarian regime. We might see a great migration to streaming by anyone with an opinion counter to Trump.
Meantime, Colbert and Kimmel have been leveled by Trump in a few short months. Who’s next? David Ellison wants to buy Warner Bros to get his hands on CNN. Ellison is a Trump supporter whose father, Larry, head of Oracle, has just been handed TikTok. If you extrapolate, you won’t be able to sleep…
Look for the rise of Beehiv, Substack, and even YouTube to the extent that they won’t censor content suppliers.
Meantime, Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade declared that homeless people should be euthanized. He still has his job.
Donald Trump is so thrilled that ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel.
He writes on social media: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJTC
When Stephen Colbert was cancelled — at Trump’s urging through new Paramount CBS owner David Ellison — Trump predicted that Kimmel would be next. He knew in July this was going to happen.
This is the same Trump who shook down CBS and ABC in lawsuits for millions of dollars. They caved to him and once that blackmail worked Trump was in charge.
Meantime, when CNN’s Brian Stelter emailed FCC chairman and Trump lackey Brendan Carr about Carr instigating the Kimmel suspension, Carr responded with a GIF from “The Office” of characters celebrating.
This is the world we live in now thanks not just to MAGA but to Democrats and Independents who voted for Trump. This means you, Brian Grazer.