Strollerderby : ABC

'In the Motherhood' Gets Partial Cut

Jen Chaney — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:30:00 GMT

After all the hoopla about the "In the Motherhood" premiere, it appears that ABC isn't 100 percent confident in the show's long-term success.

According to the L.A. Times, the day after the one-time Web series's premiere on primetime television, ABC execs cut its episode order in half, from 13 down to seven.

"Motherhood" earned a 4.6 Nielsen rating and a 7 share, meaning 4.6 percent of U.S. households were tuned in, and 7 percent of all turned-on televisions were locked into ABC when the comedy aired Thursday at 8 p.m. That put it in third place for its timeslot, behind "American Idol" (shocker) and the NCAA Tournament on CBS.

Clearly going up against "Idol" and basketball put "In the Motherhood" in an unfair position. The "Idol" results show usually airs on Wednesdays (it aired Thursday this week because Obama's primetime press conference on Tuesday messed with the show's schedule), and the tourney is a temporary event. Which raises the question: Did ABC execs respond too hastily here? Does the show deserve to have more of an opportunity to grow over 13 episodes?

Or is the show just plain bad? I only caught a brief slice of it due to (irony alert!) parental responsibilities and the fact that I forgot to set the DVR. But I wasn't hugely impressed. Then again, as several commenters on Jeanne's live-blog of the premiere pointed out, pilots don't always give the most reliable sense of how solid a show will be in the long run. (Classic example: "Seinfeld.")

Those commenters seemed willing to give the show a chance. While I'm not sure if the series will get less contrived, I do think studio execs tend to cut shows far too quickly based on ratings results. Any good show does need a little time to develop.

If you want more "Motherhood," or if you think they have made the right call here, let the folks at ABC know by posting a comment.

TUNE IN: Join Our Live Blog of In the Motherhood TONIGHT

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:26:00 GMT

We've been going a little crazy getting ready for tonight's premiere of the new ABC show "In the Motherhood" around here.

And why not? It's not every day we get a show that's ALL about parents.

We're finally at the big day! The show premieres tonight at 8 eastern/7 central, and we'll be right there watching it with you. . . and live blogging the whole thing. Will Megan Mullally be as loveable when she doesn't have a Karen-sized drink in her hands? Will Cheryl Hines be as bust-a-gut funny as we're used to?

Get ready for the show by reading our recent Five Minute Time Out interview with Mullally and Hines (if you haven't already), then get back here tonight at 8 p.m. to talk back to us about what you love, what you loathe and why you'll be tuning in again every Thursday night on ABC. And get over to the ABC site to submit your real-life story of what goes on in your motherhood.

Husband Loses Job, Wife Loses Respect For Him

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:00:00 GMT

We all know how tough it is out there. The number of jobs is shrinking by the day, and layoffs are common. Many families still follow the traditional model where the husband is the breadwinner and the wife takes care of the children and housekeeping duties. Nothing wrong with that. But let's say dad loses his job. He didn't quit because he missed out on a promotion, nor was he fired for making photocopies of his butt. He was laid off. It happens. Mom should be supportive, right? Flexible. Do what needs to be done to keep the family together.

Well, yes. Of course. But in the case of this couple that was profiled on ABC's Good Morning America, wifey has lost respect for her fella. She's not attracted to him anymore. In fact, they are sleeping in separate beds.

The wife in question, Eleanor Hemmert, had this to say about her husband Rick: "It's the respect. I wish I could say something different, but I've lost so much respect for him. And I think the dynamics with a man and a woman is a woman has to respect her husband. And if she doesn't, that relationship just goes away."

In an illustration of what I meant when I questioned a passage from Kate Gosselin's book, Eleanor also said: "That's one of the basic things that little girls grow up thinking - that the man is going to put the roof over her head, he is going to support the family." And when it doesn't happen, you get angry. Expectations can be bad when the person is inflexible.

I'm not in their marriage, so I don't know what else is going on. But this couple chose to put themselves on TV, so I'm commenting. Anytime I hear a woman complain that her husband isn't doing the manly work that she expects her man to be doing, it really irks me. If a woman were told to stay home and get pregnant, and that her place was in the kitchen, preferably barefoot, would she like that? Or that it was perfectly reasonable to pay her less money than a man who does the same job? Granted, those things happen all the time. But they're wrong. So is this woman's attitude.

Of course, Husband Rick isn't helping matters. "I think it is in every man's DNA to be the breadwinner. It's very humbling for me. It changes the dynamic of our relationship immensely. There is a wedge that has appeared. I feel the anger. I feel the tension. This house is not as joyous as it should be."

See, that's a choice. It's not in any man's "DNA" that he has "to be the breadwinner." It's in his mind, and the mind of his wife. Sometimes things change. Is it unpleasant? Sure. Is it worth ruining your marriage for? No way.

I understand that it's probably very frustrating for any couple when the primary breadwinner loses their job. But it's not like Mr. Man decided to quit being a salesman in order to pursue his dream of being a rodeo clown. Wife Eleanor is also complaining that she has to work more hours now, and that Rick cooks dinner poorly. But is that really fair? If he's just sitting around the house all day with his feet up, I can see being annoyed about that. But that's different from being so furious about something that was outside of you and your husband's control that you can't even sleep in the same room anymore.

Their daughter Elizabeth is "picking up" the tension between mom and dad. While both husband and wife are angry at each other and feel "underappreciated", their daughter is "suffering silently," says ABC News. "If the kids sense that you are unhappy and you don't talk to them about it, they may incorrectly blame themselves," they say. Good advice. Maybe the Hemmerts will take it.

Source: ABC News

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Morning News: Does LA Times Hold Key to Obama Downfall?

Madeline Holler — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 GMT

McCain's campaign is accusing the LA Times of intentionally refusing to release a video that they say could have serious implications on the Obama presidential campaign. The newspaper said it promised a source it would not release the video and the organization intends to keep that promise.

Meanwhile, the paper reported on the tape and its contents back in April of this year in a story about the candidate's ties to Palestinians and Jews when he was getting into Chicago politics.

In the tape, Obama pays tribute to Rashid Khalidi, a scholar and critic of Israel and an advocate for Palestinian rights.

Will this be just enough to twist the winds of this election? Then again, there's always this McCain 1964 car crash rejoinder for those paying attention.

Or, or, or ... do the Republicans have another weapon flying under the radar? Namely, Todd Palin? Apparently the ladies are lovin' Todd, what with his strong-silent-type-ish-ness and his manly (yet modern Mr. Mom) pursuits. Does Todd Palin make you wanna spread your wealth and vote GOP?

Like a crisp white shirt and well-fitting black slacks, the Palin wardrobe story has become a timeless classic. Today's Daily Palin $150K update: Editor and meanie Fred Barnes, who called loyal McCain campaign adviser-turned-Palin-adviser Nicolle Wallace a coward for not admitting SHE'S the mystery couture shopper, recanted late yesterday. He says he got some bad info.

As for Wallace, she says she was more than willing to lie there under the bus, taking full blame for the fiasco. Looks like she won't have to.

Sarah Palin has called on her fellow Alaskan, "Uncle" Ted Stevens, to give up his Senate seat and his campaign for re-election. Stevens was convicted on felony charges this week. Is Palin looking out for Alaska's best interest? If by Alaska, you mean Sarah Palin, then some say the answer is "yes!"

Think McCain is getting hosed in the press? Well aren't you ... correct! A study shows there are more negative stories about McCain. This explains why and it's not what you think.

ABC's asking you not to watch Obama's 30-minute broadcast tonight. Because they missed the deadline to sell the ad space to the Democrat's campaign. But they're acting all haughty about it.

Things are a little icy between McCain and his running mate. Does that explain why Joe the Plumber is out saying stuff like "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel." Man, that McCain's real good at sussing out experts on international politics!

In a bit of counter-intuitive news: Wall Street had its second-best day ever.

In some "think big picture" good news: the slowing economy and credit crunch means fewer credit card offers junking up your mail box!

Nebraska plays refugee camp to yet another abandoned teen, this time a 15-year-old. Parents of teens have until January to get their kids to a Nebraska hospital, since alarmed legislators have amended the law to include only newborn infants up to three days old.

Finally, the melamine milk contamination disaster in China isn't over. Even worse, they're finding the protein substitute in eggs now too. Just yuck.

Photo: HuffPo

Political Nanny: McCain Gets Grilled on 'The View'

Madeline Holler — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:25:00 GMT

The women of ABC's The View grilled John McCain in a way we haven't seen before (which, for many, is rather depressing). They did let him redirect the conversations more than once.

For example, Joy had him going on having approved the ad accusing Obama of wanting Kindergartners to take part in comprehensive sex education and suddenly Barbara's talking "lipstick on a pig." But at least some of those questions have been put out there to the Senator himself.

Watch a collection of the videos via Huffington Post (sorry, ABC makes it a painful to link and you have to watch commericals).

Think this made a difference to undecideds? Wish they would have pushed it just a bit more -- the veins in his head were starting to pop -- to get some of that famous temper flaring? Or did he handle this with ease?

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Photo: huffingtonpost

Move Over SuperNanny Meet the SuperManny!

SunnyChanel — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Move over Jo Frost and take your British accent, sensible suits, and disapproving stares to your own fantasy land of well behaved and nicely mannered rug rats. There’s a new testosterone toting sheriff in town. Say hello to the SuperManny, a spin off of the highly rated behavior modification program.

First I must congratulate ABC on the utter originality of the name. Wow, genius. So why do they feel the need to do the show with a Manny (the role will be filled by the “gruff” Chicago child therapist Mike Ruggles?) "With a guy, he can connect with dads in a different kind of way," executive producer Nick Emmerson said. "It's really powerful stuff." We’ll have to wait to find out, the pilot will air in the Fall.

Extreme Makeover Home Now In Foreclosure

Madeline Holler — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:02:00 GMT

Tell me you didn't think "cha-ching!" the first (only?) time you ever watched ABC's wildly popular reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." I mean, come on. Families living on the edge are suddenly given more than a half-million dollar asset. You knew, we all knew, at least some of them were going to leverage all that stainless steel and terrazo and square footage into real cash money.

Well, at least one beneficiary of Ty's crew and Sears' product placement, errr, I mean generosity, and a town's skilled workers has turned over their extremely madeover home to the bank. The exquisitely appointment mini-mansion is in foreclosure. The family, a couple and three kids, is back to where they started -- broke and with nowhere to live.

The Harpers' house was built in 2005 near Atlanta to replace their falling down shack that had a non-functioning septic system. You know the drill: they got packed off to Disneyland, the town yells "move that bus!" and we all cried when each of the perfectly themed-out bedrooms, an entirely too large kitchen and lots of appliances and pools and a very special surprise room from Ty were revealed.

Flashforward: sitting on all that equity, the Harpers took out $450,000 in loans to start a construction company. Which failed. And they can't pay back the loan. It's 2008, housing bubble has burst, so selling is also not going to save them.

Now, of course my initial reaction is to think these people are idiots. But I'd like to know from them what it was like to get hounded by banks and credit companies promising them great deals on more and more loans (I have a hard time believing they took out that much in one shot). Personal finance is hardly a strength of a vast majority of Americans, we can all agree on that, right? So, yeah, I find myself feeling pretty sorry for the family.

As for ABC's role, they say they urge all their madeover families to seek professional financial help. I would hope they go the extra step and actually make recommendations. Because the part of me that thinks people cannot really be this reckless believes the Harpers were coddled by scoundrels who may have posed as neutral personal financial experts.

The mayor of their town is totally exasperated, incidentally. Here's what he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"It's aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it," Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt, who helped vault a massive beam into place in the Harper's living room, said.

Silver lining: the show and town also raised $250,000 in scholarships for the kids. Let's hope that was untouchable and is still accumulating interest in a fund somewhere.

Read the uplifting tale of the Harpers here. And go here for their downfall. Go here for more pictures of their -- uh, the bank's -- house.

What's your take on this situation? That's showbiz, baby?

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Photo: beatbodoglife.com

DVD Review: Our Country, USA to Z

Brett Singer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

With July 4th coming up in a couple of days, many of us are feeling patriotic. But in our current political climate, patriotism can be a highly charged topic. Personally, I think you should be able to love your country without buying into the ideology of a particular person or political party. More "celebrate what's great about America" and less "keep the immigrants out."

"Our Country, USA to Z" (Team Baby Entertainment) is more the former than the latter. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg in her usual slightly sleepy-voiced style, this is (mostly) politics-free patriotism.

The disc opens with a relatively painless song (performed by John Lennon Songwriting Award winner Joe McDermot) about our nation and how good it is, with shots of cute babies dancing around. Football, kids, cities, Native Americans, Statue of Liberty – pretty straightforward stuff, pleasantly presented.

Then come the letters. (The chapters on the DVD, available in the main menu, are helpfully split up by letter so you can skip around if you need to.) A is for America (duh), B is for Bell, as in "Liberty Bell," C is for Columbus (with no mention of Native Americans), D is for Diveristy, and so on. My favorite segment was J, which is of course for Jazz. Whoopi should do a whole DVD for kids on the history of jazz. M is for Military was a little weird, but kids will like the trucks and Coast Guard boats. There is a slightly right-of-center leaning revealed (I think) in the choice of "great presidents" (the letter P, of course): George Washington, Abraham Lincoln (a "civil war hero", no mention of freeing the slaves), Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. It's not a huge deal, but I'm guessing that the Democratic version of this disc might not mention ol' RR in this grouping.

There is a teeny amount of suspense when you watch "USA to Z" for the first time – what the heck are they going to do for X, for example? Since K was for King (as in Martin Luther King), I thought maybe we'd get Malcolm X, but they went with Railroad Crossing, which is a little lame, but at least features subways as well as railroads. Then there's "Road Trip," another original tune with a nice montage of video from the 50 states. These include cities as well as purple mountains majesty and amber waves of grain, something that, as a lifelong city dweller, I always appreciate. As always, there are cute kids of various colors and creeds bouncing around.

"Our Country, USA to Z" is a little different from the DVDs that Team Baby Entertainment typically puts out. Most of their content (which I've never seen) seems to be geared towards indoctrinating young children in the ways of sports fandom – Mets Baby, St. Louis Cardinals Baby, Red Sox Baby World Series Edition narrated by Ben Affleck (ouch, that was hard to type – guess who my favorite team is?), and of course, Yankees Baby, which I've never seen but is of course the best of the bunch (that would be my team.)

For the most part, this relatively short DVD is cute, harmless patriotism that does a decent job of including the different types of people and places that make up the United States of America. There is no mention of more controversial topics – Native Americans, slavery – but it is geared towards very young children; 2 or 3-year-olds is about right in my view. "Our Country, USA to Z" is educational, colorful, and doesn't go too far to the right. And when it does skew a little bit more Red State than Blue, that's tempered by the presence of the Whoopster's narration. Whoever hired her deserves a big, fat all-American raise.

image: Team Baby Entertainment

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Attack of the Monkey Children

Brett Singer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:00:00 GMT

When your children get older and (finally!) move out of the house, what are your plans?

a)   Move to a smaller place
b)   Turn their room into a casino
c)   Adopt a monkey

No, I didn't make that last one up. Amazingly, there are people that, when confronted with so-called "empty nest" syndrome, decide that the thing to do is to adopt a monkey.

Now, before you think, "aw, how cute, a monkey as a pet" or even, "what a horrible idea, having a monkey as a pet", you need to know one thing: many of these monkeys are not treated as pets. They are treated as children. They call them – monkids.

Tonight at 10pm on ABC, "Primetime: The Outsiders" will profile Lori and Jim Johnson, a couple of lunatics humans from Orlando, Florida who have a capuchin monkey named Jessy as a…pet child. Lori had "adopted" the primate prior to marrying Jim; Lori told ABC News that "living with Jessy was 'all part of the deal' and that [Jim] 'signed up for both' when he married Lori." I know love is hard to find, but if a woman tells me on the first date that she has a monkey that she dresses in children's clothing, that said monkey eats at the table with her, and that she treats said monkey as if she were her daughter, including referring to the monkey as "my daughter", I'm thinking there's no second date, much less a wedding. But hey, who am I to judge? Check out these pictures. They certainly look happy. Well, "mom" does. Hard to tell how the monkey feels about all this.

This story was actually reported on by the Orlando Sentinel back in April; here's the story, and video (via BoingBoing). According to the Sentinel, there are 15,000 people in the U.S. who own/live with/adopt monkeys, despite the fact that the practice is illegal in 20 states. There's even a magazine that caters to monkey owners/adopters/parents (sheesh, what exactly do you call these people?)

For a slightly different take, let's be sure to mention Angelle Sampey, a successful professional motorcycle racer with a monkid. According to ABC News, she wanted to have kids, but didn't feel that she could while pursuing a pro racing career. "I can't race and, you know, bear a child… And I thought adopting a monkey as a surrogate child would be a good thing to do." So no empty-nest for her; the monkey is instead of a human child.

Myself, I think I'd just get a dog.

So tonight at 10pm, ABC. Have fun.

images: abcnews.com

Your baby is ugly

Political Nanny: No Cat Fight, But Liz Sheds Some Tears

Madeline Holler — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Michelle Obama was guest co-host this morning on ABC's The View. It was her first appearance on the show. The other hosts -- well, those who didn't burst into tears (more on that in a sec.) -- we're visibly thrilled to have her on.

So there was fist bumping, and Matthew Broderick interviewing, and Laura Bush-praising. But, for those with a love/hate thing for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the show was ultimately disappointing. No meltdowns, no cat fights, no pro-Iraq War diatribes, no talk of the Democratic candidate being "not brilliant."

However, ABC News reports behind the scenes that Hasselbeck cried hard between segments:

At one point during the show's commercial break, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the most conservative of the co-hosts, burst into tears while talking about how she was about to leave her new baby alone for the first time since his birth.

Sitting on the couch, Obama noticed Hasselbeck was trying to compose herself and asked Sherri Shepherd if she was okay.

Hasselbeck, who supports the Iraq war and spoke at the 2004 Republican Convention, grilled Barack Obama during his appearance in March over his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

During Wednesday's show, Hasselbeck said it was ridiculous for people to anticipate a "girl fight" between herself and Michelle Obama.

"We must be enemies because we disagree politically?" Hasselbeck asked rhetorically.

On the air, Obama said of Hasselbeck: "This girl is solid, she's got great kids, she's funny."

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Boobs are Hard

Madeline Holler — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:31:00 GMT

The View hostess and resident babymaker Elisabeth Hasselbeck told the audience this week that her boobs were hard. Seems she's experiencing a bit of engorgement due to the weaning of her second child, son Taylor.

Hasselbeck does a hint of fondling early on in a video of the segment ... but it's Whoopi who steals the scene with her lack fo sympathy for formerly nursing mother or frustrated baby. Co-hosts Joy and Sherri are slightly more sympathetic and understanding when Hasselbeck calls it "withdrawal."

Sure wish Barbara had been on the show that morning. Isn't she a huge fan of breastfeeding?

Photo: Gawker.com

2-Foot 9-Inch Woman Survives Pregnancy

Madeline Holler — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:22:00 GMT

And you thought YOU had run out of room in your ribcage during pregnancy. Christianne Ray survived pregnancy and childbirth despite having a very rare kind of dwarfism, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, which left her at only 2 feet 9 inches tall.

She got pregnant at 19 and panicked, because she and her boyfriend were young. And also because she didn't know whether physically she'd be able to carry a healthy child -- and survive.

The first OB/Gyn she saw recommended abortion. The second, one who specialized in high-risk pregnancies, told her to go for it. One month before her due date, she underwent a c-section and everybody has been doing fine since.

The father, 18, is left to do all the physical heavy lifting for his family. At the average height of a toddler, Ray can't even reach most things in the fridge. But the father, who dropped out of high school, has said Ray -- and now their daughter -- have transformed his life. He's happy to do whatever it takes for them.

Their 9-month-old baby is the length of an average newborn, a growth pattern similar to Ray's when she was a child. Ray had hoped her child would be "normal" but she's likely a little person too. The father sees it another way.

From ABCnews.com

"[He] has begun thinking about what he'll tell his daughter about life as a little person: "That your mom went through it all. That you can do it, too, and you also have someone there to help you."

American Academy of Pediatrics Pressures ABC To Cancel Pilot

Amy S.F. Lutz — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:32:00 GMT

ABC is set to air the pilot of Eli Stone, a new legal drama, on Thursday. But if the American Academy of Pediatrics has its way, the episode will be yanked before anyone gets a chance to see it.

The main character of the show is a lawyer, who, in this episode, argues in court that his young client became autistic from a vaccine he received as a baby. When the lawyer dramatically reveals that an executive at the fictional pharmaceutical company that made the fictional vaccine wouldn't let his own child get the shot, the jury awards the family an enormous judgement.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is concerned that parents will see this show and stop vaccinating their children. Dr. Renee R. Jenkins, president of the group, claimed, "A television show that perpetuates the myth that vaccines cause autism is the height of reckless irresponsibility on the part of ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co."

But is this grounds for censorship? First of all, it's not at all universally agreed that the vaccination-autism connection is a "myth." Although recent studies have suggested a lack of causation, other doctors and statisticians (including some who actually work for the CDC, disagree (see Dr. Bill Weil, Dr. Richard Johnston, Dr. Mark Geier, and many others). Certainly, the debate about what does and does not cause autism is still rigorous, it's still passionate - and it's still far from settled, as Dr. Jenkins' words would seem to indicate.

And it's exactly these kinds of charged issues that make great TV. Virtually every episode of Law and Order is based on a real case, and I never heard anyone suggest that individual shows be pulled because they suggested that characters based on real political figures (Gary Condit, Thomas Capano) were guilty of murder, or that fictional corporations based on real companies deliberately poisoned or defrauded the public. Viewers understand that these kinds of television shows are not documentaries. However, if they do cause parents to go to their computers and research the vaccines their kids get - or, for that matter, the hormones in their kids' milk, or the sweatshops their clothes might have come from, I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

Mom Elizabeth Vargas Takes Blame for Faulty and Unsupportive Work Environment

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 14:09:00 GMT

Last year, Elizabeth Vargas stepped down as co-anchor of World News Tonight with Bob Woodruff and also gave birth to her second son, Samuel Wyatt. Some people believe she was asked to quit, but she denies it, claiming instead that her husband was concerned that the hours spent away from her first child, 3 year old son Zachary, were taking a significant toll on him.

Notice a pattern here? Woman tries to work long hours in Type A (traditionally male) field, woman quits, worried husband/father is assuaged, company is blameless. But come on!! Who are we kidding here, Elizabeth?

If you had an understanding boss, high quality on-site daycare, a more supportive husband, would you now be hosting the company's fluffier news magazine "20/20" ? I think not. How long are women going to accept the blame and shame of not being able to cut the long hours and drudgery of many high-stakes, high power, highly salaried jobs coupled with childrearing? Apparently, forever and ever.

The point of organizations like MomsRising is that with more family-centered work environments, higher quality daycare, and more social supports (including increased paid family leave time), people wouldn't be faced with choices like Ms. Vargas' time and time again.