|
help us recoup our operating costs by clicking above
 What's the showbiz equivalent to serving jury duty? Being a panelist on
Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect." And apparently Norm couldn't get
out of it -- making his third appearance on the program. Bumped to
ungodly hours in most major markets, this former Comedy Central
powerhouse lost its thunder after the '96 presidential race and a move
to the alphabet network. Maher reverently apes a politically savvy Johnny
Carson, while moderating debate between often amusingly dissimilar panelists.
Last night, there was political columnist Ariana Huffington, B-movie
mogul Lloyd Kaufman, socially-conscious actor Edward James Olmos and
good ol' Norm. The biggest happening of the night was the verbal
brawl between Olmos and Maher, who differed on how
affective Gandhi would have been in dealing with the turmoil in Kosovo.
The two made up, but Norm was a little rattled (while sporting his new,
closely- cropped hairdo.) Another topic was the Littleton tragedy, which
also made for some pins-and-needles moments. ABC has
provided a transcript and we have our abridged version, which has been Normanized for your protection.
Just when it appeared Norm's marital situation was finally established ... BLAMO! This week, in response to a viewer question, the official "Norm Show" website stated that he is, in fact, divorced. Gee, that's strange. Last month, he told Howard Stern he was actually SEPARATED from his wife. That revelation came during the course of much cajoling, and after Norm had just said he was married. Technically, that's true, but the couple has been living apart for many months (apparently on relatively good terms.) Clearly, Norm doesn't like talking about it. He says it's to protect Connie and their little boy. It's not really any business of ours, and frankly, we couldn't care less. But it's a question on the lips of many a female fan. So, ladies, depending on who you ask, he's fair game. Norm says he's separated, any number of magazine articles say divorced, as does ABC's "official" site -- and they'd NEVER be wrong. Heh. For now, content yourself with some new photos in our PICTURES area. We said NEW, not nude. Pervos!
"The Fake News" correspondent Guy Gardner gives us a first-hand account from the April 16 taping of "The Norm Show." This was the final show of ABC's original 10-episode order. Read it, but beware it contains spoilers.
Doug and the Slugs namesake Doug Bennett and Norm, have never shared a drink
but they do share Canadian citizenship, the same dry humor,
and Bennett's 1980 hit, "Too Bad." The song is the theme music
to Our Hero's new sitcom. "I've never met him and now I call
him Norm. Apparently, he's seen the band over the last couple of
years and really enjoyed it. ... I wish I could say we'd partied and did rehab together,
but we haven't," says the
Vancouver-based Bennett.
Bennett says the inspiration for the 20-year-old song "Too
Bad" was "revenge motivated with a sense of humour" and
remembers the Vancouver Police telling him in the early '80s
they used to sing the song to anybody they apprehended.
He is proud to have the song associated with a sitcom
which is causing controversy for its political incorrectness.
"I laughed a couple of times," says Bennett. "And I think to make
me laugh is pretty difficult."
Doug And The Slugs has been going in various incarnations
since 1977 and continues to play more than 80 dates a year. Bennett
hopes that with the success of "The Norm Show," Warner Bros.
will release "Slugcology 101" in America (which features "Too Bad") and perhaps tour here. For now, the song can be found on a double-album available at CDNOW.
One of Norm's heroes is still in the news ... country music star George Jones has been billed by the state of Tennessee for $2,492.44 for damage caused when he slammed his truck into a bridge last month. "We send bills to drivers in all cases causing damage like this," said Luanne Grandinetti, an official for the state transportation department. "Mr. Jones is being treated like any other individual in our attempt to recover taxpayers' money." Jones, 67, was hospitalized for 13 days after the March 6 crash with critical injuries. He had returned to his country estate, but was taken back to the hospital early this month with an irregular heartbeat. He was released a second time and sent home Friday. Cause of the crash was originally attributed by the Tennessee Highway Patrol to inattention while using his car phone, but a subsequent investigation has led Williamson County District Attorney General Ron Davis to seek a grand jury subpoena for blood-alcohol test records taken while Jones was at the hospital.
Stepping up their public fit, the National Association of Social Workers picketed Wednesday outside ABC's headquarters. Their objections include the fact that Norm's character has no professional qualifications, has dirty sex with clients and frequently belittles those who come to his office seeking help. "You can't just walk off the street and become a social worker," said NASW board member John Edwards, who held a sign that read "Norm, Get a License." Our Hero laughed off the NASW last week, "Angry social workers? Sounds pretty dangerous. ... Hey, I'm just pretending. It's make-believe. How about those shows where there's aliens?" Meanwhile, "The Norm Show" saw its lowest Nielsen ratings yet, but still ruled its time slot and, along with "The Drew Carey Show," won Wednesday night for ABC. "TNS" earned a 9.0/13 (10.6/16 last week, for 17th place.)
Weekend Update high priest Dennis Miller took time out from hocking Orange Drink to do that show on HBO where he "rants" and mentions Linda Blair a lot. We're big fans here, but miss the days when the D-Man was well, relevant, babe. Remember when you were actually too busy laughing at that obscure Ned
Beatty reference that you didn't notice that his obsessive-compulsive disorder forced him to
punctuate the levity with a halting "And, uuuuuuhhhhh" EVERY DAMN
TIME!?! But we don't want to get off on a rant here. He digs Norm, so he's good people. "Year in and year out my favorite guest," so he says. The boys revisited their favorite topic (not ours) -- the pinnacle of maleness -- the penis. Well, they use another word. But, hey, the focus of the program was "Bad Taste." Mull that over, ladies. In fact, y'all will be most interested to hear Norm's approach to the dating scene. Let's just say he's direct. Check out the audio clips and the transcript will follow as soon as some good soul volunteers to transcribe the appearance.
There's cause for celebration tonight as the cameras roll on the eighth episode of "The Norm Show." Norm's fledgling sitcom beat is competition again this week, earning a 10.6/16 rating (Roughly the same numbers posted last week.) In fact, the premiere scored in the Top 20 -- an impressive feat for any program, especially a debut. Its leadin, "The Drew Carey Show," bested its previous weeks' ratings with a jump to 11.6/18 (10.5/16 last week.) This is probably due in part to a viewer contest related to the episode.
help us recoup our operating costs by clicking above
|
