Tonight's cuppa: Peppermint tea
Click here for my latest eGuiders.com video pick, an ESPN tribute to a young golfer who overcomes severe physical challenges to walk courses all over the world -- racking up 900 miles.
Pretty impressive for a man born with cerebral palsy and deformed legs, doomed to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Or not.
Get a hankie.
On a much happier note, courtesy of the good folks at NewsOK.com, here's a link to my syndicated feature story on the new Oxygen reality-competition series "Dance Your A-- Off," with Broadway and "Dancing With the Stars" star Marissa Jaret Winokur.
Because, sometimes, when the world rests too heavily on your shoulders, you just gotta toss it off and dance ...
Today's cuppa: office coffee
The sudden demise of infomercial king and "Pitchmen" star Billy Mays at 50 on Sunday, of apparent heart disease, has ramifications for his hit reality series.
Produced by Thom Beers' Original Productions for Discovery Channel, it has starred Mays and his friend and business partner, British infomercial star and producer Anthony Sullivan, helping inventors bring their products to market.
Today, Discovery released this announcement...
Discovery Channel is devoting its airwaves to the
legendary pitchman Billy Mays this Wednesday, July 1.
A previously-scheduled
PITCHMEN marathon of episodes 1-11 airs from 11AM ET/PT through 10PM
ET/PT culminating in the never-before-seen season finale at 10PM
ET/PT.
To celebrate a man who
was larger than life, the network will run tribute promos honoring Billy Mays
and never-before-aired moments throughout the day. A slate will also be added
to the end of the season finale in his remembrance.
In addition, a special tribute show
is being planned.
No decision has
been made regarding season two of PITCHMEN. The network is focused on
supporting Mays' family and friends during this time of incredible
loss.
PITCHMEN, the 12-part series featuring Billy Mays and his
business partner Anthony Sullivan, began airing on Discovery Channel on April
15, 2009.
Additional details will be provided as memorial plans are
determined.
And here's the statement Original Productions released on Sunday...
June 28, 2009
Statement from Original Productions
Regarding Billy Mays:
"Billy Mays was one of a
kind, a wonderful talent who burned bright and brought joy and delight into the
homes of millions. His irreplaceable spirit and blue color demeanor will never
be matched," said Thom Beers CEO and Executive Producer of Original Productions.
"The entire family at Original Productions is saddened at the loss of our close
colleague and friend, Billy Mays," said Philip D. Segal, President of Original
Productions. "His positive energy was a joy every day on the set of 'Pitchmen'."
Both Beers and Segal are Executive Producers of Discovery Channel's "Pitchmen",
along with Billy Mays and his long-time business partner Anthony "Sully"
Sullivan.
Theoretically, Sullivan could continue "Pitchmen" on his own, or the show could add a new partner. One possibility is Mays' son, Billy Mays III, known on Twitter as @youngbillymays (through which he released the news of his dad's death). He works behind the scenes in the infomercials and has been featured on the show.
Click here for my Sunday post on Mays, which is updated through the preliminary autopsy results this morning.
Of course, Mays' death is one of several in the last few days.
The private funeral of former "Charlie's Angels" and "Burning Bed" star Farrah Fawcett, who succumbed to cancer at 62 on Thursday in Santa Monica, Calif., is planned for tomorrow afternoon at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.
The legal, medical, financial and custodial issues surrounding the death, also last Thursday, of music superstar Michael Jackson at the age of 50 in Los Angeles, continue to swirl. No formal announcement of a memorial service or a funeral has yet to be made. Check any cable news channel for hourly updates.
Funnyman Fred Travelena also died on Sunday, losing his battle with cancer at the age of 66.
Today's cuppa: cup of sadness
Of all the celebrity deaths in recent days, I feel this one, announced this morning, the most, since I both recently met and interviewed infomercial and "Pitchmen" star Billy Mays, who was 50.
More to come on this post in a few minutes, but for now, here is the statement from Discovery Channel, which premiered "Pitchmen" earlier this year.
It is with incredible sadness that we have to
report that Billy Mays died in his sleep last night. Everyone that knows him was
aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth. Billy was a
pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be
greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend. Our deepest sympathies go
out to his family at this time of incredible loss. More information will be
distributed as it becomes available.
Stay tuned...
UPDATE: While waiting for further details, here's a bit more with Mays...
First up, click here for a video of his and "Pitchmen" and business partner Anthony Sullivan's appearance last Monday on the "Tonight" show with Conan O'Brien.
Also, I'd like to share a bit of what I talked about with Mays. First up, here's a syndicated Q&A we did, which came out the week of June 14, in conjunction with "Pitchmen"...
Q: Your
"Pitchmen" cohort and business partner, Anthony Sullivan, recently said of you,
"He's a very different person in real life, very quiet and mild-mannered. The
minute you put the camera on him, he just dials up to 11."
Q: How did you learn to become a pitchman?
A: I developed that way back when I
trained on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J.
A: I pitch strong; I pitch hard; I cut through all the clutter. There's not a lot of fluff when you get me. I project the voice. I really go after that demonstrable product, those products that have mass appeal. I answer your questions. Salesmen do that in a different way. I started out as a salesman. I think the pitch is that presence you command; how you ask for the money; how you build up the offer. That constitutes a pitchman.
Mays was also a firm believer in capitalism and the American Dream, as evidenced in "Pitchmen" by how he and Sullivan work with inventors who have invested their lives, and often their life savings, in bringing the products of their imagination into reality and realizing a profit from their hard work...
Said Mays, "I think Sully would agree with this -- there's no European Dream. If you think about it, there is the American Dream, and the American dream is alive and well, and it is represented on our show on Discovery, how we tell the story of the inventor, how much they've got on the line, how much is at stake.
"They've got everything at risk. From every great recession, from every Great Depression, comes great innovation. If you think back, there are a couple of companies that stood out in the tough times when they were born -- Google, Microsoft, Apple. In their garages, they formed Apple.
"The product is king."
UPDATE: TMZ is reporting an incident during a flight Mays was on the night before he died. Don't know yet if there's a connection but can't totally dismiss the possibility until more information is in.
UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: Now, Twitter news service @BreakingNews is reporting -- "FAA spokeswoman tells BNO News that TMZ.com incorrectly quoted her, says she never said Bill Mays was not wearing seat belt during landing." Yeah, it's going to be a little while until all this is sorted out.
UPDATE ON THE UPDATED UPDATE: Click here for an AP story that pretty much sums up all we know so far, from Mays' home newspaper in Tampa Bay, Fla.
(all the updates above were added on Sunday, June 28)
FINAL UPDATE, MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 29: Also from the Tampa Bay newspaper, click here for the preliminary autopsy reports, which indicate heart trouble rather than any head trauma as the likely cause of death.
Today's cuppa: office coffee
By happenstance, when I went on Shaun Daily's TV Talk show on blogtalkradio.com yesterday for my regular Thursday appearance, it was just a few hours after the death of Farrah Fawcett and scant minutes before the confirmation of the death of Michael Jackson.
I come in at roughly the half-hour mark. Prior to me, Shaun pays tribute to Farrah; we talk about her then move on to the breaking Jackson news, which I was following on TV before and while talking to Shaun. I was a Jackson fan as a kid, so it was a strange confluence of events for me.
Click here for the podcast version of the broadcast.
A lot of people are having a lot to say about Jackson especially, since his demise was so sudden, his fame and infamy so widespread and with the existence of ongoing questions about his physical and mental state and cause of death.
On the way to work today, I listened to Dennis Prager's radio show, and he had a searching, thoughtful conversation (a Prager specialty) with counselor and TLC TV personality ("Shalom in the Home") Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
Access to Prager's podcasts (for a price) can be found here, but the main topic of conversation was Boteach's friendship with Jackson, his ultimately unsuccessful attempts to help the pop star put his life back on track and a piece Boteach wrote for the Jerusalem Post. Click here for that.
Click here for a more sharp-edged take on Jackson's life and death from wicked smart and wickedly witty columnist Mark Steyn.
Lastly, just when disturbing videos and Internet reports of the violent struggle for freedom in Iran -- including the horrifying shooting of a lovely young woman -- and the deaths of celebrities you've known since childhood, may throw a dark pall over the world, glory still shines through the clouds.
Click here for blogger The Anchoress' embedded link to a beautiful video from "America's Got Talent" of a performance by three wonderful children who sang their comatose mother back to consciousness.
I link to the blog instead of the video directly because I like what The Anchoress has to say on the topics of toxic fame and God-given talent (and she did introduce me to Mystic Monk coffee, for which I will always be grateful).
For more with "AGT" judge Piers Morgan, including a link to a story where he talks about these very children, click here for an earlier post.
UPDATE: Lisa Marie Presley has posted an open letter about her relationship with Jackson. Very interesting, revealing and provocative.
Tonight's cuppa: decaf cappuccino
I know I don't talk about it as often as "Dancing With the Stars" or "Deadliest Catch," but I am equally devoted to National Geographic Channel's "Dog Whisperer," in which Cesar Millan helps hapless owners reclaim the position of leadership in their own homes from out-of-control pooches.
Along the way, I have garnered some valuable life lessons from watching Cesar figure out the psychology of the dogs AND the people. Since I don't have a dog, I plan to use a few of these concepts on the two-legged members of my pack.
Of course, dogs and people are not the same, but we're both social mammals, and we do have some things in common -- which may explain why we get along so well.
On to the lessons...
Vulnerability may be attractive, but strength earns respect.
While we all love to cuddle helpless babies and puppies, and a damsel in distress often brings out the hero in a regular Joe, if you want your dog or your fellow humans to sit up and take you seriously, you better get your back up and your tough on. Nobody thinks twice about stepping on a doormat.
While a lack of "rules, boundaries and limitations," as Cesar would say, sounds like freedom, it plays out in chaos and paralysis.
Remember that scene in "Moscow on the Hudson" where the Russian played by Robin Williams first saw the coffee aisle in an American supermarket? The dizzying display of brands and blends caused sensory overload and collapse. Anyone who's ever confronted the coffee menu at Starbucks for the first time knows the feeling of being unable to choose because there are too many choices.
Limit options, set parameters, establish ground rules that everyone understands, and the result is relaxation, focus and the clearing of the clouds of confusion.
A lack of leadership creates a vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum.
If the humans don't provide leadership, the dog tries to fill in. Depending on the dog's temperament, the result is either cowed humans or a freaked-out canine trying to take on a role for which he's not suited.
It's similar to a home where feckless or troubled adults have abrogated their responsibilities, leaving the children to parent the parents, or a workplace where a squeaky-wheel employee always gets his or her way with a weak-willed supervisor.
If you're the boss, be the boss. It's not a privilege -- it's a responsibility.
Aggression often springs from insecurity, not necessarily arrogance.
Secure dogs -- or people -- don't feel the need to puff themselves up and throw their weight around. They radiate calm and certainty, knowing exactly what they're about and why they're doing what they're doing.
But if that's lacking, it's all about having something to prove, and that means yapping, charging, bullying and all sorts of bad behavior.
So, sometimes, the bigger the fuss, the smaller the ... self-confidence.
A dog is a dog, but a Newfoundland is not a whippet.
Members of the same species are still individuals, with different personalities, physical characteristics, drives and desires, needs and wants. If you expect your Newfoundland to be able to run down a rabbit, or your whippet to execute a cold-water rescue, you're going to live a life of frustration and disappointment -- and probably kill the dog to boot.
Better to understand each individual on his or her own terms and go from there.
Lastly, never underestimate the value of good social skills.
Cesar's main dog, Daddy, knows the rules of proper canine interaction and sets a good example for other dogs who may not have had the benefit of proper socialization. Knowing how to greet others, how to understand body language and signals, how to communicate your intentions and comprehend the intentions of others provides the grease that keeps the social machine running smoothly.
The socially awkward dogs learn by trial and error, observing skilled dogs like Daddy, and -- in just the same way you get to Carnegie Hall -- practice, practice, practice.
So, what have you learned from your favorite show?
Today's cuppa: Stash Christmas Morning tea (not just for Christmas Morning anymore). OK, and lots and lots of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Trying to make the most of my brief trip back East.
I apologize for the very light posting this week, but I've been on a working vacation back to my home office and to the beautiful North Country of New York State to see the friends and family. It's a little hard being away from my own computer, but thanks to my Mom's MacMini, I'm back!
Of course, after this, I'll probably be gone again until midweek, so like me and my Dunky D coffee, make the most of this Hot Cuppa while you can.
I have a pair of syndicated feature stories out this week, and if I do say so myself, they're fun reads.
Click here for NewsOK.com's edited version of my story on NBC's British import series "Merlin," premiering tonight, featuring an interview with former 
"Buffy the Vampire" star Anthony Head -- pictured at right in a photo I took after our interview in April at an NBC junket (BTW, he was Anthony Stewart Head in "Buffy," but that's only for American TV).
At the same junket, I had a great chat with "America's Got Talent" judge Piers Morgan. Bits of that conversation have been blogged previously here and here, but click here to see our chat about 
"AGT," Susan Boyle of "Britain's Got Talent" and whether America will produce someone equally as exciting (thanks to the good folks at Newsday.com).
(Hint: Keep an eye on Kevin the chicken hunter. 'Nuff said. UPDATE: Here's his performance. Yowza!)
I'm in the home office tomorrow oh so briefly, and if I get a chance to toss up some more good stuff for ya, I will, but if not, see you later in the week!
Right now -- and I know you'll be shocked to hear this -- I'm off to a formal tea with some friends.
Yeah, it's not just a blog name, it's a way of life.
Today's cuppa: coffee at the home office
Greetings from the East Coast! I'm working this week out of my company's home office, but that doesn't mean ignoring my loyal Cuppers.
This week, I have a syndicated profile of Stacy London, host of TLC's "What Not to Wear." And not inserting it as JPEG this time (yeah, I know some of you had problems with that). After the article, find some bonus London quotes all about her love for AMC's "Mad Men."
"Stacy London May Soon Be a Woman on the Move"
By Kate O'Hare
"This morning in particular," she says in an interview in early May, "I'm wrestling with the fact that I just won a Vespa."
London -- the co-host, with Clinton Kelly, of TLC's makeover reality show "What Not to Wear," airing Fridays -- was locked in a bidding war with a couple over the motor scooter at a gala fundraiser for the American Cancer Society (by the way, London says the event generated almost $200,000).
In the end, the Vespa dealer awarded two scooters. But there's a catch.
'I don't have a driver's license," London says. "I failed my driver's test when I was 17 years old. This is going to be something new for me."
At this writing, London had not yet picked up her new Vespa, so the streets of greater New York remain safe. But be assured, when London finally hits the road, she will look good.
"I will do a helmet," she says, "but I will not do a helmet with flames. I do think that I will do one of those big, full-on head helmets with the flip visor. it's a little more bada--, a little more James Bond.
"And I definitely want a leather glove, just because I love a leather glove.
At the same time, she's helping female cancer patients and survivors feel good by looking good.
"I want to find, or at least orchestrate, a way," she says, "that people feel that fashion and style become a tool in our effort to feel better, as opposed to another hurdle you had to climb over.
"If there's any way, shape or form to help these women get back on the track to feeling feminine, sexy, powerful, that's one of the concepts I'm trying to make through this program."
Vital Statistics:
Birthdate: May 25 in New York, N.Y., making her a Gemini.
Family cred: Stepmother, Victoria, is a romance novelist; her mother, Joy, worked as 
a venture capitalist; her father, Herbert London, is the current president of the Hudson Institute think tank and once ran for governor of New York.
School cred: Double major in German philosophy and literature at Vassar, and was a Phi Beta Kappa member.
Fashion cred: Internship at Christian Dior Paris; senior fashion editor for Mademoiselle; stylist to the stars.
TV cred: She played herself in one episode of "Living Lohan" and had two other series, "Fashionably Late with Stacy London" and "Shut Up! It's Stacy London."
Some of Her Favorite Things:
Books: "Favorite children's book would be 'Suzuki Beane.' It's about a little girl named Suzuki Beane who's a little beatnik who lives on Bleecker Street. That's where I grew up, and I'm partial to that. My favorite book for life, not to be all hoity-toity, would be 'Meditations,' from Marcus Aurelius. it's a great prescription for life, how to live well and do good works."
Movie: "I love 'Scarface.' First of all, Michelle Pfeiffer's wardrobe in that movie was to die for. I know the entire screenplay. I basically could recite almost all the dialogue, which is disturbing, I realize. But I am sort of a teenage fanboy locked in a girl's body. I'm so into it -- guns and drugs and sex and long fingernails and satin jumpsuits ... what's not to love?"
Music: "Right now, I'm totally into a girl named Meiko. I'm just obsessed with her album. She's that kind of waify girl with mousy brown hair and huge blue eyes and perfect lips, and every boy is in love with her, because she doesn't wear makeup, and she's cool. My favorite songs are 'Heard It All Before' and 'Boys With Girlfriends.'"
London also harbors a secret TV dream, and it involves an AMC drama about a Manhattan ad agency in the early 1960s.
"There are a few things on TV that I love more than anything," she says, "'Mad Men' being at the absolute top of that list. I would kill to have a walk-on role as a secretary on that series."
When I suggest she could do a show on the fashion of "Mad Men," London says, "From your mouth to God's ears. I have the hips. I think the bustline would need a serious overhaul up, but maybe they could do that with padding.
"I'm sure I could rock that style. I never miss an episode of that."
Tonight's cuppa: peppermint tea
I'll be away from my computer for a few days -- yeah, I feel the panic coming on already -- so no new posts for a bit and also no appearance with the lovely and talented Shaun Daily of TVTalk on blogtalkradio.com tomorrow. I am sad beyond measure.
But I should be back next week.
In the meantime, also making me sad is the final episode of "Pushing Daisies," airing Saturday on ABC. In honor of that, here's my syndicated profile of series star Swoosie Kurtz.
Click on image for larger version:
Today's cuppa: Yorkshire Gold tea -- on the second big mug already, and it's barely 9 a.m.
A few weeks ago, I sat down for a chicken-centric lunch at Steven Bochco's office, with the veteran producer and the star of his latest show, "Raising the Bar," former "NYPD Blue' star Mark-Paul Gosselaar. On the way out, I said a quick hello to Bochco's fellow executive producer (and former Brooklyn public defender) David Feige.
(Gosselaar had a wrap sandwich; Bochco had roast chicken; I had Chinese chicken salad. What 
Feige had for lunch, I do not know.)
I grabbed Feige on the phone the following week, and the result is this syndicated feature story about the legal drama's second-season premiere, which airs tonight. If you're feeling like you're not quite up to speed on the show, the first season is out on DVD.
Enjoy!
'Raising the Bar' gets a continuance on TNT
By Kate O'Hare
©Zap2it
TNT's "Raising the Bar" didn't cause a media circus outside the courtroom in its first season, but it made a good enough argument to the viewers and network executives to earn a continuance for a second season of 15 episodes, launching Monday, June 8, in the coveted slot after "The Closer."
For Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who plays idealistic public defender Jerry Kellerman, it all feels like one long case.
Says executive producer Steven Bochco over a takeout chicken lunch with his young star, "When we started the second season about three weeks ago ... "
"It was like we hadn't stopped," interjects Gosselaar.
"It was absolutely like we hadn't stopped," Bochco says.
But production did stop -- at least long enough to let Gosselaar trim the long locks that garnered so much attention in season one. On this day, they're a bit mashed from being stuffed under a motorcycle helmet, but it's definitely a new look.
"That also feels like a long time ago," Gosselaar says, eyeing a plump chicken wrap sandwich. "We can always put the wig back on."
Set in the legal system of New York, "Raising the Bar" is based on the experiences of series co-creator (with Bochco) David Feige, a lawyer and author who was one of the founding members of the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit organization providing free legal representation to Bronx residents charged with crimes.
Kellerman's associates are Bobbi Gilardi and Richard Woolsley (Natalia Cigliuti, Teddy Sears), and they all report to Roz Whitman (Gloria Reuben).
But the show isn't just about public defenders -- there are also prosecutors. Under Assistant District Attorney Nick Balco (Currie Graham) are Michelle Ernhardt and Marcus McGrath (Melissa Sagemiller, J. August Richards).
Riding herd on everyone is the mercurial and ambitious Judge Kessler (Jane Kaczmarek), who's dealing with a coming-out announcement from her aide and former lover, Charlie Sagansky (Jonathan Scarfe).
Added to the roster this year is Judge Albert Farnsworth (John Michael Higgins).
For Feige -- who's not at lunch but calls in later before flying back to New York -- it's been an opportunity to think about what those folks across the courtroom aisle do in their free time.
"Literally, doing this show," he says, "I spend more time every day thinking about the private lives of prosecutors than I did in all of my previous life combined."
But having Jerry prosecute a romance with Michelle got Feige no cheers back in the Bronx.
"I heard through the grapevine," he says, "that a bunch of the judges loved the show. Of course, I was filleted by many of my colleagues, who took the relationship between Jerry and Michelle as a terrible betrayal.
"The more militant of my colleagues were all, 'I would never have a relationship with one of them.' "
Apparently there's also a statute of limitations on pleading simple lust.
"Oh, Melissa's super-hot," Feige says, "but the 'she's super-hot' defense only goes so far among strident, hardcore public defenders. It's funny, I was at some place, and someone said, 'She's hot and mean and dirty; who could resist that?' "
Jerry has also been working on other aspects of his life, including his quixotic tendency to run into procedural walls. According to Bochco, he's grown up a bit this season.
As to whether he wanted that, Gosselaar says, "Did I? Trust me, he still runs into walls, because that's more challenging to play. As an actor, you want to play a character that continues to evolve and progress."
The show has also evolved.
"We made some tonal adjustments that were right," Feige says. "As much as I love Jerry's speechifying, I think there needed to be more levity, a little more lightness to the tone.
"But the truth of what we did is still the template for the second season and then on after, which is to say really great stories with very powerful points of view, mediated by judges with their own agendas."
But don't tune in expecting a whole new "Raising the Bar'" -- and you have TNT to thank for that.
"Nobody's looking over our shoulders moment to moment," Bochco says. "Nobody's looking for the giant, melodramatic cliffhanger. Nobody's saying, 'Let's replace the cast.'
"So we're able to do things creatively that build on what we've done already, without having to turn everything upside down. I think if we had a show that needed to be turned upside down, we wouldn't have been back."
Feige also thinks the show has done right by the law.
"We don't always follow the real outcomes of cases," he says, "but my point is, we tend to stick closely to what's true. But it's drama, and we want to find the compelling drama in all the stories.
"But yeah, I do think we've done the law justice. I think that, by saying what's true, you're doing something that's important."
Tonight's cuppa: decaf Irish breakfast tea
Sorry for the light posting this week -- a consequence of many deadline stories and a trip to Valencia, Calif., today, to visit the set of the upcoming Spike TV series "Players." More on that very soon...
In the meantime, here's my syndicated profile of one of the stars of "Harper's Island," which airs Saturdays on CBS. Don't forget that the whole story comes to a close with the 13th episode, airing July 11, when we hope the murderer(s) and the ultimate survivors will be revealed.
This copy of my story is taken from one of the TV supplements we provide to newspapers. Below the piece on Elaine Cassidy are three celebrity quotes. I leave them in because the ones from Cody Willard and Orlando Jones came from interviews of mine.
Click on the image for a larger version:
Today's cuppa; Barry's Irish breakfast tea (is it organic or fair trade? I dunno, gonna drink it anyway)
Last week, ABC premiered the "The Goode Family," the new animated series about the Goodes, a middle-class clan that twists itself into knots trying to be politically correct about everything in life, to the point where one gets the feeling that medieval monks had an easier time figuring out the rules of salvation than this bunch.
(Two episodes air tonight, after "Wipeout.")
And, since this comes from the same team that produced Fox's "King of the Hill," which gently lampooned the details of daily life in small-town Texas, the show has some fun with the Goodes and their obsessive striving to achieve organic perfection.
Responses to the show varied, from delight that someone was finally making fun of eco-sanctimony to puzzlement at why such well-meaning, harmless people should be made the butt of jokes, to one that felt the need to point out that "King of the Hill," which premiered days after Bill Clinton took office for his second term in January 1997, was axed days after the last presidential election (no doubt a huge factor in the decision. Yep, huge.)
This has left the "Goode" team a little confused, including executive producer John Altschuler, who just wants to make people laugh. I sat down with him at a press event on Saturday, and he reacted to the reaction to his little comedy.
"I ran," he said, "with my partner Dave Krinsky and Mike Judge, 'King of the Hill' for years. We were always looking at a Southern, conservative, little more rural population. Then we started looking at the world we lived in and thought, 'This is such an interesting milieu, because we grapple with this concept of not being good enough.' We thought that would be really funny and interesting.
"So we liked the idea that we could deal with some very controversial subject matter, because TV doesn't very often. But what surprised us was that, before the show aired, it had already become a political football.
"It was (some) right-wing people grabbing onto it, some right-wing people saying you're making fun of Christians, and then from the left, some people saying almost, 'How dare you make fun of people like us?' And we're like, 'Isn't that what we're supposed to do?'
"I have to say, I get worried about comedy because there's such a complacency and such an agreement where everybody is simply 'Me, too,' 'Me, too.' that nobody's looking and going, 'Isn't it funny that I own 20 reusable grocery bags, because every time I go to the grocery store, I forget it, and I buy more, thereby creating more waste, and then feel guilty?'
"It's funny, because there's an episode where Helen (the mother) becomes an accidental tagger. She wants her daughter, Bliss, to learn to do public service, but there's no graffiti on the walls, so she starts spraying. They become popular, but they think it's a Chicano youth who's doing it.
"Actually, Elvis Costello's in that episode as an Oxford art critic. But what happens is, the kid takes credit for it, and she's like, 'Those are my demons up there!'
"Well, that's the show. Those are our demons up there, grappling with trying to be good and failing."
Altschuler laments the days of live-action sitcoms like "All in the Family," which weren't afraid to take strong stances on issues and play them for laughs.
He said, "I remember, 'Archie Bunker for President.' Norman Lear was a good liberal, but he did it well enough that people from the right identified with Archie, and people from the left loved it. That's what we hope we're doing.
"But these days, there's a fear of going off the path and being pointed out as impure in your 
thoughts. Animation is the only way to really deal with it."
While he's flattered by attention from both sides of the political aisle, Altschuler is a little disappointed that some folks don't seem to be able to laugh at themselves.
"The bad reviews we got," he said, "were from San Francisco, NPR -- this is a joke! You've got to be kidding -- when we got raves from the rest of the country. It's just sad, the idea that people were pushing and pulling, like 'Is the show a right-wing show?'
"You know what's interesting? We're friends with the guys who do 'South Park,' and Matt Stone one time said, 'This what you're going to run into. This is the most frustrating thing when you deal with sacred cows, is you start being asked constantly, "What side are you on?"'
"It's all about, 'What side are you on?' You know what, there's nothing funny about being on sides. What's interesting to me is there's less uproar from the Christian right about the pilot. I have this theory that conservatives have been made fun of for so long, they're used to it, and that liberals just aren't used to it yet.
"We like to take on the world of whoever's in power."
Altschuler and his fellow producers are also aware that the economy has changed since they thought up "The Goode Family" two years ago, and that budget concerns now often trump ecological concerns for many American families.
"When Dave and I were running 'King of the Hill," he said, "we'd go to these Environmental Media Awards. There was this actress up there saying, 'Why doesn't everybody drive a Prius? Why doesn't everybody shop at Whole Foods?'
"And I remember going, 'Because they can't afford it!'
"We always make fun of my agent. He's a great agent, but he can drive the right car, and if it changes to a hydrogen car, his assistant will make it disappear, and a hydrogen car will appear, OK?
"But if you're a normal middle-class family, you buy the wrong car, you're stuck."
Tonight's cuppa: decaf Mystic Monk coffee
It's been a long day, both for General Motors and everyone associated with it, and for British singing sensation Susan Boyle. Since my last post with judge Piers Morgan in conjunction with Boyle's runner-up result on "Britain's Got Talent," the overnight superstar apparently had a meltdown and sought refuge and help.
Morgan, who seems to have a soft spot for Boyle, has been talking about her difficulties, including an appearance on "Extra," which released some of his comments earlier today.
Glad to see that Morgan appears to be in Boyle's corner. Can't imagine the whirlwind this poor woman has endured. I hope she recovers, first for her sake, and second, for ours, so we can hear her sing again.
But, speaking of Morgan, when I talked to him in April, we also explored his plans for the future.
Before he became a reality-show judge and a contestant -- on the first season of "Celebrity Apprentice," which he won -- Morgan was the editor of two British tabloid newspapers, "News of the World" (1994-'95) and the "Daily Mirror" (1994-2004).
Now he wants to be host of very own talk show in America, a follow-up to his ITV show in Britain, "Piers Morgan's Life Stories," which launched in February with guest Sharon Osbourne (Morgan's fellow judge on "America's Got Talent.")
"I've just done it in Britain," he said. "It was a big hit. They've ordered 12 more for next year, and I'm talking to NBC about doing a similar thing here. It's not so much a talk show as me hanging out with very, very famous people and doing an extended interview."
That sort of extended interview format is often associated with British satirist and journalist Sir David Frost, and continues today on American TV, most notably with PBS' "Charlie Rose" and the occasional Barbara Walters special on ABC. But most of today's interviews are of the hit-and-oops-we're-coming-up-to-a-hard-break type, short and pithy.
Morgan has a slightly different philosophy.
"First of all," he said, "you've got to get your target to be at ease, so you have to have a bit of a laugh. Laughter and humor are always my key weapons for interviews.
"I don't want people to come out badly. I don't want them to feel they're either being betrayed or victimized, or that I've been too bullying. But I also like to be slightly confrontational, so there's a chance for them to show all aspects of their personal characteristics.
"I want to see if they're feisty; I want to see if they've got a temper. I want to see if they've got a soul, a heart, a sense of humor. I want to get all those things out of them through a two-hour interview.
"We're in a real saccharine generation, where everyone's being too protective for too long, and it actually makes them boring."
While Morgan isn't eager to put someone on the defensive, he also doesn't want to merely pelt them with marshmallow questions.
"I don't want people being uncomfortable watching," he said. "But I want it to be quite edgy in parts and funny in others and very warm and soulful in others. But I also want to get a feeling that, by the end of it, we really understand that person -- good, bad and ugly.
"Not everyone will do it. Some of them are too cowardly. The smart ones, the clever ones, the Schwarzenggers, the Trumps, the Cowells, the people like that, they enjoy it. They enjoy the combat, knowing that it's actually good-natured combat."
But sometimes, Morgan gets the tables turned on him.
"You get it more in Britain, actually, the stick shot," he said, "People come to me. normally women fluttering their eyelashes, flattering me, pouring me drinks. They say how much they loved me, loved all my books, love my TV, love my newspaper, and by the end of it, I'm so completely suffused with joy and their love for me, that I forget that what they're doing is carving me up like a kipper.
"When I read the interview, it's like, 'This is the most boring, stupid man alive.' I'm like, ''Thank you, moving on.'
"You don't really have that in America. You're a lot nicer over here. It is true. British papers are just barbaric. I was part of it, so I can't complain. I used to unleash my pack dogs onto people, and now they do it to me. It's good. That's how it should be."
But, It's not that Morgan doesn't have his own way to shake up a subject.
"I call it the 'good in bed' technique," he said. "I'll ask them, at some stage of every interview, if they're good in bed. Because it's a question that nobody in the world would possibly dare ask, and it always gets a great response.
"They're shocked, appalled, angry, or they say, 'Absolutely. Yep, I'm brilliant!'"
Asked if he calls anyone to confirm this assertion, Morgan said, "Totally, yeah."
He's got a wishlist of interviewees for a possible NBC show, including Britney Spears and Sir Paul McCartney, along with "someone like Obama, if he was available. It might appeal to them to do something different, do an interview with a Brit."
David Frost is perhaps best known in America for his probing and explosive series of interviews with former U.S. president Richard Nixon, which later were adapted into a play and a recent movie, called "Frost/Nixon."
As to which personality would be the Nixon to his Frost, Morgan said, "George W. Bush. That would be a pretty amazing interview. Love to do George Bush.
"I've got quite strong views about him, as Europeans have, but I've also heard from people like (former Prime Minister) Tony Blair and his people that Bush is a lot smarter than people think, and a lot more principled than people think, so it would be an interesting conversation."
