No one has come close to replicating the power and fortune amassed by legendary TV hosts Dick Clark, Merv Griffin and Oprah Winfrey — yet. But American Idol's Ryan Seacrest is on his way, and others are right behind.
Today's TV hosts aren't satisfied with just their day jobs. If you don't have multiple shows, a line of licensed merchandise and a production company, you're not trying hard enough. It's all about creating empires, and...
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"Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss knows her life sounds a bit strange. But Fleiss' three-year stint in jail, run-ins with exes like Tom Sizemore and struggles with drugs sound almost normal compared to her other addiction: Caring for more than 20 exotic macaw parrots.
Fleiss' relationship with those birds forms the basis of a new Animal Planet special, Heidi Fleiss: Prostitutes to Parrots. The one-hour program, from Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Films and Television, airs Sunday at 10 p.m. and doubles as the pilot episode to a potential series.
Fleiss, who lives in Pahrump, Nevada (where she continues to consult for brothels), was pitching another reality show concept with her brother when Piligian suggested turning the camera on her and her birds. It's an expensive hobby, one that she supports by running a laundromat and a doggie day care — as well as starring in reality shows (like this one and Celebrity Rehab).
With her macaws squawking in the background, Fleiss spoke with TV Guide Magazine about her love/hate relationship with the birds; her brutally honest take on Dr. Drew Pinsky; why she didn't care for Mike Tyson's Animal Planet show; and how she manages to stay sober.
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Our top moments of the week:
13. The Show Must Go On Award: There's no such thing as an injured reserve list on America's Got Talent. After Lucia of LD Dance performs with a sprained ankle, hip-hop troupe Fatally Unique's status is put into question when one of its dancers is forebodingly taken to the hospital on a stretcher following a collapsing pyramid during rehearsals. (Let's not forget the small pool of blood on the stage either.) She returns with a busted lip and a fractured nose and powers through the routine — and the pyramid trick — earning the group a trip to...
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For a new show, Dr. Drew sure spent a lot of time covering old news. Last night, Celebrity Rehab guru (and licensed physician) Dr. Drew Pinsky launched his eponymous HLN show and like a fun drunk at a wedding trying to do the Chicken Dance, it was both entertaining and uneven.
"I will be addressing a whole range of related topics that impact each and every one of us," he promised at the outset. "That's family, relationships, sex."
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Dr. Drew Pinsky is finally practicing a little work/life balance.
Well, to be honest, it's more of a work/work balance. But for workaholic Pinsky, at least it's an acknowledgement that something had to give. As he turns even more attention toward TV, Pinsky confirms that he has wound down his medical practice.
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