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Last Comic Standing 2 - NBC
Hosted by actor/comedian Jay Mohr, this returning series has an 14-episode commitment and features a nationwide talent search for professional and non-professional comedians. Once the selection process is narrowed to 10 finalists, after the semi-finals in New York and Los Angeles, the program will then follow the comedians as they live together in a house and compete for an exclusive talent contract with NBC.
Which is worth a lot - Just ask Dat Phan. Who? |
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Recaps by C.C. McCandless and Randall The Vandal
Last Comic Standing News
June 21, 2004
Controversy continue to surround the selection process for the ten comics to make the finals and be installed in the "house" for NBC's Last Comic Standing.
Host and Executive Producer Jay Mohr offered an explanation of the voting procedures to Zap2it.com. Mohr says "The judges' wishes are the first, second and third thing we respect when we go into the room to pick who gets on the show. The first thing we do is say 'Who's on all four cards' ... and those people automatically go." According to Zap2it.com the judges "were told to pick 10 comics each to advance to the finals. Anthony Clark wrote down only four names; his picks matched with those of the other judges, so those four comics moved on Drew Carey, Brett Butler and Tess also agreed on three more contestants, bringing the number of finalists to seven."
The producers and network execs picked the remaining 3. Little doubt exists that 2 of these 3 are Ant and Gary Gulman who are managed by Last Comic Executive Producer Barry Katz. And perhaps Bonnie McFarlane who many believe should not have made it past the first audition let alone into the finals is number 3. McFarlane is dating first round judge Rich Vos. Neither Mohr nor NBC would reveal who the four unanimous picks were.
Mohr would have you believe that there was nothing unusual about the process. If that is so, why does he find himself defending it? Why, days after the taping of the finals, where judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler saying it was fixed?
Carey said, "I thought it was crooked and dishonest. It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 in the audience (for the semifinals competition) who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal." Brett Butler echoed Carey's sentiment in a posting on her Web site. "As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them."
The real show starts this week. It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the house, and how America votes.
June 17, 2004
The final 10 have been selected to move into the house on Last Comic Standing 2. The selection process has been surrounded with controversy. You can read C.C. McCandless' recap of last night's episode here.
The end of the episode featured an LCS producer trying to calm down a very upset Judge, Drew Carey. The editing made it appear that Carey had agreed with the way things were handled. But that was not the case. Several days after the filming Carey accused NBC of being "crooked and dishonest" in selecting the reality show's next batch of contestants. According to Reuters/Hollywood Reporter "Comedians Drew Carey and Brett Butler said their input as judges was discounted during the semifinal round that took place last month in favor of NBC executives and the show's producers.
One of "Last Comic's" executive producers, Barry Katz, is the manager of two of the performers who made the final 10, the one-name comic Ant and Gary Gulman, and he also manages "Last Comic" host Jay Mohr." "I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey said. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 in the audience (for the semifinals competition) who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal."
Brett Butler echoed Carey's sentiment in a posting on her Web site. "As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them," Butler wrote." Barry Katz has declined to comment on the issue.
Remember in episode one the "spontaeous" banter between judge / comedian RichVos and comedian Bonnie McFarlane? Remember Vos asking her back to his house and McFarlane saying she would "rather be homeless"? That appears to have been just one of many "scripted" elements of this reality show. It turns out that Vos and McFarlane have been dating for sometime. But I'm sure that did not influence him as a judge and had nothing to do with her advancing to the finals.
Regardless of how much of this is set up, how much the final 10 are influenced by people's own financial and personal agendas the show is good TV. And the ratings are there to back it up. Over 11 million tuned in to episode 2. That's the best ever for the show. We expect the numbers for episodes 3 and 4 will be better. And remember, next week the real show starts. The 10 move into the house and America decides who goes home. I'm guessing the annoying Ant and the boring Gulman will be among the first to leave.
May 13, 2004
RTVC is proud to welcome another writer to our staff. C.C. McCandless is an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
C.C. will be recapping will Joes Schmo 2 and Last Comic Standing 2. You can reach C.C. at ccmcc33@msn.com.
March 3, 2004
Drew Carey - Brett Butler Say It's Rigged
The juding was phony and meaningless....the producers chose the cast....The celebrity judges are just window dressing. That's the case if you believe Drew Carey and Brett Butler discussing their experience as judges on NBC's Last Comic Standing 2. Drew Carey is accusing NBC of being "crooked and dishonest" in selecting the reality show's next batch of contestants.According to Reuters/Hollywood Reporter "Comedians Drew Carey and Brett Butler said their input as judges was discounted during the semifinal round that took place last month in favor of NBC executives and the show's producers. One of "Last Comic's" executive producers, Barry Katz, is the manager of two of the performers who made the final 10, the one-name comic Ant and Gary Gulman, and he also manages "Last Comic" host Jay Mohr."
"I thought it was crooked and dishonest," Carey said. "It was like somebody at NBC cast the show ahead of the event in Vegas. And they had 1,100 in the audience (for the semifinals competition) who saw how blatantly it was cast. If this happened on 'Survivor' or any other reality TV show, it would be a major scandal."
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Butler echoed Carey's sentiment in a posting last week on her Web site.
"As panel judges, we can say that (a) we were both surprised and disappointed at the results and (b) we had NOTHING to do with them," Butler wrote."
Barry Katz has declined to comment on the issue.
Host Producer Jay Mohr cancelled a shooting session for "Last Comic" due to an illness, sources said.
NBC said "The casting decisions were made by NBC and NBC Studios in consultation with talent scouts and we appreciate their valuable input."
Will NBC and the producers get what they deserve? Can you say Dat Phan?
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