By Drew Grant 12/03/12 11:16am

Ruining Christmas

Video

Lara Spencer apologizes for any confusion about reality of magical elf

Good Morning America Backtracks on Hard-Hitting Elf Expose; Claims New Toy Really Goes to North Pole to See Santa (Video)

Good Morning America isn’t the first news program that has had to apologize for a factual story and replace it with some implausible copy, but last week proved that they might be the silliest. During Lara Spencer’s segment on this season’s hot new toy, Elf on the Shelf, she inadvertently let it slip that although it is not supposed to be touched by children after they “adopt him” (because giving him a Christian name infuses him with magical powers that are taken away if he is played with), he doesn’t actually go to the North Pole and visit Santa Claus. Rather, her film crew showed parents moving the doll, and in one instance, Spencer actually picked up the toy herself.

Of course, this is the biggest scandal since the Killian Documents, as far as The New York Post is concerned. Read More

By Neville Galvin 11/30/12 6:59pm

Reeve Foundation Keeps Magical Alive

Olivier Nakache, Meryl Streep, Omar Sy, Eric Toledano and Mr. Weinstein.

Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? No, It’s Meryl Streep!

As we walked out of Cipriani 55 on Wednesday, we were overwhelmed with confusion. What had just happened? Smiling, we headed for a cab, trying to piece together some sort of cohesion.

“We are getting people out of wheelchairs and walking,” I recalled  Matthew Reeve saying at the beginning of the evening, poised on the red carpet of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation annual Magical Evening. ‘That involves fundraising.”

“Its a wonderful chance to celebrate what the organization has accomplished and remind everyone what needs to be done, whilst remembering my father and step mother’s legacy.”

With the evening’s noble purpose clearly set in our minds, we were ushered to our tables.

Good Morning America anchors Josh Elliot, Sam Champion and Lara Spencer kicked off the proceedings with a champagne toast. The taste of bubbly fresh on our lips, the presentation of the Christopher Reeve Spirit and Courage award soon followed.  We were inspired by James Dasavano‘s struggle to reverse his mother’s paralysis, a fete he accomplished with the help of his family and the foundation. Tears almost came to our eyes when we saw his mother walk beside him to the podium. Read More

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke 9/18/12 12:25pm

Daytime Dueling

Ann Curry

Ann Curry’s Last Laugh

Other people’s bad ratings are the best revenge, especially if you are Ann Curry. Just three months after Ms. Curry was let go at Today in an effort to improve ratings, it looks like the show’s problem wasn’t Ms. Curry after all, reports the Post.

Today, which used to own the morning show race, is all set to get beat out by Good Morning America for the third week in a row. Even the Olympics couldn’t save the summer for NBC–ratings were down 7 percent overall. Read More

By Drew Grant 9/18/12 8:50am

Big Apple Idolatry

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Big Apple Idolatry: Bushnell Settles Sex Score, Paul Rudd’s Lucky Strike, and Baldwin’s Beef Fetish

- Fresh off his Broadway run in Chicago, Usher will be kicking his feet up in one of those swivel pods on the third season of The Voice. He and Shakira will be taking over for Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green, who are vacating their judges’ chairs on NBC’s hit music contest. Of coorse, Usher has an ace card up his sleeve to win over any waffling young talent. It’s two words, and rhymes with Bustin Tweezer. Read More

By Matt Chaban 9/23/11 12:00pm

Mainstreaming

Screen Shot 2011-09-23 at 11.37.10 AM

Yarnbombing Goes Mainstream on Daytime T.V. [Video]

Our friends the Looons, who yarnbombed a tree down the block from Observer HQ, have taken their work to the big-time, and it’s not even that big of a piece. Unlike Olek’s huge Wall Street bull sweater or some of the other big yarnbombings out there, this was a fairly simple task, bombing an Aeron office chair. That chair happened to belong to a Good Morning America cohost, though, so now middle America is hip to trend. While this may mean the end of this venerable art form, watching George Stephanopoulos get giddy about some string is pretty funny. Read More