By April MacIntyre Sep 7, 2008, 0:42 GMT
"The Bonnie Hunt Show" will debut in the daytime on September 8.
02/17/2008 - Bonnie Hunt - 58th Annual ACE Eddie Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hilton Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA USA © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos
Hunt is a no-nonsense straight talker, which is a tip of the hat to her training and background, being from a large blue-collar family and becoming an oncology nurse back in her hometown of Chicago.
As a kid, Hunt grew up watching "The Mike Douglas Show" and "Merv Griffin," with her family, and now she lends her production a fresh perspective as the day’s events are discussed and new stories are told.
At the summertime Television Critics Association press junket, Monsters and Critics had lunch one day with Hunt, her producers and other TV critics.
Hunt shared that it was a dying patient of hers who urged her to follow her instincts, head west, and refuse to succumb to the fear of failure.
Bonnie’s working class roots in Chicago and her time as a nurse, to her training at Second City (comedy troupe) has been an enriching journey to where she is now.Bonnie’s executive producer Jim Paratore admitted he had tried for 15 years to get her to do a talk show and noted that the longtime fan of Bonnie’s - David Letterman and his production company Worldwide Pants - offered her the "Late Late Show" after Craig Kilborn exited - but Hunt wasn’t ready at that time in her life, weathering divorce and other issues.
“Since I was a little kid coming home from school, talk shows like 'Dinah Shore' and 'Mike Douglas' were what I watched. My family was big, and we watched 'Johnny', and 'The Dean Martin Show.' They were always entertaining and exciting, and we all watched it together.”
“Now is the right time in my life for this challenge, and I am completely ready for it,” Hunt added.
The show will be taped at the historic Culver Studios daily, so Bonnie can talk to her audience about everything that’s on her mind.
The top of the show is destined to become a much-talked about segment where viewers will find looking for a smart, funny, common sense and decidedly Midwestern female take on the issues at hand.
Hunt explained a bit of the show’s premise. “The show’s humorous and direct tone definitely will be established right off the top, we won’t be having talks about sex or uncomfortable topics, yet the range will be wide, but the stories I hear, the inspiring stories and some amazing people I have met will definitely be celebrated, and it will be a place where celebrities can feel safe, and let their guard down.”
“I’ve always been a storyteller, and I grew up in a large blue-collar family, and it was, hey you have to be sharp to get noticed around here, and you better make it good, so those skills came with the territory…there’s a connection factor that has been lost a little bit and our show will hopefully bring it back, celebrating the funny moments, the things that make us all laugh.”
“It was a blessing to have the background in nursing and spent so much time with patients who were at such a vulnerable time in their lives, and they gave me the greatest gift of confidence and joy, it was perfect training for this next chapter.”
To find Bonnie on your TV, visit her website and locate your channel: here
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