By April MacIntyre Jul 24, 2009, 3:45 GMT
Bad blood is brewing at the Wanda Sykes show, where an internal document was scanned and sent to Hollywood Queen rug ripper, Nikki Finke, of Deadline Hollywood.
Comedian Wanda Sykes Bad blood is brewing at the Wanda Sykes show, where a document was scanned and sent to Hollywood Queen rug ripper, Nikki Finke, of Deadline Hollywood.EPA/MARTIN H. SIMON
Comic actress Sykes is an out lesbian who celebrated the birth of twins Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude with her wife, Alex back in April. Sykes served as emcee of the White House Correspondents Association dinner, and soon after FOX announced Sykes would break color and gender lines by hosting a new late-night comedy-talk hour in place of "Mad TV" on Saturdays this fall.
Reporter Nikki Finke has long championed the writers of Hollywood; her coverage of the writer's strike surpassed and scooped the big boy trades.
Now it has been revealed the producers are culling freebies from would-be staff writers hired to make Wanda Sykes funny on the telly.
Finke notes that it is a WGA union show, and it is supposedly not allowed to ask for new material as part of a submission packet. Nikki also notes that all the big boys of late night regularly ignore this rule, Letterman, Leno, Conan and Kimmel being some examples.
The DHD readers (many industry people) talked back to Nikki's post, the consensus was Sykes' show was doomed:
"It seems Wanda’s producers want her show to be I’m f*cking Ben Affleck meets The Chappelle Show...The “bits” they list that “work for them” are lame...Instead of being just timely with your comedy show Wanda, aim for Timeless.
Look we know Wanda is funny and good so the producers are on the hook for this show not Wanda."
The packet speaks for itself.
Sykes also has an HBO special planned for August. And she'll still appear next season playing best friend to "Seinfeld" alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her CBS sitcom, "The New Adventures of Old Christine."
Is Sykes your cup of late night tea? Will you be tuning in, or tuning out?
Talk back.
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Sorry, but...........Jul 24th, 2009 - 22:12:52
I CAN'T take this woman!
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