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Defamer Exclusive: 'MADtv' Canceled

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:10:24 EST

Though the high-profile political season has gifted Saturday Night Live with some killer ratings, it apparently hasn't floated all sketch comedy boats. Rumors started circulating today that Fox's MADtv was canceled in the middle of its fourteenth season, so Defamer checked in with one of our operatives to get the scoop:

"It's true," said the highly-placed source. "We're finishing out the season, then we're done."

Fox had been experimenting with potential MADtv replacements over the last few years, though none of its hush-hush, taped pilots ever made it to series. We're hearing, though, that the network has currently decided to keep its other late-night offering, Talk Show with Spike Feresten. Developing!

MADtv [Fox]

'View' Insider: Barbara Walters Giving Elisabeth Hasselbeck 'Enough Rope To Hang Herself'

Seth — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:40:24 EDT

Our breathless coverage of the backstage bitchfights befalling The View in these tense days leading up to the election have elicited what will surely go down as the Golden Age of View-Issued Denials. From Whoopi on Regis and GMA, to a very special "We All Love Each Other!" Hot Topic, to a show rep chuckling off our McCain T-shirt ban story, to Sherri Shepherd telling CNN the tales are as flat-out wrong as the Earth itself is flat, never before have the ladies doth protested so much. And yet, further reports of animus come. The Chicago Sun-Times ran a story yesterday claiming that things had "gotten so ugly, they only speak on air or when a camera is anywhere in their vicinity." Accurate? Yes, says a Defamer source who's managed to penetrate their inner kaffeeklatsch sanctum:

I can confirm for you that this story is indeed true. In spite of the declarations of "peace and love" on camera, these two ladies do not speak to each other off camera anymore. Elisabeth has pretty much burned her bridges over there with the non-stop, right-wing rhetoric. It has gotten so bad that even Barbara had to warn her about not attributing statements to Barack Obama without proof.

While it is not nearly as contentious as the Rosie days, it is pretty bad. Mainly because the right-wing rhetoric doesn't end when the cameras go off. Elisabeth's hardline stance has also become a big problem with booking some A-list guests on to the show. Much of the staffers who happen to be democrats aren't pleased with her either, and don't go out of their way to interact with her unless absolutely necessary.

The whispered consensus is that Barbara and Bill let Elisabeth do the Sarah Palin rally to give her enough rope to hang herself. Meaning that they can then do what they did to get rid of Star, which was to use/point to "viewer likeability" to get her out. Just wait and see.

We shall—as if you had any doubt of that. In the meantime however, we shall savor whatever time we have left with lone gladiatrix Hasselbeck, left to fend for herself against in the perilous View arena with nothing but the pin side of her "I Voted For A Lipstick-Wearing Pitbull!" button for protection.

Defamer's The View Catfight of the Century Coverage

ABC Bans Hasselbeck From Sporting All Unflattering McCainwear

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:10:54 EDT

When Elisabeth Hasselbeck wore a John McCain-boosting T-shirt on Tuesday's installment of The View, little did she know it would set off a 24-hour, Defamer-consuming chain reaction that would lead to booing, a now-notorious backstage conflict, and a through-the-looking-glass emergence of this humble blogspot as one of the show's Hot Topics (also, it introduced us to Sheetzucacapoopoo — thanks, Elisabeth!). Now, as Hasselbeck prepares to introduce vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin at two Florida rallies this weekend, one of our agents at The View informs us that the problematic T-shirt was the subject of a contentious ABC conference call today:

There was a conference call this morning between "the powers that be" (ABC) and the show's producers (Barbara and Bill).

Elisabeth will not be allowed to wear anymore McCain T-shirts on-air.

The number of complaints - phone calls and emails and even negative studio audience comments regarding the T-shirt were staggering, and the network does not want it happening again.

How she got away with wearing it on-air is anybody's guess, but it definitely will not happen again.

Looks like Hasselbeck will have to get her 100% cotton ya-yas out this weekend before returning to the usual View wardrobe of elaborate pirate shirts. Enjoy those rallies, Elisabeth, and remember your revised talking points: Whoopi isn't an Arab, but Joy Behar? Not who you think she is!

Elisabeth Hasselbeck to campaign with Sarah Palin [LAT]

Previously:

DEFAMER EXCLUSIVE: Backstage Elisabeth/Joy Blowup Rocks 'The View'

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:51:47 EDT

A lot of fighting happened in front of the cameras on today's heated installment of The View, but according to a tip we just received from a Defamer operative, it was nothing compared to what went on after the show was over. Our tipster says that Elisabeth Hasselbeck was upset that Joy Behar has been using The View to tout Behar's upcoming stand-up performance, and the conservative co-host demanded equal time in a confrontation that got ugly:

After "The View" went off the air today, Joy and Elisabeth WENT AT IT backstage!!!!!

Joy jumped in Elisabeth's face about a comment she made about Joy not being able to plug her appearances because her act is "political in nature." This was in response to the controversy about the McCain t-shirt Elisabeth wore on the air on Tuesday.

Joy SCREAMED in Elisabeth's face, "If you do that again I will burn you down." Elisabeth turned beet red and started to stammer out something. And then Joy yelled, "Shut the fuck up" and stormed off.

Nobody backstage came to console Elisabeth who was left standing there. Not even Barbara. Not Sherri either.

If anyone else bore witness to the View battle royale, be sure to send us your accounts. Somewhere, a gratified Star Jones is surely cooing "Excellent," while indulging in a gastric bypass-approved, icy-cool dish of sweet revenge.

[Photo Credit: AP]

Previously:

'View' Audience Laughs At McCain Tee-Clad Elisabeth, Who Finally Promises to Stop Talking