Brian Damage
07-01-2010, 02:13 PM
Two recent news items got us thinking about TV's most annoying talk show hosts. First, Larry King announced his exit from 'Larry King Live' this fall, although he will continue doing specials. Second, Showtime is reportedly interested in Stephen A. Smith. They want the basketball reporter and New York radio jock-talker to host a late night talk show.
Smith, who has already failed with a chat show on ESPN, is not a good candidate as a host because he's a grating personality. So are these people who we think about the six most annoying talk show hosts. Here's who made the list and the why ...
1. Larry King, 'Larry King Live' -- There was a time when Larry's shtick worked. That would have been in the first ten years on CNN, maybe even up to the turn of the century. But since 2000, Larry's become more annoying than insightful. His gravelly voice and old-timey reporter spiel has not aged well. This was the right time to leave, before they fired him.
2. Andy Cohen, 'Watch What Happens: Live' -- If Andy Cohen wasn't the Senior Vice President of Production and Programming for Bravo, he would never be the host of the network's only talk show. It's not just that he's a horrible interviewer, he's smarmy and a kiss-ass. He loves all the guests because most are Bravo personalities! His style is to be a goofy, regular guy just gushing about celebs ... no make that pseudo-celebs.
3. Joy Behar, 'The Joy Behar Show' -- Joy is a comedian and she's in her element on 'The View' because she can add a comment or zinger while the other ladies are yapping. On her HLN talk show, Joy is just too aggressive and in your face -- and that's annoying. Of course, that's the style of HLN in general, so they probably encourage her to be a nagging shrew.
4. Bob Costas, 'MLB Network Studio 42' -- Nobody likes a know-it-all, and Costas thrives on being the smartest kid in the class. He always has, but it's more annoying when it comes to baseball because Bob thinks he should be running the game and making every decision about how to honor the game. As an interviewer with baseball greats, like Willie Mays, Bob was telling Willie more about his life than Mays revealing his memories of the past. Here's a clip of Costas at his most stuck-up:
5. Jonathan Ross, 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross' -- Maybe it's a cultural thing, but Ross is the top talk show host in England and BBC America has been broadcasting his show here in the States. It's awful. He's so over the top and unctuous with the stars who are there to promote their latest film/record/whatever that you cringe while watching. Somehow this man has won every big award in the UK. Go figure! Watch him with three of the stars from 'Glee':
6. James Lipton, 'Inside the Actor's Studio' -- You know what we said earlier about know-it-all's? Well, Lipton is very much one. He does incredible research on his subjects and can ask the most arcane questions ... and that can be very irritating. His show is overall very good, but Lipton is often too serious and pompous for his own good.
Smith, who has already failed with a chat show on ESPN, is not a good candidate as a host because he's a grating personality. So are these people who we think about the six most annoying talk show hosts. Here's who made the list and the why ...
1. Larry King, 'Larry King Live' -- There was a time when Larry's shtick worked. That would have been in the first ten years on CNN, maybe even up to the turn of the century. But since 2000, Larry's become more annoying than insightful. His gravelly voice and old-timey reporter spiel has not aged well. This was the right time to leave, before they fired him.
2. Andy Cohen, 'Watch What Happens: Live' -- If Andy Cohen wasn't the Senior Vice President of Production and Programming for Bravo, he would never be the host of the network's only talk show. It's not just that he's a horrible interviewer, he's smarmy and a kiss-ass. He loves all the guests because most are Bravo personalities! His style is to be a goofy, regular guy just gushing about celebs ... no make that pseudo-celebs.
3. Joy Behar, 'The Joy Behar Show' -- Joy is a comedian and she's in her element on 'The View' because she can add a comment or zinger while the other ladies are yapping. On her HLN talk show, Joy is just too aggressive and in your face -- and that's annoying. Of course, that's the style of HLN in general, so they probably encourage her to be a nagging shrew.
4. Bob Costas, 'MLB Network Studio 42' -- Nobody likes a know-it-all, and Costas thrives on being the smartest kid in the class. He always has, but it's more annoying when it comes to baseball because Bob thinks he should be running the game and making every decision about how to honor the game. As an interviewer with baseball greats, like Willie Mays, Bob was telling Willie more about his life than Mays revealing his memories of the past. Here's a clip of Costas at his most stuck-up:
5. Jonathan Ross, 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross' -- Maybe it's a cultural thing, but Ross is the top talk show host in England and BBC America has been broadcasting his show here in the States. It's awful. He's so over the top and unctuous with the stars who are there to promote their latest film/record/whatever that you cringe while watching. Somehow this man has won every big award in the UK. Go figure! Watch him with three of the stars from 'Glee':
6. James Lipton, 'Inside the Actor's Studio' -- You know what we said earlier about know-it-all's? Well, Lipton is very much one. He does incredible research on his subjects and can ask the most arcane questions ... and that can be very irritating. His show is overall very good, but Lipton is often too serious and pompous for his own good.