The new fall TV season will soon be here and I'm getting all revved up for it. Yet, I'm wondering who the morons are in New York and Hollywood who dream up the gargantuan salaries for TV stars.
In its Aug. 29 issue, TV Guide presents its annual list of who gets paid what. I've never seen a list like this before and have often wondered how much stars earn. The lofty salaries are based on star appeal and the advertising revenue the stars help rake in for the networks.
While most of the summer TV shows have been boring repeats, there's one outstanding show my husband and I find thoroughly enjoyable. We never miss "America's Got Talent." It is a reality show, but we love the variety of acts it offers.
The nice part is that there's no age limit, so even older performers can participate. We've seen singers, dancers, magicians, acrobats, trained parrots, dogs and even a horse, which recently screwed up and wouldn't do much of anything except poop on the stage.
Some of the participants who perform don't have any talent, yet they seem to think they do, so the judges – Howie Mandell, Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan – boot them. But that's the fun part of the show. We all need a laugh now and then.
TV Guide reports that both Mandell and host Nick Cannon earn $70,000 per episode. The Tuesday evening show lasts two hours and the results show on Wednesday one hour. Cannon is a real asset to the show. He's energetic, laughs right along with the contestants and sometimes even goes onto the stage with the losers to join them in their act. The audience loves it. Mandell is sometimes annoying when he and Morgan disagree, but they may be purposely insulting each other to make the show more exciting – who knows?
One sitcom I'm really excited about is "Two and a Half Men," now that Ashton Kutcher is replacing Charlie Sheen, who had the role of playboy Charlie Harper for eight years. Does one hunk equal another? I think so. Kutcher seems to be the perfect fit to replace Sheen. TV Guide reports that Kutcher's character, Walden Schmidt, an
Internet billionaire who's plagued with a broken heart, will buy the Malibu beach house that Charlie's brother, the insecure Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) and his teenage son, Jake (Angus T. Jones), live in.
Kutcher will earn an outrageous $700,000 per episode while Cryer gets $600,000 and Jones, only $250,000. Not bad for a 30-minute show, considering that about a third is taken up with commercials.
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said in TV Guide that "The network is working hard to keep the story line secret in the hope that the return of ‘Men' on Sept. 19 [Monday] will be a television event." I hope that's the case because the show has had some delightful characters, excellent dialogue and a plot that has kept viewers excited for many seasons.
I guess viewers like playboy types who drink, drive snazzy cars and try to bed almost every gal they meet. Let's hope Kutcher can be as sexy and dynamic as Sheen.
Those who host late-night talk, daytime syndication or news programs earn the biggest salaries. Jay Leno takes in $25 million for late night, outspoken judge Judy Sheindlin $45 million, Ryan Seacrest $15 million per season as the suave host of "American Idol," and Matt Lauer makes $17 million for "Today."
No one tops Simon Cowell, however, who's at the top of the earnings list at $75 million per season with his latest endeavor, "The X Factor," starting this fall on Fox. Based on his success as the most critical judge on "American Idol," I can't help but believe Cowell's new show will be a smashing success.
This is one show I will definitely watch.
Cowell intrigues me to no end and I love his sarcasm – it's equal to Piers Morgan on "America's Got Talent." It's hard to top those Brits when it comes to sarcasm, and I absolutely love their accents.
Cowell has chosen his cast: former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul, who will earn $2.5 million per season, Antonio "L.A." Reid, the for- mer CEO of Island Def Jam Music Group, Cheryl Cole, winner of Britain's "Pop Stars: The Rivals" in 2002, Nicole Scherzinger, former lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls and Steve Jones, a former Welsh TV host.
Two NBC shows have caught my attention this summer, but I don't think they will excite viewers. One is "Up All Night" with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as new parents trying to cope with their baby.
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