He Won’t Stick His Nose Where It Doesn’t Belong?
“Geraldo” is dead. Long live “The Geraldo Rivera Show.”
Tired of being lumped in with the trashy daytime talk shows currently under attack, Rivera has vowed to junk his current syndicated show, “Geraldo,” and replace it with a more sober, responsible daytime hour come fall.
He told the New York Daily News that the new program (working title: “The Geraldo Rivera Show”) would have a harder news edge and be more issues-oriented - along the lines of “Rivera Live,” his respected evening discussion show on CNBC.
“I just got sick of it,” Rivera said of the current daytime fare. “This is not the way I want to go out.”
Added associate Marty Berman in the New York Post: “The days of screaming and confrontation are over.”
Loose talk
Ex-talk host Danny Bonaduce, on his gay fans (in Out magazine): “I still get letters from guys telling me they think I’m cute. I love it. Anyone who thinks I’m sexy is OK with me.”
And 32.3 percent of the public wishes him well
Louis Harris turns 75 today.
Sounds like Phil’s finally running on empty
Phil Donahue, on the other hand, may be hanging it up for good. According to the New York Daily News, the syndicated “Donahue” show is not being shopped around for next fall.
Sure enough, he sees some mousse every day
Bryant Gumbel has agreed to anchor NBC’s “Today” show for one more year - his 15th - but says it will be his last. Explained Gumbel: “When I first agreed to anchor ‘Today,’ (original host) Dave Garroway told me to do it for five years. ‘Any more than that,’ he said, ‘and you wind up going in the woods to talk with a moose.”’
Named after what mommy did for nine months
“Today” co-anchor Katie Couric gave birth Friday morning to a 7-pound, 10-ounce daughter. The new arrival will be called Carrie.
If she loves The Donald, she could love anyone
None other than Donald Trump has come to the defense of a.m. talk queen Kathie Lee Gifford, a favorite target of sleazehound Howard Stern. Says Trump: “I can only tell you that my mother - who probably hasn’t met Kathie Lee and doesn’t know or care that I know her - loves her.”
At least she can relax in front of the camera
Speaking of sleaze, former O.J. Simpson juror Tracy Hampton’s “not-so-innocent” pictorial appears in Playboy’s March issue. The 26-year-old flight attendant was dismissed in May after complaining of stress.
It’s the first time he’s turned down a knockout
Finally, Mike Tyson was minding his business at Manhattan’s Vertigo Club when up walked a female patron who proceeded to strip. Said he: “No offense, but I’d appreciate it if you’d put your clothes back on. After what I’ve been through, I think you can understand.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos
The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Rick Bonino