While scrolling through the local television channels on a leisurely Thursday afternoon, I happened to hear three words that tickled my skeptically trained advertising ear, “personal production pressure.” As an advertising student, I am taught that everything most things are not what they seem and everything should be questioned. So when I heard these words uttered by an Entertainment Tonight host, I new I had to dig deeper into the matter.
After using my trusted TiVo, I found out that the host, Mark Steines, had been commenting on Ellen DeGeneres and her withdrawal as the co-host of this years “American Idol Gives Back”. According to Access Hollywood, she is backing out of the charity event due to an unforeseen production schedule that conflicts with the taping of her own show. This screams PR cover up! Only two weeks before, Ellen raved about the show saying:
“Everyone knows it’s better to give than to receive. That’s why I want to give you some advice. You get the advice and I get the joy of giving it’s a win-win. Here it is: Give yourself a treat and watch ‘Idol Gives Back.’ Again, you get the joy of giving and an amazing line-up of artists get to give us an incredible show. Last year, we were able to giveaway over $76 million. You give, you get. Get it?
Ellen DeGenerous had the right idea here, and she is not the only one. “Idol Gives Back” has an impressive roster of talent excited to raise money and give back to the community. So why is she dropping out? Some have suggested that Ellen was critical of Danny Noriega’s elimination from the competition as a homophobic move by producers. My guess is something, I don’t know what, occurred between her and the producers. I can’t imagine that Ellen would give up such a great opportunity for something as simple as a scheduling conflict. Hey Ellen, what about taping your show the day before?
