10. Colbert Internet’s ‘Person of the Year’
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In May, Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report was named “Person of the Year” during the 12th Annual Webby Awards. The awards honor excellence on the Internet and are doled out by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. ”Person of the Year” is tantamount to winning the Oscar for Best Picture, and Colbert received it for his innovative use of the Internet to interact with fans of his show.
9. Dr. Phil's Foibles
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It began early when Britney Spears family asked Dr. Phil McGraw to talk to Spears during a hospital stay. After doing so, Dr. Phil issued a statement saying Brit was in need of “medical and psychological intervention.” There was even talk of a special episode of Dr. Phil dedicated to Britney’s case. The Spears didn’t like either.
Then, in April, there was case of a group of teenagers videotaping their assault on a friend. Dr. Phil planned to have one of the teens on the air. Bad move, after it was discovered his show was helping foot the bill for her bail.
Then in December, Dr. Phil said he’d soon apologize to 911 call-takers in Vermont after saying that state doesn’t require training. Turns out they receive months of training. Whoops.
8. Ellen Knocked off Oprah as Favorite Daytime Host
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7. Saying Goodbye to Montel and TRL
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6. Kathie Lee Joins The Today Show
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5. The Economy Strikes a Late Night Icon
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4. Ellen and Portia Tie the Knot
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Before Californians would vote against gay marriage, a number of couples tied the knot over the summer, including talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her girlfriend, actress Portia de Rossi. In the fall, Ellen would fight against California's Proposition 8, which called for a ban on same-sex marriage. The ballot initiative passed, however, and the fight continues.
3. Tim Russert Dies
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The TV news world was shocked in June when Meet The Press host Tim Russert died unexpectedly. Veteran journalist and popular NBC Nightly News anchorman Tom Brokaw served as interim host before David Gregory was named new, permanent host in December.
2. NBC Plans Late Night Talk Show Domination
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First it was the announcement that Jimmy Fallon would be Conan O’Brien’s successor to Late Night. No big deal, but what about reluctantly retiring Jay Leno? Where would he go and who would he crush when he got there?
Turns out NBC is slicker than we thought. They’re keeping Leno and moving him to prime time. For quite a while, the conventional wisdom was that Leno would land at ABC, becoming the network’s new 11:30 p.m. talk show master. But NBC circumvented that possibility by giving the popular host his own evening talk show – five nights a week a 10 p.m. With nearly four hours (not including your local news) of late night talk shows on the schedule, NBC wins the late night domination game.
1. The 2008 Presidential Election
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Above all else, late night’s affect on the 2008 Presidential Election stands out as this year’s top story. From John McCain’s cancellation of a Late Show appearance (and subsequent return) to the current-, possible- and future-first ladies’ visit to a number of talk shows, presidential candidates made more stops to late night television shows than at any time in the past – 110 appearances.
Fifty appearances came before a primary vote was even cast, according to recent research. McCain made 17 guest appearances; President-elect Barack Obama made 15. Mike Huckabee made 16 and now hosts a talk show on Fox News Channel. Jay Leno had 22 candidate appearances, while The Daily Show welcomed 21, Late Show, 19, and The Colbert Report had 15.
