During the promotional blitz known as the summer press tour, the networks preview their fall lineups and parade their on-camera and creative talent for interviews with the nation’s TV writers in Pasadena.
Andrea Thompson says you might have seen all of her, but you haven’t seen all she can do. If racy pictures from her past lead people to sample her present (and, she hopes, future), she will accept the trade-off.
A year ago, Thompson was playing Detective Jill Kuykendall on NYPD Blue. On Aug. 6, she will make her debut as a prime-time anchor for CNN Headline News when the service is relaunched with a flashier look. This follows a short apprenticeship as an anchor-reporter in Albuquerque, N.M.
The whirlwind transition has made Thompson the poster girl for the blurring of the lines between entertainment and news. It hasn’t helped that nude pictures from her early days as an actress have been posted all over the Internet.
The only problem she has with this, she says, is the photos have been exhibited as if someone had dug them out of a naughty collection in her attic.
“Those pictures have been out there for years. Did I do some crappy movies when I was starting out? Yeah. Every actress does. It’s not like I’ve been trying to keep it secret.”
She concedes that the speed with which she went from actress to small-market newswoman to anchor on a national network is breathtaking. However, she thinks she is ready, an indication that the dues one has to pay are pretty cheap in her estimation. People whose fathers own the company often put in more time learning the business than Thompson has.
“I was absolutely surprised to get here as quickly as I did,” she said. “When I left Los Angeles, I sold my house and a lot of my furniture, too, because I figured I was going to have to hop around in small markets for a while. I was prepared for that.”
This isn’t to say she didn’t try to take shortcuts. She was in Albuquerque only a few months when she decided to send a tape to CNN, which, she says, has always been her goal. “Always” in this instance means “since last year.”
Her timing couldn’t have been luckier. Jamie Kellner, who comes from the entertainment world of Fox and the WB, had just been appointed CEO of Turner Broadcasting, the umbrella under which the CNN networks fit. What’s more, ratings were in free-fall because of competition from more free-wheeling networks such as MSNBC and Fox News Channel. Kellner was determined to make a splash; hiring Thompson was a step in that direction, as is the redesign of the network.
The new CNN Headline News makes the presentation of WSVN-Ch. 7 look sedate. The top half of the screen is split between the anchor and whatever graphic is being displayed to illustrate a story. The bottom half is segmented into news headlines, sports, the stock market and weather — all at once. It is so busy and colorful, viewers are liable to suffer seizures.
The old philosophy at CNN was that the news is the star. Kellner has scrapped that. He says he wants every one of his anchors and reporters to have star potential.
Anyone who thinks CNN is upset by the uproar over Thompson is naive. The idea is to generate a buzz, and she has done that.
Although she wants to be considered a real journalist, Thompson is not unaware of her ancillary value as a curiosity figure, nor is she reluctant to capitalize on it.
“I am someone who has demonstrated to the management of CNN my dedication, passion and willingness to do whatever it takes to bring the news to you in a fair, balanced and accurate manner. If my stardom or past has something to do with this, then what I say is, ‘Use me, baby.'”
Intrusive logos
Kellner did offer encouragement to those who are bugged by Turner’s network logos, which are constantly displayed on screen. The new TNT logo is especially prominent and intrusive.
“I totally agree with you,” he said. “I think that the bug is starting to pop a little too much,” especially the yellow band that circles the network’s red initials. “The yellow is such a hot color, it just attracts your eyes down to it. As with all these kinds of things, we have to experiment and play around a little bit with them.”
The yellow has already been somewhat muted, he says, and if the complaints continue, he will consider further revisions.
Unfortunately, not under consideration is the optimal solution — doing away with it altogether.
Still mischievous
Little Danny Partridge, that irrepressible mischief maker and conniver, has grown up to become exactly what you’d expect: Danny Bonaduce. His rap sheet is as colorful as his credit sheet, and his personal life has been too outrageous for even a soap opera. But thanks to his irresistible charm, charisma and ability to laugh at himself, he keeps landing on his feet.
Bonaduce, who has a morning radio show in Los Angeles, is one of four men tapped as the permanent panel of The Other Half, a syndicated television response to ABC’s female-dominated The View. Bonaduce did not hesitate to exploit a mortifying personal experience in response to a question about how men and women are different: “Aside from that one time in Phoenix, I’m pretty sure I can tell the difference.”
Bonaduce was arrested about a decade ago after roughing up a transvestite prostitute he thought was a woman. Police found him cowering naked in the closet of the apartment he shared with his wife, Gretchen.
Their marriage survived. Gretchen realized she was not getting into a conventional situation when they wed 11 years ago. She was a blind date. He took her home expecting sex, he says, and she told him that was out because her religion dictated that she wait until after marriage. Bonaduce took out the Yellow Pages, found a minister who would make house calls, and they were married seven hours after they met. The honeymoon started immediately thereafter.
Bonaduce had a characteristically flippant reaction to the news that 16-year-old Sopranos regular Robert Iler had been arrested and charged with robbery in New York last week. “Not a bad career move,” Bonaduce said. “All the Bradys were good. Where are they now?”
