In the Loop
By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/15/2004 8:00:00 PM
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Legend in Her Own Time Claim to Fame Courage and Meatloaf |
Legend in Her Own Time
Culinary icon Julia Child, who cooked her way into American hearts and homes, died Aug. 12, two days shy of her 92nd birthday. Her lively show, The French Chef,debuted on PBS in 1963, and Child, 51, quickly became a star, inspiring cooks everywhere to sing out her classic signoff "Bon Appetit!"
Her show ran for 206 episodes and won a Peabody award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Most recently, Child paired with fellow TV chef Jacques Pepin for a 1994 PBS special Julia Child & Jacques Pepin: Cooking in Concert and its 1996 follow-up More Cooking in Concert. Saturday Night Live spoofed her, but with great affection. The Food Network is preparing a tribute this week.
Two weeks prior to her death, Child talked to B&Cabout being a TV chef, the food business, and why she never sold her name.
On TV chefs: "Not everyone can articulate and demonstrate at the same time. TV is a visual medium. And a 'talking head' is boring! The TV chefs who are most popular are enthusiastic and really love what they're doing."
On the food industry: "The culinary profession has become just that: a profession. The discipline involves much more than just cooking. There are an unlimited number of careers: from nutritionists to food writers, culinary historians, photographers, set designers, dietitians, restaurant reviewers—not to mention chefs."
On why she never took endorsements: "I want to be able to be completely honest about what I say and what I present. I like having the opportunity to show the difference between brands and styles of cookware. I don't want to have to avoid using anything simply because it may conflict with the views of a sponsor."
If that doesn't get her into heaven, nothing will.
Claim to Fame
Without Joe Namath, jocks like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods may never have become media celebrities. And without Sonny Werblin and George Lois, Namath might never have become "Broadway Joe," the first sports star of the TV age.
That's according to Mark Kriegel, author of the new bio Namath, (Viking) which comes out next week. Werblin was the "king of the package deals" at MCA, the Lew Wasserman-helmed machine that pumped out some of TV's most famous shows, including Wagon Train and My Three Sons.
As co-owner of the New York Jets with a vested interest in the success of televised football, Werblin signed Namath for the unheard-of sum of $400,00. Then he put the handsome athlete with a swinging nightlife in front of the cameras.
Kriegel says Namath redefined the concept of the ballplayer, "and it was perfect for TV." Later, legendary adman Lois turned him into an endorsement machine. After shaving his Fu Manchu mustache for Schick (and $10,000), Namath appeared in spots for everything from pantyhose to Ovaltine. Call it pioneer branding.
Today, every bad-boy athlete with a fat endorsement contract has Namath to thank.
Courage and Meatloaf
Veteran 60 Minutes anchor Mike Wallace has new friends among New York City's taxi and limousine drivers. A trade group plans to honor him with the Mike Wallace Courage Award for "enduring for one day what drivers have to endure every day of the year," says Fernando Mateo, president of the New York Federation of Taxi Drivers.
Last week, New York's Taxi and Limousine (TLC) Commission inspectors questioned Wallace's driver when they found his limo double-parked outside a restaurant. He was inside getting meatloaf, an errand that apparently requires a limo. Accounts differ, but a TLC rep initially claimed Wallace, 86, "lunged" at the inspectors. He was handcuffed and charged with disorderly conduct.
Mateo insists that the award, to be given annually, "has humor in it." Maybe, but Wallace won't attend the Aug. 22 ceremony, nor will he accept the award. (Perhaps he can't find a ride.)
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