'Top Chef: Las Vegas' finale: In the end, the risks pay off

I'm sure there are quite a few viewers out there who have a morning-after beef with the finale of "Top Chef: Las Vegas."

Although the final three -- and, this season, they were the right three -- were villain-free this time, a Bravo poll taken during Wednesday's season-ending episode revealed that a big 58% of voters wanted that hog-loving, comfort-food-cooking and all-around-nice-guy Kevin to take the crown.

But I gotta say Michael Voltaggio deserved the win. (He was a little bit of a villainous type but didn't approach the Marcel/Stefan/Lisa abrasiveness of past seasons.)

Mike was a hard guy to like. The backward baseball cap. The smack talk. The self-importance. The immaturity. He was the competition's kid brother in every negative sense of the word, and he was more impressed with his own culinary skills than anyone else ever could be. He told us on more than one occasion that Kevin's simple Southern cuisine was the kind of food he might make on his day off.

He also told us incessantly that his food was bold, risky and surprising. He was right.

Ellen DeGeneres to begin 'Idol' judging duties next month

 
Ellen DeGeneres officially begins her "American Idol" duties during the infamously grueling Hollywood Week -- the rite of passage in which 200 contestants who passed initial rounds with judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi -- prove they are worth singing in front of America.

DeGeneres, who missed the first rounds of auditions in the summer because she was hired in the middle of that process after Paula Abdul unexpectedly bowed out of the Fox show, begins her new job in January. She signed a five-year deal and will continue to host her popular talk show.

Hollywood Week has traditionally been filmed in November, but producers changed it to January to accommodate Cowell's schedule, which means contestants will be vying for the coveted 24 to 36 slots to appear on the live shows as America is already beginning to get to know them on TV.

The show premieres Jan. 12. Hollywood Week auditions will air in February.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Ellen DeGeneres. Credit: Associated Press

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Juju Chang to replace Chris Cuomo on 'GMA'; Cuomo offered '20/20'

The expected announcement by ABC this week that “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos will succeed Diane Sawyer as the new co-anchor of “Good Morning America” is triggering some other changes on the program. According to a source familiar with the situation, correspondent Juju Chang has been offered the position of news anchor on the morning show. She would replace Chris Cuomo, who was in the running to replace Sawyer but is not expected to remain on the show when Stephanopoulos arrives. ABC executives hope to keep Cuomo at the network, however, and are in “very active discussions” with him about co-anchoring the newsmagazine “20/20” and getting an expanded reporting role across the news division, the source said.

-- Matea Gold

Diane Sawyer confirms this is her last week on "GMA"

In her first public comments about her departure from “Good Morning America,” Diane Sawyer confirmed today that she will end her run on the ABC News morning show on Friday, a decade after joining the anchor desk for what was supposed to be a temporary assignment.

"I've calculated -- 2,881 shows," Sawyer said. "Roughly.”

Not that she’s counting. But there’s no question that Sawyer has long sought the ultimate post in broadcast news: to serve as evening news anchor and the face of the network. She finally will attain that post on Dec. 21, when she takes over “World News” from the retiring Charles Gibson.

“You really are giving up your day job,” said co-anchor Robin Roberts.

For the rest of this week, “Good Morning America” plans to recap highlights of Sawyer’s two decades at ABC. Roberts, who called Sawyer “my Thelma,” said “it is so difficult” to see her leave the program.

Left unsaid was who was expected to be Sawyer’s replacement in the morning. ABC executives are currently  in negotiations with “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos to take the job. “GMA” news anchor Chris Cuomo, who also was considered for the post, said today that Sawyer’s work on the show “makes us all proud.”

“It is amazing what we’ve seen you be able to do,” he said.

He then joked that the famously driven broadcaster was “not a perfect person.”

“Something as simple as driving,” Cumo said, introducing a video of Sawyer driving her “GMA” co-anchors, who cringed as she sped through a yellow light. “Take a look at the great Sawyer. ... She has no respect for traffic laws.”

-- Matea Gold

Sofia Vergara heats up ABC's 'Modern Family' and makes us laugh

ABC has been into Sofia Vergara for quite some time. The former Univision host was cast on two failed comedies, "Hot Properties" and "The Knights of Prosperity," and had a recurring role on "Dirty Sexy Money." Now, it looks as though the perseverance has paid off. ABC and Vergara have a shared hit in "Modern Family," the season's top-rated new comedy.

The Times interviewed Vergara at Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills in October, where the Colombian actress proved why she might be on her way to becoming America's No. 1 funny lady. The following are excerpts from that interview. You can read the rest here.

Fess up. Who’s your friend at ABC? They keep giving you opportunities.

My friend or my friend? (Laughs.) I think [ABC President of Entertainment] Steve McPherson. He always said, “I’m going to look for something for you.” He always believed in me. All of the three shows that I’ve done has been his idea.

How did you meet him?

I met him when he was at Touchstone. I did a pilot with Damon Wayans for ABC. And he was one of the executives. The pilot didn’t go through, but they tested the pilot and I scored pretty high. I don’t know what that means. Then ABC gave me a holding deal until they found something for me. And now it looks like they found it.

Did you have fun at work today?

It’s always funny. Today we were working on the Christmas episode. So today we sang a song.

Do you crack up around Ty Burrell? He’s so funny.

It’s so hard to be straight around him. But you learn because then the hours are too long. That scene we had where I throw the underwear at him, we had to do it so many times because I would throw it on his face and I would just laugh and laugh.

You named your son after Manolo [Steven Bauer] on "Scarface," right?

I was so obsessed with Steven Bauer. He was so handsome. He was gorgeous. But now my son always says, “Yeah, yeah, you named me after a drug dealer junkie. That’s fantastic, Mom.” I tell him, “It was because he was handsome.” That’s my favorite movie. [She looks down at her plate.] It’s a weird time to be eating this salad. 4 p.m.?

Do you cook?

No. My son does. He does things I wouldn’t even try. He learned himself. Since he was 7, he would watch "Emeril." We would sit together to watch cooking shows. But of course I didn’t learn anything. And he was memorizing recipes like crazy. Now, he cooks for his friends. He’s ready. He knows how to do laundry, go to the supermarket, pay bills. I trained him perfect. The girl that gets him is going to be very lucky.

A lot of beautiful women feel like they have to apologize for their looks, especially in the professional world, but you just own yours.

You know, the reality is that it has opened a lot of doors for me. It’s a reality that when you’re pretty, you get more opportunities. But it’s also true that there’s always younger and prettier than you. So if I’ve been working for 20 years, it’s because there’s something there. So I don’t feel I have to apologize for being beautiful or whatever. Good for me. Anyway, I think people after they know me, they forget about that. They just go, "Move out of the way." (Laughs.)

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Sofia Vergara. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

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Adam Lambert to appear on 'The View' next Thursday [Updated]

Are ABC and Adam Lambert making up?

Adam Lambert just tweeted that he's going to be appearing on "The View," which ABC confirms.

"Hey friends! I will be performing and hanging w the ladies of ABC's The View Thursday the 10th!" he tweeted.

ABC declined to comment about the decision but sent out a release confirming that Lambert will appear on Thursday's show.

Lambert will be interviewed by "The View" hosts and will perform. Both will be pre-taped because Lambert has a scheduling conflict and cannot be in New York on Thursday, sources said.

The appearance follows Lambert's sit-down interview with Barbara Walters for her "10 Most Fascinating People" special on Dec. 9.

[Updated at 6:41 p.m.: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which in the last two days has issued three statements regarding its position on this issue, has now issued a statement from its president, Jarrett Barrios: "ABC has taken a step towards fairness by inviting Adam Lambert to perform on 'The View.'" GLAAD has been advocating against the double standards that have been applied to Lambert as an openly gay performer. We thank community members and allies for voicing their concerns with ABC so that entertainers like Adam have the opportunity to be broadcast into living rooms across America."]

[Updated at 10:09 p.m.: An earlier version of this post misspelled Barbara Walters' first name as Babara.]

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Adam Lambert at the American Music Awards. Credit: Getty Images

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GLAAD president explains his positing regarding ABC's treatment of Adam Lambert

GLAAD president explains his position regarding ABC's treatment of Adam Lambert

 
They say the third one's the charm.

In the third statement released in two days about the ABC v. Adam Lambert controversy, the Gay and Lesbian  Alliance Against Defamation on Friday explicitly criticized the network for using a "double standard" against the "American Idol" runner-up and called on the community to protest ABC.

GLAAD's previous two statements regarding ABC's cancellations of Lambert's performances on the network after his sexually charged American Music Awards appearance have drawn criticism and caused confusion.  In the first statement, GLAAD seemed to give ABC a free pass: "It would appear that the kiss between Adam Lambert and his keyboardist did not factor into ABC’s decision."

In the second statement, GLADD said "ABC confirmed this is not about a same-sex kiss or his sexual orientation but about being 'caught off guard.' GLAAD asked ABC and calls on them for clarification on 'caught off guard' so that the community knows why Lambert is being denied the opportunity to perform on the network."

This afternoon, GLAAD issued its strongest statement yet, saying that the organization does, in fact, believe that ABC canceled Lambert's appearances on "Good Morning America" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and stopped considering him for "New Year's Rockin' Eve" because he is an "openly gay performer."

All of this gave us whiplash, so we asked GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios for a telephone interview, which he granted.

Barrios said that he realized quickly after the first statement was issued that GLAAD's position was being misunderstood because "I'll admit it, the statement should have been more clearly worded," he said.

"Giving ABC the opportunity to explain themselves is important, but it's also important for us to be clear about what our position is," Barrios said. "And that is that we believe that Adam Lambert is being subjected to a double standard because he's an openly gay entertainer. Canceling his performances, past and future, are a result of that double standard."

Although GLAAD asked ABC to explain itself to the public in the second statement, it failed to be clear about how the organization deemed ABC's actions. Barrios decided to issue a third statement, he said, to make it crystal clear.

"GLAAD is appreciative of ABC's other work," Barrios said, referring to the commendations ABC has received in recent years for the network's portrayal of gay characters on several of its prime-time shows.  "But let me be clear: We remain steadfast in our beliefs that he's being subjected to a double standard because he's an openly gay performer."

GLAAD no longer wants ABC to explain what it meant by "caught off guard" to the public. Instead, Barrios said he hopes viewers will let ABC know what they think about how Lambert is being treated. ABC declined to comment today.

"We're urging the community to reach out to ABC and express those concerns because we believe Adam Lambert is being subjected to an unfair double standard," Barrios said.

--Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Adam Lambert appears on "The Early Show"/Credit: Getty Images

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'FlashForward' and 'V' return to ABC in March

Looks like spring is going to be full of time-traveling, blackout aftermaths, alien encounters -- and, yes, answers.

ABC's two new serialized mysteries, "FlashForward" and "V" will take a long hiatus until early spring so that the network can air both series' remaining episodes uninterrupted.

"FlashForward," starring Joseph Fiennes, will return March 4 at 8 p.m. "V" will return on March 30 in a new time slot, 10 p.m. after "Lost" -- which means on some Tuesday nights we'll be getting a double Elizabeth Mitchell feature.

"Lost" returns for its final season Feb. 2 at 9 p.m.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez (follow me on Twitter @writerchica)

Photo: Elizabeth Mitchell. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

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GLAAD clarifies its position regarding Adam Lambert and asks ABC for an explanation

Since ShowTracker posted the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's statement this afternoon regarding ABC's cancellations of upcoming Adam Lambert performances, Lambert fans have taken to this blog and to Twitter to express criticism and confusion over GLAAD's apparent support of ABC's decisions.  Now, GLAAD is clarifying its position.

GLAAD's original statement was included in a press release containing a statement from ABC that said: "Given the live nature of the American Music Awards, Adam Lambert’s performance, which differed greatly from his rehearsal, caught many, including the network, off guard. This is not a question of Lambert’s sexual orientation. As is evidenced by GLAAD’s media report card, ABC is at the forefront of positive gay and lesbian portrayal on television. We welcome openly gay performers and look forward to continuing our great work within the LGBT community."

A GLAAD spokesman just sent The Times a new statement that further clarifies the organization's feelings about the way Lambert has been treated and whether ABC should be held accountable.  ABC canceled Lambert's appearances on "Good Morning America," "Jimmy Kimmel Live" , and is no longer considering him for the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" roster.

"Since his American Music Awards performance occurred GLAAD has consistently advocated that Adam Lambert and openly gay artists not be held to a double standard. As we have expressed publicly, it is disappointing that ABC will not give Lambert a chance to perform at this time. GLAAD’s discussions with ABC focused on confirming that his sexual orientation was not a factor in their decisions. ABC confirmed this is not about a same-sex kiss or his sexual orientation but about being “caught off guard.” GLAAD asked ABC and calls on them for clarification on 'caught off guard' so that the community knows why Lambert is being denied the opportunity to perform on the network."

In an interview with CBS' "The Early Show" last week, Lambert admitted that he got carried away with his performance of "For Your Entertainment" and included elements in his act that were not part of the rehearsals. For example, Lambert said that in rehearsals he pulled the hair of his male keyboardist. During the telecast, he kissed the man.  Those kinds of changes in the act angered ABC executives, who are also facing possible "indecency" or "obsenity" fines from the Federal Communications Commission.

On his Twitter page, Lambert blamed the "FCC heat" on ABC for the cancellations. Lambert was referring to a complaint filed by Liberty Counsel on Nov. 24 against ABC, demanding that the network pay a financial penalty "for airing such an outrageously lewd and filthy performance during a show and time period that is targeted for family audiences." Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm that is closely tied to the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University and provides legal assistance in defense of "Christian religious liberty, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family."

ABC has declined several interview requests from the Times about the controversy. Lambert told "The Early Show" that he learned his lesson and in the future will stick with what he has rehearsed with producers. Since then, he has performed on "The Early Show" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," and both were well-received.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

--Photo: Adam Lambert during AMA's/Credit: Getty Images

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GLAAD and ABC are at peace over Adam Lambert

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation just issued a statement regarding the ongoing Adam Lambert controversy that might surprise you.

In the statement, GLAAD says that the organization spoke several times with ABC about concerns that Lambert is being held to a double standard. After those discussions, ABC issued a statement to GLAAD:

"Given the live nature of the American Music Awards, Adam Lambert’s performance, which differed greatly from his rehearsal, caught many, including the network, off guard. This is not a question of Lambert’s sexual orientation. As is evidenced by GLAAD’s media report card, ABC is at the forefront of positive gay and lesbian portrayal on television. We welcome openly gay performers and look forward to continuing our great work within the LGBT community."

In turn, GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios issued the following:

“It would appear that the kiss between Adam Lambert and his keyboardist did not factor into ABC’s decision. ABC has a history of positive gay and transgender inclusion that includes featuring kisses between gay and lesbian couples on-air. We applaud the visibility of openly gay performers and congratulate Adam Lambert for sharing his story on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' this week as well as his upcoming appearance on 'The Jay Leno Show.' "

--Maria Elena Fernandez

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ABC close to naming George Stephanopoulos to 'Good Morning America'

ABC is moving closer to naming George Stephanopoulos the new co-anchor of “Good Morning America,” replacing Diane Sawyer on the morning news show.

Network executives are in talks with Stephanopoulos, who anchors the Sunday morning show “This Week” and serves as ABC’s chief Washington correspondent, about the terms, according to people familiar with the situation.

The discussions began this week after ABC News President David Westin met with Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, and told her that Stephanopoulos was his choice for the post.

People knowledgeable about the process cautioned that there is not yet a deal in place. “The conversations are all very complicated and there are things to be worked out,” said a person close to the situation.

Still on the table are the details of Stephanopoulos’ compensation, as well as his exact role on “GMA.” The former Clinton White House advisor may continue hosting “This Week” in the near future, but it appears unlikely that he would continue in both posts in the long term.

ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider would not comment on the discussions. “We’re working within a timetable we established three months ago,” he said. “We’re not at the end of that process. And when we are, we are going to make an announcement.”

Next week is expected to be Sawyer’s last hosting “GMA,” where she has been a fixture for a decade. On Dec. 21, she is going to inherit the “World News” anchor desk from Charles Gibson.

It’s unclear how “GMA” will fare without Sawyer, one of the few superstars remaining in television news. Absent her wattage, Westin is seeking to revamp the program’s sensibilities. In a recent presentation to Sweeney, news division officials laid out a plan to focus more on hard news in the first hour and on consumer stories about finance, health and education in the second hour.

Such an approach would also dovetail with Stephanopoulos’ interest in serious-minded journalism. Associates said the former political analyst has had questions about whether the format of “GMA,” which is laden with frothy features, could accommodate his desire to do hard news reporting.

-- Matea Gold 

FCC complaint is at the center of ABC's and Adam Lambert's woes [Updated]

Adam Lambert's urging to fans not to be upset with ABC for canceling his upcoming appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is making more sense today. On his Twitter page Wednesday night, Lambert explained "It's the FCC heat," a statement that ABC has declined to address.

The "FCC heat" comes from a complaint filed by Liberty Counsel on Nov. 24 against ABC, demanding that the network pay a financial penalty "for airing such an outrageously lewd and filthy performance during a show and time period that is targeted for family audiences."

In the complaint, Liberty contends that Lambert's Nov. 22 performance was both obscene and indecent and urges that the FCC take action against ABC. Liberty Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm that is closely tied to the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University and provides legal assistance in defense of "Christian religious liberty, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family."

Although ABC did receive about 1,500 complaints from viewers about Lambert's highly sexualized performance, dozens of Lambert fans have been complaining about ABC's decision to cancel Lambert's "Good Morning America" interview and now the "Kimmel" performance. Many of those critics say Lambert is being targeted because he is a gay male, as Janet Jackson, who opened the American Music Awards, grabbed the crotch of a male dancer and went unscathed by critics.

The director of cultural affairs for Liberty Counsel told The Times today that his firm was not aware of Jackson's performance.

"The issue is not so much about homosexuality, although I believe the preponderance of Americans find public hyper-sexualized acts of homosexuality particularly off-putting," Matt Barber said. "But the issue was more of indecency and what is decency. And frankly the issue is one of law. We believe this performance met the threshold for violation of federal law and violation of FCC regulations. And the Supreme Court has held time and again that there’s not a First Amendment right to engage in public indecency as evidenced by the outcry and complaints that poured into ABC. We believe that this violated contemporary community standards in terms of what is and what isn’t decent."

But "Kimmel" airs well after 10 p.m., the cut-off time the FCC has set for when indecent material cannot be broadcast. Lambert's AMA appearance occurred at 10:55 p.m. [Updated at 12:51 p.m.: It was edited for the West Coast, but the timing could be an issue in the Central Time Zone, which would have seen it at 9:55 p.m.]

"I would say this is inappropriate period," Barber said. "This is not HBO or some of these cable networks where that type of indecency and filth has come to be expected. This is television where people just flipping through channels could have stumbled onto that. People unaware of what’s coming down the pike in terms of the indecency being performed. And it’s just really, frankly, not appropriate for network television, period, to mimic one man performing oral sex on another man."

ABC executives declined to be interviewed and issued a statement that didn't explain why the network continues to disinvite Lambert from his scheduled appearances: "We decided not to move forward with the booking at this time." Lambert's publicist on Thursday declined a request for an interview with the artist but said, "We respect what [ABC] says."

ABC also canceled Lambert's appearance on "Good Morning America" last week, saying the network was concerned he would give another controversial performance "so early in the morning." During an interview on "The Early Show" on CBS, Lambert conceded the adrenaline got the best of him on stage and the acts in question were not featured in his rehearsals.

Lambert will still appear on ABC's Barbara Walters' "The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2009" on Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. presumably because there is no live performance involved.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Lambert at the AMAs; Credit: Getty Images

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