July 15, 2007

Blogging TCA: Weighty Issues

Seth Arenstein, at the TV Critics Association summer press tour, finds Court TV's Star Jones dodging the channel's pending name, truTV

STAR STRUCK: Star Jones faces the critics at TCA.

Turner continues to keep things heavy this morning at TCA.

Following panels about a CNN series on religion and a 4-hour effort called The Planet in Peril, the network brought out Star Jones to plug her new Court TV talk show, called (simply) Star Jones. The show will tackle questions that other shows don’t handle, Ms. Jones says.

Apparently that won’t include how Ms. Jones managed to get her body mass index to a point where she looks excellent in a short skirt. How did she do it? Well, er, Star won’t say, although “I guarantee you it will come out of before the show [begins Aug. 20, 3pm],” she says.

But TCA critics are a wily bunch. We have no clips [from your new show] and not much else, one says, “you’re in a room full of reporters, why won’t you talk with us?” the critic asks.

“C’mon, guys,” she responds, urging critics to ask her about issues. They comply, quizzing the former lawyer about Scooter Libby and Paris Hilton. But eventually the topic returns to the issue uppermost on critics’ minds.

Yesterday that was whether actors really had sex in HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me; this morning, it’s Ms. Jones’ weight loss.

“You’ve seen me gain a whole person and lose a whole person," she replies. "It’s taken me a while to talk about that, openly and honestly…this is not the format for me to do that.”

WORTH THE WEIGHT?: Jones at TCA's summer press tour.

Sure it is, critics yell. Star mentions that “one person” would be very disappointed if she spoke about her weight loss today.

Well, did she sell her story, she's asked? “No, it’s my health. I would never do that.”

She says the one person who would be disappointed is the viewer. The critics aren’t buying. Why, Star, why won’t you talk? “It would do a disservice to all the women out there,” she argues.

Finally, after about 30 minutes of wrestling, Star tells critics that she’s written about her “journey.”  OK, we’d settle for knowing where you did that, a critic pleads. “In Glamour magazine,” is the answer.

Did we mention that Star’s show, if it lasts, will run on a channel that starting January 1 will be called truTV?

• EARLIER: Blogging TCA: Say Amen