Not only does Chuck Lorre have a genuinely funny show in The Big Bang Theory. But he’s also got the balls to bash Ben Silverman in public. I, for one, was horrified when I saw that Silverman would be receiving the 6th Annual NATPE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards last night. Because I knew Brandon. He was a close friend of mine. He used to share his most private thoughts about the television business with me on a daily basis. And he would be turning in his grave at the very idea of Ben receiving the award because of how little Silverman cares about programming. So kudos to Cynthia Littleton’s blog item today about Lorre, who was also receiving the Tartikoff Award, livening up the ceremony by taking Ben to task for insulting the striking writers as “the ugliest, nerdiest, meanest kids in high school” trying to cancel the prom. So last night Lorre ”invited the exec to meet three writers who embodied ‘ugly, mean and nerdy’. Sure enough, three guys at Lorre’s table who would never be mistaken for Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman or Jon Hamm stood up as the aud roared. (It could not be immediately determined if they were in fact WGA members but they sure looked the part.),” according to Littleton’s on-scene account. And I can vouch that Brandon loved writers. Which is why I think he’d also object to Tyler Perry receiving the Tartikoff Award. As for ABC’s Anne Sweeney, who the hell knows.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.


Silverman getting an award for his work?
What, do they just pull names from a hat, or do the networks take turns on who gets it?
And don’t you have to actually show up for work before you win any awards for it?
Sheesh.
Only the prettiest people should make big money. Those ugly ones who have all the ideas and do all the work are just crashing the prom expecting to be paid. An executive just needs to be good at extorting money from the stock holders and shuffling debt.
“Not only does Chuck Lorre have a genuinely funny show in The Big Bang Theory”
Alright it’s official Nikki Finke officially has terrible taste in television. Entourage is boring, Dirty Sexy Money was unwatchable but Big Bang Theory is “genuinely funny”.
Would not Brandon be spinning re: Tyler Perry too? Ugh.
I’ve never heard anybody say anything good about Lorre or Silverman. They should both be getting the F-U Award, not the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award.
Did you hear Tyler talk about the creative vision today at NATPE? He was surprisingly eloquent and he has a heartfelt desire to provide a valid experience when a viewer spend time with his product.
Ben, meanwhile, managed to be insulting and thrilled with himself. Nobody else seemed thrilled in the least.
Tyler Perry? All this tokenism is making smart, talented people of color look bad! Stop it now!
Brandon Tartikoff = Genius
Ben Silverman = No talent dumbass
Uh, how come no mention that Tyler Perry told the Guild to go screw itself and fired his longtime writers when they said they wanted to go WGA?
So two of the four getting the award are union bashers? It’s almost as if NATPE favors the business side.
Ben Silverman deserves everything he gets, I just wish it wasn’t coming from someone I suspect get paid by the cringe-inducing dick joke. I guess those years show-running on “sitcoms fronted by high-maintenance femmes” would turn anyone into a misogynistic jerk.
If you want to see the whole awards ceremony for yourself check out
http://live.vimation.com/vim_content/vse_redirect.cfm?v0=http://live.vimation.com/vim/%3fv_launch=natpe%26&v1=311&v2=ch:288&v3=1&v4=3153
Lorre introduces some of the Two And A Half writers as “ugly mean & nerdy” (you can’t see them, the camera stays focused on the podium)
Also Silverman tries to say that he never made the ugly mean nerdy kids trying to spoil the prom comment during the WGA strike. But we know better
Rob… Entourage IS boring, DSM WAS unwatchable, and I happen to think Big Bang Theory is hilarious.
Ever think it’s YOU with the “terrible taste”?
Anyone know what the buzz is on KINGS, the new NBC series set to takeover the ER timeslot in March?
Thanks for making us the poster children for “Ugly, Mean and Nerdy.”
– Jeff & Jamie (pictured), two of the writers of Desperate Housewives
It is not at all horrifying to me that Mr Silverman could receive the award emanating from NBC late programming genius and NBC head Mr Brandon Tartikoff since we live in a warped & bizarre time.
I was with NBC in its 1980s glory days, just after the movie NETWORK hit the silver screen. Brandon brought shows to NBC and developed them as hits like HILL ST BLUES, ST ELSEWHERE and CHEERS…where are shows like these today from Silverman that reflect where the country is at”…what is happening in the streets and pysche of the USA?. Is it no vision or is it night shades on all day long?
I agree. Entourage = boring. DSM = revolting to the eyes. Big Bang Theory = well, I wouldn’t call it hilarious but it’s a welcome sight over the previous two.
And for the record, is BBT really Chuck Lorre’s show or did he steal it from some poor shlub writer like he did with Two and A Half Men??
“Quit Making Me Look Bad”
I am with you. Perry has single-handedly lowered the standard of film and TV for people of color.
Obama’s in the White House and this clown’s in the multiplex in his minstrel drag queen get up again.
Ugh.
“where are shows like these today from Silverman that reflect where the country is at”…what is happening in the streets and pysche of the USA?. Is it no vision or is it night shades on all day long?”
I shudder to think that what’s on tv now DOES reflect the psyche of the USA….
Lorre was brilliant and entertaining- the fellas he brought along were actual writers from his shows
Don Foster, Eddie Gorodetsky, Mark Roberts
Both Lorre’s shows blow. They’re written for 15 year olds, full of look-what-we-got-past-the-censors infantile sex jokes. Anyone who’s worked for Lorre will tell you he’s a miserable bastard who thinks he’s more talented than Larry David or Mitch Hurwitz.