In the tabloid industry, there’s an often-used tactic in which magazines take old interviews with celebrities and re-hash them to make them appear to be current. It’s something we at CB usually see through and our readers do, too. “OK!” is a frequent offender. Tabloids doing it is one thing, but a popular news channel? Apparently, Fox News is taking some heat from two celebrities for this very practice. Rap star and actor LL Cool J and country star Toby Keith have both issued statements that the new Fox News program, “Real American Stories,” hosted by Sarah Palin, has recycled old footage of them as part of the program – and they want viewers to know they had nothing to do with it.
Is there a feud brewing between LL Cool J and Sarah Palin?
Originally, the rapper and star of “NCIS: Los Angeles” was being promoted as a guest on Sarah’s new show, “Real American Stories.” However, he claims he was never actually asked to be on the program.
“Contrary to what was reported, LL Cool J was never scheduled to be a guest on ‘Real American Stories’ with Sarah Palin this week,” his rep tells ET. “The show had planned to use an interview from 2008 that was being re-purposed without LL’s permission.”
The rep went on to say there is no animosity on their end, adding, “This statement is not a reflection of any feelings LL has toward Fox News or Ms. Palin, whom he has never met, rather a clarification of what we have seen published in the media.”
However, a rep for Fox news tells ET a different story. When ET asked the network to clarify LL’s appearance, the Fox rep responded by saying they decided to cut him from the show altogether, telling ET: “‘Real American Stories’ features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe [LL Cool J]’s interview fit that criteria. However, as it appears that [LL Cool J] does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career.”
Wow! That Fox News response is rather nasty, eh? I don’t think LL could have made it any more clear that he has no problem with Palin – he just wanted to set the record straight that he wasn’t a “new guest” on the show. Meanwhile, Toby Keith has made a similar statement about his involvement in the show.
What are they putting in the water at those tea parties?
Just hours after LL Cool J took issue with Fox News for splicing old footage of him into a promo for a Sarah Palin-hosted special in which she profiles “real Americans,” country singer Toby Keith said that the very same thing happened to him!
Keith’s rep, Elaine Schock, confirmed to E! News Wednesday that the U.S.A.-championing artist has never been interviewed by Palin, yet there’s a clip of him in the same commercial, right before LL Cool J comes on.
“I have no idea what interview they are using,” Schock told the New York Times’ Arts Beat blog.
“Toby’s talked to Fox a number of times, and I had no idea that this was going to be on Sarah Palin’s special. Fox has never contacted me—not now, not when they were putting this together, not at all. I have no idea what they’re using.”
She later informed the Times that the interview likely occurred in early 2009.
After ending up the target of a negative tweet, the network has since dropped the repurposed LL Cool J interview from Real American Stories, airing Thursday night.
Keith, a self-described “conservative Democrat” who’s known for his unflagging support of U.S. troops, has helped give Fox News some celebrity cachet over the years, sitting down for multiple chats about his music and movie projects.
Hmmm. I wonder if Fox News has plans to issue a similar scathing statement about Toby as they did with LL? Again, it doesn’t appear that either celebrity has a problem specifically with Palin, and I doubt she had any control over how Fox News decided to edit this show together using old footage. But if Fox wants to make Palin their media darling and give her any kind of credibility as a news show host, they may want to avoid such shady journalism tactics. I’m sure the channel and this new show have a big enough budget to go out and interview guests to air new footage, right?
She looks like a deranged mule. Next!
How many idiots at Fox and in Palin’s camp thought this was a good idea and that no one would notice?
Here’s why Fox News won’t release a scathing statement against Toby Keith like it did against LL Cool J. Toby Keith’s a white country singer who’s huge with their target audience. LL Cool J is not. Therefore Toby Keith will get a pass.
Yay!!! I was hoping you would post this story.
It’s rather contemptous that FOX continues to parade around like a legitimate news source. I’m of the belief that most mainstream news organizations are compromised, but FOX “NEWS”‘ lack of journalistic integrity is especially abysmal. I realize that these tactics are par for course with them, and that’s the problem.
What bothers me about this story is not that just that they cut and spliced and old interview WITHOUT their permission, but it was their unprofessional, juvenile response upon being called on their obvious equivocations. It’s like a line out of Tina Fey high school comedy.
I also love how FOX implies that “Mr. Smith” should be thankful (WHO calls LL Mr. Smith but tacky “journalists” attempting to hit below the belt?) when they were OBVIOUSLY attempting to use his image as a pawn. FOX “News” targets a conservative demographic who probably don’t have much of clue as to who COOL J is (you know, a wildly successful and RESPECTED rapper who’s been in the biz for more than 25 years) and thought they could get away with it. They were called on their bullshit and they respond like an articulate 7 year old. Sad.
Remember when Jon Stewart called out Sean Hannity (I think) about the FACT that FOX used old footage to grossly overestimate the number of demonstrators at a health care opposition rally last fall?! These people really aren’t to be trusted.
I think it’s lousy, and lazy, to recycle old footage and make it look like it’s part of a new show, but Fox has done this before – remember the rally footage that was really from some other event, that the Daily Show busted them on? (Viktory, you beat me too it!)
Why so snarky to LL, Fox? He’s been acting for over a decade, and is the star of a hit show. I think he’s doing just fine. Very unprofessional, Fox.
Can I just say how much I hate the term “real Americans”? Every citizen of the US is a real American. I hate when that term is thrown around by people who feel that only those who think like them are “real” Americans. Which is ironic, since that sort of thinking is actually kind of un-American, in the sense of how and why the country was founded to begin with. But anyway…
yeah, those tea-partiers are a smart lot…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pargon/4468906425/in/set-72157623594187379/
the whole set…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pargon/sets/72157623594187379/
why is this IDIOT of a female even doing a show in the first place. ughhhh
Cant stand her and Im hoping the show flops just to keep her out of the news. Talk about a bag of air.
I wish Palin would just go away.
And furthermore, when quintessential good ole boy Toby Keith is calling you out, you KNOW you’re “news” organization is shit.
I have complete faith that he show will bomb.
OMG Praise, those photos are hilarious.
Faux News and Faux Sarah Palin – did anyone really expect anything more out of either of them?? Manufactured news to fit their own needs…
Here is another woman that I wish would go away.
Fox News has as much credibility as CBN.
I also despise the term “real Americans”. It is a tactic used by only the very lowest of low to show that the “enemy is within”.
It is very clear that neither of them seem to have a problem with Palin herself but with Fox News’ lazy “journalism”. Jon Stewart also forced them to admit that most of their programming is opinion and editorial NOT, in fact, news.
Lol, “fledgling acting career”!?! Bitchy much, FOX?
Sadly, I agree with flutters.
Wow, Fox! Thanks so much for reinforcing my long-held belief that your “news” channel is a piece of shit run by lazy, infantile, incompetent people!
Kinda OT MSAT, but did you hear about the 53 people that got towed whiled attending a Glenn Beck thingy in Central FL?? Hilarious!!!
Fox News ALWAYS does crap like this, remember when Stewart called them on using old footage from a different rally to make it seem like Palin had more support at some other rally? Fox News is so far up Palin’s butt she needs to put a window in her belly button so they can see out of it. Its ridiculous.
Ha, this isn’t even going to get off the ground. I’ll bet my next paycheck it’ll be cancelled after just a couple episodes and good riddance.
For fans of Fox and Palin, credibility means absolutely nothing. They just follow the leader, no matter what. This will make no impact on them.
She can’t interview anyone, she’s too damn stupid.
The snarky response to LL is typical of how Faux news treats people who don’t suck up to them and their agenda.
cutting and pasting old interviews makes good sense if palin is as bad at interviewing as she was at being interviewed (re: katie couric). fox was probably afraid that if palin did live interviews, that tina fey would have enough material for a thousand comedy shows.
LMAO… thanks, Praise St. Angie! I just spent the last half hour laughing out loud at my desk at the Teabonics!
Fantastic way to get through a morning of boring temping!
They better leave my LL alone(I am seriously crushin’ on this guy)
Shouldn’t they be able to find, oh, a couple of “real Americans” with decent stories that will actually physically talk to that dimwit? Repurposed interviews that are over a year old??? And you are advertising them as new…. Seriously Fox??? It’s no wonder real Americans with half a brain don’t watch your channel. FAIL.
The reason why Fox does stupid sh*t like this is because the people who do watch this crappy channel think that the word of God is spoken through Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin so they believe everything without ever questioning their credibility
@flutters I was going to say the same thing. What is Sarah’s show about if all of the interviews were old? I just have this image of FOX slicing her into the interview as if she’s the one who did it originally. It also says a lot that nobody wanted her to interview them.
Why would talking to Palin help his long standing acting career? LL is already a legend in music and has done some pretty good movies. There was no reason for Fox to release such a nasty response.
What the fuck is a fake American?
I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin, but I do feel a bit sorry for her. She was obviously not ready for the national spotlight when she was chosen for the 2009 ticket. Now she’s in a position where she is making career decisions from the hip, and she’s not making them very well. If she had been allowed to season and mature as a politician she may have been a good one. But instead she succumbed to the Fox “News” sinkhole – for the money, of course. The future doesn’t look promising.
I have no sympathy for LL Cool J, Mr. Smith. He continues to affliate himself as a Black Republican, to a party who cares nothing about Blacks, Latino’s in the first place. The Republicans and Faux Channel (I refuse to call it a news channel, it is purely entertainment news) have never embraced Black Repubicans. The few that they have (Michael Steele), Clarence Thomas and the few other high profile Black Republicans are not treated in high regard at all.
Maybe once and for all he will wake up and smell the turd blossoms and move the hell away from the GOP!