spotlight
Nights at the by tim parks
Chelsea Lately
Round Table
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! If you gather ’round the television at 11:00 p.m. on weeknights talk about celebrity gossip than video games,” he said of his “Staff Homosexual,”
to watch E! you might want to check the floor to see if your ass has fallen off; be- ahem, position.
cause there is more than a distinct likelihood that you have laughed it off viewing Being featured on the program does have its fair share of perks—like free cup-
Chelsea Lately. cakes, being recognized at gay bars and enjoying a stimulating workplace.
Celebrities end up shredded, diced and pureed by the dish served up by the “Working in an office environment without a Mexican little person—how will I
likes of Round Table regulars Heather McDonald, Loni Love and Guy Branum. ever do it again?” Branum exclaimed. “There’s nothing cuter than Chuy (Handler’s
TV viewers are as familiar with the faces of these comedic people as they are assistant) trying to make copies.”
with “smartcastic” host, Chelsea Handler, who holds court over these jesters. So, what does a typical day behind-the-scenes look like at Chelsea Lately?
Fear not loyal subjects, I got it all out on the table (so to speak) regarding Staff writer and comedian Heather McDonald had the answer on exactly what
behind-the-scenes doings, on-air embarrassing moments, and which celebrity is entailed. For a show that seems very loose, there is a great deal of structure in
needs a career makeover. getting it prepped five nights a week.
When Handler began airing celebrities’ dirty laundry in 2007, she had a strin- In a nutshell, 9:00 a.m. morning meetings are designed to go over must-see TV
gent criterion for staff members and the creed show would follow. moments, stories sent from the E! news desk for topics discussed on the show,
“[I expect employees] to show up sober and to not have red hair,” she quipped which are then pitched and divvied up among writing teams and Ok’d by their TV
via e-mail. “Nothing is off limits, except for gay or ugly babies; they have no way of boss. The show opener and closer are also decided upon, and jokes are honed for
defending themselves.” review prior to their debut during the 3:00 p.m. taping.
Guy Branum joined the Lately team after working for videogame-related “What’s so great about writing on Chelsea Lately is that it is so collaborative,” she
network G4. He had previously given up a career in law because as he put it, “I did explained.
not like being around lawyers and working with them.” Still, it’s not all work-and-no-play, there are those infamous “Margarita Fridays”
“I’d been watching it and enjoying it, and thought it would be way more fun to talked about on-air.
48 RAGE monthly | september 2009
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