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'Parker Spitzer' TV Talk Show Marriage Is on the Rocks

1 year ago
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NEW YORK -- The much-ballyhooed CNN prime-time talk show starring Eliot Spitzer, the formerly disgraced governor of New York, and the brainy political writer Kathleen Parker has hit bottom.
Parker, cast in the stand-by-her-man role on the show, occasionally throwing in a word or two, is fed up playing second fiddle to the motor-mouth Spitzer, who sucks up all the air during the 8 p.m. Eastern "Parker Spitzer" hour, the New York Post reported Wednesday, quoting unidentified sources.
Word has spread in the gossip media that Parker, 58, a Pulitzer Prize winner, walked off the set during a pre-taping a few weeks ago. She was said to be furious that the hard-charging Spitzer is allowed to take over the show night after night.
Spitzer, 51, a former state attorney general once known as "the sheriff of Wall Street" for his relentless investigations of the financial sector, is now better known as "Client 9," the alias he used while frequenting call girls, most notably one Ashley Alexandra Dupré, over a period of years. His sexual escapades erupted into a major scandal in 2008 that cost him the governorship, his political future (he was once seen as potentially the first Jewish president), and his ascendance in the Democratic Party in New York.
In short, his sexual predilections cost him nearly everything, but not his marriage. His wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, famously stood by his side, unwittingly leading to the creation of the CBS TV hit "The Good Wife."
Like the new documentary, "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer," the CNN show will likely help rehab Spitzer's reputation and perhaps open a new path into the political arena. The Alex Gibney documentary bills itself as a "tale of hubris, sex and power" and is seen as another step in Spitzer's rehabilitation campaign.
Some CNN staffers have criticized Spitzer for being patronizing toward Parker and virtually elbowing her aside. But others said that Parker, who speaks in measured tones and wears high-end conservative dresses and suits, has none of the natural TV personality that Spitzer exudes.
"He's smart, tenacious -- he turned out better than they thought," a staffer is quoted in the New York Post.
Other than earning a high six-figure salary, Parker has little to gain professionally from subjecting herself to the second-banana role. A case could easily be made that her appearance on the show and her secondary role as a wimpy sidekick to Spitzer harm her reputation as the tough-minded moderate commentator who was an early opponent of Sarah Palin.
While Spitzer has a dark past he is trying to wipe clean, he also has a win-win situation at CNN. The program keeps him in the public eye, exploits his quick tongue and shows off his political savvy and serious side.
The New York Post said the network stands behind Parker. But with low scores in the crucial Nielsen ratings, and with the behind-the-scenes shoot-out, it's difficult to say that the Parker-Spitzer TV marriage can be saved.
Filed Under: Media, Woman Up

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3 Comments

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torch544

it shows how low our news industry has sunk that this total loser, Spitzer, is rammed down our throats on tv. When i heard of the show, i couldnt believe it....
the " sheriff of wall street " is nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered,
perverted sissy-boy. How can someone betray the public trust, his oath as governor, betray his wife.....one can go on and on and on.
what he did SHOULD have given him a one way ticket to political palookaville....instead, our controversy loving media.....gives him a TV show!!!
AND THEN.....he shows his disdain for women, but hogging the show....

when will it all end??? in a different time in the past, spitzer would have been treated like madoff was treated on the street....pushed, cursed, villified....you get the idea....

i remember so well spitzer's ads on tv.....threatening retribution of biblical proportions on wall street.....arrogant, mean spirited and a peek into the soul
of a man who would use his office for self agrandizment and nothing else.

this spitzer debacle can be described as only reprehensible....for the man AND the network

January 05 2011 at 4:14 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Michael Walsh

Oh what a shocker! Every Program where Spitzer and Parker are involved. MSNBC hires anybody, maybe they will give them a shot. Take the place of Eddie Shultz.

December 02 2010 at 2:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
exnyorker

My suggestion: couple counseling. Prior to dissolving a relationship, counseling is advised.

December 01 2010 at 3:16 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply

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