(photo by Fescue)
Los Angeles doesn’t have too many big civic events, like other big cities back East. That’s why the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade is such a big deal here in town. I’ve been to it a couple of times, and the floats, created with flowers, seeds, and other natural items, are really amazing. This year the parade was a blow-out, with torrential rains for the first time in fifty years.
However, the big story in town was not the rain, but what happened in the anchor booth of local television station KTLA. Although KTLA is only the local WB network affiliate, they easily get the most viewers during the parade every year because the hosts, B-celebrities Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards, have been doing it together since 1978. When you say the Rose Parade to most Angelenos, they think of these two, sort of like Dick Clark is forever associated with New Year’s Eve.
Stephanie Edwards, who is 62, hasn’t been very lucky lately, due to her advancing age. She was the long time spokesperson for the Albertson’s Supermarket chain (which ironically used to be called Lucky Supermarket before a big supermarket merger), until she was replaced by Patricia Heaton of "Everybody Loves Raymond." In an interview she gave a few years ago, she said that before she was let go, she was told that her crows feet were getting too noticeable.
Today, I turned into KTLA to watch the parade and there in the booth was Bob Eubanks, 68, along a new co-host — the much younger Michaela Pereira, the sexy co-anchor of KTLA’s jokey "Morning News," showing off some really nice cleavage that wasn’t matched by her knowledge (she said that "Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the Superior Court" and referred to floats as self-built).
And where was Stephanie Edwards?
(photo by Fescue)
She was standing on the street in the pouring rain and had about five minutes of air time over the entire telecast.
Kevin Roderick of L.A. Observed reports that:
Pasadena Star-News editor Larry Wilson saw it coming, writing in a column last week that Edwards has been hinting around town at Channel 5’s plans to exile her. Wilson received calls from Edwards supporters saying it was unfair that she got moved out for a younger woman while Eubanks, who is six years older, remains. Wilson then got a message from KTLA denying that Edwards was demoted, but rather had shifted into the new role of "roving co-host."
Some say that Edwards was temperamental and there was tension between her and Eubanks. But Eubanks is also known as temperamental. In fact, in Michael Moore’s "Roger & Me," the former host of The Newlywed Game said: "Why don’t Jewish women get AIDS? Because they don’t fuck assholes; they marry them."
Nice guy.
Why was he the one kept in the booth? And how many times did he have to mention his two year old son? We get it Bob, you don’t need Viagra. Translation: Old men can still marry and procreate with hot young women. Old women get sent out to stand in the rain.
I have so many female readers. Does this putting an older woman out to pasture bother you or do you accept it as the way of the world? I overheard two young women at a coffee shop today, and they liked the new female host since she was "prettier and friendlier." I’d like to hear what these two have to say in 40 years.
Today on Blogebrity: Communicatrix Gets to Empty
