DAYTIME TALK

Roseanne Bar and Ellen DeGeneres

DAYTIME TALK BY: Alan Nafzger (alan.nafzger@SPAMgmail.com)

DAYTIME TALK PROJECT: Television sitcom

DAYTIME TALK SETTING: Behind the scenes of a daytime talk show

DAYTIME TALK COMICAL THEME #1: How a television talk show host treats her employees in a highly sensitized and political atmosphere.

DAYTIME TALK COMICAL THEME #2: The thing about celebrities is that they’re all a little bit two-faced. There’s the public person and the real one that only those closest get to see. Maybe in some celebs those lines are blurred, but this is television and no one really blames a celebrity trying to survive in the business.

STARING: Roseanne Bar and Ellen DeGeneres

DAYTIME TALK  BY: Alan Nafzger (alan.nafzger@SPAMgmail.com)

PREMISE: After a celebrity is fired from her daytime talk show for “being mean” to her employees, her replacement is TOO nice… obnoxiously too nice. And the original host who was basically a sweetheart, becomes bitter toward the employees she blames for having her removed.

DAYTIME TALK  SUMMARY: The characters of ROSEANNE BAR and ELLEN DEGENERES are celebrity friends from parties and functions, but they are also rivals.

Roseanne Bar has just been fire for being insensitive to her employees. However, we get the idea perhaps it all be manufactured by a disgruntled (or sociopathic) employee, MEANY MCBETH.

Talk shows can go good or bad depending on the host and what’s being put out there. While, for years, Roseanne Bar was the queen of daytime talk for ten years. Lately, the tide has turned against her and The Roseanne Show. Largely due to Ellen’s supposed bad behavior behind the scenes of her talk show. From propaganda callouts to social media stories, people might have simply gotten tired of Roseanne.

Now the central premise is that how would Roseanne’s replacement treat her employees? There is a toxic and highly political atmosphere when the Ellen DeGeneres character is named at Roseanne’s replacement. Ellen DeGeneres character is forced by ambition and basic survival to become comically subservient to her staff. Part of her staff now feels empowered and definitely take advantage of the new host.

Ellen’s character doesn’t know which or how many employees ruined her predecessor so she’s extra careful. Ellen’s character finds herself making eye-contact with every employee, walking their dogs and even having them over for dinner. Of course, her employees aren’t exactly “Hollywood” that’s why they’re back stage. Actually, her employees are a theater of the grotesque.

What about the previous host Roseanne?  Is it time for her character to hang up her suits for good? She can’t let it go. Roseanne probably wasn’t a mean host or boss; However, only now does she become bitter. It appears that maybe she was removed based on the accounts of celebrity clapbacks and stories shared on social media; the celebrities were just trying to make the news. And the news media of course, it has been “pack journalism”, and Roseanne has been dinner for the wolves.

With the fight in Hollywood for less toxic work environments, Roseanne’s enemies make up a story that the rule on the set is “Don’t look Roseanne in the eyes.” The fiction is believed by every working-class employee in Hollywood, so Roseanne is replaced by Ellen.

Despite it all the two characters remain friend and even continue their weekly lunches. It is relatively clear that Roseanne’s character has been a mentor for the young Ellen character.

Ellen plots with her friend to keep her job as the new host. And Roseanne plots Ellen to regain her old job, of course Ellen won’t go that far.  They both “dream of revenge” against the employees.

IRONY: Roseanne likes the employees and was crucified by them. Ellen despises the employees but is worshiped by them because she caves in and is subservient (entirely an act).

SETS: Backstage where the show is filmed, Roseanne’s beach house, and the restaurant where the two characters regularly meet.

OTHER CHARACTERS: personal aides, producers, network heads, writers and stage cameraman, lighting technicians and even an usher. These characters all take advantage of Ellen’s insecurities. The only real villain is Meany McBeth; and Meany doesn’t “appear” grotesque or warped.

Copyright 2020