Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Mario Batali: "It’s as if I had chopped off Erica Kane’s head"

In the latest issue of New York magazine, THE CHEW's Mario Batali responds to the "war" he's having with fans of ALL MY CHILDREN.

“Dude, they are so mad at me,” says Batali. “It’s as if I had chopped off Erica Kane’s head. They’re not happy, and they’re on the Twitter-sphere, and they’ve got beautiful vocabularies.” They attack him in person, too, calling the show The Spew.

He tries to placate them by promising to bring Susan Lucci on as a guest, and explaining that “it wasn’t a Mario Batali decision. It was an ABC-TV decision. I say, ‘I’m just a pawn in the game.’ ”

Would you watch THE CHEW even if Susan Lucci came on as a guest? And would she ever do that?

33 comments:

  1. No and no.

    To have her on will be teasing Susan Lucci and All My Children. It would like Brian Frons and The Chew saying, "See Fans, Ur Happy Now, Shes Back on her timeslot". This new food show ought to be on Food Network or after Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn on Hallmark Channel. Why did it have to be ABC and why 1pm. Ha do you gots words for that? Bet not there ABC.

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  2. Hell NO I won't watch! I will never support any show that ever comes on ABC during the hours of 12 to 3 o'clock PM. If it isn't a soap opera during those hours I'm not interested. I barely invest my time in their prime time shows as they rarely last past the first season.

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  3. Please Batali..give me a break. now that your show is flopping,everyone but you, frons, and sweeney hate it..oh don't forget clinton..who kisses his mirror so much it is cracked! I do not care who you have on..we all will NOT watch. We,except for GH and OLTL do NOT watch anything disney or abc and now you. You have been branded as one of their lackeys, you joined in with them, now pay the price. SOS!! Boycott abc and disney..show them that we are NOT the dogs they called us and we do not need to be trained!!! The same thing will happen to the show that they will replace OLTL with and to couric when she comes in...get a grip and try to salvage what you can..join the movement or at least admit what idiots abc and disney are. Put that in a pot and cook it!!!

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  4. even if susan lucci came on the tv show i will never see the chew AMC wasn't just canceled the chew had the nerve to take there time slot too !!.

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  5. "I’m just a pawn in the game."

    This is my favorite quote since Wayne Brady at the Emmy's defensively proclaimed "I didn't write this crap."

    In both cases - you mess with Lucci, you pay.

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  6. I watch THE CHEW everyday however I would probably NOT watch the day Susan Lucci was on... Soaps are old and so is Susan Lucci

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  7. I wouldn't watch if the whole cast of AMC were on. The Spew is so bad that I'm almost embarrassed for the cast of the show. Mr. Batali, you say you're a pawn in this game, but you could have chosen not to play.

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  8. Don't you dare ask Susan Lucci to come on your crappy show! You leave her alone!
    The simple fact is the Pee-ewww is a terrible show. There are much better ones on network tv and cable. And the way the show was forced on viewers? Respected personalities on other talk shows lying about what happened? Terrible writers on AMC deliberately tanking the show? Please. We know it's cheaper to produce. We also know it sucks.

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  9. Here's a thought, Mr. Batali: I'm pretty sure Susan would not appear on your show; she's too classy for that. Having her on is not going to make her fans or the fans of AMC watch it. Some may have tuned in for curiosity the first day, but check your ratings since - they're tanking!! There are some out there who don't want to blame the hosts, but I have a feeling that you, Mr. Batali, were a driving force behind the creation of the show, YOU brought it to ABCD and Frons and Sweeney and from there, it was born, terribly developed and is in a current state of NO ONE watching!! Thanks!!

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  10. I will never watch the Spew! If Susan decided to come on that show, I would lose TONS of respect for her.

    Come to my OLTL blog and say Hi!
    http://onelifebuzz.blogspot.com

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  11. Invite her to be on a 10 minute gig? Are you kidding? I am really really not interested in a show that replaced All My Children after 41 YEARS. I still can't believe it was cancelled. Also, look what happened to The Tonight Show / Conan Show when executives thought they knew what they were doing. Disaster! I think negative comments should be directed at the executives not the hosts.

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  12. NOT IF HELL FREEZES OVER!!

    AMC and its fans deserved much better than the treatment it got from abc over the last three or so years. It was deliberately sabotaged with crappy writing and plots - characters becoming unrecognisable.. The whole thing disgusts me! If I was Susan Lucci and 'The Spew' approached me, they would receive a nice hard kick where it hurts.

    Want to know what to cook for Christmas? Go to the Food Network, because hopefully The Spew will be long gone by then!

    Em, UK

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  13. Mario, if we needed any further proof of you being an idiot, you've just provided it. Folk do not tune in the Spew because you've gathered the ugliest most offensive group of sniggering people to be seen on daytime television to give advice no one in his or her right mind needs. Hate to tell you, but desirability can be created by presentation, and your crowd of rejects sure don't know how to present anything. Perhaps you'd draw a bigger audience if you taught vivisection, using Brian Frons and Anne Sweeney as examples. ROF. May your show fail quickly as it deserves!

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  14. I would never watch this idiotic show. I switched to CBS soaps.BTW, why is Mario allowed to use the word "spew" when it is forbidden on the ABC boards and soap fans cannot use it?

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  15. "The Chew" is torture. What a crappy, annoying show. Bring back AMC! Oh, and La Lucci would NEVER appear on that crap.

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  16. Mario don't play innocent with us! You could and did hear loud and clear how this crap would be received. The raw contempt shown by Frons could not have escaped your notice. ABC is guilty of age-ism (and I suspect sexism) I say Okey I'll take my aging money and spend it anywhere except the sponsers of "THE Chew" chew on That suckers!

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  17. Laughing so hard here! I and none of my many friends will EVER watch THE SPEW or the DE-EVOLUTION when it replaces OLTL. I can't wait to watch our beloved soaps online. And I never bought the 'soaps aren't making money for ABC' argument...since their one-hour slots are actually only 39 minutes long (almost half of that devoted to ad revenue). Hate to quote Tim Gunn (who is no longer a favorite in this house, anymore than Batali or Carla Hall or Michael Symon), but THE SPEW is clearly looking like one of those classic, 'what were they thinking' moments. Can't wait for January!

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  18. Bring back "All My Children". Who the hell thought this food show was a good idea? If I wanted to watch people cook, I'd turn on the Food Network. THE SPEW is a nightmare. Carla? OK, she seems like a nice enough person, but she has a face for radio. Sorry. Mario is a fat, bloated idiot. Clinton needs to stick to that fashion show. The blond chick acts like a meek little mouse and never speaks! Whaaaa? She's on a f-ing talk show. I guess her daddy got her the gig...? What a mess.

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  19. Mario I'm not going to be rude to you... but can you not see WHY OLTL and AMC fans are livid?? After years of our favorite soaps in YOUR time slots the afternoons are, sad to say, boring now!!! I love the drama, I love the romance, I love the mystery and, yes, the craziness! How about THIS for a suggestion? Bring back our soaps and YOU can cameo in them? YOU BET I would watch then!!! I know you don't understand why everyone is mad at YOU, but you might want to get a Clue... the Spew is not our afternoon view!!!

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  20. It's a definite NO and NO!! I know that Susan Lucci wouldn't even consider it because she knows no devoted AMC fan would be watching this terrible show. Yah, yah, we know it's cheaper to produce, but let's get real, cheap is not always good, "you get what you pay for". There's proof in the pudding, as they say. That's why it's cheap because it is.....a cheap and crappy show. The truth will prevail. Give it time.....it will bomb like all second-rate shows. ABC deserves what they get.....you reap what you sow!

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  21. Not a chance! The show looks boring. Even if it was on another time & another place I wiuld not be interested in this kind of programming! Reality TV is for people with no talent who would never be on TV if they had to work for it!

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  22. As a J&W Culinary grad and former restaurant person I might have been interested in your show if it wasn't replacing AMC.

    Don't you know that 2nd shift workers watch the soaps?

    I have been a fan of you, Iron Chef Batali for quite some time. I even understand the reasoning behind pooling tips and don't fault you for that.

    BUT YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE CHOPPED OFF ERICA KANE'S HEAD!!!! You dumbass!

    I have yet to watch your show and never will. Put that in your pizza oven and smoke it.

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  23. Cheaper to produce? Look where that got the American economy, all those jobs shipped overseas. I wrote to Frons personally asking him to reconsider (such a joke!) and asked him to be a visionary (an even bigger one!). Deplorable that ABC made that cross-country move out of New York knowing full well it was a smokescreen to hide a sabotage. I am so cheering on Prospect Park.

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  24. ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY A BIG BIG BIG HELL NO! Soap fans have spoken! We do not want the Spew or Revolting new show replacing OLTL! ABC, Brian Fronz, Anne Sweeney.....you guys so under estimated us fans! We want you gone, and so you shall be....soon very soon! The ever falling ratings are proving you can't replace quality scripted programming with this kind of crap!

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  25. I WATCHED YOU, MARIO, ON THE FOOD NETWORK MANY, MANY YEARS. YOU CAN'T NEED THE MONEY. WHY WOULD YOU AGREE TO TAKE THAT TIME SLOT? THERE ISN'T ANYTHING MUCH MORE CAN BE SAID FOR THIS. SHOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW ALL WOULD FEEL. WHAT A SHAME. TAKING A BELOVED SHOW OFF FOR SOMETHING NO ONE WANTS TO SEE. AND I'M AN INTERESTED PARTY WITH HEAVY ITALIAN ROOTS, LOVE COOKING. BUT HAVE NOT EVEN TURNED THE TV ON AT THE 1:00-2:00 HR. AND IF DID, WOULDN'T BE ABC....ABC IS FINISHED FOR ME AT MOST ANY HOUR. AND I HAVE AN AMC FB PAGE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ALSO REFUSE TO WATCH, AND ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN WHAT WILL TRANSPIRE FOR THE SOAP AND ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WHO WERE SUDDENLY RIPPED FROM THEIR JOBS...DISGUSTING.

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  26. Mario, You don't mess with Soap Fans. The viewers are saying loud and clear what they want. You NEVER replace a daytime soap with a food show. What was ABCD thinking??? And these are the results! Bottom line? Never EVER get a soap fan angry! Please go to the Food Network!

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  27. HELL NO I WILL NOT WATCH IS LA LUCCI IS ON--SHE WILL ALWAYS BELONG ON AMC AS ERICA KANE

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  28. Even if I weren't a soap fan, I'm just not interested in food shows. If I were interested in a food show I wouldn't want to watch an hour of it five days a week and top off why I wouldn't watch, the cast is a total turn off.

    Lastly, anything that airs on ABC other than OLTL and GH will ever show on my screen. Loyalty is not something ABC cares about. Hell hath no fury as a scorned soap fan. Maybe in 40 years I'll reconsider if ABC is still in business then.

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  29. I don't fault you personally for your show replacing AMC. But I do fault you for the arrogance and lack of understanding in your comments. Fans of AMC are upset that a daytime drama they watched for 41 years was cancelled. I don't see why Susan Lucci or anyone else appearing on your new show for 10 minutes in a non-drama is going to matter. And I do remember a few comments you made about soap fans and AMC when your show was first picked up...and it showed a complete lack of respect for the soap audience..so why you should be looking for respect from us at this time is sort of a head scratcher.

    And I do fault ABC for jerking around the cast and crew of AMC forcing them to move across the country without even a year guarantee to stay on the air. I see a lot of lost jobs out there and people who moved from NOTHING.....
    though I am sure Brian Frons and Anne Sweeney did not take a pay cut to "help out". And no offense, but I don't watch cooking shows anywhere and I sure as heck am not going to start now.

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  30. Hey Batali, your comment about Susan Lucci are just further proof that your show is about as entertaining as getting up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water, half asleep not knowing that that your untrained dog took a dump on the floor and being half asleep,you step in it and feel that warm CRAPPY feeling right in the middle of your toes, a rude awaking, and definitly, and good sleep lost... You are as disgusting as that scenario, and your ugly picture is about as attractive. You are never going to be welcome on daytime TV, and you will enjoy cancellation as your just reward, and the revolution will meet the same fate, if it ever premieres at all. We know that abc will never return the soaps, abc daytime will also find in the end, all they will broadcast is dead air space and STATIC, you are not entertaining, or even the least bit informative, if I were you,I would refrain from giving any more interviews, or making any statements about any soap stars, this way, at least when you are fired, a perspective employer will consider hiring you, Hey, I hear McDONALDS is looking for daytime managers, good job for you, teenagers do the cooking, and YOU get all the credit, on second thought, I enjoy Mc Donalds fast food, if people thought you were managing any Mc Donalds, they would boycott McDonalds too!!!

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  31. Lastly, Batali, Who are you to ever offer advice about HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS food, Have you looked in the Mirror lately, You are obese, and that slight rig tinge to your ugly made up face looks like you are a drop dead DRUNK, I can't believe in you euphoric stupor that you would actually believe anybody would take you serious, you had your chance on the food network, but YOU BLEW IT, you will never get a single viewer won over from any soap fan, so don't even try, Daphne Oz, spends more time trying to ride off the coat tails of her fathers success, and further proving that without a famous dad, she wouldn't even gain "HONORABLE MENTION", and Karla Whatever needs to put the "ICE PIPE" away and try eating a meal or 2 herself,of course if its any food made on your show, I could see why she wouldn't eat... none of you are entertaining, and Karla stated in a previous interview, she hopes that daytime viewers will give your show a try, that the soaps had their time, and this is your time now... All of your arrogance cannot be tolerated, at all. Say good bye to TELEVISION, BATALI and the rest of your so called CAST!! THE SPEW (chew) SUCKS!!!

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  32. HE NEEDS HIS HEAD KNOCKED OFF FOR EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT AND IT JUST MIGHT HAPPEN...............WOW WHAT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  33. I'm still disgusted that the AMC stars went on the View the last week of the show. The Food Network would never allow this trash to be seen on it. How many more idiots can they fit into an hour to run around talking over one another like theyre on a never ending speed trip.

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