THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509020030
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
LOCAL TV NEWS and views to ponder while you wait for broadcasting's next zillion-dollar mega-merger to develop:
Yes, folks, that was it - Charlie Wiseman, who has been entertaining diners at Waterside's Il Porto for years, appears briefly in the opening episode of ``The Monroes,'' which premieres on ABC in a few days.
William Devane stars in the drama about a rich, powerful clan crackling with sexual energy and the drive to hold high political office. Dare I say the series is based on the Kennedys?
When ``The Monroes'' filmed on location at Westover Plantation near Richmond earlier this year, Wiseman was hired to wear a tuxedo and play pianist Charlie Wallace. He's in an important scene.
As Wallace, Wiseman plays the master of ceremonies at a lawn party in which the Devane character is about to announce for governor.
Wiseman as Wallace: ``I would like to introduce you to John Monroe. . .
Wiseman appears again at the piano in another scene. He's on camera for 10, maybe 15 seconds. That's all. ``When it airs, I'm planning to have a `Was that it, Charlie?' party,'' he said.
The series' producers expect to be back in Virginia soon to film another episode or two. In this series, Virginia stands in for Maryland.
Carol's fan club has been heard from - About a dozen callers, including Jim Perlee of Virginia Beach, called to say they were a little ticked off when the new regime at WTKR decided to cut loose Carol Novotny Horton.
She departed in the shuffling of anchors and co-anchors that returned LeAnne Rains to local TV. Rains co-anchors the 6 and 11 p.m. news with Tom Randles.
Perlee said when he rang me (Infoline number 640-5555, category 3333): ``I was shocked to read in your story that Channel 3 let Carol go on such short notice. Let's hope that one of the other stations hires her. She had class and style and was outstanding doing the weather or anchoring the news. Carol has more sense of fashion style than any other woman working in local TV news here.''
Horton has a great voice, too, and yes, she has a certain fashion flair. Prediction: She won't be unemployed for long.
Frankly, I liked the old Oprah better - Charmaine Taylor, who works for Priority Health Care on Lynnhaven Parkway in Virginia Beach, is back from Chicago, where she appeared on what sounds like a darn interesting episode of ``Oprah'' that is scheduled to air Friday at 4 p.m. on WVEC.
It's the Oprah look-alike show.
Taylor's friends and relatives have been telling her for years that she resembles Oprah Winfrey, who hosts the most popular talk show in syndication. What Oprah do you resemble, I asked Taylor?
Is it the new, thin Oprah? Or the old zaftig Oprah?
``The in-between Oprah,'' said Taylor, who was one of eight Oprah look-alikes invited to Chicago, all expenses paid, for the taping.
It was great fun, Taylor said.
What do we have to do to convince these guys that they are wrong? - The producers of the hot ABC cop series ``NYPD Blue'' insist that the opening of the show does not include scenes of the Monticello Hotel imploding when it was cleared away for downtown redevelopment in Norfolk. They insist.
The producers say the implosion was taped in New York City.
We know better. When you slow down the opening on tape and ``freeze'' it frame by frame, you can plainly see that the scene takes place in Norfolk.
The wife of a local dentist, Dr. Alexander L. Martone, called me to say that it is, indeed, the Monticello falling into a heap in the ``NYPD Blue'' opening.
She ought to know. Her husband owned that hotel about 25 years ago. ``It's very exciting to see the hotel again, and yes, that definitely is the Monticello in `NYPD Blue' opening,'' Mrs. Martone said.
Do you hear that, Mr. Stephen Bochco, producer of ``NYPD Blue''? by CNB