Manhattan Digest

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Scandal

Katherine McPhee Locks Lips with Married ‘Smash’ Director

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Credit: Eric Liebowitz/NBC
Credit: Eric Liebowitz/NBC

 

Actress and singer, Katherine McPhee, 29, was caught locking lips over the weekend with former Smash director, Michael Morris. The only problem: both McPhee and Morris are married — and not to each other.

In some of the seemingly incriminating photographs taken in L.A. over the weekend, the pair is seen in the midst of an intense lip-lock, while in others they are holding hands, walking together. One thing is for sure: the couple does not appear to be hiding their affection for one another.

McPhee quickly rose to fame on the hit Fox reality show, American Idol, where she finished as runner-up of the show’s fifth season in 2006. She went on to act, starring in movies such as The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D, before landing a lead role on the hit NBC musical drama, Smash; the show was cancelled earlier this year after just two seasons.

McPhee wed producer, Nick Cokas, 47, back in 2007, while Morris has been married to actress, Mary McCormack — with whom he has three daughters — since 2003. Rumors have been circulating that McPhee and Cokas have been separated for six months.

So far reps for all parties have declined to comment on the photos.

Anthony Weiner: Comeback Politics for the Disgraced Politician

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Dear New Yorkers: For your consideration, disgraced politician Anthony Weiner would like to be your mayor. Mr. Weiner, who of course was caught red-handed in an egregious slew of inappropriate circumstances involving suggestive personal photos and messages across social-media platforms, believes your good faith in his ability to change will see him through the election this November. Following in the footsteps of former disgraced political countrymen, Mr. Weiner hopes the malevolent tentacles of his abhorrent past do not fasten themselves to your brains, projecting only his sins into your mind when you hear his name or see his face. Your consideration, without consideration of his personal stigma, is most appreciated.

The question remains: can a disgraced politician return to the forefront of politics successfully while the stain of his or her wrongdoings is still fairly visible? Anthony Weiner accepts your challenge. Weiner, the former member of New York’s 9th District of The House of Representatives, faced great turmoil in June of 2011 when private photos of his genitalia and naked body, intended to be sent privately to a 21 year-old college female, were leaked by blogger Andrew Breitbart and went viral.

Anthony Weiner & wife Huma Abedin
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The scandal erupted quickly and the media exploded. Weiner initially took to the air and denied the photos were of him, claiming his twitter account had been hacked and that the source of the photos was under investigation. However, only days later Weiner held a press conference in New York admitting that the photos were indeed of him and that he had sent them. The scandal continued, growing more controversial as the politician had initially lied about it. Republicans began to call for Weiner’s immediate resignation. Under scrutiny, several Democrats, including President Obama, suggested it would be best for the Democratic Party if Weiner indeed did resign. He did so officially on June 21st, 2011.

That was two years ago.

On May 21st, 2013 Anthony Weiner officially announced his intent to seek candidacy as Mayor of New York City. In a YouTube video, Weiner presents himself as a morally changed man. The video features his wife, Huma Abedin (who stood by her man during the scandal) and his baby boy. By all accounts, the video is a strong presentation of a mayoral candidate who would represent New York well and would work for the people.

Therein lies the question at hand. What effect does Weiner’s disgraced past have on his chances of winning this election?

The question is best answered by observing the American public and their relationship with American politics. How much information does the average voter actually take in when entering a voting booth? Barack Obama won the 2008 Presidential Election for several reasons, but many will argue that it came down to the fact that he was simply more likable than John McCain. Obama became a social-media sensation, reaching millions of young voters John McCain could not touch. Yet how many of the young Obama supporters could accurately convey Obama’s political record? How many of them knew what Obama had achieved or failed as an Illinois Senator? The numbers would be minimal. The media gives the average American a largely black and white display of political leaders; more accurately, a red and blue display. There are many attributes to politicians we never seek to learn about, or even care about. It’s an unfortunate truth, but the general masses will concur that the most interesting form of politics is dirty politics. The public loves gossip. The public loves to shame those at the top.

What effect will this have on Anthony Weiner’s chances of winning the mayoral election this year? It will blind most voters. The ballot will be filled with names and numbers, but when it comes time to vote for New York City Mayor, most voters will not see the honorable family man presented in Weiner’s YouTube video, but will see what they remember: An irresponsible sexual deviant with no self-control. Whether or not Anthony Weiner would be good for New York (which many will argue he would) will matter very little. His past will haunt him even today. It’s not to say that he has no chance of winning; politics is a most unpredictable beast. But it will be a very hard fight for the outspoken public servant.

 

Upfronts Roundup: Tuesday ABC and CBS

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ABC did a moderate amount of shuffling of their upcoming schedule, but generally maintained their broader picture of female and family-friendly TV.

The big news, at least for me is the paring back of veteran competition show Dancing with the Stars to one night and scrapping the Tuesday results show. This has a number of repercussions on the rest of the schedule, and the Monday show will remain two hours in length.

The compression of Stars leaves the Alphabet with an all new Tuesday lineup which will be anchored with the much anticipated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This show has high expectations from both Disney (who is using it to fill in the back story of its’ broader Marvel Properties) and the usual fans of the genre (who demand perfection). The rest of the night is a mixed bag of comedy and drama, as this is followed by a 1hr comedy block (with family comedy The Goldbergs and more sudsy comedy Trophy Wife) and the drama Lucky 7, about gas station owners who put their money in a lottery pool.

Wednesdays continue to be built around Modern Family, though oddly fellow hit Suburgatory has yet to be placed on the schedule. Similarly Thursdays seem to be fairly soapy, with a Once Upon a Time spin-off joining hit dramas Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays do not experience much of a change from last year, with the only exception being Betrayal slotting in at 10 p.m. Sundays.

CBS, on the other hand has generally elected to stay the course, with the exception of shifting Person of Interest into Tuesdays to allow for an expansion of Thursday’s comedy block to two hours. Of course if there was a year for CBS to expand its’ comedy offerings this would be it, as tent-pole shows How I Met Your Mother (9th Season), Two and a Half Men (11th Season), and Big Bang Theory (7th Season) are all starting to age in a genre where no live action show has gone longer than 12 years.

In other news, America’s number four network Univision is now making a Spanish language adaptation of From Dusk til Dawn, the network has been aggressively pursuing major properties, having acquired the rights to Breaking Bad and Gossip Girl earlier in the week.