w w w . b o b a n d t o m . c o m
April 15-19
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 April
18, 2002
"Ol' DW" is Still in the NASCAR game
Darrell
Waltrip spent 29 years driving putting his life on the line,
driving cars around the tracks, but after retiring from the sport,
he didn't walk away completely. Now working in the commentary
booth for FOX, Waltrip spends his weekends calling the action.
In his driving days, Waltrip was one of the most victorious weekend
warriors of all time, winning at least one race each year from
1975-1989. He captured three Winston Cup trophies, and is third
all in all time race victories.
This wasn't always the case, however. Though he's always been
a good talker, even earning the nickname "Jaws," it
took him 50 starts to win his first race. Once he got the first
one under his belt, the rest came pretty easily. Waltrip has been
fan favorite for years, and is one of the most highly decorated
drivers in NASCAR. Among his accomplishments, is being named one
of the 50 Greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.
Don't rule out Darrell getting back inside the car though, he
says his racing days might not be over. "I am still very
competitive, and in this sport, age doesn't really make a difference.
It's the team you are on," says Waltrip. He says he left
the first time because it was his car and his team that was causing
him to be less competitive than he would have liked to have been.
"If I'm not there racing up front with the boys, it's not
fun for me any more." Even though he says that the best place
to be in a race is right there in the middle of the pack. It's
what he calls the "eye of the storm."
"It's a great place to be," says Waltrip, "But
just like the eye of the storm, you never know when you're going
to be thrown out." |
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April
17, 2002
Spring Break... Wooo!
Each and every March, kids of all
ages take a week off from their schooling to enjoy the phenomenon
that has become Spring Break.  No
longer just a time for the family to get out and hit the amusement
parks in Florida, it has become a time for fun in the sun, drinking
alcohol, bonging beer, wearing skimpy swim suits, and trying
to get on MTV. This caught the attention of CBS's 48
Hours, and correspondent Peter Van Sant was sent to look
into the situation more closely.
Peter left for the sunny beaches of Panama City, Florida where
they average 80 thousand college kids each summer. "My
favorite quote came from the Sheriff of Panama City," says
Van Sant. "These are your kids, my kids, and my grand kids
out there. They are drinking and mostly naked. But you have
them 51 weeks of the year, and if you've raised them right,
you ain't got nothing to worry about."
This trip was really Peter's first spring break, having never
made the trips as a student. "When I was in school on the
west coast, spring break was a time to go home and visit the
family." Judging by his experience while on assignment,
he doesn't really mind having missed out. "After 4 hours
of girls going "wooo!" it got a little old.
In the report, 48 Hours will take viewers to the party scene,
following srudents from Southern Illinois. They will also get
the inside scoop from the Mayor of Panama City, and ride around
with local police. Panama City brings in over $300 million in
revenue from these kids, so police might be inclined to look
the other way when things get a bit out of control.
This might be part of the reason the "Girls Gone Wild"
videos have come about. Where there are girls in bikini's, you
can expect cameras to be rolling,  and
it seems as though a lot of that footage is now being offered
on video for the discriminating viewer. Peter explored this
underside of spring break, and even ran into the man responsible
for the popular video series. "This guy is the new Hugh
Heffner, and these videos are the new Playboy Magazine,"
says Van Sant. "I saw girls lined up to flash themselves
at this guy. They get nothing in return, and he is making millions
of dollars a year. But when I asked them about it, the girls
just said "hey, it's spring break." |
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April 17, 2002
Empowering Generations
Marlo Thomas has been an icon for women since
the 60's. As That Girl, she set the stage for  single
career women all over the country and her character, Ann Marie,
was one of the first female leads to break free of the typical
"mothering" stereotype. Not just a leader on the screen,
Thomas continued her fight for women's rights off camera as
well, along with many other "uplifting" causes that
she felt embodied what's good in the world. This includes St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which might have inspired
her role in the upcoming CBS made for TV movie, Two Against
Time.
The film recounts the true life tale of a single mother who
has to bond with her troubled teenage daughter when they are
both confronted by life threatening illnesses.
"I met with all the real life people involved in the story,"
said Thomas about her role in Two Against Time. "I did
a lot of research for this one. It's the first TV movie I've
done in five years, so you know it will be a good one."
The movie airs Sunday Night on CBS, but before that, Marlo is
making another TV appearance on the NBC network, reviving her
role as Jennifer Aniston's mom on Friends. "I always used
to be cast as the daughter characters, now I am always playing
the moms."
Aside from her television roles, Marlo has been busy with many
other projects. Like the Bob & TomShow's very own Kristi
Lee, Marlo was featured in an off Broadway production of The
Vagina Monologues. "That show is very liberating,"
says Thomas. "With all those women, it becomes like a rally."
She also has a new book on the way titled Right Words at the
Right Time. In the book, she talks to 180 of the biggest stars
around and finds out what words from their past inspired there
lives and careers.
"My words came from my father when I was first starting
out, and was constantly compared to him. But he pulled me aside
and said, I raised you to be a thoroughbred, and thoroughbreds
just run he race, they don't look at the other horses. Just
run your own race, baby." All the proceeds from the book
go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
And run her own race she did. Besides That Girl, for which Thomas
won a Golden Globe, she inspired a generation of kids with her
million-selling album Free to Be...You & Me. She has also
won a Peabody Award, four Emmys, and is married to talk show
host, Phil Donahue. |
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 April
15, 2002
People Want Mohr
Stand up comedian, actor, and impressionist, Jay
Mohr likes to refer to his new show Mohr
Sports, the "little boy's dream
comes true" show. "I'm 31, and I'm interviewing people
like Pete Rose... how could I not love this?"
Mohr's involvement in the sporting scene is a relatively new thing.
He's a Saturday Night Live
alumni, movie star, and talented stand up comic but the sports
aspect of his career didn't really take off until about a year
and a half ago. He started making guest appearances on The
Jungle with Jim Rome, and from there
was offered multiple positions with ESPN.
Until finally, he landed his own show.
"ESPN has been great, except the time slot could be a little
better. What better way to debut a show than to put it on after
Australian Rules football on a Monday night?" Despite the
slot, Jay says the kids on the street, and even the ladies are
"totally down," with the show.
It's a mix of interviews with sports stars, rock bands, and other
celebrities. Mohr also blends in some comical skits, and remote
locations to the program. On an upcoming episode, Jay takes his
crew to some urban barber shops to talk sports, as well presents
a skit that is "strictly for the ladies."
"Although it's probably the gayest skit ever on television,
we are doing a bit about men my wife thinks are hot," says
Mohr.
Jay's schedule has been full due to the new show, but Mohr still
finds time to do the acting thing. He has two new movies due out
soon, one with Eddie Murphy, and one with Al Pacino. "It's
hard to take time off when it's your name on the door as the star
of a show. Even if you want to take the time off, it's really
tough."
Good thing for Jay that he really enjoys what he's doing. "How
many people get to have a job that is exactly what they have always
wanted to do?" This week, Mohr interviews Mark Cuban, owner
of the Dallas Mavericks. To find out when the episode airs, just
check out his JayMohrLive.com.
Jay has unselfishly created a clock that counts down the minutes
till the next episode airs. "Whether you love the show or
hate it, I'm doing it just the way I want."
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 April
15, 2002
George's Show is Staying Strong
In a season filled
with canceled sitcoms, The
George Lopez Show is one of the
few programs that has found a loyal audience and held on to its
strong ratings. "ABC has had a hard time with sitcoms this
year," says George Lopez, "so I called the president
of ABC and asked him about picking us up again next season. He
really likes the show but said it looks like they are going to
wait about 3 more weeks to decide. But things are going really
well."
G-Lo's show is one of the first to focus on the lives of a Latino
family, and it's based on the life of it's star. "Almost
everything in the show comes from my real life growing up."
This ranges from his job at the airplane parts factory, to his
dislike of celebrating birthdays.
"It's like an out of body experience doing this show,"
says Lopez. "When you are doing something you've wanted to
do your whole life, it's really something."
Lopez says he won't stop trying to make sure his show stays a
hit. "I'll put on a dress and dance if I have to," says
George
Lopez. "I'll do whatever I
have to promote the show. I just want to be able to do the this
for about five years, then move to Hawaii and become a Samoan."
FACTOID
- The George Lopez Show is the first in history to be broadcast
in both English and Spanish in it's first run. |
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