Livin' It Up With Ali and Jack! (or, Ali, You Got Some 'Splainin to Do!)

Rush and Molloy report that Living it Up starring the oddly hyper Mrs. George Stephanopouolos, Ali along with her aging, charismatically challenged tv news mannequin sidekick Jack Ford (you know, the show with the nonexistent ratings) finally bit the big one (didn't you always know it would end up this way? why aren't we programming the networks?). Here's the poop:

"The syndicated talk show 'Living It Up! With Ali and Jack' was abruptly canceled yesterday with a stinging rebuke from King World Productions boss Roger King that left staffers stunned."

(The Corsair grabs a bag of unsalted popcorn, sits down in front of computer and reads on, excited at the prospect of another's downfall)

"The show, which appears locally on WCBS/Ch. 2, starred Ali Wentworth (aka Mrs. George Stephanopoulos) and Jack Ford.

"A snitch tells us, 'King World senior vice president Mike Stornello called everyone into the room and said the show had been axed. Then he put Roger on speakerphone, because he said Roger wanted to say thank-you to everyone.'

"But our spy quotes Roger as saying: 'There will be no thanks. I want to tell you how I really feel. This has been the most painful and expensive experience that the company has ever been through.'

"King called it 'a disastrous show,' saying 'no one has worked as hard as they could, [and it] cost a lot of money.'"

(The Corsair covers his mouth, then whispers slowly to himself: "oh no he didn't...")

"Ever the wit, Wentworth quipped after the tirade, 'Well, I feel better.'

"A King World rep told us yesterday: 'Roger expressed his disappointment and wished the staff luck in the future.'"

(The Corsair All purpose Simultaneous Translator: The fuckers cost me money, so I'm gonna get the motherfucking last word up in this here bitch.)

"The only person who didn't get an earful was co-host Ford. According to our source, he had left early to play golf."

Jack Ford's devotion to that shitty show is awe inspiring (wipes a crocodile tear) ... it gets me right here (pounds his chest, manfully). In George Gurley's Observer piece, he wrote, "Mr. Stephanopoulos declined to be interviewed about his wife, but released a statement through Ms. Raftery: '(Ali Wentworth's) talent is undeniable and completely unique. She is the most wonderful mother and wife, but what many people dont know is her Chicken Marbella is unbeatable!"

Well, get used to that Chicken Marbella, Georgieboy (aggressively punches the air), cause something tells me you'll have that particular poultry dish quite often while "Dark Ali" is on haitus. And don't be surpised if she starts experimenting with different sauces and spices, Georgie Porgie. Furniture will be rearranged on a daily basis. Unemployment is a bitch, my friend, little Clinton-traitor ... unemployment is hell .... for the other spouse.

Our Boy Gurley also wrote:

"Over the holidays (2003), Entertainment Weekly had listed both Ms. Wentworth and her husbands shows as among the worst of 2003. The couple was blamed for 'spoiling both weekday and Sunday-morning TV.' EW commented that Ms. Wentworths 'madcap shenanigans' make her co-host Mr. Ford look 'like a suicide-watch candidate.'"

"The Daily News also put Living It Up! with Ali and Jack on their worst-of-the-year list (2003), and so did The New York Times, in a print conversation between the papers TV critics. Alessandra Stanley called Living It Up! 'the worst daytime talk show in history' and said shed never reviewed it because 'very few watch it and it's just too painful and sad.'"

The painfulness and sadness is over. Old Yeller, the worst daytime talk show in history,' has been put down. Rest in peace, Livin' it Up with Ali and Jack.