The one thing that everyone who has met and interviewed ventriloquist Terry Fator agreed on -- even when they disagreed on what they thought of his show -- was that he seemed like a truly nice guy. Middle-America nice.And then this.
It's not that he hit the height of fame and fortune and then dumped his wife of 18 years after, by his own account during earlier interviews after he won "America's Got Talent," she held his hand through those long stretches of anonymity and reassured him of his talent and promise. Nobody can really know what goes on between two people, nor should anyone judge it. It looks like a stereotypical celebrity divorce story, but people do divorce. That's their business.
But, Terry, having your publicist put out a press release Tweeted by Norm Clarke saying you're dating some hot young model who was your assistant? Is that necessary? Catching your soon-to-be-ex-wife unaware? Humiliating her? And then telling KVBC's Alicia Jacobs this:
"Though our marriage is ending, I continue to have a tremendous amount of respect and affection for Melinda. As you can imagine, this is a truly difficult time and it is my hope that everyone will understand that this is a personal matter and respect our privacy."
WTF? Who had the publicist tell everyone about it in the first place? Where's your contrition for this embarrassment being your doing? Is there something in the water for you red-staters that everything's the media's fault?
Dude, listen up. Put down the talking turtle, too.
You're a middle-aged, wildly overpaid -- although now I'm hearing far LESS wildly overpaid than that $100m figure that you've touted and which makes no mathematical sense -- singing ventriloquist. US Weekly is never going to care about you, no matter how weird your love life gets and at the moment it's just conventionally ugly. If you think that cavorting your hookups in the media, if you think that waving over the tabloid press and inviting the world to observe you in this intimate way will be a good thing for your career and your fame, you're wrong. It's creepy. And sad.
And worse, it ruins your brand just as surely as Meg Ryan ruined hers. You're the nice, family-friendly guy. The press-friendly Danny Gans. But first you started infusing your act with unnecessarily partisan digs at the new president and really raunchy, homophobic and derivative Michael Jackson stuff.
Now this. Shut up, pal. Get through the divorce and show the world you respect the woman who made it all possible for you. Learn a lesson or two from what middle-age loser idiots Mark Sanford, John Edwards and John Ensign look like right about now.
Free advice. Worth what it cost.
16 comments:
Comedians make fun of things and people, they always have, and always will. Only when people like you take it as a personal attack, do they get offended or insulted as you have. When I look at our political system, I laugh too, its a complete disaster. Republicans and Democrats alike, have destroyed this once great country.
You are right, Steve. But don't leave out the Dems who have done the same - Spitzer, Clinton, McGreevey, Edwards, etc. Don't want you to be considered a partisan.
SG
Steve,
Bulls-eye!
He's become another little guy turned big douche.
Outch.
Anon: It's hard to explain so I urge you to go to the link provided to my earlier Fator commentary, but it wasn't just that he took shots at Obama. It was how he did it, which really wasn't how broad-appeal Vegas shows ever have dealt with politics before. In Vegas, the jokes are always about Clinton's sex addiction, Bush's odd cadence. I'd expect jokes about Obama about, say, the seemingly excessive adoration he draws. Maybe his teleprompter addiction, the dog, whatever. But Vegas is not an arena where resident performers get really political. If I'm at Bill Maher or Dennis Miller, I know what I'm getting. If I go to Terry Fator, I'm expecting singing turtles.
SG: Fair enough. Didn't mean to pick a side, these just happened to be the two in the news at the moment. In your honor, I'll add in Edwards. The other stories are a little too old. :-)
I dont want to comment on this guys private life, I could careless, but as an MGM shareholder when I heard $100 million I said no way. Hes not even worth half of that. If he's getting $5 million a year, hes way over paid. Hes doing a nightly Muppet show, once hes done with his run good riddance. Get someone else to fill this void.
He must have had a rough show the night Michael Jackson died (ditto for the guy in the Fantasy show that did a lengthy MJ impression).
I know the Mirage must have been laughing their *ss off when they got Wynn to take Danny Gans off their hands, but then they turn around and get Danny Gans Lite and hype him to the moon. I just don't get it.
Come on Steve, don't be a Fator hater, the ol' boy's just trying to fit in with other Strip performers! Having a private, respectful private life just doesn't do!
As for the politics, i'm surprised Fator's management (not to mention Mirage veeps) haven't told him "hey, nobody wants to hear it."
It's remarkable that anyone could be pro-GOP in Nevada these days anyway
I instantly thought oh no when I read the title, but I have to say Steve, you hit the nail on the head. It's just not good business sense to do any of the missteps he's done. On a side note though, he is the perfect Vegas act, and in some senses maybe the perfect example of why Vegas is sort of a second class for performers. Hope that's not taken in the wrong way.
I thought Fator had already edited that out of his show. Anyway, I could give a poopie less about Terry Fator, what I want to know is when is the new show going to go up? We get the Trumpian arrogance of Dice Clay, and the numbing normalcy of Kenny G the next mornings, but you make us wait for a hottie like Holly? For the love of God, Steve, please give us the Madison musings soon!!!
Jeff in OKC
Gotta disagree with everyone on this one. First, as Steve well knows, Terry Fator took out the anti-Obama stuff not long after his column on the subject. I saw the show in May and there was no sign of it. Sure, the salute to the troops stayed in, and whether you think it's pandering or not, Terry did a nice version of "Home." But then I thought the whole show was amazing and entertaining.
As for Terry's personal life, maybe he did blindside his wife, but the point is they're separated. He's allowed to do what he wants. He's allowed to date and if he starts eating out in Vegas with a model and former assistant in his show, it's going to come out in one of the gossip columns. So why not control how it comes out? Ask Senator Ensign for his answer...
Although I won't identify what I did, I was a part of his show at the Hilton for a year. I watched him go from a very normal, humble guy to an ego-driven, affected and fake superstar. It was truly sad. Melinda is a lovely lady. I met her on several occasions. We were all really rooting for him that he would keep his character in tact. But now I'm realizing it may not have been there to begin with and the wholesome image he projected was just a facade. Showbusiness...
Who in the hell is Terry Fator???
I was a big fan but just as with everyone money changes everyone one and now he forgot where he came from.A fan no more!!!good luck terry,you really had it before.
I don't know if this is exactly true but in an earlier article I read about his divorce he said the reason was that he wanted to have children, but his wife would not allow it so they ended up getting divorced. My only conclusion is maybe the reason he's dating this model is because he might think he will have a much greater chance of having children.
Terry and Melinda DECIDED prior to their marriage that they would not have children... then he meets a young hottie and changes his mind. Bye, bye, Melinda.
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