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Side show
By SHARON FINK, Times Staff Writer READ BEFORE YOU SPEAK: For those of you with holiday parties and family gatherings still ahead and still no idea what the rules of small talk are this year: Sincerity and sensitivity are in. This is according to T.E. Krieger, author of The Portable Pundit: A Crash Course in Cocktail Party Conversation, and Debra Fine, whose book The Fine Art of Small Talk debuts in February. If you have problems with sincerity and sensitivity (face it, most of us do), Krieger and Fine told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram you should go straight to shallow. They suggested these topics:
CUTTING REMARKS: Turns out there was a reason to watch the VH1 My Music Awards show, but you won't be able to see it in future airings. VH1 has cut out a segment that made fun of Mariah Carey, saying the reason was time constraints in the edited version. But show producer Jay Karas and segment writer Brian Unger say Carey's representatives pressured the network to do it, RollingStone.com says. The Dec. 2 show included former Daily Show correspondent Unger's "Music 2001: What the Hell Was That?" in which he lampooned Carey, Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Wayne Newton, among others. The Carey portion was about her July appearance on MTV's Total Request Live, during which she performed a semistriptease, read a love letter from her mother to host Carson Daly and repeatedly prevented him from cutting to a commercial by talking. Unger's segment commentary went, in part: "What appeared to be a mental breakdown was actually a breakdown in communication. Somewhere in this schematic of Mariah's publicists, managers, agents and handlers, the message "Give Carson Daly a warm welcome' became "Take your top off.' Thankfully, Mariah is back in control and will fire the people responsible as soon as she learns everyone's name.' " Six days after the TRL appearance, Carey checked into a clinic for what her spokespeople called an emotional and physical breakdown. THAT '80S SHOW: Pat Benatar's eagerly awaited video for her Sept. 11-inspired song Christmas in America debuts today on the WE: Women's Entertainment cable network. Meaning it will be seen by about 11 people. The video for the first Christmas song Benatar and husband-collaborator Neil Giraldo have written will run on the network throughout the month. The song, which has been getting radio airplay, is scheduled to be in stores today. It's also available at www.Benatar.com. Or you can choose to relive the glory days and cue up Hit Me With Your Best Shot. TOPS IN HOME ENTERTAINMENT: Blockbuster's most-rented videos in VHS and DVD combined for the year ending Dec. 2, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter: 1, Meet the Parents; 2, Cast Away; 3, The Family Man.
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