Assignment 1 Part 1

Compare & Contrast Essay Talk Shows

English 2 (ENGL 0205)

Tan Jia-Qi (0310107)

A talk show is a radio or television program in which usually well-known persons engage in discussions or are interviewed (Merriam-Webster Online, 2012). They are usually hosted by a well known host with a distinct personality who is very influential. Talk shows also have different air time, some during the daytime or late night and some only air on a certain day in a week. There are many kinds of talk show in different genre. The two chosen talk shows, which are The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fashion Police, are very different in terms of genre. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is comedy talk show produced by Telepictures Productions which is based on interviews with both celebrities and non-celebrities. By contrast, Fashion Police, an E! Entertainment Television program, is a talk show which focuses on discussions and comments on celebrity fashion. One of the main differences in The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Fashion police is that their concepts are extremely different. The Ellen DeGeneres show which airs on weekdays features interviews of celebrity, musical performances, audience participation and segments spotlighting everyday people with extraordinary stories and talents. The environment of the show is normally relaxed, which allows the interviews to be conducted in a very candid way. Audiences can also requests for tickets online to stand a chance to watch the tapping of the show. Besides that, the show also often features audience participation and award game participants with prizes (Ellentv.com, 2012). On the other hand, Fashion Police is a weekly talk show where the four main hosts judge celebrities fashion with uncensored comments and criticism (Fashion Police, 2012). Guest celebrity hosts are also invited onto the show to discuss the latest red carpet and every day fashion trends of Hollywood celebrities. In contrast with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Fashion Police is often sarcastic and even insulting.

Besides that, the hosts of these two shows are also very different. The Ellen DeGeneres show is hosted by only one host which is Ellen DeGeneres, a famous female American comedian and actress who was born in on the 26th of January in 1958. She is well known for her witty and engaging personality. She started The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2003. Besides the host Ellen, there is also always a permanent DJ on the show to provide musical accompaniment. On the contrary, the Fashion Police show has four main hosts who are Joan Rivers, a television personality who is well known for her bold and rude personality, Giuliana Rancic, an anchor of E! News, Kelly Osbourne, a fashion designer, and George Kotsiopoulos who is a fashion consultant. The Fashion Police is famous for its host Joan Rivers sarcastic, loud and brash criticism and her poking fun at Hollywood celebrities fashion alongside the other three co-hosts. The show normally features celebrity guest hosts such as Khloe Kardashian, Scott Disick, Kylie Minogue and so on. Other than that, both of the talk shows also have their own interesting segments in them. Besides the main interview sessions on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, there are also segments like Weekly Tweetly Roundup where Ellen shares funny and interesting tweets she gets on her twitter account. "What's Wrong with these Photos?" is another segment on the show where funny photos sent by viewers are shared on the show by Ellen. Throughout many seasons of the show, new segments are created and recur in the later episodes. On the other hand, Fashion Police also has its own segments such as the Bitch Stole My Look segment where two or more stars are shown to have worn the same outfit and a winner will be chosen in the end. Another example of a segment in the show is the Hot Ticket segment. In this segment, the hosts and guest hosts of the show comment and discuss looks of celebrities at a Hollywood event. The segments in the show are regular and are shown in every episode.

In conclusion, although the Ellen DeGeneres show and Fashion Police are both considered as talk shows, they are very different in their own ways. Each of the shows has its own distinctive style and mood, different speaking and hosting styles by its hosts, and also different field of theme focused on. Last but not least, both of the shows also have their own loyal viewers as their target viewers are different.

Bibliography
1. Merriam Webster Online, 2012. Talk Show Definition and More from the Free MerriamWebster Dictionary. [online] Available at: < http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/ talk%20show> [Accessed 21 October 2012].

2. The Ellen DeGeneres Show, 2012. About the Show | EllenTV.com. [online] Available at: < http://www.ellentv.com/page/2009/08/07/about-the-show/> [Accessed 21
October 2012].

3. E! Online, 2012. Fashion Police | E! Online. [online] Available at: <http://www.eonline.com/shows/fashion_police> [Accessed 21 October 2012].