Kimmel quizzes Trump on ‘healthiest president ever’
Kardashian lands new E! Series
LOS ANGELES, Dec 17, (Agencies): Donald Trump swung through Los Angeles on Wednesday for an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” as the host riffed with the Republican presidential candidate over his campaign’s penchant for hyperbole.
A case in point was a recently released medical report, in which Trump’s doctor wrote that Trump “would be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
“How do you get a doctor to write something?” Kimmel asked.
Trump replied, “I said, doc, I want to tell you, I will be the healthiest president ever. And he said, hmmm. I think I agree. And I think he probably took my words and put them down.”
Kimmel then flashed a Facebook picture of Trump’s doctor, Howard Bornstein, in which he looks more like a scruffy beach bum than a medical professional. “Oh wow,” Trump said. “What kind of a doctor is he?” Kimmel asked.
The show released a clip in advance of Wednesday’s broadcast.
Kimmel also joked in his monologue about Tuesday night’s debate in Las Vegas.
“Mr. Trump was in Las Vegas last night - for the fifth Republican debate,” Kimmel said. “It was the third mostwatched primary debate ever. Eighteen million viewers tuned in - more people watched the debate than watched the season finale of ‘The Voice.’ Maybe Carly Fiorina is the new Gwen Stefani.”
Another quip: “My biggest take-away from last night is that, whoever wins the election, we need to force Jeb Bush and Donald Trump to live in a house together with cameras on them 24/7.”
Trump was to appear in October, but canceled because of an undisclosed campaign obligation. But the campaign did vow to reschedule.
Update: Kimmel was mostly friendly to Trump, challenging him at one point for his stance on Mexican immigration and mass deportation. The host pointed out that his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, came into the US illegally but eventually went through the legal process.
“Don’t we want the people who want to be here so badly they will risk everything?” Kimmel asked.
Trump called Hispanics “unbelievable people,” but still insisted that the solution was legal immigration and a border wall with a “big, beautiful door.”
“I am going to win the Hispanic vote, in my opinion,” Trump said.
He also said that he has heard from Muslim friends who have told him he has “done a tremendous service” in proposing a plan to temporarily halt entry to the United States from Muslims of other countries.
“Those may have been crank calls,” Kimmel quipped.
But Trump said that “we have a real problem out there. There is a tremendous hatred out there...I want to find out what is the problem, what is going on.”
He once again marveled at the record ratings for presidential debates, the latest being the 18 million viewers who tuned in to the GOP event on Tuesday.
He said that CNN has gone from charging $4,000 for a 30-second spot to $250,000. “They make a fortune,” he said, although he dangle the prospect of demanding payment for appearing at a debate, as he has done in the past.
At the end of the interview, Kimmel read a satirical children’s book, done in the vein of Dr Seuss but with verses tied to Trump.
“Here are some frogs I do not like at all,” Kimmel read. “We must kick these frogs out and then build a wall.”
Trump vs Bush. Rubio vs Cruz. Carson, Christie, Fiorina, Kasich and Paul vs oblivion.
CNN’s Republican debate on Tuesday night was predictably dominated by sparring among front-runner Donald Trump and his closest competitors: Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. The remaining five candidates on stage struggled to muscle in on the discussion, with Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson openly complaining about their lack of airtime. John Kasich, Chris Christie, Rand Paul didn’t even get that much time.
Amid the posturning, the pontificating and the verbal sparring, here were five highlights of the two and a half hour debate at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, moderated by CNN veteran Wolf Blitzer.
If you build it, they won’t come. Trump and Cruz agreed that the nation’s borders would be more secure if giant walls were erected to stop illegal immigrant and drug trafficking. “Walls work, if they’re properly constructed,” Trump said. Cruz did him one better. “We will build a wall that works and I’ll get Donald Trump to pay for it,” he said.
Donald takes the oath. The questioners pressed Trump on whether he would stick to his vow not to run as an independent candidate if he is not the eventual Republican nominee next year. Trump spoke like a front-runner with a double-digit margin: “I’m totally commmited to the Republican party. I’m honored to be the frontrunner. I will do everything in my power to beat Hillary Clinton.”
He’s tough. He’s nice. He’s disingenuous. Trump continued to direct most of his fire toward Bush. At one point Trump called Bush a “very nice person” and then mocked him for being a “tough guy” who is far behind him in the polls. When Bush tried to talk over him -- calling it “a little of your own medicine,” Trump smirked. “I know you’re trying to build up your energy but it’s not working.”
“Infiltrating” the Internet. Trump continued to advocate for shutting down parts of the Internet to guard against ISIS recruiting efforts. He did not elaborate on the practial reality of doing so, other than to say he would enlist the best and the brightest from Silicon Valley to out-hack the jihadis. “ISIS is using the Internet better than we are using the Internet and it was our idea,” Trump said.
A bridge too far? With New Jersey Gov Christie on stage, it was inevitable that New Jersey’s bridge-closing scandal would come up. Paul argued with Christie about the latter’s assertion that the US needs to get tough with the Russians on no-fly zones in Syria and elsewhere. Paul said voters had to question Christie’s judgement and temperament in stressful situations. Voters had to think hard about the electing someone with a reckless approach to foreign policy - someone “who might shut down a bridge because they don’t like their friends,” Paul said.
Further solidifying the social and digital potential of live events, NBC News announced Wednesday that it has partnered with YouTube to host the online telecast of its upcoming Democratic presidential debate.
Hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and moderated by “Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, the debate will take place on Jan 17 in Charleston, SC, and will air on NBC and on NBC News’ YouTube channel starting at 9 pm E.T. that day. It will also feature Google Trends search data and questions from the YouTube community.
The event is the final Democratic presidential debate before the first caucus and primary votes are cast.
The previous debate between Democratic candidates for president, which is pictured above, occurred in November and featured a partnership between host CBS News and Twitter. It drew 8.55 million viewers, a solid number considering it aired on a Saturday. The next Democratic debate is this Saturday. It will be hosted by ABC News and moderated by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz.
On Tuesday, CNN hosted the last Republican presidential debate of the year. It brought in 18 million viewers. The next GOP debate will be hosted by Fox Business Network on Jan 14.
New Series:
E! has greenlit a new Khloe Kardashian series, ordering six episodes of “Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian.” The makeover show, specifically centered around scorned exes, will put two heartbroken individuals -- be it from being dumped, losing their job or another hardship -- and give them the chance to recreate themselves in each episode. Kardashian will have a team made up of a trainer, stylists and “glam squads” to help with the recreation.
“Looking great is always the best revenge,” Kardashian said. “It’s so exciting to be able to mentor these people through their full-body makeovers and I can’t wait to see the incredible results at their final reveals.”
Hosting News:
LL Cool J is returning to host the 58th annual Grammy Awards, which air Feb 15 on CBS. This will be his fifth consecutive year hosting.
“The performances and moments that take place on the Grammy stage are awesome in so many ways for the audience and artists alike,” said LL Cool J. “I’m honored once again to host music’s biggest night as we celebrate the talented music creators of today. It’s going to be an incredible night and I’m excited to share this experience with the world.”
Terrence Jenkins is leaving “E! News.” The co-anchor announced his departure late Dec 15 with his final day set for Dec 16. The TV personality, who joined the entertainment news show in 2012 with former co-anchor Giuliana Rancic, cited acting and producing opportunities as the reason for his exit. Current talent Maria Menounos, Jason Kennedy and Catt Sadler will remain on the show.
“I took some time off this summer and I produced and I starred in my first feature film, and I’m really excited about it and it’s coming out at the top of the year,” Jenkins said. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities come in in the acting space, both behind the camera and in front of the camera. And so, with all of that said, I wanted to announce today that I’ll be leaving ‘E! News.’”
Terry Crews and Wendy Williams will be hosting Fox’s “Pitbull’s New Years Revolution.” The live event will air Dec 31 from Miami’s Bayfront Park. “Empire’s” Timbaland and Yazz will perform, in addition to Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Prince Royce, Austin Mahone, R. City, Pia Mia and Earth, Wind & Fire.