CLAP FOR HIM, AUDIENCE*

*This is how each guest is introduced on this show.

So I've been meaning to mention how much I like Isaac Mizrahi's new talk show on the Style Network… no, really. It's a real hoot, and not just because he's a newbie. Oh, sure, he makes the occasional mistake, but so does Saint Oprah. OK, so her mistakes have more to do with hair, than forgetting names, or insulting guests… but we'll get to that.

What I love about this show is the honesty – and the format, too. Both are a refreshing, given today's media climate. At some point during each show, Isaac usually takes questions from the audience, dispensing fashion advice and even making a sketch for each person. He also has help from the so-fabulous-you-could-just-die Simon Doonan (on the left side of this picture), whom I adore. (He makes life seem like a fun, mod movie—achingly glamorous, but never taking things too seriously. If you haven't ever read his book, you're missing out!)

The show also features a live, in-house band, but not like the cheesy ones on Letterman or Leno. No, these guys hold it down, from the first downbeat, to the last credit. I actually wish they would play a little more, but that's just me. Isaac also has a little coffee shop of sorts, which is nice… I mean, fresh espresso for guests, and all. I just wish it wasn't staffed by a young, black man. There's something a little step-and-fetch about it. Maybe it's the way Isaac talks (down) to him, or maybe the boy isn't all that bright… can't say for sure.


One recent episode featured Teri Garr—this episode is a perfect example of how delicious this show can be. First off, we'll forgive Isaac for getting a little too excited, and calling her, "Hollywood Royalty." I'm not sure who I would consider worthy of the title, but I do think it is a little over-the-top to just throw those kinds of titles around. It's how Michael Jackson became the King of Pop… and MTV's Artist of the Decade. (There's no such award, by the way). Balancing out Isaac's hyperbolic overstep was his next move. See, he'd been off to the side of the main stage for a fabulous makeover segment, and when he came back… Teri was there, ready for her interview. But when he came back to sit down (and bark out an order for coffee), there was a new set piece. It was a simple, little vase with a single lily in it.

Isaac proceeded to immediately freak out.

Well, not freak out in a way that was intentionally meant to hurt anyone's feelings. He made quite a fuss about how much he didn’t like the vase, and demanded to know who had placed it on the stage, several times, until Teri finally confessed.
“Do you not like it?” she asked, the hurt already seeping into her eyes.
He took a moment to glance, nervously at the camera.
“Well… no,” he finally muttered.
With a quick, under-the-breath sort-of apology, Isaac quickly re-gifted the vase out into the audience. But that was OK, since one of his previous segments was all about re-gifting. It turned out to be a great interview, despite this first misstep, and in spite of the fact Isaac didn’t remember previously meeting Teri.

But the reason I love the show so much is simple: there are too many images (whether fictional characters, or “real” people) of catty, bitchy, screaming, evil queens in the media right now. Don’t get me started on Will & Grace and the amount of damage it’s actually doing. I find it so terribly refreshing, and rewarding to watch Isaac. He’s clever and witty, without being mean, just to get a laugh. He’s fashion-forward, but not overly obsessed with trends, and doesn’t promote the negative, dominant body culture. In a word, he’s fabulous.