Spot Inspection: 'The Bonnie Hunt Show'

Bonnie Hunt’s new syndicated talk show has been on the air for a week, so we decided it was time for a Spot Inspection. Some thoughts, besides the obvious (Cloris Leachman needs to be her guest every day, see video below), after the jump:

• The zipped sweater hoodie look fits Bonnie — and Ellen.
• In general, I like storytime with Bonnie: She opens the showdiscussing the latest news in her life and the world at large. Today,we heard about how the electricity went off at her house last night andshe woke up at 5:33 a.m. PT, three minutes after she was supposed tohave started a radio interview. Her BlackBerry wasn’t charged, so sheused her key to her ex-husband’s house to sneak in and borrow hischarger. “He had no idea I was there… which was the problem with ourmarriage.” Funny!
• Her staff, however, isn’t as funny as she thinks it is: After Bonnieshowed footage of a 13-pound newborn, she said they had the baby in thestudio. Ten days after his birth, they wheeled the kid out and helooked like… her producer Larry in a baby costume. Easy joke. No onelaughed who didn’t know Larry. Also painfully obvious: Her interviewwith Hulk Hogan’s attorney — a man dressed in a sleeveless suit and abandana who likes to shout. Again, crickets.
• Eight-year-old blues guitarist Tallan Latz is a littlecocky: But in his defense, the kid can play. I know it’s cute tointerview children, but Bonnie’s chat with Tallan would’ve made mechange the channel if I didn’t have the promise of Cloris Leachman.Don’t be afraid to bring out a parent next time.
• Cloris Leachman is crazy, in the best possible way: Bonnie handledher beautifully, meaning she just let her go. Cloris walked out,climbed over a chair, headed into the audience to greet a woman in awheelchair, found out that they were both 82 years old and said, “I’mstill dancing” (presumably not to offend the woman in a wheelchair).Following some bra jokes, some flirting with Bonnie’s announcer, andthe pulling of a piece of string off of her shirt and flossing with it,Cloris learned that Bonnie had been singing in a night club in Chicago,across the street from where she was performing years ago. Cloris madeBonnie sing. Bonnie sang “Summertime” and Cloris joined in. Amazing TV.Things only got crazier from there: Cloris apparently didn’t realizethat cameras can zoom, so she walked to the edge of the stage with anold black & white photo of her as Miss Chicago. She eventually satdown on the edge of said stage, then lay downas they went to commercial. After the break, Cloris insisted thatBonnie was wearing her hair wrong and kept trying to comb it. Finally,Bonnie brought out Cloris’ Dancing With the Stars partner,Corky Ballas, father of last season’s champion Mark, and Cloris madehim share her seat with her. We got a little preview of their chemistry— Cloris thinks he’s boring when he’s being serious and/or talkingabout how their combined age is 130 — and, of course, their dancing.The Cloris segment went so long, Bonnie barely had time to makebutternut squash lasagna with Work Out‘s Jesse Brune. Of course, even Jesse knew Cloris was worth it.

So, were I someone who was home during the day (it airs at 2 p.m. ET in NYC), I would tune into The Bonnie Hunt Show again. But since I’m someone who works, I will only be tuning in again on Wednesday, when David Boreanaz is a guest.