From the link above:
I know this has already been discussed upthread, but I can't believe it - Phil bought the house for his boy. Jay didn't buy it himself. Isn't that kinda irresponsible, big Phil, considering the lashings you gave those college students about money a few shows ago? Now how is Jay going to learn the value of working to earn his own things, when you're just handing them to him? Dumb hypocritical Shillionaire.

In a hypothetical 'Debate DrShill' segment on this topic, I imagine PP would justify/explain the purchase by saying something like 'My BigButtSpawn has authored 2 New York Times best-sellers &, as the corporate tax shelter entity of PP, we bought the home with proceeds from his big ass book sales.' Of course the whole idea of MiniPP working to create his own opportunities and platform would be lost on PP, the empire builder.


Totally. I don't expect that we'll see a show on the perils of nepotism anytime soon.

And I of course am wondering if the SMU shuttle bus includes the Hollywood Hills on its regular route...

A father's reflection on his love for his son. Written by Dr Phil McGraw and published by Ballantine books.

I'm not even sure DP would bother trying to justify the house purchase. I saw an interview with DP on 20/20 about nepotism. During the interview:



Fair enough, DP, but then you have your son talk to college students in debt about how they mishandle their money? What a dink.

Holy crap. I read the Barbara interview bit first, not knowing it was real. I thought it was someone goofing on Phil, and I was chuckling away. But it's real? Wow. I wish someone would "Dr Phil" him and not let him get away with his bullshit.

I guess Phil & Robin are jetting off in their private plane to spend some "quality time" in a fancy resort, since the show will be in reruns for at least the next couple of weeks (my TiVo is set up to tape first-run eps, and there are none scheduled). Friday (11th) is a good one -- people who are addicted to their gadgets. This is the one where the guy's cell phone rang while he was on stage. Even if it was a set-up, it was pretty funny.

I'm off to whine to my dad now: "Daaaad, why couldn't you have been an incredibly wealthy self-help guru who could hire some guy to write a book and put my name on it, make me a TV star, and then buy me a $2.4 million house? You're so MEAN! You made me establish myself in a career all on my OWN!" Oh well, at least I can take consolation in the fact that my mom has allowed herself to age naturally and thus looks like a normal person instead of a botoxed nightmare.

Thanks everyone for all the background information on Patriarch Phil! It has only served to confirm what we have all known, criticized, and suspected all along. Clearly Dr. Phil has some issues and mistakes in his own past that he needs to "get real" about. I don't understand why any celebrity even bothers to try and lie these days because it always catches up with them eventually and the public will respect you much more if you tell the truth.

I believe we would only respect Phil if he threw himself on a live grenade to save a trainload of monks, and then just slightly. The only thing I respect him for is not appearing nude on the internet, and so far so good. (I know, I know. It's like trying to get a melody from "Oklahoma!" out of your head, except more painful.)

...quadraplegic monks who have spent eons to develop a wonderfully tasting, non-filling beer that gives no hangovers, and that simultaneously cures cancer, dermatitis and bad breath, using only the measuring and stirring utensils they can clench in their teeth. And the traincar behind has babies. Lots of cute precious babies.

Then I might renew my respect.

Mr. Hex and I were discussing BBJ's new house and the mister says, "so what's wrong with buying your kid a house?" And the answer is absolutely freaking nothing. Unless you make it a habit to berate parents that spoil their children and/or don't force them to stand on their own two feet, and berate college kids who incur college-type debt. And do it on nationally syndicated television. And hold yourself up as a paragon of parenthood. Then you need to practice what you freaking preach, or expect to get hoisted on those petards.

Word. We should lay bets as to how Phil would handle it (and it would be he who handled it) if Big Butt Jay gets some young woman in the family way, or Jorthro runs afoul of the law. The McGraws would make a spectacular FUF wouldn't they? I mean, more than they already are.

The more I think about this, the angrier I get, and I feel that we need to have "The Week of TWoP Rebuttals" on Shill. Here would be the catch: we would have access to the videotapes before the tapings, and Shill would have to SHUT UP while we spoke.

I say this because this unctuous, sanctimonious attitude about school debt really rubs salt in a wound that I thought had healed. I worked my way through college; full time during the summers, part time during the semesters. When I became a senior, my dad lost his job and my funding dried up. I worked full time while carrying a full class load. I still had very little money. Alas, I had credit cards. You know what? When you have to work an eight-hour day and have five hours of homework that night and your stomach is growling terribly and you have no cash, using the credit card to buy yourself some grub becomes an awfully attractive option.

I resent the statement that all students who rack up large amounts of university debt are irresponsible idiots. My sister and I did what we had to to get our education. Just because our parents couldn't afford to buy us homes in the Hollywood Hills does NOT make us irresponsible, asshole.

I've been lurking in this thread for awhile.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but near the end of the show Dr. Phil did on college students, didn't he say something like, "These days, when kids leave home they expect to have the same lifestyle they had when they lived with their parents." Then he looked into the audience and said something like, "I tell my kids all the time, 'You better get yourselves real good jobs because you're liking being here a little too much." He laughed and then they cut to Jay sitting in the audience and he also laughed.

What a crock of shit!

It surprises me that Phil wouldn't be smart enough to realize if he made a comment like that--giving the impression he was going to force his sons to be independent--it would come back and bite him on the ass when people found out he bought his son a home.

And in the example of Jay, isn't Dr Phil funding a lifestyle above what he had when he lived with his parents? Isn't Jay 24? So wouldn't he have left for university (and law school or whatever he's pretending to be doing now) 6 years ago? I'm sure they lived comfortably when Dr Phil was a trial consultant, but wouldn't a lifestyle involving multi-million dollar homes in the Hollywood Hills postdate Jay's moving out?

But I'm sure both Dr Phil and Jay found that comment funny because they probably believe that Jay does have a "real good job". He writes books! And does segments on the show! He's completely supporting himself!

I guess the real problem that those in-debt college students had was not their expectations but that their parents couldn't afford to "hire" them.

I found some more interesting posts from Dr Philth.

http://ctv1.ctv.ca/ctv_forum/topic.asp?TOP...430&whichpage=1
http://ctv1.ctv.ca/ctv_forum/topic.asp?TOP...430&whichpage=2

There are several interesting posts from her, which are dated from Sept 1, 2003, to late
Dec 17, 2003. Check out her predictions. She claims her boyfriend (and several of her friends) worked for the D Phil show which I am inclined to believe since her predictions have come true, so far.

[QUOTE from LoudFan: Gee, could it be a coincidence that Dr. Phil has said that he's going to focus on parenting next season, and almost all of the topics on the Be On The Show page of drphil.com are parenting related. Sure sounds like a book in progress to me.]

I checked out the topics on the BE ON THE SHOW section of the website. There is a VERY long list of topics and almost all of them are parenting related. (Thanks Loudfan for the info.) D Phil must have a parenting book coming out. During the past season many of the topics he selected provided countless opportunities for him to plug his books or junior's books. It seems like the whole show is built around marketing his books. Disgusting!!

I'm with everyone on pressing hypocrisy charges against PP because that's a black and white issue since he's basically yelling at poor young people for not having a Rich Daddy, not being able to cover school with a summer job, and having to go into debt to get educated, skilled, marketable, and employable and keep body and soul together while they do it.

But I am somewhat divided on the house issue. Don't get me wrong, a 2 million dollar home for someone just out of law school seems horrifically over-the-top and excessive (to us) even when your father is Dr. Phil. However, we do have to remember that they are travelling in the millionaire set now. That means they have to be concerned about things such as kidnapping, security, social status, and stuff like that. It might be trickier to protect Jay in a duplex or an apartment in the valley.

Besides, Phil and Robin are probably hoping that Jay immediately hooks up with a TOTALLED WOMAN just like Robin who will immediately become a McGraw Babymaker. Jay has always struck me as a fairly nice guy who has just been a little bit too sheltered -- and who believed too much of what he learned at Sunday school (And then what Robin told him at home about The White Devil!) -- but still somehow managed to get a decent social conscience.

Sure, PP is an abusing and domineering asshole, but I think that Jay has just been too protected.

This may sound eee-vil, but I would love it if Jay turned out to be gay just so PP would have to deal with it. Every now and then I've wondered if he might be... there's something a tad femme about him and his big-butt.

I have heard D Phil mention on the show that Jay dates a model. Go figure!

He has no choice. Other women are known to eat solid food.

Maybe he found a model who likes big-butted guys?? <huge grin>

I flipped through the Dr. Phil Cookbook at Barnes & Noble today, and one of the featured "dessert" recipes is Grasshopper Pie. The recipe calls for (among other things, such as green food coloring) Grape Nuts and tofu. Grape Nuts and tofu, people.

Maybe she is actually a Big Butt model?

Or maybe she's a male model.

Did anyone happen to notice, very recently, at the Dr. Phil Web site, they had a photo of Britney Spears with the caption "Does your teenage daughter dress in revealing clothes?"

When I saw that, I had flashbacks of Jenny Jones. Good God. Does anyone remember how every second show she did was: "Jenny help! My daughter dresses like a hoochie mama!"? Remember all those freaky people in the audience standing up and waving their index finger, "Girlfriend, you think you're all that and a bag of chips. But you're just a street ho who needs to shut her mouth, put on some clothes and listen to your mama."

I always thought those shows were funny ine one sense, but I also imagined a ton of weirdos getting off on watching 11-15 year-old girls dress provocatively.

Cringe. Cringe. Cringe.

And I wondered, is this what Dr. Phil is going to start resorting to? Talk show trash and fodder for sex offenders?

JR Labrador


Bwah!
A chick with a dick?

Wow, ignoring your child is good for your child? Who woulda thunk it?

Dr.Philanderer is so condescending in this episode, especially to the mothers. I have no doubts that the parents already tried some of these techniques, and their objections to what he is saying are legitimate.

Everytime he interrupts people to go "yeah but, yeah but, yeah but" I wanna plunge an icepick into my ear.

Oh, and this is an funny article, with more info about the overweight debaters. It's mostly tongue-in -cheek, but whatever (oh, and I'm disclaiming here, there is a lewd photo or two. Sorry.)

I think most models are ok with big butts, so long as part of that padding comes from a wallet.

I think I'd rather just eat grasshoppers.

OK. Today's show was fine but I got caught up short when I heard DrShill say:
"You have to consequate the child immediately."

CONSEQUATE -- wtf dictionary is he using for spellcheck?

So I propose that, perhaps as an addenda to the Best of TWoP's Shill SmackDown Vol1, we develop a glossary of the most egregious Shillogisms... I know DrAl and others have called him on "expectancies" -- but what are the other PopPsychoScheit words is he foisting upon us?

I feel so dirty now.... ewwww....

To Drumhouse: You said "I feel so dirty now"

I am not following you. Do you like reading the dirt on D Phil or would you rather not know?

No, I don't mind reading the stuff. I just used to think alot of him when he was actually CONSTRUCTIVE (ie: Oprah).
It's just weird to read about him being such a shyster and on the verge of using Oprah as well.
She has always been adament about any endorsements she would even begin to consider, and here he is prostituting this golden opportunity he has received in hopes of helping others.
(Why do I picture DrP and Robin in a remake of "Paper Moon" as Moses and Addie?
Going around reading obituaries and telling folks their dearly departed's last wish was to see them lose weight.... even ordered his WLC series of books with their name in gold on the front.....)

I have no problem with people who have erred in the past.... I have, who hasn't?? But I also lose respect for those who might want to reconsider casting stones, such as I'm learning DrP has developed quite an arm for.

No matter WHO it is, I respect them more if they are straight up.... especially if you are in the public eye and "counseling".
For example, I'm a big fan of Glenn Beck on the radio. He ADMITS he's a reformed alcoholic and is far from perfect and that is part of why I enjoy his show. He's not afraid to admit he's like me and doesn't talk down to me or come across with some charade that in the end could do much more harm than good.
If DrP would at least admit he's fallen and quit this "holier than thou and thou's family" and tearing guests a new one (especially on national tv) he would carry a lot more weight in the respect category. I believe they call that HUMILITY.

As someone interested in the field of psychology and working towards entering that field for various reasons, personally I find it cruel to mess with these people who have legitamit problems. These couples (or whoever) need REAL help because in the long run, it's the kids that are gonna suffer. I can't imagine the longterm repercussions of his fun and games this season with the FUF kids. Not to mention the insult of the big prizes (aka commercials).... that's just wrong on SO many levels!

To Drumhouse

You raised some good points. It seems that the longer D Phil has his own show, the worse he gets. I used to like him when his was on Oprah and I enjoyed his show the very first year. I was a big fan. Now he almost gives the creeps. He markets and promotes anything he can to make a buck from. I have a lot more respect for Oprah now. She made her cook, Rosy, a millionaire with the promotion of her cookbook but she never took a penny of that money for herself. As well, she has made many authors wealthy but again she does not take any of the money and does not promote her own books or products.

Anne Lindsay (I think this is the right name) has written several cookbooks on eating light and they are well-written and feature standard fare-D Phil could have recommended her books instead of promoting his own cookbook of scary meals. Since when did he and his wife Robin (the pampered pooch I call her) become experts in cooking?

Doesn't he have some freaky diet bar now? I shudder to think how fast they must be selling considering his weight-loss book was a bestseller.

Brilliant!



ETA: Since he seems to want to move his show into the "shocking" and "outrageous" category, I hope he has the decency to leave the mentally ill out of the mix. Even people with "odd" phobias should not be made talk show fodder because, dammit, mental health issues are not the stuff of sideshows. Why can we find it abhorrant--finally--to showcase individuals with birth anomalies but still parade those with "interesting" mind issues before the public?

I see that he now has a monthly newsletter with his mug on the cover. How much longer do you think it'll be before he has his own magazine rather than a monthly newsletter?

Oh, hell! June issue: Phil lolling in his cabana wearing a nifty pair of speedos and water wings. April issue: Phil twirling an umbrella next to an ivy-covered lampost. July: Phil holding a lit firecracker with a Lady Liberty costume on. October: Phil carves a pumpkin as Robin stirs a cauldon of no calorie tasty potion. December: Phil stretched out by a roaring fire, roasting his chestnuts while Robin lies close by, playing with a ball of yarn.

NO! Make it stop!

Bad Gemmadoll! No soup for you!

Seriously though... DP in a speedo? How could you?

I think today's ep is one of my favorite types: Clueless People Who Should've Read a Book Before Procreating.

Okay, bigC, that was cynical and venomous.... Come sit next to me!!

Today's show, a repeat. The doc with the "5 Ss" -- he's right and all that, but you can skim his book in B&N and get the gist of how ya do it in about five minutes. I will give him that tight swaddling is a godsend. Borokat be sure to try it. However I contend that wrapping tightly, shushing, jiggling, pacifiers etc., are just the same things that moms have been doing for eons. (Oh yeah, but we're doing it wrong.) I mean, come on, why do you think they call them pacifiers??

Aside: my MIL calls today to make sure I'm watching the show. I've been playing with the idea of asking her to take a trip with me, but now....I dunno. She really likes DP and loved Rupert from Survivor. I think we can safely say we would not be compatible travel companions. ::snort::

So true!! Phil wants credit for putting what everyone knows in easily referenced book form. He wants to take Dr Spock's place in parenting advice history (the best seller's list), and cash the sort of checks Ben did.

His wife wants to be the new Adele Davis, although instead of a nutrition degree, she has a chatty pharmacist, whose next revelation might be that we only consume "farm-raised tuna."

Snort!

February: DP reclining on a chaise lounge, in an opulent purple dressing gown, puffing on a stogie. French maid garbed Robin feeds him tasty 0 calorie, nutrasweet infused, genetically modified tofu peeled grapes, while wearing those high heel boudoir slippers with the fuzzy feathers across the toe. The caption: "Pamper her by letting her pamper you this Valentine's Day".

I found signs of the DrP I was first interested in....
Today at the gym, while treadmilling, I was reading a recent issue of "O".
DrP's column in there ain't that bad and is MUCH more along the lines of why I first started listening to him.
Makes me wonder if he puts on his best when he gets around Oprah... or if the editors insist on keeping up the quality by eliminating all the "Amway" techniques he is becoming known for.
IMHO, that really is a fine magazine. You can tell Oprah has a handle on it to maintain such quality and various interesting columns.
Maybe we need to start inundating Oprah with e-mails about DrP's daily infomercial. I have a feeling she ain't afraid to set that straight. :-)
I did e-mail the DrP show and told them how disappointed I was with the past season and how I'm sick of the "freakshows" and constant sales pitches.

It never hurts to speak up..... better than hoping they can read my mind.

Am I a horrible, awful individual for thinking the last woman's story (in today's repeat episode) was really funny?

It was just so over the top, all the things that went wrong for her wedding. I tried hard to feel bad for her, but things like that usually only happen in TV universe.

It makes me giggle an awful teehee everytime i hear her describe the sound the frozen macaroni&cheese made at the reception. (She shoulda had it catered by that FatFamily from weeks ago who KNEW how to make M&C.)

I also heehaw when she talks about what her a-hole preacher grampa said (i betcha he's married to no-dancin-gramma)...And how lame is "a dance on national teevee" -- send her & her hubby to Jamaica!

Word. Teenage skank guests get real prizes and this couple get a twirl around Phil's stage to canned music while Phil himself stands like a dork sentry in the background?

I sympathize with some brides who have their big day ruined, but not all. Some come across as whiney butts who need therapy because two of the twenty-four bridesmaid's shoes came from different dye lots and it ruined a day that took two years and sixty thousand of mom & dad's dollars to pull off. Wow, let me weep.

My own wedding was a comedy of disasters with the only high point being that one of our particularly hateful guests (we'll call her Eva Braun) was not injured but DID take a dramatic ass-over-teakettle fall on some Mexican tile. Pretty awesome, that. Eva threatened to sue THE CHURCH but was dissuaded, because the witch--as everyone reminded her-- had already gotten enough karma. Good times.

gemmadoll, how on earth did you know how I ruined that wedding when I was a bridesmaid? Were you in Cincinnati in 1997???

I did get yelled at by the bride in the receiving line, though, for my shoe-dye infraction.

Really? I got punched in the neck.

My head spun around when I heard that and I yelled WHAT? Consequate? The good doctor is making stuff up again (in addition to his *30* years of counseling).

I am just so over him. But why can't I stop watching. The suggestion to email Oprah to ask her to get him back on track is a good one. This train has derailed!

Gemmadoll, if you aren't writing comedy, you should be!

Oh Stinkylulu, I had the very same thought. I'm afraid that FatFamily cook-out permanently damaged me.

Dr. Shill's dictionary:
consequate
expectancies
castorate

I think we have the beginnings of a good story here.
---------------

I sided with the controling mother about the wedding. I don't think wanting to have a say in a huge wedding that you're paying for is "blackmail." What's more, with all due groveling to Peggy Post, I believe there are one or two good rules. I prefer Miss Manners because she tries to keep kindness and consideration in her opinions. I know she doesn't like the "A" and "B" list weddings because the group that is only invited to the wedding and not the reception feel like second class friends. She also doesn't like anything that smacks of an obvious grab for money, which I think "ransoming the bride" is. What was that about "giving the guests a time to gather"? Most weddings I've been to, the guests have enough time to gather plus go into hypoglycemic comas while waiting for the photographer to get finished.

Of course if the German's do it, it must be classy, right, Dr Phil?

About Shill voluntarily surrendering his Texas license. I don't know about psychologists, but I've worked for law firms that dealt primarily with medical malpractice and I have several friends in the medical field and in Texas for an M.D. to voluntarily surrender his license, means that he's surrendering it before it gets yanked. And for a doctor to have his license yanked in Texas he pretty much has to do something extremely egregious. I'm sure it's similar for psychologists.

I'm really bothered by the fact that Shill is obviously guilty of something so egregious (and something that can't be explained away as accidental or unintentional) and is going on national TV, presenting himself as a professional and dispensing advice to people - even if he does make sure to disclaim it as for entertainment purposes only. Since Shill has no license and hasn't had a practice in umpteen years, he's more qualified than Montel or Maury or Ricki to give out advice to his guests, how? (Of course that may explain why he feels that Robotox and BBJ are qualified to dispense advice - using his stellar example, they are.)

And, maggiegault, I also continue to become angrier and angrier at Shill over the college grad debt show, especially since he's getting up there and lying about his parenting of BBJ and Jorthro and how he expects them to be self-sufficient. I think that was one of the most unfair shows Shill has done (and that's saying a lot).

Okay, I know I'm old, but on the whole Emily-Post-Mom thing: "times may change, but standards must remain". Most of the wedding etiquette rules are designed around the importance of the comfort of your guests and to facilitate the solemnity of a sacred ceremony (and how's that for alliteration??). And if your mama's footing the bill, shut your yap, little missy and compromise a little. Might as well learn that handy little skill now, sugar.

And Gemmadoll? You're a hoot! (But everyone KNOWS that if your shoes don't EXACTLY match the punch at the reception, the marriage is doomed doomed doomed! You did that JUST to take attention away from the bride, didn't you??)