((((Love My TV))))) What a great mom you are to resist the urge to over-protect your second son so that he could grow up free and confident.

Shaggy Diva
Yes, yes, yes. Teach them to be smart, not fearful. Studies show that predators actually seek out females who have a timid manner.

We had a bad experience with the fearful ones just yesterday. My husband, retired military, model citizen, drives Taxi in this small town a couple of days a week just for something to do. In between fares, he parks anywhere along the street in town and reads. Yesterday he was shocked to have the police come along and get really rude and abusive with him. It seems he happened to be parked outside a church which happened to have some kids inside for some reason or other and one of the women in charge decided to report him as a possible paedophile. Great. His van only said Taxi all over it and two minutes of observation would have shown that he never lifted his eyes from his Clive Cussler novel, plus he had his seat belt on the whole time and his radio squawking. Poor guy said he felt so dirty all day he couldn't quit washing his hands.

We have Dr Phil saying, deny all freedom to the women and children and that commercial where the woman in the elevator is encouraged to report the man for child abuse based on nothing more than her own " intuition". I don't know, it's a fine line between protecting children and creating a world of fear and paranoia.

I (against my own free will) had seen the episode yesterday with the "Dr. Phil Family."

All I can say is that those people are a mess.

I'm wish you, SnowDog, I would have paid big bucks to see Dr. Phil take one for the team in the family jewels...

...try and make a low fat pie out of this (whump)!

Any therapist worth his salt would have explored why mom was so traumatized by misplacing her daughter (which, I understand, was years and years prior, right?). From my undertanding, and memory from my childhood, this happens fairly often. I was always wandering off in the mall, WalMart, where ever. I totally get why it would be frightening for a parent, but irrational fears lead to children being ill-prepared for the world, as percolata pointed out.

You need to teach kids to differentiate between real fears and irrational fears, otherwise you send them out into a world being ill-prepared to trust their gut instincts about danger.

But what can I expect, this is coming from a man who believes over-indulgence is the "most insidious form of child abuse." Uh, no, asshat. It may make a nice soundbite, but I guarantee you that it isn't. Call me crazy, I put starvation, neglect, physical & sexual abuse, abandonment, and a whole host of other things before that.

The over-indulgence speech reminds me of Joan Crawford in Mommy Dearest making her daughter give all her birthday presents away. Come to think of it, Phil would probably think Joan was a great mother; non-indulgent, kid who does her chores...

Re Anatomy of a Divorce:

Shee-it! I didn't see it when it originally aired, but today's show makes me EXTREMELY glad I'm batting for the other team.

These people are insane.

Anatomy of a Divorce Part II

Amy is crazy. I don't know what her problem is. I think she needs to be put in an insane asylum. She is just a bitter evil person who is mad that she doesn't always getr her way. If I didn't know any better I would think her parents neglected her as a child and that is why she turned into a compulsive liar and controlling witch. She totally was disrespecting her lawyer. If I was that lady I would have been like "Listen... I quit you control freak."

And John...
Don't let me get started on him. He needs to stand up for himself. He is the one making everything petty too! Forget the Tupperware! You can go to Costco, Sam's Club or K-Mart and buy yourself some new fashionable Gladware! And by the way taping her was wrong. I would have told her I had a camera on so when she went completely crazy like we know she is shewould know she was making a fool out of herself.


I agree 100%!!!!! These people are just some sad... sad.... individuals.

The couple in the Anatomy of a Divorce are just pathetic. I hope the judge orders them both into counseling and give the kids a little vacation.

I felt so bad for Amy's first lawyer. It can't be easy to do your job when you have to deal with a nutjob.

I really hate John's lawyer. Her voice and accent really grate on my nerves.

DrP OBVIOUSLY wants no one to watch this summer as they rerun all the lame-ass series from the past season. Hopefully the are destroying the shows after the second run. They are worse the second time around and every bit as mind-numbing. They SO totally went for freak shows and those that could not possibly get even the slightest clue after weeks worth of shows.

The FUF's are just TOO out there. Words can not describe.
A of a D is just DISTURBING!! Those folks should absolutely be nowhere. near. children. They are beyond dysfunctional and a little too close to abusive in the environment they provide. DrP's folks really went over the top with that series.

I'm looking forward to the finale of the Divorce Shows. They put the FUN in dysfunction. Anything interesting happen? I didn't see the final in the first go round. From the previews, she asks him to move in with her? What's up with that?

Really? I lurve her accent, it reminds me of South Africa, and I consider it one of her more redeeming qualities.

I definitely don't have the Suzanne-hate that a lot of other people have. I think she's ballsy and she's definitely trying to get John what it appears he deserves from that nutjob Amy. I think Suzanne is being particularly agressive with Amy because she knows exactly how to push her buttons, and she knows that that's what is going to help her client win.

People may ask "what about the children?" But I don't think Suzanne's a monster or doesn't care about the kids. On the contrary, I think she knows that getting Amy to act like a nutcase on national tv is going to help in getting those kids away from someone so irrational.

Kind? Compassionate? Hell no.

Would I want her to ever represent ME? Most assuredly.

If even just to hear the accent.

It's not just the accent. I've heard SA accents before and this one is different. It's like she's speaking with a mouth full of marshmellows.

She's not just trying to get John what he "deserves," she's trying to win at all costs. Which is what a divorce lawyer is supposed to do, I guess.

I don't know which one is a worse parent. Amy is the obviously messed-up harpy, but John has that quiet "beware of what's below the surface" demeaner. He creeps me out in ways Amy doesn't. Stealing her jewelry was just fucked up.

Amy and John are totally Erin and Marty in 2 years.

I think that with Amy, "what you see if what you get". John's lawyer knows how to push her buttons and Amy rises to the bait. John, on the other hand, "creeps me out" to use Snowdog's phrase. Hiding the jewellery is strange but even worse was showing the kids a picture of some guy on the internet and telling them that was mommy's boyfriend. Creepy! If I remember correctly John and Amy used to work for the same company. John used to say really awful things about Amy to the people she worked with. He likes to make himself look good-I think he is passive aggressive.

Suzanne is a piece of work. The problem with lawyers like her is that they get the other spouse so worked up that they are no longer willing to compromise and listen to reason. She manages to get both parties so angry and fired so she can drag out the process for a long time-both parties incur lawyers bills in the tens of thousands as a result. It is very lucrative for lawyers do drag out the process so they increase their billings.

Did anyone see the "extreme marriages" episode? Dr. Phil at his useless best. He gives absolutely no advice to the Harold and Maude couple except to suck it up because people are going to be shocked at them. Then, with the dimwit Will and Grace couple, he can't bring himself to just come out and say "look, you need to get a divorce and do it soon." He keeps babbling about redefining their relationship while the dimwits look at him, blankfaced. I really couldn't believe they were so stupid and clueless. I was wondering if perhaps they aren't really married -- maybe they are just a regular gay guy and his fairy princess, and they decided to try to go on the Dr. Phil show to get something out of it. You know, they thought he would say something like this to them:
I can see that my plain-talking, homespun wisdom is just ineffective in a situation like this and I am clearly out of my depth in trying to advise you. Therefore, I am sending you on a two week long vacation to Sandals Bahamas - The Resort for Couples so that you can work on cementing your heterosexual relationship. Also, we are going to pay your mortgage so that you can focus on reading my Relationship Rescue book instead of having to work.

I'm seeing FUF2 for the first time . . . and, man, what a traffic accident. In an symphony of disaster, the mother shines through! How was that woman able to find three men willing to put up with her shit? I must say, I did somewhat admire Phil for calling her onto the carpet even though I knew it would ultimately end with her affirming the superiority of all things Phil.

Nothing to admire because Stacy changed her tune quickly as soon as $hill started blackmailing her with threatening to take away the gravy train.

The worse thing about FUF2 is that nothing changes or improves for them over the course of their "therapy". Nothing.

The Family Divided thing is currently airing in the Netherlands. I've read up on some of the things that happen with the family, but it's still not very clear to me whether Erin and Marty stay together...

And for some reason, my mum and I (we enjoy this part of Dr Phil in particular 'cause it makes us realise that our lives could be worse. The rest of the show is usually a joke --according to us) think Erin is in some kind of way like Hillary Clinton.

Woo hoo! It's the return of the Valkyrie and her Action-Figure Husband!

[Mr.Rourke]Smiles, everyone...smiles![/MR]

The show with the Bizarre-O world couples still freaked me out... even in re-run.
All I could think about with the Will & Grace couple was to quote Karen Walker when told Jack's mother didn't know he was gay.
She so eloquently asked, "What is she... headless?!".
Wifey needs therapy about her self-worth and WHY she married a queen, got pregnant and still can't accept that he's cheated four times... he's like the gay-male version of Stacy (FUF2).

The Harold & Maude couple was just a little too "B-Movie" for me. She looked like his GRANDMOTHER for the love of Pete!! I love the way DrP had to break it to them that they shouldn't be surprised at the reactions of others. And was it really necessary to keep going over their rate of sexual intimacy?? ewwww....

The faux-lesbians were just as bizarre as the first viewing. That guy looked like a really bad drag attempt. And his princess daughters were nauseating... typical "I don't want to lie to my 2 yr old... blah, blah, blah....". Just face it and move on with life instead of worrying about every single person you've ever crossed paths with. Now if this were 40 yrs ago, it might be a bigger issue than today.
But in the name of Lady Chabliss.... HELP grandpa conform cosmetically a little better! Just this guy's wedding pictures wearing the Sir Prancelot costumes was a HUGE flare in my book that something ain't right somewhere.

Speaking as someone who actually has this situation in her family, I have to say that imho that is a bit inensitive. It IS still a big deal. My "brother" come out to me more than ten years ago, and it still has repercussions. And I do also have a 9-year-old brother who doesn't know. We have no idea how to tell him.

I know that some of the people on this show are very mockable, but imho it is a bit insensitive to generalize those people to a problem as a whole by saying people should just move on or it is not a big issue. Tell you what, you can have my family and we'll see how well YOU do with it.

I've been in a similar situation (my dad came out a few years ago) and it's not something about which you can say: let's just move on. Even if you don't want it to it has serious consequences for you as a person, and as to how you live your life. The world doesn't change, but your perception of the world does. People have this very structured idea of their personal lives and an announcement like that turns your life upside down. It did for me, and I can't imagine what it did to my mum who gave 25 years of her life to my dad. You don't just say: move on and that will be the end of it.

The daughters were thinking of the impact Dad's change was going to have on their kids--very responsible and caring of them. After all, if Grampa had had an accident, say, and was suddenly in a wheelchair or changed in that way it would greatly affect his grandkids. I think the daughters were thinking clearly, unlike the wife who was giggling about how they shared the remote control. She was a piece of work.

I'm a woman who works in the legal profession (paralegal), and I think Suzanne is a disgrace to the noble title of attorney.

While I do not care for Amy (but I really like her new attorney), there is absolutely NO REASON WHATSOEVER why an officer of the court should be badmouthing opposing counsel's client on national television. Not only is such behavior graceless and tactless and demeaning to another human being, it is dangerous for your own client. Family court judges do not tolerate that level of nonsense in a divorce, especially when children are involved. When antics like that are pulled by one side, trust me, the court can and will punish that side through the rulings that are handed down. Suzanne's behavior only demonstrated to me that she is a bitch. Not that she is such a superstar attorney.

Such behavior gives females in law an even worse name than we already have (it's still VERY much a man's profession). If a woman is a truly talented attorney with the best interests of her client at heart, she can be aggressive without being an embarrassing, name-calling, unprofessional shrew.

If John were really interested in the best interests of his children, he would fire that bitch, post haste. I don't believe for a second that he is, though. In fact, I don't believe for a second one damn word that comes out of that man's mouth.

One more thing...Amy's attorney could easily make a motion to have Suzanne disbarred in Colorado for her slander of his client on national television. I guarantee that to have behaved like that is a clear violation of the code of professional ethics for the Colorado Bar Association.

I'm continually astounded that these lawyers would agree to go on national television during an ongoing litigation. Maggiegault is right (and I am sorry if I paraphrase you here a bit), the lawyers' actions may not violate the letter of the ethics code ( I do not know the ethics in Colorado, but if the clients consented it's probably "ok"), they certainly violated the spirit of it.

And recording another person without their knowledge would likely never be allowed in court.

Zealous representation of your client is admirable and required of you as a lawyer, but disgustingly crass behavior to whip up more issues is not. If I were his lawyer, I'd be like, "C'mon now, there is no way in hell we are letting this tape be broadcast on national television. It is inflammatory and it just looks trashy."

I'm on hiatus until the new episodes start, but I just had to chime in and say I think Amy deserved to be caught on tape being the psycho that she is and then publicly flogged. This is the one and only woman I was happy to see Patriarch Phil take down. And taping someone without their knowledge is often the best way to get the goods on them.

I never thought about this until I read your post, but I totally see it.

I often wish I had taped my mom at her looniest. Just as some kind of proof that I wasn't crazy. Immoral yes, but when you're subject to screaming/threatening/emotional blackmail day in day out, your ethics kind of take a backseat. Not to say the dude was not loony in his own right, because obviously, they're both wrong about a lot of shit.

The trainwreck families that Dr. Phil offers up are fascinating. How do people get like this? Sometimes when you think about these people's problems, your problems don't seem so bad anymore.

Re: the recent show with grandpa becoming grandma....
I sincerely apologize for my comments of frustration and insensitivity.
I came back to this forum and saw the comments and realized I was indeed out of line.
So this is for y'all .... I meant NO harm, I apologize. :-)

Look forward to some new shows so we can get rolling here again!!

I know just what you mean!

Our Daily Target Practice is one of my life's great pleasures!

One of the people I work with (a young, sweet, and slightly naive woman) asked me what I thought of Dr. Phil, I had to smile and say:

"Well, sweetie, he often has done some thorough research -- and so sometimes does know what he is saying -- but he has problems with strong and assertive women who don't agree with him and his wife is a botoxed shop-a-holic femme-bot!"

I just didn't have the heart to tell her he was as incompetent, hypocritical, and abusive as he is.

Been awhile! Skanky wanted to be on the show for Michael, to get some help for him. As for her? Why, there's nothing wrong with her! (sarcasm) They are not sorry they went on the show. Once there, they realized they needed the help immediately for Michael and just as immediately, for themselves, specifically Chris. Also, and a big fat also, they don't seem to have a point of reference as to how their behavior looks to the rest of the world. Clueless. Weird, but true. Skanky felt that she was being taken advantage of (by the producers, etc.) because all of the family problems led back to her, she felt she was made out to be the 'bad guy' and she truly thought that she was mother of the year. hurrumph. Go figure. Her opinion of shill is that she needs him now for whatever he can do for the family, especially financially. Chris's opinion of shill is that he'll take any help that he can get. He's not terribly realistic about his life, goals, etc. (no kidding!)

There was no drama preplanned as to dismissing them. Stacy was being a total bitch and being extremely rude to everyone associated with the show. She thought SHE was running the show. The producers and shill WERE ready to pull the plug on everything with the exception of Michael's care.

Flash! Skanky had a baby girl. No DNA test, lest you ask.

Does the baby's name start with a 'B'?

Does the Pope piss in the woods?

I had a DP nightmare a couple of nights ago. I dreamt I was a bridesmaid in his wedding. Boy, was he wearing an ugly dress!

I can only see some of Dr. Phil during the week because my afternoon break at work is 3:00-3:15. I've watched it religiously everyday, and to be honest, I don't feel sorry for Stacy. She's a slut who just sleeps around and uses men to see who can put up with her crap. Her husband should have left her when she got pregnant through her affair. When she was crying today about how she doesn't want to go through her life untrusting and she needs soul searching and has apologies to make, well, no kidding. But there is no way she cheated on Chris all those times because she needed soul searching.

Her kids should be humiliated to have her as a mother. She's a rotten example to them. She could've avoided this whole mess and could've been a person better trusted. All she had to do was stop sleeping around and keep her damn legs closed. I don't see Stacy as that great of a mother. She acts very childish and is unfaithful to her family and the whole process of repairing the damage. The day Dr. Phil laid the smackdown on her, I was thrilled. Finally, someone was finally willing to tell this manipulative witch how it is. I'm glad she was in tears today because she doesn't deserve to be happy or get any of this help. As my friend said, "Have some pride, you stupid whore!" But then again, maybe she gets all the pride from sleeping around and ruining her family further than she already has.

I think the funniest part of the whole thing is that she has a degree in family therapy. Yet she is ungrateful and witchy to everyone that has tried to help her. I hope that Chris has left or will leave her soon; he deserves a lot better, as do all these other men she's slept with. It's worse than watching Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears get married three times a month.

Bam!

Yeah, well, I think I know a whole lot better than Skanky to go sleeping around with whoever I please should I ever get married and to have unprotected sex while cheating and then get pregnant. The problems with her son are one thing, and she wouldn't need to be on the show if that were the only thing that needed fixing. She was being stupid to be a bitch to the show staff and be ungrateful to everyone who tried to help. No one told her to sleep around, did they? No one told her to not do what he told her to do and turn the cameras off in her house. She brought most of this on herself, and I could never see why any man would be willing to be with her after the hell she brings on. She should be ashamed of herself, IMO.

Bye!

without. pity. talullahbabe. Television without pity.

What bothered me most about Stacy was her invocation of her faith when it suited her. Infidelity? Apparently not a problem. But, working outside the house? Then she's all about the teachings of her church.

I have a colleague who has a similarly flexible outlook: he has a very active sex life but espouses very conservative religio-moral views.

I'm with Mrs. Campbell -- just don't scare the horses -- but I wouldn't mind some evidence of moral consistency in Stacy's case.

Thanks for the FUF2 updates, talullahbabe. If only we had someone on this board who knew FUF1... are Marty and Erin still together? Has Alex turned into a responsible mother to Nathan, or is she still chasing after boys? I really hope we get to catch up with them this fall!

Glark, I feel like I stepped into an episode of Batman.

"Of course I'm Batman...Pure West...why doesn't Batman dance anymore? Remember the Batusi?"

Watching FUF1 made me realize they are from the very town I grew up in and where my mom still lives. It's in Florida, and it's between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on the east coast. The younger daughter was wearing a sweatshirt with my high school's name on it, and the preggo one was was wearing a t-shirt with the name of a local event on it. I was so shocked that I called everyone I knew there to find out if they knew the FUF1. No one does.

When I've been back, I look around carefully at stores and restaurants, but I've yet to see them (alone or together).

If I can dig anything up, I'll let you know.

Oh dear. 

The New York Post reports that Jay will be hosting a new show on FOX called "Family Time". It uses plastic surgeons, life coaches, construction workers, interior decorators, even pet experts to transform a family. They'll tackle issues from weight to ramshackle homes to cars.

Same producers as Trading Spouses, Joe Millionaire and Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé...so you know it'll be really top notch. Ahem.

Oh dear.

Dr. Phil is very uneven with his advice - sometimes bad, sometimes good. He was pretty good with his advice today with the couple who always fought in the car. Both of these people were so obnoxious, I can't imagine why they'd want to go on national TV and expose their assholery. Where does he find these people?

The woman was so nasty, yelling at her husband and calling him an idiot, WHILE THE CAMERAS WERE ON! How could she not be aware of how bad this would look? She was so happy that his bad driving would get caught on tape, she apparently had no idea how much of a harpy she appeared to be.

And the husband, what a tool! Who has a whole plate of food with a fork while they are driving? This jerk admitted that he was a bad driver - tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, driving too fast, etc. Why does he need to come on Dr. Phil's show if he's aware of it? Why not just stop, you dipshit?

I mean, this guy has two little kids, and he willingly engages in unsafe driving, and admits it on national TV? His wife was a shrew, but that didn't excuse his sorry ass. I got the distinct feeling that he deliberately drove the way he did just to spite that bitch of a wife. But why would he put his children at risk for such a purpose?

I felt kind of sorry for the woman who kept returning things, since she obviously has some serious internal problems. And at least when confronted with just how serious her problem was getting,she didn't have a shit-eating grin on her face like that driving tool!

What annoyed me the most was that he had this creepy smile throughout his whole appearance. I guess it was just nervousness, but it is really that hard to have an appropriate expression on your face while you're saying something serious?
I just wanted to slap that grin off his smirking face, the creep.

Speaking of guests with creepy glares, I'd forgotten how freaked out Marty's dead-eyed stare makes me. Dude has serial killer written all over him.

Phil's next book should be Nepotism: How to Ruin a Career in 10 Easy Steps. Honestly, compare this fool to Oprah. She must be shaking her head at his unmitigated greed. Next he'll give the dog his own show. To think I actually liked him when he appeared on Oprah.

Eating Breakfast at 95 Mph Man has always pissed me off as has PP's handling of him because the guy is a menace, the wife was right to be upset, and yet PP basically sided with the husband against the wife's genuine fear and upset making it seem (once again) like the woman not following the man around with her hand on his should is the root cause of the problem. After all this sexism I think it's time for PP to surrender his testicles.

To turn them into McGraw-bots? Lord help us. Lord help us all.

Lord Elrond (love the screen name!) I think the wife was right to be upset, but I think she was as crazy as her husband in her own way. I haven't watched that many of DP's shows, but I don't doubt that he can be sexist. However, in this case, I thought he was justifiably hard on both of them, and he did call the guy on driving while eating and looking at his wife.

In her case, I think she contributed a lot to the insanity in the car. Not she didn't have a genuine reason to be afraid, but as DP asked her, how could that fear subside just as soon as she got on the cell phone? If my husband drove in an unsafe manner, I'd be too upset to have an amiable chat on a cellphone.

I think her reasonable fears escalated into a power struggle. Both of them were assholes who just wanted to be right. When the woman got behind the wheel, she was as big a jerk as her husband.

I don't know all the dynamics of their relationship, but she didn't seem to be afraid of her husband in any way. In her place, I'd have tried to reason with him outside the car, and ask him to consider the safety of the family. If that didn't work, I'd probably refuse to ride with him or insist upon doing the driving myself.

I wouldn't knowingly and repeatedly get into a car with a man for 10 years who I felt was putting my family's life in danger everytime he got behind the wheel.

I just saw the rerun of the fighting couples episode. I think the returning things woman's husband was cute, especially when he mimed during one of their fights about artwork.

Anyone know when the new season starts? Because Phil in repeats is even lamer and sadder than when fresh. Aside from FUF2, at least he's been smart enough to only repeat the shows where he is on sure footing, i.e., the shows where people just need a little foot-up-their-ass therapy, and not where people have serious issues that need serious therapy.

Jay gets a show? Well, see they were telling the truth when they said Robin wasn't getting her own show. Seee???? They're not hypocrits! ....jeebus cripes...

Hexele, not sure when the new shows will begin airing, but I'm guessing in early Sept. -- they begin TAPING new shows in just one week (Aug. 10), according to drphil.com. Personally, I can't wait to see some of the exciting topics they have coming up for Season 3, such as "The Dr. Phil Show is looking for Meredith Brooks' BIGGEST FAN!," "Spouse Jealous of Your Extreme Makeover?," "Does Your Privileged Son Think He's a Gangsta?," "Do You Have a Gastric Bypass Horror Story?," "Are You Taking Meth to Stay Thin?" and "Can You Relate To The 'Bad Girls' Of Reality TV?" Yes, it's going to be another classy, informative season of television on the "Dr. Phil Show"!

I understand they're combing Jenny Jones' garbage for her show applicant reject piles looking for potential guests.