I don't watch Dr. Phil but the Daily Show did an awesome story on Elgin and apparently the producers of Dr. Phil told the Mayor not to be interviewed for the show.

FAT JIHAD! Funny stuff SiameseCatLady! When I was watching, the word "minions" also came to me when viewing Jim and Thomas. "Yea though I have walked thru the valley of morbid obesity...Dr Shill hast brought me forth into the light of day."

I can't wait for Sonic and the other fast food chains in Elgin to sue Dr Phil for the decline in their business, like those beef guys did with Oprah. You know its gonna happen. Oh, and the Texas distributor of Fry Daddies.

Phil ain't kidding about these Elgin restaurants, people drive for hours and hours just to go to Elgin and get their famous sausage, we have it at every single family get together. I'm not surprised to hear about the rest of their eating places. I imagine changing the menus would cost their business more than Phil thinks. We can't all be millionaires!

During commercial down here Shill was pushing their yearly festival in Elgin, I don't know why but it cracked me up. I wonder how they got him to do that? Money?

What did the show say?

I hate Dr. Phil. He wants people to lose weight but yet he's not exactly skinny himself. What a hypocrite!

ParsleySage - that should be on a thingee - I need it for my fridge door to remind me I should eat faux nanner pie when what I really want is cheesecake!

Dare I ask what is in this fabled Faux Nanner Pie? I know there's absolutely no sugar! if Kitty Suprise made it, but what about the rest? Does the recipe call for faux nanners? Has anybody actually concocted this monstrosity?

Tarheel, let me quote from the Publishers Weekly review (on amazon.com) of Dr. Phil's cookbook:
"Banana Cream Pie uses crunchy banana cereal, light margarine spread, fat-free powdered dry milk and sugar-free, fat-free vanilla yogurt, among other ingredients, to create a lifeless dessert with a medicinal aftertaste."
I feel sorry for the reviewer who actually had to try those recipes...!

On a show last season, we got to watch Kitty make this, er, fabulous dish. One of the ironies is that she disdains sugar (even going so far as to call it "the white devil!"), but the Post crunchy banana cereal she uses in the recipe is loaded with corn syrup, fructose and other sugar derivatives.

GAH! I'm tempted to go to Borders, copy down the recipe, and make it just to see how ghastly it truly is.

This reminds me of some of the recipes and cooking tips that used to circulate back in the no fat! craze. Substitute canned asparagus for avacado when making guacamole! Add nonfat yogurt instead of eggs and oil for delicious fat-free muffins! You often wondered if anybody ever actually made these recipes or if they just got passed from women's magazine to women's magazine and from cookbook to cookbook without anybody ever stepping foot in a test kitchen. Then somebody would actually make them when reviewing a cookbook and reveal that asparagus guac is nearly inedible, not to mention it sends you to the loo every two seconds, while the yogurt muffins are about as tasty and tempting as your average kitchen sponge.

It cracks me up that Dr. Phil is focusing on this town that's around the corner from me. It's mainly a wide spot in the road that's famous for its hot sausage. I hope the BBQ joint that makes Elgin hot sausage makes a mint from the Dr. Phil publicity.

Yet another HORRIFIC show!

Listen Dr. Phil, if you lose your money, your house, and your husband and then simultaneously have to now return to work and to take care of your kids, then I'm sorry, but you kind of have lost everything.

So don't give me that Lifetime TV Bullshit about still having yourself.

Can life go on? Yes.

Can life get better? Yes.

Will it be hard? In all likelihood, yes.

And it is women and children who suffer most post-divorce.

Telling a plump middle-aged woman with kids that she's got nothing to be upset over after she lost everything she has worked to build and has bet her life on is the ultimate slap in the face. She's got plenty to be upset about and it's entirely appropriate that she is upset.

I am SHOCKED that he was allowed to get away with that comment.

Comments like that could cost him the 50% of the his Phan-Base whose husbands don't still come home to them or pay the bills.

And wasn't it just "precious" how Fat Dumped Mom IMMEDIATELY got shipped off the personal trainer so that she can re-beautify herself for the mate market and increase her chances of landing a man?

By the way, Stepford Perfect and Fat Jihaad were both brilliant new terms!

PS: I am continuing to hang my head in shame because of my lustful thoughts for BBJ whom I think is tres sexy!

Dr Phil had Libby make a house call to Alison. They supposedly have so much in common because Libby also started a life as a single mother after having been married for many years. There is one key difference. Libby chose to end her marriage while Alison's husband dumped her for another woman. Totally different circumstances! It is much easier for Libby because she made the choice to start a new life. Why would Shill think they had so much in common?

[smallvoice]me too![/sv] whew. I can't take my eyes off of him!, but all the while I'm thinking Phil! Kitty! inlaws! Phil! Kitty! inlaws!
I've never actually seen The Butt since it's always covered up by untucked shirts and baggy jeans on Renovate. They did a baseball segment last night, and I hoped in vain that BBJ would wear a baseball uniform so I could finally see The Butt, but, alas, no such luck.

Another thing about Libby, she just up....and decides suddenly to leave her husband. I bet he was shocked. And then she writes a book and profits on the pain she caused HIM. It doesn't sound like she tried to even remotely save her marriage. Shil was strangely quiet about that.

Silverwing, you should totally go next time he has one of those rally things in the town. I would love to hear a snarky report about one.

You know what else amuses me, he is all "we are calling it anywhere usa" all the time but then in the very next breath he tells us what the town is actually called. So---well, it's not an anonymous anywhere, anymore, is it? I mean, when he tells you its name and where it is and all. Right?

I also was completely taken aback when Phil said that moving out of a house isn't tragic, its just moving. 'Scuse me, Doctor, but my parents divorced and its way more than that you smug fuck! God that pissed me off. Maybe his divorce wasn't traumatic for him, but I can get that seeing as how he apparently has no soul.

Did anyone else find the first couple deeply unsettling? There was something really....off about those two, like something was going on that nobody was bringing up. Creepy!

By the by...I watch Renovate My Family regularly and, ahem, I find BBJ quite attractive for some reason. I think its the eyes! I noticed they do cover up the rump rather brilliantly on the show, so we can't be the only one who has noticed it before hand. Is he really related to Shill and Kittles? No!

Shill noted that 21 teens had babies last year in Elgin. I checked and there were only 900 high school students in Elgin (not including the middle school) so 21 is a lot of pregnant teenage girls. Shill calls it Anywhere, USA but I would hate to think that Elgin is a typical American town.

Here is an article from the Elgin Courier discussing how upset the town is about how they have been portrayed. I don't blame them for being angry, because Elgin does come off looking bad. According to Shill's portrayal, the town is rampant with teen pregancies, drugs, bullies, disfunctional families, overweight people, fatty foods, and lots and lots of sausage! Just seeing that sausage makes me want to go on a diet!

http://www.elgincourier.com/articles/2004/...news/news03.txt

Wow, I read the article you linked us to and it sounds like many of the people of Elgin are REALLY pissed and have pointed out a lot of sensationalism on Phil's part.

Word to the Libby comments.

Hers was basically a middle-class, mid-career. mid-life crisis type divorce. She had a career that was already up and running and she and the husband probably had a fair amount of money when they split. Libby makes it sound like she had to pull herself up by the boot-straps and struggle to survive on menial work and wages but we can clearly see that that is not the case since she was already a successful professional woman and her children were already ready for school.

The one good thing about this show is that it showcased the danger that the stay at home Mom faces should she drop out of the rate race completely (or worse, never even get started in to begin with). The first couple was clearly fucked up, the husband gave-off a kinda gay vibe for some reason.

Amen, DR. AL!

Alison definitely needs to move on, but let's validate her feelings first! Don't sit there and tell her she's wrong to feel the way she feels! She has EVERY right to be angry, depressed, lost, overwhelmed--all perfectly valid feelings under the circumstances. Anyone with any counseling training at all would have dealt with those feelings first.

Maybe the reason she's still stuck in misery mode is because NOBODY has suggested to her that it's okay to feel miserable for a while. I can tell you from sad experience that there is absolutely nothing worse than being very depressed and being told to snap out of it. Dr. Phil may have done this woman more harm than good.

Changing the subject--there seem to be a lot of central Texans on this board! I'm in SW Austin--anyone actually IN Elgin?

Dr Phil is always in the "blame the woman" mode. Where are these women's husbands? They run off with other women and leave the wifey with a bunch of kids and a mortgage she can't afford. So Dr. Phil tells them to "get over it."

Another thing that pissed me off about Dr. Phil years ago. He would have these single women on the show who couldn't find a man. He basically told them to "get in the game" without acknowledging one bit that there is a man shortage out there. He's been married to the Stepford wife for 20+ years. What does he know about finding a spouse?

He always blames the woman. Lose weight, slap on a miniskirt, put on some makeup, get a new hairdo, and go out into the world with your face frozen in a happy grin. Is Dr Phil the spawn of Mary Kay Ash and Satan?

I'm voting for Teresa Heinz Kerry! I wish I looked as good now as she does at sixty six. Or was as smart, accomplished, poised, etc. I like her TV rules for kids.

But percolata, you can! It just takes Botox and millions and millions of dollars!

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's report on Elgin, TX.

They talked with the female mayor who outright admitted yes (to the interviewer's direct question) that the Dr. Shill show asked them NOT to talk to the Daily Show.

Also, her other comments were very rehearsed: Blah, Blah, Blah, great Dr. ShillGod, will help our community, families, and individuals, blah, blah, blah.

They also talked to some good ol' boys and a few other people who were pissed at the sensationalism and making Elgin look like a craphole.

Basically, it reinforced what we all already knew about Dr. Shill crappsychology and greed. Makes me sick.

No, no, no divasahm....there is no reality, only perception. By which Phil means: HIS perception. The man is a tool.

Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget. Thanks, Hexele!

Where can I get my Kitty Surprise bobble-head doll? Whenever they show her on camera, all she do is that goofy up & down nod.

WORD on Teresa looking awesome for 66, I never would've guessed that was her age at all. Hee I know, flangme!! That was the best part of the Kerry interview, I laughed every time. Teresa made Kittles look like such a stupid barbie doll. I was beginning to wonder where her little talking string was located. On second thought, I don't want to know.

WOW!

I guess Phil is MUCH SMARTER than I thought since he is obviously behind the Kerrys.

After all that worshipful behavior, frankly, I was rather surprised that Phil didn't just come out and say:

"Look, y'all are both obviously much more grounded in reality and politically competent than those idiot Bushes and so I want y'all to know, here and now as I am talking to you, that Oprah, Myself, Steadman, and Robin will all be voting for y'all... (Dramatic Pause) AND SO WILL ALL OF OUR FANS! PHUCK PHLORIDA & IOWA! BOY, Y'ALL GOT THE MCGRAWS ON YOUR SIDE NOW!"

Comparing the Bushes to the Kerrys was kind of like comparing a Hallmark Father's Day Card to my Master's Thesis.

Just what are the Bush family's keys to a happy family: Mindless Conservative Values, Fucktard Wives, Addict Kids, Prescription Meds, Alcohol, and Denial?

Theresa looked like she managed to tolerate Robin... but only JUST BARELY. She worked REALLY HARD to keep that contempt under control. Here is a woman who has LIVED and she had to exert considerable self-control to be nice and hospitable to a woman who is a soulless piece of plastic and who has helped to sell-out feminism. It was like putting Gloria Steinem and Melanie Griffith in a room together and observing the disparity. Imagine if Robin and Gloria Steinem were in a room together? You could almost see the thought bubble over Theresa's head which would have read:

"How much lower do I need to sink to get us into the damn office? What's next, John, a strip-tease or an appearance on QVC? God, that Robin really is dumb. MUST. REMEMBER. TO. SMILE. AND. BE. GRACIOUS. JUST... A... FEW... MORE... MINUTES AND THEN I CAN CALL PATRICIA IRELAND AND GLORIA STEINEM AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH I HATED ROBIN. ARGHHHH!"

Theresa just moved up in my estimation by quite a bit.

Robin meanwhile looked like she knew at some level that Theresa was barely tolerating her, and yet, she was so mightily impressed that Theresa contained her loathing and showed her some modicum of respect as Dr. Phil's woman (her life's only real accomplishment other then birthin' the boys) that Theresa clearly loathing her barely bothered her at all. Anyway, the thought of her 3:00 p.m. Spring Water Enema and 4:00 p.m. Botox at La Plie clearly had Kitty in a good mood. Who needs the love of people when one can buy it all at Dillard's, y'all?

It almost seemed as if Robin & Phil had previously decided that meeting and cozying up to the Bushes was the Texas equivalent of being introduced to the house of Windsor; but, they also apparently decided that there was no way that that dynasty should be allowed back in the White House. Agreeing upon this, they then decided to make nice to the Bushes, so as to get an invite to the next barbecue at Twelve Oaks and/or South Dork (Nice one, Gemma!). However, they also rather smartly decided to endorse the Kerrys having done their best to "help" George & Laura out (out of office, that is). After all, Robin's life just won't be complete yet -- and you can just hear her planning out her scheme for their Very Special Episode that will be taped at the White House. Y'all know it will happen since John & Terry will sooo owe the McGraws for those 20 million extra votes they delivered to them through legal channels.

Kerry made a few mistakes:

0) He should have checked up on Phil's bio to know about BBJ and SSJ because it made him come across like he was too busy to be bothered to be prepped for the interview.

1) He should have been candid about why his marriage ended and what he learned about it instead of giving Phil the runaround.

2) He should not have reflexively disagreed with Phil on parenting being a sacrifice because they both obviously view it the same way and crossing Phil on anything is always a VERY dangerous business.

Sigh... Robin & Phil are such climbers, y'all!

Finally, why did Phil have to wax sooo philosophical about the future now being in their hands and that the boomers are now the ones to call the shots and so they'd better do it right?

Does he always have to try and wrestle theatrical control of a situation to try and look profound?

I bet Robin gets a lot of that.

Word re: the enthusiasm shown towards the Heinz-Kerrys vs. the lack thereof shown towards the Bushes. (I used to was a Englush majer--can you tell?) Anyway, the McGraws seemed very thrilled by the fact that as far as parenting through divorce, John Kerry gits it. And Teresa gits the step-parenting thing, too.

I don't think the Bushes came across as gittin' much as far as the new book and series focus on family are concerned.

Kerry has been very respectful of his first wife's privacy, and I bet he hedged on discussing the end of that marriage accordingly. She's not in the public eye, after all.

Gotta bet "first wives" is a subject that makes Kitty get her boo boo face. I'll bet you a trillion dollars and a strawberry cheesecake that if Phil and the first Mrs. had had kids they would not be spending oodles of time at South Dork. Step children make the pretty Kitty picture all oogie. Phil would put a gentle spin on the situation for his fans and that would have been it.

Heeeee! My day is complete. A Miss Alli Survivor recap and a priceless Gemmadoll pearl.

Tosia, thanks for the Daily Show run-down. I forgot to watch, durn it.

I agree that Theresa showed a great deal of restraint during her time with Shill and Kitty. I may be wrong, but I got the feeling both of the Kerrys seemed a bit less than thrilled to be spending quality time with the McGraws and were probably thinking to themselves is it over yet? And why was Kitty tagging along - are she and Shill now literally joined at the hip. I mean, I can see bringing her along to meet the future President and his wife, but why did Kitty have to be on-camera, sitting there, head a bobbin'? She certainly didn't contribute anything of any importance to the conversation.

Theresa rocks on so many levels and yes, she has had the botox and the pampered lifestyle, but she still looks like a real live adult woman and not a perpetually surprised Bobble-headed Kitty. The social issues and charity work that Theresa has been involved in her entire adult life (and the things she saw around the world growing up) would make Kitty's head explode all over her new outfit from Dillards. And, Theresa did all that and birthed 3 lovely boys and was there for her husbands during their political campaigns. Glad Kitty at least got to see what a real woman looked like. I would have paid big money to see Kitty do the proper southern thing and bring the Kerrys a Faux Nanner Pie and telling Theresa how much Shill and the boys loved it, how it was made without using the "white devil", etc. - and then to see Theresa after the interview not so discreetly dumping it in the nearest trash can!

I'm with you, Dr. Al, if Shill is endorsing Kerry he's smarter than I've given him credit for - although I prefer to think that he sees who's really going to be elected and wants to suck up to the proper person to get his night in the Lincoln Bedroom.

Watched some of the Kerry interview. Is is just me or did Shill look like he had put on weight? When you see him sitting on the couch he looked heavy. What do you all think?

I think he looks heavier whenever he's not wearing a suit jacket with structured shoulder padding to balance his lower body. That soft corduroy or suede or whatever it was didn't really flatter him, especially sitting down.

By the way, that's why they have those bar stools on stage in the studio instead of regular chairs--half-sitting, half-standing makes Dr. Phil look slimmer than plopping down into a chair and looking like Jabba the Hutt. No question about which parent BBJ favors.

GOOD ONE! Gotta remember that. Now wish I had watched both episodes. I figured Shill for a Republican.


Hey cut Kitty some slack! Can you imagine how had she had to push to expel BBJ out into the world? Even if the doctor used forceps on BBJ's posterior section that was jammed in the birth canal.

I told my husband if Kerry had done his homework, he would have checked out the TWOP boards on Dr. Phil prior to the interview and then he would have KNOWN that Shill and Kitty Botox Surprise have two kids - one being Bubble Butt Jay.

Then my husband wanted to know what a bubble-butt is. Perhaps he was sheltered as a child. Heh.

After watching the getting-over-divorce episode from Tuesday, I was remembering the "good-old-days" of Dr. Phil when he actually brought other experts up on the stage with him to talk to people. I never realized (until I saw that old clip) how he keeps his "experts" (more expert than him) out in the audience, now, so that they 1.) Look like the second fiddles that they are since they are not on stage with the master, and 2.) Have to physically look UP to Dr. Phil while they are in the audience and talking. The head shots of the experts always show them with their head cocked at some funny angle looking up at Phil...they can't even stand up from their seats. Control games, I suppose....

Today's parenting show was run-of-the-mill Phil until the ending tidbit. Oh.No. Two year old watches Dr Phil? I hardly think so. Two year old requests a Dr Phil birthday party? Not on your Nelly. Mom of two year old organizes a trivia quiz as a party game for two year old's party? Not on this planet. Coupe de grace? Dr Phil is sending a special gift, the pop-up version of Family First. Yay!!

This whole set-up stunk. Mom is a famewhore, we get it. She came off looking like a ditz because she missed the mark here. Forget about dragging the kid into your fame fantasy and just market the Phil pinatas. The market at TwoP alone would be astounding. Imagine a realistic Phil head made of papier mache and filled with lots of sugary crap, the kind that scares Kitty? Fetch me a bat, Irma.

Those stools also show off Phil's long slim legs. I blame those legs for clouding my judgement when he was on Oprah, causing me to temporarily lose my usual acute discernment.
I'm so ashamed.

I only saw the first half of today's show because during the "house call" to the parents of the dog kicker, Phil's voice was so slow and soft, I became hypnotised and drove myself to the doctor for a work-up on hormones which can cause a variety of behavioral problems and it's not really anyone's fault because nobody had any bad intentions and we wont be left alone with our problems because Phil and his team of experts will always be there to help us...
Then I had a vision of JJ bearing down on me with raw spinach and snaped out of it. .

Jon Stewart called Kitty "bobble head". Hee. He's also been mocking Phil's questioning of whether or not presidential candidates have been spanking their children. He called it a spanking fetish. Hee.

Aww I love Jon Stewart. I laughed my ass off today when Phil said "I even made a house call." Like he's such a saint for going down with the regular folk and speaking to them. What an ass. Bo's mom (who looked freaking horrible BTW) seemed to have answered all her own questions before they got there. A kid doesn't just start yelling shit like that without having picked it up somewhere and she knew it. Both of the parents needed a swift kick in the arse

Don't get me started with the mother of the 11 year old! God what a fucking bitch. I thought the girl was at least 14 until they said her age, but she is tall, not fat. From personal experience, saying things about food like that to your young impressionable daughter is a real fast way to ensure she develops an eating disorder by the time she's a teen. Fuck that lady, sorry but it just pisses me off.

Oh yeah that nasty brown suit he had on during the Kerry interview was freaking fugly. He should stick to dark colors and ties.

Bo's parents,I don't recall their names, looked like brothers. I don't mean brother and sister, I mean brothers. Poor Bo another kid who has to go back to school and face his peers after his parents put it out on NTV.Maybe no kids watch this crap. How can parents let something go for so long and not have had their child have a full physical/psychologic work up. You don't have to be a doctor to know the first step in evaluation is to get a full picture of all aspects, find what you are dealing with then proceed acccordingly.

I only caught a bit of the show while I was waiting for my bread dough to rise - would have been more interesting to watch the dough.

Once again Shill misses the mark completely with the shopaholic and her boyfriend. If she calms down for one month (one whole month!) he promises to give her an engagement ring??? WTF? Holding out on the engagement was the only control that poor guy had in that relationship. Shill should have turned to the guy and just told him not to marry her under any circumstances. THAT would have been some consequences for her actions.

The stinky husband segment was just gross.

Boy, DP really didn't help anyone today, he even said so! It was literally a zoo. I thought the shopaholic lady was so freaking obvious and I was pretty surprised Phil didn't just unleash on her. Maybe because he knew if he had said something, Kitty wouldn't be happy? And we all know if mama ain't happy, nobody's happy, right? Blech.

Yeah the smelly hubby was nasty, I seriously doubt giving him free crest is going to solve that problem. Chances are there's toothpaste and such throughout the house and he still ain't using it. That giant brush could come in handy someday I'm sure!

Here's a slightly OT question for Central Texans: I get this Eastwood Insurance ad here, one of those "do the cowboy thing" ads, and there's this guy wearing a faux vintage cowboy outfit in the very beginning of it that looks just like BBJ. Anybody else seen this? Is that BBJ? He's only on the screen for a few secs and I just can't tell! It's driving me nuts. I wish I could record it so I could pause for a better look, but I never know when it's going to run.

I can't help with your BBJ question, Tarheel, but I live in NYC & I've been seeing those commercials too, and I find it quite bizarre that they're being aired here.

Yeah, Shill's solution was great, wasn't it? Dangle yet another shiny pretty thing in front of someone who spends tons of money on herself. That gal's shopaholic ways were all directed toward buying stuff for herself, so here's a pretty ring, girly.

I was surprised that Shill didn't unload on all these people; they were such easy targets. He could've so easily torn smelly guy and PJ guy new ones; they were fish in a barrel IMO.

But hey, remember: Family First!

No surprise. None. Nada, that the sports freak was a Bucs fan. Red and pewter wedding? No surprise. Also not original. And the bride-to-be? Clue.Less. She couldn't answer a question straight to save her. The girl just wants to be married. Or get married and have the Big White Wedding. (Or in her case the big Crimson and Pewter wedding, ich.) Girlie, you ain't gonna be able to "fix" him later.

I skimmed the 15/15 and apologize if this was posted before. This supposedly is a link to Dr. Phil's house in Texas that's on the market. The listing doesn't state that, that I can see, so I'm only taking the word of the person who posted it.

You know stinky man's wife was pissed that the other girl's getting a big honkin' diamond and all she got was a lifetime supply of toothpaste her husband won't even use.

OK everybody, get ready for Monday's show:
"Ask Dr. Phil and Robin! Nothing is off limits as Dr. Phil and Robin answer viewers' questions ... one woman even wants to peek inside their bedroom!"
The question is, will it be girly & frilly or manly like Dr. Phil's office?
Ready...set...snark.

Let me see if I have this right. Your girlfriend who lies to you, steals from you(uses your creditcard without your permission), bounces checks(a crime) and has a completly opposite saving attitude than you wants to get married. Think of me as your best friend because no one will tell you this. If you marry her you will deserve all the fights about money, all the bounced checks that you will have to cover so she doesn't go to jail, the bad credit, and all the loans she will take out and default on. That you are even considering getting married to her tells that you both are not ready to get married. Run away! Stop having sex with her so there is no baby to force you to get married. Dr Phil did not help you. Who supported her before you?

Fangums wrote [This supposedly is a link to Dr. Phil's house in Texas that's on the market.] When you go to the link check out the photo gallery. They have several photos of the house and the one of the kitchen sure looks like Dr Shill's kitchen. They showed the kitchen one time on the show- the one promoting his new cookbook with Robin demonstrating her faux banana pie concoction. http://www.ebby.com/details/L645030328121611.html