Look out, Oprah Winfrey: You might need to start watching more than your calories. Rapidly gaining on Oprah as the chat fest of the hour is the Ricki Lake show, hosted by the 26-year-old actress. Although Winfrey's show is still No. 1, Lake's ratings have jumped a record 200 percent in one year—tripling her audience. And Lake is second only to Winfrey in the all-important 18-to-49 age bracket. But in what may be the surest sign of success, there are three Lake-show wannabes under consideration. Polishing up their interview skills are singer Carnie Wilson, 26, who is talking with Warner Bros. about hosting a show; Joan Rivers' daughter, Melissa Rivers, 26, who's in negotiations with MCA TV; and former Cosby kid Tempestt Bledsoe, 21, who's having discussions with Dick Clark Productions.
They may copy the formula, but can they make a run at Lake? Although advertisers favor shows that attract twentysomething viewers, it takes more than a young host to assure success. ''Everyone is looking for the next good idea,'' says Larry Gerbrandt, vice president at Paul Kagan Associates, a research firm. But, he notes, talk shows are personality-driven: ''You can't just take two black females and say this will work-just because Oprah works doesn't mean Rolanda (Watts) will, too.''
Meanwhile, Lake's producers are not alarmed by the invasion of the imitators. ''There is, to some extent, a finite pool of topics we draw from,'' says executive producer Gail Steinberg, ''but where Sally Jessy Raphael might do 'My Daughter Dresses Like a Tramp,' we would do 'My Mother Doesn't Approve of the Way I Dress.' When you think of the (Lake) show, you think of something different.'' At least for a little while longer.
Add your comment
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.