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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Mike Wallace and ‘Rollergirls’ exit!
Mike Wallace’s decision to step away from “60 Minutes” shouldn’t come as a surprise. I mean, the guy is nearly 88 years old, after all.
But Wallace has been tireless — and relentless — since he first leaped out from behind potted plants in 1968 to accost corrupt corporate and government officials. His aggression is legendary, and so is his stamina.
Despite a suffocating battle with depression years ago (brought on by Gen. William C. Westmoreland’s lawsuit against CBS for a report by Wallace on the Vietnam War), Wallace has been the Energizer Bunny of network news.
He plays tennis almost as aggressively as he goes after corruption. And he’s still got all his hair, along with a very nice tan. But he does have a pacemaker and hearing aids and claims his 20/20 vision isn’t what it used to be … whose is?
Wallace says he’s tired of the traveling — he flew all over the world last season reporting 20 stories in what was supposed to be his “cut-back” year. He has done six major pieces this season, including one from Iraq.
When Wallace departs in May, it will be television’s great loss. We will not see his like again. Ever.
‘Rollergirls’ axed
According to Variety, A&E has decided to cancel “Rollergirls” because of “sub-par ratings.”
The series, in case you missed it, followed the Austin-based Lonestar Rollergirls through rough-and-tumble competitions and their sometimes equally raucous personal lives.
New reality shows in development for A&E include a series that will follow a trio of young show biz kids (including Aaron Spelling’s son Randy) as they “try life as roomies” (zzzzzzzz!) and a series about students investigating poltergeists and other paranormal activity. Hard to imagine they’ll do better than “Rollergirls.”
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