One of My Favorite Shows: Red Eye

With all the news today about people losing jobs, the current economic climate, and the financial crisis as a whole, added into the already depressing news of violence, scandal, death and destruction, I need something that takes my mind off of all of that; or at least makes me laugh about some of the sillier news stories out there. No, I am not talking about laughing at horrible stories about people being killed. I just mean a more satirical look at some of those news stories that just make you roll your eyes, stare in disbelief or just can't take seriously. This is why I watch Red Eye.

What is Red Eye? Well, that is a good question. I have no idea. It's a show on the Fox News Channel. The best way I can describe it is that it reminds me of the Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live from back in the good old days, when Saturday Night Live was still funny. It is a satirical look at the news. It's an insomniac's best friend. It is something to watch at three am besides infomercials. Honestly, that is how I found the show. i couldn't sleep. For once, I am thankful for my insomnia.

Face it, some of the stories that serious news shows cover are just plain stupid! What did Brittany do today? Today's news: Carrots cause cancer. Tomorrow's news: Study shows carrots prevent cancer. That sort of thing. A lot of the news that gets fed to us is just silly to begin with. Red Eye takes those stories and just sort of runs with it. They poke fun at celebs and politicians alike, and even themselves and each other. Everyone is fair game. That is one thing I really like about the show. Everyone is fair game, and it is just funny. Besides, what else am I going to watch at three in the morning? The only other stuff on television is a bunch of infomercials anyway. I can only watch a Ninja blender infomercial so many times before my ears start to bleed.

There are a few constant members of the Red Eye team. Others are alternated in, and there are often great guests, as well.

The host of the show is Greg Gutfeld. With his witty guest intros, and his amiable nature, he is an excellent ring master for this circus of a show. He is adorable, in a sad, lost puppy kind of way, and he seems to really love what he does. Whether he is poking fun at Bill Schulz, or chatting with a guest, he is always quick with the jokes, and even quicker to poke fun at himself.

"TV's Andy Levy", the show's ombudsman, is funny, sharp, and very intelligent. He is quick to attack any, and all, mistakes made by the panel during his Halftime Report, and he tries hard not to crack a smile at the many cat-inspired puns that have been shot at him by Greg Gutfeld. I absolutely love Andy Levy!! He is the best part of the entire show, but I am sad by the fact that he isn't a part of the full show, though he often gets hosting duties in Greg's absence. Thankfully, some restructuring of the show over the years has brought me more Andy time! I love this, but I miss Bill Schulz.

That leaves only Bill Schulz to round out the constant panel members on the show. Bill is the butt of a lot of Greg's jokes (pun intended). But, I have to love Bill for one reason, he is a Midwesterner, just like myself. Bill is often tossed under the bus as a gay, drug addicted, homeless deviant. How much of that is true, I have no idea. He takes it all in stride, and for some reason, hasn't killed Greg in his sleep yet. I am sure that day will come. Maybe that is why he is gone from the show. I miss him.

Sadly, since I originally wrote this, a lot of changed have been made to the Red Eye line-up. Bill has left. It was a rather strange exit. Bill was absent for two weeks before a statement was made by then host, Greg Gutfeld. All that was said, was that Bill has chosen to leave the show. I was rather saddened by the news, as the crazy, Chicago native brought a lot of fun and humor to the show, even if I didn't agree with everything he had to say.

Added to the show's regular line-up is the adorable, snarky and so funny, Joanne Nosuchinsky. She is delightfully sarcastic and a great addition to the show.

While I could take up an entire Hub talking about all of the guests that have appeared on the show, I will restrict it to some of my favorites, and those that have stuck out in my mind.

A personal favorite would have to be Patti Ann Browne. Usually, when she is on the show, she does the show's intro. It usually consists of her spouting off lyrics to rap songs, which is always wildly amusing. Hearing gangster rap coming out of her mouth is priceless. She is a smart, beautiful woman, and balances well with the mostly male panel on the show.

Other recent guest have included Michael Ian Black, Brett Michaels, and Flavor Flav. (I wish I could put in the correct intonation into that...). There are also more serious guests, such as Mike Huckabee, and a frequent visit from Dr. Michael Baden, Red Eye's "death correspondent". Father Jonathan Morris seemed like an unlikely guest of the show, but he seems to fit well when he is on the show, and, for a priest, he is really cute! Am I going to hell for saying that? Maybe...oh well.

So many guests have been a part of the show, that it is hard to include them all, let alone most of them. Check out the show for yourself, and see who happens to be there. The show is ridiculously funny. If you aren't a night owl, like myself, set your DVR to record it, and watch it at a more normal hour.

With a sad heart, I must say that the driving force behind Red Eye, the host, Greg Gutfeld, has left Red Eye. He has recently taken on more serious roles at Fox News, including co-hosting The Five, and even filling in for Bill O'Reilly on occasion. Though he still incorporates his delightfully wicked sense of humor into even these more serious shows.

He is now the host of his own show, The Greg Gutfeld Show, on Sunday nights on Fox News. He was one of the main reasons I started watching Red Eye, and it just isn't the same without him. Several guest hosts have filled in while a replacement was found, though I thought they should have given the job to Andy Levy. Red Eye will continue, of course. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for both Greg Gutfeld, and for Red Eye.

The new host of Red Eye is a comedian by the name of Tom Shillue. I like him, and he is quite funny, but a lot of the really odd, darker humor that was prevalent during the early days of Red Eye are long gone. It is still funny, but it's no longer the humorously angsty step-child of Fox News that it once was.