CNN’s Hot Scoop: News Network’s Einsteins Discover That QVC Has ‘Arrived’

Kim Kardashian was interviewed by CNN about selling her new clothing line on QVC

A year ago when we started this blog, Gawker and The Wall Street Journal were still making fun of QVC and HSN (cubic zirconia, yada yada). In fact, Gawker called HSN a purveyor of “useless crap,” we believe the wording was.

Back then we’d already observed that with the economy, and retail sales, tanking, high-end vendors and designers from Judith Ripka to Dennis Bass to Vivienne Tam to Robert Lee Morris had developed lines for home shopping networks.

Well, CNN woke up discovered that fact this month. Here is a clip that Jersey boy Basso, furrier to the stars, posted on his Facebook page Wednesday.

The CNN story on QVC going upscale was shot during New York Fashion Week, and includes interviews with Isaac Mizrahi, QVC CEO Mike George and Kim Kardashian. We also see a tape of host Lisa Robertson at QVC’s pop-up shop at Rock Center.

Jon Klein, wake up your retail reporters, please.

New York Post Skewers QVC Jewelry Queen Joan Rivers Over Airport Incident — But She Gets A Plug For Her QVC Flower Pin

The New York Post ran this photo Thursday of Joan Rivers wearing her QVC glitz and glamour fabric pin. Photo by Bill Davila for Startraksphoto.com.

The New York Post Thursday took another shot at longtime QVC jewelry queen Joan Rivers, who wasn’t allowed to board a plane from Costa Rica to Newark over the holidays.

In a column headlined “Just Shut Up Already, Joan,” nasty columnist Andrea Peyser blasted Rivers about the airport incident. Rivers was detained because her passport had two names — Joan Rivers and Joan Rosenberg, her married name. Rivers’ husband is deceased.

According to Peyser, Rivers on CNN’s “Larry King Live” called the airport guard that stopped her “a moron,” an “idiot” and “premenstrual.” Tell us how you really feel, Joan.

“Boo hoo” Peyser wrote, saying that the guard probably didn’t recognize Rivers because of all the plastic surgery she has undergone. Meow, meow. Catty, catty.

Ironically, the photo of Rivers that the Post ran shows the comedian sticking her tongue out — and wearing a huge fabric flower pin on her shoulder. That “Glitz and Glamour” pin is from Rivers’ QVC jewelry line, item number J145845. It sells for $29.50, and got a top rating, five stars, from QVC shoppers. The flower measures 8 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches.

ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers Blogs About Larry King Interview, Her Controversial New Cancer Book ‘Knockout,’ And Close-Minded American Cancer Society

ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers has blogged about her recent interview on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” and what she believes is the obstinancy and close-mindedness of conventional oncologists.

The blonde actress/entrepreneur faced off on the show with Dr. Otis Brawley, who is with the American Cancer Society. He was dissing her new book, “Knockout: Interviews With Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer, And How To Prevent Getting It In The First Place.”

Somers’ book advocates alternative treatments and diet as ways to cure and prevent cancer, rather than always turning to chemotherapy.

According to the actress, a year ago she was misdiagnosed at one point for full-body cancer, and thought she was going to die until finding out she was really OK. Scary stuff.

ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers And Her Controversial Cancer Book ‘Knockout’ Lent Some Support By New York Times Series

When ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Friday, she defended her controversial new book on holistic treatments for cancer. The book is called “Knockout: Interviews With Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer, And How To Prevent Getting It In The First Place.”

Somers, under heat from the American Cancer Society, mentioned that even The New York Times had written about how the war against cancer was being lost. She was critical of chemotherapy, saying it does not have a good success rate.

The blonde has a big bone to pick with the medical community. On the King show, Somers said that last November several doctors had misdiagnosed her and said she had full-body cancer. She thought she was going to die. Prior to that, in 2001, Somers had breast cancer, and survived without chemotherapy. She had the lump on her breast removed, did radiation and turned to alternative treatments.

We had missed the Times’ stories Somers referred to, and wondered what she was talking about. But Sunday The Times had a very moving Page One story about a Houston hospital that only handles cancer patients. Patients, and doctors and nurses who themselves have cancer describe how difficult it is to endure treatments, how devastating the disease is and how hopeless they feel.

All the stories on The Times “Fourty Years War” cancer series can be found here.

We’re not advocating that cancer patients forego conventional medicine, and we have not read Somers’ book, but The Times’ stories do seem to lend some credence to her questioning the success rate of traditional treatments like chemotherapy.

In point of fact, we know women whose lives have been saved by chemotherapy, so we certainly are not knocking it.

But Somers is raising some legitimate issues about how difficult the fight against cancer is, as The Times has chronicled. Anyone who has lost a loved one — who was in remission after treatment, only to have their cancer return and kill them — knows how tough some cancers can be to beat.

ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers Takes On The American Cancer Society On ‘Larry King Live’ Friday: Is Her Book ‘Knockout’ Risky Advice?

And so the battle over Suzanne Somers’ new book on alternative treatments for cancer begins.

A tense-looking Somers defended her latest book, “Knockout: Interviews Wih Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer, And How To Prevent Getting It In the First Place,” Friday night on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

The blonde, who is selling her new book as part of her line on ShopNBC, traded arguments with Dr. Otis Brawley, who is chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. He maintained that diet and alternative treatments must be used in conjunction with traditional medicine.

He has outlined his views on CNN’s Web site. The commentary is headlined “Somers’ Cancer Advice Is Risky.”

Somers is not a big advocate of chemotherapy, and maintains that traditional treatments for cancer don’t work very well.

The actress/entrepreneur, wearing an off-the-shoulder purple dress, denied that she is against conventional medicine. But she questionned its effectiveness against cancer.

“If chemotherapy is the answer, then why do half a million people die of cancer every year?” she asked. “The New York Times has said the war on cancer is a dismal failure.”

Two doctors that Somers interviewed for her book, Stanislaw Burzynski and Nicholas Gonzalez, also appeared on the King show with the actress.

Here’s a CNN video clip of King’s show.

Balloon Boy Scuttles Suzanne Somers’ Appearance On ‘Larry King Live,’ Rescheduled For Friday

Suzanne Somers was knocked off CNN’s “Larry King Live” Monday night by the Balloon Boy.

Actress Somers, who moved from HSN to ShopNBC this year, was scheduled to appear on “Live” to promote her new book on cancer. “Knockout: Interviews With Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer, And How To Prevent Getting It In The First Place” is being released Tuesday, and Somers is out promoting it.

But Somers’ appearance with King was abruptly cancelled.

Viewers got a surprise when they tuned in to “Live” at 9 p.m. King wasn’t there, and neither was Somers.

It was announced that Monday’s show was “Balloon Boy Parents Under Siege,” about the hoax a Colorado couple perpetrated last week when they claimed their son was in an airborne homemade, flying-saucer-shaped balloon.

Then CNN’s Wolf Blitzer came on the air, saying he was sitting in for King on “Live.” Blitzer said that Somers’ interview with King will air on Friday.

ShopNBC’s Suzanne Somers Kicks Off Cancer Book Launch With ‘Larry King,’ ‘Today Show’ Appearances Today

Reminder: Suzanne Somers is scheduled to appear on CNN’s “Larry King Live” tonight, just a day before release of her latest book“Knockout: Interviews With Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer, And How To Prevent Getting It In The First Place.”

Somers, who this weekend was selling her book on ShopNBC, also has appearances set for both this morning and Tuesday on NBC’s “The Today Show,” according to her Web site.

The blonde singer-actress takes a holistic approach to health and medicine, which has put her at odds with the traditional medical community. She stirs controversy for her views.