Saturday 1 October 2011

Huckabee

Huckabee is a TV political commentary program on Fox News hosted by former Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. It premiered September 27, 2008, at 8 PM EDT.


Schedule


Barring pre-emption, new episodes of Huckabee regularly air Saturdays at 8 PM ET. Repeats are shown on the following Sunday (the next day) at 2 AM, 8 PM and 11 PM ET.




Format


The show is shot before a live studio audience. Huckabee starts with an opening monologue discussing issues of the day, then opens the floor to field several questions from the audience. The show also features one or more guests as well as a panel of commentators.
Huckabee maintains a genial style as host and speaker, "markedly less combative" than other commentators on the Fox network. Tonal differences aside, he believes the show's conservative political content is harmonious with other Fox hosts past and present such as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, saying "I'm certainly on the same ideological spectrum" as them.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck was the show's first guest. Huckabee has interviewed political figures such as Karl Rove, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Geraldine Ferraro, Chuck Colson, Tom Ridge, Rod Blagojevich, Ed Rendell, Mike Rounds, Chuck Grassley, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Tom DeLay, Franklin Graham, Tim LaHaye, Arianna Huffington, Ann Coulter, and Alina Fernández; former head of the FDNY and NYPD Howard Safir; U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; former Secretary of States Lawrence Eagleburger and Madeline Albright; former Vice President Dan Quayle; former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Israel President Shimon Peres.
Celebrity interviews have included Raquel Welch, Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Andy Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Edward Norton, Bradley Cooper, Andie MacDowell, Kelsey Grammer, Andy García, David Schwimmer, Chuck Norris, Kathy Ireland, Joan Lunden, Lesley Stahl, Susan Powell, Gretchen Carlson, Katie Stam, Paula Deen, Bob Barker, Jerry Springer, Frank Caliendo, Tony Danza, The Amazing Kreskin, Jeff Garlin, Steve Schirripa, Vince Curatola, Charles Grodin, Mario Lopez, Zac Sunderland, Michael Strahan, Dennis Rodman, MC Hammer, Rosie Perez, Bernie Williams, Meat Loaf, Sam Moore, Neil Sedaka, Peter Noone, Wayne Newton, Rick Springfield, Pat Boone, Tanya Tucker, Lorrie Morgan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Toby Keith, Collin Raye, Oak Ridge Boys, The Ventures, Katherine McPhee, Bo Bice, and Kris Allen,
The show ends with a "house band" (named The Little Rockers; the name is a play on the Arkansas state capital where Huckabee once served) consisting of several Fox News staff performing a song, often featuring a well-known entertainer as the lead. Band members include host Huckabee on bass guitar, chief religious correspondent Lauren Green on keyboards, M and J video editor Dave Colonna on lead guitar, lighting technician Adrian Sharkey on vocals and guitar, M and J Show writer Bob Higgins on guitar, Fox News Edge PA Elizabeth Tucker on backup vocals, and final cut craft editor Dominic Salvatore on drums.
In some instances, the final segment will feature Huckabee answering questions from e-mails or from the live studio audience.

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