''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence. The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' were Alan Frio and Terry Murphy. Frio left the series after the 1990–91 season and was succeeded by Barry Nolan in the fall of 1991. Nolan and Murphy would stay until after the 1997–98 season, when they both departed. In the show's final season, Kyle Kraska took over as the sole host. ''Hard Copy'' was produced and distributed by Paramount Domestic Television and, for much of its time on air, was often aired with its sister show, the Hollywood news program ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American first-run syndicated news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Paramount Streaming. ET also airs in Aus ...

'' as part of an hour-long programming block sold to local stations.

Overview

''Hard Copy'' was a tabloid show that aired footage and news about celebrities and everyday people. Also featured were interviews with various newsmakers.

1992 Elton John lawsuit

In 1992,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

threatened to take ''Hard Copy'' to court, alleging a reporter tried to

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

him into giving an interview by falsely claiming he had

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

and had moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

to be near an AIDS treatment center. John alleged

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

, right to privacy and endangerment. The day after the lawsuit was filed, the show ran a segment about John but, rather than accuse him of having HIV, praised him for the work he was doing for those affected by the disease. John's

attorney at law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the Un ...

told ''

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in t ...

'' he "assume(d) the show was changed as a result of our suit".

1994 ''Simpsons'' episode

On November 27, 1994, FOX aired an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' entitled "

Homer Badman "Homer Badman" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 27, 1994. In the episode, Homer is falsely accused of se ...

". When Homer takes babysitter Ashley Grant home from babysitting their kids, he is assumed to commit sexual harassment though in reality he is trying to eat a rare piece of Gummy candy. The entire incident devolves into a media frenzy complete with a standoff. To make matters worse,

Dennis Franz Dennis Franz Schlachta (; born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the ABC television series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–2005), a role that e ...

voiced himself playing Homer in a TV movie. As a result, Homer takes part in a ''Hard Copy''-like show called ''Rock Bottom''. However, the show distorts Homer's case and it takes public-access television and aid from Groundskeeper Willie, who was filming in the area at the time of the incident, to clear Homer's name. The episode ended with ''Rock Bottom'' giving a series of corrections.

1996 celebrity boycott

In 1996, actor

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

began a public boycott of both ''Hard Copy'' and Paramount's celebrity news show ''

'' after ''Hard Copy'' violated a six-month agreement not to air segments about Clooney by airing footage of Clooney and then-girlfriend Celine Balitran on the set of the film '' Batman & Robin''. Other celebrities supporting the boycott including Whoopi Goldberg,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

. Paramount eventually agreed to modify the way that both shows gathered information for their stories. They also agreed not to air "unauthorized footage" of celebrities or "footage that is known to have been obtained illegally."

Hosts

* Alan Frio: Host (1989–1991) * Terry Murphy: Host (1989–1998) * Barry Nolan: Host (1991–1998) * Kyle Kraska: Host (1998–1999) *

Remy Blumenfeld Remy Blumenfeld (born 1965) is a British television producer and format creator, who co-founded the production company Brighter Pictures which he sold to Endemol in 2004. He is the TV format creator of '' There's Something About Miriam'', '' G ...

: London Correspondent (1991–1996) * Jerry Penacoli: Reporter (1996–1999) * Pat Lalama: Reporter (1996–1999) * Edward Miller: Reporter (1996–1999) * Doug Bruckner: Reporter * Rafael Abramovitz: Correspondent * Diane Dimond: Reporter * Sylvia Villagran: Reporter *

Roger Lodge Roger Lodge (born March 12, 1960) is an American TV game-show and sports-radio host and actor. He is known for hosting the syndicated dating show ''Blind Date''. Lodge's acting credits include appearances on the ABC sitcom ''Full House''; CBS' ...

: Reporter

International versions

An Australian version of the series hosted by Gordon Elliott aired in the early 1990s. A New Zealand version of the series hosted by Natalie Brunt (now Natalie Chetkovich) and, later, Pip Groves aired in the mid 1990s.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0096605, name=Hard Copy 1989 American television series debuts 1980s American television news shows 1999 American television series endings 1990s American television news shows English-language television shows Entertainment news shows in the United States First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Television series by CBS Studios