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Dooce Talks HGTV With ParentDish
Filed under: In The News
Dooce is headed to HGTV. Credit: Heather Armstrong
We spoke with Armstrong about the new deal with HGTV. Although she couldn't tell us a lot about what she would be doing for the channel, she was forthcoming about everything else, including how she feels about folks who don't like her, why she's starting to write less about her kids and the fact that her TV work will not resemble that of a certain family of eight.
ParentDish: This must be pretty exciting.
Dooce: Yes. Yes it is. We sort of had to spend some time recovering.
PD: Tell me what you'll be doing on HGTV. How is it different from what's on your site?
Dooce: There's not a lot that I can talk about right now. Mixing online with offline. One of the main reasons that they've brought me on is the mom demographic that comes along with me. There's going to be a bit more of a vlogging component than I ever do on my own Web site.
PD: How did it feel to be named one of the 30 most influential women in media by Forbes?
Dooce: (laughs) Yeah, yeah. It is ridiculous, just because I don't have the credentials of Barbara Walters or Oprah Winfrey. I touch a small segment that they may not. Things are changing. I think I was in the right place at the right time. That combined with working my ass off. I don't know if people understand the work that goes into writing consistently for several years.
PD: Do you feel like you're always working?
Dooce: I am always, always, always working. I don't ever take a break. It's a bit of a marathon. It's a great lifestyle, I don't ever take a vacation. Like we went to Florida a year and a half ago and I published every day of it.
PD: As popular as you are, you also have your detractors.
Dooce: Oh yeah. There exists more than a couple of sites dedicated to calling me the most horrible person that ever lived.
PD: Was that hard to get used to?
Dooce: Yeah, that was ... I'm not Oprah. Why are you paying attention to me that way? I guess I look at it as static and noise going on. I choose to ignore it.
PD: Is it ever hard to ignore?
Dooce: What usually happens is I'll go 2-3 months without hearing anything about it and one of my readers will cut and paste [a negative comment from another site]. It's hard to avoid it because people are looking out for me. At the end of the day, they don't know who I am. I'm happily laughing my way to HGTV.
PD: Are you comfortable with putting everything out there?
Dooce: I come from a family that will tell you everything. It's always been my personality to be really honest and open. You can talk about the hate mail all day but that's nothing compared to the good that has come from doing this. [Some] people say [to me], thank God, you've helped me get through life.
PD: What about the kids? How do you feel about people knowing about their lives?
Dooce: I've started to write a lot less about my oldest daughter. [When she was younger] the story that I was telling about her was kind of a universal story of kids [and] parents. You know how the first 3 1/2 years you don't even remember? As she gets older and more individual, I really [only] write about 5 percent of what goes on their lives.
PD: Are you at all concerned about putting your family on TV, after what happened with Jon and Kate?
Dooce: This is not a Jon and Kate situation, let me say that.
Ms. Armstrong is scheduled to being appearing on HGTV in Spring of 2010. Her book, 'It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita', is available on Amazon.com. Her Web site Dooce.com is updated daily.
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ReaderComments (Page 4 of 4)
2-23-2010 @ 3:18PM
The Sitch! said...She's No Snooki, that's fo sho,
Looks like Ellen on Crack!
Reply
2-23-2010 @ 3:41PM
Maya said...I can't stand her. She's a sanctimonious, narcissist.
Reply
2-23-2010 @ 3:46PM
geomctex said...I won't be seeing her, that is one buttuuglie (woman?)!
Reply
2-23-2010 @ 3:57PM
Jamie said...I'm another one that never heard of her,and won't be watching her show. Enough with these reality show fame whores! Why can't HGTV concentrate on what they do best--home makeovers,DIY shows and showing people how to prepare for selling/buying homes? Perhaps if the fans start telling the powers that be at HGTV and TLC that they are sick of these idiotic shows, they'll be forced to re-think their programming.
Reply
2-23-2010 @ 5:17PM
KDB said...I think these comments are funny. People are saying they have no idea who Dooce is and they wouldn't waste their time watching her -yet they will waste their time replying and saying mean things to or about her? They have no idea exactly what her show will be about, but are already not going to watch it because it dosen't belong on HGTV. Big talkers behind a computer screen. You don't wanna watch the show? Don't watch the show. I'm sure it won't appeal to everyone, that's why they have this thing called a remote control to change the channel. People who attack and are mean for no reason are unhappy so they feel the need to bring others down with them. I'm also quite sure that the ones calling her ugly are all supermodels too.
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2-23-2010 @ 6:24PM
irate said...HGTV seems to think that everyone is on the Internet 8-24 hours a day and that this person has a huge fan base--whether or not it relates to "home and garden" or not remains to be seen----or not. I don't think HGTV understands its own programming: why have a "Design Star" if you have no design programs? why ruin a helpful station and turn it into a real estate one? And if you want to delve into psyches and life coaching, why don't you just start another network?
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2-24-2010 @ 4:34PM
Eloise said...LIE: "Dooce: What usually happens is I'll go 2-3 months without hearing anything about it and one of my readers will cut and paste [a negative comment from another site]."
Yeah. What usually happens is that Heather will go to those sites, cut and paste the comments for herself, then make money off them.
WHY DOES SHE LIE?
dooce.com/hate/
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2-24-2010 @ 8:06PM
Madeleine said...Not interested in what this ugly looking boy has going on at her house. As for decorating talent, her house looks like an IKEA exploded in her house, leaving nothing warm or personal behind except some "look-how-awesome-photographers-we-are" pictures, maybe.
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2-26-2010 @ 4:08PM
whocares said...I've read Dooce. She likes design. She reads home decor magazines. She watches HGTV. Now she has her own design show?! Sorry if I fail to see the connection.
There is absolutely NOTHING I would want to hear her say about design or think she could tell me about design/home decor. HGTV simply signed her to show them the money, which is tacky. Of course, Forbes naming her to most influential in media, along side those who REALLY are influential, was a bit of a head scratcher.
She has never been on tv (other than being interviewed) and has ZERO professional design background...and I mean ZERO. To compare herself, however remotely, (see a video on HGTV) to Candace Olsen is like the most embarrassing moment I've ever witnessed in another human being. Seriously...she might sort of look like her, but that's where it stops!! I'll watch so I can cringe and look through my fingers as I cover my hands over my eyes.
HGTV, you guys have really, REALLY have made a mistake here. I give it six months before she's pulled.
P.S. I don't think Heather is ugly. At times she is rather beautiful. But her speaking presence, as a tv host, is not good. I've never enjoyed hearing her talk, so not sure why they thought she could host her own show. There are truly talented designers, with much education and experience, out in the world who would make wonderful hosts on HGTV. I bet they are fairly pissed and confused over this choice.
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4-06-2010 @ 2:03PM
NICK said...Kevin (comment #27), in the immortal words of Michael Jordan on the now-canceled Jay Leno Show: Are you stupid? Obviously you have never watched Family Guy or South Park. Nothing is sacred on those shows, not even AIDS in both cases.
Interestingly enough, you didn't call me out for the anorexia reference. Is that OK to you because it mainly affects women more than it does gay men? I wonder if you have your own agenda.
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2-25-2010 @ 10:47PM
Jade said...For you guys who've never heard of her, I'll give you a brief update...
Dooce started out as a likeable young blogger writing really funny entries and slowly gained a toehold in the internet industry. Over the years she has published a number of incredibly embarassing stories about her oldest daughter Leta, including telling the entire universe that Leta had constipation problems and that she received an enema for her 2nd birthday.
She mocks and laughs at her oldest daughter's supposed problems including fear of spiders (don't miss the video where her husband is taunting Leta as she hides in the bathroom while he tries to get her to come out and pet a spider toy while Heather laughs in the background).
Some sane people feel that this is very disturbing.
However, there is a huge number of mouth breathers out there. They are members of "Dooce's Army" and surf the internet looking for disparaging references to the Sainted Heather and rushing blindly to her defense. She could dismember a kitten on videotape and they'd laugh about how "hip" and "edgy" she is. So if you've been surprised at the people rushing to defend a person with absolutely no design experience getting her own "platform" that is the reason.
Remember this. Never, ever comment about her using information that they can track to you. You will be harassed incessantly. Their favorite line is "Your Just Jealus!"
She is pretty when she has longer hair. It's anybody's guess why she suddenly decided that looking like a woman was like, so 2008.
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3-03-2010 @ 2:19AM
Alex said...If you want to explore her design credentials you might go to her website and look at her bathroom remodel. Enough said.
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