Siegel Unleashed
ABC film critic and cultural reporter Joel Siegel may be known
as the feel-good reviewer of the last 25 years, but he's not
incapable of down-and-dirty criticism. And an invitation-only crowd got to see Mr. Siegel bare the fangs beneath his bushy mustache at the Museum of Television and Radio's tribute to him on June 6.
After a series of film clips showing Mr. Siegel noshing on
Nathan's hot dogs in Brooklyn and calling actress Farrah Fawcett "a silly blonde whose brains have been baked in the sun," the slight rowdy crowd-an apparent fan club of media lifers that included Good Morning America newswoman Diane Sawyer, That Girl Marlo Thomas, WNBC movie critic Jeffrey Lyons, CNN host Jeff Greenfield, publicist Peggy Siegal, WABC anchor Roz Abrams and WCBS sports anchor Warner Wolf-began shooting questions at the critic.
"Ever have a movie you wanted to give a second chance?" Mr. Lyons asked. Yes, Mr. Siegel said: Amadeus, which he reviewed poorly and later learned to love.
When someone in the audience asked him to name his lousiest interview subject, Mr. Siegel didn't even blink. "Tommy Lee Jones.
"He's mean," he said. "He's just a mean drunk."
The crowd whooped and clapped.
