Peter Funt: Celebs Rumors

EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Factory has snapped up North American distribution rights to Candid Camera, the hidden-camera show known for its decades-long run as a television pioneer.

Suzanne Somers is looking back at turning down a co-hosting job on The View.

Suzanne Somers is revealing she passed on an opportunity to join Barbara Walters when  first aired, but she claims two reasons kept her away from the now-iconic daytime talk show.During a conversation with David Yontef on his podcast, the  star said she was «originally asked to be on the original  with Barbara Walters — and whoever else — and I turned it down.» Walters, the late legendary journalist who created, led the original panel that was also comprised of Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulos. premiered on ABC in 1997 and while there have been a number of co-hosts since the original panel premiered, the show has more than endured. It's become one of the preeminent shows by being fervently unafraid to tackle sensitive subjects and enter the political and social discourse. «Everyone said, 'Why would you turn that down? It's a national show,'» Sommers continued on the podcast. «I said, first of all, I'd have to live in New York and I don't want to live in New York.

Taraji P Henson will host a modern version of “Candid Camera” as the beloved show returns to air after its most recent reboot in 2014.Henson is set to appear in the series, which is currently in development at Village Roadshow Unscripted Television and Candid Camera, alongside series veteran Peter Funt. She will also executive produce through her TPH Productions alongside Funt and Mark Itkin, who EPs through his Tough Lamb Media, Inc. While the series will maintain the spirit of “Candid Camera” to “highlight our shared humanity through our ability to laugh at ourselves, and the new version will feature modern gags with the same infectious spirit,” per the official logline.“If this announcement is some kind of epic prank by Taraji and my friends at Village Roadshow, then I’ve really been had!” Funt said in a statement.

BreAnna Bell Taraji P. Henson has signed on to join Village Roadshow Unscripted Television and Candid Camera Inc. as the companies look to revamp their “Candid Camera” series. She will appear alongside series veteran and executive producer Peter Funt. The new version of the series is said to “feature modern gags with the same infectious spirit” of the original show. “If this announcement is some kind of epic prank by Taraji and my friends at Village Roadshow, then I’ve really been had! There couldn’t be a better time to bring back Candid Camera. Folks need stress-free smiles more than ever. Our show has a lot in common with ‘Ted Lasso’ — minus the cursing. We celebrate humanity and good sportsmanship, and we manage to do it with a lot of laughs,” said Funt.

Village Roadshow Unscripted Television is working with Candid Camera Inc. to develop a new version of the iconic Candid Camera series featuring Taraji P. Henson as host. 

EXCLUSIVE: MTV’s The Real World is often credited with pioneering reality TV in America, but credit more properly goes to a much earlier television series: Candid Camera.