The Michael Wong Show: Part IV

Posted on by
Written by: pitweston on October 9, 2010.

After the pilot ran and the review board decided to give the show a time slot, Michael took to the air with a fantastic first show. Unlike many other late night talk shows, Michael’s show only ran thirty minutes. It would seem as if it wasn’t enough time to showcase his talent but Michael did it. He brought the house down and introduced us to some guest that we have never heard of. The only guest some people may be familiar with is, “Rap Master Funk Ass P”. He appeared during the pilot and was welcomed back to debut the full and unedited hit song, “My Sister P”. Being the first show of his career, it ran into problems first off.


The man, who I believe was Ming, was operating the opening title track. Maybe he was still thinking he was in China. The title card was held sideways. A few complaints came in to the studio about neck pains and pulled muscles. An apology was issued and when the second episode aired, the title track was fixed and the sore necks and pulled muscles were a thing of the past. That little mishap didn’t slow down the show. Michael jumped right to bringing out the guests. The first guest of the show was mobster, Fat Tony. While being hulled off to jail, the police officers made a stop at the studio (per Michael’s request) and gave him a few minutes air time. Fat Tony was hoping for some chance to proclaim his innocence in a string of robberies and missing person reports but Michael and Tony talked about the most random things. Though random, things were getting a little out of hand. Thankfully, Fat Tony was handcuffed. It could have turned ugly. Before the heated argument could escalate into something more, police notified Michael to get him off the strange. While Tony left the stage, he threatened Michael. Letting him know,

I still know people.

Michael obviously wasn’t scared and changed subjects. Weeks after the episode aired, Fat Tony escaped from a maximum prison. His whereabouts are still unknown. Michael Wong was put in protective custody for a few weeks but nothing happened. If you have seen Fat Tony, you need to call 9-1-1 ASAP! He is considered dangerous. Fat Tony is a white male. He is 5’11, 185 pounds. He has no distinctive tattoos but does have a thick, almost fake sounding New York accent. Do not approach him. Also, it is beneficial to know that he isn’t the only Fat Tony. There are hundreds, if not thousands of big and little Fat Tony’s running around.


Michael took it upon to help out the local Chinese Americans with a reading of an American word and its definition. The word of the day was ‘lung’. It is very hard to translate what he is saying. Below is the definition from dictionary.com. Watch the video and follow along with the text below. It’s almost like one of those books on tape thing.

–Noun

1. either of the two saclike respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and the higher vertebrates.

2. an analogous organ in certain invertebrates, as arachnids or terrestrial gastropods.

—Idiom

3. at the top of one’s lungs, as loudly as possible; with full voice: The baby cried at the top of his lungs.

I found this portion of the show a little hard to handle. I almost turned off the show after this stint. But I couldn’t. I had to see what else this crazy Chinese man was going to come up with. It was a good thing I kept tuned in. What happened next was the strangest, most cruel 6 minutes ever to grace my TV screen. “Retard Boy” as he was called on the show, came out and talked about school, and a new girl in his life. Not a show to shy away from controversy, the episode still aired after letters and picketers flooded the studio. The studio claimed it wasn’t in poor taste and wasn’t bringing him on the show for laughs or any form of mockery. The boy’s mother was on the sidelines watching the show and keeping a watchful eye on him and was ready to step in if Michael or anyone else crossed the line. After the show aired, the mother was interviewed on a local TV station. She is quoted as saying,

My son is no different from you or me. I cannot shelter him from the world. He enjoys people and loves to talk. When I saw an ad in the paper looking for guests, I immediately phoned the studio and pleaded for them to let my son on. They were gracious enough to do so. They loved him. His infectious attitude made the whole room smile. Do not say this was some gimmick to boost ratings or poke fun of someone who is different. He was genuine and spoke from his heart. If letting him go out there and showcase him like a roadside attraction, then yes. I am a bad mother. This isn’t about me. It’s about him. He knows he’s different. But to him being different is being special. Those were his 15 minutes. Can’t we just let him have it and let this foolishness die?


The studio was asked the same question on another station. One of the staff members is quoted as saying,

It was all about the ratings. It was never about him. It was the highest rated show that night. I just wish we had more than just 6 minutes.

True, it was the highest rated show that night. It was also the highest watched Michael Wong Show. The boys appearance is one of the many factors that people claim was the reason the show ended. I am also sad to admit, that the young boy in the video was killed 4 years ago in a freak backpacking accident. Sources say he tried calling for help but the calculator had bad reception. He will be missed. This will conclude part IV of the series. I will continue the ending to the first episode in part V.

The following two tabs change content below.

pitweston

I like food. I like the smell of cinnamon.

Latest posts by pitweston (see all)