…and Bravo is promoting the hell out of the fact that, while Dave Foley remains the primary moderator for the show, his co-host, Phil Gordon, has been replaced by fellow poker champion Phil Hellmuth.
Bullz-Eye was able to participate in a press conference with Foley and Hellmuth…one which was so underattended that we were able to get on the line twice to ask questions. (This is impressive when you consider that, on the last press conference we were in on, we couldn’t get in to ask even one.)
Bullz-Eye: Hi, guys. Dave, did you ask for Phil Hellmuth specifically so that you could remember your new co-host’s name?
Dave Foley: Uh, yes, and I wanted someone who was at least six-foot-five, so that my neck wouldn’t have to adjust. (Note: Phil Gordon, whom Hellmuth replaced on the show, is six-foot-nine.)
BE: (Laughs) You definitely get some good ad-libs in on the show, but do you have, like, a cheat sheet of poker material that you’ve worked out ahead of time…?
DF: (Pauses) Are you talking to me or Phil?
Phil Hellmuth: (Laughs)
DF: Because Phil doesn’t ad-lib. No, I don’t have a cheat sheet; I actually have a poker expert sitting next to me.
BE: Even better!
DF: Yeah! But I don’t do too much poker talk, because I usually end up saying something wrong.
PH: Actually, I must say that Dave’s knowledge of poker is increasing, and I think that’s probably good for the show…although it probably doesn’t really matter much for the show. And I’ve never seen him lose, by the way…he’s only played two or three times that I know of since we’ve been together…but he’s won almost every time. He’s actually becoming fairly knowledgeable. And, I mean, for a celebrity…he’s become very knowledgeable for a celebrity. He’s a little smarter than…
DF: (Interrupts) I wouldn’t tell people you were a nice guy if you didn’t tell people that I could play poker.
PH: Oh, that’s true. No-one believes I’m a nice guy, anyway.
BE: And, Phil, is there any truth to the rumor that, if you cannot fulfill your duties, Bill Fillmaff will be taking over…?
PH: (Pretending to be wounded) Oooooooooooo…! (Laughs) No, there’s no truth to that rumor…and, by the way, I met him and I didn’t have a negative word for him. If someone’s going to create a website that gets hundreds of thousands of people to it, and the whole purpose of the website is to just make fun of you, then, I mean, I think you have to be flattered, right?
BE: Exactly! Thanks…!
PH: Oh, and by the way, that last reference was to Bill Fillmafffffffth…I can’t even pronounce it right…and it’s BillVsPhil.com.
Moderator: And who is this guy?
PH: It’s just something…it’s some guy that started a website just to make fun of me – I’m an easy target with the way that I act at the tables – and then it morphed into this thing, and I guess now a million people have seen it, and he and I did, like, ten skits together. So, anyway…
(After this, there was an extended period where no-one asked a question, leaving the moderator to fill time by asking questions of her own. Finally, someone asked one, but another pause ensued…and, after that, the person who’d asked the conference’s first question asked another one. At this point, it became clear that we could score another question ourselves, so we did.)
BE: I felt guilty continuing to listen without asking anything else, so I have another question.
DF: (Laughs) Okay, so you’re a lurker…?
BE: Yes, that’s me all over. Do either of you have the option to request specific celebrities, or is it basically just a long waiting list of people who want to get on the show…?
DF: I know that, from my experience, no-one pays any attention to any suggestions that I make.
PH: (Laughs)
BE: Do you think it’s because you’re Canadian?
DF: It could be. It could be that. And, y’know, there could be certain validities to not paying attention to anything I have to say. But I’ve never had any input into the guest selection.
PH: Well, I told them to call Mike Ditka, and Mike told me he was interested in playing, and, uh, then I told them to call Andy Roddick, who they’d talked to before, and I had ‘em call a bunch of different people that I know. Ditka just had a scheduling conflict; he was really psyched about playing. This weekend, I was giving some lessons to Eva Longoria and some of the San Antonio Spurs players, and I invited Eva; she wants to play. And I invited Tony Parker, and he wants to play. And I think Tim Duncan would play, too. So I’ve put several people out there on the list. I don’t know if any of them have ended up playing, but they all wanted to and showed interest. Some of the NFL guys, too, and some of the major league baseball guys…I don’t know if they can really play.
DF: But they really do want to be on the show…?
PH: Yeah!
DF: Good. That’s cool!
PH: Absolutely. And especially if it’s someone I invite, because I can tell them, “Oh, I won’t really be too hard on you.”
BE: Well, it sounds like you’re stepping into the role of “New Phil” on the show pretty comfortably.
DF: Yeah, Phil Mark 2!
PH: Dave and I…tell you what, Dave and I, from the start, everything seemed to be just really smooth and clicked well.
DF: Yeah, very comfortable.
PH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we both want the same thing: a compelling show. And, y’know, I don’t think Dave cares how good the poker is…
DF: (Laughs)
PH: …but I was happy that it’s getting better! But, I mean, I had a blast from the start. Something I don’t get to do every day is spend ten, twelve…what is it, twenty days a year?…having your own show. And it’s great. I’m so busy in life with so many other things that I probably couldn’t get involved in many other shows other than this one, because of the time commitment. But I’ve had a great time!
