ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 1996 TAG: 9602210016
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LAS VEGAS
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tammy Faye Messner, the former Mrs. Jim Bakker and evangelical queen, is back on television sharing her gift of gab.
``The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show,'' a syndicated daytime talk show she hosts with a different Jim - sitcom actor Jim Bullock - is creeping onto TV sets across America. (It is not airing in the Roanoke area.)
Entertainment, not salvation, is the goal. Ratings, not telephone pledges of cash and faith, are the measure of success.
This could be proof that (A) there are indeed second acts in American life, (B) God truly works in mysterious ways or (C) stock in Maybelline might be a wise investment.
When last seen, Tammy Faye was weeping copious tears at the downfall of PTL tycoon hubby Bakker, which began when he played footsie with Jessica Hahn and ended with his conviction on fraud charges.
The petite blonde, who faded into obscurity for a time, began her resurrection by divorcing a then-imprisoned Bakker. She went on to acquire a new spouse, a new attitude and a new hair color, racy red.
``It's a wig, honey,'' Messner confided with a winning giggle. On this particular day, she and Bullock are on the road in Las Vegas, pitching their show to TV station owners gathered at an annual syndicated convention.
So far, the Los Angeles-based program airs in about half the U.S. TV markets.
``It's been wonderful,'' Messner said of her new career. ``I've run into hundreds of PTL partners everywhere I go. They say `Tammy, we're so glad to see you back on television again. We've missed you.'''
``They come to the show, and I sign their PTL Bibles and memorabilia'' from the PTL ministry - which stood alternatively for People That Love or Praise The Lord.
The idea to return Tammy Faye to television was born of guest appearances with supportive TV talkers, including Sally Jessy Raphael and Leeza Gibbons.
``They said, `You really need to get back into television again. You need your own show,''' Messner recounted. Compliments turned to deal-making with a Fox Inc. division, and she began interviewing potential co-hosts.
``We had immediate chemistry,'' she said of Bullock, adding that both are ``very grass-roots America.'' He's from Odessa, Texas; she's a native of International Falls, Minn.
There are faint echoes of the PTL style, if not substance, in ``The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show'': The new show, Messner said, is akin to her ``Tammy's House Party'' segment of the evangelical broadcasts.
What viewers get: a daily hour with Tammy Faye, trademark triple-thick mascara and stretch-o-rama smile in place, and Bullock, equally toothy and addicted to flashy threads.
There's mildly lame banter (``Quick, take a picture, Tammy's petting the devil,'' Bullock squeals as she gingerly strokes a visiting snake).
There are featherweight interviews in line with the Regis-Kathie Lee gold standard. So far, guests are mostly noncelebrity types, although Rosie O'Donnell (getting tips for her own forthcoming talk show?) and a few TV stars drop by.
There are brief flashes of religion - one guest acknowledges she was a PTL fan and God is in her life, drawing a small, approving nod from Messner - but the show is billed as secular.
Bullock delights in risque quips, but the show's heart is essentially pure. It tends to leave sleazy tales of dysfunctionalism to others.
Tammy Faye's partner is a far cry from her previous TV co-host; Bullock, whose big role was playing thick-headed Monroe Ficus on the sitcom ``Too Close for Comfort,'' is openly gay.
He and his companion appeared together on ``Phil Donahue'' recently. Tammy Faye and husband Roe, who was chief builder at the PTL's Heritage USA South Carolina theme park, were on hand to make it a family affair.
All, however, is not perfect for the Messners: Roe was convicted in Wichita, Kan., in November of federal bankruptcy fraud. He's free on bond as he awaits sentencing.
But Tammy Faye seems to know how to cope. She's done it before. Think of those formidable eyelashes and coats of rosy blush as a Berlin Wall separating her and unhappiness.
``You have to put the past behind you and move forward. And I've had to do that,'' she said. ``It's too sad. And you can't carry sadness with you. You can't carry hurt with you. You've got to move on in life.
``That's the message I hope to give people: Move on, get past it, let it go.''
LENGTH: Medium: 84 linesby CNB