Charles Perez

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/18/04 at 9:05pm

Has anyone been watching Eyewitness News lately?

Their new weekend anchor is a very good-looking guy with a GORGEOUS speaking voice named Charles Perez. Now wasn't there a Charles Perez on some MTV reality show who went into broadcast journalism? I vaguely remember that Charles Perez as being a gay activist.

Couold this be the same Charles Perez who is joking around with Sam Champion at ABC News?

Posted: 12/19/04 at 3:35am

Here's his BIO. A few things missing, like his bit on MTV. "Out from behind the camera" and Garth Ancier's bedroom so the story goes.



Charles Perez joins the Eyewitness News team, anchoring the 6:00pm and 11:00pm broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday night, and as a general assignment reporter. Charles comes to WABC-TV from WSVN 7-News in Miami. Before joining WSVN, Perez was a reporter at KCAL Channel 9 News in Los Angeles. He joined WSVN after anchoring the nationally syndicated news magazine, "American Journal." During his time at "American Journal," he covered the death of Princess Diana from London, and the Jean Benet Ramsey investigation.

Before he joined "American Journal," Perez hosted his own nationally syndicated talk show, "the Charles Perez Show." Syndicated by Tribune Entertainment, the show ran from 1994 through 1996 and focused on issues of concern to young Americans. Topics included guns in schools, teens and sex, the Million Man March, and teen drug use.

Perez made the transition out from behind the camera after producing daytime television for several years. Additionally, he was instrumental in the development of "the Ricki Lake Show," and the startup of "the Montel Williams Show," where he was the first to book Ross Perot and Jack Kevorkian on daytime talk TV.

Perez is a Peruvian American. He speaks Spanish and is an avid traveler. He graduated from Florida State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a minor in international affairs.

While at Florida State, he hosted his first television show, "1800 Seconds." It was, at the time, the only show in the south written, produced and directed by students for their community. It aired on Tallahassee's ABC affiliate, Channel 27.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/19/04 at 5:24am

Charles was anything BUT a gay activist during his 15 minutes of fame.

Charles was Norm Korpi's boyfriend on MTV's The Real World (and went to a Pride rally with him back in, what 1991?, that was covered on the show) during the The Real World's first season (in New York with Norm, Becky, Julie, Kevin, Eric Nies et al).

A couple of years later, he popped up with his own little sad exploitative nationally syndicated talk show ("The Charles Perez Show") for a season or two, very much in the mold of Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, etc... only worse, because he seemed to want to make fun of the gay guests at every opportunity (he made a point of booking only the most flamboyant freaks on his show -- check out the film "Party Monster" for one such example, where Jon Stamos played Perez).

VERY ODDLY and offensively, he foolishly tried to go back in the closet during the run of the show, denying to anyone who would listen that he was gay, declining all interview requests that wanted to ask about Norm et al, and just generally was a pathetic confused mess who thought that if he could convince everyone that he had never been gay, he could be the next Oprah (Michael Musto's column had a field day with Perez during those years, as you can imagine).

He's back on local NY TV again? Really? Well, that won't last long. Sam Champion has ALWAYS been out and unapologetic and proud. While, he doesn't really go out of his way to talk about his private life and sexual orientation -- and why should he, for chrissakes, he's a weatherman -- EVERYBODY KNOWS, and Champion has never tried to make a secret of it. And nobody cares.

Not so many years ago, Perez made a point of lying about being gay and went out of his way to not only deny his own sexual orientation (not the smartest move, since he'd signed a release that allowed millions to see him making out with a man on syndicated television), but also made a point of humiliating gay guests at every opportunity in a vain effort to prop up his sagging ratings.

A handsome face, but a coward and a morally bankrupt opportunist (as well as not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, to boot) -- I hope he returns to the obscurity his "talent" has earned him sooner than later.

Updated On: 12/19/04 at 05:24 AM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/19/04 at 2:07pm

Charles' banter with Sam Champion may hint at tsomething between the two of them.

ANyhow, it seems that Eyewitness News is hiring many gay men for their telecasts. In addition to the wonderful Sam Champion, there's also Steve Bartlestein, NJ Burkett and now Perez.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/19/04 at 2:49pm

damn Perez left for nyc?..he was the ONLY reason i watched the news here....NOT.

"mary" needs to let her hair down...

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/19/04 at 5:48pm

Woops, it's almost 6 PM and Charles anchors the news on weekends. Gotta go!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 9:51am

Margo is right -- his show was lurid and trashy. Nowadays, Perez is very subdued as a talking head, simple reading the news. The voice and even-tempered demeanor are polished, so he may do well. In the banter dept, he plays, excuse the expression, straight man to Sam's goosier moments. They all love to get Sam giggling uncontrollably just before he has to talk about wind chill.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 11:31am

I love the way Sam giggles!

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 11:36am

I love the way Sam does everything. He is my ideal man! Swoon!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/20/04 at 11:53am

I've come across items on the internet which insist that Sam Champion is Mike Piazza's significant other. I don't know how accurate that is, though. Right now the Mets can't seem to locate Mr. Piazza. Sam is certainly visible.