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#draftAmy campaign seeks to make Schumer next 'Bachelorette'

Also in Tattle: Jon Stewart helps veterans, save your wedding gift for Meek and Nicki, People trust Liam Neeson and more

Actress Amy Schumer poses with the "CinemaCon Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award" at The CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards.
Actress Amy Schumer poses with the "CinemaCon Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award" at The CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards.Read more

LONGTIME READERS of Tattle know that we're no fans of reality-TV shows in general and reality dating shows in particular.

ABC should probably be charged for solicitation the way it pimps out "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."

But on Monday night's "Bachelorette" episode, Amy Schumer guested, trying to teach the assorted Ken dolls vying for the hand of Kaitlyn Bristowe how to be funny.

And, just like that, "The Bachelorette" developed a heartbeat.

Schumer, subtly promoting her upcoming dating comedy, "Trainwreck," was smart and sassy and willing to speak truth to handsome.

Her guest spot was so refreshing that show co-creator Mike Fleiss created a #draftAmy hashtag, which quickly trended online. And just as Betty White was championed to host "Saturday Night Live" a few years back, the revolution has begun to make Schumer the next "Bachelorette" in what might be the most meta-network TV show ever - a show that is itself and a spoof of itself at the same time.

Not to mention the Comedy Central, youtube.com tie-in promos which will sound like a porn film: "Monday night, 25 eligible men go 'Inside Amy Shumer.' "

"Bachelorette" producer Robert Mills sees the value in changing the mix.

Yesterday he Tweeted from @Millsy11374: "OK here is the official offer to @amyschumer to become #TheBachelorette. Just say yes and we start tomorrow. #DraftAmy."

All those tanned, blow-dried lunkheads, served up like raw, comedic meat on a silver platter, Amy? You really must enlist.

TV boot camp

Jon Stewart, who will soon be departing "The Daily Show," may have raised political mockery to a high art form, but it seems as if he's done more to help returning military get jobs than the government has done.

The New York Times reported that Stewart and his show have worked to help veterans find employment in the entertainment industry by developing a five-week boot camp for them.

The program has been in the works for three years.

Nathan Witmer, who served in the Army in Iraq, told the Times that he graduated from the Stewart program and then went to work at . . . Fox News.

He later returned to "The Daily Show" as an associate field-segment producer.

"We hear 'Thank you for your service' all the time, but here was concrete action, people working to really make a difference," Witmer said. "And it changed lives. I'm proof of that."

Hon of the Mill?

All that chatter about Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj getting engaged has turned out to be a whole lot of chatter.

Mill recently said to Fader magazine that the 8-karat ring he gave Minaj was legit but it wasn't an engagement ring.

"It ain't really time to get married yet," Mill told Fader. "We're still learning each other, feeling each other out."

TATTBITS

* Ad executives looking for a celebrity pitchman can't do much better than actor Liam Neeson.

He has a very particular set of skills. Skills he has developed over a long career . . .

That's the conclusion of the Nielsen company, which looked at celebs who made commercials during the first three months of the year and ranked them with a calculation that takes into account likability, public awareness, influence and other factors. Its first "N-Scores" (which will now compete with the better-known Q-scores) were released yesterday. Neeson and Pierce Brosnan had identical scores of 94, although Neeson was judged to have a greater influence in getting products sold.

Also scoring high: Matthew McConaughey. Jeff Bridges stood out for the amount of influence he carried with his fans, Nielsen said.

Other celebs who scored well were Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, Sofia Vergara, Jim Parsons and insurance hawkers Dennis Haysbert and J.K. Simmons.

* The independent-bookseller community continues to expand.

Core membership of the American Booksellers Association grew from 1,664 companies last spring to 1,712 this year, the trade group told the Associated Press yesterday - the BookExpo America convention begins in Manhattan today. The association also benefited from the recent trend of sellers opening new branches, with ABA members now in 2,227 locations compared with 2,094 in 2014 and 1,651 in 2009.

Things were dire for the ABA at this time six years ago when the organization was down to 1,401 core members.

Since then, print books have remained the primary medium as e-sales leveled off and new management blood has invigorated the industry.

Next to bottom out and start rising? Newspapers.

- Salihah Evans and

Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.

Phone: 215-854-5678

On Twitter: @DNTattle