There are a few NYC cocktail parties that will be extra icy this Spring, I think. They are both on the A-list, after all.
I had to also include the logo for this segment of Anderson's show because it reminded me of another TV logo.
Great 60s iconography FTW!
Now I understand why he's smiling so much in this picture with Tim McGraw!
Okay, let's get serious ... it's a big deal when a public person comes out and Don could have just stayed in the closet like another notable African-American man I know who's based in Atlanta and plies his trade in the TV business.
(I know, a blind item from me, shocking!)
Don's written a new book called Transparency which includes his account of being abused as a child, a fact that came up during his reporting of the Eddie Long story late last year and his admission that he is gay.
Click that icon and buy the book. With the pittance that I glean from the sale from this link I'll, you know, buy 1/16th of a pack of gum. Amazon calls us partners, but it's certainly not 50/50. the book drops on June 16.
More from Don and about the book at this NY Times link, which will more than likely count toward your 20 free articles a month unless you're a subscriber. Just a warning.
I hope Don is enjoying the weight being lifted from his back and the sweet smell of freedom that comes with having no fear of being compromised against your will. And now he and we can get on with it.
Quickly, my theory: Back in the UK and apparently now here, George Michael has been on something of a reputation healing tour, doing talk shows and vaguely referencing what some people think is scandalous behavior.
I call it sleeping in a parked car, but whatev. Okay, maybe it's not a good idea to car cruise with a joint in your hand, but haven't we all done something like that? No? Just me?
I think it's because Simon Cowell is hiring him to be a judge on the US version of The X Factor.
Today I see this tweet that leads me to believe I might be right.
We'll see, tomorrow night on CNN at 9 eastern. Visit the Piers Morgan CNN site at this link.
Just in case you've forgotten what George Michael can do, click over the jump for a surprise.
Continue reading "Piers Morgan Promises a George Michael Exclusive, Is It X-Factor Related?" »
You love her on Eureka, and now Salli has a new film out that's getting released in an innovative way and I thought it would be good form to give it a little play.
It's a drama about cancer, and I know that's, uh, heavy, but when you think about the films that get financed through the major studios you don't see a lot of dramas with African-American leads. Frankly most of the films from the studios with people of color in the leads that get any sort of wide release are broad comedies from Tyler Perry and Ice Cube.
BTW, For Colored Girls ... is the exception that validates the rule. And from what I'm heard (haven't seen it, though I saw it twice on Broadway) it wasn't a success.
CNN's Don Lemon talked to Salli, co-star Omari Hardwick, who is hooooooooot, and writer/director Ava DuVernay. The film also stars Traci Thoms (Rent & upcoming in NBNC's Wonder Woman) and I'm under the impression there's a cameo from Blair Underwood.
More about DuVernay and the film at this link at IndieWire.com.
CNN clip and the trailer for the movie after the jump.
Continue reading "CNN Video -- Eureka Star Salli Richardson-Whitfield's New Film" »
This has been going on for a very long time now. You hear about it every New Year's Eve and when any rich person with ties to evil has a birthday party or their kids have massive Bar Mitzvah's or Sweet Sixteens.
And it's not just singers. In 2008 a bunch of actors and others showed up in Dubai for some event and they were all paid handsomely for ... well nothing, really.
Finally, though, someone is speaking out (Rolling Stone):
"When I saw Beyoncé and Usher and whoever else was out partying with these Libyan criminals … these are people who have stolen tens of billions of dollars from their nation," says Howie Klein, former president of Reprise Records who is now a prominent leftist blogger. "What they all have in common is they're all kleptocracies – they've got a family stealing all the money. And for very, very wealthy American and British pop stars to take part in this kind of thing makes me want to puke."
"People put a big paycheck on the table, and people don't consider where the money is coming from, or what they're at least passively endorsing," adds David T. Viecelli, agent for Arcade Fire and many other acts. "I don't want to specifically say Beyoncé or Mariah Carey behaved unethically, because I don't know all the details. But if it's true that Muammar Qaddafi's son says, 'I've got $50 million, come and play for my buddies,' I really think you have to say no to that. Given what we know about Qaddafi and what his rule has been about, you have to willfully turn a blind eye in order to accept that money, and I don't think it's ethical."
Read Klein's blog at this link.
If I were a concertgoer or a consumer of music from any of these people I would stop, now. I haven't listened seriously to Beyonce since the whole "to the left, to the left" thing. Mariah ... she still records? Really?
Video on this from CNN, also featuring my social media friend Steve Clemons from The Washington Note and the New America Foundation discussing the wildlife at the Gaddafi compound (actual wildlife, he had a tiger there).
Mr. Usher Raymond Jr., you should be ashamed of yourself. And you too, Lionel Ritchie. And all y'all who have scads of cash in reserve and still say yes to these gigs.
If your interviews this AM were so frickin' exclusive, what about this ...
this ...
and this (though the clip embed doesn't seem to be working, but trust me, they had Hillary in the same suit saying the same things) ...
or this?
Huh? And don't even get me started on "breaking news."
Where are you monday night at 9 eastern? In front of your TV, I hope
Pee-wee Herman and Anderson Cooper, Monday on AC360. They'll be discussing Arizona governor Jan Brewer's defunding of the state's transplant program and ... oh, sorry there's been a change, they'll talk about his return to the stage and the filming of that show for HBO.
They kind of have the same smile, don't they?
No, it didn't get him tased, bro, it got him fired.
So apparently Sanchez, the guy who reads tweets on CNN during the day and makes believe he's a news anchor, got on the radio to promote his new book and ripped into Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for perceived slams against him and then went all Mel Gibson on CNN contributor Pete Dominick's Sirius show where he claimed that he was passed over for the 8pm slot (taken by Parker-Spitzer next week) because it's run by Jewish elitists and they would never hire an Hispanic guy for the job.
And now he no longer has a job, and no airtime to promote that book (although I'm absolutely sure that O'Reilly would have him on).
Would you have realized that Sanchez is Hispanic if his name wasn't Sanchez? Me neither.
I guess everyone was surprised by the whole anti-semitic thing, though.
Can't wait to hear what The Daily Show does with this on Monday.
Bye Rick, I'll take you often the invite list for my Purim Carnival.
And I have the official announcement from Telepictures/WB after the jump.
Continue reading "Anderson Cooper Officially Coming to Daytime in Fall 2011, Will Continue at CNN" »
You no doubt remember that Sherrod was booted from her job after rogue blogger Andrew Breitbart cut up a CSPAN clip to make her comments sound anti-white. Then everyone wents bonkers and on instruction from the White House Agri Sec'y Tom Vilsack canned her.
Then the whole clip was revealed and made everyone look like a horse's ass.
Now she's been offered two jobs at USDA but not the position from which she was fired, at least that's my understanding. And I completely understand why she wouldn't want to.
It's at this link. It's 15 minutes, pretty comprehensive. Take a look. She talks to CNN's Tony Harris.
I know, the suspense is killing you.
The whole Twilight series has me thinking about hara kiri, however.
Get Elena Kagan's answer from this CNN clip (LINK).
Yes, I'm sometimes a hit count whore.
If it's true it's the end of an era for CNN.
I'll sit on this and keep my eye peeled for more info. Check this link for the report from UK's Telegraph.
Personally I think this is a huge mistake. Not the part where Larry leaves, but the other part.
Thanks, CNN.
While you're at CNN.com btw make sure you read anything and everything from my pal Lisa Respers-France, who calls me occasionally to ask me what I think about ... stuff. TV stuff, she doesn't really care what I think about nuclear proliferation.
The redesign makes CNN's entertainment news so much easier to navigate. I'll be stopping by much more often.
Also, check out the CNN Marquee blog at this link.
Gaga ("Don't call me Gaga") and Larry, a match made in ... well, made in the head of some segment producer at CNN apparently.
She'll talk to the guy who calls Beverly Hills Auto Glass when he needs glasses about her new video for Fernando with director Steven Klein (that's a still from it above) and she touches on two issues very important to her fans.
On the rumors about her health:
"... you know Lupus is in my family and it is genetic and um. It’s funny because my mother told me the other day that my fans were quite worried about me because I did talk about the fact that I was tested for Lupus. And the truth is I don’t show any signs, any symptoms of Lupus. But I have tested borderline positive for the disease. So, as of right now I do not have it, but I have to take good care of myself."
On the US Military Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy:
"It’s just there’s so many archaic things floating around in the government right now that are so misinformed and so, so wrong and I, it’s very confusing. It’s very confusing for young people, especially, you know, 14 year olds in high school who are getting sent home because they have t-shirts that say ‘gay’ on it, as if ‘gay’ is a curse word or somehow inappropriate. I just think that in terms of education, sexual education, political education and social education in schools I think it’s important to be specific about civil rights and a person’s worth. No person is worth any less than another human being based on their sexual orientation."
CNN tonight at 9 eastern. Note to you, however ... Larry King Live is not live. Well, that's obvious as these quotes were taken from from the interview you'll see tonight. I just wonder why CNN continues to call this show that name.
Maybe it reminds Larry to keep breathing.
The Fame and The Fame Monster continue to sell at an amazing clip. The other day when I was picking up my copy of Janelle Monae's The ArchAndroid and I convinced this 50-year-old man to buy both of Gaga's releases because I look like a regular middle-aged guy. I use my stealth gay persona to an advantage in situations like that.
Photo gallery from tonight's interview after the jumperoo, gang. Gaga's updating an Annie Hall look and getting Larry in on the sunglasses action. Check it out.
LA Times: Larry files for divorce from Shawn Southwick, claims irreconcilable differences. And she does the same.
America, Larry King will be single again soon. Ladies, who's lining up? C'mon, he's hot, he's a catch, he's ... well, the questions he asks you on dates won't be probing or tough to answer, that's something. And no worries about follow ups.
Maybe you go watch a softball game your first date, huh?
These former members, many of whom dedicated their lives to Scientology, allege that the leader of the church, David Miscavige, has used physical violence against a number of Sea Organization members. The church adamantly denies these allegations, and back up their denials with numerous affidavits and testimonials defending Mr. Miscavige and attacking those who are speaking out.
(...)
For the record, I just want to point out that this series is not about the beliefs or activities of the Church of Scientology. It is not about the religion or the vast majority of Scientologists. This series simply has to do with what some former high ranking church officials say went on within the upper management of the church, and what happened to them when they left the church.
So that's the focus of the piece, but of course nothing happens in a vacuum. No one is beating the crap out of Scientologists just for kicks and giggles ... so what IS behind the abuse?
The first thing I think of, as it IS a cult (a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader) is that they're pummeling people into submission, breaking down their value systems and rebuilding in a specific manner that reinforces Chuch teaching.
And that would more than touch on the believe and/or activities of the members of the Church.
So, why exactly is Cooper hedging? I dunno, but I will check out his reporting on this. I don't think anything he could say would be more of a hit to the Church than Kirstie Alley's A&E reality show is. I mean, she's certainly not a poster child for the good things that can happen to you if you believe.
Betty is everywhere these days, even in the minds of CNN writers like Lisa Respers France, who called me a couple days ago to get my comments on the illustrious career of that fab gal Betty White.
Read it at this link.
Watch Betty's Super Bowl ad with Abe Vigoda at this link.
And, here's a prediction for you -- Betty's new TV Land series with Wendie Malick, Val Bertinelli and Jane Leeves called Hot In Cleveland will be the highest rated debut in the history of the cable channel.
Trust your TV Junkie buddy Joe, bet the farm on it (if you can find a taker), this will happen.
While you're thinking about Betty, go look for the online petition asking Lorne Michaels to have Betty host SNL and sign it.
I did.
See the article here.
The answer? Fuck no!
Who's ahead of Jimmy in that line?
The Shamwow guy, the guy who's bedded most of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Snooki, Petri Hawkins-Byrd (Judge Judy's bailiff), my paperboy, your plumber (crack and all), Puck from Real World SF, the skinny model that hosts Top Chef Masters, the Ed Hardy guy (not Jon Gosselin but Christian Audigier), Jon Gosselin (what the hell, I already found the correct spelling of his last name), all the men named Dave Nelson that are on the US no-fly list, Ted Bundy, Verne Troyer, the "can you hear me now" guy, James Franco (if he'll do General Hospital he'll do anything), Li'l Wayne ... while incarcerated only because the buzz would be enormous if they shot the show in prison, Brody Jenner's eyebrow and chest waxer, Barney from The Simpsons (yes, even a drawing would be better), Chris who wears the leather harness from Craig Ferguson's show, Vicki the robot from Small Wonder (not Tiffany Brissette but the actual ficitional character, and by the way it's now on DVD), John Edwards (that fucking asshole), the ghost of Flip Wilson, 17 women named Phyllis Crumb from all over the UK, Adam Platt (food critic for New York Magazine and brother of Oliver), Dalek Caan, choreographer Mark Morris, The WWE's Triple H, Katie Price ...
... and me.
And then about 195,000 other people, and then Jimmy.
He asks at Facebook what we think about the allegations she made on Oprah yesterday.
I say:
Not a chance he'll read this on the air, so I thought I'd post it here, too.
Clip after the jump, for those out of the loop.
There are things that happen to people in this life we lead that I think should remain personal. It doesn't mean that person can't share ... with friends and family, loved ones, someone that can help, etc. ... but not the general public.
Funny, Larry Craig tried to have sex in an airport yet they still let him walk through, though I bet security guards follow him to the bathroom even if their on break, just to see what he'll do.
I would. I might even do a little tap dancing on the way, just to see if he noticed.
This ad, which takes place in an airport has been banned by the CNN Airport Network per this Houston Chronicle news item.
Watch it after the jump. I don't think it's sexy enough, actually. I think it has more to do with it using the airport motif. I think they just might be falling back on the sexy argument.
Continue reading "Video -- Pam's New PETA Ad Too Sexy For the Airport, Wanna See It?" »
You can always tell I've just been in the car when I mention Randi, it's because she's mentioned a story she saw "on the teevee" that she thinks I should see and this one is important for you to see, too, especially right now during this continuing debate over healthcare and the ridiculous charges from the conservative factions in this country that it will destroy your life as you know it.
(Because they love the status quo, it lines their campaign coffers. And not just them, you should be looking at the obstructionist Blue Dog Dems in the house as well. That's right, Mike Ross, Democrat from Arkansas, I'm calling you out!)
BTW, won't happen that way. When you wanna find out if a member of Congress is telling the truth on this issue, no matter what their party affiliation, just go look to see how much money they've taken historically from the insurance and medical lobby groups that fund their campaigns.
And look at where they made their fortunes that they spent themselves to get themselves elected. Remember former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)? His family ran a hospital corporation and took that money and basically bought him a seat in the Senate.
Back to this particular story, however, this is a Drew Griffin (former KCBS Los Angeles) report on the rental of a wheelchair v. the purchase of one. This woman's Medicare coverage rents this wheelchair for her and a rate so outlandish that someone should be arrested for the crime. The medical supplier, Apria Healthcare, is ripping this country off and they're doing so with the help of lobbyists, money, and members of Congress who set the rates for durable medical equipment.
This is why the President wants to convene this MedPac group to go over issues exactly like this one and make the system more cost conscience. That doesn't mean telling you you can't pick your own doctor (most of you can't anyway, you pick from a list provided by your insurer) and it doesn't mean Auntie Em's hip replacement will, as Dick Morris said on Fox Noise with Bill-O, go to a younger illegal alien.
It means that companies like Apria and others won't get to scam the gov't out of our hard earned cash.
Now, go watch the clip. It's post-jump. And be happy Bill Frist isn't the Senate Majority Leader anymore, because he can't do as much harm outside the system.
Continue reading "CNN Video -- "The Wheelchair Story," Hat Tip to Randi Rhodes" »
Thanks for coming over from this link at CNN.com. Click this link to subscribe to the blog by feed, and please bookmark the site so you can come back, over and over again, every day, without fail ... okay, whenever you get the chance will be just fine.
This is a place for TV talk with a certain flair, that flair being both mine (and not the same flair as Jennifer Aniston's character in Office Space wears on her waitress uniform) and yours.
Have a great time, respect people's opinions and join the party.
You are welcome.
Never seen Office Space? Well, you can at least see the scene where her character quits her crummy theme restaurant gig at this link.
Like other clips I post here, you maybe don't wanna watch this at work or with your kids.
More recent posts below, scroll down for all the tasty goodness.
Really? The guy who wrote Milk is now our political spokesperson? We have no one more heavyweight than that?
At least have David Mixner or John Aravosis or even someone that a lot of straight people know, but to have the Oscar-winning writer that's just been pictured on a popular celebrity blog (you know which one) having unsafe sex? (LINK)
That guy? Speaking for me and mine? Doesn't he have other things to do? Like buy condoms?
It's not that I don't like him ... hell, I don't know him. I just think we as a political force and a voting bloc need to come up with more and better spokespeople.
Why not just have Melissa Etheridge come back, she was on the show last week talking about how weed helped her get through chemo. Not that I watched all of it.
I allot 90 minutes a day for the consumption of TV news, and that's usually the half-hour BBC broadcast in the morning and then Maddow at 6 pacific. I don't have time for Anderson Cooper. If I had more time for TV news I would add Olbermann, not Cooper.
Anderson Cooper knows who the serious people in this debate are. Why isn't he calling them?
And dude, Ted Turner hasn't been a CNN principal for a very long time. So agrees TechCrunch.com.
I wouldn't want you to be driving all over Atlanta looking for him, either, since I don't think he's there.
And you know where Larry King is, he's more than likely living right by your house in LA.
Ashton, meet Richard Parsons, CEO of Time Warner. Betcha you can't get anywhere near his house.
If you haven't seen his clip, you might be the only one left on the planet who hasn't.
CNN's pumping this for everything it's worth. Check the clip after the jump.
There's not a chance this is all a setup, is there?
Like, either or both of them are seeing a little $omething from the Twitter guys?
Continue reading "Ashton, I Love Ya Man But This Twitter Thing is Gettin' Outta Hand" »
Campbell Brown's maternity leave is almost more newsworthy than her poorly named CNN show No Bias, No Bull.
Really, Campbell? You can marry a neocon and still get away with the no bias, no bull thing? Not with me, sweetheart. Plus.
I don't know if you were watching last month (I think it was last month) when Campbell Brown was chastising parents across the nation by saying this:
What I am about to say, I know, is controversial. And I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me. But as a mother, with a second child on the way, I believe this is vital to the safety of our children and must be said.
The verdict is in. There is no connection between vaccines and autism. And it is time that all of us get our children vaccinated.
You can imagine that those parents that believe there's a link between the two weren't too happy about that commentary of hers. I immediately thought of Jenny McCarthy.
And I also thought about all the studies that are funded by the groups who actually benefit from a ruling in them. I'm not sure this is one of them but if you read this CNN article about the findings I'll tell you this, if I were a parent with an autistic kid, this wouldn't placate me, either.
When I see mention of stuff like special courts and I see references to the 9/11 prompted Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, I get a queasy feeling.
Well, Jenny and Jim Carrey will be on Larry King tonight to argue their points of this issue, and I have a bit of the transcript of that for you to see below:
CARREY: When I invited Jenny into my life, I invited Evan into my life. When I first met Evan, it was like he was on another planet. I wasn't in the room. There was no eye contact, there was no response to dialogue, there was no response to affection. And over time, I witnessed Jenny pull Evan through the window of unconsciousness and isolation into our world where he is now a fully functioning person who can communicate, who can connect and this is through biomedical treatments, GFCF diet, and the therapies that she's talking about. So I believe that autism in my heart is preventable and treatable.
MCCARTHY: And treatable.
KING: Fully functional?
MCCARTHY: Completely recovered, Larry, completely recovered, and he's not the only one. There's thousands in this community that are getting better.
KING: Why did you go so public? You had an autistic child who got better so why are you here?
MCCARTHY: I could have hid and not said anything, and Evan could have blended into society. I made a deal with God, the day Evan was diagnosed with autism, I said if you show me the way, God, and show me how to heal my boy, I will continue to teach the world how I did it.
And within one year of that kind of conversation with God, Evan was undiagnosed with autism.
CARREY: But it's still shocking to see how many people are ignoring this information.
MCCARTHY: The AAP by the way has still ...
KING: What's that.
MCCARTHY: The American Academy of Pediatrics I begged and I have sat down with them and said why are you not sat down with our doctors and our scientists who are treating and recovering children with autism and they refuse to this day to sit down.
CARREY: You'd think there is any possibility that a child is being helped, that someone would live and someone would take a look. And the fact is they're not even considering the information, they're not only not considering, they're discouraging it.
KING: But you had a major effect, big story in the "L.A. Times" last week, the number of kids not being vaccinated in the public schools in Los Angeles . However at the same time, doctor friend told me today--mumps are up and measles are up.
CARREY: We are not saying don't vaccinate. That's the thing we want to get really clear right now with ...
KING: Let's make it clear.
MCCARTHY: Yeah, we're not.
CARREY: This is the thing. There's a lot of misdirection going on. We hear the Campbell Browns and people like this that are saying, you can't not vaccinate. No one has ever suggested not vaccinating.
MCCARTHY: Go back to 1989 schedule when shots were only 10 and the MMR was on that list. I don't know what happened in 1990, there was no plague that was killing children that we had to triple the amount of vaccines.
CARREY: What happened back in 1989 that warranted 26 more vaccines?
MCCARTHY: Greed.
Nice cliffhanger to leave on, huh?
I don't usually recommend anyone watch another other kind of news in the hour that my lovely Rachel Maddow is working, but I am allowing some of you to tune into this, but those of you with a DVR should do that and watch Maddow live.
This interview, obviously, is not live. But yes, the show is still Larry King Live.
If you didn't see that original Campbell Brown commentary, I have it in a clip after the jump.
And to even things out, a Maddow post with video coming up in a moment.
Don't think we didn't notice this, because we are sharp out here and we love looking at this stuff.
As you know, Campbell Brown married Coalition Provisional Authority spokesperson Dan Senor a while back and just left her CNN 8 pm show called No Bias, No Bull (amazing, she thinks it's true just because she says it, just like O'Reilly and Fox) so that she could push out the second spawn of Dan's.
And, that same day she left for maternity leave, Dan Senor reemerged from the shadows with a bunch of other shadowy figures that were responsible for the Iraq War (including stupidest man alive Doug Feith). Their new group is called FPI (the Foreign Policy Initiative) and their website is up and they are ready to once again take this country into the dumper with them.
Don't let it happen, instead be informed. Watch the Maddow clip below for all the details.
Oh, and while we're talking about cable news, did you notice how CNN is now #3 in primetime among its rivals? Even Olbermann's second rerun sometimes beats AC360.
And Maddow is again beating Larry King handily after they traded that #2 spot to Hannity for a while.
So as you might know I've joined and unjoined Twatter.
I think it's stupid. Not judging you, I just don't see a need for it. 140 characters? Please. I use more than that to say hi, and people love it.
Or I'm too large for them to tell me the truth, choose one.
Anyway, yesterday I went to delete the account and it told me I couldn't, which as funny as it was really pissed me off, so I made a point today of getting there and getting is done.
While I'm there my eyes drops down the screen to Anderson Cooper's account, and I read this: "Abducted in Mexico." And a link follows.
He wasn't abducted in Mexico, he was promoting a clip on the AC360 blog where Randi Kaye interviewed two people abducted in Mexico.
What a twit.
Won't have to read shit like that anymore, I'm left Twatter.
They can all twat without me.
Because Gregory House couldn't get past the vetting process. Some problem with him popping Vicodin all day.
And Dr. Cox (Perry) has anger issues.
HuffPo reports that CNN has been steering Gupta away from policy issues on air during this time when he's been under consideration.
More as it develops. Betcha he takes a huge pay cut to take the job.
HUGE!
Wolf talks about it in The Situation Room in a clip after the jump.
Continue reading "CNN Video -- Sanjay Gupta Tipped As Obama's Choice for Surgeon General" »
I know, because I saw it.
Homer woke me up at midnight when the neighbors started beating on pots and pans.
Hey, at least they weren't shooting guns straight up into the air.
At about 9:50 pm pacific time, while CNN was on their way to a commercial break, Kathy yelled to someone off camera, "I don't come to your job and knock the dicks outta your mouth."
Genius!
Problem is, though the second part of that sentence wasn't said on camera, it was heard.
There was a lot of other stuff, too. At 12:30 they cut to a remote of Li'l Wayne live in concert in Atlanta and it's the part of the show (well, it might be the whole show, I dunno) with girls on the pole and on all fours tilting their pelvises in very interesting ways while making sex faces.
Then Li'l Wayne gets the cue that he's live on CNN and he shouts out to Anderson Cooper and ...
... Kathy Griffin Lee.
Kathy Griffin Lee, as in Kathie Lee and Kathy Griffin merged by some strange and wondrous stem-cell procedure.
They cut away very very quickly from that and then to the Hinder concert in Duluth, GA, and right before they cut away from that, it sounded like the lead singer was gonna drop an F-bomb.
So, CNN was a pretty freewheeling place to be working last night.
Clip after the jump.
Or maybe just one of those. I really don't know how it's done anymore. The last time I put Vaseline on a camera lens, it was by accident.
Kidding, just kidding ... Ew.
I was hanging with Dad the other day watching his new 46" Sony Bravia 120 Hz XBR6 and we were watching Dobbs and while his graphics are sharp enough to cut steak on, Lou's face is an amorphous, ever-changing landscape of peaks and depressions ... behind gallons of the greasy stuff or yards and yards of the stuff that could be used to clean the greasy stuff -- or be wrapped around Lou's head until he looks in the mirror, thinks he's a Kuwaiti national and deports himself.
I would provide you with photographic evidence but I haven't figured out a way to do that yet. Just find someone with a good HD set and the CNN HD channel and look for yourself.
Note to CNN, there's not much you can do to make ol' Lou prettier. Why bother? No one tuning in is doing so because they're hot for Lou. I can be almost sure of that.
If you are, call 911 and get yourself some help.
And that's great. However ...
I am writing this directly to Sydelle Kramer, Silver's agent at the Susan Rabiner Agency.
Dear Sydelle,
First, love your name. One of my childhood friends had a mother named Sydelle (Hi, Ruth).
When your client Nate Silver goes out to the next round of TV interviews to promote anything, you must send someone with him, if only to dissuade him from wearing the glasses with the tinted lenses that do nothing more than accentuate the bags under his eyes.
Other items to consider:
a) Put a comb through his hair.
b) Posture, posture, posture!
c) Chin up (part of posture, but more than the spine. Dude was one of the stars of the 2008 Presidential Election that had BIG STARS! He should look like it)!
d) He looks better in a dark jacket. A light jacket, actually even medium gray, washes him out.
e) Has he thought about contact lenses?
f) A little voice training goes a long way.
I only mention these things because I wanna help. Personally I am even less TV ready, which is why I'm not on it, I just watch it.
If Nate's gonna be the face of his brand, he's gotta present better. People on TV, they're hot! Even on the news, look at Contessa Brewer, she's hot! Andy Cooper? Hot! And just recently on Facebook, a new group formed called Rachel Maddow is Legitimately Hot!
Just to look normal and not like something that just got pulled out from under a rock, you gotta look your best.
So, that's all I got. Good luck with the books.
Your TV Junkie,
Joe
After the jump, the clip where Nate looked the best was when he was on DL Hughley's CNN show on November 1st.
Just so Sydelle has some reference. Love that name.
If I wanted to see the person doing the remote broadcast in the studio, I would save the travel money and just have them report from the studio.
Hands down, biggest waste of money I have ever seen.
They are now a news organization adding special effects to the news.
Am I the only one out here that thinks this is disturbing? Do you need stuff like this to stay tuned? All I needed on MSNBC was my Rachel and Chuck Todd, though I enjoyed everyone else, too. No tricks, no gimmicks ... CNN might as well have set a pipe bomb off on their set for all the relevance it brought.
And, what's next? Those bombs dropped in the Middle East aren't loud enough? Let's pump up the volume! Not enough planes over Kosovo? Just CGI some more into the picture.
Jonathan Klein, how many international correspondents could you have paid for with what you paid for that technology?
Clip after the jump.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
Continue reading "Video -- Holograms on CNN, Did They Bring You News Faster or More Accurately" »
Which is fine, except that his name isn't Joe, he isn't a licensed plumber, he owes back taxes and he thinks Social Security, the second most popular Federal program after Medicare, should be dismantled.
Apparently, Joe is a tax cheat and doesn't want your Grandma and Grandpa to be able to afford to eat.
That's the kind of person that votes for John McCain.
But you ride this fifteen minutes, Joe. Go for it.
I just wish you would have used your real name, which is Sam.
Because us Joes are getting sick and tired of our good name being dragged through the mud.
Okay, so they didn't beat Fake News, but Fake News is ... well, fake news.
Jonathan Klein, how can you say CNN is post-partisan with Lou Dobbs leading off your nighttime lineup at 7 eastern? Are you high?
And since when is telling the truth partisan anyway? The facts are the facts, and the commentary is always noted as such.
And I'm sure viewers of the other channels can say the same, but I'm right.
And I have the clip from last night after the jump.
Armisen's SNL blog at this link (all props to VSCHS alum Fred).
Continue reading "SNL Update Thursday -- Fred Armisen Steals CNN's John King's Gig" »
I was just over at the new Facebook page Rachel Maddow is Legitimately Hot, created by Jonathan Rabunski (yes, a dude, but strangely not attached Facebook listing) and it got me thinking.
The guy who doesn't get enough props is above, he's T.J. Holmes from CNN.
I know that he's probably not caring too much how I feel about his hotness or the degree to which he is (a lot) but I'm puttin' it out there, anyway.
And let's face it, he's certainly hotter than AC. That's right, I said it!
Above is not a picture of Sarah Palin with Hamid Karzai. But it does sure up Palin's national security bonafides, after all it shows plainly that you can see Russia from her house.
Imagine that, the McCain campaign wanted the networks to come with their cameras to take pics of Sarah Palin with the world leaders she's meeting today in what can only be called a cram session. Not cramming her head with knowledge, so much, but cramming our heads with images of her with world leaders, which they say makes a candidate look more presidential.
CNN called it "speed dating with world leaders."
The thing is, they didn't want reporters reporting on what they heard, so after about 29 seconds with Hamid Karzai from Afghanistan, the campaign, possibly channeling McCain or Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace, tried to shoo everyone away, like an old man telling those pesky kids to get off his lawn.
The networks revolted.
The campaign plans to bar print reporters from the meetings, and to limit coverage to brief photo-ops for a still photographer and a television camera. The television stations, though, are objecting, noting that they have a policy of not sending cameras to cover events without a producer, who provided editorial guidance.
A stand-off has ensued, with the networks threatening not to send cameras. The newspapers are trying to get back into the act as well.
It is not uncommon for meetings with world leaders to be pooled, but in the past the McCain campaign has at times allowed print reporters and televisions producers to look in and report any color – or exchange of pleasantries, usually banal – that occurs.
Still wanna vote for angry old man with melanoma and sketchy chick from the meth capital of Alaska?
CNN with their report in a clip after the jump.
If you're a daytime cable news guy like me this will be the huge story tomorrow.
Get ready for it with ...
Your choice.
I'll be flipping between Ali Velshi on CNN and the rants of Jim Cramer on CNBC.
"The U.S. financial system is finding the tectonic plates underneath its foundation are shifting like they have never shifted before," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Equity Markets in Jersey City, New Jersey."It's a new financial world on the verge of a complete reorganization."
Ouch.
Those anchors at Fox might need to reapply their lip gloss two, maybe three times tomorrow.
The cost of being a journalist ... at Fox.
More about FBN in a clip from Brave New Films after the jump.
Continue reading "Tomorrow's Big News NOW!: Lehman, Merrill, AIG in Peril " »
I would have yesterday's numbers for you, but that candidate's forum the cable nets ran from Columbia University screwed up the sked.
According to our friends at TVByTheNumbers.com, Maddow was, as of Wednesday, still beating Larry King in the time period by a margin of 60,000 viewers and just destroying him in the news demos of 25-54 and 35-64.
More interesting, when you compare 25-54 numbers between Maddow and her lead-in Keith Olbermann, Maddow is outperforming him as well, by a decent margin. Click the link above for details.
And, btw, there was a Maddow show on last night, though it wasn't on the program grid and it came later in the evening. I only knew about it because Matthews had referenced it earlier in the day.
And isn't it nice to see Kent Jones get some airtime?
Because Air America made the boneheaded move of letting him go at the end of last year, despite his legions of devoted followers.
A particularly good ending to last night's show, too, which I have in a clip after the jump. It is must-watch time, folks.
Actually the name of his show is Larry King Live, but when you think of Larry King do you think live? Yeah, me neither.
In a noteworthy day, Rachel Maddow’s debut beat Larry King:
Larry King Live—1,381,000 viewers (383,000) (642,000)
Rachel Maddow Show–1,543,000 viewers (483,000) (723,000)
And sure, Hannity (and Colmes, worthless prig!) won the period, but most of their audience has fallen asleep in front of the set during Shepard Smith hours previously, so does that count?
AMERICAblog (John Aravosis):
And what pray tell did Campbell Brown (married to neo-con Dan Senor) ask?
While they imagined the scenario three nights hence, the delicate work of probing the story of Palin's daughter's pregnancy was expertly handled by Campbell Brown on CNN.
She questioned McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds in a persistent but respectful manner about Palin's qualifications.
"Foreign-policy experience has been a big issue because you guys made it a big issue," Brown said. "There's a feeling out there that you're not holding your VP pick to your same standard."
When Bounds responded by talking about McCain's experience, Brown stayed on point: "I'm asking you about her foreign-policy experience."
And, "give me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaskan National Guard," Brown challenged.
Bounds bumbled.
You know what? This is my last post for a while on the topic of McCain and Palin. It's just too easy. If you want to see how to vet a VP candidate, go to AMERICAblog, they are doing the job for McCain, and showing you why that campaign just didn't have the stomach for it. And how 'bout that Campbell Brown, throwing the RNC talking points out the window and actually doing some reporting? Betcha Dan watched in horror. HORROR, I tell you.
Today and tomorrow (with a second-part next week), Sanjay has Matthew McConaughey on his show (it aired this AM too early for me and it airs again tomorrow at 5:30 and 8:30 am eastern).
Dr. Gupta (as opposed to the other Gupta in my life, who by the way is a Cylon, don't tell anyone) and Matt talk about, and this is lovely first thing in the AM, the placenta and the happy couple's plans for it after the birth his new child with model girlfriend Camilla.
He says:
So, he's got that going on. I guess. Lovely thought.
Enjoy your lunch knowing that at least he's not gonna cook it up and eat it. People do. Here's a recipe.
And, while Dr. Gupta is nearby, Matthew might have wanted to get checked out to determine why it is that his upper-body repels clothing. Strange malady, it seems as if the shirts he wears just burn up on skin contact.
Drew Griffin works at CNN, he's an investigative reporter. In May, he ended up on the terror watch list. Why? Well, you know you're not allowed to know that. Hell, Drew can't even find out, and he's an investigative reporter.
You know what else happen a little while before the day Drew joined the many many many many many people on that terror watch list? He did an investigative report on the terror watch list and how many ridiculous names are on it.
Like Ted Kennedy, for example. Yeah, Ted's a terrorist. You would think with the whole brain cancer thing the gov't would do him a solid and take him off the list. Hey, what if the constant scanning and wanding at the airport actually gave Ted Kennedy brain cancer, has anyone thought about that?
Also, if you're a guy named Dave Nelson, any Dave Nelson, even my friend Michelle's husband, you're on the list, too. So are the Roberts last name Johnson, like the founder of BET, Robert Johnson.
So, if you're standing on an airport line behind a guy who looks like this guy pictured above, and he gets pulled out of the line, just know that you were standing behind a TV reporter who performed the high crime of doing his job.
I have clips (2) after the jump, one being Griffin talking about being placed on the list, and Keith's Worst Persons segment, which discusses it (though Bill-O the Clown wins the horserace).
I completely expect that I'll be on the list, too. If you don't see me in NYC in August, check the watch list ... but don't talk about it or you'll be on it, too.
Continue reading ""First Rule of Terror Watch List? Don't Talk About Terror Watch List"" »
Well, the first person he should tell that to is his boss, the Worst President EVER!
This is what Paul Rieckhoff from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America had to say about an example of this:
Blitzer's CNN report on this after the jump.This thing was not just staged, it was superstaged. In a disgusting display, the President again used our troops as political props in an event so scripted that it basically turned into a conversation with himself. I wish the White House had put this much effort into post-war planning when my platoon hit Baghdad. ....
When I was an Infantry Platoon leader in Iraq, I was interviewed by CBS 60 Minutes. As the tape was rolling, my commanding officer stood behind the camera carefully listening to my every word with his arms crossed. I knew it wouldn’t be fun for me if I strayed from the prescribed talking points. That incident was one of the motivating factors that led me to create Operation Truth--an organization that truly represents the candid voice of our troops and Veterans. The voices we heard today were neither candid nor representative. ... It was a shameful and misguided use of our military. The Commander in Chief has no right to use America’s sons and daughters as a defibrillator for his ailing Presidency.
Continue reading "Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen Says Troops Banned From Political Action" »
King, 74, and CNN extended their contract through at least 2011. His talk show, always one of CNN's top-rated shows, has run since 1985. King's deal was set to run out in summer 2009.
King's fate at CNN wasn't ever really in question even before word of the extension. But some doubt crept in two weeks ago with an article that claimed "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric might replace King at some point.
I think it's safe to say that Larry called his agent and told him to make this conversation about Katie taking his job stop. And to that agent's credit, he did the job.
Who is Larry King's agent? When I think of who might be Larry's agent, all I can see is the face of Swifty Lazar. but I think that's only because of the ginormous "practically a car windshield" glasses.
And c'mon, if there's no Larry King, where is the next stripper turned Playboy centerfold turned oil magnate's wife turned widow turned corpse gonna see her life discussed?
What happens when Larry outlives his audience? Does he move the show underground?
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