Keith Olbermann: Cool or No?

[Loyal]

Good or bad, I watch his show from time to time. And I like it a lot. Keith is a welcome relief from the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity when it comes to news. I think I remember him being on SportsCenter in the early 90s, and he has a great sense of humor. :) Anyone else watch his show on MSNBC?

[SoCalDem]

1. Keith has a wicked sense of humor.. I like him

He quit his other show because the powers that be wanted him to do "All-Monica-All-The-Time", and he told them to shove it..

[thebigidea]

2. any TV head that throws in MST3K jokes is ok by me

[Cocoa]

3. the format of that show confuses me

I don't get the system of numbering the stories.

[Loyal]

4. Countdown

From least important to most important, if I understand it correctly.

[Cocoa]

7. I think there's some added complexity

I used to listen to Casey Kasem with no problems, so I can handle the countdown concept.

Unless I'm slowing down with age, I think Olberman has some kind of twist on it.

[calimary]

25. HEY! Welcome to DU, Loyal! Olbermann used to be the sports guy

on Channel 5 here in L.A. and he was quite the wit there, too. I rather like him. He was always nice and respectful to the underlings around him, which I appreciated. I suspect he's rather the liberal. Generally, I like him, and I definitely appreciated his bailing on the all-Monica format.

[Enraged American]

5. WHAT is he?

His show's OK, but I prefer Paula Zahn.

Is he a conservative? Does he make his political views clear or hint at them?

[thebigidea]

6. ok, now I know you're just an internet performance artist

you PREFER Paula Zahn? How can you possibly like a RW former-Faux spindroid?

And you call Rummy a "good defense secretary"?

the heck?

"Is he a conservative?"

No. Does this explain the preference for Paula Zahn?

[Enraged American]

12. What in the hell are you rambling about?

What's wrong with Paula Zahn? She was never on FOX, least not to my knowledge.

I started watching her show when I got tired of seeing O'Reilly bash my ancestors' country (France), and I guess that conditioned me to like the program. She never hints at her politics on it, and there are some decent segments and interviews.

If she's a wingnut, give me some proof.

I also feel a lot more comfortable watching CNN than a company called MSNbc which had Michael Savage bait his own race (Hebrew) and threaten gay people and Scarborough insulting the French.

Get off my back unless you can prove that Paula Zahn is RW and former FAUX personality.

[thebigidea]

17. snicker - you are soooo wrong

from her own BIO:

"Before joining CNN in September 2001, Zahn most recently was host of The Edge with Paula Zahn, a daily news program on Fox News Channel. She joined Fox in 1999 as anchor of its evening news, The Fox Report."

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/zahn.paula.html

"She never hints at her politics on it"

wrong. wrong. wrong.

Rummy's former PR flack Tory Clarke was just hired, err... "embedded" into Zahn's show - is she as decent as Rumsfeld?

[Enraged American]

20. To hell with her then.

I'll probably quit watching news TV altogether. It's driving me insane.

What do you think of Greta Van Susteren who used to be on CNN but moved to FAUX?

[thebigidea]

22. she's a Scientologist because she "likes their ethics"

Considering that I consider them probably one of the most evil organizations on the planet (ok, many notches below the GOP - but still in the top 20) - that should probably tell you what I think of her.

[calimary]

29. Oh, Christ, she's into THAT? Scientology, too?

Oh well, another black mark in the Paula book, in my opinion. But then again, I wasn't exactly a fan.

EEEEEWWWWWWWWW!

[thebigidea]

31. Sustern, not Zahn

Scientologists generally have that weird, spacey-eye look. Though in Greta's case, aggravated by even weirder surgery

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. She was hired away from Faux by CNN.

My saying: "Her head belongs to Faux but her A$$ belongs to CNN."





edit- KO is "cool."

[calimary]

28. Actually, I have a HUGE bone to pick about Paula Zahn, who WAS on Fox.

She had a prime time show on there before getting into a contract snafu with them when CNN came calling. I could be wrong about some of my recollections, but I seem to recall that she started negotiating with CNN and then Fox fired her upon finding out. She was an anchor out here in L.A. on one of the O&O's - I think it was CBS. I was never impressed, really. I remained on the fence until I saw her on Fox and that was sort of an AHA! moment for me. Cemented my disdain. Then she moved to CNN. Didn't matter much - she still had the stain of Fox on her so she was suspect in my opinion. And since then, she hasn't redeemed herself.

What buried her completely for me was the absolutely reprehensible way she treated this poor man whose son was one of the first casualties in Iraq. This was an African-American man who held up his son's picture for the camera and choked back tears, demanding that bush look closely at this picture and face the fact that he'd just sent this man's ONLY SON to his death. It was crushingly emotional and poignant. So he goes on to be interviewed by Princess Paula, who reams him a new one for being so confrontational toward "Our President." She openly questioned his patriotism on the air and also questioned how on earth he could say such things and attack bushie like that, and didn't he feel like he was being out of line and unfair. It was absolutely shameful!!! She had NO compassion or sensitivity to this poor guy who was mourning the loss of his only little boy. He was literally grief-stricken and sucker-punched by the loss of his son, and she attacked him like some foaming-at-the-mouth hyena! For that, in my opinion, she should be sent straight to hell.

As a former reporter myself, I found it absolutely unconscionable! Despicable! Lower-than-low! But hey, we love that blonde hair and those angular cheekbones, don't we? If I'd been her news director she'd have received a nice fat pink slip for that. It was horrifying. I sat there and watched in disbelief that ANYBODY could be so tasteless and callous in the face of this man's honest, deep-seated grief!!! It was horrid!!!

Dear Enraged American, maybe I'm going off on a tiny tangent, but for me, as a woman, as a mom, and as a former reporter, it's a HUGE deal! All my career, I was very conscious of this, perhaps too much so. But it was in the back of my mind WHENEVER I went out on a story, and had to stick my microphone in somebody's face after they'd been through some unspeakable ordeal and do the stupid-ass, lame "How do you feel" routine. I used to try and figure out ways to accomplish the same objective (getting the react or the soundbite or whatever) without being too intrusive and gauche and insensitive, and trying at the same time to respect and honor whatever predicament my interview subject was in. Sometimes you just had to show a little humanity! And to take this man apart on national - NO - INTERNATIONAL television in the MIDST of his grief - a parent's worst nightmare - and scold him because he wasn't towing the company line and being a red-white-and-blue rah-rah bush cheerleader was simply BENEATH CONTEMPT. Her ass would have been fired - probably ON THE AIR - by me if I'd been her boss at that shameful moment. It was another black eye in a continuing series of well-earned shiners in this business - which, by the way, I DO NOT miss.

And while I was never a fan of Paula Zahn's before that, AFTER that moment, I became a Paula Zahn hater. She may superficially look pretty, but inside, I find her rather hideous.

[thebigidea]

30. I saw that

and just about quivered with rage. Utterly despicable.

Thankfully, I have the idea that EA is not exactly, well - serious.

[Enraged American]

14. Oh, and

where the f--- did I say Rumsfeld was a good defense secretary? I said he's the scapegoat of the war because Wolfowitz, Perle, and Feith are the one's pulling the strings. He's a senile old man who did a decent job under Ford. Give him a break. Bush will fire him to look good, but it's Wolfowitz who should get lost.

[thebigidea]

15. wrong on so many levels

Please back up your theory.

Rummy is a crafty bastard, and one of the head neocon stringpullers. If you think he's doing Wolfowitz's bidding, you're a tad off base.

good, decent, ah - close enough.

Donald H. Rumsfeld is many things.

Decent is not one of them.

[Enraged American]

19. I can't back it up.

Just look at the guy. He's old and sucks at dodging questions (Dan Rather interview). He doesn't seem like he's 100% up there.

Wolfowitz on the other hand... Time Magazine said that Wolfowitz suggested using 9/11 as an opportunity to go to war against Iraq in 2001.

Wolfowitz was Assistant Secy. of State under Reagan (worst Repig of the last half century)
Rumsfeld was Secy. of Defense under Ford (best Republican of last half century)

Rumsfeld is an idiot and a tool in my view.

[thebigidea]

21. sucks at dodging questions?

have you watched ANY of the Pentagon briefings in the past few years? he had them practically saluting, eating out of his hand. I hate the evil fuck, but give the devil his due - he's a master spinner and a gifted dissembler.


"Wolfowitz on the other hand... Time Magazine said that Wolfowitz suggested using 9/11 as an opportunity to go to war against Iraq in 2001."

So did Rummy. One of the 1st things he did after 9/11 was fire off a memo asking for a link to Iraq to be found or something.

"Rumsfeld was Secy. of Defense under Ford (best Republican of last half century)"

what was he doing under Reagan? Shaking hands with Saddam and building a fortune.

"Rumsfeld is an idiot and a tool in my view."

your view looks over a brick wall. Hint: try not to post sympathetic threads about North Korea. Lessens the credibility.

[thebigidea]

32. speaking of people who suck at dodging questions...

[SoCalDem]

8. Paula????????

:puke:

[thebigidea]

9. c'mon, SoCal - she's got TORY CLARKE on her show.

very nonpartisan.
very professional.

zipper sounds, remember?

PRO JOURNALIST.

[Must_B_Free]

10. Whore

do you think anyone on MSNBC isn't a whore?

they all work for the man.

He plays a "good cop", I'm a cool guy, I'm on your side, so as to win your confidence, but in the end the whole thing is scripted and he is not the script writer.

I thought some of the stuff yesterday was diversionary from the steaming festering Bush scandals

[Enraged American]

16. Who's "the man"? n/t

[Uzybone]

11. Nope

the Bill Maher of MSNBC. Leans left but will bash anyone and say anything as long as it gets ratings.

[elfin]

13. Way cool

Rarely miss his show, and he rarely misses a chance to skewer Fox. He is cynical - more left than any other MSNBC - but if a Dem does something stupid, will not let it pass.

[kodi]

23. good umpire, calls 'em as he sees 'em.

and a wicked sense of humor. if more of us watched, his brand of news would return.

i watch him nightly.

[Seneca]

24. I quit watching SportsCenter after he left

I recently discovered 'Countdown'. Normally, my TV avoids Fox and MSNBC, but he I can tune into.

[rppper]

34. countdown is a good show...i enjoy it....

olberman calls it down the middle, but i think he is left leaning also. his barbs at faux are classic. i even like abrahms show afterward to some extent. but it's to bad they are followed by that un-convicted murderer/family values man scarborough...

[LyndaG]

26. He's Okay...

But, I feel he's more of a disgruntled Fox employee than one of "us." Does a little too much "Clinton Bashing" (in a feeble attempt to gain ratings, I suppose).

[KharmaTrain]

27. Best Thing On Cable...PERIOD

Olberman is such a breath of fresh air compared to either Zahn (formerly Faux and always a prima donna)and O'Reilly. Keith comes from the Lloyd Dobbins/Linda Ellerby School (anyone remember Weekend or NBC Overnight)...taking a different slant on the news and adding some humor to lighten things up.

I heard Olberman interviewed shortly after he left Faux Sports on why he left MSNBC (he was off the tube for a couple years)...and, yes, he couldn't take the All-Monica or the "Scandal Of The Day" approach that Cable had developed into (thanks to Faux). He thought he could go back into sports where things weren't as "serious" and tight...boy was he wrong. What Faux did to News it did twice as bad to sports and Olberman went into radio and did some stringing for CNN until MSNBC came calling again.

Olberman's like Letterman...he doesn't display his politics on his sleeve, but you don't have to read to far between the lines to see where he's coming from. Olberman definitely has little tolerance for Spinmeisters, but likes to toy with the likes of a Laura Ingraham or even a Coulter (who I'm certain is afraid to appear with him). His segements with Howard Fineman (call him a whore all you want) are some of the best inside anaylsis on the Tube and he brings on a lot of intelligent people devoid of the food-fighting.

There's a ton of Pop Culture references all over the broadcast (big bonus points here) and a definite focus on us Non-Angry White Males. Olberman knew to put the death of Robert Palmer ahead of George Plimpton, but treated both for the contributions they made to our culture. Also, it was Olberman who brought out the tape showing Powell saying Saddam wasn't a threat in 2001 and punked the stupid moron in Vegas who claimed he was running a naked paintball ranch (Faux went wild with this thing)...Olberman showed the guy to be a total fraud.

If I'm not mistaken I saw a thread by a DU'er who said he's in touch with Olberman and that he's trying to carefully build up the show and the audience...to be a counterbalance to the right-wing shrill-fests...and the times may be working for him. I sure hope so!

[grasswire]

33. not enough Dems watch him

He told me in an email that if more Dems would watch, the news execs would give him full control over the content. So watch him, and let the network know you do!

[e-mail]

[UTUSN]

35. Kewl, BUT, (from Primary Colors)

"We saved your ass. Don't go breaking our heart."

[mot78]

36. Definately

Olbermann's a lot better than Bill O'Lier-ly.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

37. i like what i see and hear from him.........so far