The most famous Rachel on TV today isn't the same one that made Jennifer Aniston a star. And it's Rachael with the extra "E" that's the syndicated star of a talk show that won the Emmy in 2008. But the newest Rachel on the air is MSNBC's plucky new host of her own show, Rachel Maddow. Like Aniston, Rachel Maddow's hairdoo is fashionable, and like Ray, Maddow's very personable. However, The Rachel Maddow Show is worlds apart from Friends or 30 Minute Meals/The Rachael Ray Show. Maddow is all about politics, current events and things that, by and large, are important. In some ways, The Rachel Maddow Show is a spinoff of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Maddow has been a regular sub for Olbermann, proving her prowess to MSNBC, and her show has a cushy spot between the first run of Countdown at 8 p.m. ET and the replay at 10 p.m. For the premiere episode, in fact, Keith appeared as Rachel's first guest -- a crossover from the end of Countdown where Rachel was interviewed in the last segment before the close. This was a smart move, sort of like a bridge from his show to hers, a bridge to somewhere if you will.
The new studio for Maddow has the quality MSNBC look, glass top desk, plasma screens, obnoxious -- but expected -- graphics on the bottom and bugs and flags reinforcing information as it's spoken.
Good luck finding a cable news channel sans all that mishegoss! Still, for Maddow, the splashes of color are soft blues and reds on a white backdrop with black frames, making it look almost like pop art, and it's pretty warm and friendly, on the subliminal level. After all the overt patriotism of the convention colors, I was relieved to see water colors instead of primary colors.
Like most news/information shows, TRMS is set up in a magazine format with features. "Talk Me Down" follows the opening top of the news segment, and it's Rachel's commentary/blog/editorial about a specific topic of note to her. It's her show, so she gets to choose. She does her spiel, then invites a guest to "talk her down." The blurring of the line between church and state was her debut issue, and I especially liked this line in her set-up. "Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, church and state are two great things that actually, really don't go great together."
Another feature is called "Mind Over Chatter" where Maddow goes inside an issue, dissecting it with an expert. In both these features, I was happy to see the talking heads invited on Maddow's show were not the same old faces that have been overexposed on the cable news shows. Fresh faces are a good way to go for Maddow.
Introducing MSNBC in-house Republican strategist and one-time presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "my fake uncle," Maddow engaged in a frisky "Point/Counterpoint" (remember from Saturday Night Live, "Jane, you ignorant slut") encounter. I don't know if this will be a regular bit with Buchanan, but the idea of Rachel one on one in a debate works. She's tough enough to go toe-to-toe without winding up in a shouting match.
The one feature that laid an egg was "Just Enough," a pop culture bit with Kent Jones. Eh ... needs work. Not nearly as funny as it probably looked to be on paper.
So, what's my verdict (which is the name of the show she's replacing)? Thumbs up (don't sue me, Roger Ebert!). Rachel Maddow is very smart -- a Rhodes scholar -- and you can hear that in her interviewing style. She packs a question with information, rarely sputtering or laughing at herself like Chris Matthews, for instance. She's got a high likability factor, probably a high Q rating, because I enjoy watching her and I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way.
Yes, the format is heavy on politics, not surprisingly, and Maddow is a left-leaning. However, that didn't stop her from taking shots at the Democrats in Congress, so perhaps she'll be an equal-opportunity critic when necessary.
One final point of interest -- Olbermann referred to Sarah Palin as a "Liza Minnelli in A Star Is Born." Umm, no, K.O. It was Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-09-2008 @ 10:58AM
0megapart!cle said...
Your joking, right? She is highly intelligent, witty, attractive, and experienced. Her sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with her success, and if you ever listened to her radio show, you would know how little she mentions her homosexuality. I would wager that the vast majority of her listeners don't even know she is gay.
As far as Obama, again, you couldn't be farther off-base. His speaking skills, vision for the future, and commitment to a different type of politics have contributed far more to his success to his skin color. In fact, I think he would be ahead double digits in the polls if he was white, as there are far too many people that just can't bring themselves to vote for a black man. His being a black man has certainly not been a net benefit to him.
9-09-2008 @ 10:13AM
willy the impeached said...
Yawn, another liberal at PMSNBC. It must be Tuesday. The media embarassment continues. As with Barrack Hussein Obama, or Keith "big head little brain" Olbermann, you lefties can never differentiate between actual intelligence and a simpleton that is very articulate.
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9-09-2008 @ 10:22AM
Lou said...
I know the difference...
Lipstick ? Right?
9-09-2008 @ 10:51AM
0megapart!cle said...
MSNBC can be very stupid, I'll grant you that, but the discourse on the channel is far more intelligent that what you will see on CNN, most of the time (GPS and the weekend Money shows are pretty smart) or, God forbid, Fox News, any day of the week.
Olbermann can lose control over his passions, sometimes, but yes, he is one of the smartest faces on television. As far as Obama, he has to be one of the smartest presidential candidates in a lifetime. Don't know what your talking about there.
9-09-2008 @ 12:06PM
Franklin said...
I'm not surprised, omega, that you don't understand what he's talking about. After that schoolboy-crush-type gushing over Olbermann and Obama, it's obvious you can't see the facts because you're head is too far up your frequently-violated backside.
9-09-2008 @ 6:31PM
Eddie said...
Leave it up to a diehard Republican to not only insert a gay joke, but also to characterize pointing out someone's intelligence as "schoolboy-crush-type gushing".
Sometimes, Presidential candidates can be judged by better standards than whether you'd have a beer with them, or whether you'd let them borrow your pickup truck with the confederate flag in the back.
9-09-2008 @ 10:18AM
Lou said...
I liked the show for the most part.
Big mistake putting Pat Buchanan on the first show, tho.
He's someone who is prone to interrupt Rachel back when they were both just "talking heads" and now that she's the host, he does the same thing.
I wish hosts had kill switches on any and all mics because its the only way to deal with some guests who can't resist the urge to take over the show
the end segment on her show reminds me of the worst part of Countdown. You just spent close to an hour trying to raise the level of discourse only to nosedive into Micheal Musto's latest Joan River's impression. Or Christian Finnegan going thru material he couldn't get on "the best hour ever"
to quote Obama.."Enough!"
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9-09-2008 @ 12:07PM
Franklin said...
Lou, I'd rather paraphrase another quote from Obama, " She's a typical white person". I'm sure that's what "THE (racist) ONE" thinks about Palin.
Omega, I'd agree that the vast majority of Maddow's listeners don't know she's gay. They're not very bright and easily enthralled by anyone with semi-decent speaking skills. A lot like the way birds and monkeys are easily enthralled by shiny things.
Oh, and Obama *might* be ahead in the polls by double digits, not if he were white, but if he had any substance to go with his snake-oil show. If his campaign were a movie, it'd be all special effects and absolutely no plot, but then again, that's enough for people like you, isn't it?
9-09-2008 @ 12:07PM
Jack Serious said...
Rachel Maddow's New Show on MSNBC starts off with mocking God and those of faith
At the end of Keith Obermann's show (ahhh, the remote control fell and accidentally changed the channel) he introduced MSNBC's latest leftist, Rachel Maddow, who couldn't wait to inaugurate her new set with some good old fashioned Religion Bashing.
Trying to knock the glow off of Sarah Palin, Maddow jumped at the chance to tell us how the Alskan Governor is a God zealot who, I guess, needs to be tolerated for her personal beliefs. But Maddow couldn't stop there, she had to turn Mrs. Palin's faith into fear mongering against those idiotic God folks who will surly ram GOD down her and her ilk's Godless (soulless) life. Maddow suggests that Sarah Palin can't distinguish God from Government and will (or maybe already has) use Government to promote Sarah's belief system. Surely, Maddow wants us all to fear those who are clinching to God. Her performance was complete with rolled eyes, giggles at our stupidity, and mocking expressions, but the real revolting part was when she had to drag out the old atheist cry, IF GOD'S SO GREAT, WHY HASN'T HE SOLVED EVERYTHING FOR US? This was all in the first few minutes of her debut.
Good job, MSNBC - why not just go to the source and have The George Soros Presents Aleister Crowley Show that runs nonstop?
If I can stomach it, I'll try to grab some exerpts from her show's transcripts at MSNBC (or as God likes to refer to it, HELL!)
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9-09-2008 @ 11:07AM
0megapart!cle said...
You do know that she has already tried to impose her religious views on others when she tried to get several books banned.
9-09-2008 @ 12:55PM
kenm said...
OmegaParticle:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157986/page/2
You should try reading something else besides lefty blogs and TVSquad.
9-09-2008 @ 12:26PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Omega:
You do know there's a lot more to that story, right?
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
That's not Drudge, or Fox...it's Annenberg.
9-09-2008 @ 10:52AM
chadwick said...
Allison:
Did you know McCain's ratings were way higher than Obama's at the conventions? I wasn't sure if you knew or not.
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9-09-2008 @ 10:57AM
Thom said...
Actually, a margin of 300,000 isn't considered large from a statistical standpoint. Nice try at distorting figures like most inept Republicans who probably can't count to double digits.
9-09-2008 @ 10:53AM
Michael said...
Wow, you hated the show? Then watch Fox News and shut the hell up. I am a liberal and I've never said a thing about Fox News. Why? Because I don't watch it.
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9-09-2008 @ 11:42AM
Jack Serious said...
Michael,
I'm not sure who you intended your "shut the hell up" to, but beyond it's disgusting tone of "only I get to speak," it's generally used by non-thinkers who prefer to stop discourse instead of extending it. It's a bit brownshirtish to me--is that how MSNBC viewers think? If you haven't heard, the whole "shut up," "sit down" era is over.
Sincerely,
Jack (someone you would never say that to in person without finding yourself sitting on your ass--which is why weasels like you can only express such bravado when you're alone on your computer.)
9-09-2008 @ 10:56AM
Thom said...
Wow, I always knew Republicans delved into the depths of utter whining and ineptitude whenever their sub-par worldview was threatened, but these comments are so over the top that I can do nothing but laugh at the sexist diatribe of willy the impeached or the infantile ranting of Jack Serious (who acts completely counter to his name). What next - is someone going to start claiming the flat earth is only 6,000 years old or that Sarah Palin isn't going to try to push her fundamentalist worldview on the larger public if elected as VP?
And to think...30 percent of this country thinks like this...no matter we are so behind other industrialized countries when it comes to educational standards. Elective stupidity is an American right that is so often adopted by the American Right. A pity.
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9-09-2008 @ 2:12PM
Michael said...
Jack Serious--wow. You called me a "brownshirt" and then threatened to kick my ass if you met me in real life? Have you ever heard of irony? And is that what you mean with your call for "extending discourse"?
Wait a minute--are you Chuck Norris?
9-09-2008 @ 10:56AM
Jason said...
Good first show overall. Material was easy to come by since K.O. had just interviewed Obama at the beginning of Countdown, so there was stuff to talk about there. I liked the titled segments, they create some measure of consistency if they follow that format, or at least if they have a whole bunch that can be brought out at different times, sort of like, well, Colbert(!)
The pop culture crap needs to go. It's barely watchable on Countdown (worse when Musto is on), so why make it worse here? How about let them do some kind of non-hard-news topic that will still have broader appeal. Olbermann could do a top sports story, you could talk about new (non-reality) tv shows, movies, fiction books, etc. But stop shoving this MTV, AI, E!, and other crap at us. Luckily it's only a few minutes on either show.
And willy, considering how unbalanced things are over at Fox Noise, this sort of lineup does create a little better balance in the cable news world. I can differentiate between intelligence and good speaking ability. Maddow has both, and individuals like BillO only have the latter. When he's able to read what's on the prompter.
Obama has both in spades, but McCain and Palin must be short on the intelligence part if they think we're going to fall for all their flip-flopping now. How twisted must the Republicans get to really believe that the failures of the last 90+ months weren't their fault? Lying to cover that up won't work. And neither will continuing to use Obama's middle name to imply some kind of terrorist/anti-American connection. Talk about not giving the respect and deference due to of one of our leaders!
It needs some slight tweaking, but Rachel has a good show here, and it's only going to get better in the coming weeks and months.
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9-09-2008 @ 11:10AM
James said...
I liked the show better than I thought I would. I love Rachel as a guest on the other MSNBC shows, but thought is lacked something when she subbed on Countdown and wouldn't make a good host. I was wrong. She was very good as the host of her own show. Also I thought for as short of a time they had to throw the new show together is was very well done.
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