If you're playing a TV news drinking game wherein you and your dumb little buddies have to do a shot every time someone posts fake footage or film for a story, you might want to think about switching to Tang.
Now MSNBC's Morning Meeting has been caught dipping their hand in the Photoshopping jar when they aired rather obvious fake photos of Sarah Palin while doing a diss-session on the former VP candidate and her never ending book tour. Seriously, why is there this much coverage over one book? Even The Never Ending Story has an ending.
Dylan Ratigan issued an official apology to the viewers, Palin and her family for "mistakenly" using the doctored images. He also said he and the network took the weekend to ensure this would not happen again. I guess that means there's one less email forwarding fratboy on MSNBC's research payroll now.
FoxNews-related stories
MSNBC also apologizes for using wrong Palin footage
Cheech and Chong and ... Ann Coulter?!?
First there was the Lincoln-Douglas debate. Then came the Nixon-Kennedy debate. Now Fox News' Geraldo Rivera continues that great American tradition of the public debate with the Cheech and Chong-Coulter debate.
It might sound like the world's most lopsided episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, but the world's most famous pot comedy duo squared off against the famed conservative pundit on Rivera's "Geraldo at Large" show recently to discuss the opening of the country's first cannibus club in Portland, Oregon and the legalization of marijuana. Despite the craziness of the casting, they actually have a very frank, civilized and enlightening discussion on the subject.
It might sound like the world's most lopsided episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, but the world's most famous pot comedy duo squared off against the famed conservative pundit on Rivera's "Geraldo at Large" show recently to discuss the opening of the country's first cannibus club in Portland, Oregon and the legalization of marijuana. Despite the craziness of the casting, they actually have a very frank, civilized and enlightening discussion on the subject.
Sesame Street's 40th: Five biggest controversies
Sit a kid in front of a TV for an hour a day and a parent is bound to find something that offends them, other than the fact that plopping impressionable minds in front of a TV unsupervised is considered "good parenting."Sesame Street is no stranger to controversy. Critics, cynics and crybabies have called out the show on everything from questionable behavior to the ambiguous situations...of puppets. Of course, all of these complaints and cackling criticisms just scratch the surface of a much bigger issue that has largely gone unaddressed: the total loss of our sanity and grasp on reality.
So as we look back at the last 40 years of television's greatest children's show, we see some speed bumps along the way. These are the ones that caused the greatest loss of tire pressure.
Continue reading Sesame Street's 40th: Five biggest controversies
PBS ombudsman criticizes Sesame Street for 'POX News' joke
Poor Oscar the Grouch. Not even PBS' ombudsman will cut him a break. No wonder he's so grouchy. Well that and he lives in a garbage can. That would make me more than a little perturbed.
A clip of a two-year episode of Sesame Street popped up on YouTube thanks to conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart's on his Big Hollywood blog in which Grundgetta, Oscar's girlfriend, makes a crack about "POX News" that sounds very close to "FOX News." PBS' ombudsman Michael Getler said while the name could be construed as a "clever and appropriate title" to the "Grouch News Network," the joke about the reference "should have been resisted.
I was shocked when I saw it. Oscar the Grouch has a frigging girlfriend?!?
[via Popeater]
A clip of a two-year episode of Sesame Street popped up on YouTube thanks to conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart's on his Big Hollywood blog in which Grundgetta, Oscar's girlfriend, makes a crack about "POX News" that sounds very close to "FOX News." PBS' ombudsman Michael Getler said while the name could be construed as a "clever and appropriate title" to the "Grouch News Network," the joke about the reference "should have been resisted.
I was shocked when I saw it. Oscar the Grouch has a frigging girlfriend?!?
[via Popeater]
Glenn Beck don't come cheap
If your town wants to honor Glenn Beck with his own day, you better check the cushions in the couch for change and start taking up a collection. The mayor of Mount Vernon, Wash. recently gave Glenn Beck his own day, and the taxpayers will now have to fork over more than $17,000, most of which was for police overtime.
Where are the teabaggers when you actually need them to protest unfair taxation without representation?
Ann Coulter has the most annoying voice ever
I don't fit neatly into any one political category. There are things I like about the Republican party and things I like about the Democratic party. I watch Fox News and CNN equally, and there are talking heads on both networks that I like and don't like. I will say this, though: Ann Coulter has one of the most annoying voices on TV right now. It's hard to listen to what she's saying, because her whiny voice is so distracting. Sometimes when I'm just listening to her but not watching her, I almost expect to look over at the TV and see a cartoon character droning on about ... whatever.
I don't watch Saturday Night Live regularly, but surely someone must have spoofed her by now. With her nasal voice, hair fixation, and political opinions, she's like a skit waiting to happen.
Aside from their political views, what other commentators just bug the heck out of you? (Yes, I realize I'm going to be in the eye of the storm here; keep it as clean as possible!)
Is Kimmel pulling a Letterman?
It's official, "pulling a Letterman" means sleeping with a co-worker. Why? Because I said so. It seems that ABC's late night host Jimmy Kimmel has been in a relationship with a member of his staff as well. This time, the host has been dating the show's head writer Molly McNeary for "several months."
This forced Fox News to pose the question if Kimmel is "pulling a Letterman" and ask if he should be forced to apologize on the air to Ben Affleck. That normally would be hilarious if Fox News didn't handle all of their news with the same level of integrity and tact.
And yes, I'm jealous they came up with that line first.
Beck can't explain his own explanation about Obama
Every time I watch a TV talking head like Glenn Beck, I usually walk away with the same thought I had every time I walked out of my economics class in college: "What the hell were they talking about?" That's because there isn't anything journalistic or scientific about their pontifications. It's all "gut talk," particularly Beck who throws around more wild and unfocused theories about the ongoing war between "us vs. them" than a homeless preacher in a bus station. Chances are if you actually sat down and simply asked him "what did you mean by (x)", he would give you a 1,700 word answer that answered everything but the question you asked him.
Continue reading Beck can't explain his own explanation about Obama
ABC's John Stossel moves to Fox
You might think it's surprising that 20/20 anchor John Stossel is leaving ABC for Fox, but it's not really much of shock. It seems to me that there have been other high profile names that were once considered liberal firebrands -- Geraldo Rivera and Dennis Miller come to mind -- who've grown older and changed their stripes, finding a home at Fox. Stossel, whom I recall as a staunch consumer reporter and a man who liked to tear down hypocrisy at every turn, has been a regular at ABC News for nearly three decades. Now, he's moving on to Fox Business Network where he'll have a weekly show, and Fox News where he'll make frequent guest appearances.
Continue reading ABC's John Stossel moves to Fox
Hi I'm Keith Olbermann, welcome to Jackass
The Los Angeles Times made a rather humorous error in their TV listings and some, depending on what they personally think of MSNBC talking head Keith Olbermann, may not have noticed the difference. Their TV listings for Thursday listed Jackass in the time slot where Countdown with Keith Olbermann should have been. The paper issued a correction the following day, disappointing thousands of easily hammered frat boys (including me) who thought MTV's nightly cavalcade of nut shots and poo fights had returned to television on another network.
Olbermann was OK with the mistake until one of the paper's bloggers used it as a political parry against him and his network. That launched the MSNBC host into a personal tirade against the blogger and anything else that happened to saunter into the path of Olbermann's angry spittle cannon.
Continue reading Hi I'm Keith Olbermann, welcome to Jackass
Did Fox make Beck back off?
Even though the sudden pull out from several sponsors hasn't caused Fox to prematurely eject Glenn Beck from his time slot, he was suspiciously absent from the airwaves this week. Some suggest this Beck-free week wasn't just a much needed vacation for the host, or for the viewer for that matter.
TVNewser spoke to some Fox insiders who claim the network ordered the silver haired devil to take a week off so some of the heat over his advertising boycott could die down.
Continue reading Did Fox make Beck back off?
Glenn Beck running out of sponsors
When a company does business with the likes of Glenn Beck, the saying "What you see is what you get" could not be more appropriate to the situation. That's only because "Crazy is as crazy does" really isn't a saying.
Some of the show's sponsors are learning that lesson a little late in the game now that they have started pulling their ads from Glenn Beck's Fox News show in the wake of comments he made regarding President Obama's rampant racism.
Continue reading Glenn Beck running out of sponsors
Olbermann, O'Reilly told to end personal feud, which just creates another feud
It seems the never-ending feud between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly has become a kangaroo boxing match. The worst thing you can do is get in the middle of it. That's exactly what the parent owners of Fox News and MSNBC tried to do when they arranged a "cease-fire" between them and their top-tier shows' "lieutenants."
The cease-fire, however, didn't last long. It's another case of the ol' Rufus T. Firefly conundrum for peace. Either side might be willing to do whatever it takes to end this war, but they've already paid two months' rent on the battlefield.
Continue reading Olbermann, O'Reilly told to end personal feud, which just creates another feud
Would you pay to watch Bill O'Reilly online?
Rupert Murdoch thinks so. In fact, he's betting that folks will pay to watch all of his television properties on their respective websites.A friend of mine once suggested something like this. Basically, news would be free, but premium content online would come at a cost. Sort of like how stock quotes are delayed 20 minutes unless you pay a premium to see the prices instantly. And those with extreme political opinions, like sports fans, would pay any price to see their favorite commentators/players do their thing.
Continue reading Would you pay to watch Bill O'Reilly online?
Fox & Friends call shenanigans on Obama...for his beer choice?!?
Morning news shows are a goldmine of cringe-inducing moments and epic fail goodness. The title alone makes me laugh because only half of it is accurate due to the fact that it airs in the morning. By far the unintentionally funniest show is that morning cup of crazy on Fox News, Fox and Friends. They truly cover news stories that no one else does as their on-air promos suggest because no one in their right mind would consider it news. I'm finally starting to understand Walter Cronkite's distrust of the 24-hour news network model: you'll call anything news to fill time.
Hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade actually took President Barack Obama to task for ordering a Budweiser instead of an American-brewed beer during his recent "Beer Summit" with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley.
Continue reading Fox & Friends call shenanigans on Obama...for his beer choice?!?
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
