This is a picture of FOX News host Sean Hannity at the Yankees/Phillies game the other night (congratulations Yankees, blah, blah, etc). Ordinarily this wouldn't be a big deal, but it's who's taking the picture that makes it interesting. It's...Keith Olbermann! And Hannity is taking a picture of him, as the photo shows. No, they're not going to use the photos in some court case against each other, they actually get along (well, at the ball game anyway -- America's pastime!).
The "Balloon Boy" incident, the cleanest name I can give this monumental media f#*$#-up, sounded vaguely familiar to me. In fact, it sounded more like the setup to a classic joke with an incredibly unfunny punchline.
It seems the folks at Countdown with Keith Olbermann noticed that as well and turned the whole thing into another umpteenth retelling of the classic "Aristocrats" joke. If you're not familiar with the infamous joke about a family walking into a talent agent's office, search for it on YouTube. But don't come whining to me that your ears won't stop bleeding.
For regular viewers of Keith Olbermann's MSNBC show, the chemistry has been a little off for the past month. The reason was simple. Richard Wolffe was missing from the opening segment. Well, the missing man has been reinstated. Effective last night, Richard Wolffe was back on MSNBC's Countdown.
Talk about a mountain being made of a mole hill. Wolffe's exile had been prompted by a presumed conflict of interest. Wolffe's work load includes working with a D.C. public affairs firm called Public Strategies Inc.
It's not that she's not talented, successful or funny. It's just an odd choice, putting a comedian on the show that takes its goal of crushing losers' dreams on live television so seriously. It would evoke the same reaction from me if they picked Andrew "Dice" Clay as the new judge, if the Diceman was talented, successful or funny.
And besides, why do they need humor and comedy on such an otherwise serious show? There are lots of humorless, vapid and downright boring shows that are crying out for comedic interjection.
For a split second I thought that when Jimmy Fallon announced on the latest edition of "Beef Solvers" last night that the real Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck were going to come out on stage and do a funny bit about their ongoing feud. But I quickly remembered that those two guys really do hate each other and will never be up for any "let's make a funny cameo on late night TV" bit. They'll gladly savage each other on their own shows, but not together in harmony.
So Jimmy got two audience members to take their place. Let's see if Keith or Glenn mention this on their shows tonight.
Here's something that is going to take up most of your day.
Actually, it's not really new. It's an anagram site, and those have been popular on the web for years. But let's put a TV twist on it. As Whitney over at Pop Candy points out, David Letterman = Dead, Terminal TV. I don't happen to agree, but that's kinda funny. For the record, Jay Leno = Enjoy LA!
Paris Hilton = In His Patrol Jon and Kate = Ant and Joke (doesn't really make sense but somehow fits) Keith Olbermann = I'm The Rank Noble Katie Couric = Ciao! Irk Cute Who Wants To Be A Millionaire = Oh Wow! I'm A Brain On Satellite!
What can you come up with? Bob Sassone = So Base Snob
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.
There have been a lot of uneasy vibes floating around the offices of TV Squad HQ about the elevation of Family Guy to Best Comedy status by this year's Emmy nomination committee. I'm not speaking for the entire group, but it does feel a little out of place earning a nomination that even The Simpsons couldn't score in its 20 year history. It's like giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Michael Jackson for writing "Heal the World" and completely snubbing Nelson Mandela.
But no one is more unhappy about the news than pop culture's official lifeguard, Bill O'Reilly.
Walter Cronkite's passing didn't mark the end of an era in the TV news business. The era he helped produce and prolong died long before he did.
It's hard for me to ever imagine a time when people considered a major network news anchor as America's most trusted source for anything. Claims of bias and political persuasion being injected into every story with a meat syringe created a thick fog that made it very hard to cover anything with a modicum of honesty.
Cronkite, however, was the man people turned to when something blew up, exploded, imploded, launched, landed or any other number of descriptive verbs, because his goal wasn't to make news every time he stepped in front of a camera. His goal was just to report it.
Dan Patrick is taking his radio talk show to TV. Unlike his former ESPN comrade Keith Olbermann, Patrick will thankfully be sticking to sports.
Beginning Monday, August 3rd, The Dan Patrick Show will air weekday mornings from 9 AM to noon ET/PT on DIRECTV's 101 Network.
According to the network, the show will boast "an unpredictable, anything-can-happen format that will use Patrick's trademark humor and interaction with his production staff to create a unique blend of situational comedy and sports radio commentary."
In other words, he's just going to stick a camera in front of his radio show. And, considering that show is nationally syndicated across the U.S. and Canada -- including Sirius and XM satellite radio -- you can't blame him for staying with what works.
I sent emails to two networks officials to confirm this jarring claim. Jeremy Gaines, MSNBC's vice president of communications, responded that he is certain the entry is a "hoax" and that he and other network officials were working to correct it. The section on Olbermann's death has since been removed from the page.
The stunning news yesterday about the death of Michael Jackson conjured up many memories of the singer for me, as I'm sure it did for most people. For many of us, there was never a time when the Jackson Five and Michael were not part of pop culture. Little Michael and his brothers on The Ed Sullivan Show, their funky outfits when they sang on The Flip Wilson Show (much cooler than the Osmond Brothers!), Michael as the Scarecrow in The Wiz (a hideous movie, but he was quite good).
Well after leaving his brothers to become Michael Jackson, solo superstar, Michael hooked up with Paul McCartney for a couple of songs, "Say, Say, Say" and "The Girl is Mine." The latter was okay, but the former was terrific. They co-wrote it and it reached #1 on the charts in 1983. Those were the times when MTV really showcased music videos and the artists and labels invested in top-notch productions. It was, if you will, the golden age of music videos!
This clip from The Daily Show pretty much summarizes what's wrong with the cable news channels. And no, Jon Stewart isn't just dumping on Fox News here, he also goes after MSNBC for being obsessed with Rush Limbaugh and CNN for their insane i-Report/Twitter reliance.
Jimmy Fallon's first week on the job wasn't great, but it had some promising moments that showed the former SNLer was capable of doing good if he could just get comfortable in his new pad.
Fallon's exuberance for the job shined through, but his nerves sometimes seemed to get the best of him. That's natural. If I was the face of a multimillion dollar television show beamed to hundreds of thousands of people every night, I would consider my work a success if I could get through each show with a clean pair of shorts.
The host has come a long way in the last three months. He seems less nervous and more comfortable as the captain of Late Night, and it has made him and his show funnier. The cleanliness of his shorts are not known. I don't know anyone that close to Fallon's staff.
Every year, C-SPAN looks forward to a sharp boost in ratings while the White House press secretary cringes towards a sharp drop in approval points in the long shadow of the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.
It's a chance for the current administration to let their hair down and show everyone that they can take a good joke and stand some pointed criticism in the K-Street jungle. That should explain why the last Bush administration hired Rich Little to do their show in '07.
For regular viewers of Keith Olbermann's MSNBC show, the chemistry has been a little off for the past month. The reason was simple. Richard Wolffe was missing from the opening segment. Well, the missing man has been reinstated. Effective last night, Richard Wolffe was back on MSNBC's Countdown.
American Idol's choice of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge replacement threw everyone for a loop, even schlubs like me who don't watch the show. 
Here's something that is going to take up most of your day.
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. 
There have been a lot of uneasy vibes floating around the offices of TV Squad HQ about the elevation of Family Guy to Best Comedy status by this year's Emmy nomination committee. I'm not speaking for the entire group, but it does feel a little out of place earning a nomination that even The Simpsons couldn't score in its 20 year history. It's like giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Michael Jackson for writing "Heal the World" and completely snubbing Nelson Mandela. 
Walter Cronkite's passing didn't mark the end of an era in the TV news business. The era he helped produce and prolong died long before he did. 
Dan Patrick is taking his radio talk show to TV. Unlike his former ESPN comrade Keith Olbermann, Patrick will thankfully be sticking to sports.
Keith Olbermann! Come on down! You're the next TV celebrity whose death has been falsely reported on the Internet!
Jimmy Fallon's first week on the job wasn't great, but it had some promising moments that showed the former SNLer was capable of doing good if he could just get comfortable in his new pad. 
Every year, C-SPAN looks forward to a sharp boost in ratings while the White House press secretary cringes towards a sharp drop in approval points in the long shadow of the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. 
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
