TVSquad

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• The first chapter of the Burn Notice novel The Fix, by Tod Goldberg, is up at the publisher's site.
• Michael Ian Black has a new book coming out, and a really funny blog.
• Nancy Grace makes an appearance in Hancock?!
• Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra plays the full-length version of the Late Show theme.
• Rush Limbaugh vs. Bill O'Reilly.
• TV Guide has a short Q&A with former CNN newsman Aaron Brown.
• What is (or was) The Oaks?

One of my television guilty pleasures would have to be blooper shows. And my favorite bloopers are the news bloopers because 1) they're live, and 2) they involve something that is usually supposed to be so serious and controlled. This clip of Bill O'Reilly going ballistic isn't from a live broadcast, but it's still pretty great.

It's from his days as anchor of the syndicated tabloid show Inside Edition (he was anchor from 1988 to 1995). What's funny is that, even back then, when nine out of ten people you stopped on the street probably didn't have any idea who Bill O'Reilly was, it still looks like he was egotistical and ready to destroy anyone who disagreed with him or irritated him in any way. It's actually rather shocking, no matter how many times you watch, the moment where he goes from being really peeved to "oh my God he's going to kill the cameraman and the stage manager." I wonder how Sting feels about being the person who inadvertently set Bill off?

Full video after the jump! Looks like CBS forced them to take down the video. But trust us, it was funny.

Update: Here it is.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and long before Bill O'Reilly made a name for himself on Fox News cutting mics, gesticulating toward the camera and telling people to shut up, he was the host of Inside Edition and getting to the bottom of this strange new phenomenon called Super Mario Brothers. College Humor has the video, and a very youthful Billy bookmarks the segment. The stuff in between is typical Inside Edition pabulum, though I was actually one of those nerds who would call the Nintendo hotline to figure out how to complete different levels. Nintendo was about as far as I ever went, though. If you were to sit me down in front of a PlayStation or an Xbox I'd probably start crying from not being able to figure anything out.

[via Best Week Ever]

We know there's been an ongoing rhubarb between Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann for some time now. Apparently O'Reilly is so incensed with Olbermann that the mere mention of the Countdown host's name on his syndicated radio show will get you disconnected and banned from the show. On a recent show, a caller was able to say this much: "I like to listen to you during the day, I think Keith Olbermann's show --" before O'Reilly cut him off and then announced to the caller that his phone number would be turned over to Fox security. 

To be fair, I don't listen to Bill's radio show, so I can't say one way or the other how "serious" he was being when he did this. If any of our faithful readers happened to be tuned in to the show when this went down, I'd love to hear your take on it. 

[via News Hounds]

I may have to make a rare change in my viewing habits and actually tune into the O'Reilly Factor this evening. Tonight marks the first segment of "Bloviate with Bill" a segment in which regular joes (or janes) come on the show to debate Bill on any topic. The segment will air this evening and tomorrow evening, and then again on the 14th and 15th, and then once again on the 21st and 22nd. Six people were chosen to appear before the abrasive newsman by sending in e-mails explaining why they could hold their own against Sir William O'Reilly, who I decided to knight just now for no reason. We'll see if Bill holds back any with these "special guests" or if he'll come out with guns blazing per usual.