We'll have a lot of season premieres coming up in the next few weeks, but I would say that tonight is a big night, too. Not only do we have the season opener of Gossip Girl on The CW, we also have the long-awaited debut of The Jay Leno Showon N "we don't have scripted shows at 10 anymore" BC.
What are you going to watch? Lincoln Heights and Greek? Monday Night Football? One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl? Or are you going to watch something on cable or the news? Or maybe DVDs/DVR stuff you haven't watched yet? Will you give Leno a try?
I haven't watched MSNBC since my cable company took it off the basic digital package I have, and between the bizarre Keith Olbermann/Chris Matthews feuds and stuff like the video below, I might have to upgrade. It's from yesterday, when David Shuster and Tamron Hall were interviewed by a New York reporter about a story she wrote. It gets very odd. If she couldn't hear them, how did she answer so quickly? And if she was reading the screen and answering some questions, why not answer the others?
Yesterday we had a poll asking you what your favorite news channels/news sources are, and a few readers wondered why we didn't include The Daily Show and/or The Colbert Report as a poll option. Well, I could say it's because, well, they're comedy shows and you still have to know the news to get the jokes, but the truth? I kinda forgot.
So here's a clip from last night's Daily Show, with Jon Stewart talking about the crazy media overkill when it comes to covering Obama's first 100 days. (Video here if you can't access what's below.)
Shep Smith is one of my favorite people on television. He's always entertaining, informative, fair, and (yes) balanced! He's also a great source for those priceless "live news" moments that make for great video fodder. Here are a few of my favorites, including a new one where the F-bomb is launched (PopEater has even more Shep goodness).
Tracy Morgan's real-life antics have been well-documented and have even made it onto 30 Rock itself. At one point, Tracy Jordan was wearing a ankle monitoring bracelet just like Morgan had to. Now another real-life episode is going to make it onto a 30 Rock episode, and this time there's video.
In 2007, Morgan appeared on WGN to not only plug his show but also a stand-up performance he was going to be doing in Illinois. I have no idea if he was buzzed or if he was...well, just Tracy being Tracy, but it's funny. The clip is going to be shown on the April 23 episode of the NBC show. They probably won't show the whole thing but it will be edited to fit into what I'm sure will be a crazy plot involving Tracy Jordan.
Please note that at one point, Morgan crawls up on the anchor desk in front of the news team, lifts up his shirt and makes his stomach go up and down.
This morning, for some reason, I had the CBS Early Show on. I wasn't watching it per se, until I started noticing a somewhat disturbing trend. I'd picked up on it during my local news broadcasts as well, but this was the first national news program I'd seen it on (no I don't watch Katie Couric or Brian Williams, that's what the internets are for). Every single story or topic they covered involved some mention of the bad economy and the recession.
It started with a segment about singles finding love. Harmless enough. "In these tough economic times, is it possible to find love without spending a lot of money?" "Oh yes" blah blah blah. That went on for way too long talking about budget dating and how you can't judge a person for being unemployed and it's about their heart not their wallet. Okay, fair enough. But then we lead to the next segment. Cooking with Chef Boy-R-Dee or whatever and it's how to make meatballs on a budget. Because in these tough economic times who can possibly afford meat and pasta sauce?
They passed the torch on NBC yesterday. After weeks of speculation, it wasn't either Ted Koppel or Rachel Maddow that received the choice assignment. Nope. It's David Gregory who'll take over Meet the Press -- effective immediately. On Sunday morning's broadcast, interim host and NBC anchorman emeritus Tom Brokaw made it official by officially letting the world know it was a done deal by presenting Gregory on air.
Apparently, some at NBC were miffed that this information was leaked last week, spoiling the big surprise today, but really, there wasn't much suspense. Joel wrote about it. The selection of David Gregory is a safe, solid and somewhat staid choice.
Earlier this week, I was watching the CBS Evening News while I was at the keyboard. That means I wasn't really watching the TV screen; I was listening to the tube while working on the Mac. Therefore, I didn't even notice that Katie Couric had a new haircut. Then, from the other room, my husband called to me and asked what I thought. "Thought about what?" I answered.
That was how I heard the "big" news that CBS anchor Katie Couric has a new look. Really, what does it matter? Why should it matter? She's presenting the news, not selling hair gel or mousse, right?
No one is safe from the snarky and sarcastic jabs of the blogger's literary Uzi. If they've got you in their laser-scope sights, nothing on God's green Earth is strong enough to stop them.
But not all publicity is bad publicity. In some cases, it's revived the careers of celebrities who flopped out of the spotlight like so much unsupervised fish. Rick Astley wouldn't have had the chance to perform during the last Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade if the Internet hadn't turned his ear-drum-grinding song into an ear-drum-grinding Internet prank. Chuck Norris wouldn't have become a born-again celebrity, columnist, and media pundit without a certain web site making him sound like he could kick God's ass unless God has Chuck Norris' fists.
Now another blogger has another target in their sights, giving an overlooked celebrity who is on TV just about every night the rare chance to swing the spotlight on them with a simple pull of the trigger. And it's not NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams. It's NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams' ties, thanks to high school English teacher Nancy Donnelly and her popular blog, the Brian Williams Tie Report.
I'm almost afraid to watch the news anymore. Let's face it - there's awful, horrible, tragic news everywhere, and most of the time, that's what the networks focus on. Are they TRYING to get us all depressed? Because it's working!
"Even with the economic crisis and the problems that affect so many people, we're trying to show that people can make a difference, both big and small," said World News executive producer Jonathan Banner.
The continuing adventures of Anderson Cooper, Mr. Magoo and the magic board. 10:20: They've moved out to the lawn in Phoenix. The atmosphere there is quite a bit more, uh, subdued than in Chicago. 10:19: Yikes. Dana Bash looks more and more depressed each time they show her. She's reporting that McCain's camp has given up. 10:08: Wolf Blitzer: "Arkansas. Put that in John McCain's column right now." Is it wrong that that made me snicker? It doesn't even make sense! 9:59: Iowa was just called for Obama, and Anderson Cooper just asked what they're going to do when he gets to 270 electoral votes. "We leave!" was the reply. We'll see if that actually happens. Could we have an empty eleciton center soon? Check back for more coverage! 9:55: Roland Martin compared the Obama supporters in Grant Park to Lollapalooza. Meanwhile, back at the Biltmore, an unidentified old man is wandering around aimlessly on stage.
Now that Senator John McCain is doing the most important thing in his campaign to become the 44th president of the United States, agreeing to appear The Late Show with David Letterman, I think we can say that the Straight Talk Express is on the way to being back on track.
It was inevitable, and really, really necessary, for McCain to fix this problem with Dave. McCain was the butt of the joke for nearly three weeks and it hasn't helped his campaign. Appearing Thursday should do a lot to ameliorate his image and in every way it can only be a win-win for McCain and Letterman.
I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about The Colbert Report when it first started. I thought it was a great show, I just wasn't sure how long it would last because Stephen Colbert was doing a character, and I thought the character would become tiresome after a few months (at the most). But here we are a few years later and if anything, Colbert's show has become just as "Must-See" as The Daily Show. Maybe even a little more. Every single episode is very, very funny, including last night's, where Colbert introduced a new reporter, Larry Wolf Olberado Doocy 360.
As you can probably tell, it's an unholy mix of various cable newsmen (but no women!), including Larry King, Wolf Blitzer, Keith Olbermann, Geraldo Rivera, Steve Doocy, and Anderson Cooper. Just in time for Halloween, I think. Video of the segment is after the jump.
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.
According to Reuters, CBS is trimming its staff "amid a tough media environment and declines in television and print news outlets." According to the article, CBS is cutting one percent of its 1,200 employee workforce, including the news division. This includes many layoffs for anchors and reporters, including several who supposedly make salaries in the millions of dollars.
Most interesting is the observations of Barrington Research analyst James Goss: "My sense is that the layoffs extended to some high-priced and highly visible local talent with an eye toward applying some of the same return on investment-focused expense disciplines that started at the network level."
We'll have a lot of season premieres coming up in the next few weeks, but I would say that tonight is a big night, too. Not only do we have the season opener of Gossip Girl on The CW, we also have the long-awaited debut of The Jay Leno Show on N "we don't have scripted shows at 10 anymore" BC. 
Tracy Morgan's real-life antics have been well-documented and have even made it onto 
This morning, for some reason, I had the CBS Early Show on. I wasn't watching it per se, until I started noticing a somewhat disturbing trend. I'd picked up on it during my local news broadcasts as well, but this was the first national news program I'd seen it on (no I don't watch Katie Couric or Brian Williams, that's what the internets are for). Every single story or topic they covered involved some mention of the bad economy and the recession. 
They passed the torch on NBC yesterday. After weeks of speculation, it wasn't either 
Earlier this week, I was watching the CBS Evening News while I was at the keyboard. That means I wasn't really watching the TV screen; I was listening to the tube while working on the Mac. Therefore, I didn't even notice that 
No one is safe from the snarky and sarcastic jabs of the blogger's literary Uzi. If they've got you in their laser-scope sights, nothing on God's green Earth is strong enough to stop them. 
I'm almost afraid to watch the news anymore. Let's face it - there's awful, horrible, tragic news everywhere, and most of the time, that's what the networks focus on. Are they TRYING to get us all depressed? Because it's working! 
Now that Senator John McCain is doing the most important thing in his campaign to become the 44th president of the United States, 
I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about 
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, 
According to Reuters, 
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