Cronkite Successor: O’Reilly or Stewart? (Steve In Ink: Philly Inquirer)
YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN (Philadelphia Inquirer)
As Walter Cronkite - the last “most trusted newscaster” - passed on to that great newsroom in the sky, joining the other most trusted newscaster - Edward R. Murrow, who coincidentally recruited Cronkite to CBS - Time Magazine released a poll naming Jon Stewart, of Comedy Central’s Daily Show, America’s most trusted newscaster.
In a New York Times oped, Frank Rich opted that Stewart was not one properly positioned to hold that title.
How many of those with similarly exalted perches in the news media today — and those perches, however diminished, still do exist in the multichannel digital age — will speak truth to power when the country is on the line? This journalistic responsibility cannot be outsourced to Comedy Central and Jon Stewart.
But Rich’s belief is embedded in what used to be, not with what newscasting has morphed into; media Read more
Scarborough Hired as “Daily Show” Head Writer
After a week of using various Joe Scarborough video on his Daily Show, Jon Stewart decided to take the natural next step. He hired him.
“With Bush out we were starving for a consistent source of hysterical content,” said Stewart. “We thought we found it with Jim Cramer, but he was just too much of a loose cannon. Then Joe Scarborough shows up and nothing our staff came up with provided as much killer stuff as Joe was giving us. We first thought of hiring the Morning Joe writers until we found out that Joe was coming up with the gags himself.
Stewart says he was impressed with Scarborough’s ability to come up with a new bits at the drop of a hat, tee it up and knock it out of the park.
“In one week he gave us the satirical shilling for their new sponsor, Starbucks, including a hysterically spoofy fawning interview with Starbuck CEO, Howard Read more
Evening At The Tucker Carlson Improv
“To call me a partisan hack is ludicrous. I am the least partisan person I know.” Tucker Carlson, (CNN’s Reliable Sources, 3/15/09)
And they say that conservatives don’t know satire. Oh, excuse me. Carlson is a Libertarian. A Libertarian is a conservative who wants to do standup. I know. I wrote the comedy material for the Libertarian presidential candidate, Bob Barr.
As part of his attempted comeback to pundit hilarity, the fired CNN co-host, fired MSNBC host, Tucker Carlson has hit the political cable and news circuit with a hysterical routine on Jon Stewart’s take on CNBC’s (and media-in-general) lack of oversight of big business and the stock market. I hated to give away his best punchline - “To call me a partisan hack is ludicrous. I am the least partisan person I know” - so soon, but when you have prime rib comedy you don’t save it for dessert.
I was waiting for Tucker to go Rodney Dangerfield.
“I tellya, Kurtz, I get no respect. No respect, I tellya.”
Tucker had plenty more bullets in his frivolity belt.
“Jon Stewart is a Read more
Hey, Stewart! Lay Off AIG, Madoff and Cramer
(Left - Jon Stewart interviews Jim Cramer)
Has America gotten so callous that we no longer appreciate the fine art of securities fraud?
Am I the only one who’s sick and tired of having pundits and holier than thou’s demeaning the missteps of those who did what we all know we would have done if we were in their very expensive shoes?
It seems that everyone is taking some kid of perverted joy from watching these powerful entities fall. Folks, we’re only talking about money here. It’s not like anyone is dying, except maybe for those who are so distraught about losing their jobs, watching their pensions dissolve or their family fall apart, that they’ve swallowed a gun barrel. So what if there are those who have become so depressed that they’ve crawled into a chronic fetal position in bed, covers over their head, thumb tucked neatly in mouth, unable to face friends and family? Since when does being weak deserve our compassion? Isn’t that what Zoloft and funeral directors are for?
So shame on you, Jon Stewart. Shame on Read more
Stewart Rope-A-Dopes O’Reilly: Ali Would Be Proud
Let’s get ready to rum-ble!
In the red trunks, fighting out of Fox News, 6′4″ Heavyweight Champion of Spin, Bill O’Reilly! In the blue trunks, fighting out of Comedy Central, 5′7″ soaking wet, Heavyweight Champion of Grin, Jon Stewart.
You can bet your Factor Gear that Bill O’Reilly will be showing clips of his appearance on The Daily Show on his The O’Reilly Factor Monday night, but he won’t be admitting that he had been exposed as a shallow, labels-are-more-important-than-content, bold fresh piece of humanity.
Probably because he got whipped and never saw the punch that got him.
To the Factor Folks™, I’m sure Bill’s venture into enemy territory was another example of just how their Looking Out For You No Spinster scored another knockdown.
Probably because they never understood the punch that got him.
Stewart was gracious as he always seems to be with those of dissimilar belief - except perhaps for his pummeling of Bill Kristol and that one time with John McCain.
Certainly more amicable than he is on his own show when in disagreement with a guest, O’Reilly came on to promote his homage to himself tome, “A Read more
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