What could possibly make for better entertainment than Rachel Maddow giving a forum to pop science icon Bill Nye on global warming?
What could possibly make for better entertainment than Rachel Maddow giving a forum to pop science icon Bill Nye?
Nye reveals a unique scientific theory that says believing in the science behind global warming is patriotic. And vice versa.
“…there’s more energy in the atmosphere and this is stirring things up,” Nye said. “If you want to get serious about it, these guys claiming that the snow in Washington disproves climate change are almost unpatriotic. It’s really, they’re denying science. So they’re very happy to have the weather forecast be accurate within a few hours, but they’re displeased or un-enchanted by predictions of the world getting warmer. It’s really, it shakes me up.”
We think Rachel Maddow may have said something, too, but we had really kind of checked out by that time.
At one time, CNN owned the world of cable news. Now its primetime line-up has fewer viewers than Fox News’ 3 a.m. Red Eye show.
Greg Gutfeld is funny, but CNN has become laughable
Read it here, because this story is unlikely to be reported at CNN.
At one time, the cable news pioneer owned the world of cable news. Now its primetime line-up has fewer viewers than Fox News’ 3 a.m. Red Eye show.
National Review’s Media Blog reports the details guaranteed to depress the folks at CNN:
The ratings for Fox News’ ribald Red Eye, a nothing-else-quite-like-it mash-up of news, comedy, and pop-culture commentary, celebrated its third anniversary by beating CNN’s Campbell Brown and Larry King, and tying Anderson Cooper, in the prized 25-54 demographic.
Fox News beating CNN wouldn’t be news, except that Brown, King and Cooper comprise CNN’s primetime lineup, and Red Eye airs at 3:00 A.M. All the more remarkable considering that most conservatives have, you know, jobs.
The Hardball host Chris Matthews started his Monday show with a twelve-minute rant against Sarah Palin because she put crib notes on her hand instead of putting a whole speech on a Teleprompter.
Pity poor Chris Matthews. He’s lost his mind. Completely lost his mind.
The Hardball host started his Monday show with a twelve-minute rant against Sarah Palin because she put crib notes on her hand instead of putting a whole speech on a Teleprompter.
Matthews: Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in New York. Leading off tonight: Can a palm reader be president? What do we think of kids in school who write stuff on their hands to get through a test? What do we think of a would-be political leader who does it to look like she`s speaking without notes? What do we think of Sarah Palin this weekend answering pre-screened questions from a like-minded audience in Nashville, a tea party convention, and still having to put a cheat sheet on her palm to answer what she calls the basics of her beliefs? How can someone presume to be auditioning for president when they can`t even answer questions they know are coming?
That was just the opening. It got worse. Much worse.
As the ratings go lower, MSNBC gets shriller. If that’s possible.
President Obama thought he could add some “balance” to his most recent press conference by calling on MSNBC.
According to a recent poll, FOX News is the most “trusted name in news,” no matter what CNN’s advertising department might say.
Yet somehow the President Obama thought he could add some “balance” to his most recent press conference by calling on MSNBC.
We’re just afraid that Obama’s version of balance means the previous question came from someone so liberal that MSNBC only seemed conservative by comparison.
Always remember that whatever it is, it’s caused by global warming. For example, here are two video clips. In the first one, we’re told that global warming causes more snow. In the second one, we’re told that global warming causes less snow.
Always remember that whatever it is, it’s caused by global warming.
For example, here are two video clips. In the first one, we’re told that global warming causes more snow. In the second one, we’re told that global warming causes less snow.
We haven’t found it yet, but we’re sure there’s a video out there somewhere claiming that global warming causes exactly the same amount of snow.
“Woe is me! Global warming causes more snow!” – Dylan Ratigan
“Woe are we! Global warming causes less snow!” – Barbara Boxer, et al
Joy Behar and Eve Ensler discuss how global warming causes earthquakes and tsunamis. And while we’re at it, Sarah Palin is stupid.
You can always count on Joy Behar and her guests to say something so stunningly stupid that you find yourself laughing out loud.
Like last night, for example. Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues,” visited Behar’s studio to stake her claim on Stupidest Comment of the Year here in early February.
A transcript follows, but let us sum it up for you. Global warming causes earthquakes and tsunamis. And while we’re at it, Sarah Palin is stupid.
Ensler: Well, I just think the idea that she doesn’t believe in global warming is bizarre. Behar: Every scientist at every note believes in it but Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in it. Ensler: And I think we just kind of have to walk around the world at this point and look at what is happening to nature and earthquakes and tsunamis. Behar: Right. Ensler: And weather changes to just feel it. But I think that idea that she doesn’t believe in global warming and she could actually run for vice president, and we have a country where that is possible, it seems insane. Behar: It’s unbelievable. It does seem insane and the fact that she has not negated the possibility of running in 2012. Ensler: But we have. We have negated the possibility of her winning.
Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director and chief White House correspondent really didn’t like it when Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon appeared on Fox News Sunday and said, “…the mainstream media hates the tea party movement almost as much as it hates Sarah Palin.”
Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director and chief White House correspondent really didn’t like it when Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon appeared on Fox News Sunday and said, “…the mainstream media hates the tea party movement almost as much as it hates Sarah Palin.”
Now any rational person would say that statement is inarguable. Nevertheless, Todd chose to argue the inarguable on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
Todd: We all know there are a lot of different ways people get news. And then you have straight journalists, you have activist journalists, you have opinion folks. And we know that they’re all out there. I think we believe here at NBC that people are smart enough to figure it out. And that’s why when a news executive goes out there and states a crazy accusation like that, that it ends up, it only ends up probably hurting what they’re trying to do, but it creates, it only denigrates all of us.
. . .
And I’m sorry, there is certain news organizations out here whose agenda is to undermine the 90% of journalists who are just simply trying to cover stories out there. And that’s what really frustrates me about what’s happened in the media landscape. It is a business for some media organizations to undermine the quote-unquote the mainstream media because it’s good for their business. And this is not just on the right, it’s happening on the left as well.
Pardon us while we laugh.
MSNBC is surely the wrong place to make this argument, Chuck. The ratings-challenged network is doing an admirable job undermining itself with absolutely no assistance from Fox.
Please allow us to amend our headline. The word “can’t” implies that Andrea Mitchell actually attempted to hide her contempt for Palin. No such attempt was made.
Please allow us to amend our headline. The word “can’t” implies that Andrea Mitchell actually attempted to hide her contempt for Palin. No such attempt was made.
So much for any pretense of impartiality. Mitchell was so over the top that even the occasionally even-handed Chuck Todd had to come to Palin’s defense.
CNBC/MSNBC’s Erin Burnett gives a more realistic picture of that fabulous 9.7% unemployment number. And she’s hot, too, but that doesn’t effect our completely unbiased journalistic integrity. Much.
CNBC/MSNBC’s Erin Burnett gives a more realistic picture of that fabulous 9.7% unemployment number.
And she’s hot, too, but that doesn’t effect our completely unbiased journalistic integrity. Much.
Here’s the manly man version of the Super Bowl commercial Google didn’t run, but should have.
We’re manly men here at IHateTheMedia.com and that Google Parisian love story Super Bowl commercial didn’t put any tears in our eyes. None at all. It was just a couple specs of dust, that’s all.
On the other hand, here’s the manly man version of the commercial Google didn’t run, but should have.
Congratulations to the guys at Slate V who created it.
The Census Bureau wasted $2.5 million tax dollars to run one thirty second commercial during the Super Bowl. We can only assume they wanted to run as many spots as Bud, but held back out of respect for the new austerity program the President talked about during his State of the Union Address.
The Census Bureau wasted $2.5 million tax dollars to run one thirty second commercial during the Super Bowl. We can only assume they wanted to run as many spots as Bud, but held back out of respect for the new austerity program the President talked about during his State of the Union Address.
As if pounding $2.5 million down a rat hole wasn’t bad enough, the commercial was easily the most remarkably dull, mind-numbingly unintelligible commercial of the day.
No wonder Glenn Beck’s ratings are so damn good. Here’s a clip from his radio show where he ad libs about Chris Matthews stupid “I forgot Obama was black” comment for nine hilarious minutes.
No wonder Glenn Beck’s ratings are so damn good. Here’s a clip from his radio show where he ad libs about Chris Matthews stupid “I forgot Obama was black” comment for nine hilarious minutes.
The Women’s Media Center, which had objected to Focus on the Family advertising in the Super Bowl, said it was expecting a “benign” ad but not the humor. But the group’s president, Jehmu Greene, said the tackle showed an undercurrent of violence against women.
LSD in the drinking water. That’s the only reasonable explanation for the reaction of the Woman’s Media Center to Tim and Pam Tebow’s Super Bowl commercial.
The Associated Press reports the lunacy:
The Women’s Media Center, which had objected to Focus on the Family advertising in the Super Bowl, said it was expecting a “benign” ad but not the humor. But the group’s president, Jehmu Greene, said the tackle showed an undercurrent of violence against women.
“I think they’re attempting to use humor as another tactic of hiding their message and fooling the American people,” she said.
We’ve watched the commercial about a dozen times trying to find some of that violence. We even went through it frame-by-frame thinking that maybe they had hidden some of that subliminal advertising stuff in the commercial. We’re sad to report that we were unable to find any violence against women noted by the Women’s Media Center.
Of course, were not highly-trained observers like the folks at the Women’s Media Center.
Now that we’ve seen the “controversial” Tim Tebow pro-life Super Bowl commercial, we’re not sure what the pro-abortion people were so upset about.
Now that we’ve seen the “controversial” Tim Tebow pro-life Super Bowl commercial, we’re not sure what the pro-abortion people were so upset about.
There was no mention of abortion. No mention of the fact that Pam Tebow risked her life by giving birth to Tim. In fact, the message was vague at best.
Pam Tebow: I call him my miracle baby. He almost didn’t make it into this world. I remember so many times when I almost lost him. It was so hard. Well he’s all grown up now, and I still worry about his health. Everybody treats him like he’s different, but to me, he’s just my baby. He’s my Timmy, and I love him.
Tim Tebow: Thanks, mom. Love you, too.
Our bottom line: Pam Tebow’s kind of hot, isn’t she?
Remember a year or so ago when Keith Olbermann bragged about his ratings on the air? Don’t expect to see a replay of that show anytime soon.
Keith Olbermann's audience is abandoning him like he's a baby girl in China
Remember a year or so ago when Keith Olbermann bragged about his ratings on the air? Don’t expect to see a replay of that show anytime soon.
Daily Finance reports the details:
Keith Olbermann was already a renowned sportscaster when he rose to prominence as a political commentator. This was during the Bush Administration, when the left was badly in need of a forceful voice to rally around. Such was his popularity that MSNBC reoriented its entire primetime lineup around it.
But now the Democrats control Congress and the White House, and there are creeping indications that the world may not have quite as much need of — or patience for — Olbermann and his shtick as it once did.
Ratings for Olbermann’s Countdown have been soft recently, and the 8 p.m. shows on CNN and HLN have narrowed the gap. In the important demographic of adults 25 to 54 — the group advertisers are looking to reach — Countdown was down 44% year-over-year in January. It averaged 268,000 viewers in that demo, only 3,000 more than Nancy Grace’s show on HLN, and 12,000 more than CNN’s Campbell Brown. Fox News’s O’Reilly Factor dominated the hour with 964,000 viewers age 25 to 54, and was the only cable news show in the time period to increase its audience, by 55%.
Olbermann can console himself with the fact that he still has highest ratings at MSNBC. Of course, that’s kind of like bragging that you’re the tallest Munchkin.
The delusional Keith Olbermann seems outraged – absolutely outraged – that several media outlets said his program is in danger of being cancelled due to low ratings.
The delusional Keith Olbermann seems outraged – absolutely outraged – that several media outlets said his program is in danger of being canceled due to low ratings.
He refuted the vile rumor that his ratings are spiraling downward at an ever-increasing rate.
“First the small picture on how conservatives come to believe the crazy, nonsensical, totally fact-free things they believe,” Olbermann said. “How they transform discernible, provable lies into their wishful thinking version of the truth.” He then insisted that stories of his plummeting ratings are a figment of conservatives’ imaginations and even bragged that the program’s audience has grown.
Just one problem. OIbermann is flat-out lying. His ratings are going down. Big time. For example, here’s a comparison of Thursday, February 5 of this year and Thursday, February 4 of last year.
Of course, we know critics will say, “Well, sure, but one night doesn’t prove anything.” To which we say, “Shut the hell up, morons. These numbers are pretty damn indicative of the overall trends.”
Bottom line: Olbermann’s audience is rapidly dwindling away, no matter how he chooses to spin it otherwise.
As the chart shows, a year ago his total audience often approached 1,500,000 viewers (on Thursday, February 5, 2009 it was 1,475,000). This year it usually comes in under 1,000,000 total viewers (on Thursday, February 4, 2010 it was a mere 917,000).
Obviously, the same math used by the President to explain how ObamaCare won’t grow the deficit is being used by Olbermann to explain how his ratings are growing instead of shrinking. And we suspect the same math is also being used to explain the number of jobs created or saved and maybe even how the world is heating instead of cooling.
Aha! It’s Lib Math. It all makes sense now.
Source: Nielsen Media Research via MediaBistro.com
The children really don’t need our help as much these days anyway, now that they’re all being adopted by Madonna and Angelina Jolie. So it’s only fair that the rest of us should adopt the environment as our cause. No matter how expensive and stupid it may be.
The children really don’t need our help as much these days anyway, now that they’re all being adopted by Madonna and Angelina Jolie.
So it’s only fair that the rest of us should adopt the environment as our cause. No matter how expensive and stupid it may be.
Katie Couric did a Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot bedecked in diamonds while 200 her minions at CBS News were being laid off.
When one is the anchorette of a struggling newscast, one cannot be bothered with the travails of the little people.
That’s why Katie Couric did a Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot bedecked in diamonds while 200 her minions at CBS News were being laid off.
Ahhh, the life of luxury as reported by Harper’s Bazaar:
Today, three weeks shy of 53, Couric looks tomboy terrific, that barely-made-up face betraying zero surgical workmanship, the fabled legs making those giant strides for women in black leather riding boots. She’s been sitting here in her office, with its gentle lighting and creamy beauty-salon palette, answering e-mails and working up a 60 Minutes profile of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, trying to get Rahm and his brothers, Hollywood talent agent Ari and bioethicist Zeke, into the same room together, mix-mastering impossible schedules, herding egos.
…
She’s still rocking a young look, thanks to tennis once a week, Spinning, yoga, Pilates. She’s a little bored with Pilates, which she started up three years ago to help calm her back. Like most of American womanhood, she wouldn’t mind if she were taller, with thinner thighs. She doesn’t deny she believes in Botox: “I think if you want to do some tweaks here and there, there’s nothing wrong with that.” High-definition television has been kind to her, she says. “I think the fear factor of high def was overblown,” she says, but adds, “I think God has a wonderful way of making your eyes start to go as your face does. I really can’t see very well. Up close? Like in the mirror?” She giggles drily. “I always worry after I’ve done my makeup that I’m gonna look like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”
Katie makes $15,000,000 per year. The 200 people being laid off make an average of $75,000 per year, which is equal to…you guessed it…$15,000,000.
Katie better hope they didn’t lay off the guys in charge of make-up and soft lighting.
What could be worse than President Obama showing up on television on Super Bowl Sunday? How about President Obama being interviewed by Katie Couric right before the game.
Hope he's better at passing a football than he is at passing legislation
What could be worse than President Obama showing up on television on Super Bowl Sunday? How about President Obama being interviewed by Katie Couric right before the game.
Bingo. The Orlando Sentinel has the details down on the 50-yard line:
Super Bowl Sunday will be a busy one for CBS anchor Katie Couric, but she will be far from the game.
“I’m very excited about going to the Super Bowl,” said Couric, who will anchor the “CBS Evening News” Friday from Miami. “I wish I could stay. I have an appointment with the president. That’s a good excuse.”
Before the game, Couric will conduct a live, 12-minute interview with President Barack Obama at the White House. She also offers an interview with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Couric said on Wednesday she was still formulating her questions for Obama but had solicited queries via Twitter, Facebook and local stations.
“I want it to be a good, substantive interview, but it’s the Super Bowl audience,” Couric said. “I want it to have the appropriate tone.”
There’s no escaping this guy. Don’t even try. If you turn off your TV he’ll just show up at your doorstep at dinner time, sit in your favorite chair, help himself to your macaroni and cheese, and talk your ear off.
Funny that a guy who graduated from Harvard doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “overexposed.”
Megyn Kelly of Fox News didn’t take any crap from the overexposed attorney Gloria Allred during a discussion about the Tim Tebow’s pro-life commercial set to air during the Super Bowl.
Megyn Kelly of Fox News didn’t take any crap from the overexposed attorney Gloria Allred during a discussion about the Tim Tebow’s pro-life commercial set to air during the Super Bowl.
HotAir.com reports the details:
Allred claims that the Focus on the Family ad, which features Florida University football star Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, is “misleading” even though she hasn’t seen it.
The ad reportedly will tell the story of how Pam Tebow decided not to abort Tim even though doctors told her the pregnancy could endanger her life. Allred is threatening to file complaints with the FCC and FTC if the ad airs but does not mention her allegation that aborting the pregnancy at the time in the Philippines would have been a crime.
Kelly poked holes in Allred’s take on the ad throughout the video. She asked whether Allred believes a woman’s right to choose extends to choosing life, why she would object to someone airing an ad with a religious message, and why abortion advocates don’t air a competing ad if they are so bothered by the Tebows’ message.
“As you know, that’s the bedrock of the First Amendment,” Kelly said. “The answer to speech you don’t like is not less speech; it’s more speech.”
But the highlight of the segment comes at about the 4:30 mark. Allred ridiculously in effect argued that if Focus on the Family insists on airing an advocacy ad during a sports event, it should be compelled to air the equivalent of a mini-documentary explaining Philippines law.
Kelly’s response: “No ad can tell the entire story about the law as it stands in the Philippines. … It’s just a practical impossibility, Gloria, which would lead many to say that this is a PR stunt by you.”
A word of warning: Never stand between publicity whore Gloria Allred and a TV camera. She will knock down you, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and her own mother to be seen on television.
Damn, Glenn Beck is a funny man. Here he eviscerates Huffington – figuratively speaking, of course – for her latest over-the-top kvetching.
Damn, Glenn Beck is a funny man. Here he eviscerates Arianna Huffington – figuratively speaking, of course – for her latest over-the-top kvetching.
As an amusing aside, notice that Beck refuses to even mention the name of the number three cable news network in this monologue. And if Beck won’t mention those five letters on his TV show, it’s only fair that we don’t mention them, either.
Last week it was reported that his cable news network was the highest rated in the country. This week his TV network absolutely crushed the other broadcast networks.
They told Rupert Murdoch he was crazy for starting a new TV network. They told him he was crazy for trying to compete with CNN. Looks like the wily Australian American has the last laugh once again.
Last week it was reported that his cable news network was the highest rated in the country. This week his TV network absolutely crushed the other broadcast networks.
TVByTheNumbers.com reports the remarkable ratings:
Start with the second most highly viewed NFC Championship game in history, add an American Idol show holding steady from last season, and you’ve got the recipe for an epic broadcast primetime ratings beatdown by Fox. The rest of the broadcast competition could only stand by as they got steamrolled. It will be interesting to compare this week’s results to CBS’s for Super Bowl week. Also, note how close Univision finished to NBC in adults 18-49.
Note that the chart includes RATINGS not VIEWERS as was typical in our weekly network ratings posts prior to July, 2009.
Each rating point is a percentage of the US TV population in that demographic group and equals: 2.90 million viewers, 1.32 million adults 18-49, 0.68 million adults 18-34 and 1.24 million adults 25-54.
Obviously, it’s driving poor Keith absolutely insane (a short trip, to be sure) that Fox News has buried him in the ratings. And now that Fox has been named “most trusted name in news” in a new poll, the guy’s about to burst a blood vessel.
Being called a liar by Keith Olbermann is high praise indeed.
Obviously, it’s driving poor Keith absolutely insane (a short trip, to be sure) that Fox News has buried him in the ratings. And now that Fox has been named “most trusted name in news” in a new poll, the guy’s about to burst a blood vessel.
C’mon, folks, Olbermann is damn near unwatchable, as 308,000,000 rational people prove every Monday through Friday night at 6 p.m. EST.
