Page Six: Olbermann Went Nuts Over First Class DC Train Ticket, Ketchup Packets At Kennedy Center; Olbermann Denies

The ongoing feud between Keith Olbermann and the New York Post's Page Six continues. The gossip column ran an item in Wednesday's paper reporting that Olbermann threw a tantrum because there were no first-class train tickets available to bring him from New York to Washington, where he would anchor MSNBC's coverage of Tim Russert's memorial. Later, when he arrived, he "went apoplectic because there were no ketchup packets at the Kennedy Center." From Page Six:

The source said Olbermann was screaming into the phone on Tuesday because there were no first-class train tickets available for that day, and he wanted to make sure he would ride first-class on Wednesday. According to the source, Olbermann berated a staffer who was coordinating Wednesday's Kennedy Center memorial by yelling, "You better hope to God there is a first-class train ticket tomorrow."

Our insider elaborated, "MSNBC was dealing with who could come to the private ceremony Tuesday and who couldn't, among the hundreds of people who worked with or for Russert - and Keith was ranting about not getting a first-class ticket."

We're told Olbermann didn't get to Tuesday's ceremony, and went to Washington by car to broadcast from outside the Kennedy Center the next day. An aghast witness there said, "As guests were making their way into the memorial, Keith went apoplectic because there were no ketchup packets at the Kennedy Center."

Olbermann was heard saying outside the service, "this place is going to hell," because his Washington staff couldn't find ketchup packets for lunch at the Center. An NBC insider claimed, however, "Keith did not have lunch at the Kennedy Center and was not eating on the set because he was anchoring a broadcast."

Continuing his new tradition of preemptively disputing Page Six items about him the night before they air, Olbermann used Tuesday's "Countdown" to name Page Six's Corynne Steindler one of his "Worst Persons in the World" (she got the bronze, while her News Corp cousin Bill O'Reilly nabbed the top two spots). Olbermann called the story "fictional" and insisted that he took a car both ways to and from DC and only drank a Starbucks at the Kennedy Center (which meant he needed no ketchup).

"You guys, you're kind of embarrassing yourself now," Olbermann said to Page Six, echoing his rep's statement: "Since whatever you're going to print is an outright lie, you can go ahead and write whatever you want. That's on the record and applies to all future items you might make up."

Watch:

Comments

[brijit]

This is just one of those typical tabloid gossip storylines. years ago there was a similar one about the late Tony Randall. Supposedly Randall had something wrong with his apartment and he and his wife had to check into a hotel. Once he was in the hotel room, he had a tantrum because the walls of the bedroom weren't blue and he refused to sleep in a room without blue walls. Yeah, right, except in real life Randall was color-blind and had no idea (or interest in) what color the walls were.

[kingsbridge77]

Olbermann needs to control his temper. He's very hot-headed.

[Prism]

The more you read about his anti-social behaviors the more you can understand his parents' desire to intervene when he was a child for behavior modification treatments. Ol' Keith just isn't tied too tightly.
Careful MSNBC: he's torched professional relationships his entire career. Can you say anger management? (and soon, god, please!)

[roncraw]

Forgive him his undying love of Obama is effecting his mind.I watched him for years,but his love affair with Obama turned me off and I haven't watch him in three months. I truly think I haven't missed anything.

[JoeTN]

I believe it! He's so spastic.
And he should get a lap banding surgery to adress his morbid obesity situation!
I can't watch the weirdo either... especially after his election 2008 coverage.
Pitiful!

[americanalien]

KEITH OLBERMANN RULES!!!

[booker52]

Page six=junk, garbage in, garbage out.

[justathinker]

keith is exposing himself as a fraud on a daily basis.

add these numbers up - from Nielsen TV Ratings Data June 25, 2008

P2+ Total Day
FNC – 900,000 viewers
MSNBC – 317,000 viewers

25-54 Prime Time
FNC – 389,000 viewers
MSNBC – 250,000 viewers

8PM - P2+ (25-54)
The O’Reilly Factor- 2,307,000 viewers
Countdown w/ Olbermann – 950,000 viewers

P2+ means viewers older than 2 years. Olbermann must really be cleaning up on the one year olds to be able to compete the way he says he does!!

these numbers found here: http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/06/26/cable-news-ratings-for-wednesday-june-25/4255

[GeeCan]

If you were to have a news channel with pornography, I guarantee the ratings would obliterate even Fox News yet that would not "expose" Fox News as being a fraud. This might seem incredible to you but it's the content of the news program that reveals its true nature, regardless of whether it wins the venerable ratings. In that regard, Mr. Olbermann is a knight in shining armor next to Fox.

But to be clear, neither Olbermann nor Fox practice in the delivery of true fair and balanced news, that practice was lost years ago and we're left with a deafening din of reactionary opinions. So, you can tinker with your mathematical analysis but no matter what ratings or poll numbers you come up with, you will not find the truth.

[LiberalBuzz]

Typical troll. So what about the numbers.

It just means there are more people willing to have their lies spoonfed to them instead of looking to find the truth.

[tyrdofwaitin]

My loves...take what you want and leave the rest.

[demfriend]

Page six has found a way to be on the front page by attacking Keith O. I don't doubt the majority of Page six is just lies and crap taken out of context as what they had said about taking Russert's place the day he was buried. Low class and rates right down there with the supermarket special "The Globe" and their aliens and stuff.

[mike53]

The more I hear about Olbermann the more I think Murdoch was right. He is crazy.

[realwoman]

Let's say that this story isn't true. Does anyone doubt that if he didn't get a first-class ticket that he wouldn't have freaked out? Come on. You know how these people operate. Does as I say not as I do. He makes a jackass of himself every night. I know exactly what he's going to say before he says it. He NEVER strays from the line. Any person on the left or the right that is like that scares me.

[Sportswoman]

Rupert Murdoch and his ilk are the heartbeat of the Moronic MSM--include, Faux News, the Nat'l, Enquirer, Clear Channel, et al. As KO chips away at the two heads of the dragons--Murdoch and Bill O--they try to roar back, but it is in vain. Obama will rein in news monopolies and Murdoch and O will continue to embarrass themselves into caricature oblivion, where they will ultimately end up like their hero Joe McCarthy, perpetually drunk and muttering to themselves.

[americanalien]

KEITH OLBERMANN RULES!!! He utterly obliterated the scoundrels at the NY Post.

Way to go my hero!

[presto]

Why is the Worst Person in the World so often some minor irritant in Keith Olbermann's life? He doesn't seem to notice the rest of the planet.

[ohbomba]

Poor poor Heir Olbermann. Everybody is against him. It must be a heavy burden to bear being the victim that he is!
I feel that the world is definitely a happy place because there are only about 10 people in the world who are terrible,(according to Heir Olbermann).
He needs to do the Best Person in the World and he could name himself every night!

[chumleypotts]

Didn't they know who he was?

[mcole]

Page Six is hardly a trusted news source...