![olbermann-rbn[1].jpg](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eat-the-press/olbermann-rbn%5B1%5D-thumb.jpg)
Rolling Stone dishes up some late Valentines love to recently re-signed MSNBC Countdown host Keith Oblermann (because, you know, the guy really never gets much attention).
Calling Olbermann "the most honest man in news", Mark Binelli details his rise from sportscaster to an "unlikely hero of the left", noting how Olbermann's "special comments" have garnered him attention, starting with his six-and-a-half-minute rant last August about Donald Rumsfeld: "The man who sees absolutes where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning is either a prophet or a quack. Donald H. Rumsfeld is not a prophet." (Olbermann's nightly audience numbers have increased sixty-three percent since then).
The flip side: Olbermann's penchant for, er, honesty is fully on display in the piece as he takes down Anderson Cooper ("I gather... he is the only person who has not been informed that he is a marketing experiment"), Nancy Grace ("Anybody who would embellish the story of their own fiancé's murder should spend that hour a day not on television but in a psychiatrist's chair"), and Glenn Beck ("A wolf in sheep's clothing. A very dangerously bigoted guy who's selling himself as a pragmatic philosopher"). He does seem to like Brian Williams though, at least ("The funniest person I have met in television news," a trait, says Olbermann, that makes him well-suited for his own job).
Olbermann's tendency to trash-talk is, by now, well-known, but still, after re-upping with a sweet four-year multimillion-dollar contract, guess he's not too worried about karma.
For those of you not yet familiar with Olbermann's particular brand of journalism, Rolling Stone has thoughtfully collected his top five rants for your viewing enjoyment (unless you're a particular fan of one President Bush, in which case, perhaps not).
This just in from Poynter Online's Romenesko (emphasis added):
Greeley Tribune agrees to stop copying competitors' stories
Coloradoan.com
The Greeley Tribune says it will end a years-old practice of copying stories from competing newspapers and falsely labeling them as Associated Press dispatches. "That's clearly a very bad journalism practice," admits Tribune publisher Steve Weaver. He says the practice began several years ago under editor Chris Cobler, who was just named Poynter Online managing editor.
tvguide.com
The broadcast networks have pretty much finalized their pilot production slates for the 2007-08 television season. What this means is that out of the several hundred pilot scripts ordered, they've chosen the hundred-ish they'll actually shoot and consider putting on the air. You can see the lists here.
Nobody really knows which of these shows will make it to air, but unless strike fears prevail and networks reduce their scripted programming commitments, you'll probably see about forty of these going to series, some as mid-season replacements. Pilot orders are inherently hedged bets and calculated risks, and don't always reflect what ends up on your screen, even in terms of overall trends. (Three years ago, for instance, there were several cops-in-high-school pilots a la '21 Jump Street;' none of them, however, made it to series.*) Nonetheless, here's a little prognostication and inference:
Julia Allison
Whee, did you hear? Radar 3.0 is out, and all the toxic bachelors are rarin' to go! Last night was the brand-newly brand-new mag's first kickoff party, held in glamorous Tinseltown with a glittering assortment of local media and random people flown in from New York. Never one to miss a party, ETP sent columnista, rising talking head and erstwhile pin-up Julia Allison, who, armed with only a camera, her wits, and her very first Diane Von Furstenberg, sussed out the scoopage while trying to find her missing skirt. Her report is below, complete with photos and the tantalizing promise of video to come. Enjoy!
Last night kicked off the LA installment of Radar's "3rd-time's-the-charm-goddamnit" launch party, held in freezing temperatures around the outdoor pool at The Standard in Hollywood (note to NY party planners: LA in February is NOT pool-worthy). Perhaps finally exhausted with being the butt of "re-re-launch" jokes, the event was actually labeled as their "first annual Hollywood bash," but except for the location, there was nothing remotely Hollywood about it. Imported New York socialites Tinsley Mortimer and Fabiola Beracasa (in vintage!) mingled somewhat bewildered with New York journalists, down to work the academy awards, who talked with a sprinkling of west coasters, finally enjoying what their shivering brethren take for granted - incestuous mediacentric free bars.
Despite the heat lamps dotting the patio and a giant sponsored tequila bar, ETP and the other scantily clad women had a tough time keeping warm, until the photographers came. There's a reason Tinz and Fab are the #1 and #2 Socialites in New York (according to Socialite Rank thisveryminute). The "girls," as all of the publicists, pix-takers, and various hangers-on called them, are really freaking good at working the camera. Even with the ever-awkward, ever-hopeful editor-in-chief Maer Roshan wedged in between them, pimp style (see video - which is coming soon).
Although also-ran 'lites Olivia Palermo and Byrdie Bell posed in Radar's first issue with the Big Two, they were nowhere to be seen, perhaps not famous enough to be flown out and put up gratis. The gorgeous Jen Raines from H Stern and Ali Wise from Dolce & Gabbana were happy to fill in as resident designer-clad young posing things. We spoke to the ladies, and were appalled when we found them sweet and unassuming. And when Tinsley admitted it was her "second time ever in LA," we almost spit up our drink (water). We actually liked her.
We also spotted NYT media critic and erstwhile Carpetbagger David Carr (photo), Defamer stud Mark Lisanti (Gawker managing editor Lockhart Steele was conspicuously absent), Radar's Deputy Editor Chris Tennant (photo), Slate blogginghead and dashing LA gadabout Mickey Kaus, Mediabistro Fishbowl-LA's enthusiastic and affable Kate Coe (video), LA Times' staffer Joe Menn, Gotham/Capitol File etc .vanity publisher Jason Binn (we heard but did not spot personally), Blackbook's Stinson Carter, Granada's Robert Green, photographer Jill Greenberg, Breitbart.com (and Gutfeld sidekick) Andrew Breitbart. We had our eyes peeled for one notable LA resident, the not-really-ever-in-the-news Ron Burkle but alas, he was not there to weigh in on whether he is, in fact, a Radar investor. The only sorta-celeb we could find was "America's Next Top Model"-izer Jay Alexander, who, after intense interrogation, admitted he had "never read 
Radar"- but "planned to do so on the plane tomorrow." We considered challenging him to a Pose Off with The Tinz, but after careful observation during McMullan-time, we think "Tinsel" (as one confused LA denizen called her), would put JA to shame.
Right, but about the magazine, we cornered Roshan for the third (ha!) time. What about the MAGAZINE? He said something, swirling his drink. Variety and the Times were standing there with us. We all agreed it was a boring quote. Next! "Ultimately, we're not about celebrity, we're about culture." Right! Um ... Okay. So it makes sense to start with a party in Hollywood then!
No matter. "Maer's like Lazarus," said Carr. "You can't root against him." Indeed.
Photos, top to bottom: Julia Allison and Chris Tennant; Julia Allison and Tinsley Mortimer; Julia Allison and Mark Lisanti; David Carr and a clearly pleased-as-punch Maer Roshan. If you're wondering why ETP posted all the pics of Julia up top, well, duh. We look forward to seeing you all at Radar's New York party, rumored to be next Wednesday at Marquee, or maybe on Saturday in Westchester at some kid's Bar Mitzvah - none of those clowns will give us a straight answer. Where's our invitation? Hmph.
Related:
Exclusive! Sneak Peek At The First Second Latest Radar [ETP]
Radar: Where's The Money Coming From? [ETP]
Socialites — They're Just Like Us! [Radar]
Adams Media Research claims that by 2011, commercial-free downloaded video will be more lucrative than online ad-supported programming–$4.1 billion versus $1.7 billion annually. These numbers are pretty shocking, when you consider that in 2006, online downloads netted only $111 million. Will the online video purchasing market really increase forty-fold in five years? We haven't actually read the report, so we can't comment.
But with these kind of numbers being bandied around, you can see why online video profits are going to be a huge issue in the upcoming Hollywood labor negotiations.
[link via mediabistro.com]
latimes.com
It's cold and damp in Los Angeles today. Perfect newspaper-reading weather! By the way, if David Geffen buys the LAT, will people start calling it 'The Gay Lady?' We hope so! Meanwhile, highlights from today's edition:
Michelle Pilecki
I've never figured out the logic behind the Bush Administration's meme that the Iraq War is necessary to keep "the enemy contained," otherwise they would be plotting and killing Americans across the world and within our own borders. Excuse me, but Shia and Sunni combatants are aching to bring their centuries-long squabble to my front porch? No, the idea is that Iraq acts like flypaper to attract and hold all the bad guys to...
From YouTube via NewYorker.com
In case you're having trouble getting through that fat double issue of the New Yorker that landed last week, Jane Mayer has narrated a helpful 7½ minute video version of her article skewering the makers of the hit TV show "24" for its portrayal of torture as (1) always effective (2) often legal and (3) patriotically bad-ass, notwithstanding the near-universal disagreement of people who actually know what they are talking about.
And it's not just couch potatoes who are eating it up: Real American soldiers, some of whom end up interrogating prisoners, have been taking the lessons of "24" to heart, so much so that the military has asked the producers to knock it off. Mayer reports that a contingent from West Point, complete with a Brigadier General and several high-ranking military interrogators, showed up on the set (where they were promptly mistaken for thespians, natch) to politely complain that many young soldiers are so moved by Jack Bauer's heroics that they refuse to believe it when their superior officers explain that torture does not actually elicit useful information (and is flatly illegal besides). Mayer even quotes one of the Army interrogators in the article saying that his fellow soldiers in Iraq "watch the shows... and then walk into the interrogation booths and do the same things they've just seen." Who knew TV still had such power?
"24" executive producer Joel Surnow proudly maintains that the show is "patriotic." Yet he excused himself from the meeting with the military brass, and did not seem at all inclined to support the troops' request. Meanwhile, Surnow's buddies Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham have rushed to his defense (cf. Ingraham: "The average American out there loves the show "24." OK? They love Jack Bauer. They love "24." In my mind that's close to a national referendum that it's OK to use tough tactics against high-level Al Qaeda operatives as we're going to get").
What's a "24" fan to do? First we learned our oil addiction had caused 9/11, now our viewing habits caused Abu Ghraib? (Does snacking between meals promote nuclear proliferation, that's what I'm worried about.) In case it makes anyone feel any better, Mayer confesses on the video that she, too, finds the show "riveting"and "addictive" and "could not wait" for the next episode. She also gives "24" kudos for is not having used the controversial simulated-drowning technique known as waterboarding. Too bad, then, that they went ahead and threw that in a couple of weeks ago, too.
For his part, star Kiefer Sutherland reportedly feels torn about the side-effects that the vehicle of his career redemption might be having on U.S. foreign policy. No word yet on whether Kiefer will at least take the military up on its offer to tape an instructional video for his slower fans in the service explaining that interrogations don't actually work that way (and that his name is not really Jack Bauer).
No word either on when the New Yorker web site will start offering 60-second video roundups of the Talk of the Town. "Here's your host, Hendrik Hertzberg!"
Whatever It Takes [New Yorker]
Video: Making Them Talk [New Yorker]
Waterboarding: Torture, But Totally Not That Bad [Fox News]
Related:
Why Torture Doesn't Work [AlterNet]
Ed. Note: Not only does torture not work, but neither, apparently, does Condé Net: The New Yorker goes to the trouble of splicing together this nice little video — complete with pre-branding — and then posts it to...YouTube? We're just speculating here, but we know that YouTube is quick and easy, and have heard rumblings (and grumblings) that Condé Net is slow, bureacratic, and inefficient. That marquee web content is being hosted by an all-access outside source seems to bear that out. Still, we're grateful - hooray for free, embeddable content!
Man bites dog? Tony Snow descended from his mount and became the question-maker for the night. During a panel discussion at the National Press Club he got a chance to turn the tables on the likes of Bob Schieffer and David Gregory and ask them the tough questions. [Washingtonian]
Reuters will launch a consumer-targeted African news and information portal that will also include a continent-wide network of local bloggers. [Guardian]
Fox's The 1/2 Hour News Hour, despite being widely panned, is actually not doing half-bad. [Comedy Central Insider]
Esquire has debuted its brand new website, and "much needed facelift"[AdAge]
The Libby Trial has gone to jury [ABC]. Radar is giving readers the opportunity to judge for themselves.
Blogger Mario Lavandeira (aka, Perez Hilton) is being sued for posting stolen photographs of Jennifer Aniston on his website.[AP via Huffpo]
Jeffrey Chodorow, owner of Kobe Club, may have paid as much as $80,000 for a full page ad he took out in the New York Times (opposite the restaurant review page) to defend his restaurant "against what he called a personal attack by an unqualified food critic [Frank Bruni] in a review in that paper earlier this month". [New York Sun]
