Watching [Maddow's] program, you can see how carefully she studied Olbermann’s way of juggling entertainment, politics, and headlines. She learned that a news show should be a show, with humor, shifting rhythms of monologue and dialogue, catchily labeled segments, and a deployment of old clips that aspires to prestidigitation. This vast galaxy is a wonder to be exploited, whether you’re tracing how presidents have talked up war over the decades or how once--maverick Republicans like John McCain went from embracing cap-and-trade to shunning it. Maddow also grasped—and shared—Olbermann’s respect for language. No news show in history has ever been so fastidiously, even preeningly written as Countdown. But where Olbermann increasingly came to read his lines, even his funny ones, with an overbearing, almost martial precision—by God, he was going to let you know how magnificently written his program was—Maddow has always been shrewd at knowing how to make herself appealing. Although The Rachel Maddow Show is probably the second most painstakingly written news show ever, she reads her script in a deliberately shambly way that feels down-to-earth. (Think of her wearing that blue hard hat in the terrific MSNBC promo at the Hoover Dam.) Her persona appeals to the viewer’s intelligence by being hard to catch in the act of being intelligent.

And some famous people.... are like Kim Kardashian and Keith Olbermann.

Yes, to be fair, Olbermann and Limbaugh DO deserve a different category than the Kardashians of the world. They do have skills and talents. So did Genghis Khan.

Ghengis Khan didn't need Viagra.

And Olbermann ran it on his next show. Did Limbaugh ever do that?

And Olbermann ran it on his next show. Did Limbaugh ever do that?

(Lavarnway being the only Red Sox player who didn’t panic down the stretch last year).

(Lavarnway being the only Red Sox player who didn’t panic down the stretch last year).

His face is very punchable.

He's not my cup of tea, but he did do a whole episode of Family Guy and poked fun of himself quite a bit.

34. RayDiPerna Posted: April 01, 2012 at 11:34 AM (#4094144)
#33, yeah, a guy signing on April 1st shouldn't be offered $10 mil.

Unless you really want him, and he _truly_ would have retired rather than accept anything less.

Deleted because apparently Damon is not an Oriole.

I like the fact that Ray acknowledged the day in his post and still didn't get that it was a joke.

Not that I see why Johnny Damon makes for a good April Fools joke, such that I needed to fully investigate some random story that nobody cares about, but whatever. I was fooled. Yay.

Just in case KO is lurking here, I hope that he is finally able to get the platform that he wants.

Except for the one disaster in Chicago, where Ozzie and Kennie jerked him all over (playing CF and leading off)

Of course it's an April fools joke, there is no way Boras would settle for less than 4/52 in this market, and that's cutting his own throat...

Just in case KO is lurking here, I hope that he is finally able to get the platform that he wants.

Guillen crapped all over him, with the usual "too passive" nonsense about a guy with a good eye.

What platform does Olbermann want that he hasn't gotten? He's had his own highly watched show multiple times, being paid millions for his efforts (or, according to the heads of whatever this channel's name is, lack thereof).

What platform does Olbermann want that he hasn't gotten? He's had his own highly watched show multiple times, being paid millions for his efforts (or, according to the heads of whatever this channel's name is, lack thereof).

but the production values were slightly better than the Robin Byrd Show.

Hey, I'm glad they f-ed him up. It led to my team getting a gift.

ew manager Bobby Valentine, showing my earlier criticisms of him may have been extreme and unfair, wanted Jose Iglesias at shortstop and hard-hitting, rapidly-improving Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate ... He was overruled

I'm afraid he's going to come to my house and yell at me personally.

FWIW, the buzz is that Olberman split with CurrenTv over 'smelly car service drivers' who 'talk to him' too much.

That's a new one. A limousine liberal who doesn't like the limousine drivers.

That's a new one. A limousine liberal who doesn't like the limousine drivers.

Also, it's much more specific. To some in the American South, most of the people who work at my company are "rich people". But if you factor in the cost of living up here, I consider them (and myself) solidly middle-class. 1% of income earners in the country gives you a better idea of not only how they're doing, but how they're doing in relation to the rest of the country.

certainly far less than 99% of the country sympathizes with Occupy Wall Street.

Right, the main point is to get people in the 10th and 90th percentiles both to identify with the middle class rather than with the wealthy. I doubt that model describes reality very well -- I suspect that the typical member of the 90th percentile has more in common with the top 1% than they do with the bottom 10%, both in terms of politics and lifestyle. I'm also not sure how well this marketing strategy has worked; certainly far less than 99% of the country sympathizes with Occupy Wall Street.