11
Nov
Then they came for Big Bird
Add one more soldier to the Left’s war on Fox News: Oscar the Grouch.
Last week, in a re-broadcast of an episode that originally aired two years ago, Oscar starts his own news network, GNN (Grouchy News Network). An irate viewer calls in to berate him that the news is not grouchy enough:
“I am changing the channel. From now on I am watching ‘Pox’ News. Now there is a trashy news show.”
Predictably, the PBS ombudsman offers a lengthy apology to the tea baggers.
I stopped giving money to these jack asses when they gave Paul Gigot his own show.
Comrade Darkness
When opinions are illegal, only teabaggers will have opinions.
demkat620
Yeah, cause that’s exactly how you deal with a bully.
Idiots.
Zifnab
Better to ask for an apology than to ask permission.
I’m inclined to support PBS and NPR through thick and thin. The last 8 years of GOP control have left a black mark on the brands, but they’re still orders of magnitude better than network and cable news.
I’ll tolerate my weekly David Frum. It’s not like he isn’t picked up on every other freak’n news show shy of The Daily Show.
calipygian
What are conservative parents doing letting their children watch a show that might teach them how to read or count?
General Winfield Stuck
I’d say they are well matched for this fight.
John S.
Oh for fuck’s sake…
My kid loves that episode and he doesn’t have the foggiest idea what FOX News is, nor would any child watching the show. These fucking teabaggers need a fainting couch the size of Texas for all the nonsense they manage to get their knickers in a twist over.
calipygian
@Zifnab:
VERY thin skinned.
Funny how they probably get HUNDREDS of calls about Fox Whores Mara Liasson and Juan Williams and do nothing.
But a letter here and there from offended Pox viewers and they are wiping tea leaves from their chins.
YellowJournalism
So when do we start sending Elmo Live to the heads of Fox News? Because I have one I would love to get rid of…
GambitRF
Wait for the next episode, wherein The Count counts the number of people in attendance of Glenn Beck’s 9/12 project rally.
“He didn’t count 2 million of them!! That’s how many there were! Damn liberals!!”
General Winfield Stuck
@YellowJournalism:
Elmo is God!
gocart mozart
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sax_and_Violence
Wait ‘till they find out that Zoot smoked weed with Bill Ayers back in the day.
akaoni
That’s too bad. While I agree with much of your media criticism, PBS, NPR, IPR, etc. remain very positive forces in broadcasting even if they have knuckled under to pressure from the “fair and balanced” squad. This is in part due to many of the attacks the during the Bush administration on PBS and public broadcasting in general including putting the corrupt Ken Tomlinson in charge.
Regardless, there is still lots of quality programing both local and national that public broadcasting puts out there. If we cut them off now (when we have an administration that might acutally be friendly to public broadcasting) it would force them to move ever closer to the mockery of journalism that broadcast media has become today. I’m a proud sponsor of my local Iowa Public Broadcasting and Iowa Public Radio and will continue to sponsor the quality programing that they put out.
Condit
That last sentence cracks me up.
If only the irony wasn’t totally lost on him.
DougJ
Regardless, there is still lots of quality programing both local and national that public broadcasting puts out there. If we cut them off now (when we have an administration that might acutally be friendly to public broadcasting) it would force them to move ever closer to the mockery of journalism that broadcast media has become today. I’m a proud sponsor of my local Iowa Public Broadcasting and Iowa Public Radio and will continue to sponsor the quality programing that they put out.
I realize that, but the thought of giving money to Paul Gigot was to much for me.
JGabriel
OT, but: A New Approach for Republicans?
She has a point. I really doubt that Daniels will a win GOP primary against Vitters, assuming she gets on the ballot. But at least it’ll be amusing.
And the no sex scandals thing would be good news for conservatives.
.
General Winfield Stuck
Miss Piggy will straighten this shit out.
calipygian
@Condit: The sentence before cracks me up:
Every single one of those people has been hung by their Fruit of the Looms from the flagpole in junior high, guaranteed.
YellowJournalism
@General Winfield Stuck: God? No. Satan? Possibly. Have you seen an Elmo Live in action? These things are damned creepy. Add in a strange ticking noise when the gears in the mouth get stripped and you have the makings of a Chucky-esque horror flick in your home. But my son still loves Elmo, anyways.
Unfortunately, though, my son cannot say “Elmo” properly yet, so it comes out sounding like “homo”, which is not something you want a two-year-old child yelling at the top of his lungs in the middle of Toys R Us on a Sunday.
JGabriel
Whoops, forgot the link for the Daniels story: via TPM.
.
YellowJournalism
@General Winfield Stuck: She can’t. They fired her due to a morals clause in her contract after it was found out that she made a special tape for Kermit some years back.
dfd
If PBS were to disappear, where would I watch The Lawrence Welk Show?
Max
Well, Lou Dobbs is available…
He’s resigning from CNN tonight.
Cue his Fox News show announce in 5, 4, 3, ...
Dreggas
You know what’s really funny is the context in which “Pox” is used. It’s used in the “Pox on both your houses” which would be even “grouchier”.
toujoursdan
@Zifnab:
Sadly, Frum is back on Canadian television as a “political analyst who gives us our weekly ‘Letter from America’” on the CBC News Networks “Power and Politics” show. (http://www.cbc.ca/programguide/program/power_politics_with_evan_solomon )
Sadly, the CBC had no balls and is too willing to put neo-cons on to stop the right-wingers who rule Canada from accusing it of left wing bias and cutting funding.
Midnight Marauder
OT, but if this turns out to be true, then shit just got real, son.
Lou Dobbs to Depart CNN
But before the “Loud Obbs to Fox News movement” begins, it’s important to remember that the Cerberus of Fox News, Geraldo Rivera, made it quite clear last month that Lou Dobbs would never come over to Fox.
General Winfield Stuck
@YellowJournalism:
See, kids know stuff.
Maybe that’s why he’s green/
gocart mozart
@JGabriel:
and she has real teabag experience.
dmsilev
Off topic: Did he jump or was he pushed: Lou Dobbs and CNN are parting ways. Tonight is his last show on CNN; I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that he’ll attack illegal immigrants.
-dms
General Winfield Stuck
This makes my vets day.
Bubblegum Tate
@calipygian:
WIN
lamh31
Let the Sunshine In…
calipygian
@Midnight Marauder: Maybe Lou is running for President.
He’s threatened it before.
lamh31
This was a reply to the Lou Dobb leaving CNN story.
Let the Sunshine In…
I don’t care what Geraldo says, I bet Dobbs finds his way to Fox News. O’Reilly & Hannity betta look out.
Martin
@Midnight Marauder:
Wow, Fox is turning into the Yankees of news – pure, concentrated, overpaid assholes – all on one team. And just in time for Murdoch to throw up the $1250/seat paywall on the teabaggers.
Why oh why
First they came for Big Bird,
Then they came for Lou Dobbs,
When they came for Bristol Palin,
There was nobody left to speak.
pcbedamned
@calipygian:
That’s called homeschooling.
@toujoursdan:
B.S. Every Canadian knows that the CBC is a lefty news station. That’s why no one watches it anymore – we already know what a loser Iggy is…
@YellowJournalism:
That is too funny
calipygian
@lamh31: I’m betting on “Geraldo and Dobbs”, a latter day “Hannity and Combs” for people who watch NASCAR for the horrific accidents.
Mike
It was the Mexican snipers firing at his house that pushed him
over the edge…
Demo Woman
@Why oh why: lol
dmsilev
Screw it, I’m going to watch Dobb’s swan song. This promises to be an epic trainwreck.
-dms
JGabriel
dmsilev:
Not so off. First they came for Big Bird, and we said nothing. Then they came for Lou Dobbs …
.
Midnight Marauder
I am so downright giddy over this Dobbs thing, it’s incredible. I always knew how much I hated this man and everything he represented, but I didn’t expect to be this elated when this day finally came.
@lamh31:
I would agree with that sentiment. Just thought it was worth posting Geraldo’s statements from last month. It will certainly be interesting to see how it plays out the next few weeks.
JGabriel
Dammit, Why oh why got there first.
eemom
I thought Gigot was a sweet 1960s movie starring Jackie Gleason. Who’s this Paul….?
shoutingattherain
@YellowJournalism:
Well that’s just sick and wrong. Is
nothing sacred?
Zifnab25
Who knows? Maybe FOX is actually going to replace Beck?
MikeJ
They still show that where you live? All I ever see on my two PBS stations is infomercials.
dfd
@MikeJ: Here, where I live, we are on the cutting edge.
Martin
@Zifnab25:
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
No, seriously…
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
YellowJournalism
@shoutingattherain: You’re right. What happens between a frog and his pig is private, but this is what happens when you leave your friends with your home video collection. They don’t call him Gonzo for nothin’.
toujoursdan
@pcbedamned:
Haha. I guess in wingnut world the CBC which regularly features Don Martin, Andrew Coyne, David Frum and Rex ‘gay marriage will mean the end of civilization’ Murphy is left wing. But then so is reality for that count.
And Iggy may be a loser but 63%+ of the electorate will cast votes for anyone other than Stephen Harper even after he’s been in office for several years. That’s hardly a winner.
toujoursdan
count = crowd.
Preview please.
pcbedamned
@toujoursdan:
Actually, it is. And that’s the reason we will have either another Con minority, or if Iggy is crazy enough to call an election, a Con majority.
And before we go and confuse our American audience here, it only fair to point out that the “63%” of the electoral votes cast are for 4 other main parties aside from the Cons (Libs, NDP, Bloc, Green, and whatever fringe party is on the ballot). This does not equate like the American either left or right situation. Let’s face it, the only reason the Cons have a minority right now is because a) people were first pissed about the Sponsorship Scandal, and b) Dion. No more needs to be said…
Ryan Cunningham
Funny how nobody demanded an apology for CNN.
Xanthippas
Ha.
Anyway, it’s dumb not to give your money to PBS or NPR because they do a stupid story here and there or their ombudsmen gets on your nerves.
Jon H
@Zifnab: “I’m inclined to support PBS and NPR through thick and thin. The last 8 years of GOP control have left a black mark on the brands, but they’re still orders of magnitude better than network and cable news.”
PBS is pretty much dead to me because of their addiction to infomercials, particularly infomercials touting pseudoscience or self-help nonsense.
I’d be far more likely to donate if their pledge week specials consisted of “The Best Of NOVA” rather than quackery and new age soma for baby boomers.
RedKitten
It’s really a dog’s breakfast, isn’t it? I wouldn’t trust any of them to hold my purse, let alone run my country. We’ve got Iggy and Stevie kicking each other in the shins, Jack running ads about how his shit doesn’t stink, and don’t even get me started on the Bloc.
Vince CA
Getting laid off for me was good for one reason only: I got to finally cancel my sub to my local PBS affiliate. You know why? Have you listened to Talk of the Nation or All Things Considered Lately? With the obvious and glaring exception of Science Friday, Talk of the Nation is full is dim bulbs and dimmer callers. ATC actually ran a twenty minute program on a dude who went to losing National baseball games. And both want my option on pop music. OMFG! The alternative for me might be KPFA (and the wretched Herbal Highway) but damn if I give another dime to somebody who things Neil Conan (and Juan Williams before him) are somehow qualified to perform journamalistic tasks. Robert Siegal, you too, baseball losers, I mean come on! Somebody must have smoked a crack pipe that week and you could have asked him if being high made him feel like he was a loser at a Nationals baseball game, no?
Jon H
@Vince CA: “With the obvious and glaring exception of Science Friday, Talk of the Nation is full is dim bulbs and dimmer callers.”
I’m starting to think that call-in shows are a massive waste of air time and listener time.
I quite like the model of BBC Radio 4’s Start The Week and In Our Time.
On Start The Week, several people with new book or TV or movie or play releases are on the panel, and they discuss each person’s offering in turn. With authors, the panelists apparently read the book. With TV shows and stage productions, I don’t know what they do. Maybe they see rehearsals or pre-release videos. The point being that there are generally four educated, intelligent people discussing something they are at least a bit familiar with. Nobody calling in from East Dogpatch.
On In Our Time, the host has a panel of three academic experts, and the experts talk about the subject of the episode.
Note that the guests on these shows tend not to be the types who get on American shows.
NPR shows invite the same twenty people from the same half dozen organizations, with their predictable blind spots and fixations. In such circumstances, maybe one listener call in a dozen is useful in pointing out something that ought to be obvious but which the panelists from DC Central Casting ignore or miss completely. But such points from listeners are generally ignored. More likely are irrelevancies, or listeners who just serve to push the panel onto the same vapid topics the media are already addicted to.
Jon H
One thing on NPR that annoyed me recently. On Morning Edition Saturday a while back, there was a Scottish singer-songwriter on, with a thick accent.
For some reason, the host of the show (I don’t think it was Scott Simon, but he’s grown tiresome in his own right) was making stupid comments about the guy’s accent, which wasn’t actually that hard to understand.
It just seemed really lame, and amateurish, and ate up time that could have been better used. I also can’t see the host acting the same way if the guest was a person with an accent from, say, Tibet, or Guatemala, or Japan, or Africa, or if the person had a disability that made it hard to speak.
pcbedamned
@RedKitten:
Every time I see that commercial with guy who sends out the ‘free cd video’s’, I see Jack. Creepy ;)
I agree with the rest. Especially the ‘bloc kebecquois’ (sic).
Extreme confession time: even as a conservative, I preferred Martin (I will deny this if anyone finds out my true identity…)
P.S. – How was Blondie? Did you enjoy your night out?
twiffer
@Jon H: i get just as annoyed at tv shows that subtitle anyone with a wisp of an accent.