Ed Schultz Exits MSNBC, and Does So with Class

When I think of Ed Schultz, "class" isn't the first word that leaps to mind. He's not a host for all tastes, and frankly, he wasn't to mine. As a long-time listener of liberal talk radio, I have long been familiar with Schultz. Frankly, there aren't very many liberal hosts (belying the "liberal media" cliché), so he'd pop up quite a bit when lineups were shuffled, and such. The first time I'd heard him, I thought at first he was Rush Limbaugh. And Limbaugh is nearly (remember, I said nearly) the furthest thing from class I can imagine.

So, I can't call myself a fan of Shultz. I've watched his show occasionally, more this year than before because of my new time zone and my sabbatical for full-time work. But I've really never much cared for his style, though I appreciated what he stood for. Ed can be overly strident, and so can his fans, to the point of a bluster, which does not endear me. So, I met the news of MSNBC's cancellation of The Ed Show with little in the way of sorrow. But I have to say, Ed's parting shot to his network, and his viewers changed my mind a bit. Here, at a time when he could have dynamited his bridges, he instead went out in as classy a way as I've ever seen for a person in his position.
 

Now, I have to say, there is another bombastic figure on the news-scape; a man who loves the word "class," who has none: Donald Trump. Trump keeps misusing that word. I'm sure he really means "crass," and just has a bit of trouble with confusing them, like I do with "affect" and "effect." And whatever I think of Ed, I think it's a shame we're losing one more voice against the Trumps of the world. I swear, if anything happens to Rachel Maddow, John Oliver or Bill Maher, I'm going to lose it! I'm just relieved that Berkeley Breathed has come back, and hopeful about the looming return of one Stephen Colbert. . .

Big Shake Up at MSNBC

Ed Schultz, from source, PoliticsUSA

I've been a regular watcher of MSNBC since Countdown with Keith Olbermann first caught fire, back during the dog days of the George W. Bush administration. After a several years-long honeymoon from the media on Bush, finally someone was on the teevee telling it like it was! It was refreshing. He was pretty much the only one.

For all the talk of "liberal media bias," I wonder how many people remember the climate after 9/11 and on through the beginnings of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It was a time of "Freedom Fries," and Dixie Chicks boycotts. Bill Maher being cancelled for being politically incorrect on Politically Incorrect. If you criticized Dubya, you could be met with, "Why do you hate America?" Freedom, liberty, patriot. . .all of these words were appropriated and practically trademarked by the GOP.

So yeah, Olbermann--bombastic as he was--was like a beacon of sanity in the middle of a surreal, conservative alternate reality that we somehow got sucked into. Eventually, the more popular Olbermann got, the more his network, MSNBC, came to take on more of his flavor. Rachel Maddow went from appearing sporadically on other shows to appearing regularly on Keith's show, to guest hosting, to her own show. And when Olbermann was shown the door, Rachel carried on, becoming the face of the network. I still watch her show, as is evidenced by her regular appearance on my blog.

Occasionally, you'll see other MSNBC clips here, but not too often. As Maddow spun off from Olbermann, so too did The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. I like him, but he's not "must see" viewing for me. Likewise, All In with Chris Hayes spun off from Maddow.  Hayes is drier, wonkier. He's good, but again, not appointment viewing. With each generation of cloning, the shows (beyond

See? No "News" in the name.

Rachel) seemed to lose something. And then MSNBC seemed to make the mistake of trying to clone its evening shows all over the schedule. It became almost entirely a politics and news commentary channel.

Actually, there is very little wrong with that concept. Unlike FOX "News"--who they are often and unfairly considered the mirror counterpart--MSNBC doesn't have "news" in its name. It doesn't bill itself as "fair and balanced." Its slogans are "lean forward" and "the place for politics." So, their political leanings are completely fine, or ought to be. The weak spot was ratings, and I believe that's because it became very much stuck in a rut. There is a sameness across the day, with similar guests, similar styles, similar sets, colors, music, hosts. When most of the shows have such interchangeable parts, nothing is appointment viewing anymore.

So, MSNBC is shaking things up, and jettisoning some of their daytime programming. The old heave-ho to Now with Alex Witt, to The Cycle (the landing ground for a handful of guests from other shows) and The Ed Schultz Show. In their place will be an attempt at NBC-style "hard news." None of these things make me sad. Except that some of it will be hosted by Chuck Todd, who I think is kind of a tool, and one with a bit of a conservative bent. Joining him will be Brian Williams, on his road to redemption. So, cool, we may have some better place to turn for actual news then we've had lately.

This, I'd love to see, but I kinda doubt it.

Also, goodbye Ed Schultz, I won't miss you most of all. If you'd taken Rev. Al with you, it wouldn't make me sad either (someone please tell Al he actually has a working microphone?). I've never, never cared for Ed, and thought he was a bad fit from day one. So, that's my favorite part of this news. Now, they'll probably follow these changes with more. I wouldn't be surprised to see Chris Hayes at least moved if not cancelled. O'Donnell could see the same, I suppose. Rachel Maddow is likely going nowhere, unless they move her up an hour. And who knows about Lockup. I'll never figure out why they still air that so often.

All in all, change is inevitable in television programing, even if we can tend to get used to our old favorites. FOX "News" had an unusually stable roster for most of its existence, but has seen a few shakeups in recent years. CNN is still wont to cancel and move stuff around. So I say great. Hope it works, hope it makes things better. Just don't mess with my Rachel, mmm'kay?

[Excerpt]

 

MSNBC Is Canceling Ed Schultz And Giving His Show To Chuck Todd

 

MSNBC is expected to announce that they are canceling Ed Schultz and giving his timeslot to Meet The Press host Chuck Todd. Mediaite is reporting that The Ed Show along with two other programs will be canceled. . .

 

Read more at: PoliticsUSA

Woo Hoo!!! Simpsons Deal Reached!

¡Ay, caramba! We came thisclose to losing The Simpsons forever. But a deal has been reached, and the show will get to complete--at least--its 25th season! 

Image from source, HuffPo

[Excerpt]

'The Simpsons' Renewed For Two Seasons: Cast, Producers Strike Deal

"The Simpsons" will live on, after all.

On the verge of cancellation after producer 20th Century Fox TV demanded that the voice cast of the seminal animated series take a 45% pay cut, the producers and talent came to a last minute agreement on Friday that will extend the show for two more seasons. It was thought that the show would last only one more season after this, its 23rd, even if an agreement was reached, but the groundbreaking series will reach a record-setting 25 years on television. . .


Read more at: Huffington Post

 

V and Brothers & Sisters Cancelled

One of these women is really a lizard person. The other
was on V. Kidding! Image from TVLine

If you are a tv watcher, this time of year can be a little nerve wracking. There are shows that are perennially "on the bubble", new shows that barely squeaked through the season that you really like. Or even long-running shows that maybe aren't getting as many viewers this year. I'm doomed to lose favorite shows every year, because my tastes run to programming that doesn't attract mass audiences. You know, science fiction, horror, supernatural stuff. If it's on HBO or maybe The CW, it can get renewed with anemic ratings. But not on the big networks.

I had high hopes for V, ABC's remake of the classic 80s sci-fi series. Morena Baccarin played an effectively creepy alien baddie, and the show had energy and momentum. But it also had some really odd CGI effects, and a serialized storyline that didn't grab casual viewers. I was thrilled that it got a second season, and am not surprised--though I'm sad--that it won't get a third.

Brothers & Sisters is a different story. It's a long-running soap opera of sorts, a very good fit to Desperate Housewives, which it follows. It has Sally Field, who cries a lot yes, but is a great actress. The show is loaded with good actors. I suspect that the decision to end the show had more to do with contract negotiations and behind-the-scenes problems. But this show I really will miss. I think the producers knew it might come to this, with the season finale feeling a lot like a final episode. Turns out, it was.

[Excerpt]

Breaking: ABC Cancels Brothers & Sisters, V, Mr. Sunshine, Four Others



Friday the 13th turned out to be doomsday for Brothers & Sisters and V: ABC has axed both shows. The Alphabet net also pulled the plug on rookie series No Ordinary Family, Off the Map, Better With You, Detroit 1-8-7 and Mr. Sunshine. . .
 
Read more at: TVLine

FOX TV Cancels Human Target and More

Mark Valley and Christian Slater, two oft-hired, oft-fired,
but talented men. Image from TVLine

Rats. Another DC Comics character-based project, Human Target has been cancelled, along with some other shows I mostly never heard of. Human Target starred the under appreciated Mark Valley (Keen Eddie, Boston Legal) as sort of a bodyguard for hire. The series started like a James Bond-on-TV kind of thing, and then shifted gears in its second season to be a lot more than that. I really dug it, and it wasn't even one of my favorite comics characters. But this is what often happens to shows I like, particularly sci-fi/horror/comic book series. So, attention Charmed, Smallville and Supernatural: the reason you got so many seasons is that I for some reason never watched you, even though you're in my sweet spot. The lesson for me: if you think a show is going to be super cool, wait for the DVDs, and do not write about it on the blog!

It should be noted that in addition to Mark Valley, we can add Chi McBride, Christian Slater, David Denman and Bret Harrison to a long list of actors who keep getting cast in short-lived projects. Harrison (Breaking In, V, The Loop, Reaper) has a list of failed series to rival Matthew Perry before Friends.

[Excerpt]

Fox Cancels Human Target, Lie To Me, Chicago Code, Two Others



Fox went on a killing spree late Tuesday, canceling five bubble shows including Human Target and Lie to Me. . .
 
Read more at: TVLine

Keith Olbermann's Announcement of the Final Countdown

A few things are dribbling out, like the fact that The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell will take over the 8pm (5pm PST) slot, The Rachel Maddow Show stays where it is, and The Ed Show gets the 10pm slot. If you didn't get a chance to see Keith Olbermann's parting words, here they are.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Glenn Beck's New Year Off to a Bad Start

Image from source, News Corpse

Do you think he'll cry?

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck’s New Year Off To A Rousing Flop



First the good news: Glenn Beck dropped by New York’s WOR radio station over poor ratings. The largest commercial market in the country is ditching Glenn Beck. That’s gotta hurt. Especially since Beck’s Philadelphia affiliate previously announced that they were dumping him as well. Is this the beginning of a trend? . . .
 
Read more at: News Corpse

Get Active! Save Swingtown!

Usually, when I post something under the banner "Get Active!" it's for something serious and/or dire. This time, I just want your help saving my favorite new show. I did this at the end of last season for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and this time it is for the CBS summer series, Swingtown.

I was interested in watching the first episode for the 70s time period, the early shots of the cast, and the naughty nature of the show. As it turns out, the naughtiness is just a sprinkling of spice onto a very well made drama. The acting is great, the attention to period detail is--for the most part--spot on, and the writing is engaging. It's sort of a family drama crossed with a bit of nighttime soap opera, and a dash of Desperate Housewives type comedy. In fact, the naughtiness--for all the attention it has gotten--rarely ever outpaces that show.

So, as I do far less frequently these days, I stayed with the program for its 13-episode run. CBS should get credit for running them all, even after a ratings plunge on Friday nights. Of course, that ratings plunge was CBS's fault for putting it onto Fridays in the first place.

All that said, petitions to save endangered shows rarely work. For every Jericho there is a Moonlight. The difference here is that there are rumblings that CBS is shopping Swingtown to other channels, including cable outlets where the storylines could get a little more spicy.

Read more here: Save Swingtown

Or, sign an online petition: Here.

And, I'm encouraged by this: Swingtown 1st Season on DVD