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I’m going to reserve my final judgment until I see it in person. But, from afar, this new exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. – in which the late Tim Russert’s office at NBC is re-created exactly the way it was on June 14, 2008, the day he died from a massive heart attack – is unbelievably creepy.

Just how creepy?

It leads to awkward “Today” show segments on the exhibit where former colleagues like Al Roker point out Russert’s love of Jelly Bellys. Like this one:

The Newseum says the exhibit “offers a unique window into the world of a newsman at the top of his game.”

It runs through 2010. I’ll try to get down there to see it – maybe it’s not so creepy in person.
 

KEYWORDS media | Tim Russert
Published on Fri. November 20th, 2009 at 2:39PM | Link | Email | Comments (0) |
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Quick update to this post. Sarah Palin’s Wednesday appearance on Sean Hannity’s show was his second highest-rated this year, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Fox News host pulled in more than 4 million viewers, beating his top-rated colleague Bill O’Reilly (ouch) and everyone else on cable for one night.

Hannity had roughly 4,200,000 viewers, according to Nielsen, including 1,149,000 viewers in the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demo. (On election night, Hannity’s show had 4,224,000 viewers.)

O’Reilly’s Wednesday show was watched by about 3,868,000, including 1,065,000 in the “demo.”

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, by comparison, had just 957,000 (273,000 A25-54) while CNN’s Larry King Live had just 835,000 (208,000).

Meanwhile, Palin’s appearance on Monday's “Oprah” gave Winfrey her highest ratings in nearly two years.

The show drew an 8.7 household rating and 13 share – the highest ratings for Oprah since she hosted the entire Osmond family on an episode in 2007, according to TV by the Numbers.

Published on Fri. November 20th, 2009 at 2:04PM | Link | Email | Comments (0) |
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Oprah made the big announcement at the end of her show today.

There were, of course, tears. But, rather oddly, Winfrey did not mention her move to cable (scroll down for video).

Here are the comments Tim Bennett, the president of Harpo Productions, said yesterday would "mark an historic TV moment that we will all be talking about for years to come."

Judge for yourself:

"After much prayer and months of careful thought, I have decided that next season, season 25, will be the last season of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show.'

Over the next couple of days, you may hear a lot of speculation in the press about why I am making this decision now ... and that will mostly be conjecture.  

So I wanted you to hear this directly from me. 

Twenty four years ago, on September 8, 1986, I went live from Chicago to launch the first national “Oprah Winfrey Show.” I was beyond excited ... and as you all might expect, a little nervous. I knew then what a miraculous opportunity I had been given, but I certainly never could have imagined the "yellow brick road" of blessings that have led me to this moment with you.

These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. And you all have graciously invited me into your living rooms, into your kitchens, and into your lives.  And for some of you long time 'Oprah' viewers, you have literally grown up with me -- we’ve grown together.  You had your families, and you raised your children and you left a spot for me in your morning or your afternoon, depending on when the “Oprah” show airs in your town.

So I just wanted to say that whether you’ve been here with me from the beginning or you came on board last week, I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear. And your trust in me, the sharing of your precious time every day with me has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known.  

So here we are, halfway through the season, 24, and it still means as much to me to spend an hour every day with you as it did back in 1986. So why walk away and make next season the last?

Here is the real reason: I love this show. This show has been my life.  And I love it enough to know when it's time to say good-bye.  

Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the exact right time.  So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.

Over this holiday break, my team and I will be brainstorming new ways that we can entertain you, and inform you and uplift you when we return here in January.  And then season 25—we are going to knock your socks off.

So, the countdown to the end of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' starts now and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.

Thanks everybody and I’ll see you on Monday."

Published on Fri. November 20th, 2009 at 11:41AM | Link | Email | Comments (1) |
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I don't know how to put this, but it turns out Will Ferrell isn’t kind of a big deal after all.

According to Forbes, a magazine that loves traffic-baiting lists, the clunker-prone comedian is the most overpaid actor in Hollywood.

The magazine calculated a return-on-investment number for each star “by dividing total operating income on the three films by the star's total compensation, including up-front salaries and earnings from DVD and TV sales.”

Ferrell – whose films earned $3.29 for every dollar he was paid -- beat out Ewan McGregor ($3.75) and Billy Bob Thorton for the dubious distinction. (It didn’t help that Ferrell’s “Land of the Lost” dud cost an estimated $100 million and earned only $65 million at the worldwide box office.)

By contrast, Shia LeBeouf tops Forbes’ “Best Bang for Your Buck” list. The “Transformers” and “Indiana Jones” star’s movies pull in $160 per dollar LeBeouf is paid.

Here are the top ten best and worst values:

Overpaid*

1. Will Ferrell ($3.29)
2. Ewan McGregor ($3.75)
3. Billy Bob Thorton ($4.00)
4. Eddie Murphy ($4.43)
5. Ice Cube ($4.77)
6. Tom Cruise ($7.18)
7. Drew Barrymore ($7.43)
8. Leonardo DiCaprio ($7.52)
9. Samuel L. Jackson ($8.59)
10. Jim Carrey ($8.62)

Underpaid*

1. Shia LeBeouf ($160)
2. James McAvoy ($114)
3. Michael Cera ($102)
4. Daniel Radcliffe ($93)
5. Robert Downey, Jr. ($78)
6. Javier Bardem ($73)
7. Ryan Reynolds ($61)
8. Christian Bale ($55)
9. Aaron Eckhart ($45)
10. Dennis Quaid ($43)

*Revenue per dollar paid

SOURCE: Forbes

KEYWORDS media | movies | Will Ferrell
Published on Thu. November 19th, 2009 at 2:48PM | Link | Email | Comments (0) |
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BusinessWeek began a round of layoffs on Thursday, a spokesperson for the magazine confirmed to TheWrap. This is apparently part of a plan to eventually cut 100 employees or 25 percent of its staff, the Wall Street Journal reports. Among the prominent columnists and writers getting the ax are media columnist Jon Fine, senior writer Stephen Baker, tech columnist Steve Wildstrom, personal finance editor Lauren Young and engagement editor Shirley Brady.

At this point it looks like most of the columnists at the magazine will not be making the transition over to Bloomberg.

Jon Fine, whose wife is mediabistro.com founder Laurel Touby, had been on a sabbatical when he got the news. This morning the columnist tweeted: "some sabbaticals last longer than others: I will not be returning to BusinessWeek and my column once Bloomberg owns the mag."

At BusinessWeek today, staffers said that the mood was surprisingly upbeat considering the size and scope of the cuts. Part of the reason for the gallows optimism was that the layoffs had been previously announced by the magazine's management. There was also the recognition that a publication that had been bleeding money could not continue to have such a large newsroom.

"Even in grim journalistic environment, we have ways to continue to do our work," said Stephen Baker, who plans to write a book now that he was among those shown the door. "I think that people let go will find interesting opportunities."

Baker said that he was disheartened by many of the journalists included in the layoffs: "Many of them are excellent journalists, and I can't imagine they wouldn’t be assets to the company."

In October, the venerable business magazine was purchased by Bloomberg LP from McGraw Hill for less than $5 million in cash and the assumption of the company's debt. The publication was on track to lose roughly $40 million this year.

At BusinessWeek, staffers described a situation where those writers and editors getting slashed were brought into a meeting with representatives from McGraw Hill in the morning, while those who were being kept on board met with a team from Bloomberg.

This has been a week of major shakeups at the long-running publication. On Tuesday, it was announced that Josh Tyrangiel, formerly a deputy managing editor at Time magazine, would replace Stephen Adler as BusinessWeek's new editor.

More to read:
Bloomberg's Pearlstine Grilled
Why Bloomberg Bought BusinessWeek

KEYWORDS BusinessWeek | layoff
Published on Thu. November 19th, 2009 at 2:25PM | Link | Email | Comments (0) |
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More Sarah Palin quotes, if you can stand it. (You know, pimping a book is one thing, but her ubiquitous media tour this week has gone beyond that of total saturation and into the realm of  viewer fatigue – no wonder Bill O’Reilly is annoyed this interview aired first.)

Below, some excerpts of Palin on Sean Hannity, which airs at tonight at 9 p.m. on Fox News.

On whether she thinks Fort Hood was an act of terrorism:

“I certainly do, and I think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place, and I think that it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect to not -- I am going to use the word -- profile this guy, profile in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were.”

“Now, because I used the word profile, I am going to get clobbered tomorrow morning.  The liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning.  They're going to say she is radical, she is extreme.”

“But I say profiling in the context of doing whatever we can to save innocent American lives, I'm all for it, then.”

On Obama’s position on talking to Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

“I do believe that [President Obama] has evolved from that position that he took as a candidate, and he realizes now you cannot make such a promise, not when you're dealing with these mad men, who do want to destroy America and wipe like Israel off the face of the earth.”

“[T]here are other countries that we need to start putting pressure on, like Russia, and make sure that Russia is recognizing too that we're not going to put up with those threats of this Iranian regime that is so threatening and so controlling.”

On U.S. relations with China:

“Well, we have to start cleaning up our own house here in America and not so much -- well, it's going to be twofold -- but we can't just look at China and blame them for some kind of trade imbalance.  It's also our fault, because we had spent so much money.”

On 2012:

“I do not know.  I wish that I could predict and – and prepare for what's going to happen in four years.”

On her future:

“I want to help those worthy causes like special needs, making sure that our world is a more welcoming world for the most special ones. Don't know if necessarily that means running for higher office, but you know, my life is in God's hands, and I'm seeking that path that He would have me on.”
 
“You're going to hear a lot from me.  So, you know, the haters are going to have a whole lot of material.  Tina Fey, she may have a whole lot of material coming up.”

On those “haters”:

“They need to start by reading my book and not believing the tabloidization or the mainstream media that wants to portray me as something that I am not.”

“Read the book, my own words, and then judge me by that.  Judge me by record.  Judge me by my accomplishments as a mayor and a city manager and an oil regulator and a governor, and then if they still hate me, well, so be it.”

On the Newsweek cover controversy:

“It was just -- just another little shot.”

“But in the grand scheme of things, of course, things like that really don't amount to a hill of beans, when there are many things that are going wrong, something's going right, but something's going wrong in our country that people want to hear about and talk about.” 

“I think that the American people, they're tiring of the tabloidization of some people, like me.  And they want to get to the issues.”

On Letterman’s “attack”:

“[I]t's sexist and it's -- it exploits an innocent child and -- and I don't think it's cool.  I don't think it's funny.”

“I'm not out for vindication.  But I'm thinking practically, economically, in -- in terms of David Letterman is that I don't want to boost his ratings.  So, no, I have no desire to.”

On campaigning with McCain:

“And 95 percent, though, of the campaign was absolutely amazing, awesome, invigorating, energizing.”

“And unfortunately, you know, not enough pages available in a book to get to describe all of that, but about the 5 percent of the conflict is in the book.”

On Obama:

“As a person, I think he's very charismatic, quite articulate.  Very, very talented as a politician”
 “I'd like to see him put all of those God-given talents that he's so full of to better use for America.”

“I will not hesitate to say that his associates have been extremely radical and we see that then in some of the appointments he has made.”

On Couric:

“She asked about what I read, and I read -- I read Newsmax and the Frontiersman and Wall Street Journal and everything online.  I absorb the news via many, many sources.”

Published on Wed. November 18th, 2009 at 4:33PM | Link | Email | Comments (1) |
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Sarah Palin isn’t the only celebrity queen busy hawking a new book this week. Perez Hilton announced on Tuesday that his upcoming “True Bloggywood Stories: The Glamorous Life of Beating, Cheating, and Overdosing” -- his second book this year -- will be released on December 1.

The flameball promises the straight-to-paperback title (“I wanted it to be affordable for my readers!”) will “shed new light on all the juicy shiz that went down this year with the famous -- and the infamous.”

“Lots of celebrities are gonna be pissed after they read this book,” Perez -- looking like a bloggy Tom Wolfe on the cover -- boasts, “and we wouldn't have it any other way!”

So far, the tease appears to be working. Pre-orders for the book are outselling Carrie Prejean on Amazon.com, as well as Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag’s. (Raise your hand if you knew they had a book out.)

Perez also says he will sign any copies sent to him with return postage.

Merry Christmas, Grandma!
 

Published on Wed. November 18th, 2009 at 2:37PM | Link | Email | Comments (38) |
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Sarah Palin’s book tour is causing some tension – and not just among those who worked for the McCain campaign.

Fox News landed a pair of interviews with the former Alaskan governor – one with Sean Hannity, the other with Bill O’Reilly, both taped Tuesday. O’Reilly’s Palin interview will air in three parts – on Thursday, Friday and Monday episodes of the top-rated “Factor.” But, in something of an internal coup, Hannity’s will air first, on Wednesday, and will comprise the bulk of his show.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t cause much of a stir beyond the News Corp. network halls  – after all, post-Oprah Palin media saturation is starting to set in, and, love ‘em or hate ‘em, Fox News is competing with itself, ratingswise.

But it appears Bill O’Reilly went rogue, putting a teaser of his interview with Palin (above) up on his own YouTube channel – a preemptive strike, if you will, against Hannity’s exclusive. (A Fox News insider characterized O’Reilly’s reaction as “a hissy fit” when he learned Palin's interview with the third-rated Hannity would air first – which, you know, is hard to imagine.)

My unsolicited advice: Don’t be so thin-skinned, Bill. You’re the top-rated cable news show in America. Spread the love around – isn’t that part of being “fair and balanced”?

Published on Wed. November 18th, 2009 at 10:37AM | Link | Email | Comments (15) |
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