Last night on his new ESPN show Keith Olbermann opened with a 9-minute rant about Russia’s anti-gay laws, the IOC, and Vladimir Putin.
Pure Olbermann. It’s AWESOME
Someone get this awesome straight man an honorary gay card or give him an award already.
Coming just a little more than one year after outspoken progressive televison journalist Keith Olbermann was “let go” from MSNBC, Current TV the media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt on Friday afternoon announced that it had fired Mr. Olbermann just a year into his five-year, $50 million contract. It was the culmination of months of murky disputes between Mr. Olbermann and the channel that he was supposed to save from ratings oblivion.
From Current TV
“We created Current to give voice to those Americans who refuse to rely on corporate-controlled media and are seeking an authentic progressive outlet. We are more committed to those goals today than ever before. Current was also founded on the values of respect, openness, collegiality, and loyalty to our viewers. Unfortunately these values are no longer reflected in our relationship with Keith Olbermann and we have ended it.”
Forty-five minutes later, in a stream of Twitter messages, Olbermann threatened to take legal action against the channel and said its claims about him were untrue. Olbermann, however, has said he has been very careful to fulfill the terms of his contract. On Twitter on Friday afternoon, he apologized for joining Current TV at all, calling it “a sincere and well-intentioned gesture on my part, but in retrospect a foolish one.”
He encouraged people to “read of a previous occasion Mr. Hyatt found himself in court for having unjustly fired an employee,” and linked to a New York Times article from 1990 that reported on a ruling against Mr. Hyatt’s firm that found that it had illegally removed the head of its Philadelphia office, Clarence B. Cain, after learning he had AIDS.
Olbermann’s slot tonight will be taken by Eliot Spitzer. Which is almost akin to Snooki from Jersey Shore taking over for Oprah.
From Current TV’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
Keith Olbermann talks with Janeane Garofalo who says people who are vehemently anti-gay are dealing with their own inner demons.
Dan Savage appeared on Keith Olbermann’s new Current TV show the other night and now has some queens agashst over something that h said. Talking about The Book Of Mormon On Broadway, Dan used the term “I am like a musical faggot” describing himself and his love of musicals.
OMFG Mary! I am having the vapors.
Now I know there are some out there who are clutching their pearls and calling GLAAD, which they probably have on speed dial, as we speak. And there will be a whole discussion about how come Dan gets to say that but Tracy Morgan got in trouble. (And if you can’t tell the difference between the two you are seriously warped), But just remember he wasn’t calling someone else it and it wasn’t used in hate. The only boundaries IMO that Dan crossed is with the overzealous PC police.
That being said.
It’s a brillant conversation between Dan and Keith that also inclused a discussion on do people like Rick Santorum really hate gay people, homosexuality being a choice & gay people who stay in the closet because of religion.
Oh and by the way. I’m like a musical faggot too.
There have been rumours for many years around Capitol Hill of John Boehner (R-OH) having affairs for years,on top of his alcoholism and finally someone is beginning to drop hints publically about it. And that man is Keith Olberman!
“You know what’s next, right?” Olbermann asked Fallon. “Something with John Boehner. Boehner. B-O-E-H-N-E-R. You know what his nickname is? Is — is ‘boner.’ He answers to that.”
Boehners infedelity is being investigated and both the Enquirer and the NY Times are in a race to nail down all of the details. The Times bailed in early 2010 when the conservative media pushed back ahead of the anticipated release. But now after Anthony Weiner…..
Video via Crooks & Liars
One day after the approval of the Comcast/NBC merger. Countdown With Keith Olberman has been cancelled on MSNBC.
Details are conflicting with some sources saying that Olberman was fired and some saying that he quit. But in the final broadcast that happened without warning last night Olberman stated that he was told “this is going to be the last edition of your show” Catching viewers and fellow MSNBC commentators by surprise.
Last night after Olbermans announcement Rachel Maddow spoke out on the split on “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Maddow said “Keith announced at the end of his show tonight that he and the company made a mutual decision that ‘Countdown’ is done.”
“Well, that’s always bullshit,” said Maher.
And I tend to agree
It is well known that both Comcast chief Brian Roberts and NBCU chief Steve Burke have donated heavily to the Republican party with Burke more recently donating money to a few Democrats as well as heavily to Republicans. Roberts was a co-chairman of the host committee at the 2000 Republican Convention while Burke raised at least $200,000 for George W Bush’s re-election campaign
Comcast is an intrinsically conservative corporation, it’s not overly friendly to boat-rockers like Olbermann. In fact, one such individual, a former employee named Barry Nolan, sued Comcast last year, saying the cable operator fired him in order to protect its relationship with News Corp., which owns the Fox News Channel. Nolan had publicly protested an award given to Bill O’Reilly, Fox News’s biggest star. Olbermann has also frequently feuded with O’Reilly, and even media critic Dan Kennedy predicted last year, “Keith Olbermann may prove to be Barry Nolan.”
If corporations control government through buying candidates and corporations control news through buying media outlets we are all so thoroughly screwed.
Best of luck Keith Olberman and thank you for shooting straight and telling it like it was.