Short Takes: Snow, Arianna, Fergie...

I'm watching Condoleezza Rice begin a round-robin of morning talk shows to answer questions about the letter from Iran and the struggle to contain that country's nuclear ambitions. And I'm struck by the game effort to get ahead of the news cycle and affect media dialogue on the issue.

On Monday, National Security Advisor Steven Hadley made the same morning show go-round, confirming the nomination of Gen. Michael Hayden as new CIA head before the president would formally announce it -- countering criticisms from prominent Republicans which had percolated in the media over the weekend.

Both moves seem unusual for a White House that has often chosen to media sniping over emerging issues rather than address it -- and one can't help wondering if this is one of the first signs of new press secretary Tony Snow at work.

If so, he may be teaching the Bush administration something old journalists have known for years -- many times, you get more out of making nice with the press than picking fights.

HuffPost Turns One Year Old

Arianna Huffington's collections of blogs turned one years old yesterday, and I couldn't resist pulling together a story about how its success has defied some traditional expectations about the blogosphere. It seems clear that she and some other "A-list" bloggers are punching up to affect the news cycle and bring new voices to the nation's political debate.

Some have also become profitable businesses, turning the top tier blogosphere from a field of sites for individuals posting columns in their spare time to organized, group efforts. It will be interesting to see where this new form goes -- and where it takes the national debate.

Craig Feguson Is God

I thought I was a little odd. It was a habit I couldn't really admit in polite company.

Then Denis Leary popped up on CBS' Late, Late Show last night and admitted to host Craig Ferguson that he has taped the Scottish comic's rambling, raucous monologues for a while -- transfixed by the skill of a guy who can entertain an audience for 10 minutes straight while looking like he's telling a story off the cuff.

Finally, I can let my own freak flag fly about Ferguson, whose quirky monologues I've been taping for weeks. And like Leary, I think he's the best monologist on TV; one of late night television's best-kept secrets.

Before taking over CBS' floundering 12:30 a.m. chat show from the insufferable Craig Kilborn, Ferguson was best known for playing Drew Carey's clueless boss on his ABC sitcom. When he was hired on after a succession of guest hosts, it seemed like a desperation move barely guaranteed to delay cancellation.

But then Ferguson took over. His trademark phrase "It's a great day for America, everybody," always prefaces a passionate, offhand lengthy monologue about whatever's on his mind that day -- from his sketchy relationship with his recently deceased father, to why he's got a chip on his shoulder about stuntman/magician David Blaine (doesn't everybody?).

He's a novelist, well-known comic in Britain, and has even written and sung the show's theme song.

One fave monologue line, delivered during a diatribe about a local Starbucks which has no bathroom, was captured by Wikipedia thusly: "How can you sell a diuretic beverage and not have a bathroom?"

Delivered with knowing irony through Ferguson's thick Scottish brogue, it's a high-wire comedy act that always delivers the funny. Check it out yourself -- set the TiVo if you can't stay up that long. Believe me, its worth a few fewer hours of naptime.

Comments

[Anonymous]

good point eric on snow. the bushies out front and his hiring don't seem to be just a coincidence.craig kilborn insufferable? yeah, that's pretty accurate. a buddy of mine (who shares my dislike of him even back to his espn days) once said, "with comedy like that, he should change his name to craig stillborn."

[Anonymous]

Huffy left leaning? She's a communist.Think a better story would be the success of talk radio. The make-up of American politics has been completely turned on its head over the past 25 years, and it's obvious that radio has something to do with that. Bet you'd never refer to Rush as right-leaning...

[Eric Deggans]

I've called Rush Limbaugh conservative many time in print, including in a story about Media Diets that ran in January. And I called him conservative on my blog just a week ago...In America's modern-day political system, right-leaning and conservative mean pretty much the same thing...

[Khan of the Wastelands]

Actually calling Rush Limbaugh a Conservative is an insult to Conservatives.Rush Limbaugh is a fascist and I type that as someone who does not throw the term around with reckless abandon.He's also a hypocrite, but that should be widely known now that his drug addiction had become common knowledge.Huffy left leaning? She's a communist.Wow I just thought she hated Bush and his ilk.What about her makes her a communist?Or do you assume than anyone who hates Bush is a communist?If that's the case, you can expect the hammer and sickle to be raised up come November because according the polls, we ALL hate Bush.

[Photostation]

Two observations here:To call Limbaugh a hypocrite and a drug addict is actually a contradiction. You see, drug addiction is a disease recognized by the American Medical Association. It is more of a mental sickness - a disease of the attitudes if you will - that blocks its sufferers of sound judgement. Many addicts enjoy the chase of getting high, or to see how many people they can get over on. This all contributes to mental illness. What I'm saying is to call a drug addict a hypocrite, a liar, a thief, etc., is like calling a man with one leg a slow runner. They are held back by their handicaps. Limbaugh is such an unfortunate case, he has a hard time being honest with himself. How does one expect him to be with others until he truly faces his demons?The second observation is I that never knew you flew a "freak flag", Eric.

[John]

Apparently having Craig Kilborn precede you is the ticket to job success. First Jon Stewart now Craig Ferguson, though I'm going to have to take your word that Ferguson is that good. I watched the show when he first started and he looked like he was still adjusting to the role. It was as if he applied for the job just to see if he could pass the audition then didn't really know what to do once he had to actually host the program every night. Interviews were awkward and even the monologue was stiff. It looked like he was trying too hard. If he's grown comfortable, perhaps he looks that way to a viewer too. What's Kilborn doing now? I want to send a resume so that I'll have the gig lined up when he leaves.