Discussion for article #228612
If this is true then I’m incredibly, horribly disappointed with Jon. It’s one thing to make fun of the problem, to point out the ridiculousness of a problem, and yet another thing to refuse to be part of the solution when you have the opportunity. I sincerely hope this isn’t true.
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Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I clicked on the TPM link, not The Onion.
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For just a moment, Meet the Press almost became an interesting program.
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“James Dixon, Stewart’s agent, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.”
Sure he did. You just can’t see someone giving you The Finger over the phone or through email. Pretty sure The Finger is what Stewart gave NBC too.
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It’s not about the money as Mr Stewart seems to be saying.Integrity and reputation seems to be item one on his list.Good for you.
I guess the same thing applies here as his take down on the OLD crossfire:’’’
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What makes you think he would be more effective in that role than the one he has now? He has always regarded himself as a comedian first. Is it surprising that he might not see himself as a good fit for that show?
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Jon Stewart is great at his job because he draws attention to serious issues using humor and fun.
While he’d do a much better job at MTP than Todd or Gregory (a definite low bar to begin with), I just don’t think that is the right venue for him. Something strange tends to happen when certain hosts/pundits join cable news outlets and I fear if Stewart were hired, he’d be stifled as well.
If the story by these “sources” are accurate, it would have been a boon for NBC but I’m not sure it would have worked in the long run.
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NBC had to settle for table scraps.
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I certainly understand the sentiment, but think of it this way: how fast do you think he’d be subjected to severe pressure to “moderate” his views and “not appear so liberal” and “take it easy on the Teatrolls” by the folks in the up-n-up positions at NBC once the “I refuse to ever do your show with Stewart as host” emails came pouring in from the GOP/Teatrolls in congress, etc.? There’s no “fixing” it from the inside. The Fourth Estate is one village that DOES require burning first in order to save it. Shit needs to be torn asunder and obliterated and then rebuilt from scratch.
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I’m sure negotiations broke down when NBC insisted that Jon Stewart tack towards the center. After all, arn’t we a center right nation? Watching Jon Stewart and the MSM over the years, this marriage was never going to happen…
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Upchuck Toad is not going to save MTP from ignominy.
He lacks the gravitas, the incisive mind, and the balls to call out lying politicians from either side.
Gwen Ifill could do a good job as host.
So could Rachel Maddow.
So could Ari Berman.
Or Lawrence O’Donnell.
But as lame as Upchuck is, the worst part of the “revamped” MTP is allowing Morning Blow to be part of the panel. He makes Todd look good by comparison, but that’s akin to saying that Ebola makes Dengue fever look good by comparison.
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I remember Bill Cosby saying that when he pitched his show in the early 80s TV execs thought it would be great if Diana Ross would play his wife on the show.
Cosby said, “Diana Ross? A singer who could sell out Madison Square Garden every night for a month? Why would she do this show?”
Same.
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NBC: “Jon, we want you to get a lobotomy and do our show”.
Jon: " I totally understand."
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He’d have a larger audience, he would have the ability to have some control over the weekly narrative since the Sunday talk shows seem to set the stage for the week, and he’d have the ability to confront and call out the bullshit to the bullshitters faces. Instead of watching Chuck Todd play nicey-nice with John McCain we might have actually seen someone finally confront him about the number of times he’s been wrong, about the number of wars he’d demanded we wage.
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James “Babydoll” Dixon - reportedly a huge schmooze and entertainment agent - was fielding a negotiation to put a fake “newsman” on a fake news show? Those must have been some funny calls.
I wonder if they used someone from NBC Original Programming rather than the News Division to speak his language.
It may have been interesting to watch for a few weeks, but I think it would ultimately have been disappointing one way or the other. If Stewart had stayed true to his beliefs and posed the sharp Russert-like questions to his guests, he would quickly have found it difficult to book the best guests. If he wanted the best guests, he would have been forced to soften up and might have lost the audience.
Russert was a somewhat unique presence and benefited enormously from the fact that he earned his gravitas in a less partisan era. It was a problem for politicians with national ambitions or members of the administration to be perceived as ducking Russert. That would not have been immediately true of Stewart, which would have forced him to compete with the other Sunday shows for bookings. Once you get into the business of competing for guests, it almost necessarily requires some degree of compromise on the part of the host.
That’s why you don’t see many Republicans with national ambitions making appearances on the MSNBC prime time programs.
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That would absolutely happen, no doubt, and that’s why I would expect him to include in his contract some sort of clause that gives him total creative control. Like I said, I don’t know if it’s true but if it is it completely changes my opinion of him. When you’re given the chance to effect real change, you don’t turn it down to tell fucking jokes.
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Best Crossfire episode ever. Punching Tucker Carlson in the face with words. Nice. Start at 2:48 for the meatiest segment.
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Jon Stewart does more damage to the teaPub brand where he is…
He’d never be able to riff on glaring problems on MTP .
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