Keith Olbermann
Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann are engaged in one of the most visible rivalries of the decade — a conflict that may be rooted more in their similarities than differences. Both talk show hosts are former straight news reporters who share not only a formula for talk-show success, but a mutual respect for Tom Snyder, whose 1970s talk show Tomorrow set the bar for thoughtful, entertaining talk. Olbermann and O'Reilly make our Players list for best epitomizing the transformation of news in the 2000s. While CNN ruled the '90s with an emphasis on breaking, opinion-free reports, The O'Reilly Factor helped Fox News become the cable news leader with a show that mixes reporting, reflection, and rampant editorializing. It's the same formula adopted by Olbermann's Countdown, which has led MSNBC's increased emphasis on opinion. Critics paint O'Reilly and Olbermann as blustery, cartoonish bloviators of the right and left, respectively, and take them to task for not playing it straight. But both men — among the influential television industry players interviewed for TVGuide.com's Best of the Decade section — would just say they speak the truth. Click here for our interview with O'Reilly or read on for our talk with Olbermann.
read more
Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann are engaged in one of the most visible rivalries of the decade — a conflict that may be rooted more in their similarities than differences. Both talk show hosts are former straight news reporters who share not only a formula for talk-show success, but a mutual respect for Tom Snyder, whose 1970s talk show Tomorrow set the bar for thoughtful, entertaining talk. Olbermann and O'Reilly make our Players list for best epitomizing the transformation of news in the 2000s. While CNN ruled the '90s with an emphasis on breaking, opinion-free reports, The O'Reilly Factor helped Fox News become the cable news leader with a show that mixes reporting, reflection, and rampant editorializing. It's the same formula adopted by Olbermann's Countdown, which has led MSNBC's increased emphasis on opinion. Critics paint O'Reilly and Olbermann as blustery, cartoonish bloviators of the right and left, respectively, and take them to task for not playing it straight. But both men — among the influential television industry players interviewed for TVGuide.com's Best of the Decade section — would just say they speak the truth. Click here for our interview with Olbermann or read on for our talk with O'Reilly.
read more
Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck
MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann is looking for dirt on Fox News' Glenn Beck.
"Find everything you can about Glenn Beck, Stu Burguiere, and Roger Ailes," Olbermann posted on The Daily Kos. (Burguiere produces Beck's radio show; Ailes is the head of Fox News.)
Read about the top 5 talk-show controversies of 2009
Olbermann's request for fact-finding was a somewhat cheeky reply to...
read more
David Letterman, Glenn Beck
It's been a big year for incendiary talk-show chatter. Sometimes a host gets viewers irate. Sometimes it's the guest. Sometimes that guest is even the president of the United States. Here's a look back at some of the comments this year that made people mad.
1) Who: Glenn Beck on Fox News' Fox and Friends
What he said: On the July 28th edition, Beck said President Obama has "a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture." He added, "I'm not saying that he doesn't like white people. I'm saying that he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist."
The fallout: Geico and Lawyers.com have pulled advertising from Beck's show, The Glenn Beck Program.
read more
Euna Lee, Kate Gosselin, Jillian Harris
There's nothing like a genuine surprise. While some things on TV this week took predictable turns — feuding cable hosts are feuding again, and a relationship born on the Bachelorette hit a bump — the two events at the top of our list caught us off-guard. One might even change the world. And no, it's not the dance contest.
See the full list after the jump.
read more
Keith Olbermann, Bill O'Reilly
Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly take pride in not backing down from anyone, especially each other. But did they give in to their bosses by agreeing to conclude their feud?
The MSNBC and Fox News hosts have engaged in an often-personal war of words for years. But they put their differences aside — or at least agreed to stop talking about them on-air — because of an intervention by the heads of their companies, The New York Times reports.
read more
Keith Olbermann
MSNBC announced Monday that the network had signed anchor and Countdown host Keith Olbermann to a new four-year contract.
The pact will keep Olbermann at Countdown and NBC's Sunday Night Foobtall until at least 2010, paying him roughly $7.5 million a year. Olbermann's brand of commentary, most often directed at President Bush and his administration, led to the highest ratings in the show's five-year history last month. But with that administration heading out the door, where will Olbermann direct his anger?
In a Monday appearance on The View, Olbermann joked: "We're switching to all Mariah Carey as of tonight." But that wasn't the case at all.
Instead, Olbermann delivered an emotional railing against the passing of California's Proposition 8, proving his "Special Comment" segments don't need to attack Bush to pack a punch.
Watch the six-minute commentary after the jump.
read more
Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann courtesy MSNBC
Jeers to MSNBC for keeping Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews too far from the action at the Democratic National Convention. The cable network placed their two primary anchors on an outdoor platform that looked a mile away from the Pepsi Center. The distance, isolation and wind wreaked havoc on Olbermann and Matthews' hair — and possibly on their minds. The Hardball blowhard forgot Joe Biden's name at one point, and if the Countdown bloviator is supposed to leave his subjectivity at the door on nights like this, somebody should tell him not to follow Hillary Clinton's speech with cries of "Grand slam! Grand slam! Grand slam!" (Maybe he was having an ESPN flashback.) It all made me miss Tim Russert even more.
read more
Rachel Maddow by Mindy Tucker
Rachel Maddow, who frequently served as a guest and substitute for MSNBC's popular host, Keith Olbermann, has been named to replace Dan Abrams' program, The Verdict, with her own new show.Maddow, according to The New York Times , emerged as an admired and favored political commentator for the channel – especially during the important election coverage. Her new program, which is yet to be named, will replace the Thursday night 9 pm/ET time slot held by Abrams. MSNBC revealed that Maddow will begin her program on Sept. 8 (after the political conventions are over) as Abrams signs off from The Verdict this Thursday. Abrams told the Times he’d be "putting my general manager's hat back on," adding that "considering where the network is right now, it is actually the right call."Are you a fan of Rachel Maddow, or will you miss Dan Abrams? – Erin FoxRelated• Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch More MSNBC
read more
Two major NFL-related TV announcements came down Monday. Ex-ESPN anchor Dan Patrick is joining NBC's Football Night in America pregame studio show as co-host. He will reteam with his former SportsCenter deskmate Keith Olbermann. "I'm delighted to be reunited with my tag team partner," Olbermann said, and in an homage to a favorite SportsCenter catchphrase, "I can't stop Dan Patrick from working with me again, I can only hope to contain him."Patrick left ESPN last summer after 18 years with the company. He continues to host his eponymous radio show and write a column for Sports Illustrated.Meanwhile, over at Inside the NFL, which is moving to Showtime from HBO, James Brown, Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth were named cohosts. Brown and Simms will continue their work for CBS (which owns Showtime), as host of The NFL Today and lead game analyst, respectively. Collinsworth is a holdover from the HBO incarnation, and will remain on the Football Night in America panel and as analyst for ...
read more
