John Kerry and George Bush courtesy NBC
Who ever thought the presidential primary debates would be one of the biggest TV attractions of the year? Cable news channels have reaped record ratings and even the broadcast networks have been vying for the events because of viewer interest. It should only grow more intense when the two nominees meet in the fall. The debates are already scheduled for Sept. 26, Oct. 7 and Oct. 15. But getting the candidates to participate has never been easy according to a new book Inside the Presidential Debates ( shop Amazon.com) by Craig L. Lamay and Newton N. Minow, a former FCC commissioner and vice chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized the face-offs in every election year since 1976. The Biz talked to the authors about what makes the debates so great.
read more
Chris Matthews by Lisa Berg/NBC
Chris Matthews recently celebrated his 10th year as the host of MSNBC's Hardball, and he spent a few decades in politics before that tenure. He's distilled his observations into a new Random House book, Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation and Success. Ah, but can politics teach you how to handle Daily Show host Jon Stewart when he calls your book "sad," as he did when Matthews recently appeared to get a plug? Matthews tells The Biz how he survived what he called "the worst interview I've ever had in my life."TVGuide.com: What made you think your experience in politics would make a good advice book?Chris Matthews: It's what I know. You write what you know. I've spent 36 years watching politicians, and I've learned the traits that work with people. The absence of those traits usually suggests the failure of a career. I'm talking about people who get elected time and time again and succeed in American politics: Generally they have a set ...
read more
The consensus is that the networks' coverage of Gerald Ford's funeral won't begin to near that of the nation's most recent farewell to a fallen president. "It will not be of the magnitude of Ronald Reagan, who had two terms and was a dominant figure in American politics," NBC News' Tom Brokaw tells Reuters. "[And] I think the Ford family knows that." Said TV coverage plans have yet to be firmed up, but it is expected that there will be at least some coverage of Ford's laying in state under the Capitol rotunda, and of his state funeral, planned for Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington.
read more
Chris Matthews, Hardball
Maybe it's just a coincidence: As President Bush's approval ratings are tanking, Chris Matthews' ratings are surging. Compared to a year ago, the February audiences for his MSNBC show, Hardball, doubled at 5 pm/ET, and the repeat at 7 was up significantly as well. If that's too early for you, Hardball is getting a special repeat airing at 11 pm the week of March 6. Soon the show will be hitting the road to cover the major 2006 races in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The president's misfortunes mean there's a strong chance the House could end up back in the control of the Democrats, making it a compelling year for political junkies. But when it comes to politics, every year is compelling to Matthews, who recently spoke with the Biz.
TVGuide.com: It's been said that President Bush likes the sport of politics — that's what gets his blood pumping. Do you think he cares about low approval ratings or what people think about him now that
read more
Cape fear: Hero's Katt
Question: Just wondering. Did William Katt star in anything before The Greatest American Hero
Answer: His big break in the pre-Hero years was as doomed prom king Tommy in 1976's Carrie, Kyle. His first true starring role was as the young Sundance Kid, playing opposite Tom Berenger's Butch Cassidy, in 1979's Butch and Sundance: The Early Days. I'm betting, however, that you missed that one since most people did.
Like it or not, Katt, the son of actors Bill Williams and Barbara Hale (Perry Mason) is best remembered for his work on the ABC series, which ran from March 1981 to February 1983. And to hear him talk at the time, he didn't like the idea of that — and quite rightly feared it w
read more
