The TV Zone

Almost a week to the minute that the world learned that Tim Russert had died, and the daily business of TV and the media has already descended into low comedy. If you haven't checked out last night's Keith Olbermann denunciation of that "Page Six" report - that he was battling with Chris Matthews for the "Meet the Press" job sorta like Beast and Militia are battling for this season's "American Gladiator" crown - then you must! It's Keith in full rhetorical high dudgeon, WITH an Australian accent. (Note to Keith - quite funny, but you sound more like Robin Leach than Rupert Murdoch...)

Anyway, even deep-seated cynic that I am, I believe Olbermann on this one. CAN YOU IMAGINE??!! Threatening to quit (as "Page Six" had it) if he didn't get the gig? (But then, "Page Six" is usually reasonably accurate, so...) He claimed last night that he had no qualifications for the job, which is certainly true. However, I point you to Peter Boyer's fascinating profile of Keith in this week's New Yorker. It reported that CBS "executives met with Olbermann twice about the prospect of his becoming anchor of "CBS Evening News'" when it was looking to replace Dan, and before settling on KC.

So: They obviously felt Keith had the "qualification" to be anchor of "Evening News," and Keith, by meeting with them twice, either believed HE had the qualifications as well, or was anxious to hear from these executives why THEY believed he was qualified (when he believed he was not.) One, or the other. No third option.

In any case, I think Keith woulda done well to ignore the "Page Six" report altogether. It's only been a week, a mere week, and some things are better left unsaid.