The "news" trilogy

Monday through Thursday, if I'm up for it, I watch what I like to call the "news" trilogy: Daily Show, Colbert Report and a flip over to MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olberman.

As soon as I see two snazzily dressed, uber polished automatons standing in front of a graphic design replication of the new Bunker Hill Bridge and talking about a house fire or drunk school bus driver r how the new govinah has messed up again, I say to whomever has the remote, "Can we put it on the real news?" And the channel is changed to Comedy Central.

Indiana Unversity conducted a study that showed the Daily Show actually has as much or more substantial news than network news. (Article from IU).

I oscillate between which show is more entertaining: The Daily Show or the Colbert Report. It is pretty amazing what Stephen Colbert does every single episode. Stewart marveled over Colbert's ability to do improv in real-time as the character of Stephen Colbert, the emulator f Bill O'Reilly. I read this comment in the "Rolling Stone" interview by Maureen Dowd (I was about to say Molly Ivins--I mix up my fiesty liberal redhead reporters, but--as noted in a previous blog--Molly Ivins is no longer with us).

My dream job would be to work on the Colbert Report or the Daily Show. If only I knew someone who knew those guys. Someone who owed me big time for doing something horrible, like dumping me on Valentine's Day.

(Okay, I know it was fourteen years ago and we were only dating for a few weeks, but still. Who does that?)

After my hour of entertainment cum pseudojournalism, I switch over to Countdown with Keith Olberman (YES! Yes! I DO know that he was once on ESPN. Did YOU know that he does a radio sports show with Dan Patrick that airs at 3 PM on AM 620 in Bangor--along with other nationwide cities and towns? See? I know about sports! AND I am a girl! Imagine!)...okay tangential tirade over.

Olberman's format is to countdown the top 5 news stories of the day. He has many guests to extrapolate the situation at hand. He also has regular segments like "Worst Person in the World" and "Oddball." WPW usually involves someone from what Keith likes to call "Fox Noise Channel." The "Oddball" segment has, well, odd things. Usually something from Japan with a skinless cat walking through a waterfall inside a mall or something like that.

When Olberman is out for the night, Alison Stewart hosts instead. I feel like it's 1994 and I'm watching M T V news-you here it (bung da dung dung) first.

So, if you're a hippie like me and you want some lefty news you've got 2 solid hours to kill...blah blah blah.