Entertainment

The real reason Olbermann lost his show

To know Keith Olbermann is to never be surprised by his sudden departure/removal from any TV gig, be it sports — ESPN, Fox, NBC — or as a political commentator/show host — MSNBC, which last Friday he suddenly left.

Olbermann’s travels have been wishfully explained by outsiders — pro and con — as a matter of his politics. Yet, insiders know it’s more a matter of his personality. For all his smarts, Olbermann is a load to indulge and endure.

He’s a ceaseless contradiction, an intolerant liberal, one who makes demands on peoples’ nerves. He’s another professional name-caller whose strongest sensitivity is on behalf of him. Make that, Him. He throws punches but can’t take a jab. His ravenous ego needs to be fed and watered every few minutes.

We’ve watched him come and go from so many local stations and national networks that we’ve lost track. It’s a pity. Years ago I figured he had a good chance to be among the most foresighted and important sports essayists TV has known or allowed.

But, regrettably, Olbermann always seems to waste himself on himself. And, after he leaves, few on the inside miss him. He makes sure of that.

***

Early in NBC’s telecast of the Golden Globes, HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” was announced as a winner. Its creator and executive producer, Terence Winter, obviously pleased, stepped to the podium and to both the in-house and national audiences, said this:

“Holy effin’ crap!”

Winter showed a smug smile, as if he’d just said something brilliantly irrelevant, perhaps even charming, but certainly clever. Atta boy! Good for you!

And thus the Coarsening of America, TV at the lead, marches on, ceaseless, downward.

It took just over one show for Piers Morgan, CNN’s replacement for Larry King, to get down and dirty, his chat with Howard Stern focusing on Stern’s genitalia. Yet, how could we have expected better?

Lately, if one uses vulgarities from other languages, it passes muster; it’s presented as creative genius. Recently, weekend afternoon promos for Fox’s “House” carefully included a Yiddish vulgarity for fornication.

And how about those “Meet the Fockers” flicks, huh? Get it? You remove the “o” out and replace it with a “u” and, well, that’s comedy at it best! Wooo!

***

Tuesday, Jan. 18th was a miserable day. Snow, sleet, rain, slush. For all the news hysterics about winter weather, this day deserved top-of-the-telecast attention.

And so Ch. 2’s news at noon led with the weather, then threw it to weatherman John Elliot.

Okay, fine. We now knew what had come and what was expected. How ’bout some news?

After all, among many other things, 10,000 police officers from all over the country were gathering just down the road to attend the funeral of 27-year-old Officer Chris Matlosz, alleged to have been assassinated by a 19-year-old in Lakewood, NJ.

But no matter how self-evident the day’s weather, Ch. 2 wasn’t done with it. WCBS next threw it to reporter Jay Dow, riding shotgun in “Mobile Unit 2,” cruising Paramus, NJ, on wet but otherwise clear streets.

Next, correspondent Kathryn Brown, aided by taped interviews with passersby, reported on the weather from Manhattan — yep, puddly and slushy. See?

And to make sure we hadn’t missed the point, Ch. 2 followed that with Magee Hickey’s report from Rockland Co., where she noted that it’s snowy and slushy.

Did Ch. 2 News ever get around to that murdered policeman’s funeral? I wasn’t about to stick around to find out.