Thin-Skinned Olbermann Lashes Out, Predictably, at LA Times

by Tommy Christopher | 11:35 am, August 23rd, 2009

» 8 comments

andrew malcolm Steve Krakauer wondered Friday if the LA Times would make Countdown’s “Worst Persons” list for mixing Keith Olbermann’s newscast up with MTV’s “Jackass” in its TV listings. Sure enough, it did. In the number 3 spot, Olbermann went off on a long, mean-spirited rant to counter what he imagined to be an insult to his audience size.

Here’s the clip, followed by the Times’ hilariously brief, devastating rejoinder:

Olbermann took offense at a particular phrase in the LA Times’ correction, “without this kind of correction, online too, a few thousand people might have tuned into MSNBC,” taking it as a slam on his ratings. In reality, the Times’ Andrew Malcolm was referencing the few thousand people who use the Times’ TV listings, not Olbermann’s total audience. It was arguably a self-deprecating remark.

Olbermann then proceeds to crow about his ratings, and lustily anticipates the demise of the LA Times, and the unemployment of everyone who works there. He took no apparent offense, however, to Malcolm’s premise that people might not know the difference between Olbermann and “Jackass,” perhaps because he was in the process of proving it. It is a shame that a guy like Keith, who has previously displayed such a great sense of humor, can show none about himself.

Malcolm gets the last word in beautifully, however, and with subtlety, in an update to his correction. He starts out by saying that about half the Countdown audience tweeted him about the “Worst Persons” segment, then calls back to it a few paragraphs later, saying, “But both of those Friday Olbermann viewers said they were amused.”

Andrew Malcolm, FTW.

(Ed. This post was originally posted at Tommy’s Daily Dose, but one more point: It’s worth noting that Olbermann used half the time for WPITW on Malcom, including bringing in the partisan claim that, per the above, turned out not to have been implicated. The other half was devoted to worthy targets: Tom DeLay and Betsy McCaughey, with a solid Death Panel joke in there for good measure. It’s Olbermann’s platform and he can do with it what he wants, but he’s just so much more effective when he’s targeting people who really need the takedown. -RS)

andrew malcolm, Countdown, countdown jackass, jackass, keith olbermann, keith olbermann jackass, msnbc, Tommy Christopher

Randy M

This reaction is why I stopped watching Olbermann.
JimW

As Herod said in the last line of Wilde’s Salome, “Tuez cette femme!”
Just kidding, or course! hee-hee
JimW

oops… “Just kidding, of course.”
m

It’s interesting how Olbermann decided to place Andrew Malcolm on bronze instead of gold (despite spending most time on it). Is that itself some form of jab?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Van-Veen/617590041 Chris Van Veen

Somewhere, Immelt is privately fuming that Olbermann is helping reduce GE’s earnings. Every anti-FOX tirade from Olbermann brings a reciprocal volley from O’Reilly, in which he denounces MSNBC and GE in the same sentence. So in one deft passage, O’Reilly slams Olbermann and MSNBC while sending another thousand or so dishwasher or refrigerator sales to a GE competitor. For Olbermann, file this under, “Uhhh…Keith…it’s not working.”
nam

Keith Olbermann is one of those people who has proven to me that you can agree with a pundit’s politics but still find the pundit pretty insufferable.
Jelperman

Let’s get this straight: A Republican hack takes a swipe at Olbermann and Olbermann sets the record straight, which means he’s the bad guy?

Extra fail points for this line:

“So in one deft passage, O’Reilly slams Olbermann and MSNBC while sending another thousand or so dishwasher or refrigerator sales to a GE competitor.”

You and Falafel O’Reilly are probably the only people on earth who think he can alter buying patterns of consumers. Faux News’ advertisers are bailing on the network every other day thanks to the mind numbing stupidity and brazen racism of the hosts on that network (Clorox and Wal Mart just said bye-bye to Faux News).

But then, I guess you and Falafel O’Reilly get your facts from the Paris Business Review:

http://www.parisbusinessreview.net/
Plus15

Keep trying to get into Mediaite and getting blown off by Tommy Christopher’s BS & others attempts to make something out of nothing – just like this item. LA Times Malcolm was unclear at best so got spanked. This is not first LATimes shot at Olbermann including bringing back their former Arts & Leasure TV Critic Howard Rosenberg whose special column tried as other TV columnist have to claim that Olbermann and MSNBC are exactly the same in content, quality and honesty as Bill O’Reilly and FOX. What was clear is that Rosenberg never watched Olbermann and MSNBC other then to pen his characteristicly cranky return to momentary visiblity. in other word Rosenberg may have watched Olbermann once but no more then that.