In a time when watching Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, Bill O'Reilly and Hannity can be repetitive, boring, safe, wretched, and just downright wrong and bullying (even if the former sometimes is OK), Keith Olbermann is a sublime respite. Yes, he'll make his point of view known, but an unpopular one? I think not; when watching Olbermann go into one of his "special comments" it comes about as close to- if not quite as classical- as an Edward R. Murrow speech rallying against one injustice or another. It's actually inspiring to see what is usually just another 'talking-head' speaking intelligently not from some vapid "gut" ala O'Reilly, but from facts that send many Americans as of late into a tailspin. How to put such a travesty like the Bush administration into a context of articulation (and one that isn't of full-on satire like the Daily Show)? Look at Olbermann.
But it isn't all serious and such; one of the great joys of Countdown is that, within the parameters of the archetype of the structure of the show. Olbermann makes his show into fun satire and moments of levity following the first half just the typical lot (though an interesting lot usually) of talking heads, with his "Best Person" and "Worst Person" listing, Oddball moments (videos of crazy Santa's or deer jumping over a car as it's driving, among many, many, many other classic bits that most often would be left in the dregs of you-tube). He's a man that understands irony- he's not one to back down from giving a scathing comment against someone whom he thinks deserves it (and, whatever affiliation you have, you got to admit that he can give the sucker punch linguistically like few others in cable news, and not with the rancor of some of his rivals). But he's also a man of conscience, and he'll reveal himself as having more lucid thoughts on a subject than one would ever expect of a Tucker or even Anderson Cooper or other.
For me, it's one of the most addictive shows on cable TV news.
But it isn't all serious and such; one of the great joys of Countdown is that, within the parameters of the archetype of the structure of the show. Olbermann makes his show into fun satire and moments of levity following the first half just the typical lot (though an interesting lot usually) of talking heads, with his "Best Person" and "Worst Person" listing, Oddball moments (videos of crazy Santa's or deer jumping over a car as it's driving, among many, many, many other classic bits that most often would be left in the dregs of you-tube). He's a man that understands irony- he's not one to back down from giving a scathing comment against someone whom he thinks deserves it (and, whatever affiliation you have, you got to admit that he can give the sucker punch linguistically like few others in cable news, and not with the rancor of some of his rivals). But he's also a man of conscience, and he'll reveal himself as having more lucid thoughts on a subject than one would ever expect of a Tucker or even Anderson Cooper or other.
For me, it's one of the most addictive shows on cable TV news.