Keith Olbermann is sort of longwinded

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He uses and sometimes misuses overelaborate language, like say, "dilletante" (in his 9/11/06 message). Do people dig this? He should be a high school English teacher or something.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:11 (nineteen years ago)

I sort of expect him to say "Nay, forsooth..." one of these days. It would only be just slightly more ridiculous than some of the phrases he's actually used.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:12 (nineteen years ago)

he's a former sportscaster (asked to fill an hourlong show mostly on his own), what do you expect?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:14 (nineteen years ago)

Less ostentatious loquaciousness?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:16 (nineteen years ago)

His overripe metaphors seem like part of a parody of something. "Still, there is a snapping flame from a final candle of respect and fairness..."

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:21 (nineteen years ago)

he said the stingray killing steve irwing was "statistically impossible".

― oops (Oops), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:22 (nineteen years ago)

how did he misuse dilettante?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:22 (nineteen years ago)

i think he meant something like "lightweight" or "poseur" but "dilettante" implies a dabbler, which i don't think was really what he wanted to imply.

other funny moments:

"seared still into my soul"

pyre

"a grasping, opportunistic dilletante"

thwart

jostle

elaborate self-congratulations (i sort of like this one)

"the urgent oath reduced to lazy execution" (ugh)

"unaminous humanity" (sounds like a kool keith lp title)

vacillating

impotent

transmuting

fradulent

monstrously

ok i like "portable public chorus"

also his tortured grammar: "look into this empty space behind, and the bipartisanship upon which the bush administration also did not build." uh?

...also wtf with the extended "twilight zone" reference?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:33 (nineteen years ago)

I think he rules. He's a bit full of himself sometimes but I can deal with that. It's nice to hear a relatively liberal voice on television. He writes with the dexterity of Pitchfork circa 2001 but his heart's in the right place.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:34 (nineteen years ago)

I think a dabbler was what exactly what he wanted to imply

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:36 (nineteen years ago)

i like him.

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, his heart is in the right place, and it's kind of cute that he's sort of decided that having this public moment means he should strive to be cicero or something.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:38 (nineteen years ago)

i think it is odd that some people really dig this stuff, though.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:39 (nineteen years ago)

i think its how he says it

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:39 (nineteen years ago)

if he could just toss this shit off itd sound cool

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:39 (nineteen years ago)

"this public moment"??? dude's been around for nearly twenty years. glad to see you got cable though!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:40 (nineteen years ago)

he was alot more relaxed on sportscenter

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:41 (nineteen years ago)

'sportscaster uses flowery language, dogs cats living together'

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:41 (nineteen years ago)

i dunno, he seems more visible lately. when he did stop being a sportscaster?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:42 (nineteen years ago)

'four horseman of the apocalypse is a bit over the top don't ya think mr. rice?'

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:43 (nineteen years ago)

yeah i think what he says is pretty good it just sounds so labored and worked-over and overelaborate... which i guess is refreshing compared to, i dunno, nancy grace or something. but there's a high word-to-point ratio here.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:43 (nineteen years ago)

in what universe is msnbc more visible than espn

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:43 (nineteen years ago)

my world, obv. i've never watched espn really. (i also drink soy milk!)

sort of reminds me of that damon wayans prison guy on "in living color"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:44 (nineteen years ago)

sorry blount that my habits aren't the exact median of the american populace.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:45 (nineteen years ago)

>>>i've never watched espn really. (i also drink soy milk!)

lol

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:46 (nineteen years ago)

sorry if keith olbermann's too red state lowest common denominator for you!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:46 (nineteen years ago)

i thought the 'why wont they rebuild' tack was pretty dumb - i know hes constructing it into a larger point but it seems easily rebuttable compared to like 50 other ways he coulda gone

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:47 (nineteen years ago)

not everybody can be charlie rose!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:48 (nineteen years ago)

lol @ 'nay, forsooth...' too

― and what (ooo), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:50 (nineteen years ago)

people like him not because of his language, but because he's no-bones-about-it to the left of accepted media tone, and no-bones-about-it pissed off without that being all schlocky-Anderson-Cooperesque about it. he can wear, i suppose, and maybe that's part of why i've never really thought to watch him, but given his role, i don't begrudge him any.

(it took me a sporto-girl-crush to get me waking up to sportscenter, but i gave it back up in short order)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:52 (nineteen years ago)

sorry if keith olbermann's too red state lowest common denominator for you!

what? he's sort of the opposite of that stereotype. or at least something apart from it.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 18 September 2006 05:58 (nineteen years ago)

sarcastic for so long can't himself tell when he's being sincere. he's actually ended his recent broadcasts w/good night and good luck - like am i actually doing this, guys..

having said that, calling gw a fascist is a total emperor no clothes moment - except everyone is too cynical to care - still nice to hear though.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Monday, 18 September 2006 06:00 (nineteen years ago)

from Olbermann's wikipedia entry

"After graduating from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey, which he attended with fellow commentator Bill Maher......"

oy, somehow that makes sense.

― timmy tannin (pompous), Monday, 18 September 2006 06:18 (nineteen years ago)

This show is basically the first successful thing he's done since he left ESPN. He had a really bad run of failures there for a while.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Monday, 18 September 2006 06:26 (nineteen years ago)

Can I be the first to ask who is Keith Olberman?

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Monday, 18 September 2006 07:59 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.lannypoffo.com/Geniuscard.jpg

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Monday, 18 September 2006 08:53 (nineteen years ago)

>>This show is basically the first successful thing he's done since he >>left ESPN. He had a really bad run of failures there for a while.

but he had a great run on night court...

http://www.tvland.com/shows/nightcourt/images/shows/4.jpg

― c@md3n (c@md3n), Monday, 18 September 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

I think it's the delivery that makes it work, that he still talks like a sportscaster so it doesn't really sound as overwrought as you'd think

I dig the puppet theater on his show. stupid celebrity trials finally get the coverage they deserve

― dar1a g (daria g), Monday, 18 September 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

His nu-Murrow schtick gets old fast, but he can be pretty funny. His hour with Dan Patrick on the radio is well worth listening, definitely the best sports-related hour in the media.

― milo z (mlp), Monday, 18 September 2006 19:08 (nineteen years ago)

also, i think that he's just more noticeable now is due to the fact that more folks aren't only just watching him, they're sharing video. He owes a great deal to Crooks&Liars/YouTube & the like, and has even thanked C&L on the air for the publicity.

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 18 September 2006 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

in a perfect world, olberman, patrick, steiner, mayne, kilborn and even eisen would rule the media. now sportscenter has devolved into nothing but fluff best utilized by steve fucking phillips and those mock gm press conferences they did as a lead in to this mlb season.

olberman is great. always has been. he's a complete asshole, which i appreciate, and the way he handled the lewinsky scandal on 'the big show' was wonderful. still, his career has largely been a disappointment. definitely one of those anchorman's anchorman/smartest-guy-i-know kinda dudes who can always kill at cocktail parties but you can tell doesn't quite have their shit together. i dig that about him.

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 18 September 2006 19:51 (nineteen years ago)

like he's the kinda dude that doesn't have to work too hard to get pussy even tho he is far from pretty but whose best relationship was probably when he was 19 and way too into bukowski and was fucking creative writing students looking for "experience" and so they could tolerate dating a dude who was convinced he was gonna be the talking head dickens or something.

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Monday, 18 September 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

HI YANCEY

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 18 September 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

YANCEY

― Andy_K (Andy_K), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 01:14 (nineteen years ago)

It's great to hear someone even aspiring for the Murrow bit. If he gets the confidence to stop quoting, he'll be great.

― stet (stet), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 01:20 (nineteen years ago)

I watched him for the first time tonight because of this thread. He seems ok! He did start quoting Voltaire at the end...

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 01:28 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, Olbermann is definitely an asshole. also, somewhat crazy. sort of Howard Stern. I like him

― dar1a g (daria g), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 01:54 (nineteen years ago)

I love how condescending Amateurist can be when he's on his game. Inspirational!

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 02:10 (nineteen years ago)

ha, "i drink soy milk" should be the new "i don't watch tv"

― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 02:13 (nineteen years ago)

Keith Oberman. Hmm, that's interesting. At first I thought you were talking about my farts because that's the name I give to my farts.

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 02:14 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 501 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

sure that's not nursing home daily activity newsletter

― call me mr. flintstone, i can scream at dinosaurs (San Te), Saturday, 22 January 2011 21:09 (fifteen years ago)

wa-wa-waaaaaaaa

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 22 January 2011 21:09 (fifteen years ago)

We old guys have such shriveled 'nads that a we can take a direct punch to them and just smile back at you. You young guys would crumple.

― Aimless, Saturday, 22 January 2011 21:12 (fifteen years ago)

This really isn't a discussion about partisanship (for me, anyway). It's about tv.

― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 22 January 2011 22:48 (fifteen years ago)

which means K.O. will pretty much be forgotten in 4-6 weeks, til he's back somewhere

― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 22 January 2011 23:30 (fifteen years ago)

likely hell be picked up by someone who wants and encourages him to do his thing ala bill maher, should be interesting, to read abt

― ice cr?m, Saturday, 22 January 2011 23:33 (fifteen years ago)

2ND UPDATE, SATURDAY AM: An MSNBC insider told this to Deadline today about Keith Olbermann's departure Friday:

"This was all Keith's choice. He has several times over the years said that he wants out of his contract. He never meant it until this year. He started lawyers negotiating twice this year. He stopped them in the spring. Then, about a month ago with the guidance of his new ICM team and a new LA manager (who were making zero $ on his current deal), he once again said he wanted to leave and this time they negotiated the full package.

"Because of all the false threats in the past, it was impossible for the network to know if he was really going to sign the final document yesterday. That's why promos for his show were still running after he quit on the air. The network couldn't really believe it or act on it until he said it on TV. They couldn't tell the promo people to pull Keith's show out of the cycle until they were sure. His staff learned he was quitting when they heard him say it on TV.

"Comcast has had no impact at all on MSNBC [yet]. Phil Griffin has complete authority. He makes deals without having to consult with anyone. He has made proposals over the years on the fly and in high-speed contexts where he is acting alone and with full authority. MSNBC is Phil Griffin's network and no one at NBC thinks they have a better idea than Phil about what to do next."

http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/nbcu-statement-msnbc-and-keith-olberman-have-ended-their-contract-last-show-tonight

― ice cr?m, Sunday, 23 January 2011 00:44 (fifteen years ago)

wow!

― David Warner (Princess TamTam), Sunday, 23 January 2011 00:45 (fifteen years ago)

"His staff learned he was quitting when they heard him say it on TV."

What a huge dick.

― Clay, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:32 (fifteen years ago)

lol 'btw you should all start looking for new jobs now, goodnight and good luck'

― ice cr?m, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:37 (fifteen years ago)

compare-and-contrast with conan o'brien, who fought tooth-and-nail for his staff with nbc as he exited the tonight-show.

― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:38 (fifteen years ago)

Exactly.

― Clay, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:38 (fifteen years ago)

Cue up Ben E. King's "Stand By Me".

― Aimless, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:39 (fifteen years ago)

it should be noted this is coming form an 'msnbc insider' and could be total bullshit

― ice cr?m, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:39 (fifteen years ago)

all anonymous MSNBC insiders are trustworthy

― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:40 (fifteen years ago)

oh n/m then

― ice cr?m, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:40 (fifteen years ago)

no way an msnbc insider would feed nikki finke bullshit to make olbermann look dumb

― max, Sunday, 23 January 2011 01:51 (fifteen years ago)

pfff yeah I took that whole article with a grain of salt.

― no pop, no style -- all simply (Viceroy), Sunday, 23 January 2011 02:16 (fifteen years ago)

whoa, yeah, olberman is way sexier now than in 1989

― phil-two, Sunday, 23 January 2011 05:16 (fifteen years ago)

"His staff learned he was quitting when they heard him say it on TV."

how very larry sanders

― chev rivera (stevie), Sunday, 23 January 2011 14:06 (fifteen years ago)

If he's been unhappy for years, it'd take a really non-perceptive staffer not to pick up on that and keep a CV and letter of recommendation handy. And given Olbermann's well-documented past, the savvy staffer should have expected this could happen at any moment.

Anyway, I would imagine the Conan show was a much greater degree of creative collaboration than Countdown. I assume, egomaniac that he is, that Olbermann did most of the non-technical stuff himself - writing, etc. It's not like he had a band, announcer, side-kick, folks that shared camera time, etc.

― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 23 January 2011 14:23 (fifteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/olbermann-said-to-be-going-to-current-tv/?hp

― buzza, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:13 (fifteen years ago)

I know Current is somewhere on my extended digital cable dial, but I have no idea where (and that it's only accessible on the tv where the dvr box is). Great move, Olbermann!

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:17 (fifteen years ago)

whatta weirdo

― gr8080, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:17 (fifteen years ago)

haha is he going to produce his own show

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:18 (fifteen years ago)

jus chillin w/a flip cam in central park

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:19 (fifteen years ago)

now that i think abt it im actually v curious to see what crazy shit hell come up w/given total control

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:21 (fifteen years ago)

if current went whole hog for the unfulfilled liberal fox news promise of msnbc they could do p well

― ice cr?m, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:22 (fifteen years ago)

maybe they'll send him to n korea

― buzza, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:24 (fifteen years ago)

he'll prob just talk abt baseball more

― gr8080, Tuesday, 8 February 2011 02:45 (fifteen years ago)

four months pass...

welcome back keith

he can be annoying but it's kind of nice to see him back on the air

― daria-g, Tuesday, 21 June 2011 00:13 (fourteen years ago)

nine months pass...

“In due course, the truth of the ethics of Mr. Gore and Mr. Hyatt will come out. For now, it is important only to again acknowledge that joining them was a sincere and well-intentioned gesture on my part, but in retrospect a foolish one. That lack of judgment is mine and mine alone, and I apologize again for it.”

― buzza, Saturday, 31 March 2012 02:54 (fourteen years ago)

is Olberman a douche

― mh, Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:02 (fourteen years ago)

kinda trying to wrap my head around the fact that keith olbermann is suing al gore

― J0rdan S., Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:02 (fourteen years ago)

who is left to air him now? and why would anyone bother? jeez

― mookieproof, Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:03 (fourteen years ago)

oh this is why i couldn't find this thread today

― recent thug (k3vin k.), Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:03 (fourteen years ago)

who is left to air him now? and why would anyone bother? jeez

― mookieproof, Friday, March 30, 2012 11:03 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

yeah he seems as hell bent as anyone in recent memory on utter self destruction that doesn't involve drugs or alcohol

― J0rdan S., Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:04 (fourteen years ago)

i suppose he'll soon be a huffpost/dailybeast thing

― mookieproof, Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:06 (fourteen years ago)

Dude doesn't burn bridges, he napalms them.

― Ashes, Pits of Ashes (leavethecapital), Saturday, 31 March 2012 03:55 (fourteen years ago)

I'm just like... they were paying you 10m a year dude.

― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 31 March 2012 04:48 (fourteen years ago)

Well, yeah, that's why he's saying the firing was a cost-cutting measure.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Saturday, 31 March 2012 04:50 (fourteen years ago)

What the eff was the reason given this time? Was he hitting on interns or some shit?

― Spleen of Hearts (kingfish), Saturday, 31 March 2012 05:28 (fourteen years ago)

he didn't show up for work!

― Matt Armstrong, Saturday, 31 March 2012 05:31 (fourteen years ago)

That's just cause pretty much anywhere for getting fired, right?

― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 31 March 2012 05:35 (fourteen years ago)

in the future everyone will get to fire keith olbermann

― lag∞n, Saturday, 31 March 2012 05:36 (fourteen years ago)

http://ll-media.tmz.com/2012/03/30/0330-keith-olbermann-al-gore-getty-ex-1.jpg

― buzza, Saturday, 31 March 2012 06:59 (fourteen years ago)

this guy must be the most awful person to work with

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 31 March 2012 07:15 (fourteen years ago)

not worth it IMO

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Saturday, 31 March 2012 07:15 (fourteen years ago)

two years pass...

http://deadspin.com/espn-suspends-keith-olbermann-for-penn-state-tweets-1687751753

― salthigh, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 18:48 (eleven years ago)

I'm generally eager to bash PSU at the first hint of controversy, but wtf is Keith so mad about here? idgi and it's probably good he's being suspended (for the millionth time).

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 19:01 (eleven years ago)

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