A knockdown, drag-out, street-fight

February 1, 2006 9:26 AM

Keith Olbermann fights childish with childish.Looks like the gloves are finally coming off when dealing with Bill O'reilly. Deffinately not the high-road, but probably more effective. (linked video requires QuickTime)
posted by C.Batt (62 comments total)

Alternative link from Crooks & Liars: (link)

Both WMV/QT.
posted by mr.curmudgeon at 9:31 AM on February 1, 2006

Okay, that was hil-effing-larious. I busted out laughing when he waved to Bill as one of the new viewers of Countdown. Hahaha. Classic and great Olbermann, I missed him from ESPN but damn he's good as a full-on news guy.

This made my morning happier!
posted by fenriq at 9:37 AM on February 1, 2006

... and he does a damn good Ted Baxter impersonation, too.
posted by lodurr at 9:37 AM on February 1, 2006

I like his Sam the American Eagle meets Ted Knight impersonation of O'Reilly. Spot on.
posted by spicynuts at 9:38 AM on February 1, 2006

"Bill made a funny .... HEHEEEEEIIEEE!!"

Awesome.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:39 AM on February 1, 2006

Wow, look...people that make money from doing what ever it takes to drive advertising revenue are doing something that I find in check with my ideology! That's awesome!
posted by mrblondemang at 9:39 AM on February 1, 2006

This is like a call-and-response version (instead of parallel) of Stephen Colbert's "The Wørd" (ka-tang!) segment. The fact that it's on a "respectable" network is kind of amazing.

I was thinking "O'Reilly doesn't talk like that, why is he using that voice?" Until he closed as Ted Baxter. Nice.
posted by adamrice at 9:40 AM on February 1, 2006

teh f'ing awesomness
posted by photoslob at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2006

Ahh.. he closed as Ted Baxter..I didn't listen to the end.
posted by spicynuts at 9:44 AM on February 1, 2006

Wow, look...people that make money from doing what ever it takes to drive advertising revenue are doing something that I find in check with my ideology! That's awesome!

Realizing Bill O'Reilly is a twit isn't ideology. It's damn near genetic. Pretending otherwise is like watching that Mr. Show skit where David Cross is a "recovered" homosexual.
posted by Cyrano at 9:45 AM on February 1, 2006

O'Reilly: "The following media operations have regularly helped distribute defamation and false information supplied by far left Web sites..."

Olbermann: "You call it defamation, Bill. We call it precise quotes from your show."
posted by edverb at 9:47 AM on February 1, 2006

Olbermann rocks.

I just hope that whenever O'Reilly's head finally explodes, someone gets it on tape.
posted by JWright at 9:48 AM on February 1, 2006

I love it. Olberman counterpunched with O'Reilly's sexual harrassment rap. In summary: O'Reilly STFU.
posted by StarForce5 at 9:51 AM on February 1, 2006

O'Reilly's sexual harrassment rap

Just keep hammering him on that.
posted by jsavimbi at 9:53 AM on February 1, 2006

Falafel.
posted by thanotopsis at 9:53 AM on February 1, 2006

His Bill O'Reilly sounds like Rush Limbaugh.

Funny though. Quite funny.
posted by geekhorde at 9:56 AM on February 1, 2006

Wow, look...people that make money from doing what ever it takes to drive advertising revenue are doing something that I find in check with my ideology! That's awesome!

Holy shit, the entire cable news industry in two sentences!
posted by Remy at 9:57 AM on February 1, 2006

Olbermann has been taking shots at O'Lielly for at least a year now, and he's only getting better. I wondered too what it was with the voice until he invoked news god Ted Baxter. That was just brilliant.
posted by Ber at 10:03 AM on February 1, 2006

I love the dig at Murdoch.
posted by funambulist at 10:03 AM on February 1, 2006

Wow, look...people that make money from doing what ever it takes to drive advertising revenue are doing something that I find in check with my ideology! That's awesome!
posted by mrblondemang at 10:39 AM MST on February 1 [!]

Yup, it is awesome. Ideology or not. Bill O'reilly is a hypocritical, spin-doctoring, gasbag. Regardless of his political leanings, his brand of journalism pollutes the airwaves.

All O'reilly does is promote willfully ignorant intolerance by spitting bile and blustering outright lies into truth.

I could care less about his politics. I would feel, and do feel the same, about anyone that bends the ear of the populace to their message through outright BS.
posted by C.Batt at 10:07 AM on February 1, 2006

"Definitely"
posted by destro at 10:11 AM on February 1, 2006

[explaining a dream to Lou and Murray]

Ted Baxter: I dreamt I was an old man, all wrinkled and shriveled, sitting alone on this park bench, and then this-this guy walked up to me, and he looked kind of familiar, and he just stood there, looking at me. And I said, "Who are you?" And he said, "I'm the son you never had." And then-then this woman appeared, and I said, "Who are you?", and she said, "I'm the daughter you never had." And then-then about twenty kids appeared, and I said, "Who are you?" And they said, "we're the children of the children you never had." Then a bunch of dogs and cats appeared, and I said, "Who are you?" And they said, "We're the pets of the children of the children you never had." And then a bunch of guys in white coats came up, and I said, "Who are you?" And they said, "We're the Veterinarians of the pets of the children of the children you never had." And then, and then...

Lou Grant: Ted, just-just skip to the finish of the dream. Tell us how it ended.

Ted Baxter: Oh like all my dreams end, with Marlon Thomas and Winston Churchill applauding me.

I guess it's pretty much the same for Bill O'Reilly.
posted by three blind mice at 10:18 AM on February 1, 2006

For Keith Richards to be accused of sexual harassment would be banal.

For a man who has made a fairly substantial fortune in part by attacking a claimed decline in sexual morality to be accused of sexual harassment is a revelation in hypocrisy.

C.Batt: I could care less about his politics. I would feel, and do feel the same, about anyone that bends the ear of the populace to their message through outright BS.

I actually have more respect for Buckley, Will, and Novak. I enjoy reading essays by people who wear their ideology on their sleeve. I dislike hearing partisan hacks claiming to host a "no-spin zone."
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:27 AM on February 1, 2006

I LOLed.

O'Reilly is not a journalist of any sort (well, maybe of the yellow sort).

If cable news journalists value their reputation, they'd be louder about calling the bat-shit insane O'Reilly out on his bullshit.

It's good to see Olberman doing it in such a funny fashion.

O'Reilly is a plague on journalism. The worst kind of yellow journalist. He's nothing more than a very dumb, very petty bully with a very large pulpit, masquerading as a journalist.

Lots of cable journalism is really bad. But O'Reilly is in a league all by himself.
posted by teece at 10:28 AM on February 1, 2006

That is too funny.

Is Olbermann a real news anchor/journalist? I simply can not imagine any of our Canadian anchors/journalists doing this. 22 Minutes or Air Farce, sure -- but they're our "Daily Shows," not our real news!
posted by five fresh fish at 10:35 AM on February 1, 2006

I want to take Keith out to lunch. To thank him for a bunch of time on SportsCenter, and way more for his time on Countdown.
posted by andreaazure at 10:52 AM on February 1, 2006

fff, no, our Canadian anchors/journalists wouldn't do this. They would do this. (McKeown vs. Coulter)
posted by chrominance at 10:56 AM on February 1, 2006

I'm surprised at these reactions. O'Reilly is dragging the discourse into the gutter. I don't want or expect comedy from news shows, or attempts at such. And certainly not feeble comedy. My loathing of O'Reilly notwithstanding.
posted by Hobbacocka at 10:57 AM on February 1, 2006

I thought his Ted Baxter impression was spot on awesome. It did remind me a bit of Reginald from Zipperfish.com and his "You are a Fucking Moron" segments.
posted by Ignition at 11:01 AM on February 1, 2006

O'Reilly == waste of skin
posted by hwestiii at 11:10 AM on February 1, 2006

What chrominance said. McKeown took Coulter apart in his usual dignified way. It made Coulter look like the fascist media whore that she is.
posted by illiad at 11:19 AM on February 1, 2006

Five: He is a former sportscaster that hosts The Countdown, which is a nightly news show on a MSNBC, a cable network.

If the Daily Show is about 90/10 Humor/News ratio, The Countdown is probably 40/60 Humor/News.
posted by empath at 11:39 AM on February 1, 2006

Holy crap! That was the money shot!
posted by 3.2.3 at 11:43 AM on February 1, 2006

Thanks for that documentary, chrominance.
posted by interrobang at 12:02 PM on February 1, 2006

O'Reilly == waste of skin

He might make a decent lampshade or two, though.
posted by alumshubby at 12:02 PM on February 1, 2006

mrblondemang - funny.
Cyrano - I love watching that Mr.Show skit.

O'Reilly should be ridiculed though. Directly and often.
posted by Smedleyman at 12:10 PM on February 1, 2006

Eh. I can't help but suspect that this is nothing more than one of those scrambles for ratings that shock-jocks like Don & Mike or Opie & Anthony use to get more interest in their shows. Two foundering nobodies doing mortal combat with lame insults.

Based on the comments above, I see I am in the minority, though.
posted by crunchland at 12:11 PM on February 1, 2006

I love the look on Coulter's face when she realizes she has no clear memory of Canada sending troops to Vietnam and has basically talked herself into a corner.
posted by Eyebeams at 12:12 PM on February 1, 2006

Please. Olberman makes O'Reilly look like an even-handed genius.

Hey Olb!

Cut the comedian schtick. You suck at it.
Do you have a mirror set up next to your TV at home when you watch The Daily Show?
posted by HTuttle at 12:13 PM on February 1, 2006

I laughed. His cuts about various unprofessional things Fox has suggested about other networks' anchors/reporters was good.

Please. Olberman makes O'Reilly look like an even-handed genius.

Lawl.
posted by The God Complex at 12:19 PM on February 1, 2006

alumshubby: O'Reilly == waste of skin

He might make a decent lampshade or two, though.

Well, yes, that's why it's currently being wasted.... (... did I really just take part in the kind of joke I think I just took part in?)

HTuttle: Seems as though you're operating under teh misconception that Olberman was trying to be even-handed. I get the impression he'd be happy to disabuse you of that.
posted by lodurr at 12:29 PM on February 1, 2006

HTuttle, i hear O'Reilly is looking for writers to "punch up" The Factor.

you and your mirror jokes might be just the ticket!
posted by Hat Maui at 12:30 PM on February 1, 2006

Hey Olb!
Cut the comedian schtick. You suck at it.

Replace "Olb" with "BOR", and "comedian" with "journalist", and I'm right there with you, HTuttle.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:39 PM on February 1, 2006

I'm with Hobbacocka. O'Reilly is an idiot, but I'm not crazy about Olberman's news-lite show either. Debunking this stuff should be like shooting fish in a barrel for a serious journalist, nobody should need to sink to O'Reilly's level of discourse to do it. Unless, of course, they wanted to generate a little buzz from a made-up rivalry.
posted by whir at 12:39 PM on February 1, 2006

HTuttle, just because you don't get the jokes doesn't mean they aren't funny. It just means you have no sense of humor unless you're joking when you say O'Reilly is even-handed (or were you referring to his masturbatory practices?).

Personally, I think Olbermann is damned funny. Like a Jon Stewart for the geriatric set.
posted by fenriq at 12:43 PM on February 1, 2006

Well, even if we all accept that respectable journalists ought not engage in this kind of tit for tat -- doesn't that mean that it's ideally suited for guys like Stewart and Olbermann?
posted by lodurr at 1:07 PM on February 1, 2006

fff, no, our Canadian anchors/journalists wouldn't do this. They would do this. (McKeown vs. Coulter)

Hadn't seen that, it's awesome.
posted by juv3nal at 2:00 PM on February 1, 2006

Is it just me or does a large portion of O'Reilly's viewers/readers come from Democrats who hate him? I find O'Reilly annoying so I never watch him. Why does anyone bother?
posted by b_thinky at 2:03 PM on February 1, 2006

Every time someone rips that scumbag O'Reilly a new one, an angel gets its wings.
posted by clevershark at 2:15 PM on February 1, 2006

HTuttle, how does it feel to be so wrong?
posted by wakko at 2:24 PM on February 1, 2006

HTuttle, i hear O'Reilly is looking for writers to "punch up" The Factor.

They tried to hire him, actually, but ended up with a guy named HButtle instead.
posted by chuq at 2:29 PM on February 1, 2006

Respect++ to chuq for that wonderful reference to the movie Brazil!
posted by illiad at 2:34 PM on February 1, 2006

Every minute you spend thinking about O'Reilly is a minute you didn't spend doing something else.
posted by gottabefunky at 2:53 PM on February 1, 2006

HTuttle make me laff. Ha ha ha America. How you like smell of monkey butt?
posted by 3.2.3 at 2:55 PM on February 1, 2006

Ha ha ha. Need abacus?
posted by loquacious at 3:59 PM on February 1, 2006

Htuttle is in the right neighborhood, regardless: this is sort of amusing, but it's pretty tepid. Makes me realize how goddam good the writing is for Daily Show. Meh.

Is it just me or does a large portion of O'Reilly's viewers/readers come from Democrats who hate him? I find O'Reilly annoying so I never watch him. Why does anyone bother?

To have something to complain about, as near as I can tell. I work with a guy who hates Bill O with a passion and catches his show whenever he can. Enjoys getting riled up, enjoys feeling superior.
posted by cortex at 5:48 PM on February 1, 2006

He might make a decent lampshade or two, though.

Godwin!
posted by fungible at 6:50 PM on February 1, 2006

Oh, come on. The Nazis weren' the only people who made people into lampshades. Ed Gein did too!
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:03 PM on February 1, 2006

And Idi Amin. Or so I've been told.
posted by lodurr at 5:52 AM on February 2, 2006

fighting O'Reilly is pretty much the same as Don Quixote attacking windmills. That's the exact reason he exists - to deflect flack for the administration. He, Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh are created to make us all lose focus - and boy have we all lost focus by attacking the windmills instead of the wind.
posted by any major dude at 7:07 AM on February 2, 2006

Oh lord, that's funny. :) "Let's not talk about bosses, Bill, or I'll have to call yours, and you *Know* how Satan hates to be disturbed during American Idol. "
posted by dejah420 at 10:57 AM on February 2, 2006

that satan call-out is funny as shit.
also, he explains that he's not alleging Rupert's the devil, which I think is even more awesome, because it sets O'Reilly on his own path, which pretty much sounds right to me.

and while I'm not a fan of Olbermann's show, I love the clips that come out of it and make the web. To complain that O'Reilly is bringing down the level of discourse is complaining about a crash that's already happened.
I think Barnum's quote still applies: "Nobody ever lost a buck underestimating the taste of the American public."

Bill's ratings are the only thing that give him his power. He's entertaining, in a Simpson's come to life sort of way.

Oh yeah, I didn't get the Ted Baxter voice until he said it, either. Pretty neat effect, that.
posted by Busithoth at 12:20 PM on February 2, 2006