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CNN to launch limited series with Robert Redford
Photo credit: AP
As the new CNN under the new savior — Jeff Zucker — slowly comes into resolution (lots of saturation coverage of single news events, for example) add this to the mix: a limited run news series on Chicago, produced in part by Robert Redford. Starts in 2014, and the title is "Chicagoland."
This will in fact be a joint effort of Redford and Laura Michalchyshynn — she's his production...
Read more »CNN's Howard Kurtz: Mea Culpa
Well, that was different: Howard Kurtz, TV's -- in fact, all of U.S. media's -- most prominent critic/observer stood (or rather sat) before two inquisitors to deflect charges that he was sloppy, over-extended and too often wrong.
He did this, by the way, on his very own show, "Reliable Sources," a Sunday CNN fixture for well over a decade. Happened this morning.
I...
Read more »Boston Marathon bombing coverage: What did the TV networks learn? Anything?
Photo credit: CNN
It may have taken a weekend to process, but April 19 does now appear to have been the most dramatic day for network television news since Katrina's destruction of New Orleans. It was a roaring blast of images, facts, speculation, gossip, dead-ends, loose ends, wild conjecture, ferocious street reporting, and, at moments, a wild throw-caution-to-the-wind melee that had news crews rushing to the source...
Read more »Jon Stewart destroys CNN...but ignores Fox News
Photo credit: AP
In the category of Shooting Dead Fish in a Barrel, Jon Stewart utterly demolished CNN on last night's "The Daily Show." No surpirse - CNN had one of the worst afternoons in its long history, reporting a "scoop" that a suspect had been arrested in the Boston Marathon bombing case when, in fact, there was no arrest, as various authorities stated, even as CNN was saying there was.
If you watched CNN, it was indeed ugly - John King reporting that this was as solid as it gets, until it all slowly unravelled. King and CNN later tried to cover up the gaff, by slowing removing screen supers, and then talking about how it was attempting to correlate all that was known...until it all fell apart, utterly.
But Stewart - unfairly in my opinion - doesn't mention that Fox News Channel - which didn't even bother to cover President Obama's emotional Rose Garden speech following the collapse of his proposed gun bill in the Senate - also reported in no uncertain terms that an arrest had been made. Fox held to line until it no longer could, but the Twittersphere completely ignored its gaff, instead focusing its fury on CNN. AP had also reported an arrest.
Too bad - there was plenty of blame to go around, while NBC News' Pete Williams and CBS News got it right....
Did 'The Daily Show' just whack CNN's new 10 p.m. show?
Well, what now "(Get to) the Point"? That's CNN's new 10 p.m. show that just wrapped a week of tryouts Thursday night, and the reason I ask is that I'm hearing the show won't return next week, at least not at 10. Would that be in response to the body slam it took Thursday night on "The Daily Show"? Hard to say, but my own brief sampling suggests that a.) It's not nearly as bad...
Read more »'Game of Thrones' producer talks season 3
Photo credit: HBO
David Benioff -- part of the two-headed dragon that produces HBO's hit "Game of Thrones" (Dan Weiss, the other head) -- spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday about Sunday's show. (Good piece -- but worth noting that CNN is owned by Time Warner, which owns HBO; redundant information? Possibly... ) My review of season three? Well, isn't that nice of you to ask! Here it is... And check it out Jake's chat ...
