Piers Morgan smartly joins the noisemakers

As the title implies, "live" will not always be part of this equation, and Morgan launches his interview series - or "chat show," as they say in the U.K. from whence he came - with Oprah Winfrey, followed by Howard Stern (tomorrow) and Condoleezza Rice (Wednesday).

MY SAY In a "What I've Learned" essay in Esquire, the new British host of CNN's golden hour explains himself. "I have kind of an edge in me, which will be a little bit different for that time slot but probably necessary to combat the O'Reillys and so on who are making all the noise."

First order of business, Mr. Morgan: Learn the schedules. Bill O'Reilly is on at 8; Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow are the 9 o'clock noisemakers you have to worry about. While hardly demure and reticent, the new host does have edge and interviewing skills and even knows how to judge Velveeta talent shows. (His "America's Got Talent" tenure continues this summer.)

How will he do here? Just fine - if he makes some news, gets well-practiced celebrities off their well-practiced game and demonstrates a shrewd grasp of American culture and politics.

BOTTOM LINE You don't have to shout to do this job well - just be smart. All available evidence suggests Morgan is indeed that.