Oh, here we go....

[kshandra]

Keith Olbermann Defends Cutting Into Rachel Maddow's Show on TwitterThe wankstorm that the "Supersized Edition" of Countdown (along with the mention that the 63-minute-runtime will be standard) generated last night was epic; the article above only covers a portion of it. I'm of about six minds on the whole thing, personally. Is he deliberately

Comments

[dutchtulips]

I think everyone needs to chill. Of course he still loves Rachel, but he's on a new network now, some of his loyalties have changed, and that's the nature of the beast. It's a bit weird, sure, but it's only three minutes, not twenty, and I doubt much is going to be missed if you want to flip over at 9 for Rachel. During the fall/winter, I would have to miss half his show completely on Thursdays because I couldn't DVR three programs at once. But it wasn't the end of the world for me, and this three minute thing shouldn't be for anyone else.

This is just the way the TV thing works sometimes. It doesn't mean he loves Rachel any less. Hers isn't the only show at 9. To quote Michael Corleone - It's not personal, it's business.

[ayarane]

Thank you. I think people need to understand that despite what it looks like, TV shows are not scheduled with fandom's pleasure in mind. These channels must compete to survive, and they don't need to (nor should they) care if they hurt your feelings because they made you choose.

Cry and vent and tweet all you like, but this is the new reality for everyone involved. Don't expect Current and MSNBC to bend over backwards for you anymore than they already do.

[dutchtulips]

Good point. We know he loves Rachel, but for heaven's sake, he didn't commit high treason against her. He went to a new network, and this is what competing networks do. Loyalties have changed, and that's just the way it is. But it doesn't mean they hate each other now. People are making this a bigger deal than it is.

TV shows are not scheduled with fandom's pleasure in mind.

Hell, reality isn't. We should be used to this.

[chardonnay]

my, what a lovely icon you have.

[chardonnay]

i just think it's odd to have an hour and 3 minutes. 3? why not make it a solid hour-and-a-half show, then?

as for it only cutting into rachel a tiny bit, we all know some of the best bits of their shows come at the END.

it's not as if he sat down and said, "let's cut into rachel's show, because i hate her now neener neener" but it is odd.

[kshandra]

...it just occurred to me that the "supersized episode" conceit is a trick he stole from...

...wait for it!...

...NBC.

Oh, Keith....

Does someone have an icon of the facepalm pic? If not, I think I'm gonna need to make one....

[dutchtulips]

It is, really? I thought of the way TBS used to start their shows at five minutes past the hour and half-hour, back in the '90s, LOL.

[kshandra]

The thing is, TBS's entire show clock was time-shifted, so everything was still 30/60 minutes. The shows-running-long thing was an NBC creation.

[dulcet_milieu]

He noted on Twitter last night how he and Rachel both cut into each others' programs - she by guesting on
O'Donnell's for the last 5 mins, and he by running over 3 mins into hers. He explained it this way:

"Sorry. It's a competition."

I'm guessing the sensibility is from sports: (ideally) you can compete hard against another player you admire,
and no hard feelings.

[dutchtulips]

If it weren't Rachel, we honestly wouldn't even be having this talk. It's fandom being upset that they're not together anymore, and I totally understand that. I am, too! But we just have to get used to the fact that he's on a new network now. We shouldn't be seeing all this, it's creating unnecessary drama.

[dulcet_milieu]

Yeah, I think you're right about where some of the underlying energy is coming from. They're not a
couple, not even the same orientation, but their mutual affection is so strong that people can easily
think of them that way.

If there's any issue for me, it's that I've always considered Countdown/Rachel a complete 2-hour
newscast, and this upsets that arrangement somewhat. But missing 3 mins?-- eh, not that big of a
deal as far as this viewer is concerned.

[dutchtulips]

Nah, I mean, I don't think you'd miss much either way. In the immortal scheme of things, three minutes is nothing. If he ran over into Anderson's show, which I also watch, I wouldn't be that upset - I'd just flip or stay, depending on how I felt that day.

[plymouth]

Dual tuner TiVo FTW!! I won't miss a minute :) Seriously, I don't know what I would do without my TiVo.

Oh, right - I wouldn't watch TV. Watching TV when it airs is just TOO MUCH EFFORT.

[dutchtulips]

I think TiVo is awesome, but I also fear it. I suspect it may become sentient one day. xD