A Little of the Old In and Out



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In: Meredith Viera. What a curious moment it is for women on television news. As Katie Couic ascends to the throne of the Walter Cronkite chair on CBS Evening News, Meredith Viera is the top contender to take the place of Katie as the alpha-woman on The Today Show, the NBC News division's bread-and-butter.

In the process, the eye-candy role that women on Today were once relegated to -- remember Deborah Norville? -- as well as the mousy Today Show lietenent role perfected by Jane Pauley in the 1980s has evaporated before our eyes. (The Corsair pours himself a glass of aged champagne) Says Howie Kurtz in the Washpo:

"Vieira, 49, who is being courted by NBC executives for Couric's seat, is a former '60 Minutes' correspondent with deep roots in network news. The other 'Today' contenders are NBC insiders, White House reporter Campbell Brown, who also co-hosts 'Weekend Today,' and correspondent Natalie Morales.

"Vieira, who has turned down other morning-show offers in the past, is said to be torn because she enjoys the two programs she hosts now and is concerned about the effect of a more demanding schedule on her husband, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

"Vieira's agent, Michael Glantz, said yesterday: 'Probably no one in this business is more qualified. Meredith is certainly flattered to be the subject of all this attention and certainly would have to consider all possibilities.'

"Barbara Walters, who founded the morning chat show 'The View' and is a former co-host of 'Today,' said yesterday she would support Vieira no matter what her decision. 'We would miss Meredith terribly, but I would understand if she decided to pursue this new and challenging opportunity . . . As for 'The View,' it is a very strong franchise and if Meredith did decide to leave, 'The View' would, of course, continue.'"

In the event that Viera not take "Today," which is a position entirely defensible on the grounds that: a) she has set a priority on caring for her husband's MS, and b) she is already incredibly sucessful where she is and has nothing to prove, then the lead candidate is Campbell Brown, another strong and fetching woman who will play the dominant role to Matt Lauer's unthreatening beta male. The era, it would seem, of the eye candy (Norville) and mousy "younger sister" types in the morning has died, unburied and unsung.



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Out: The Degenerate Regime Of Naomi Campbell. It is no surprise to student of international relations that Nelson Mandela, a man who faced down with steely resolve, the tyrannical Apartheid regime for 27 years while incarcerated in a high-security prison is wisely showing signs of self-preservative F-E-A-R at the prospect of encountering the degenerate regime that is Naomi Campbell. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detahcment) We would too, considering the amount of blood affixed to the petite servants wardrobe (now: exhibit A for the prosecution). From Rush and Molloy:

"Days after New York's Finest snapped a pair of bracelets on her wrists, supermodel Naomi Campbell turned up in South Africa to talk with a man who knows about life behind bars � Nelson Mandela.

"Word is that Mandela's advisers were wary of the manic mannequin, who last week was busted for allegedly conking her maid on the head with a crystal-studded BlackBerry."

And Mandela's not the only one:

"She's expected next month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute gala. Although she's due to sit at the table of co-host Anna Wintour, one source says, 'I suspect Anna is nervous.'"

Of course she is. (sotto voce) Of course she is.



In: The Jake and Jackie Show. As the slow-motion car crash that is the Howard Stern-Les Moonves-David Lee Roth-FreeFM soap opera leaves smouldering chunks of hot debris all over the information superhighway, the late night "Jake and Jackie Show" emerges from the smoke as the station's breakaway hit.

Both were trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and mix sketch comedy with the celebrity gossip. On any given night you can hear VH1's Chuck Nice and Paul Scheer, "Monk" television writer Tom Sharpling, Michael Musto of the Village Voice, SNL's Horatio Sanz, ESPNClassic's Sklar Brothers or The Colbert Report's Eric Dreysdale waxing from pop-mostalgia to 1980s professional wrestling to the sensitive subject of feline AIDS.

He's the bad cop: the high-strung but extremely knowledgeable music and pop-culture geek; she's the good cop: the boozy-voiced older sister who asks you to not tell Mom and Dad she's sneaking out to be roam the night with her fast-living boyfriend. The show is tightly-produced by Viacom's up-and-coming player Ivan Lee (in 10 years he will be Executive Proucer of the CBS Late Show). And the bouncer-phone screener of the "Jake and Jackie Show" is the stressed-out but awesometastic Gillian.

Frankly, The Corsair is addicted to this show. And you should be too.

Podcast clips:

"We Are At War" here.

On Naked women on radio shows. Here.



Out: Glenda Bailey's Harper's Bazaar. The fearless Kim Hastreiter of Papermag's Blog says out loud what we all know is true but keep to ourselves about Hearst:

"I have been reading the requisite gossip(mostly in WWD lately) about Harper's Bazaar and how editor Glenda Bailey's contract is coming up for renewal and that the powers-that-be at Hearst have been quietly looking around. Many are speculating about yet one more change and if that is true and they don't get it right this time, I think they should just close their doors. There is something about that magazine that simply has never worked. Including in the Tilberis years! As much as everyone deified Liz Tilberis I feel even she didn't get it right. Kate Betts (after Tilberis) certainly got it wrong. And Glenda Bailey's Bazaar just doesn't seem to hit the luxe nail on the head. I think one of the big problems with Harpers Bazaar is that Hearst just has some sort of cheapskate mentality in their corporate culture and it seems to rub off on the aura of their magazines. Bazaar just doesn't come across as luxurious as it should be. Hearst needs to open their pocketbooks further if they're gonna make this one work."

So true. More here.



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In: Jason Reitman. Jason Reitman learned the mechanics of moviemaking from his dad, Ivan Reitman. "Thank You For Smoking" was a texbook case of how to do an indie movie right. Limited initial release. Critical praise. Box office buzz. Great opening. Onward. Jason Reitman is stiking while the iron's hott. According to Cinematical:

"Last week, Martha reported on 'hot young director-of-the-moment' Jason Reitman signing a deal with Fox Searchlight. In fact, it's a cool deal with a lot more behind it than Fox Searchlight's press release touting the deal actually lets on. I talked to Reitman the other day about his new prodco, Hard C, in which he is partnering with Daniel Dubiecki. Dubiecki, in addition to producing Reitman's current hit Thank Your For Smoking, produced all of Reitman's short films and, most recently, a controversial short called The Big Empty, starring Selma Blair as a woman whose vagina is both a literal and metaphorical frozen tundra because she doesn't have love (that one really pissed off the feminist crowd when it screened at last year's Seattle International Film Festival.)

"The press release revealed that under the terms of the deal, Reitman and Dubiecki will develop and produce films for Fox Searchlight."

More here.