Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"We understood that when (Richard) Holbrooke told us stuff, he was often spinning madly—as though the sheer force and quantity of words, said loudly and often enough, would change things on the ground or around the bargaining table. It was our job to get beyond the spin. Bluff, burly, profane, unexpectedly sensitive, and hilariously funny, Holbrooke was the quintessential opposite of the pin-striped organization men and women who often populate government service at home and abroad. He was flamboyant. His diplomatic sophistication came in blazing Technicolor. I saw this most unforgettably in Bosnia, where I learned that a reporter sometimes has to be morally engaged, and where Holbrooke experienced his great triumph. In Bosnia we were a kind of team, the press and the president’s man. Those of us who chronicled the daily outrage of ethnic cleansing—a new genocide, and in Europe—were torn between anger and hope in our feelings about the United States: anger, because the administration in Washington, along with the other Western governments, seemed content for so long just to watch the catastrophe unfold and do nothing to stop it, and hope, because we believed unreservedly that only America could put an end to the slaughter of the innocents. We could not believe our luck when Richard Holbrooke, a trouble-seeking missile, was deployed to the wrenching scene. If anybody could beat the rampaging Serbian dictator who set the sights of his gunners even on small children, Holbrooke could. And he did." (Christiane Amanpour/TNR)

 "Local affiliate stations from around the country are giving the thumbs-up to a syndicated talk show with CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper. In the past 10 days, some 40 stations have inked for Anderson for their schedules this fall, making the Warner Bros. strip a firm go for the upcoming season. They come on the heels of launch clearances with Tribune's WPIX in New York and Fox outlets in L.A., Chicago and Boston. Altogether, as the TV biz gears up for the NATPE trade show in Miami (Jan. 24-26), Anderson will come to town with at least 80 stations cleared, repping 70% of the country. The show is being pitched as stylistically like the smart, provocative talk once provided by Phil Donahue but emotionally more like what Oprah Winfrey delivers. (Winfrey exits syndication after the current season to launch her cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.)" (TheHollywoodReporter)

 

"Every week between now and January 25 when the nominations are announced, movies and stars will help themselves — or sometimes, hurt themselves — in the Oscar race. Vulture's Oscar Futures will listen for insider gossip, comb the blogs, and out-and-out guess when necessary to track who's up, who's down, and who's currently leading the race for a coveted nomination." (TheVulture)