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Eminentoes
CNN’s Love Potion No. 9
The “chemistry” of Parker Spitzer. Oh, and Rick Sanchez owes Puerto Ricans an apology.
Executive Jonathan Klein started his career at CNN by complaining about scummy, pajama-clad bloggers; he ended it by hiring “Client Number 9,” Eliot Spitzer, to host a primetime show.
Klein was recently sacked after CNN’s owners grew tired of watching him guide the network into last place. He had often talked about the network’s “commitment” to serious news programming. Yet this proponent of credentialed, reputable journalists — Klein famously defended the forgery-using Dan Rather against some “guy sitting in his living room” blogging — leaves behind as his final project a show hosted by a prostitute-frequenting non-journalist.
That Eliot Spitzer got the show is far more interesting than the show itself, which is a pitiful, supposedly fun yet serious “dinner party” (in the show’s gimmicky language) that no one, except possibly the dimmer members of Jonathan Klein’s social circle, would want to attend.
The lightweight, “Pulitzer Prize-winning” columnist Kathleen Parker plays the show’s doltish hostess, making weak jokes and asking inane questions as guests pass through the foyer, as it were, before the serious talk at dinner commences with Eliot. In its desperate promotional material, CNN insists that “chemistry” exists between Parker and Spitzer, a particularly creepy analogy to use when the show stars a pol bounced from office for after-hour cavorting. Kathleen Parker is given to bragging about her genteel Southern manners and roots. But what kind of “Southern belle” co-hosts a show with Client Number 9?
Some have billed the show as an evening version of “Morning Joe.” But this “lively” evening party is neither live nor shot in the evening. The editing is obvious and heavy, making one wonder just how bad the uncut segments appear. Klein had complained about Crossfire as a food fight and pompously canceled it. But Parker Spitzer’s dinner party offers up thin gruel compared to it.
Crossfire, even at its stupidest, showed a little life and passion. But Parker and Spitzer are just two establishment bores and climbers without anything of substance to say. Spitzer is using the show to rehabilitate himself (guests so far have dutifully praised him) and Parker seems content to ask cutesy, nothing questions that only a Pulitzer Prize Committee could find incisive.
The show’s ratings so far have been anemic, trailing even the axed show of Rick Sanchez, another suave selection by Klein. Sanchez had been given a wide swath during the afternoon with Klein’s blessing, but broke down under criticism from the left.
It is curious that in his anti-Jewish lashing out at Jon Stewart as a coward and phony Sanchez didn’t bring up Stewart’s bogus name. His name is actually Jon “Leibowitz,” but the satirist of all things phony dropped it because he thought retaining the name would hurt his career. Stewart hates phoniness in others, but uses a phony name for himself, which in itself is a kind of rebuttal to Sanchez’s contention that people “like Stewart” control the media.
Sanchez has a curious identity complex of his own, referring to himself as a “little, Puerto Rican” guy that the “Northeastern liberal elite” automatically marked down as “second-tier.” What exactly is he talking about? Sanchez isn’t “little” but heavyset and loud, and his ancestry isn’t “Puerto Rican” but Cuban. In fact, had he gone the Jon Stewart route and adopted a phony last name, most people wouldn’t even think of him as Hispanic.
Playing up his Hispanic background didn’t hurt his career; it made his career. That’s why he felt the need to out-Hispanic Hispanics, incorporating into his show a “Fotos del Dia” segment that Stewart gleefully mocked.
Perhaps CNN should have kept Sanchez on the air; cross-channel dueling and curiosity alone would have given the network a ratings boost. A Jewish comic with an adopted WASP name sparring night after night with a white-looking lout who casts himself as a “little, Puerto Rican” involves much more interesting chemistry than Parker Spitzer.
About the Author
George Neumayr, a contributing editor to The American Spectator, is co-author, with Phyllis Schlafly, of the new book, No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (58) | Leave a comment
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kiwikit| 10.7.10 @ 6:41AM
Parker uses a pseudonym as well. . .
bob alou| 10.7.10 @ 9:34AM
Yes, she thought that Ms. Vacuous Airhead might smack of pretense.
Vern Crisler| 10.7.10 @ 11:49AM
I object to calling John (Stewart) Leibowitz a "Jewish comic." He may be Jewish, but he's no comic. Rick Sanchez was funnier.
Jack Bauer| 10.8.10 @ 5:19PM
"Rick Sanchez was funnier."
Unintentionally, of course.
Which is still better than Stewart, who can't even be funny* intentionally, even when locked in a room with 100 writers.
*Unless you think a shtick which involves constantly mugging to camera, TALKING VERY LOUDLY, and throwing the 'fuck' word in every other line is HILARIOUS. Like that audience of shrieking baboons he has in every night.
Dennis Bergendorf| 10.7.10 @ 6:56AM
Parker/Client #9 come off as warm and fuzzy--in fact, too fuzzy. That out-of-focus look is so '70s. And the editing! Some interns must be getting their first shots at the big time.
As for Sanchez: For a while I took him seriously, but asking to have "meters" translated into "American" and asking how an island covered in snow (Iceland) could have a volcano convinced me that he was CNN's attempt to clone Stephen Colbert.
Appleby| 10.7.10 @ 7:07AM
CNN? Who watches CNN? When we in Kanukistan finally managed, after a huge fight that, interestingly, Al-Jazeera did not have, to get Fox News Channel, even way up on the digital tier, I dont think even Canadians bother with that mix of blather, smarm and crime gossip anymore.
Timothy L. Pennell| 10.7.10 @ 7:52AM
I think that Client #9 and that WH*RE, Kathleen Parker, are a perfect fit. I wonder how Rick - "I killed someone with my car and then left the scene of the accident" - Sanchez feels about THIS Jew getting a job, while HE gets fired?
Siegfried X| 10.7.10 @ 8:02AM
The Democrats have a rule which they never break: any Republican who betrays her party shall be rewarded by the "mainstream" media. Like Meghan McCain's book. Parker has spent years attacking the Republican party, so she was entitled to a large reward, her own television show.
Redstateboy| 10.7.10 @ 8:50AM
What's CNN ?
Albert| 10.7.10 @ 12:11PM
the Clinton News Network.
Maddox| 10.7.10 @ 12:46PM
Formerly know as Clinton News, now it is
Communist News Netwoork
ltcmscusar| 10.7.10 @ 11:53PM
Why it is the Communist News Network Ovecourse.
Derek Leaberry| 10.7.10 @ 8:58AM
That Kathleen Parker has won a Pultizer Prize and hundreds, if not thousands, of much more talented conservative writers(the late Joseph Sobran for one) have not proves that the Pulitzer is a fraud, essentially something that the Washington Post-New York Times Axis hands out to whomever serves their collective fancy. As a "conservative" most critical of conservatives, Mrs. Parker made the quota cut. As for her writings, she is painful to read because she has little to nothing to say and expresses it in the style of someone who should be writing in the Ladies Section of a mid-sized city paper and not a nationwide column.
Norman Conquest| 10.7.10 @ 12:20PM
Well said and exactly right. Though almost every column she writes is an attack on a conservative, usually Sarah Palin, or a conservative principle, the Washington Post refers to her as a conservative writer. As for her writing, well, I'm not even the ladies section of a mid-sized city paper would have much use for her.
Derek Leaberry| 10.7.10 @ 1:58PM
Mrs. Parker once wrote a column on the wisdom of Meaghan McCain and that young "lady's" vision for a new Republican future. Lumping Miss McCain in the same sentence with the word wisdom is as incongruous as placing the names Barbara Mikulski and Rosa DeLauro with the word sexy.
Bob S| 10.7.10 @ 4:19PM
Parker's style is one that I refer to as "twenty seconds worth of thought in twenty minutes worth of words".
jrjr| 10.7.10 @ 5:24PM
But OwlGore got a Nobel. And his shtick was talking about the possibility of bad weather. The current crop of has-been tropical storm guessers also need a Nobel prize for one-more-time screwing up the guesswork. Obama wants one for uniting the US and the world. Send in your votes on November 2.
Timothy L. Pennell| 10.7.10 @ 9:37AM
The Pulitzer is the Nobel PEACE PRIZE of the JournOlistic World.
Doctor Right| 10.7.10 @ 9:57AM
This show is a total dud.
Parker and Spitzer have ZERO chemistry, and neither are experienced interviewers.
And may I be blunt, if a tad shallow?
Spitzer is an UGLY guy. Seriously, he's not attractive, and the camera does NOT like him. My wife finds him repulsive to look at, and while this is certainly tied to his boorish behavior, there's no denying that he's no Peter Jennings or George Stephanopoulis in the looks department.
And TV IS a shallow business. Yes, Larry King looks like a frog and is also a sleaze, but King had a long and well-established career as a radio talk-show host BEFORE landing his TV gig.
This show will soon be forgotten, like Magic Johnson's late-night TV fiasco.
mark| 10.7.10 @ 11:14AM
A Magic Johnson talk show refernce. That's not something that happens everyday. Well played.
Kurt| 10.7.10 @ 10:11AM
I used to watch Lou Dobbs on CNN but he seemed to be forced to change his format near the the end before his major blow up with Klein that ended his show. For many years it was Lou Dobbs at 5pm if I was home early enough. I hated when he was FORCED to have the liberal Rolland Martin on the show, I could tell Dobbs disliked him greatly! I have not been back since Dobbs and Beck left the scene and have no reason to return!
Dan Hirsch| 10.7.10 @ 10:16AM
Or Fox's totally progressive Jerry Rivers, oops, I forgot now he calls himself "Geraldo Rivera." Are they ever gonna lose that loser?
JimP| 10.7.10 @ 10:33AM
I have come to the conclusion that Fox keeps 'Geraldo', Alan Combs and Bob Beckel, to name just three, not just to maintain their "balance", but at the same time to discredit the left. The leftists on Fox are some of the biggest boobs around and they show it with regularity. Nevertheless, they irritate the heck out of me and I wish they were on CNN or MSNBC where they belong.
Tom Halleck| 10.7.10 @ 10:42AM
And how 'bout that idiot Juan Williams on Brett's roundtable? What a maroon!
NavyBrat | 10.7.10 @ 11:43AM
Shep Smith is a liberal who's let his bias show a couple of times, but not many. He's still one of the best on that network, even though he's a shameless plugger of all things Ole Miss. Yeah, I know he went to school there, but LORD the people I knew who went to school there SUCKED.
LeftCoastRightBrain| 10.7.10 @ 2:10PM
I would suggest that Juan is an Obama apoligist and not an idiot. I generally disagree with him but am surprised, on occasion, to find him make quite rational and reasonable comments.
jrjr| 10.7.10 @ 5:30PM
Agree, Juan is an Obama lover and apolitist. If you pay attention to his talk, he sometimes says something very sane and natural, then he will get on with his real feelings -- Obama, libs, progressives, can do no wrong. A token but I am pleased that Fox has him. They possibly could have someone that makes total liberal sense instead -- but that is an oxymoroon.
Eliza| 10.7.10 @ 11:02PM
I'm with you I disagree with almost everything that Juan Williams says but unlike most liberals at least he debates his principles on a show. I remember watching him filled in as a moderator on Fox, he disagreed with the conservative view but he did his job and made sure both view points had the same amount of time.
A majority of the liberals smears their opposition or tries to censore them with terms like "Astroturf" & "Racist" etc.
PCC| 10.8.10 @ 1:20AM
There's nothing wrong with Juan Williams. He states his views, defends them sensibly and doesn't get emotional or irrational when doing so.
Doctor Right| 10.7.10 @ 10:50AM
This may sound insane to some of you, but I actually have a lot of respect for Geraldo Rivera.
Sure, he's an unrepentant and obnoxious lefty, but when he's not noodling around in politics, he's a hell of an investigative reporter. And he's not a panty-waist, either. He's never shied away from putting himself in harm's way for a good story, be it a hurricane or a war.
I'll never forget about 15-20 years ago when he was covering a Klan rally somewhere in the midwest when one of the Klansman attacked him. Instead of backing down, that pugnacious little S.O.B. (Rivera) went after that idiot Klansman with both fists flying. They went down in a heap and had to be pulled apart by the Cops. Rivera got a bloody nose, but the Klansman got equally as bad. The most unforgettable part, though, was that Rivera went right on reporting, microphone in-hand and blood on his face and shirt.
It's hard to NOT have some admiration for a guy who stands up to a sick, demented bully.
Maddox| 10.7.10 @ 12:51PM
His arrogance and self promotion could make him as qualified to be POTUS as the one we have now.
Richard| 10.7.10 @ 3:49PM
Rivera is a self-promoting narcissist. End of story.
Anthony| 10.7.10 @ 4:25PM
The apex of Geraldo Rivera's career was when he was doing his Jerry Springer like reality show.
Yep, Geraldo was great with one legged transexuals who had babies with Martians, or the seriously ugly fat pigs, who gave birth to another man's baby, only to have the two lowlifes fight it out on stage over this slut.
Yes, Geraldo like Springer and Povich has contributed mightily to the American cultural experience.
Radioman777| 10.8.10 @ 6:09PM
Anybody remember Al Capone's vault?
Mattmon1| 10.10.10 @ 10:38PM
That was Geraldo's most infamous shark jump I think...classic!
JimP| 10.7.10 @ 10:29AM
"... what kind of "Southern belle" co-hosts a show with Client Number 9?"
Touche. An excellent observation. 'Miss Parker' likely imagines herself a modern day Scarlet O'Hara being "nice to the Yankee carpetbaggers" for reasons of economic survival. In reality she's just another faux conservative who sold her soul to the big government leftists inside the beltway. Though she likes to hold herself out as a Southerner, she appears to be a self-loathing one who thinks the sins of her forebears are also her own, so she likes to cozy up to leftists for some kind of Freudian 'absolution', while condemning the rest of we Southerners who disagree with her politics.
cynic1| 10.7.10 @ 11:54AM
growing up in winter park fl ( home to alot of yankee escapees) does not make a southern belle make ... I also note that she currently lives in SC ....Ill let the militia know ..
Anthony| 10.7.10 @ 12:22PM
More proof that the MSM are a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat Party, or as Rush would put it, two of the four corners of Leftist deceit working hand in glove.
Without the media, the Democrat Party would have gone the way of the Bull Moose Party. Conversely, if the MSM continue their suicidal insistance of turning disgraced D hacks like Spitzer into media figures, it will be a race as to who will become extinct first, the Ds or the MSM. Good riddance to both.
Patriot| 10.7.10 @ 1:32PM
Spitzer's the john and Porker's the tart.
Radioman777| 10.7.10 @ 1:39PM
Yet another show I can't wait to miss. Elegant Spitter looks like he's permanently constipated and Katchalean Pecker is the fulfillment of every blonde stereotype joke ever invented.
jrjr| 10.7.10 @ 5:34PM
"permanently constipated" -- Now that shows class. It could have been something like - he is full of ...... .
Thayer| 10.7.10 @ 1:42PM
I tried to watch it...but absolutely can't stand ES. He is a disgrace and a bore and should beg his wife and daughters to forgive him and spend the rest of his life making up to them...Kathleen....appears weak and needs to put him in his place everyday...and be respectful to the opposition when they are guest on this show...The College President on yesterday was giving his opinion and the face ES made while this respected gentleman was given his opinion and ideas was totally unacceptable. ES said in the end Welcome to New York...with a smile...what in the world was he talking about..does he think this gentleman had never been out from under the trees....It is hard to support CNN with a show like this that will not let the people be informed from all sides and be as they say at the other cable channel...fair and balanced! Maybe then you ratings may improve...I tried to watch Rick S. too..and when he would attack the opposition....he lost me....I like shows that tell the story or the facts and let me make my own opinion...I certainly would never rely on someone like a horrible ES....to influence my opinions....Kathleen P...you had better demand they make some changes soon to be information based and not try to be .....whatever the plan is ...so one sided is bad, bad,bad...
Richard| 10.7.10 @ 3:46PM
I'm not certain exactly why CNN would choose to put a disgraced whore mongering ex-politician on in prime time. I have a sneaking suspicion that there was an internal CNN snafu, in which the memo appointing Spitzer was intended for CNN's sister network, Headline "Tabloid" News, and instead got routed to the inbox marked, "almost legitimate news, but not quite."
gearjammer| 10.7.10 @ 2:00PM
It's sort of a wolf man meets a middle aged Miss Daisy. Spitzer should transform on air growing facial hair, fangs, and claws as the time passes. When, he becomes a fully developed, snarling, menacing creature, she can ad lib " Eliot when did you become a republican ?"
Bad Taste | 10.7.10 @ 2:53PM
Why did Spitzer cheat on his wife?
She was a Spitzer, he wanted a swallower.
Doctor Right| 10.7.10 @ 3:22PM
Oh, that's just wrong...
Albert| 10.7.10 @ 3:39PM
If CNN's ratings are really in the tank, just how does CNN stay on the air?
gearjammer| 10.7.10 @ 5:17PM
Because when you pay your cable bill you can't just pick and choose-you buy everything on the menu whether you eat it or not. Media is noy capitalism chums.
Richard| 10.7.10 @ 3:42PM
I understand that Spitzer was hired for his under covers experience.
Bob S| 10.7.10 @ 4:26PM
It's hard to imagine the degree of shamelessness and hypocrisy in Spitzer. If I had done what he had, the LAST place I would want to be is on a national cable channel. He's devoid of all class and character.
But- I may be wrong. Maybe he went on CNN knowing that no one watches it.
jrjr| 10.7.10 @ 5:36PM
You people are just terrible. Have you no respect for your fellow man (or something)?
ZZ| 10.7.10 @ 11:31PM
What the hell is CNN do people really watch that crap? really?
Roy Allen| 10.8.10 @ 9:08AM
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE POSTERS MUST CONTRIBUTE TO MY NEEDING A NEW LAPTOP!!
COFFEE SPLATTER AND MUFFIN BITS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO CLEAN OFF!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL WAKE UP. I WILL BE BACK.
Brian| 10.9.10 @ 6:32PM
Fox is so boring even a smidgen of un-biased news would trump them in ratings. Guess all the other networks would rather die than do news.
Colin Foy| 10.9.10 @ 9:05PM
Brian: Boring and fraudulent as well. I was listening to Michael Savage earlier this week. It was minute upon minute of conservative truth and gut wrenching prose. Hard hitting Savage promoting his new book "Trickle Up Poverty" in which he totally skewers and excoriates the syphilitic left, Imam Obama, his cronies and the "Checkered Pants Republicans" who let them get away with it.
After hour two (5 p.m. out west) I turned to Fox and watched in horror as Bill "The Leprechaun" O'Reilly dually inserted his nose up HHS Secretary Janet Napolitano's ass during a taped interview.
He didn't ask her about why she referred to returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans as "Potential Terrorists." Didn't ask about HHS funneling 9 Million dollars to ACORN after they were exposed by Andrew Breitbart.
Nothing either about the Obama administration and Eric Holder turning on their own sovereign in Arizona and siding with foreign powers against lawful tax paying american citizens and their constitutionally elected government officials.
He also sat on his hands while the droning dyke blathered on and on about all the illegal aliens who've been caught and deported since Obama took office and didn't call her on the mendacity of such a statement.
The contrast between Savage and O'Reilly/FOX was startling and sobering to say the least. It indicated just we're up against in the November and future elections from both entrenched political parties and the government media complex. Cheers!
Colin Foy| 10.9.10 @ 8:30PM
"When the truth is found
to be lies
and all the joy
within you
dies."
"Don't you want somebody to love?"
"Don't you need somebody to love?"
"You better find somebody to love!"
What? Huh?
You mean to tell me that T.V. land is full of dimwits, halfwits, phonies, frauds, posers and loons?
Well I'll be darned!