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Posted on 03/31/2004 2:13:57 PM PST by veronica
History will record that it was the celebrated author, comedian and Hollywood hobnobber Al Franken who sounded most ill at ease in the early going of his new radio adventure, while the kid from the provinces, former Minnesota Public Radio host Katherine Lanpher shined.
“The O’Franken Factor”, the marquee program of the new liberal network, Air America Radio, staring Minnesotans Franken and Lanpher debuted this morning. (It is heard locally, and temporarily, on WMNN 1330-AM from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.) The first hour provided dollops of palpable, opening night jitters, satirical swagger and old-fashioned partisan invective in pretty much equal measure.
Franken, the “Saturday Night Live” alumus and conservative-bashing best-selling author of “Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot” and “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them,” was clearly feeling the pressure of being the tent-pole of the much-publicized new network. His first few minutes, reading a script promising, “A battle for truth, justice and indeed America itself … not to be too grandiose,” was funny enough, but was read with enough tension in his voice you’d have looked away in embarrassment were he performing stand-up in front of you.
Fortunately, Franken acknowledged his unfamiliarity with the tricks of the talk radio trade and the value he places on Lanpher, who sounded reassuringly poised. At least for the time being, Lanpher is cast in a kind of Mother Hen/Voice of Reason role. She kept Franken on his cues, introduced and re-ID’d guests and cut to commercials. Happily, her trademark laugh, so problematic for MPR, appears to have been unfettered here.
By the second hour, when former 9/11 Commission member Bob Kerrey came on, Franken found a comfort level, although the interview itself was a slightly more informal version of what you’d get on public radio.
The show flashed more of the comic colors and tone the network has been promising when filmmaker-provocateur Michael Moore arrived. The sound of Franken and Lanpher trying to embarrass Moore into publicly apologizing to former Vice President Al Gore, stifling a laugh on the phone, hit the kind of mischievous-insiders tone the network’s listeners are probably eager to hear.
Sen. Hillary Clinton is scheduled for Thursday’s show. Former Bush administration counter terrorism expert Richard Clarke will be a guest on Friday
All in all, it was just more of the mainstream media run by a guy who always was the class clown and wise*ss. No big whoop.
They're doomed.
Stuart Smalley is a caring nurturer, a member of several twelve-step programs, but not a licensed therapist. His show "Daily Affirmations" is on a cable access channel. The show is geared to help people with mental disabilities, such as overeating, drug abuse, and alcoholism.
Stuart himself grew up with a dysfunctional family. His father was "a big stinking drunk" who called chubby Stuart, "a waste of space." Stuart's mom is "a total loon and in complete denial about Dad's drinking," while his brother is a dope addict. Still, Stuart maintains a good and positive attitude throughout his show, while helping people solve their problems
Yes, he was on and a writter for SNL. He was with Davis as the "Franken and Davis Show"
My favorite writter for SNL was Michel O'Donoghue, and he has a very FReeperesque opinion of Franken. O'Donoghue was one of the geniuses behind National Lampoon Magazine, and was hired as a senior headwritter for SNL, and he also played "Mr Mike", the small bald guy with round sunglasses with very dark stories, if any of you remember that.
He hated Franken. Davis said "He thought Al was an obnoxious, egomaniacal a**hole," and made Franken the target of many putdowns. Whenever Franken submitted an idea or sketch, O'DOnoghue would label it "SHIT", or dismiss it all together.
In one writters meeting, Franken and Davis pushed for a sketch they thought was funny, but O'donoghue and Sargent (another senior writter) disagreed. When Franken openly disputed O'Donoghue's opinion,he, the senior writter, walked over to Franken, grabbed the script from his hand, took it to the window and let it drop 17 floors to the pavement. End of discussion. This angered Franken, but delighted Davis: "Franken was always trying to bully me, too, and it was great to see him get kicked in the nuts" he said.
(I just put this on another thread, thought is was good for this one also).
Host: Go ahead caller. Voice your hate before it's too late.
Caller: Uh. I really don't hate Bush. As a matter of fact, uh, I've been a life-long democrat, but I'm thinking of voting for him in November.
Host: You're a big, fat, lying seminar caller. I hate you and your lying liar of lies president. Find someplace else to peddle your vile Bush approval. Ain't gonna happen here. GET OFF MY PHONE!!!
Co-Host: Nothing worse than a partisan hack trying to influence others. I really hate that caller.
Franken also wrote and starred in "Stuart Saves His Family," a 1995 Paramount Picture based on his SNL character. Directed by Harold Ramis and co-starring Laura-San Giacomo and Vincent D'Onofrio, the movie received strong reviews but never clicked with audiences, generating only a million dollars in box office revenue.
As Al Franken told Franken Web in an interview in 1996 about future Stuart endeavors, "when a movie loses 15 million bucks, studios don't exactly break down your door to make a sequel."
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Guess what, little Al? Rush didn't start in syndication when he didn't know a mike from the back of a baboon. He knew how to do everything in a radio station before he left his teens, I am quite sure. Then he worked his way up, only moving to national syndication when his audience DEMANDED it and his sponsors BEGGED for it.
Guess what, little Al? It was Rush's positive message that got people to tune in the next day and the next. Teasing and putting down opponents is just a fun interlude for Rush, NOT his main event. Rush actually has insight, Al! Whoa! And Rush also explains some of the complex news stories of the day, and why events mean things. Whoa!
Guess what, little Al? Your audience gets daily affirmation for their views in most other media sources. They will not respond to you like a lost hiker to a clear brook, as Rush's listeners respond to him.
Guess what, little Al? Your name recognition only means that the people tuning you in want to hear something really funny. No one on daily radio is constantly funny. Since you can't be, you have to have something else people love. Like heart. People will tune in to hear a man with heart and an interesting take on the day's issues, and will enjoy them more if he has a wit. The wit is the spice, Al. Anyone trying to do 100% wit on the radio will fail miserably.
Al, as your show flails and flounders, just remember that you love using the titles of your books to make a point. More vicious than clever, but you try. Yet as your show does a Titanic on the floes of the radio waves, I can only think of Rush's book title.
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