Posted on 09/06/2006 12:23:48 AM PDT by raccoonradio
CBS is spending $15 million a year on Katie Couric. That comes to $7.5 million per shapely leg.
The new CBS anchor flashed her gams just a few minutes into her debut on the “CBS Evening News” last night.
Couric opened strong.
After a taped voiceover introduction from Walter Cronkite, Couric segued to stories on the Taliban’s growth in Afghanistan from correspondent Lara Logan and President Bush’s warning about complacency in the war on terror.
Then it hurtled downhill.
Couric interviewed New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, asking him to essentially translate what Bush had just said. Just a little chit-chat about the war on terror over a coffee table.
The camera framed Couric, chic in a white jacket and dark skirt, in a sultry position as she listened to her guest.
“Are we safer now?” she asked. Viewers across America were probably thinking her legs should be registered as weapons of mass destruction.
Is it sexist to be talking about an anchor woman’s appearance? TV is a visual medium, and a lot is riding on Couric’s new role. She is the first solo female news anchor for a weeknight network news programand CBS is expecting she will bring younger viewers to the third-place news program. Too bad somebody made the decision it was necessary to play up Couric’s assets over her intellect.
You never saw Dan Rather’s biceps.
After rushing through some headlines, Couric introduced two new features. In “freeSpeech,” “30 Days” star, filmmaker and grump Morgan Spurlock warned viewers not to fall for media hype about the state of the union’s divisiveness. In “Snapshots,” Couric reached back to 1949 to show pictures of Prince Charles as a baby.
That wasn’t the only baby onboard. In what passed for an exclusive, she unveiled Vanity Fair’s cover portrait of Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom and Katie Holmes.
“This is proof positive, yessiree, that she does exist,” Couric said.
Sounding like a third-grade teacher, Couric asked for viewers to suggest her signoff. For $15 million the 49-year-old managing editor can’t write her own? A montage of signoffs from across the years included Dan Rather, Ted Baxter and Ron Burgundy. Two of those characters are fictional. Here’s hoping CBS knew which ones.
Couric debuted on a new set with spiffy translucent desk, new credits and theme music from “Titanic” composer James Horner.
As last night’s broadcast demonstrated, CBS is spending a lot of money.
Too bad the network couldn’t dig up some spare change for actual news.
She is a light weight actress kind of reading news.
She isn't by any stretch of the imagination a journalist IMO.
I didn't see the SeeBS news, but heard some reaction to it on talk radio, including the bit where they talked about Cruise's baby, etc. Should retitle it CBS Evening Gossip, maybe.
ping
light = lite
I'm tired and off for bed, that was it...
She does have good legs. I was surprised SeeBS didn't give her a glass desk ala Mary Hart.
;-)
LOL
They forgot to mention the artsy fartsy segment, where a guy expressed his hopes that drawings of orphans from around the world would increase peace and love by just this much... yawn.
He provides photos to high school students who then make a drawing of the subject. "They look into those faces until they know them. They look into those eyes. They gain understanding and compassion..."
This is the hard news you just can't find anywhere but on CBS. Honestly, I was amazed when the Coombayaaa moment wasn't followed up with a musical rendition.
You knew you were seeing the wave of the future when a New York Times "operative" (just keeping it real) was allowed to provide his commentary in the midst of the program. "What does it all mean? Please tell us..."
Oh well. What did I expect?
Katie, I think you mean well, but honestly, isn't there a cheerleading squad somewhere that needs your services? Oh that's right, the liberal socialist team needs her. And it's got her...
Give us a "P", give us an "R", give us and "O", give us a "P", give us an "A", give us a "G", give us an "A", give us an "N", give us a "D", give us another "A"... and what have we got? "PROPAGANDA" Katie is full of cheer...
Welcome to the same ole same ole folks. Three networks spinning their little wheels as hard as they can for the lefty socialists and their global apparatchik.
Does she see her audience as children?
In one of her promos, Couric says something about wanting to help the viewers to "understand the news better". But aren't competent adults able to understand the news for themselves?
There's just something patronizing about her approach. Not that that's particularly surprising. Journalists have ditched being messengers and instead have promoted themselves into the role of teachers.
Thanks Leroy. I should have include that shouldn't I.
It's kindof wierd to watch a grown woman her age acting like she's just been jetesoned from the senior graduation exercise after being told it's her generation that will solve the world's problems.
And what do you wish for most Ms. Couric? "Oh, world peace... yeah, world peace."
The whole thing was a trainwreck. At the beginning was a long indepth report about the failure of Afghanistan and Iraq, later followed by a one-on-one interview with NYT columnist Tom Friedman. (I tuned out at that point)
At the end she said she couldn't come up with some witty little attention grabbing slogan to end the program, so she played famous ones from Edward R. Murrow, Huntley & Brinkley, Cronkite and then Rather's famous and idiotic "courage". Then she invited viewers to e-mail her some suggestions and she promised that the best one would be used. I frankly didn't care to see pictures of Suri Cruise. Who coincidently looked like she was wearing a wig in the style of Tom's hairdo.
So, in summary, she's neither an anchor or creative genius.
Yeah, I feel the same about you, beatch................FRegards
I knew something was missing and then it struck me - Where was Regis Philbin?
Might? No, you unquestionably missed nothing. It's a certainty.
I'm monitoring the show. I may write some articles on the vapidity of it all.
The jokes just write themselves here...
The Perkster is 49 years old...even Spielberg couldn't make those legs look sexy enough for the "younger" market they allegedly want. It's all too obvious it's the chick market they are really after. They want SuperMom delivering the news - but only the news the Oprah viewers can get their heads around.
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