Watching Keith Obermann

It is with a mixture of regret and a great deal of pride that I feel obligated to let you all of America know that Keith Obermann has officially become the best political and cultural satirist in America. This spot, once occupied by George Carlin, Will Durst and Dennis Miller now belongs, rightfully, to Obermann.

As someone regularly torn between running out into the street and physically screaming the facts at the idiots happily consuming their way through life or finding the humor in the corrupt, disingenuous, torrid grab for money and power we euphemistically call "public service," I can appreciate a kindred voice in the wilderness helping me to see the dark irony of it all. I once had every Dennis Miller concert and HBO performance on VHS. I have to say, I'm a bit of a nerd and following his sub-references not only made me laugh out loud, they made me feel a teensy bit superior to the rest of the room, looking vaguely like Labradors who can't figure out where the invisible ball went when his range of knowledge surpassed what US Weekly had covered.

But Dennis eventually left HBO. Keith appeared, briefly, on a network which, like the evil Voldemort, shall not be named. This same network canned Greenfield at Large, a show that was something akin to Charlie Rose on ecstacy. In the end his show too was canned, like Keith's first politically satiric broadcast, as Greenfield's humor was a bit too Mad Magazine and not enough Doonesbury for the Powers That Be. (Believe me, the letter THEY got that week was filled with invective they probably couldn't even pronounce let alone grasp.) But, as the aforementtioned gentlemen well know, such is the executive staff of a cable network.

Then, miraculously as a 50 degree day in New York in January, a breath of fresh (well, okay irreverent leaning toward outright smartass) air in the 24/7 cable news cycle appeared. Yes, Jon Stewart has successfully eclipsed whatsisname on The Daily Show, but his mock newscast is a kinder, gentler form of satire directed more at the media itself and not the politics or culture it pretends to inform. There was no real political satire in this country after "DML" and "The Big Story" left.

So once again, Keith, you show up on television, with your Clark Kent good looks and deadpan brand of shake-the-head reportage in a format that spins from straight news items to outrageously inappropriate analysis by Mo Rocca followed by your own wry commentary on the predilections and tastes of an electorate so out of touch with its' own constitution that it mistakes mob rule as synonymous with democracy. Mr. Obermann, if you are reading this, I cannot tell you how fortunate my 13 year old son is to have you to disseminate the news for us each night. You make the news interesting and somehow a little bit important to a young man who often thinks anything without a "content rated by ESRB" label superfluous. For that, you have earned the respect and gratitude of both my spouse and myself.

So it was with no small amount of chagrin that we found the dastardly suits in programming put your "Countdown" up against "Dennis Miller" in the 12 midnight slot (hey, I admit it, some nights we catch the repeat of the 8 pm "Countdown", alright?) and we confess, we attempted to watch you both, sharing custody of the remote each evening - one night you at eight, Dennis at midnight, the next night Dennis at nine, you at midnight - but in the end the situation was frankly unworkable.

For one thing, Dennis doesn't do well by the comparison. In fact, nothing much on television does -- Of course The Daily Show is permanently qued up to the 11pm slot on our TV. And Two and a Half Men is still wildly funny, as well as Funniest Home Vidoes, though I admit I am both ashamed and puzzled at my own response to that particular show. Anyhow, aAfter two weeks of bitter, angry and smug self-righteousness, we decided to turn off Dennis Miller altogether and come back to Countdown, exclusively, our equal-opportunity newsbyte and pop culture fest. Countdown is, in a word,Your broadcast, in a word, superb. The research staff is top notch. The Oddball segments are not to be missed. The bookers should be taken to Le Cirque once a month. The throwaway lines are anything BUT, and it goes without saying that the writing is fantastic.

Yes, Countdown with Keith Obermann often has an item that is heartbreaking or emotionally involving but the tone is never maudlin; the show has yet to insult our intelligence (No cracks about AFV, we have two young boys in the house who llove to watch fat people make roofs cave in). Obermann the interviewer is a thing of wonder - he suffers fools graciously, but with a quick wink to the audience in case we are not similarly endowed. (And we're not.) Occasionally a muttered outrage at the insanity of modern life and its' cast of characters slips into the mix of daily headlines and page seventeen celebrity, judicial or simple human interest stories, but the shouted, frustrated rant is not Obermann's style. He is at once suave as Kelly Grant, self-deprecating as Twain, quick as anyone in show biz ever, incisive and wildly silly - a mix of charisma, wit and intellect simply unmatched today in the American media.

Too often people have touched my life in a way that caused me to look forward to tomorrow, and the day after, without a word of thanks or praise. Most of the time I find myself playing catch-up - writing letters after the funeral, or after the teacher retires, or when the show is given the axe and cancelled. So I wanted to take the time to really praise this effort, to thank the staff at Countdown and the star of the show, today, for its presence in our lives. It would not be an exaggeration to say that you are a highlight of our day, one of the rare times the television is a welcome and honored guest in our home. Thank you, Countdown, for such a well made product and such a short entertaining hour of modern boradcasting. Whatever they are paying you right now...well, they can't be paying you anything close to what you deserve.

the Curmudgeon