I have been a devotee of MSNBC over the past few years, but little by little they have whittled away at the talent. Once Dylan Ratigan chose to leave broadcast television, there has been a slew of departures that have yet to be filled with quality discussion. Dylan Ratigan left because he got so frustrated at just talking and wanted to be an active member of the world to create change. His voice has been sorely missed by this one. They dropped Chris Matthews from 5pm and 7pm to only 7pm. Never hear his show. Martin Bashir tweeted something or said something that pissed off the Right that he had to leave. The Cycle benefitted from a younger generation of voices with three Liberals and one Conservative debating and discussing the topics of the day. They have had so much turnover and promotions that it is hard to glom on anymore.
By far the worse and most curious hires? Ronan Farrow. He is the son of Mia Farrow and and either Woody Allen or Frank Sinatra. The fact that he isn't interested in being tested to make that determination puts his credibility into question to begin with. He hates Woody Allen so why wouldn't he want to know and completely sever any Woody relationship. If they aren't even related by the gene pool, it's over. Worse than that is that he has a very soft manner and isn't a natural. I feel he speaks down to the viewer. They moved the venerable Andrea Mitchell to make room for him. I don't know why they thought he was a feather in their cap. I don't get it. He isn't compelling and has no business headlining his own show. He doesn't have the war wounds or the resume to make him weighty enough for a whole hour. Maybe as part of a panel, but even then, he wasn't impressive on The Bill Maher Show or when he filled in on The Cycle. I don't get it. If the powers that be were afraid that he'd slip through the cracks, they should have let him. I know he is a genius, but Ronan Farrow is lacking.
So, if I was Comcast and the owner of MSNBC, I would take a very long look at the lineup. It has fallen so far. No one is quoting MSNBC anymore. Everyone is quoting CNN which is should be alarming. CNN is so hard to find on cable and, yet, their ratings are going up. Maybe it's time for MSNBC to thoughtfully re-examine their talent. Recently, the producers have hired the talent by default or necessity and not deservedly. It shows. MSNBC is bleeding mediocrity. I can't believe how fast that happened.
Sidebars: Lamar Odom to the Knicks??!! It's a natural. The Knicks take any player that is physically or mentally damaged. The Knicks are The Promises Malibu rehab center of NBA teams. It's pathetic. Good to see Phil Jackson is changing the trajectory of the Knicks. Since the Knicks in 1999 wasted their first round draft choice on the French Frederic Weis (who never played one second in the NBA) and didn't pick Ron Artest, a NYC basketball star, The Knicks have been a joke. The Curse of the Frog. Amazing Race in Rome was great and saw more of Rome central than usual. Up and down the Spanish Steps. The Good Wife has made a turn for the better, thankfully. It's unfortunate that we had to lose Josh Charles to excite the writers. Revenge has to be the dumbest show that I am still DVRing. ABC has to kill everyone and put it down. Shark Tank is still one of the best hours of television. Entertaining and educational. The Voice is still chugging along and still enjoyable. Made it through another enjoyable and delicious Passover seder with family and friends. It's my favorite. All about the food, no presents. Rainy and dreary here in NYC and the cold is coming back. Ugh! When is it good to plant the flowers and tomatoes? Be well and don't forget to take a moment for yourself.
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@DianaPodolsky
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