12 June 2011
416
R. Linda:
So while I be away, the wife recorded Scott Pelley's debut as the new presenter (anchor) of the CBS Nightly News. I had never liked CBS Nightly News with Katie Couric because she never smiled much and when she did, it looked forced. Her eyes had become mean little slits in her head and she delivered the news in a monotone that made me think even the happiest of stories was a dirge. Gone was that perky, likeable woman who did an early morning show. SIGH.
I have been a fan of 60 Minutes and always thought Scott Pelley's delivery was sound and he was someone I could trust in, that I looked forward to watching his reporting, and someone who was not an auto-bot but a real person, with facial expressions and a heart! I had had it with Diane Sawyer and her toadie David Muir and would live for the days when George Stephanopoulos or Dan Harris delivered the news. Diane's condescending and stupid remarks just irritated me no end. Muir, who has the good looks and HAD the unique delivery of the news (even if he does stand with legs apart in a contrived macho-man pose), was someone I had thought would make a good anchor for ABC, but something happened to Mr. Muir when he hooked up with Sawyer. He started delivering the news like HER! I got really tired of the crazy chemistry between Muir and Sawyer early on and they both came over as huge phonies. An evening of Brian Ross sitting in the anchor chair was refreshing and I found I'd start to look forward to both Sawyer and Muir being away or off for the weekend when I could watch George, Dan or Brian and see a REAL evening news show.
So when I heard Scott Pelley was taking over from Couric, I was doing back flips in joy -- no more Sawyer/Muir and hello Mr. Pelley, professional newsman. Boy was I disappointed. First, let me give you the positives. Mr. Pelley is a nice-looking older gentleman. He has a smile that instils trust and confidence in the viewer. The new background for CBS Nightly News is easy on the eye and a wow of a set design. Makes Sawyer's look old and outdated by comparison. Put the white-haired, dark-suited Mr. Pelley in the middle of that fabulous set (with a pleasant look on his face), and you have easy on the eyes, professional, with a set to die for. I did notice Ms. Sawyer had a rather orange background that same night (yeah Ton had recorded ABC as well), but hers was cheesy and she was back to the blue stuff the next night.
Anyway, the negative on CBS's new anchor was that I had to wonder if Mr. Pelley was sitting in the same chair as Ms. Couric, yes that chair that changes an easygoing personality into a gloom and doom negative narrator. Because he delivered the news, not like his usual 60 Minutes self, but like Ms. Couric, I was blaming it on the haunted chair! Was it something about that chair? It was like watching an undertaker deliver the news. He was down, he was sombre, his facial expression was just like Couric's, no smile, no insinuation of trust and SCRIPTED. If I closed me eyes I could hear him READING. I was major league DISAPPOINTED I was. I thought maybe it was first night jitters and that's how Pelley handled it, so I looked at the next night and the night after that and guess what? NO. No change.
I was sitting with my back to the telly in the kitchen, the telly on, Pelley delivering the news good and bad in an undertaker's drone, and I looked at me wife and shook me head. She started talking to me about the kid's excitement at my arriving home from me business trip, and she did it in a Pelley voice. I had to laugh, what she said certainly did not mirror the content of what she was conveying to me. I said she could be the next anchor of CBS she had the drone down well. The idea that anything happy and exciting should not be conveyed that way, and instead make it seem like the end of the world be coming, well her delivery was spot on. Oi! I was sad at hearing how thrilled the two wee ones were that their dad was home, it brought tears to me eyes!
So to make me laugh or frustrate me even more, Tonya started talking to me in what she calls the 'Pelley Drone', and to mix things up she'll give me one of these (this said after me eldest gave a blow-by-blow on how to put a puzzle together), "Thank you . . . O'Hare . . . reporting to us tonight . . . from Peterborough, New Hampshire . . ." I was like OMG Tonya stop the Sawyer impersonation. She's got really good at that too!
Last night before we went to bed, the kiddos having been tucked in hours ago, we had this conversation.
"Well Gabe . . . it's good to have you back with us tonight. I hope YOU are happy to be here. I know . . . we . . . and I speak for the whole family, cat, dogs and kiddies . . . are so thrilled . . . you made it back . . . in one piece."
"I will say Tonya . . . it is good to be back."
"Tell me Gabe . . . was your flight smooth? I know the airlines can be sketchy . . . but did you have a good flight? I know your bloggers out there . . . really want to know." (Contrived giggle and a big toothy smile).
"Well, Tonya . . . as you know . . . the airlines have a lot riding on pleasing the passenger . . . so I did a little experiment with a hangnail . . . "
"A hangnail Gabe? Really?"
"Yes, Tonya . . . your everyday kind of hangnail . . . I actually ripped the thing off my finger . . . "
"Ripped . . . it . . . off . . . your . . . finger? Oh my Gabe, really? You did that with a hangnail?" (Contrived interest on her face).
"Well yes I did Tonya . . . and may I say it hurt like bloody hell . . . but," (and here I put my hands together and then I'd use one hand to emphasise a point, put it back in that finger locking other finger of other hand position made famous by Christiane Amanpour), "I found that airport personnel aren't equipped for hangnail emergencies."
"REALLY? . . . So what did you do Gabriel?" (Contrived look of being REALLY concerned and interested).
"Well, Tonya . . . I had nothing to staunch the bleeding . . . so I took off my sock . . . and wound it tightly around the finger."
"Your sock?! Did that help?" (Contrived incredulous interest).
"Well . . . no . . . but later when I was on the plane . . . I could smell feet up close and personal . . . at first . . . I didn't know who had the bad foot odour." (Contrived throwing up hands a little to emphasis cluelessness).
"Bad foot odour. . . (contrived shaking of the head in disbelief), "did you find out Gabriel?" (Contrived hard look at me by Tonya).
"Yes, Tonya I did . . . it was my hand wrapped in the sock."
A contrived chuckle from Tonya.
"Well Gabe, I think that's going to be all for this edition of Bedtime News tonight. Thank you for reporting from our bedroom this night . . . Gabriel O'Sullivan . . . and to all your blog followers out there . . . stay safe and try . . . to be happy. Good night."
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Gabe
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved
R. Linda:
So while I be away, the wife recorded Scott Pelley's debut as the new presenter (anchor) of the CBS Nightly News. I had never liked CBS Nightly News with Katie Couric because she never smiled much and when she did, it looked forced. Her eyes had become mean little slits in her head and she delivered the news in a monotone that made me think even the happiest of stories was a dirge. Gone was that perky, likeable woman who did an early morning show. SIGH.
I have been a fan of 60 Minutes and always thought Scott Pelley's delivery was sound and he was someone I could trust in, that I looked forward to watching his reporting, and someone who was not an auto-bot but a real person, with facial expressions and a heart! I had had it with Diane Sawyer and her toadie David Muir and would live for the days when George Stephanopoulos or Dan Harris delivered the news. Diane's condescending and stupid remarks just irritated me no end. Muir, who has the good looks and HAD the unique delivery of the news (even if he does stand with legs apart in a contrived macho-man pose), was someone I had thought would make a good anchor for ABC, but something happened to Mr. Muir when he hooked up with Sawyer. He started delivering the news like HER! I got really tired of the crazy chemistry between Muir and Sawyer early on and they both came over as huge phonies. An evening of Brian Ross sitting in the anchor chair was refreshing and I found I'd start to look forward to both Sawyer and Muir being away or off for the weekend when I could watch George, Dan or Brian and see a REAL evening news show.
So when I heard Scott Pelley was taking over from Couric, I was doing back flips in joy -- no more Sawyer/Muir and hello Mr. Pelley, professional newsman. Boy was I disappointed. First, let me give you the positives. Mr. Pelley is a nice-looking older gentleman. He has a smile that instils trust and confidence in the viewer. The new background for CBS Nightly News is easy on the eye and a wow of a set design. Makes Sawyer's look old and outdated by comparison. Put the white-haired, dark-suited Mr. Pelley in the middle of that fabulous set (with a pleasant look on his face), and you have easy on the eyes, professional, with a set to die for. I did notice Ms. Sawyer had a rather orange background that same night (yeah Ton had recorded ABC as well), but hers was cheesy and she was back to the blue stuff the next night.
Anyway, the negative on CBS's new anchor was that I had to wonder if Mr. Pelley was sitting in the same chair as Ms. Couric, yes that chair that changes an easygoing personality into a gloom and doom negative narrator. Because he delivered the news, not like his usual 60 Minutes self, but like Ms. Couric, I was blaming it on the haunted chair! Was it something about that chair? It was like watching an undertaker deliver the news. He was down, he was sombre, his facial expression was just like Couric's, no smile, no insinuation of trust and SCRIPTED. If I closed me eyes I could hear him READING. I was major league DISAPPOINTED I was. I thought maybe it was first night jitters and that's how Pelley handled it, so I looked at the next night and the night after that and guess what? NO. No change.
I was sitting with my back to the telly in the kitchen, the telly on, Pelley delivering the news good and bad in an undertaker's drone, and I looked at me wife and shook me head. She started talking to me about the kid's excitement at my arriving home from me business trip, and she did it in a Pelley voice. I had to laugh, what she said certainly did not mirror the content of what she was conveying to me. I said she could be the next anchor of CBS she had the drone down well. The idea that anything happy and exciting should not be conveyed that way, and instead make it seem like the end of the world be coming, well her delivery was spot on. Oi! I was sad at hearing how thrilled the two wee ones were that their dad was home, it brought tears to me eyes!
So to make me laugh or frustrate me even more, Tonya started talking to me in what she calls the 'Pelley Drone', and to mix things up she'll give me one of these (this said after me eldest gave a blow-by-blow on how to put a puzzle together), "Thank you . . . O'Hare . . . reporting to us tonight . . . from Peterborough, New Hampshire . . ." I was like OMG Tonya stop the Sawyer impersonation. She's got really good at that too!
Last night before we went to bed, the kiddos having been tucked in hours ago, we had this conversation.
"Well Gabe . . . it's good to have you back with us tonight. I hope YOU are happy to be here. I know . . . we . . . and I speak for the whole family, cat, dogs and kiddies . . . are so thrilled . . . you made it back . . . in one piece."
"I will say Tonya . . . it is good to be back."
"Tell me Gabe . . . was your flight smooth? I know the airlines can be sketchy . . . but did you have a good flight? I know your bloggers out there . . . really want to know." (Contrived giggle and a big toothy smile).
"Well, Tonya . . . as you know . . . the airlines have a lot riding on pleasing the passenger . . . so I did a little experiment with a hangnail . . . "
"A hangnail Gabe? Really?"
"Yes, Tonya . . . your everyday kind of hangnail . . . I actually ripped the thing off my finger . . . "
"Ripped . . . it . . . off . . . your . . . finger? Oh my Gabe, really? You did that with a hangnail?" (Contrived interest on her face).
"Well yes I did Tonya . . . and may I say it hurt like bloody hell . . . but," (and here I put my hands together and then I'd use one hand to emphasise a point, put it back in that finger locking other finger of other hand position made famous by Christiane Amanpour), "I found that airport personnel aren't equipped for hangnail emergencies."
"REALLY? . . . So what did you do Gabriel?" (Contrived look of being REALLY concerned and interested).
"Well, Tonya . . . I had nothing to staunch the bleeding . . . so I took off my sock . . . and wound it tightly around the finger."
"Your sock?! Did that help?" (Contrived incredulous interest).
"Well . . . no . . . but later when I was on the plane . . . I could smell feet up close and personal . . . at first . . . I didn't know who had the bad foot odour." (Contrived throwing up hands a little to emphasis cluelessness).
"Bad foot odour. . . (contrived shaking of the head in disbelief), "did you find out Gabriel?" (Contrived hard look at me by Tonya).
"Yes, Tonya I did . . . it was my hand wrapped in the sock."
A contrived chuckle from Tonya.
"Well Gabe, I think that's going to be all for this edition of Bedtime News tonight. Thank you for reporting from our bedroom this night . . . Gabriel O'Sullivan . . . and to all your blog followers out there . . . stay safe and try . . . to be happy. Good night."
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Gabe
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved
5 comments:
Aw give Scott Pelley a chance. My mom says the same thing though, he sounds very down, but she says there are times his 60 Minutes persona shines through and you have hope. ;) Loved, loved, loved the bedtime newscast. Genius.
I happened to see David Muir tonight in actual fact, and I do think Irish should give him the name of his hairdresser. There be something going on with Muir's hair and it's not good.
Ya know mate, a good hearty glass of rum and they all look the same. You should try it the results will astound you. Sawyer looks like Tom, Muir looks like the ghost and Pelley looks like those stove pellets and you don't know the difference. Cheers mate!
LOL Capt Jaack
My mom says Scott is doing much better. I have to commend you and Tonya for the Diane Sawyer/David Muir nighttime edition of The Bedtime News. You have them smack on.
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