Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
Pedway, First Store Open At Block 37
Around Town
Around Town
Red-Light Cameras Not So Special?
Last night, we gave you a sneak peek at former governor Rod Blagojevich's appearance on David Letterman's show. Now that we've seen the whole thing, we know this much: if there is one Blago appearance from his recent media blitz to see, it's this one (or maybe Rachel Maddow). We thought the cantankerous Letterman would be an excellent foil for His Hairness and, indeed, we were right. Not taking any of Blago's crap, Letterman's frustrated exasperation with Blago early on mirrored our own and, for once, it was worth sitting through another Blagojevich appearance. We knew it was going to be good when the band played Sinatra's "My Way" for Blago's introduction. Even though Letterman softened on Blago as the interview wore on, it was still worth it to watch Blago squirm.
Part 1 is below, parts 2, 3, and 4 after the jump.
Part 3
Part 4
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I had to stop watching after a minute or so. All that head bobbing was making me seasick.
Did anyone ever clue Rod into the fact that Letterman is on television, and therefore has viewers, not "listeners"?
I was curious as to how the audience would greet him when he came out but missed it (Damn you, Colbert!) Did they clap politely, cheer, what?
And I loved how Blago would make a joke and try to look around the room to see if it would get a laugh, as if he were the master showman (which I guess he is). Like when he said his cursing on the tape made him sound like Christian Bale and he scanned the room as if to let everyone know he was telling a joke.
ba-DUM-bum... HEYOOOOOOOOO!!!
But I actually cringed, for him a little and for the state of illinois.
What a douche.
ophmarketing, if there was one thing to learn from the last month, its that Blago doesn't live on the same planet you or I do. This is the same dude who didn't know the Daily Show (or was it Colbert?) was a satirical show. Its entirely possible he thought Letterman was on the radio. He thinks he's innocent and did nothing wrong, so pretty much anything is possible on Planet Hairbomb...
It was the Daily Show. I was just mentioning that appearance to my husband the other night. He was totally clueless that it was a joke.
Also, it occurs to me while listening to my iPod that Incubus' "Megalomaniac" applies perfectly to Blogo.
When Blagojevich came out, the music was particularly louder than normal for entering guests, and you could hear only a smattering of hand clapping. No whistling or anything like that.
Watching the entire thing was nauseating. Letterman asked some great questions, and I'm half-convinced that Blago is a robot programmed with a set of responses to all major questions, because he's pretty much said the same things in the same order on all the shows he's been on.
Nothing is more insincere to me than stock rhetoric, and Blago has handfuls of it.
i found this interview amusing. i heard some laughs from the crowd when he proclaimed his innocence. i don't recall any boos during his intro though. i like that letterman didn't seem to hold much back. in fact, it seemed that letterman was done with the interview at least half way through as if he was bored or annoyed with the whole thing.
Yeah, I sensed that from letterman too because he really didn't know why the fuck Blago was there. I don't think that Dave wanted his show to be a forum for someone trying to save his own neck. The only other time I can think of that happening was when Jerry Seinfeld got him to call Michael Richards after his comedy club meltdown and he apologized over the phone. But this whole Blago thing... like I said, when Dave was discussing it as his desk right after his monologue he looked at the camera and said "I don't know why this guy is here." He looked genuinely confused/pissed. I wouldn't be surprised if a head or two rolled today.
You think Letterman, who is renowned for agonizing over the show for hours after broadcast, didn't have final say on Blago?
Letterman loves a good train wreck. See Harvey Pekar, Christian Glover, Madonna...
Yeah, but Pekar, Glover and Madonna have a personality, something to say, even if it is "me me me", or general grumpiness or a karate kick with a platform shoe (is that clip on Youtube?). Blago had NOTHING... no personality, nothing interesting to say, just that tired "when the truth comes out" and "well, I can't really talk about that right now" and his "low cost prescription drugs from Canada" spiel. What the fuck does Dave, or for that matter then nation, care that seniors in Illinois are getting low cost prescription drugs? I think Dave might have been talked into this ("C'mon dave, this guy is hot, everybody wants him and we can get him!") but then slowly realized it was a stupid idea. Or not.
But yeah, if anyone has a link to the Glover shoe kick, I want to see that again. Haven't seen it since it happened originaly.
Peter Fitzgerald must be ecstatic. Every time Blago takes the stage somewhere he's making his own prosecution that much easier. I bet you cash money that there is a DVR in the federal prosecutor's office FILLED with Blago media yammering.
Give a man enough rope, or in this case airtime, and he'll hang himself.