let them entertain us

I’m pretty sure everybody gets it by now that television is an entertainment medium, which, with certain rare exceptions, presents current events (i.e., “news”) on the fly to consumers, who turn to the tube for distraction (because we’re bored or tired, or because … we like to watch):

I’m sure you’re bored to death of hearing about it and I’m not going to belabor this point anymore—I promise!

Except that I get daily reminders. Such as the news, according to Broadcasting & Cable, that Rosie O’Donnelll is indeed “shopping a format” for a talk show “with a ‘hot topics’ portion similar to The View.”

It’s worth reading the whole article, which starts off by intimating that O’Donnell is primarily interested in “creative freedom”:

Industry sources say O’Donnell, who has yet to seriously focus on her next moves, is open to a number of options, including producing her own syndicated talk show and farming it out to an outside distributor. … Independence could bring O’Donnell the type of creative freedom that would be tough to come by at a conglomerate worried about its Washington interests.

On the other hand, she’s looking for such a big payday—she wanted $10 million from ABC to continue on The View for a year—that there aren’t too many outfits that can afford her:

O’Donnell would be lucky to get half of the $40 million annually that she is seeking under a traditional studio deal, even with an ownership stake, according to executives speaking anonymously.

But entertainment conglomerates like CBS and NBC Universal have the assets to make such a large payday possible.

Indeed they do. And they’re salivating at the prospect:

CBS has hotly pursued O’Donnell; sources say it is prepared to offer her a broad deal encompassing network, syndication and even Showtime. NBCU is also in the mix.

And here’s why [e.a.]:

[I]nterest in O’Donnell remains high in Hollywood. As one executive puts it, “She may be a polarizing figure, but if we can just get 5%-10% of those who agree with her and a few of those who don’t, we would have a hit.”

Case closed: controversy sells. Imus’s contract is proof. Olbermann’s contract is proof. (Anderson Cooper’s contract is proof, too, although his schtick isn’t creating controversy; it’s teaching the controversy. He takes a 360-degree turn around every issue—get it?])

It was only in October 2004 that Jon Stewart called Tucker Carlson a dick and yelled at him for “hurting America.”

I guess “hurting America” is all the rage now, eh, Jon?