tim russert

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Journalists and politicians react to the death of Tim Russert.
• Will NBC get The Weather Channel?
• Big melons on CNN...giggity-giggity!
• What's going on at The Hollywood Reporter?
• Ah, I knew those songs in Dunkin' Donuts commercials sounded like something from They Might Be Giants.
• Javier Grillo-Marxuach blogs about The Middleman.
• Naveen Andrews talks to E! about Lost.
• Is Rashida Jones going to be in that spinoff of The Office?
• Is there room on TV for two skateboarding dogs?
• Greek gets a new cast member.

Tim Russert, the chief political reporter for NBC and host of the long-running Meet The Press, died of a heart attack this afternoon. Russert was recording voiceovers for Meet The Press and collapsed.

This is obviously sad and odd because he was young, but it's also crazy because we're in the middle of an election year, and Russert was one of the faces of NBC and MSNBC when it comes to politics. He was an unabashed political junkie and was front and center in this year's election, being involved in all of the primary coverage and even participated in debates along with colleague Brian Williams.

Russert worked in for Democratic Senator Daniel Moynihan's campaign in the mid 70s and in the early 80s worked on Mario Cuomo's campaign for Governor of New York. He joined NBC in 1984 and became moderator of Meet The Press in 1991. He also wrote two books.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Doc Jensen has some new theories concerning Lost over at Entertainment Weekly.
• Time's James Poniewozik weights in on Recount and The Andromeda Strain (he liked one and hated the other).
• Oh, for Pete's sake, it was a person's voice!
• Ausiello over at TV Guide has some info about Supernatural.
• Here's the latest on that possible strike (yes, another one).
• Will Al Franken's past come back to haunt him in his Senate race?
• And now, the music of Katie Couric.

Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World is out, and for the third year in the row I just missed making the list (last year I was 103, this year I'm at 102, so I'm getting better!). The list is broken down into five different categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Heroes & Pioneers, Scientists & Thinkers, Artists & Entertainers, and Builders & Titans. This year, Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana herself, is #59. And the weird thing is, it's under the Scientists & Thinkers category.

OK, that's not true (she's under Artists & Entertainers), but it got me thinking that there must really be a shortage of influential people in the world today.

Today marks the 60th birthday of NBC's Sunday morning news program, Meet The Press. It's the longest running TV show in history.*

It's funny because when Meet The Press started, there weren't that many TV news shows on the air. Now one could argue that there are too many. Meet The Press isn't really that special anymore. Past hosts have included Lawrence Spivak (who also created and produced the show), Ned Brooks, Bill Monroe, Marvin Kalb, Roger Mudd, Chris Wallace, Garrick Utley, and current host Tim Russert. Some people have said that the show isn't the same anymore because Russert has on guests like Stephen Colbert. I think that's ridiculous, because they've had comics on before. Though I do think the way that Russert conducted most of the interview, faux serious and trying to be jokey too, was odd.

* Longest running show period? Guiding Light, which debuted on radio in 1937 and then switched to TV in 1952.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Not too many people like Viva Laughlin.
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• Bill Cosby? Stephen Colbert? Some are asking what the heck is going on at Meet The Press.
• Are there more cast members leaving CSI besides Jorja Fox?
• EW's PopWatch blog agrees with me about those Bee Movie ads on NBC.
• The behind the scenes story on how Charles Emerson Winchester came to be on M*A*S*H.
• Tim Goodman is not a fan of Tuesday night TV.

If it's Sunday, it must be Stephen Colbert.

The late night blowhard and new Presidential candidate will be the guest on NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday. Several readers over at The Huffington Post aren't too sure about this appearance. Some are saying it's "misguided," while others think he's taking the schtick too far and that he himself has become "a joke." On the contrary, I think this is all part of some genius performance art, from his show to his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner to his book to his talk show appearances, he's going all out with the character.

• Charlie Rose: Tina Brown
• The Daily Show: Robert Schrum
• The Colbert Report: Josh Wolf
• The Late Show With David Letterman: Kyra Sedgwick, Sir Richard Branson, and Maroon 5
• Jay Leno: Fred Thompson, Lauren Graham, and Toby Keith
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Bernie Mac, Bob Odenkirk, and Fiction Plane
• Tavis Smiley: Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Tim Russert, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Feist
• The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Parker Posey and Ian Hunter
• Last Call With Carson Daly: Bijou Phillips and Satellite Party

• Charlie Rose: Warren Buffett
• The Daily Show: Tim Russert (repeat)
• The Colbert Report: Rep. Tom Delay and Randy Kearse (repeat)
• The Late Show With David Letterman: Ray Romano, Dennis Haysbert, and Reggie Reg (repeat)
• Jay Leno: Cameron Diaz and Nelly Furtado (repeat)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Cameron Diaz, Mark Indelicato, and The Used (repeat)
• Tavis Smiley: Right To Return - New Home Movies From The Lower 9th Ward
• Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Eva Longoria, Lily Allen, and Fred Willard (repeat)
• The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Frank Caliendo, Samantha Mathis, and The Noisettes (repeat)
• Last Call With Carson Daly: Ice Cube and Scanners

I'm not exactly sure what they mean by "powerful" whenever these lists come out. Does it mean influence? Does it mean the most-watched? Probably a mish-mash of both, since the list includes anchors and network executives. Here's the list, according to TV Week. Last year's rank is in parentheses.

1. Roger Ailes - Chairman and CEO of FOX News (1)