TresSugar

Barack Obama Says Change Is About Owning Up to Mistakes

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:01:46 -0800

President Obama may have started yesterday with the intention of selling his stimulus plan to the American people with a full-court media press, but he ended it defending his stake on change. On the NBC Nightly News Obama handled ex-nominee Tom Daschle's tax problems by confessing to Brian Williams: "I screwed up." Check out how Obama maintained that he's ushering in the era of responsibility, and other highlights from last night.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On Tom Daschle's withdrawal: Oh it made me angry and disappointed and it's something I have to take responsibility for. I appointed these folks. I think they are outstanding people. I think Tom Daschle as an example could have led this health care effort, a difficult effort better than just about anybody. But as he acknowledged, this was a mistake.
On whether politics as usual has won: [T]he fact of the matter is Tom Daschle pulled out today. And I'm here on television saying I screwed up and that's part of the era of responsibility, is not never making mistakes, it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them and that's what we intend to do.

To read what the President wants to do to bailout regular Americans, read more.

On how the stimulus plan will help regular Americans: Now the recovery package that we've put together, has not only immediate relief to families, if they've lost their job, they're going to get extended unemployment insurance, they're going to get to keep their health insurance. We're going to make sure that states don't have to lay off teachers and that they can train teachers for the math and science that is so important for our children.
On whether the stimulus package is getting "pecked to death": Well look, it's got to go through Congress. That means there are 535 people who have an opinion about what's good policy. . . And I want to continue to work with Democrats and Republicans to find some common ground. But what I can't accept is the politics as usual where we think about scoring points . . . instead of acting. We've lost a million jobs in the last two months. We can't afford another four million jobs lost this year and every economist I talk to projects that if we don't act quickly, we could end up seeing a much more severe situation than we're seeing right now.

Briefing Book! NBC Rejects Obama/Abortion Super Bowl Ad

LibertySugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:30:20 -0800

Abortion: NBC rejects Obama/aboriton ad that claims unwanted babies can grow up to be president, just like Obama. CatholicVote was ready to spend $1.5 million to air it during Super Bowl. - Jezebel
Technology: "I'm sorry for any incontinence." How spell check wreaks havoc. - Good
Japan: The cash-based society. - J-List Side Blog
Alaska: State braces for volcanic eruption. - Huffington Post
Condi Rice: Condi's back! ex-secretary of state returns to Stanford to teach politics. - SFist

No News Is Good News: Companies Going Broke

LibertySugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:01:13 -0800

Announcements from major media companies yesterday made it clear that the recession has hit those who report on it. Meanwhile, the Pulitzer Prizes announced plans to accept submissions from web-only news outlets, providing a redundant wake-up call to traditional news companies failing to get by. Here's a roundup of traditional media's most recent struggles:

New York Times: Like many Americans, the New York Times Company will borrow against its house to keep the cash flowing. Specifically, the paper of record will take $225 million out against its Manhattan headquarters.

For the rest of this sad news story, read more.

Tribune Co.: The media giant, which owns the LA Times and the Chicago Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday. Following the filing, the CEO sent employees a memo that said business will carry on as usual. He wrote: "The good news is that we have great brands, and we produce great products every day. It's up to all of us to continue to focus on what it is we do best."
NBC: The peacock network has had its head in its feathers apparently, as its chief Jeff Zucker told investors yesterday that a bad Fall performance may result in programming cutbacks. Last week, NBC laid off 500 employees. Zucker said: "We're in an era where if we don't change the models of these local TV stations, we will be newspapers, we will be car companies. I don't want to be a company that files for bankruptcy."

While the Tribune Co. seems optimistic about its products, Zucker's comments make it clear that he's happy to be in the TV business rather than newspaper. In a day where everyone seems to have an insatiable craving for information, it's a shame that these media companies cannot quickly adapt, especially since their reporting resources are still valuable in an online world.

Do you think stalwart media organizations like the New York Times and NBC can find a model that works as technology speeds ahead and a recession hits most businesses, or has their time passed?

Source

Who Should Host Meet the Press?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:00:01 -0800

NBC may soon name the next permanent host of Meet the Press. Whomever succeeds longtime host Tim Russert, who died unexpectedly earlier this year, will surely become one of the most influential journalists in the world.

Every president since John F. Kennedy, along with countless prominent national leaders, have appeared on Meet the Press, the longest running TV show in history. Do you think NBC should tap a well-seasoned journalist, or go with a younger anchor who can take the show in a new direction?

Source

SNL Coming to Thursdays for Presidential Election

LibertySugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:00:19 -0700

So, Buzz just gave me the scoop on NBC's upcoming Fall schedule.

Saturday Night Live will be bringing a half hour of its "Weekend Update" to Thursday nights beginning Oct. 16. It'll be like Jon Stewart – but live and at primetime!

NBC's president of entertainment thinks "there's nothing better than Saturday Night Live in an election year." Do you agree? Has SNL returned to its political-skewering roots with a Hillary/Obama-fueled renaissance? Would this replace your Daily Show/fake-news fix, or does SNL Thursday Night Live sound a little like reheated leftovers?
Source

New TV Show: Quackers The S*?#" Eating Duck

GiggleSugar — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:00:00 -0700

Due to the unprecedented popularity of Quackers, the duck who appeared on Conan's show and left such a lasting impression, the NBC network has decided to let the duck take a "quack" at prime-time television. The show is titled "Quackers The S*?# Eating Duck." I don't know about you, but it looks pretty promising to me!

Front Page: 20-Year-Old Whose Father Ran Her Over Is Dead

TresSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:36 -0800

Arizona woman Noor Faleh Almaleki is pronounced dead after being in a coma for weeks. Her Iraqi-born father ran her over in a parking lot to protest her becoming "too Western." - New York Daily News
Half of US kids, and 90 percent of black children, will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, according to a study that looked at 30 years of national data. - AP
Two women got in a fight on the NYC subway over fears of catching swine flu, after one of them refused to cover her mouth when she coughed. - NBC
NYU has confirmed that a student died in its Bobst Library this morning, a location that has a reputation for student suicides. -WSN
Senator Joe Lieberman apparently decided not to filibuster the public healthcare option after all. - The Hill
Hillary Clinton announced today that the US will offer aid to help boost America's ties with the Muslim world. - Reuters
Here are 10 races to watch in today's off-year election. - CNN

TV Showing More Violence Against Women

TresSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:05:37 -0700

I typically avert my eyes when graphic scenes flash across my television screen, so it boggles my mind that violence is such a celebrated form of entertainment. A new report from the Parents Television Council suggests that the prevalence of violence on TV is getting even more disturbing. The report reveals that violence against women and teen girls is up 120 percent, while violence shown on television general has raised by only two percent in recent years.

Questions remain about the conservative group's study. For example, it doesn't precisely define what it considers "violence." Still, the results cannot be completely ignored. Showing more examples of violence against women could desensitize viewers and make it appear more acceptable.

The Parents Television Council is calling for more government regulation against such violence on TV. Do you support that, or should viewers censor what they watch themselves?

Photos courtesy of NBC

First Couple Had to Negotiate Their Roles in Marriage

TresSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Last night, President Obama spoke to NBC about how he and Michelle had a discussion about gender roles and marriage once they had kids. He explained:

"Michelle was trying to figure out, OK, if the kids get sick why is it that she's the one who has to take time off of her job to go pick them up from school, as opposed to me? What I tried to do was to learn to be thoughtful enough and introspective enough that I wasn't always having to be told that things were unfair."

Based on the Obamas's visibly happy marriage, and the new study that suggests splitting housework leads to a better sex life, it seems that sharing responsibilities for the family and house can only be a win-win for spouses. Still, the president admits that because she's a woman, Michelle still had to make sacrifices he didn't have to. Have you ever spoken to your partner about expectations based on gender roles?

To see video of the president talking about his relationship with Michelle, read more.

WTF: NBC's Miss USA Ad

GiggleSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0700

If NBC's ad for Miss USA is any indication, folks are dispensing with the whole "beauty pageants are an opportunity for young women to win scholarships/this is a talent competition" pretense. What's shocking is that instead of being honest, and saying, okay, it's. . .a beauty pageant which judges women on superficial qualities, NBC is taking an extreme position. Miss USA, they seem to be saying, is a great opportunity for the viewer to watch women make fools of themselves. Sheesh! I'm not a fan of beauty pageants, but this is just piggish.

Thanks, Jezebel!