Skip to main content

tv   Reliable Sources  CNN  April 7, 2013 8:00am-9:00am PDT

8:00 am
the h and the n refer to proteins on the flu virus and the numbers to the small differences in the shape of the proteins. two science lessons at the end of one show. thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. i will see you next week. stay tuned for "reliable sources." at first, rutgers basketball coach mike rice got a slap on the wrist. but that changed hours after espn air aed footage of how how he repeatedly abused his players during practice. >> physically kicking players, firing balls at players from point blank range. [ bleep ]. >> how did the sports network handle the story and the role of an assistant coach fired by the school? we'll ask a top espn reporter. nbc doing damage control as the network finally admits it's
8:01 am
dumping jay leno in favor of jimmy fallon. so, suddenly, mrar they're playing nice. >> jay, can i ask you something? we're still friends, right? >> yeah. of course we're still friends. >> that's good. >> still friends. well, look at "tonight show" switch and the legacy of late night comedy going back to steve allen and johnny carson. she hasn't lifted a finger and yet her name is everywhere. >> hillary. >> hillary clinton. >> hillary. >> hillary clinton. >> why are the media swooning over the former secretary of state three and a half years before the next election? plus, the legacy of one of the greatest film critics in newspapers, on television and on twitter. >> when i go to a great movie, i can live somebody else's life a little bit for a while. i can walk in somebody else's shoes. >> a look at the remarkable career of roger ebert.
8:02 am
i'm howard kurtz and this is "reliable sources." top rutgers university officials have already seen the devastating videotape showing coach mike rice not just kicking and throwing basketballs and shoving his players, but shouting anti-gay slurs and, yet, they let him off with just a three-game suspension until espn broke the story. >> this is just some of the video that led to rice's suspension. outside alliances have obtained the roughly 30-minute video reviewed by rutger officials. there are shots of rice heaving balls at players. even at their heads. which you can see better here when the tape is slowed down. >> just after he was fired by the university, rice met with reporters and offered an apology. >> i was wrong.
8:03 am
and i want to tell everybody who's believed in me that i'm -- that i'm deeply sorry for the pain and the hardship that i've caused. >> so, what does this tell us about sports journalism and the college basketball culture? joining us now in atlanta at the site of this year's final four, andy katz who covers college basketball for espn and senior writer for espn.com. welcome. >> thank you. >> thanks. when your network obtained these videos, how much time was spent on the story before it aired and was there an attempt to talk to mike rice and get his side? >> yes, there was. this was one of the stories that was on the fast track because you know, howard, so many different times when you're doing investigative work that it takes months, sometimes could be a year, you know, other times weeks to get it to air and, in this instance, this thing was on a fast track. we have a great investigative
8:04 am
team led by christopher buckle and great reporters you just heard there. john barr leading the story here and "new york times" an exceptional writer and producers behind the scene. they all were basically assigned and masked and then i sort of helped them behind the scenes with some numbers and sourcing to really tackle the story and get it on the air as soon as possible. >> what does it tell us that the rutgers officials who saw this same videotape showing this clearly abusive behavior, clear use of anti-gay slurs decided not to fire mike rice and literally almost overnight when epsn showed that tape to the world that he is gone? >> we have seen this so many different times whether it's sports or politics, public perception changes the decisions of those in charge. crisis management needs to be taught at all levels, whether it's government or sports because they fail miserably.
8:05 am
i remember when this first happened, when he got the three-game suspension and the $50,000 fine, which is somewhat unprecedented for a college coach. and at the time, tim had said that the reason for the suspension, the reason for the fine was severe, but not severe enough, to be fired. >> for people who haven't falled it closely, the athletic director of rutgers who has now resigned in the aftermath. go ahead. >> and his letter that was published on the rutgers website, very unique here. he said that he wanted to fire him initially, but due to sort of the legal ramifications and maybe cause, was not allowed to do so by the university. i remember talking to mike rice when this came out, the day before he went back from his suspension and he said that, you know, he's going to have to change the way he delivers the message, but his intensity and his passion would not change. but, remember, howard, this all occurred, most of these kind of incidents that occurred the
8:06 am
first two years that he was at rutgers. known for the manner in which he coached for quite a while. >> let's talk about the role of eric murdoch. the director of player development and he was fired by rutgers last fall. he was a central figure in the espn figure and quoted extensively calling roach rice's conduct outrageous. he compiled the video and took it to rutgers officials. he supplied this video to espn, too, right? >> i can't reveal whether or not he was the source. i will tell you, howard, where you know this happens, you have a disgruntled employee and he ends up speaking out, but the reality is, it's the facts. whether he has an agenda or not. this happens in various stories. when the truth comes out and you cannot hide behind the facts or the visuals and it's somewhat irrelevant whether or not this particular person has an agenda he or she end up getting the
8:07 am
facts out to the public. >> the fact that you rely heavily on eric murdoch in this case, criticizing of coach rice. let me turn you to the most important development here. >> there were other sources. >> yes, espn talked to a lot of people. you had the videotape and i agree with you no matter what murdoch's motivation. that videotape does not lie. it is apparent what is going on there. the fbi is investigating eric murdoch for possible or alleged extortion. he had asked the university for $950,000 payment in december. so, is there any possibility here that espn was used by eric murdoch to get, not only to get coach rice fired, but in order to build up his own case against the university for the money he felt he was owed? >> i mean, i hope that's not true. but, clearly, what you saw, what everyone saw on the tape was valid. if there is a case now against
8:08 am
eric murdoch, you know, that's a story to cover, as well. and, you know, this clearly could be a case where you have one person involved in the story who ends up becoming a story and could face potential charges or anything like that. so, this story does have many layers. there are people, obviously, involved and it could have many offshoots where it could turn against the actual person. i don't think we'll find a case where you'll have mike rice come out and say, you know, i shouldn't have been fired. clearly, he is admitting that he was wrong and, in this case instance, the evidence came out, which, by the way, as we now learned, they had. they just chose not to render the more serious penalty in firing him. >> the political pressure is really high now, even calls by an espn columnist and many other commentators for him to resign. he didn't bother to look at the videotape, but did bless the decision for the three-game suspension. >> which is unfathomable. i don't know how he did not look at the tape. especially what happened on that
8:09 am
campus where you had a student who committed suicide based on, you know -- >> being taunted over being gay. >> yes, yes. so, i mean, they had to be more sensitive when you hear home phobic slurs on that tape. you have to be even more sensitive and take it to another level and really was irresponsible the way rutgers initially handled this. >> you feel espn adequately handled the question in murdoch's decision in going public against mike rice? >> i do. i don't think there was anything wrong with, you know, what he said on camera. you know, how we got the tapes from a source. i don't think that's any problem. i think any other media outlet would run those tapes, if they had them. and, you know, i have not heard anybody, anyone and i can tell you here at the final four where usually the coaching fraternity sort of surrounds their own. nobody, nobody is defending this at all and making it very clear
8:10 am
to say that this is not the norm in college coaching. >> but there are some exceptions in the media on fox news. eric bowling says the firing of mike rice amounts to the us withification of american men. >> i can understand stop hitting them, maybe. but i like the intensity, i like the drive. i like he's pushing those kids and he runs a tough ship. maybe we need more discipline in society and we don't have to be t wimps for the rest of our lives. >> what do you make of that? >> you know, it's ridiculous. it's ridiculous. okay, first of all, they were losing. okay, so, that tactic wasn't working. you could clearly motivate without physical contact, without slurs. i mean, it's been proven time and time again at all levels of sport. you do not have to go to that level.
8:11 am
you can position. you can adjust. physically moving people in different sports. but you cannot absolutely. we saw that with the assistant jimmy martelli. you can't physically hit someone and -- >> agreed. >> we're in a different era. >> absolutely you cannot. let me bust in with a last question. after the three-game suspension the new jersey press didn't get to the bottom of what had happened. for example, the anti-gay slurs and the extent of the abuse. steve politi writing, how did we miss it? he had been told that mike rice had thrown a plate of alfredo on the bus after a team loss. why didn't they go after this more aggressively at the top? >> i can't defend that. should we have gone further when he had the three-game suspension and $50,000 fine. that is a lot for a coach that wasn't making $3 million, $4 million. i think we're all a little guilty of not pushing a little
8:12 am
further at the time. but these practices. this is not a school where the practices are completely closed and other sources much earlier that would have exposed this. harder to get the tape, but would have had people on the record or sources saying this really was occurring. >> andy katz, thanks for joining us from the final four in atlanta. when we come back, jay leno finally making nice as nbc confirms it's dumping him for jimmy fallon. will the new generation really change the late night comedy landscape? i'll just press this, and you'll save on both. [bell dings] ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, llllet's get ready to bundlllllle... [ holding final syllable ] oh, yeah, sorry! let's get ready to bundle and save. now, that's progressive. oh, i think i broke my spleen!
8:13 am
the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪
8:14 am
8:15 am
8:16 am
"the tont show" began back in 1954 with steve allen who turned it over to jack carr who was succeeded by johnny carson. >> howdy, thanks very much. thank you for letting me come into your homes. just wanted to say before you could turn me off. >> i'm johnny carson, by the way, this is "the tonight show." for those of you, we will pass out rubic cubes during the monologue. >> carson retired in 1992 and jay leno beat out david letterman for the coveted spot. a couple years ago, i should say pushed him aside for conan o'brien and then brought jay back before word that they're jumping jay, again, for jimmy fallen. leno agreed to do a duet with
8:17 am
his unger successo successor. ♪ jay leno all in the news they just say i'm replacing you ♪ ♪ they think i can woo so the network said here's an idea ♪ ♪ pack your bags take a hike ♪ >> so, now that it's official and fallon will take over next spring, next february, that is. can this almost 60-year-old format be revitalized. ken tucker mpr contributor who. ken, welcome. >> thanks. >> was it important given the messiness of the situation for nbc to make or encourage jay leno to play nice? >> yes. >> that staged bromance between leno and fallen is indicative of how nbc, they don't want a big
8:18 am
mess on their hands. >> they created a big mess, the executives did. still in the situation of dumping a guy who is in first place. >> it's wonderful. i mean, it's wonderful. >> you're enjoying it. >> i'm totally enjoying it because it's not my money being thrown away by nbc by the guy who has gotten more viewers and more or less the same demo as fallon does and going to give it to a guy who will get a smaller audience and essentially compete against the other jimmy, jimmy kimmel. >> yes, "new york daily news" reporting that leno got an extra $15 million to leave early. jimmy fallon will draw a small audience in your view. you also question whether he, essentially, you know, he's the most cheerful man in late night, you write. everybody likes jimmy fallon but can he interview presidential candidates? >> he has already proven he doesn't. >> how did he do that? >> he had the president and michelle obama on.
8:19 am
and, so, fallon, this is a guy who is not very mindful of "the tonight show" tradition. he said to another magazine, really, in all fairness, who cares? this is the guy we're entrusting with "tonight show" mantle. i think that the whole late night tradition went askew once leno was put in that position. that it really, the successor should have been carson to letterman because -- >> dave agrees with you. >> totally. >> but maybe you're being a bit of a geezer here. maybe this whole "tonight show" tradition, maybe that doesn't matter any more to an increasingly younger audience who didn't grow up with these icons. >> called pop culture not cult culture. the whole idea, if you're a network, you want to get a network that appeals to the whole populous, the broadest audience. right now, yes, what you're saying is that the audience is fragmented and what nbc is
8:20 am
gambling on with fallon is that he's so adepth at twitter and doing all these sketches that become viral videos that eventually that is going to somehow monetize and add more profits to them. >> didn't mean to cut you off there that fallon could be another conan o'brien, funny guy, passionate following among the young but when he took over for the seven months, the demo went down, but also so did the total numbers. >> the demo didn't go down by that much. conan is now a shrivelled carrot of a man. >> still pretty tall. >> comedic speaking, you say. >> pushed to the margins and no buzz. that is a possibility with fallon. you know, if fallon's ratings go in the tank, what is going to happen? are they going to look again at jay? is jay going to get that call in his garage? >> some people think jay truly never goes away. let's talk about david letterman because you describe him as the
8:21 am
last heir to the old tradition of "tonight show" and somebody who is not only comfortable interviewing heavyweight figures but in recent years has been delivering himself of various opinions. him and rachel maddow the other night talking about same-sex marriage. >> i'm just sick and tired and it has come close across the line of nonsense. this ongoing, politically nuanced, religious discussion of gay marriage, gay rights. it is absolute stupidity. >> so, is letterman the last quote serious late night comic? >> i think so. there is a core of seriousness that makes him surge above his competitors at moments of great national import. after 9/11, he was the guy everybody turned to. the first guy everybody wanted to hear how he would frame it because we were told irony was dead. we were told humor would never be the same. letterman carries the whole tradition in his head.
8:22 am
he is the last guy who makes the link from steve ala inn -- >> kimmel idleized letterman and it's interesting to me what he picked up on from letterman is his irony and how to tweak the late-night format but doesn't reveal himself in a way that letterman will. he will talk about politics and talk about his young son andnist the interests outside of television. to be a classic late night host, you have to have interest beyond show biz and introduce the next movie star to plug their product. >> you also say that jon stewart on "daily show" take aing a c a months off to produce a movie. >> because what stewart and colbert are doing, they revolutionized the opening
8:23 am
monologue segment of making the timely joiks. they are making much more pointed jokes than leno or letterman. >> very political. they play off the day's headlines in a way the other guys who have to play to a broad network audience don't have to. if you get too political, stewart leans to the left, you can offend those who don't agree. >> there are those that think letterman leans to the left right now. interesting situation. one of the most interesting ideas i've heard thrown out there is that the real person to replace letterman when he retires is steven colbert. him as himself no longer doing his right wing character. i think that is a brilliant idea. i don't think anybody is doing a more brilliant idea right now than colbert. >> ken tucker, thanks very much for this guided tour through the late night landscape which is about to under go a number of
8:24 am
changes. why are journalists and pundits utterly fixated on hillary clinton more than three years before the next election?
8:25 am
there's a reason no one says "easy like monday morning." sundays are the warrior's day to unplug and recharge. what if this feeling could last all week? with centurylink as your trusted partner, it can. our visionary cloud infrastructure and global broadband network free you to focus on what matters. with custom communications solutions and dedicated support, your business can shine all week long. as well as they could because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption.
8:26 am
8:27 am
8:28 am
it's hardly a secret that most democrats want hillary clinton to run for president. why did "new york times" play to stories that "a" she hasn't made up her mind. "b" her friends don't know what she is going to do and "c" other candidates will wait and see what she does. ramping up to give her first speech, cable news could not get enough. >> nobody outside of incumbent presidents and not even some of them have in all the years since enjoyed a commanding position going into a commanding cycle such as hillary clinton. >> she's back. hillary clinton returning to the spotlight for the first time since she left the state department. >> already worrying about hillary and we have news today that maybe theyed t should be. >> nobody more prepared. secretary of state, eight years in the white house, this woman,
8:29 am
she will be our next president. >> i guess we could cancel the segment, she will be the next president. joining us to talk about all this erin mcpike and reporter for real clear politics. matt lewis and roger simon, chief political columnist for politico. why was this a front page story just reexamining regurgitating. >> we are the media and we don't do restraint, we do provocative. we're all tabloids now. we're all looking for the clicks and we're all looking for the eyeballs and all looking for the attention and what used to be a nothing story is now a front page story. >> easier and more fun, perhaps, than writing about the slow motion negotiations on immigration reform. matt lewis, as i showed you would could have done another ten minutes of highlights or w
8:30 am
lowlights and appetite for hillary stories. >> we could be talking about cpi or drones and worse more superficial stories than this. >> not a superficial story. one could argue a premature story. >> here's what's worse than this, not just the prematureness but the tone. the sense that she is this inevitable candidate, once again, and i think that is not the truth. i think that hillary clinton would be tied with ronald reagan as the oldest president, if she were elected. i think she has a lot of issues to overcome, but the tone seems to be she is this juggernaut and nobody can stop her. look, marco rubio, and bobby jindal. >> you talked to her spokesman, who doesn't give many interviews. and he said, i would like to meet the folks who are saying this because they seem to know more than she does.
8:31 am
>> she hasn't decided and we are not even 100 days into president obama's second term. >> right. >> and basically the lefu said s to make up her mind. >> we don't care she hasn't made up her mind. almost like we're making up her mind for her. >> maybe she will be drawn into a race because she's drafted. that certainly is possible. of course, she will consider it. why wouldn't she if she is this big figure who is polling as well as she is right now. of course, she'll consider it. it's wrong for everyone in the media to say it's 100% certain she will run because she may have health concerns and bill clinton may have health concerns and that takes it from 100% to something much less than that. >> a million things can happen in three years. a couple lifetimes in politics. >> if we're going to do premature stories on secretary clinton, let's do ones that are
8:32 am
what she's going to realistically face if she does become a candidate. how good a job did she really do as secretary of state? how good did she do between the palestinians and the israelis? how good did she do in syria? how well did she do in iran? how well did she do at benghazi? how well did she do in north korea? these are the serious issues that hillary clinton will face in the primaries and the general -- >> and the reason we're seeing very little of that is -- >> because it's a serious stuff. >> well, to that end, republicans are driving this, too. new super pacs feeding information on hillary clinton, especially on benghazi and we're going to be seeing negative stories come out in the next few months in the runp to whether or not she decides to run. they don't want her to run and they're going to try to
8:33 am
discourage her from doing so by telling those stories. >> the tone of many of those stories. she is a trailblazer and very popular and the first women president. but the tone of these stories is very positive, bordering from positive to adulatory, except on fox news which doesn't talk about it much at all. so, do you feel like the media are trying to almost stage a carnation here? >> well, i think so. they'll turn on her, too. when that becomes more fun and interesting. but, look, she ran a horrible campaign last time. >> let me stop you for one second. almost nobody points that out. maureen dodd made a comment, this is somebody with a 30-point lead against barack obama and blew it. >> she was outmaneuvered by barack obama and what is to say she will run a great campaign this time and flip-flopped on a lot of issues including gay marriage where there was a video of her talking about the sanctity of marriage. >> she evolved like barack obama evolved. everybody evolves these days. >> all these stories are, she
8:34 am
will freeze out the other candidates. she will lock up the money. neither is true. she didn't freeze out the other candidates in 2008. >> but she has -- >> barack obama ran. >> the other problem is the generational problem now, too. >> i don't want to get too deeply into politics. >> hand the torch to a new generation. she is the other direction. >> going backwards in terms of age from a younger barack obama. >> because of the internet, which is a communications medium. >> you work for an online publication. >> i do. >> you cannot lock up the money any more. anybody can raise money. ron paul can raise $1 million in an evening. you could use the internet to launch and sustain virtually any campaign in america. hillary will, i'm sorry, secretary clinton will raise a lot, but she has no way of locking up the money. >> how much of this is driven, air aen emcpike by the ongoing
8:35 am
clinton soap oprah? and even now in 2008, there is a lot of talk about what would bill's role be in her campaign. isn't this what makes it part of a delicious story for the press? >> it's a great story. she has been in the federal government, essentially, since 1992. that's 20 years. before that, she was first lady of arkansas. she has been in the public eye since the '70s. how great is it now, as a story, that she was so unpopular at certain times, but she has now left public office on the highest level of popularity she's ever had. so, of course, it's a good, and it's sort of a feel-good story for the media, too. >> much less polarizing figure if and when she gets back in the race. before we go to break, i want to tease something. a web extra from our program. imagine going on a dating website and finding a stranger using your picture to. talks to me about the experience
8:36 am
on our website. reliablesources.blogs. did the media overreact to president obama's joke about california's good looking attorney general? dentures you may not know it, but your mouth is under attack. food particles infiltrate and bacteria proliferate. ♪ protect your mouth, with fixodent. the adhesive helps create a food seal defense for a clean mouth and kills bacteria for fresh breath. ♪ fixodent, and forget it. ♪ to try on these amazing depend silhouette briefs. oh, it's cheryl burke! who's this guy? security. cheryl, hi! i know you don't need one but would you try on the depend silhouette for charity? right now? under this? why not? for charity? now's the perfect time, cause with soft fabric and waistband, the best protection looks, fits and feels just like underwear.
8:37 am
even doing the chacha. whaaat? ok, america. cheryl burke tried the depend silhouette. get a free sample so you can too. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips'. so, i'm working on a cistern intake valve, and the guy hands me a locknut wrench. no way!
8:38 am
i'm like, what is this, a drainpipe slipknot? wherever your business takes you, you can save money with progressive commercial auto. [ sighs ] [ flo speaking japanese ] [ shouting in japanese ] we work wherever you work. now, that's progressive. call or click today.
8:39 am
8:40 am
president obama caused a bit of a media flap this week at a fund-raiser he praised on kamilla harris. he said she was brilliant, she was tough, she was dedicated and then he said she was the best-looking attorney general in the country. can the president really not make a joke any more? this clearly was a joke without getting his lungs ripped out? >> i think the lesson anything that ever comes out of the president's mouth is news. which we should know. what it also tells us is that our elected officials and particularly the president are held to a much higher standard because, let's face it, at least in washington where we do a talk about attorneys general in the country, i can imagine that coming out of the mouth of anybody in washington. >> one thing if he was overheard on a microphone saying, she's hot. clearly it was a line and a lot of women on fox and others on fox defended the president, but
8:41 am
mika brzezinski on msnbc had different feelings. >> i'm sure he meant to pay a compliment to her and be nice but it just divides women and divides people up to separate them by looks. >> is this the police run amuck? >> what is wrong with being sexy? it's a compliment. this is political correctness run amuck. >> i'm happy to have you here. >> no, you were totally right, howie. the problem is, this is not just an example of one off of president obama saying something. it is a microcosm of a larger societial problem and the fact that president obama felt the need to apologize to her for saying she was tough and, by the way, attractive is a shame. >> by the way, barack obama and kamila harris are friends. i met her a couple weeks ago here at cnn and she is smart and attractive. he also says sometimes about
8:42 am
men, a good-looking men. >> he called the secretary of the navy a good-looking guy and called the entire pittsburgh penguin team a good-looking guy. >> he is permisscuous in his praise. >> that's the standard for the media. this is why it is going it be a 24-hour wonder. there's no fertile ground. is this a man who is sexist or is this a man who has promoted women to the supreme court and to the cabinet? if bill clinton -- >> if bill clinton said it, everybody would have rolled their eyes. quick slip of the tongue by michelle obama. >> believe me as a busy, single mother, or i shouldn't say single, as a busy mother, sometimes when you have the husband who is president, it can feel a little single, but he's there. >> is that a big deal? i meant she does a lot of single parenting when the guy is on the road? >> that is not a standard i want to be held to because i have slips of the tongue all the time and if we are going to jump on
8:43 am
everyone for every little word that they misspeak, we're doomed. >> you know, the media often complain that our politicians are so scripted and everyone is saying off the cuff and then we savidge them. before we go, roger simon, we'll talk about roger ebert in the next segment. you said no to "chicago sun-times" and you got a call from. >> roger ebert. he took me to a newspaper bar and it was like a scene from usa. i said, i got it be a part of this. ebert said, look, nobody turns down newspapers. the best writing in america is being done at newspapers. and you ought to be part of that. you know, he was right. and i became a newspaper man because of roger and it was the best advice i ever got. >> but he was, among all his other talents which we'll talk about after the break, he was, at heart, a newspaper man even
8:44 am
after he became a big tv star. thanks very much for stopping by this sunday morning. for more than four decades in print on the air and online, the country gave his film criticism two thumbs up. a look at roger ebert's legacy, in just a moment. u 8
8:45 am
8:46 am
8:47 am
matt's brakes didn't sound right... ...so i brought my car to mike at meineke... ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke.
8:48 am
roger ebert began his career in "chicago sun-times" in 1967 but not until he launched a television show with gene siskel he became a household name. >> if i asked you, should i go see it? >> you know what i would tell you, if you like james bond, you'll like this one better. >> when we disagree, one of us is wrong. when we agree, we're right. >> i give it thumbs up. >> even after ebert, who died this week at age 70 developed cancer and was unable to speak, he continued his film criticism online. michael, what stood out to you about his approach to movies and reviewing and the whole genre? >> he was passionate about it.
8:49 am
but i think you hit something very much earlier. he was originally and initially always at heart a writer and newspaper man. he's not somebody who came out of the movie industry, he came out of the newspaper business. what he brought to it was sort of that zest, the use of colorful language. he was, had a belief as an entertaining writer and one of the things that i think has moved america so greatly is that his inspiration during ten years of battling a devastating illness has provided more inspiration for the country than any other movie mely drama he ever reviewed. >> he appeared on television with a computer voice. he just would not give up and the quality of his thinking and his writing and continued to come through. you talk about his writing. happy to pick out one line from the millions and millions of words he wrote about a movie "last rights." no one connected with this project who read the screenplay and evaluated --
8:50 am
>> one of the lines i liked reviewing the movie "brown bunny." one day said i'll be thin, but brown bunny will still be will movie. roger was clever. he was entertaining, opinionated. what is fascinating to me is he is the last of a breed. when he was at his peak with ebert and siskel and the movies, there was a show sneak preview that he initially was on and at the movies with rex reed and bill harris. today there is nothing like. that the experts don't have gene shallot at nbc, the big-time movie critic is a thing of the past. the reason is because you don't have to wait until 3:00 in the morning to wait for ebert and siskel. you are on the internet and have tons of opinion and observation
8:51 am
and movie clips, which used to be what we would deliver that was a very precious and rare commodity. >> has something been lost, not just of course with the passing of roger ebert but the time when newspaper film critics were important and would be going on television was something that would make you well known to millions of people and now people go to rotten tomatoes and see how many tomatoes a film or movie got. >> yes, i do. i think what is lost is personality. if you take a look at the people that i mentioned, rex reed "at the movies." rex is still there but not a major figure in the way he used to be. the fact is people it has been democrat kra sized, and more information available and less personality and flair. what people used to enjoy is the idea of roger and gene bickering and they were fiercely
8:52 am
competitive. roger had sharp elbows. he was a tough competitor but here with the national outpouring of greeief and honor which is appropriate. he has won the competition with gene siskel who passed away in '99 with a lot less attention. >> some people complain the time of doing a television show about movie criticism, and the whole thumbs up and down thing that it may be dumbed down the genre. >> how can you dumb down movies? one thing that roger said, we had a debate. three-quarters of movies are pretty dumb any way. this idea, basically why do people need movie reviews? they go to film reviewers to determine whether it is worth investing my time and money in seeing this film. by the way, that's another reason that film critics are less important today is today the theatrical distribution of a film brings only a small
8:53 am
percentage of its total revenue. a lot of it is overseas and not necessarily the same release date and a lot of it is physical media, like dvd and on-line. so it is no longer the big focus on opening weekend at the multiplex. in the final half weekend, michael medved, why has the passing of roger ebert generated to much commentary. it seems there was a lot of affection even as the era passed? >> because he is the last of the breed. the last big-time movie celebrity critic and he will be the last one. the other aspect is people grew up with him and finally he was so inspirational. his work ethic, working through his illness and adversity. that is something that people won't forget, nor should they. >> i think you have nailed it. a lot of people that never met roger ebert felt a connection to him, through his television show, on-line, work, his clever tweets leaving a lot for us to
8:54 am
talk about. thank you for stopping by. >> my great pleasure. still to come, banker turned internet media mogul and the "new york times" botches an obituary that shouldn't be rocket science. the "media monitor" is straight ahead. ?ú?
8:55 am
8:56 am
8:57 am
8:58 am
time for the "media monitor" our look at the hits and errors in the news business. henry bloj jet and how he built business insider in to an ir rev rant website. he se a high flying analyst barred from the securities business and had to pay a $4 million fine for touting dot come stocks. he didn't shy away from it. he was humiliated and would like to gain the right to work in investment banking 0 only if clear his name. the associated press banned the use of the term illegal immigrant except in direct quote. they say it is fine to talk about illegal immigration but
8:59 am
the people shouldn't be described as an illegal immigrant but it is accurate for those that wrote the law to come to in the country. i find the decision too politically correct. other papers are considering the same move. this isn't rocket science. the "new york times" managed to blow it up. yvonne was an amazing nasa scientist. she died at 88 and this is how the times obit began. she made a mean beef stroeg nauf, fold her husband from job to job and took eight years off to raise children. the cook and work as a mother made the lead. with a storm of criticism that the times modified the version saying she was a brilliant rocket scientist who followed her husband, great mom, no more beef