MSNBC pulls Donny Deutsch

By GottaLaff

This makes me miss David Shuster even more.

Brian Stelter, who seems to have gotten some bad information (see below):

A week-long anchoring stint on MSNBC by Donny Deutsch ended abruptly on Wednesday, and four people briefed on the decision said the cancellation stemmed from an unflattering mention of that channel’s No. 1 anchor, Keith Olbermann, a day earlier.

Mr. Deutsch had labeled his hour on MSNBC “America the Angry,” and Mr. Olbermann was shown briefly in a series of clips of media bloviators during a segment that pondered what role the media plays in fomenting the public’s anger. The four people briefed on MSNBC’s decision said Mr. Olbermann’s anger about the segment prompted the cancellation of the weeklong “America the Angry” series.

But Keith had a thing or two to add:

In an e-mail message, Mr. Olbermann said “Your account is entirely untrue. Your e-mail is the first I am hearing of any of this. What I know of what happened is this: Phil Griffin phoned me yesterday enraged at what was on that show and I didn’t disagree with him.”

The segment in question also included clips of Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck. One of the guests, the radio host Hugh Hewitt, said that Mr. Olbermann and another MSNBC host, Ed Schultz, are “the biggest hate-mongers in television.”

I saw that segment. I turned the sound off.

Keith tweeted the above e-mail message, and this:


I can't say I'm unhappy about his leaving. His executive producer is out, too, by the way.

Here's hopes they find someone we can get behind.

MSNBC changes line-up

By GottaLaff

Shuster has his own spots, as does Tamron Hall:

TVNewser has learned that effective Monday, David Shuster will anchor at 10amET and 3pmET, Tamron Hall will anchor at 11amET and 2pmET and Contessa Brewer will anchor at 12N.

Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie begin the dayside hours at 9am ET. Andrea Mitchell remains at 1pmET and Dylan Ratigan at 4pm.

Norah O'Donnell and John Harwood have been canceled, along with CNBC's Melissa Francis

And so it goes...

Attorney General Holder on the Tee Vee Machine today

By GottaLaff

At 2:30 Eastern, MSNBC will air A.G. Holder in front of.... well, that's the question. Neither Paddy nor I remember which committee it is. But you can be sure they won't stick to the topic at hand. It will be all about the torture issue.

Sorry for the ambiguity. Chalk it up to barely listening, morning fogginess, and my memory sieve-itude.

Anyway, I'll be watching, and I'll liveblog if something pops. Stay tuned...

A viewers' guide to the inauguration coverage

By GottaLaff

Here is the L.A. Times' TV schedule of coverage of the inauguration. All times are Pacific:

TODAY

The Disney Channel: "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future," 8 to 9:30 p.m. The Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus are among those set to perform at the concert honoring military families. The event will be streamed on Disney.com after the telecast.

TUESDAY

ABC: "Good Morning America" airs a special three-hour edition from the Library of Congress beginning at 4 a.m. Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos anchor coverage from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a news special at 7 p.m. From 8 to 10 p.m., the network will exclusively air "The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration," the first gala of the night attended by the new president and first lady. That will be followed by a 10 p.m. news special with reports from the inaugural balls and an overview of the day's events.

CBS: "The Early Show" broadcasts live from Washington beginning at 4 a.m. Katie Couric handles the coverage from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as an hourlong edition of "CBS Evening News" and a live webcast on CBSNews.com at 7 p.m. with extended analysis. At 9 p.m., the network will air "Change and Challenge," a prime-time news special anchored by Couric that traces Obama's journey to the White House.

NBC: A special edition of "Today" from Washington kicks off coverage at 4 a.m. (KNBC-TV Channel 4 will carry local coverage until 7 a.m.) Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw and Lester Holt lead a special report from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Williams will anchor an hourlong edition of "NBC Nightly News," along with a live prime-time special at 10 p.m. with reports from the balls and special guests.

PBS: Jim Lehrer anchors coverage beginning at 8 a.m., joined by columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks. At 9 p.m., a special " Frontline" chronicles the new president in "Dreams of Obama."

Telemundo: Pedro Sevcec and Maria Celeste anchor a two-hour special at 8 a.m.

Univision: Coverage begins at 4 a.m. with "Despierta America." Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas take over at 8 a.m., followed by live coverage of the parade and a special edition of the prime-time news magazine "Aqui y Ahora."

BBC America: Huw Edwards and Matt Frei lead live coverage beginning at 8 a.m., with reports from Kenya and London.

BET: Rene Syler and actor Hill Harper lead the coverage beginning at 8 a.m., joined by Jeff Johnson. At 8 p.m., the network will air "Yes We Will! The BET Inauguration Celebration."

CNBC: Carl Quintanilla and John Harwood anchor "Squawk Box" from Washington at 3 a.m., followed by reports throughout the day about the incoming administration.

CNN: Coverage begins at 2 a.m. with a special edition of "American Morning." Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper anchor reporting of the swearing-in and parade beginning at 7 a.m. Cooper and Campbell Brown host extended editions of their nightly shows from 4 to 9 p.m., followed by a special edition of "Larry King Live."

C-SPAN: Live coverage of all inaugural events from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fox Business Network: Alexis Glick kicks off coverage at 4 a.m. Neil Cavuto will provide analysis throughout the day and host a special "Cavuto" at 3 p.m. from the parade route.

Fox News Channel: Nonstop coverage from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. beginning with "Fox & Friends." Bret Baier, Shepard Smith and Chris Wallace take over at 5:30 a.m., followed by coverage of the swearing-in and parade, anchored by Wallace from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer will report from the balls beginning at 6 p.m.

MSNBC: Twenty-one hours of coverage kick off at 3 a.m. with "Morning Joe" from a Capitol Hill restaurant. Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow and Eugene Robinson take over at 7 a.m. Live reporting continues until midnight.

MTV: At 7 p.m., the network will televise "Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural," a special focusing on volunteer service anchored from the Youth Inaugural Ball, where Obama is scheduled to speak.

TV5MONDE USA: The French-language network covers its first American presidential inauguration with a two-hour special that begins at 8 a.m., followed by commentary from Paris.

TV One: Continuous inauguration-related programming for 24 hours, beginning at 4 a.m. with "The Gospel of Music With Jeff Majors." Live coverage starts at 7 a.m. anchored by Art Fennell and Joe Madison. Roland Martin hosts a three-hour special at 3 p.m., followed by live coverage of the balls from 7 to 9 p.m.

I need another 5 Tee Vee Machines just to keep up.