'Red Eye'/Long Night
Ever since last November, conservatives have worried about the record number of young voters who turned out to support the Democrats, a surge attributed to the influence of The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert’s cheeky Better Know a District segments.
Maybe conservatives are hoping that Fox News’ late airing Red Eye – a roundtable-style show where twentyish, Dartmouth-esque pundits skewer celebs and current events - will capture hearts and minds.
In your late, late night dreams.
It’s not that I uniformly despise Fox News. Even the pufferific Bill O’Reilly has been known to make sense on occasion. (Okay, I know he has. I just can’t think of anything at the moment.)
And while much has been made of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, anyone who overlooked Fox News’ Katrina coverage by Shep Smith and his colleagues missed some impressive and daring reporting.
Unfortunately, these are the exceptions that prove the rule. And Red Eye is no exception. Host Greg Gutfeld leads off a recent Red Eye with a discussion of bullying and the Virginia Tech massacre. Sitting at the table is conservative Toronto Sun columnist Rachel Marsden, an Ann Coulter wannabe who pled guilty to harassing a Vancouver radio personality but was hired by Red Eye because the audience liked her legs.
To her left is Bill Schulz, an unpretentious freelance writer with thick wavy hair and a vintage style: apple-green cardigan, paisley tie and a white button-down shirt collar open just so at the neck. The bookish and independent Schulz is the most appealing of the bunch.
“I went to Emerson and that was populated by nothing but freaks,” says Schulz on air, “and you don’t bully each other when you’re all freaks. And then I started thinking about the cafeteria and it was awesome. And I got hungry. And then I took a nap!”
Gutfeld giggles nervously. “Hmmm,” he says, rendered speechless.
Marsden eventually cuts in and speculates about the gunman’s motives. “Maybe he just found out what his degree was really worth and lost it.”
We’re just rotfl.Yes, we are.
As for the media exploitation of the topic, Schulz sums it up best. “Bullying is Fox’s bread and butter.”
Gutfeld re-directs discussion to the next subject - the 2006 surge in the number of super-rich.Marsden struggles to come up with an appropriately nasty neo-con observation but fizzles. “Millions of people on welfare depend on these folks,” she fumes.
“More interesting stories coming up,” hoots Gutfeld, “McCain displeases our ears … we’re going to Simon his Cowell when we get back! The Donald misses the spotlight and does something dumb to get back in it. And by dumb I don’t mean a lemur. Lemur’s are very smart actually. And finally!!Didn’t think Ricki Lake could get any grosser!!??What’s that you say?You don’t think about Ricki Lake at all? Well, soon you won’t be able to get her slimy, writhing, naked body out of your brain hole, no matter how hard you try! Hahahhahahaha!”
Oy! This is excruciating. “They’re forcing prisoners to watch this at Gitmo!” declares my husband, “I bet they used the footage on Noriega, like Guns n’ Roses.”
The show has no writers — obviously. I maxed out at the nine-minute mark, relieved when the show broke for the swivel sweeper (with quad brush technology!) commercial.
It’s not that the right/neo-cons/conservatives/whatever can’t get it on.“MC” Rove’s hip-hopping performance at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner is proof positive.
Even though Rove looked a little like the Groove Armada bunny, he still earned some street cred with his self-deprecating humor. Red Eye should book him.
LC commented:
Mary you're truly an idiot and obviously take yourself so seriously you're incapable of relating to satire. Red Eye is truly politically incorrect, despite the knee-jerk and predictable Bill Maher's attempt to claim that description. And maybe if you got a makeover, Red Eye might even let you sit in their "leg chair."
Brown Eye commented:
Gino is a retard. Its 2009 and still funny as hell!
Steve commented:
I enjoy most Fox News programming but I do hate Red Eye. It makes young conservatives look mean, unfocused and clownish. As a young conservative myself I would rather see a more news focused show with dialogue from a 20 - 35 age group panel to see what the new generation honestly thinks of things. Honest ideas and dialogue would influence other young people with like minded ideals to consider the Republican Party. Instead it turns most I talk too off because Greg and the gang just seem to be negative and meanspirited about everything the world can offer. Anger, meanspiritedness and negativity doesn't sell with the young generation.
Jim commented:
Without a doubt, one of the funniest shows you'll never find on TV. Only time I actually see it broadcast here on the east coast is on the weekends when they replay previous shows around midnight, instead of 3:00 a.m. Other than they, I can only see it by watching video broadcasts on FOX news' website. The show often features a varied array of political or even non-political viewpoints, debating important news stories of the day or the most idiotic tabloid rumors going around. These tongue-in-cheek pundits can both enlighten and entertain, though more often the latter than the former. Kudos to FOX news for airing this unique gem of a show. Now if only they could move it up 2 or 3 hours so we could watch it instead of reruns of their other shows.
ramojatozano commented:
It shouldn't surprise anyone that someone with a historical left wing agenda as Ms. McNamara can pass judgment on a program after 9min. Just the fact that it was on The fox News channel was enough for her to give it a negative review. Look at the ratings Mary Fox beats all of the other cable news programs combined. They must be doing something right. Mary sounds like an uptight lib with her panties in a knot.
joe commented:
This show is unwatchable. I think conservatives can be funny(Dennis Miller) but most of the time they're so focused on sticking it to liberals rather than just making humorous observations that they come across as petty and boorish. This show is a prime example. Awful television even at 2 am.
Ronald Williamson commented:
old people seem to have no sense of humour these days...that means you, lady writer. even when johnny rotton was co-hosted red eye, the irreverence of greg and the other hosts made him seem like a stuffy old twat, like you, lady writer.
Brain Boy commented:
Guess Gino is smoking crack since it's December 21st and I just watched a new Red Eye on Fox.
gino commented:
Red Eye is cancelled effective November 9th.
joe commented:
oh we did? funny, well I don't sleep until 2 or 3 anyway, so I have to watch it just a bit later. Hope direct updates their guide so my tivo can be set. And yeah you don't have to be conservative to like the show, when they make conservative points it's so obnoxious as to be funny.
EJC commented:
Weird... joe, you and I posted at the exact same time... So, I guess it's now on at midnight. That's great news. I've been going through withdrawals.
EJC commented:
I miss this show already. I'm not even a conservative, but I thought Red Eye was way funnier than the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.
joe commented:
I just did a search about the same thing, but now looked on their website and have realized, it's been pushed back 1 hour. So it's on at midnite on the west coast.
lucy commented:
What happened to Red Eye??? Is the best show on Fox gone???
Ricks commented:
I love this show. It brings the news/current events of the day to a new level. The things said about celebutards, etc, are what most of us feel but they have the balls to say it on TV. Keep it up and don't get cancelled .......
Regal commented:
Its no Real Time w/ Maher, but the show is actually entertaining. Humor is humor period. Marsden should make a guest return sometime though(the pretty factor).
brad commented:
I heard that Red Eye is going to be cancelled soon because ratings have dropped to almost nothing.
Sam commented:
I liked it initially but it's now becoming borish.I looked for it over memorial day weekend but it seems that Fox is becoming sick of it as well or maybe they were ashamed to show it during such an important holiday.
brett commented:
Red Eye is way funnier than the Colbert Report, but not quite at the Daily Show level. Typical post from a typical liberal.
Baghdad Blogger commented:
Andy, nice. Good point. I agree with what's her name that Red Eye is hard to watch at times. I think they are still searching for focus. Nevertheless, given the choice I'll take that over McNamara's elitist flippancy any day. I stumbled upon her article by mistake. I say "stumbled" because after reading it, I would never go there intentionally.
Andy Levy commented:
Wow - you watched NINE WHOLE MINUTES of a one-hour show that airs five nights a week and then you passed judgment on it!
Who's got a better job than you? Nobody!
