Patti Scialfa - Play It As It Lays

Columbia/SonyBMG

Play It As It Lays is the first album of new music from Patti Scialfa since the release of her critically acclaimed 23rd Street Lullaby. This is also her third solo album since the release of her debut Rumble Doll in 1993.
Play It As It Lays if full of powerful music made at the crossroads of rock, folk, blues, R'n'B and gospel. A contemporary effort, it still pays homage to genre archetypes. Patti effortlessly creates beautiful music, always.

Stratospheerius - Headspace

Self Released

Stratospheerius has recently released their fourth album, Headspace. With ten new works of genius, they have craftily blended the elements of rock, jazz, punk, Latin and Middle Eastern music. You will hear songs that will make you dance, dance, dance.
On this outrageous album you will also find extended jams that transcend the outer realms of your consciousness. The winners of the John Lennon Songwritting Competition, Stratospheerius, ask us to reach out into the ethereal planes and experience Headspace.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live at Monterey

Experience Hendrix/Geffen/Universal

Jimi Hendrix is the quintessential rock guitarist. As only classical or jazz players had done before him, Hendrix defined his music's instrument: expanding the possibilities of the amplified six-string, he confirmed beyond question it's status as rock's essential vehicle. Hendrix also embodied the politics of rock and roll as a black-white fusion--the twin pillars of his music were the earthiness of the blues and the ethereality of jazz, but his primary contemporary audience was white rock fans and the psychedelic subgenre that provided the context for his particular triumph. He also delivered a message of universal emancipation.
He was an extreme and extraordinary showman whose act presaged the melodrama both of glitter and punk. He was the heavy metal thunder and erotic liberator and a spiritual force.
Forty years ago Jimi Hendrix returned to his native country and, in one fell swoop, he forever changed the landscape of rock music. It was his galvanizing US debut that launched Hendrix and his bandmates, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, to the top ranks of international rock royalty. Prior to his Monterey performance he had been in the UK backing the likes of B.B. King and Little Richard, scoring thousands of European fans.
Now this momentous performance has been made available to the public. The ten-song set also includes Jimi himself conversing with the crowd, a cover of "Like A Rolling Stone," and ultimately shows us all why after forty years he is still revered as a god of rock.

Steve Cole - True

Narada/EMI

Steve Cole's newest album, True, is his fifth major label release. With plenty of funk, R'n'B, soul and jazz, Cole bridges the gap between instrumental virtuosity, seamless ensemble playing and a high caliber of creative chemistry. He runs with stylistic gamut in what has proven to be his best album yet.

Lloyd - Street Love

The Inc/Universal Motown

Born in New Orleans, Lloyd moved to Atlanta at an early age, performing and recording as a young teenager. He was drafted by Irv "Gotti" of The Inc. Records after a stint with Dreamworks. He was paired with fellow label star Ashanti for Lloyd's hot debut single "Southside."
Lloyd continues his work with top-notch hip-hop performers on Street Love, with guest artists Nas, Lil Wayne and Andre 3000. He has recorded a beautiful recreation of "You," (that soft rock classic that was overplayed in the '90's) with Lil Wayne. The overall effect of Street Love is smooth, with well-worded flows, sensual music and originality.

Kealii Reichel - Lei Hali'a

Punahele

Hawaii is a state of culture, where every aspect of life pays homage to Ohana, or family. Hawaii was the only state, in the US, that was led by a monarchy, and had their own native language until the US occuption turned it into a tourist paradise.
Their music is as diverse as the people themselves. There is so much more to Hawaiian music than Don Ho and "Tiny Bubbles." From Traditional to contemporary Hawaiian to the unique blend of island music, it is all heavily immersed in tradition and history.
No musician understands the importance of tradition and family more than Kealii Reichel. He has been spreading his passion for the language and culture since 1980 when he opened his own hula school. His musical career began in 1994 when he released a set of traditional and contemporary songs and chants.
Lei Hali'a was originally released in 1995, securing his place in the music industry. He was recently nominated for a Grammy, and in response we've chosen to review one of his best early works. Celebrate Hawaii and listen to Lei Hali'a.

Riders In The Sky - Public Cowboy #1:A Centennial Salute to the Music of Gene Autry

Rounder

During the 1980's and 90's, the group was notable for it's ability to attract fans both firmly within the country tradition and from the outside. They were made up of lead singer Ranger Doug, Too Slim on the funkhouse bass, Woody Paul on fiddle and Joey the "Cowpolka King."
They made their recording debut in 1979 with Three on the Trail, which set the pattern for their mix of classic and newly composed sentimental Western numbers, crack swing instrumental work and Sons of the Pioneers-style harmony singing.
The Riders In The Sky cut this record in the wake of their performing a Gene Autry medley in a television appearance with Autry himself in the audience. The songs are reverently performed but with a lively sense of fun, essentially the same balancing act that made them a success on stage and television. Autry's original versions of these songs have held up against the tides of time, but this loving tribute album is a necessary addition to any fans collection.
Riders In The Sky tip their ten-gallon hats to Gene Autry in this reissue of the award-winning 1996 album, marking Gene's 100th birthday. With new notes from Ranger Doug and four additional Autry covers, not originally on the album, there is much a fan can love about this release.

Valerian - Guerilla Fighting Method

City Canyons

Valerian packs a powerful fistful in Guerilla Fighting Method--a revolutionary album in more than one way.
There are heavy political messages to be found amidst the high energy and trendy sounds this band produces. This Finnish group make clear the social changes they would love to see in their country and the world. From all the control issues of "the Man," to the obscurity of mind control and brain washing our government takes part in, Vallerian makes their points heard.
But their political agenda doesn't compromise their musical talent and ability. This album is full of gripping hooks and a strong rhythm section, cutting-edge sound and lyrics that are dynamic, yet you can still relate to them.

Mem Shannon - Live: A Night at Tipitina's

NorthernBlues/Big Daddy

If a live album is a snapshot of an artist, the performance frozen in time, then Live: A Night at Tipitina's is that and then some. Clean and simple Mem Shannon transcends all genres, channeling the spirits of creativity. His guitar playing defines tasteful. His voice and lyrics always make you smile. And in this performance you catch the real Mem, right at home in LA.
Recorded on one night with absolutely no overdubs, this album goes beyond any studio cut. More than a local icon outplaying familiar tunes to a devoted hometown crown, Shannon blows the "usual" out of the water.

Delana Stevens - Welcome To My World

Mach One/Spinville/CBuJ

Delana Stevens grew up in a very small town in Wyoming. When she was 13, she convinced her mom to make the move to Nashville so she could pursue a singing career. From a very early age she was committed to her passion of singing and had joined in with whomever she happened to hear on the radio.
She has come along way from her teenage years and all her hard work has paid off. A surprising debut Welcome To My World, is a shining showcase of Delana's signature voice--even if you don't know her songs, you will come to recognize her sound. Writing most of her material she is able to form her own identity. With something for everyone, country lovers will enjoy the modern twist she brings to country music.
Shelton's Single of the Week: "Don't Sweat the Little Things,"

Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels

SideOneDummy

Bedouin Soundclash selected their name with intent to honor the Israeli fusion artist and producer Badawi's 1996 release, which pays homage to nomadic Arabic poet-tribe, the Bedouins. Coming far from the birthing at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, they have forged their own path and have pursued creating diverse, innovative soundclash of reggae, rock, soul and punk.
Recorded in Toronto and New York, the band once again called upon the distinct talents of punk-reggae bass legend Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains to produce Street Gospels. Also appearing on this rootsy album is Money Mark from The Beastie Boys on the keys, Wade MacNeil form Black Lungs and Alexisonfire on vocals/guitar and The Maytones own vocal legend, Vernon Buckley--each lending their own flavorful twist to the upbeat and visionary music of Bedouin Soundclash.

Eve To Adam - Queens To Eden

KDS/EMI

Just call Eve To Adam the Rocky Balboa of the rock touring circuit. Just one listen to Queens To Eden and the listener has no choice but to have respect for a band that, despite constant touring, has been capable of producing such fresh sounds that aren't being found anywhere else.
Comprised of lead singer, Taki Sassaris with his drummer brother Alex, guitarist Guarav Bali and newest member, bassist Riv, they've become the lovable underdogs of Queens, New York. They've stayed in the public eye through opening for the likes of The Exies, Tesla, Smile Empty Soul and others.
The touring has paid off--with a rapidly growing fan base with a vast age-span that blends the perfect balance of "old school" rockers and the new, young blood. This is a sonic debut album and I really hope to see more from this band. Maybe even a show out here in Santa Cruz?

Various Artists - The Best Of Broadside 1962-1988 (5 Disc/Magazine Collection)

Smithsonian Folkways

Broadside. It was a small underground magazine smuggled out of a housing project in New York City in a baby carriage, filled with new songs by artists who were too creative for the Folkies and to radical for the establishment. Underground, yet Bob Dylan, Janis Ian, Phil Ochs, Malvina Reynolds, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Pete Seeger, and dozens of others first published sharp-edged and culturally vital songs like "Blowin' In The Wind," "Little Boxes," and "I Ain't Marching Anymore," in Broadside.
These songs tell stories rooted in the period (1962-1988). Many of them address contemporary issues as well, since the new millennium has not seen the end of warfare, nuclear threat, ethnic conflict, immigrant's suffering, unequal treatment of women (and men for that matter), ecological devastation and social injustice. This is the music that fueled the innocent sounding Folk Revival on the one hand and the explosion of angry rock and rap on the other.
To that end, Broadside, holds a place of true distinction in American consciousness--both politically and culturally. Today, artists as disparate as Ani DiFranco and Rage Against the Machine (and all free thinking musicians) owe a debt of gratitude to the Broadside community. This extensively annotative Broadside box brings that community, its musicians and its many stories to a new audience.
This five CD box set includes 89 songs, including some that were never commercially released, extensive notes and lyrics, graphics from the original Broadside magazine and much more.
Shelton's Second Single of the Week: "Kill For Peace," by The Fugs.

Paige Aufhammer - Paige Aufhammer

LMC

Paige's self titled debut is bound to be compared to the monumetous debut of Jewel's Pieces of You. Not because she is a copy cat in any right, but because her lush vocals naturally wrap around the rich melodic guitar playing. That and her music is mostly comprised of uplifting love anthems that is bound to lift the heart of the dreamer inside of us all. Just one listen and you will be seduced. Paige's words are magic and her voice is mystic beauty. Take the opportunity to feel her soul and listen to this warm release.

Fueled By Fire - Spread The Fire

Metal Blade

Most metal bands showcase two guitarists, but at one point Fueled By Fire had not two, but three. If that doesn't prelude to how extreme and full of chaotic energy these guys can get, than just one listen to Spread the Fire will.
No longer with three guitarists, but with all the rage and passion, Fueled By Fire consume the music scene with their intoxicating sound--solid guitar cadence, skull-bashing drumming and reeling vocals to boot. Hotter than the rest, they are the "heavy" in heavy metal.

Bill Wence - Songs From The Rocky Fork Tavern

615

P"My son, Kris, built me a small cabin in the woods... I call it "The Rocky Fork Tavern" and it has a jukebox...piano...fridge...no phone...all the right ingredients to write a song...," --Bill Wence.
The songs have been a long time in the making. A good writer, and a worthy musician, Bill Wence had produced a handful of tasteful songs in the 1980's. These songs have that down home feeling. They aren't complicated with flashy attraction, instead they echo day-to-day affairs, something everyone can relate to. You will enjoy Songs From The Rocky Fork Tavern.

Various Artists - Hopelessly Devoted To You, Vol VI

2 CD/DVD

This is Vol. VI of the Hopelessly Devoted To You series. The newest installment from the peeps over at Sub City/Hopeless Records, representing their best of.
Disc one is full of album tracks and unreleased music from the newest Hopeless/Sub City bands, like Amber Pacific, Nural, Kaddisfly and more. Disc two takes a noisy look back at Hopeless/Sub City history, exploring the vaults of music to brings us talents like Guttermouth (one of my all time favorites), Mustard Plug, The Queers (whoo-hoo), Samiam and others. The bonus DVD is full of all that eye candy crap the folks at the Hopless/Sub City could possibly shove onto one disc.

Nick Moss and The Flip Tops - Play It Till Tomorrow

(2 Disc) Blue Bella

Simultaneously preserving and advancing the classic Chicago blues ensemble approach, Nick Moss and The Flip Tops respect the postwar tradition deeply.
Inherently grasping the importance of playing as a rock-solid unit, the Flip Tops cook up steady-surging grooves while Nick's guitar solos make every note count and every phrase resonates with authority.
Play It Till Tomorrow is the most ambitious album yet: two jam-packed discs spotlight the entire width and breadth of Nick Moss and The Flip Tops' solid musical attack.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

Manny Trevin - Broken

Self Released

Like many young people Manny Trevin has not been exempt from heartache, although he does have unsurpassed support from his family. As a developing artist Manny has created his own sound and style. Broken is a full display of his power to either break your heart with the raw emotion in his songs, or his uncanny ability to rock the house--no matter the crowd. This is a highly emotional album full of melody and a wide array of songwriting styles, providing a distinct auditory pallet.

Kermit Ruffins - Live At Vaughan's

Basin Street

Kermit Ruffins never leaves a crowd wanting, and isn't that Louisiana way? This live performance is the perfect mood setter for a real festive affair. Just add Daiquiri's and Caribbean jerk and the party is there baby! Any lover of jazz will delight in having this in their collection. But beware: moods maybe dramatically improved and your view on life may alter... all of a sudden life is a beautiful thing.

Carina Round - Slow Motion Addict

Interscope/Universal

Carina Round has turned herself into a force to be reckoned with. Her new album, Slow Motion Addict, is capable of moving you physically as well as emotionally. She's left the school of Baudelaire and now she knows that just because no one can understand you, it doesn't make you an artist.
Carina Round has turned herself into a force to be reckoned with. Her new album, Slow Motion Addict, is capable of moving you physically as well as emotionally. She's left the school of Baudelaire and now she knows that just because no one can understand you, it doesn't make you an artist.

Watching me (7 times)
Ah
Watching me (7 times)
Ah

(yawn)

First thing when I wake up
and right before I close my eyes at night
I think,
sense,
Feel man like
I'm under some kind of microscope
satellites over my head
transmitters in my dollars
hawking, watching, scoping, jocking
scrutinizing me
checking to see what im doing
where I be
who I see
how and where and with whom I make my money
What is this??

Excuse me miss
May I have your phone number and your social security?
Who me?
When all I came to do is buy my double or triple A batteries
Please
I DECLINE!!!

Watching me (7 times)
Ah
Watching me (7 times)
Ah

Look here at this watch of mine
Gotta open it up
Don't know who's been in it
Tracking where I go
Finding out all my business

Se-cur-i-ty
Video cameras locked on me
In every dressing room
On every floor
In every store

Damn can I get that democracy and
Equality and privacy

You busy watching me, watching me
That you're blind baby
You neglect to see
The drugs coming into my community
Weapons coming into my community
Dirty cops in my community

And you keep saying that I'm free
(3 times )

Busy watching me
ah

Watching Me ( 7 times)
AH
Watching Me (7 times)

I ain't got no bars to this cage
If I'm gonna stay here
I'm gonna build me a lead house
Keep them satellites out
Direct TV
Am I watchin' it or is it watchin' me?
Man I don't really know
but I feel like

I feel like I'm being scoped y'all

Watch y'all
Somethin' ain't right (2 times)

CHORUS

And you keep sayin' that I'm free (6 times)
AH
And you keep sayin' that I'm free (6 times)
AH
THIS SONG IS DEDICATED TO THE JENA 6 WHO ARE BEING ABUSED IN THE MOST RACIST PART OF THE USA.

Political Article: Even Though The Nightly News Still StinksÉ Olbermann Rules! By: Marvin Kitman Back To Top The launch of Katie Couric a year ago as the anchor of the CBS Evening News was hailed by CBS as the biggest thing in news since, well, the invention of denture fixative commercials. It was also the biggest flop. The CBS Evening News Without Dan Rather or Bob Schieffer had its lowest ratings since Nielsen began tracking evening news shows in 1987. This turn of events stunned CBS executives-who had given her the famous "Kiss Me Kate" contract, which paid Couric $15 million a year-and the news consultants who thought she was the answer to CBS being mired in third place in the network news race for the past ten years. The news doctors who have been paid millions trying to fix the show for the past year have only made it worse. It didn't matter how many times the consultants got it wrong. Remember what they did to poor Dan Rather? Smile, don't smile. Wear a sweater, don't wear a sweater. Stand up to deliver the news, sit down. It is a law of the news consultancy/network relationship: If we are paying so much money, it must be right. Otherwise, why are we paying so much money? So, as a TV critic who has logged millions of hours of viewing to help save one of my three favorite commercial networks, I decided to volunteer my services to the Save CBS Campaign. Here's what I would do: First, I would dump the Walter Cronkite school of reporting, of which Katie Couric is the latest practitioner. The objective that's-the-way-it-is style they use at all the network evening news shows is so old, so over. No wonder all the network news programs are falling in the ratings. Katie Couric is just the hardest hit. What the evening news shows need is less "objectivity" and more analysis. The problem with objective journalism is that it doesn't exist and never did. Molly Ivins disposed of the objectivity question for all time when she observed in 1993, "The fact is that I am a 49-year-old white female, a college-educated Texan. All of that affects the way I see the world. There's no way in hell that I'm going to see anything the same way that a 15-year-old black high school dropout does. We all see the world from where we stand. Anybody who's ever interviewed five eyewitnesses to an automobile accident knows there's no such thing as objectivity." What I'm proposing is nothing new. Before Walter Cronkite became the model "objective" newsman, there was Edward R. Murrow. In the late 1930s Murrow started the tradition of reporting the news and analyzing it, giving his opinion of what it all meant. The Murrow legend was built on his opinionated analyses on the CBS Evening News. For those who never saw Murrow's news show, here's how it would go: After running through the headlines, he would call on reporters at home and abroad to give reports on the scene. These so-called Murrow's Boys were real TV journalists, not actors who played them on TV. CBS News in the Murrow years had people we respected because of their expertise, not because they were famous TV names. The foreign correspondents weren't empty trench coats but real experts like William Shirer, who reported from Berlin on the menace of Hitler in the 1930s. It didn't matter that Murrow's Boys were bald like David Schoenbrun, who reported from Paris in the glory days, or older than the 18-49 demographic like Dan Schorr. They were specialists in specific areas. Then Murrow would do his closing essay, in which he would comment on some hot issue, continually treading dangerous waters: McCarthyism at home, apartheid abroad, J. Edgar Hoover, the atomic bomb, stockpiling of weapons of mass destruction-all of which he opposed. He was pro-union and anti-business. He was a dissident on US foreign policy post-World War II. He spoke out against the Truman Doctrine, which had America supporting fascist dictatorships in Greece and elsewhere because they were anti-Communist. He was against funding Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist army, which John Foster Dulles told us would retake the mainland someday, if they didn't die of old age first. He was hard on Douglas MacArthur when he took his troops across the 38th Parallel in the Korean War. He criticized the Pentagon snafus that were getting our troops killed. He was critical of US support for the French in Indochina (pre-Vietnam) and of the Eisenhower Administration's embrace of the French puppet government in Saigon led by a Riviera playboy, Bao Dai. He was against Red Channels and blacklisting and the House Un-American Activities Committee, which identified a Communist under every bed. He even attacked television itself, warning that it had the capacity to "distract, delude, amuse and insulate us." "No one can eliminate prejudices-just recognize them," Murrow said. His approach was so successful that all the other network news hours copied him. Finally, CBS president William Paley made Ed Murrow shut up-by canceling his shows. In the dark ages after Murrow, the most powerful commentary on network news was the raised eyebrow of David Brinkley after reading a piece of news on NBC. A generation of telegenic and totally uninvolved journalists followed. n short, what CBS (and all the others) need is a new Ed Murrow. Good news! There's already one out there on the launchpad who has demonstrated his qualifications. I'm talking about Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. He has the journalistic chops and the mind, heart, instincts and courage. Olbermann, who anchors a one-hour nightly news show on MSNBC called Countdown With Keith Olbermann, closes his show every night by saying "1,547th [for instance] day since Mission Accomplished in Iraq," an hommage to Ted Koppel's "Iran Hostage" coverage, which evolved into Koppel's late-night ABC news show Nightline (the MSNBC show was originally Countdown: Iraq). Then Olbermann throws his crumpled script at the camera, which shatters, a simulated digital effect (something Koppel never did). "Our charge for the immediate future is to stay out of the way of the news," he explained when the show debuted on March 31, 2003. "News is news. We will not be screwing around with it," a reference to Bill O'Reilly, his rival over at Fox News in the 8 pm time slot. "It will not be a show in which opinion and facts are juxtaposed so as to appear to be the same." Olbermann, who looks more like a high school teacher than a glitzy TV anchor, is the one who cuts and dices the news of the day into five segments, what he and his staff consider the day's top stories, illustrated with news reports from NBC News correspondents, interviews with newsmakers, whom he treats courteously, interspersed with signature witty interjections (calling 9/11 Rudolph "Giuliani's red badge of courage"), further interrupted by new ways to look at the news. Olbermann does news quizzes and a puppet theater. Beginning with the Michael Jackson trial, he created comedic puppet "re-enactments" of news stories, using printed photographs glued to popsicle sticks, hand-held in front of a blue screen. Olbermann did the voiceovers himself. My favorites were the "Karl Rove Puppet Theatre" and the "Anna Nicole Smith Supreme Court Puppet Theatre," although the Mel Gibson and Paris Hilton puppets were not too shabby. A segment called "Oddball" regularly assays the day's collection of weird videos, goofy stories with goofy clips of people behaving like idiots, announced with the clarion "Let's play Oddball!" Each night he picks the Worst Person in the World, awarding a bronze medal (worse), a silver (worser) and a gold (worst). Bill O'Reilly has the distinction of winning all three top spots on a single broadcast (the night of November 30, 2005); as of June he had gone gold fifty-seven times. What I like about Olbermann as a newscaster is that he makes the evening news look like life itself, very absurd but serious, very angry, very stupid, very silly, very snarky, very much about pop culture. He gives the news in a language that can be understood by news audiences today. It is refreshing to hear a straight newsman making cultural references. If the voting goes heavily Democratic, he told the co-anchor of MSNBC's election night 2006 coverage, Chris Matthews, "you might see some sort of shift toward getting out of that war faster than Britney Spears just got out of her marriage." His was the only show where I could stand to hear about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Brangelina, Britney and estranged husband Kevin Federline, American Idol results or other stories he always told us his producers were forcing him to cover. This is Olbermann's second stint at MSNBC. In 1997-98 he hosted a talk show called The Big Show, but he left the network after clashes with management over an edict from the suits to focus on the unfolding Monica Lewinsky scandal, which especially sickened him. This time around, MSNBC execs gave him the freedom to do the news his way, since they had nothing to lose. Nineteen other shows had already failed opposite The O'Reilly Factor since 1996. Countdown is now the highest-rated show on MSNBC, which doesn't say much, as MSNBC is ratings-challenged. Still, his ratings in July were up 88 percent over last year. What I like most about K.O., as he is called offscreen, is his passion. He goes after the dragon-which, as Murrow's producer, Fred Friendly, used to say, is the real function of news. Olbermann's Special Comments, as they are labeled, make up the core of my pitch as his volunteer advocate. They were off the radar scopes until September 2006, when Rumsfeld said anyone who was critical of the "war on terror" or the war in Iraq or of Administration policies was the equivalent of the people who appeased Hitler in the 1930s. "I'm not a big fan of being called a Nazi appeaser or even a parallel Nazi," K.O. said. "I took that personally." And he began eviscerating Rumsfeld. He has done twenty-two of the "specials" (as of July 19), all of which earn a place for him on the Mount Olympus of commercial TV anchors. The July 4 special on his reaction to Scooter Libby's pardon, explaining the historical imperatives for Bush and Cheney to resign, was the Gettysburg Address of K.O.'s commentaries: I accuse you, Mr. Bush, of lying this country into war. I accuse you of fabricating in the minds of your own people a false implied link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. I accuse you of firing the generals who told you that the plans for Iraq were disastrously insufficient.... I accuse you of subverting the Constitution, not in some misguided but sincerely motivated struggle to combat terrorists, but to stifle dissent. I accuse you of fomenting fear among your own people, of creating the very terror you claim to have fought. I accuse you of exploiting that unreasoning fear, the natural fear of your own people who just want to live their lives in peace, as a political tool to slander your critics and libel your opponents. I accuse you of handing part of this Republic over to a Vice President who is without conscience and letting him run roughshod over it.... For ten minutes, Olbermann spoke with fierce clarity and surgical precision, drawing a comparison to President Nixon's resignation. He had obviously done his homework. His recitation of Bush's crimes concluded with his observation that the President had been "an accessory to the obstruction of justice" in the Libby case. "From Iraq to Scooter Libby," Olbermann said at the time, "Bush and Cheney have lost Americans' trust and stabbed this nation in the back. It's time for them to go." The highest praise I can give is to say I can imagine Ed Murrow speaking those words. I'm not saying Olbermann is Ed Murrow. He is, however, what Ed Murrow might sound like today, changing with the times as a good newsman should. I also realize the format of Countdown, with its mix of serious and lite news, might seem a little schizophrenic to older folks who haven't kept up with the crazy way the culture is evolving. But it's what has to be done to get the literally tens of people who watch MSNBC to pay attention. My final recommendation is that what would make The O Factor-or whatever they would call the Olbermann-anchored evening news-work is for CBS News to bite the bullet and be the first to go to an hourlong format, something the network began debating in Walter Cronkite's day. The network under Bill Paley wrestled with its conscience and always lost, preferring a half-hour of lucrative syndicated trash following the news. Would it work? There would be gnashing of teeth, rending of garments at Black Rock. There would be outrage from the on-the-air zombies now doing the news from the Land of the Living Dead. If the new concept caught on, they too would need to find something to say about the news they are mindlessly reporting. It would change the face of network TV news. TV is an art form that suffers from kleptomania. They would rather steal something that works than try anything original. So much attention will be paid to The O Factor that the other networks will be looking for their own Olbermanns, newsmen with differing values and opinions. After all, in Ed Murrow's day, right-wingers Fulton Lewis Jr. and Walter Winchell were also on the air. A whole new audience will emerge for the network evening news when it stops being, as Arianna Huffington put it, "the referee, pretending there are two sides to every issue." As Murrow suggested, there actually could be three, or even one. Naturally, CBS won't buy the Kitman Plan, because I'm giving it to them free of charge. In TV news, they don't believe anything is good unless they spend millions to ruin the likes of Couric and Rather. And that's the way it is.

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