CNN's Jeanne Moos is awesome. But you don't need us to tell you that. Moos chronicles how the man who hopes to lead the free world has issues reading from the TelePrompter. It has torn down many a good man, and John McCain is no exception.
March 30, 2008
John McCain: Prompter Monkey Defined
Jeff Zucker's 'My Name is Earl' Debut
NBC prez/CEO Jeff Zucker tries his hand at comedy in a commercial that will run April 3rd, preceding a new "My Name is Earl" episode. Huffington Post says he's taking shots at the writers and the strike that crippled the industry for months. We don't see it. Let us know what you think.
Anything More Stupid Than TV News?
This blog rant comes compliments of Eugene Mirman of The Village Voice. Yeah, it's more than two years old. Yeah, sometimes we take a while to stumble upon things. Get over it.
March 29, 2008
Prompter Monkey Returns
We're back and hopefully around for a while. Without going into details, some personal issues kept us off the net for a while.
Our mission is still "Specializing in Stupidity" in the world of news and we still need your help. The e-mail addy is promptermonkey@gmail.com.
If you need a refresher course on why we're here, refer back to post number one.
March 4, 2008
Monkey Moment: Brett Who?
NBC's Norah O'Donnell once again proves that she is nothing more than a pretty face. Fave? Fav-ray? Ridiculous.
Monkey Meter: 5 bananas!
December 9, 2007
Regis Cutting Back
Regis Philbin, host of Live with Regis and Kelly, announced last week that, in addition to the Fridays he already has off, he wants to take Thursdays off as well. From what Philbin says, new WABC general manager Rebecca Campbell wasn't exactly thrilled with the plan.
Monkey Moment: Stupid Viewers
Aren't the viewers who talk to TV stations the best? It seems as though everyone who witnesses a shooting, robbery or accident is a train wreck in progress. This less-than-bright woman is no exception. What can Brown do for her?
Monkey Meter: 4 bananas
Breaking News: "Psycho" on the Loose!
We think we've seen several live reports on local newscasts just like this one. Geraldo Rivera look-alike Bob McBob reports from where a "psycho" was spotted in someone's backyard...
December 2, 2007
Monkey Moment: Burnett's Monkey Shout-Out
It's not often that a Monkey Moment actually involves the word "monkey" but thanks to CNBC's Erin Burnett we can say this truly is one.
VIDEO: Here she is calling President Bush a monkey and here she is apologizing.
Newsbusters and Hot Air weigh in with their opinions.
Monkey Meter: 5 bananas
November 25, 2007
Local News: Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
This bit of hard-hitting journalism comes from the good people at KABB-FOX in San Antonio...
Monkey Meter (1-5): 3 bananas
Sources: L.A. Mayor, Reporter End Affair
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and television news reporter Mirthala Salinas have ended their romantic relationship, two sources familiar with the situation said Friday. Months after revelations about the affair damaged the mayor's political standing and devastated Salinas' broadcasting career, the two sources said the relationship disintegrated weeks ago. [LA Times]
Tucker Carlson's Days Seem Numbered at MSNBC
So says The New York Observer.
"Rumors have been flying recently that Tucker Carlson could soon be on the
way out at MSNBC. In a report that aired this morning on NPR,
Phil Griffin, a senior vice president at the cable network, described Keith
Olbermann and Chris Matthews as part of the MSNBC "brand". Asked whether Mr. Carlson was also part of that brand, Mr. Griffin replied: "He is right now."
November 19, 2007
Monkey Moment: Disaster in the Delta
This is a great compilation of crappy TV from WXVT in mosquito-infested Greenville, Mississippi (market #184). See if you can keep track of how many f-bombs are dropped. Also, our candidate for the Worst Last Name in the History of Television News pops up at the 4:32 mark. Enjoy...
Monkey Meter (1-5): Another 5 bananas. This one has it all.
November 18, 2007
Monkey Moment: FOX Business Blooper
Did you hear Apple is buying 8 percent of chipmaker AMD? Wait...what? Oh, they said Abu Dhabi! Here's the transcript. [via Huffington Post]
Monkey Meter (1-5): 4 bananas
November 17, 2007
Monkey Moment: Couric Bashes Rather, Looks Silly
Here's the original video Couric references...
Monkey Meter (1-5): 4 bananas
Prompter Monkey on You Tube
Be sure to visit us at our new You Tube page: www.youtube.com/promptermonkey.
There is also a permanent link on the right side of the page under "Monkeying Around."
November 14, 2007
Local News: Ghost Caught on Tape?
A couple of days ago in Parma, Ohio a "ghost" was apparently captured on a gas station surveillance camera. We're kind of skeptical about this kind of thing over here in Monkey Land, but the video seems to speak for itself. Pranksters at work? A paranormal experience? You decide.
Monkey Meter (1-5): 5 bananas. Ghosts are almost as cool as monkeys.
November 12, 2007
Like What You See?
Send an e-mail to promptermonkey@gmail.com with thoughts, suggestions and story ideas. Want to write for PrompterMonkey.com for FREE? Become a contributor and have your writing (using a pseudonym if you'd like) viewed by tens of people daily! We want local and national people to write about local and national Monkey Moments.
Join our team and you'll have the honor and privilege of being an integral part of the best new media website in America.
Please do us a favor and send our URL to all the current and former TV newsies in your address book. Spread the word: Prompter Monkey is here!
November 11, 2007
Local News: Rage Caught on Tape in NYC!
A New York City dentist went into a violent rage after seeing that someone's car was blocking his way into a parking lot. Since it happened right outside their Westchester bureau, WCBS nabbed the exclusive video. And of course, the dentist eventually goes after the CBS 2 camera. When will people learn that bit of brilliant strategy never works? It's like running from a news helicopter. The person on the other end is always caught on camera looking like a dope. Do they think putting their hand over the lens and shoving the camera will make everything go away?
Monkey Meter (1-5): 5 bananas. The stupidity of people in front of news cameras never ceases to amaze.
Monkey Moment: Prompter Failure!
Courtesy of Curt Fonger at WPEC in West Palm...
Monkey Meter (1-5): 4 bananas. At least Fonger didn't freeze completely.
Sweeps Baby
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a co-host on The View, birthed a conservative baby boy on Friday. In stellar sweeps fashion, Hasselbeck will call the show Monday morning to reveal the baby's name. Be sure to set the DVR's!
What If TV News Writers Went on Strike?
With the writers' strike shutting down most of Hollywood, the Prompter Monkey was wondering what would happen if TV news writers everywhere went on strike. Would CNN's Nancy Grace still be able to preach to the masses and denigrate people on live television? Would NBC's Ann Curry still be able to stumble over the easiest of words every morning? Would FNC's Julie Banderas still be able to mindlessly and incoherently bumble through segment after segment? Maybe, just maybe, a TV news writers' strike would be a good thing. Or even a great thing. It would force the industry to make the people who don't write, and are fully capable of doing so, give it a go. Surely the show would go on. The Big Three networks and the cable outlets couldn't afford to shut down their daily news efforts because of a lack of writers. In the end, the product could actually improve.
Today's newscast producers, especially in local news, are largely out of touch with current events and, to put it nicely, don't have much of a grasp of the English language. Their grammar is awful, spelling is atrocious and attention to detail is non-existent. Maybe forcing anchors and reporters to earn their money by writing their own material would be the best thing to happen to this business. That way, the cream would certainly rise to the top and all the pretenders would fall by the wayside. There would be nowhere for them to hide.
November 8, 2007
O'Donnell's MSNBC Deal Falls Through
So says the controversy magnet herself on her grammatically challenged blog. What a loss for MSNBC and the entire world of cable news.
November 7, 2007
Matt Lauer Looks Back
On the Today Show blog, Lauer reflects on his trip to the end of the earth. His favorite part of the trip? Taking a 20-passenger helicopter to the to the top of a glacier.
November 6, 2007
Rosie to MSNBC?
Loudmouth and eternal waste of airtime Rosie O'Donnell could soon have her own talk show on MSNBC. The New York Times reports O'Donnell would get the 9 p.m. slot currently held by Dan Abrams. According to the article, O'Donnell alluded somewhat cryptically to a possible new job in a speech she gave at a book-signing Sunday night in Miami. A podcast on the website lyingonthebeach.com described O’Donnell as saying that she would soon begin competing against “the guy with the suspenders and the long, long face,” an obvious reference to CNN's Larry King.
November 4, 2007
Monkey Moment: Fire at FOX News!
What an embarrassing display of stupidity outside of FOX News HQ in Manhattan. It was also an unbelievable waste of airtime. If you have 3:20 to kill, enjoy. But keep in mind, that's time you'll never get back. [via Johnny Dollar]
Monkey Meter (1-5): 4 bananas
Rave Reviews for Williams on SNL
Unfortunately, we missed Williams' apparently hilarious debut as host of SNL due to a DVR error. Fortunately, it seems no one else did. Here are a few reviews...
[Associated Press]
[New York Times]
[New York Daily News]
[TVNewser]
The knuckleheads over at TVSpy's Watercooler are talking about it as well.
Here are some highlights from this morning's Today Show. And here's the new James Bond-style Nightly News Open. Funny stuff.
And don't miss Williams daughter, Allison, glowingly writing about her dad on The Huffington Post in advance of his SNL debut.
Footnote: We checked when we woke up this morning and the news universe is still in working order--at least the same as it was before.
November 1, 2007
Monkey Moment: Newscaster Faints, Set Falls
Monkey Meter (1-5): 3 bananas, simply because the other people in the studio were so slow to react.
Who's Wearing the Bullseye...Clinton or Russert?
A Hillary Clinton staffer said Tim Russert "should be shot" after Tuesday night's rough debate.
Welcome to Sweeps!
It's November and that means the stupidity is about to rear its ugly head in grand fashion. As the most important ratings book of the year kicks off, the Prompter Monkey is hoping not to be let down. Let's hear some of the great (stupid) sweeps stories at your station.
E-mail them to promptermonkey@gmail.com.
October 31, 2007
Local News: Beach Erosion in Miami!
With the approach of Tropical Storm Noel, the Prompter Monkeys are out in full force in South Florida and wind-blown, dramatic beach live shots are plentiful.
Video links: [WTVJ] [WSVN] [WFOR] [WPLG]
And please, whatever you do, DON'T MISS this "Breaking News" from Weather Woes, featuring one of the great up-and-coming talents in the biz...
Monkey Meter (1-5): This is too easy...5 bananas!
Top Pet Peeves
Work colleagues who spend their day gossiping, organizing their home lives, or who press "reply all" on e-mails are among the biggest nuisances in the office, according to a survey released on Monday.
What else goes on in a TV newsroom? Take that stuff away and the PM's are useless. Or even more useless.
October 30, 2007
Miller Time
The Prompter Monkey is more amazed each day by TV stupidity. News of Merry Miller's appearance on The View is another instance that makes him wonder yet again if monkeys really are smarter than humans. If you're not familiar with Miller, you're probably familiar with her "interview" with Holly Hunter back in July. [Video]
A root canal or limb amputation is less painful than watching Miller do her thing. Flashback to July when Gawker dubber Miller "The World's Worst Interviewer."
Monkey Meter (1-5): 5 bananas
Uneventful Season
What does Prompter Monkey see? Oh, it's egg on the faces of all the "experts" who put out the constantly-revised hurricane forecasts every year. This season has only been the most inactive in 30 years. Thanks for playing. Please stop the madness.
Monkey Meter (1-5): 5 bananas
Monkey Moment: Matt Lauer's Post is Missing!
Someone left Matt Lauer's mic on during one of the Today Show's weather segments and it sounds like a bandit made off with his newspaper. And what was Chris Cimino doing? Video here from The Huffington Post.
Monkey Meter (1-5): 3 bananas
Remembering Jim Cummins
In Monday's Daily Nightly blog, Brian Williams pays tribute to former NBC News correspondent Jim Cummins, who died of cancer last Friday.
October 29, 2007
Thanks...
NewsBlues mentions Prompter Monkey today and several people have been popping in for a look-see. If you like it, please spread the word that Prompter Monkey has arrived! The world of television news is a never-ending treasure trove of bad writing, funny stories and outlandish scripts. Fill up the PM's inbox with your Prompter Monkey Moments.
Bad Scripts...
There is a great thread on Medialine's J Forum about script blunders. Here are some of the highlights: "He was alive moments before he died." An anchor onced asked a reporter in the field..."How close do you have to Anyone who says it's a "mute" point rather than "moot" point. We once had a script about a man arrested for driving erratically. Anchor "A 30 year old woman was sexually assaulted last night in Midtown. Police
be to a train to have your arm torn off?"
said Erotically.
say that the woman was in her kitchen when the suspect approached from the rear and entered her backdoor."
French Prez Blows off '60 Minutes' Interview
Seems French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a bit prickly about the state of his marriage. When 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl asked about the issue, Sarkozy pulled out his earpiece while mumbling, shook Stahl's hand and bolted. Funny stuff. View the video here.
Monkey Meter (1-5): 2 bananas
October 28, 2007
Local News: Windstorm Whips Seattle!
This is a couple weeks old, but still hilarious. How's that for a perfect reminder to send your "dramatic" local news moments to promptermonkey@gmail.com.
Monkey Meter (1-5): 5 bananas
Dream Job: News Anchor
Wow. It's been a long time since Prompter Monkey has read such a dim-witted TV fluff piece. Apparently Jonathan Mann, an anchor for CNN International, has the best gig in America. He says anchoring "is probably one of the lucrative jobs in the television industry." No kidding. The Monkey assumes that allows him to gloss over one of the big drawbacks of anchoring: personal grooming. According to the article, Mann is constantly aware that his tie must be straight, his hair sprayed into place, and his face powdered. He rues the fact that "whatever preparation you bring to your work, people make judgments about your work very quickly and very superficially."
Right on, Mann!
Monkey Meter (1-5): 3 bananas
Local News: Missing Maps in San Diego!
Locals viewers rip San Diego wildfire coverage. Here is an excerpt from one of the questions sent to SignOnSanDiego.com:
Monkey Meter (1-5): 4 bananas
October 27, 2007
Veteran Correspondent Dies
Former NBC News correspondent Jim Cummins died last night after battling cancer. He was 62-years-old. Cummins was most recently the NBC News Southwest Bureau chief and had been with the network since 1978. He retired from NBC News earlier this year. Cummins is survived by his wife and six children who were with him when he passed away.
TVNewser has the note NBC News president Steve Capus sent to the staff. Here is Cummins' NBC bio.
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