April 5, 2012

"Keith Olbermann was disheartened to discover Al Gore, Joel Hyatt and the management of Current are no more than dilettantes portraying entertainment industry executives."

From the complaint filed today in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

How could Keith have anticipated that Al Gore would turn out to be a big old fraud?!

Here's the PDF of the complaint. Paragraph 31:
Current completely and utterly failed to run a professional news enterprise... Olberman deeply regrets his decision to put his trust in Hyatt and Gore.... Olbermann did not join Current to ruin his hard-won reputation and appear on a show that was an embarrassment.

24 comments:

Blue@9 said...

That's weird. He wanted a news organization? I thought he just looking for someone to hang his chandelier.

Matt Sablan said...

"Olbermann did not join Current to ruin his hard-won reputation and appear on a show that was an embarrassment."

-- It's like an easy lay up when you're already up by 30. Sometimes, you just let it go.

Paul said...

Fraud? Well dont' tell Olberman he is one to.

I mean, he joined them, right?

Writ Small said...

What a string of rotten luck Olbermann has had. I hope his next employers don't turn out to be the jerks all the others have been.

edutcher said...

So what was his excuse with MSLSD?

I mean, you go into business with a mealy-mouthed flim-flam politician and an equally mealy-mouthed flim-flam ambulance chaser?

What the Hell else did he expect?

Actually, it was a marriage made in Heaven - if you can't abide one or more of the parties.

vnjagvet said...

This one should be an embarrassment to all parties. Who will supply the popcorn?

A highly publicized spat among liberal douchebags. I can't lose on this one.

walter said...

Considering the extended on air acts of solidarity with 99 percenters combined with the fact he was pulling down 10 mil/year far from his peak, wonder what this chandelier's net worth is.
maybe he can grow a beard and go on a Conan-esque tour.

Bill Beeman said...

As a non-journalist that has had to manage journalists, I can imagine nothing more embarrassing than to have to admit that Olbermann worked for me.

I can't decide whether to be amused or dismayed when Olbermann tries to wrap himself in his "hard won reputation." He's as much a journalist as Al Gore is a scientist.

bagoh20 said...

I don't get paying him that kind of money. He always had terrible ratings, so what are you paying for, his "reputation"? He has a widely and strongly held reputation as an asshole. I thought that was a bad thing.

Saint Croix said...

Al Gore is being sued by the "Olbermann Broadcasting Empire."

Holy crap.

I looked up the word "Empire" just for shits and giggles.

a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.

2.
a government under an emperor or empress.

3.
( often initial capital letter ) the historical period during which a nation is under such a government: a history of the second French empire.

4.
supreme power in governing; imperial power; sovereignty: Austria's failure of empire in central Europe.

5.
supreme control; absolute sway: passion's empire over the mind.

Saint Croix said...

"After being enticed to leave MSNBC..."

That just cracks me up. Al Gore as The Other Woman. You wrecked my marriage, ManBearPig!

Tim said...

"Al Gore is being sued by the "Olbermann Broadcasting Empire."

Hmmmm. Multiple personalities?

All of them assholes?

Could be. Hard to believe that much asshole could be in just one person.

Captain Curt said...

To paraphrase Henry Kissinger, my only regret is that they can't both lose...

Lawyer Mom said...

Doggone it! -- as I've said before. What a hit to the global warming cause.

Bereft and marooned, I must sign off now, as I fall into an old Roy Orbison song, playing on my singles spinner.

Clark said...

Andy R!? Aaaaandy!? (crickets)

Michael said...

Hey Keith, so Al Gore's a phony.

Are there any other opinions of yours over the past 20 years that you'd like to revise in light of this new information?

docweasel said...

I'm no lawyer, but this "complaint" seems very weirdly worded. It isn't in typical legalese, which successful lawyers use, whether or not it makes sense to the rest of us. This reads like a "Special Comment". I would be interested to know what Ms. Althouse thinks of the wisdom in submitting such a strangely worded document, and how a judge might view it, how it might help/hurt KO's case.

I'm quite sure KO dictated this himself, it's him all over. Too many adjectives, for one. One of the first things I learned about good writing: cut down on the adjectives, and you don't need to always use 2 where one will do.

William said...

I originally felt that only Fox could properly package KO's talent. My initial vision was that at some point during one of his rants they should pull a Carrie and dump a barrel of pig entrails on him. I'm sure many people would tune in to watch that. To increase the suspense, it could be done at a different point in the show every night. Sometimes they could vary the material and dump him with fish chum.....That was my original vision, and I'm sure it would be a ratings grabber. However, I've since thought it out further. My new idea for Keith is that every night the audience could vote on whether or not he should be doused. This way his many followers could show their loyalty by tuning in and voting not to douse him. This would further increase the suspense and augment the ratings by dozens, perhaps hundreds.....These are just rough ideas, but I'm sure that a show following this format is the proper way to present Keith to the American public.

d-day said...

From Olbermann's Press Release [excerpt]:

I’m not smug and I’m no partisan, yet over the years I’ve been dropped by countless friends who felt threatened if I was merely in the presence of their other on-air talent. If their producers dared to actually talk to me, a sudden chill would descend on the room.

And it is not just jealous wannabe competitors who have frozen me out of their lives. Insecure Current TV executives have also barred me from promotions at work.

And most poignantly of all, not one intern or crew person I've graced with my reasonable demands has ever asked me to be her bridesmaid.

You’d think we journalists would applaud each other for taking pride in our integrity.

I work at mine — I always practice my "credible journalist" face in the mirror and stroke my photo sculpture of Edward R. Murrow, even when I don’t feel like it, and very rarely succumb to shit-talking about my bosses and coworkers. Unfortunately former vice-presidents find nothing more annoying than someone else being the most attractive guy in the most well-fitting suit in a room.

Glen Wishard said...

10 million a year is a lot of money to pay for somebody who shows up whenever he feels like it, to do and say whatever he feels like.

James said...

""After being enticed to leave MSNBC.."


I'm wondering about the veracity of that statement. I seem to recall that the general consensus was that Olbermann was fired by MSNBE, not that he had left voluntarily to join Current TV.

Olbermann's next gig could be on NY Public Access; at least he'd draw a larger audience than at Current

If he turns out to be like Alexyss K. Tylor from Atlanta Public Access I'd watch him every night.

robinintn said...

docweasel, I had exactly the same reaction. It's as if KO's a "dilettante portraying a lawyer".

sonicfrog said...

I like playing devils advocate in cases like this.... God, this one is really difficult to chose a side.

Amartel said...

For this case, and this case only, I revoke my objection to cameras in the courtroom. I wanna watch. (And I don't believe any of the showboats, er, parties, to the case will object.)