Hat tip - Drudge
SOURCES: WARREN BEATTY TO BLOG!
| Oh, well. Guess I can fold up Rantburg now... |
The Observer has learned that Warren Beatty, the 68-year-old artifact actor and director, will likely join a lineup of liberal all-stars who will "group blog" on a Web site to be launched next month by windbag columnist Arianna Huffington. "I probably will," Mr. Beatty said, on the phone from his production office in Los Angeles.
Hedging your bets already? What, you busy doing Ishtar II or something?
 The "Huffington Report," as Ms. Huffington has dubbed it, will also feature such heavy hitters boldface bloggers as Senator Jon Corzine, David Geffen, Viacom co-chief Tom Freston, Barry Diller, Tina Brown and Gwyneth Paltrow. If the name seems to echo that of the Drudge Report—the mega-site operated by the rightward-tilting unofficial editorial director of America's news cycle, Matt Drudge—well, it's supposed to. And Mr. Beatty approved of that.
An intellectual Murderer's Row if I've ever seen one!
"I applaud the effort to tell the side of the story that no one gives a rat's ass about Arianna Huffington seems to be engaged in," he said. Mr. Beatty was all too aware, he said, of the power Mr. Drudge has to steer the American media. "I would say he does a very industrious job of finding the things that he feels could be exploited to further the political agenda of the far right," said Mr. Beatty.
Like making fun of vain, self-important liberals?
For his part, Mr. Drudge was deeply skeptical of a Web site operated by Hollywood liberals.
| Blowing coffee out your nose counts as skeptical? |
And he rebuffed Mr. Beatty's characterization of his site as slanted toward Republicans. "I still refuse to be put into the category of feeding completely Republican talking points," Mr. Drudge said. "That's ridiculous. If they're accusing me of doing Republican, we can assume all Warren Beatty is going to do is be putting out Democratic talking points.
Bingo!
"I look forward to the Warren Beatty News Network," Mr. Drudge cracked, before asking: "So they really are serious about this, aren't they?"
Just like Air America. And we know how well that's working out.
The Hollywooders appear to be. The partisan left has slowly
That's the speed they know best...
been constructing outlets to counterbalance the partisan right's popularity perceived influence in radio and television (Air America; former Vice President Al Gore's TV channel). Ms. Huffington, Mr. Beatty and Co., however, are aiming not at the margins but at the center of the media scrum: the news cycle itself, now being deftly nudged, goosed and spun by Mr. Drudge—daily, hourly, instantly.
Good luck. You'll need it!
"As the day follows the night, Drudge will inspire its opposite," Mr. Beatty said.
I don't have the time to fisk the rest of this crap; tax season & all that. Have at it... |