Guilty pleasures
By Associated Press
‘Morning Joe’ hosts add to internal NBC criticism of Ronna McDaniel’s hiring
NEW YORK | The internal furor over NBC News’ decision to hire former Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor spread Monday, with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts saying on the air that they strongly objected and wouldn’t have her on their show.
“We hope NBC will reconsider its decision,” said Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s four-hour morning show with her husband, former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough.
The comments from the hosts, who said they learned about McDaniel’s hiring through press reports on Friday, followed former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd’s public criticism a day earlier. Todd said many NBC News journalists were uncomfortable with hiring because of McDaniel’s “gaslighting” and “character assassination” while at the RNC.
There was no immediate comment on Monday from NBC News or McDaniel.
MCDANIEL WAS HIRED QUICKLY AFTER LEAVING THE RNC
The network announced McDaniel’s hiring on Friday, two weeks after she stepped down as the RNC leader, saying McDaniel would add to NBC News’ coverage with an insider’s perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party.
Scarborough said he objected because of McDaniel’s role in former President Donald Trump’s “fake elector scheme” and said she summed up the “sickness” in the Republican Party where sticking with the team is more important than speaking the truth.
Brzezinski said “Morning Joe” believes NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to provide balance in election coverage. “But it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier,” she said.
NBC has said it will leave it up to individual MSNBC producers and personalities whether McDaniel will appear on the network, which appeals to liberal viewers. Brzezinski said she would not be a guest on “Morning Joe” in her capacity as a paid NBC contributor.
The hosts aired an exchange from McDaniel’s interview the day before on “Meet the Press” with current moderator Kristen Welker, who wondered why the former RNC chairwoman didn’t speak up earlier after saying Sunday she disagreed with Trump’s contention that people jailed for their part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should be freed.
“When you’re the RNC chair you kind of take one for the whole team, right?” McDaniel said. “Now I get to be a little bit more myself, right? This is what I believe.”
THERE’S A HISTORY OF POLITICIANS AS COMMENTATORS
The “Morning Joe” ban shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who watch the show, which has been relentless in its criticism of Trump’s actions after the 2020 election and supportive of President Joe Biden. The show brought on historian Jon Meacham, a Vanderbilt University professor who has informally advised Biden, to discuss the McDaniel hiring.
It’s not unusual for television news outlets to hire politicians as analysts and commentators. One of McDaniel’s predecessors at the RNC, Michael Steele, is an MSNBC contributor who hosts a weekend news program there. CBS News faced some backlash for hiring two former officials in the Trump administration, Reince Priebus and Mick Mulvaney, as analysts. Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications director during the Trump administration, became a CNN political commentator.
But McDaniel’s tacit endorsement of Trump’s false claims that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent makes her hiring even more sensitive, given the continuing legal and political ripples of the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol that was an outgrowth of the fraud allegations.
During her “Meet the Press” interview, McDaniel acknowledged that Biden won the 2020 election “fair and square.” That was a reversal from a comment she made on CNN last summer, when she said “I don’t think he won it fair. I don’t.”
On Sunday, she said: “The reality is Joe Biden won. He’s the president. He’s the legitimate president. I have always said, and I continue to say, there were issues in 2020. I believe that both can be true.”
Golden Globes land five-year deal to air on CBS, stream on Paramount+
NEW YORK | The Golden Globes and CBS have reached a five-year deal to broadcast the annual award show and stream it live on Paramount+, it was announced Monday.
The new agreement, which begins with January’s telecast, gives the Globes a new broadcast home following years of turmoil. The Globes had long resided at NBC before scandal enveloped the organization behind the awards, leading NBC to give them up.
CBS stepped in to air the 81st Golden Globes in January, and was rewarded with a ratings boost. The telecast pulled in an average of 9.4 million viewers, up about 50% from 2023, when NBC moved the Globes to a Tuesday.
“CBS’ collaboration with the Globes for this year’s broadcast was a big win for both of us and established strong momentum for awards shows in 2024,” said George Cheeks, president and chief executive of CBS, in a statement. “The Globes is a one-of a-kind live event that adds another marquee special and valuable promotional platform to CBS’ annual calendar.”
Though host Jo Koy drew bad reviews, a ceremony that featured Hollywood stars as well as Taylor Swift helped stabilize a Golden Globes that for a time was teetering on the brink. After The Los Angeles Times reported that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had no Black members, Hollywood boycotted the organization and the 2022 Globes were booted off the air.
The HFPA has since been dissolved. The Globes were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which Penske Media owns, and turned into a for-profit venture.
“CBS stepped up for the Globes during a very challenging time, and inherently understood its value, while having the foresight, imagination and conviction to bring this iconic show to its many platforms,” Jay Penske, chief executive of Penske Media, said in a statement.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Auction of Pattie Boyd’s trove of treasures surpasses expectations
LONDON | The online auction of a trove of letters, photos and other items that Pattie Boyd, who was at the heart of the Swinging 60s, concluded Friday — and it’s safe to say that it really surpassed all expectations.
Christie’s, the world-renowned auction house, said its online sale of The Pattie Boyd Collection sold for around $3.6 million, or more than seven times the pre-sale high estimate of around 380,000 pounds.
The collection, which went on public display at Christie’s London headquarters last Friday, provided a glimpse into the heart of the 1960s and 70s counterculture.
The 111 lots up for sale included affectionate letters from both her iconic rock icon husbands George Harrison and Eric Clapton, alongside clothing, jewelry, drawings and photographs — some of Boyd, and some by her.
“I am completely blown away by the enthusiasm of international bidders for these special treasures that I have always loved,” Boyd said. “I am so happy that new hearts will now enjoy them, as they enter into their next ‘chapters.’ I am lucky that my life today continues to bring me joy and different adventures — I would encourage people to follow their passions and live their lives with gusto!”
Boyd, 79, is famous as a musicians’ muse, inspiration for The Beatles’ song “Something,” composed for her by Harrison, as well as for Clapton’s scorching “Layla” and sweet “Wonderful Tonight.”
The most astonishing individual sale was the original artwork chosen by Clapton for the cover of the Derek and The Dominos 1970 album “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” which sold for just under $2.5 million, 33 times the pre-sale high estimate.
Adrian Hume-Sayer, a director at Christie’s London, said the “outstanding results of this landmark auction are a real testament to Pattie Boyd, model, photographer, muse and icon.”
Joana Vicente steps down as Sundance Institute CEO
Joana Vicente is stepping down as the CEO of the Sundance Institute, the nonprofit behind the annual Sundance Film Festival, after two and a half years.
“She has been a true advocate for independent storytellers, and I know she will continue to positively impact this community,” said Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough in a statement released Friday.
Vicente oversaw some of the Sundance Institute’s most challenging years during the pandemic, when the festival went virtual and later came back as a hybrid version.
Amanda Kelso, a member of the board, has been appointed acting CEO, the organization said.
Kelso will transition into the role in April and Vicente will continue to advise through June. She comes to the position with 25 years of experience in communications and technology, including serving as the managing director of Google Creative Lab.
“I believe in the power of Sundance and its ongoing impact in nurturing our mission-based work,” Kelso said in a statement.
The Sundance Institute runs programs year round for emerging artists, including directing and screenwriting labs and other artist programs that have helped filmmakers like Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, the Daniels, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Darren Aronofsky and Nia DaCosta early in their careers.
—From AP reports
