Brandon's Buzz

“I don’t lie to nobody that owns ink by the barrel, honey!”

— chicken-fried television chef Paula Deen, chatting with New York Times food writer Kim Severson on the TimesTalks podcast and directly addressing an entreaty to tell the truth about whether she still cans fresh tomatoes and vegetables the way she did in her younger days. (Deen’s answer, predictably: “No, I don’t have time.”)

Television newsmagazine programs were a dime a dozen two decades ago, but they have seemingly become gauche — that old warhorse 60 Minutes obviously excepted — in this scary, Snooki-fueled age of reality television. But ratings-challenged NBC, a network desperate to get anything to stick following one of the most disastrous fall campaigns in its history, is aiming to change all that, having reached across the news galaxy to recruit a dazzlingly deep bench of journalistic talent — including, among others, Ted Koppel, Meredith Vieira, and my beloved Dr. Nancy Snyderman — to contribute to their newest creation, a weekly news series entitled
Rock Center with Brian Williams, which premieres Monday night (October 31) at 10pm EDT. Another prominent name popping out of the Rock Center mix is that of veteran newsman Harry Smith. A recent defector from CBS News, where he has spent the lion’s share of his journalism career, Smith is probably best known for his pair of extended stints as a co-host of CBS’ ever-struggling The Early Show. But as his celebrated stint as the host of A&E’s signature program Biography amply suggested, Smith has a reporter’s eye and a great knack for sussing out a good story, and he stopped by the Buzz for an exclusive chat about his exciting new gig.

BRANDON’S BUZZ: You know, we lived through a period several years ago when the networks were throwing these kinds of shows up right, left and center, and then we moved into the Survivor / Biggest Loser / Idol era, and the newsmagazine essentially became schedule fillers and stopgaps. So I guess my first question is: why this show, why now, and why was this project attractive to a journalist of your caliber and credential?

HARRY SMITH: The folks at NBC first approached me about this almost a year ago, when it was just a germ of an idea, and I said, ‘Well, if you’re really serious about doing this, I want to be a part of it.’ You know, NBC kind of looked at what they had going: they have the number one morning show (Today), they have the number one evening newscast (NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams), they have the number one public affairs show on Sunday mornings (Meet the Press), and they [decided] there was only one piece missing, and that’s a serious weekly newsmagazine. So they asked me to get involved, and I asked a lot of questions — you know, ‘Is it really going to be staffed? Are you really going to fund it? Are you going to be serious about it?’ This is a big-time venture, and it feels to me like this is the last time a network is going to do something like this, but [NBC] really wants to get into the serious storytelling business, and I am flattered that they asked me to come along for the ride.

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“If I had written into The West Wing the people who are the leaders on the right today — whether it’s Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Glenn Beck — I would’ve been eviscerated by the right for portraying them as idiot monsters.”

— Emmy- and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, discussing the lunacy of the new brand of politics-as-usual in the Obama age, on ABC’s Nightline.

“In broad, has forgotten today at firm a grip. It was predetermined to return. I around in function also I see that in corrie has entered: the chief wished to be given the gold watch with the secretary, And a door to clasp for some use one’s judgement secure forgotten. But they in passion give birth to not noticed me at once. Half-trice I stand. Then has reached what to do, I wish pit oneself against a bag Yes imperceptibly I pleasure leave. The horse-radish there, has made a agreement with – both of them severely on me Goggle eyes give birth to looked. extravagantly here and me in a block stop it is improve than anything Has not around than niche a yield and to certain: “Greetings!” Here and so the full chaos sometimes turns out I would like that you too have told such history happened with you.”

— a hilarious comment which got caught in the Buzz’s superbly attuned spam filter. (No idear what these folks are advertising, but I find their blisteringly brilliant stream-of-consciousness prose to be ferociously inspired.)