In the wake of the departure of Keith Olbermann, cable news net MSNBC was ready almost instantaneously with a revised prime time lineup – but that didn’t stop speculation that a star from the NBC Television Network would be sliding over to the cable side to fill Olbermann’s slot.
The star is Alec Baldwin, who has followed a lengthy career in feature motion pictures with a regular gig on NBC’s “30 Rock.” He is also known for accumulating frequent guest hosting miles on “Saturday Night Live” and for outspoken appearances on talk shows, including Bill Maher’s HBO offering and recently, CNN’s newcomer “Parker-Spitzer.”
Baldwin didn’t mention becoming a host, but did underscore his deep interest in politics on the CNN show. He told Eliot Spitzer that he was still an actor, and does not wish to quit, but confirmed that he is indeed interested in forwarding the cause of the middle class through elective office.
The rumor has been traced to Rob Schuter of PopEater.com, who claimed network sources in support of it. According to Schuter, someone behind the scenes noted, “He’s already part of the NBC family, has a huge fan base and is very respected for his long term passions for politics,” and placed Baldwin at the top of the network’s replacement wish list.
However, MSNBC says no dice. The network has been shooting the story down to whoever bothers to ask about it.
Prior to being named as a possible Olbermann replacement, Baldwin’s name has been surfacing as a potential Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives.
RBR-TVBR observation: The line between politics and the media is not crossed all that often, and when it is, it’s usually in the other direction – from politics to media. But people sure like to speculate about it. Ronald Reagan, Fred Thompson and Al Franken are but three of those who have made the journey from media to politics. Now Baldwin seems to be joining Lou Dobbs in the hot buzz category.
