Here is the text of Lou Dobb's statement that he is leaving CNN.

Shorter version: He wants to be a pundit, not a journalist. He says he wants to

....engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to the great understanding of the issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible.

More here. His replacement will be named tomorrow. Speculation on who it will or should be?

A federal judge in Georgia has banned twittering from the courtroom as a violation of Rule 53 which prohibits broadcasting of proceedings to the public. The opinion is here.

the Court finds that the contemporaneous transmission of electronic messages from the courtroom describing the trial proceedings, and the dissemination of those messages in a manner such that they are widely and instantaneously accessible to the general public, falls within the definition of “broadcasting” as used in Rule 53. Therefore, this type of broadcasting is prohibited under Rule 53, unless the application of Rule 53 is unconstitutional because it unduly restricts the freedom of the press under the First Amendment.

By that rationale, live-blogging trial would also be prohibited. Other courts have had no problem with it, e.g., the Scooter Libby and Joe Nacchio trials. The 10th Circuit even allowed live-blogging of oral arguments in the Nacchio appeal. [More...]

It's been over 70 degrees in Denver this week. Anita arrived last night from Owl Farm -- she's been staying here a night a week or so during the months of the LSAT prep course in Denver. She has a practice test today and when it's over, we're heading up to Boulder for the afternoon. She brought me a copy of her latest book, Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson. It's a compilation of Hunter S. Thompson's media interviews (including transcripts of tv and radio interviews) over a period of 40 years. She has spent the past few years sifting through the archives and boxes in the basement to find and edit the material, not a small task. From the reviews, she has done a great job, as always. [More...]

Here is MTV's statement denying they put up a wall at the Brandenberg Gate concert today celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall to block people from viewing U2, one of the performing groups.

MTV placed a temporary security fence around
the site perimeter....Under no circumstances did MTV build a 'wall' of any kind in or around the U2 production site.

We urge everyone to watch the event on MTV Networks around the world from 3:00 pm EST tonight to see for themselves.

I'm not seeing it on any of the many MTV cable networks playing here. The awards show is streaming online here. [More...]

Congrats to my good pal Mickey Sherman, CT defense attorney and CBS and cable TV legal analyst. Variety reports:

James Belushi has agreed to team with Diane English and Barry Levinson for an hourlong TV drama that will cast him as a defense attorney character modeled after the famed lawyer and TV commentator Mickey Sherman. ...... Sherman wrote the memoir “How Can You Defend Those People?,” and the idea is for Belushi to play a likable (ex-)prosecutor who defends the guilty and innocent with equal vigor.

[More]

Two interesting stories today. First, Comcast is closer to buying NBC:

General Electric and the cable giant Comcast have moved closer to a deal giving control of NBC Universal to Comcast, and a formal announcement could be made sometime next week, people briefed on the talks said Sunday. After a series of meetings last week, the two companies reached a tentative agreement on Friday over the main points of a deal, these people said. Comcast would own about 51 percent of NBC Universal, contributing several billions of dollars in cash and its own stable of cable networks to the new venture.

This is an interesting antitrust question. Comcast already owns a number of cable networks, like E!, The Golf Channel, Versus and various regional sports networks. Add the NBC/Universal networks and that certainly is going to be a lot of vertical integration. Most antitrust analysts view vertical integration antitrust issues as much less problematic (see also the Supreme Court.) Regulators and the Congress might consider whether this analysis is accurate.

The second story is about how the DVR is saving the big TV networks:

Verizon's Droid is coming out to raves. Here are the top features. CNET and Gizmodo are among those quite impressed with the smartphone that runs on Google's Android 2.0 operating system. [More...]

They sit in shock today, unable to comprehend how their announced wisdoms did not rule the day. They can not believe the DFHs prevailed upon Senate Majority Leader Reid to put in the public option (with the President's Men, Villagers All, none too pleased either.)

Their disdain is now aimed at Reid for, disgustingly, listening to the people and being concerned about what they think instead of taking his cues from the would be Broders. Their concern for Olympia Snowe's dignitas (where their own are housed) knows no bounds.

They will fight hard against this revolt of the peasants. They will do the insurance industry's bidding and fight, leak, slant and attack to the bitter end. And the fight is still in doubt. But there is no doubt that shock and anger is their reaction today.

The Progressive base has won a hard fought battle, but the war is not won. Trumka and Stern, the union leaders, HCAN, and the other progressive health care activists and bloggers have fought hard and shrewdly.

They have done the impossible, and that makes them mighty. But the war is not won yet. In many ways, it gets harder from here, because they will face the full wrath of the Village, who feels its grip on power slipping. The Village will not go down quietly.

Speaking for me only

Last week I mentioned I was reading the new novel, The Help, about the relationships between Afrian-American maids and their female employers in Jackson, MS in the early sixties.

Jesse Kornbluth at Huffington Post has a good summary of the book. Three women at the health spa I was at last week were reading it. One didn't like it, one was mesmerized by it, and one thought it was funny. Back home, a very Republican woman where I get my nails done said she had started to read it, but she found it just preposterous. She adamantly did not believe that the white employers would build a bathroom for the maids in the garage because they didn't want to be contaminated by diseases black people got.

I'm in the middle of it now, and it keeps me awake at night. It's pretty horrific to think this was only 50 years ago. And it's no surprise these women spawned another generation just like them.

Kornbluth says "The Help" could be the "To Kill a Mockingbird" of our time. I just hope I finish it soon because this is the third night that I find myself up at 3 a.m, still reading.

CNN in primetime is tanking. The latest numbers show it behind Fox News, MSNBC and even CNN Headline News.

CNN says it's because they provide less commentary and more news, and viewers want commentary.

I disagree. CNN has as many pundits as the other networks. And, I think its pundits are the network's chief problem. They are boring, their comments are completely predictable and rarely informative. As soon I see any one of them, almost all holdovers from the 90's, way past their broadcasting prime, I change the channel. CNN is losing the ratings game because it has become your father's Oldsmobile of news.[More...]

"This is It", chronicling Michael Jackson from April to June, 2009 as he rehearsed for his upcoming London concerts, opens Wednesday in theatres for a two week run. Elizabeth Taylor, who has seen it, says it is "the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking" she has ever seen. More clips below:

Here's Bon Jovi's new single, We Weren't Born to Follow, from their upcoming album, The Circle, which they will perform Nov. 9th at an event in Germany commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

After watching their new movie last night on Showtime, and seeing how tired they were at the end, I'm surprised that this week they announced they will be starting a 2 year world tour Feb. 19 in Seattle. They will be the first to perform at the New Meadowlands Stadium in May. In all, 135 shows in 30 countries. They are moving to London for the summer of 2010.

It's on to Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters for me. Here's an open thread for you, all topics welcome.