People & Personalities: Vitale Undergoes Throat Surgery
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Costas To Host NBC's
Pens-Sabres Outdoor Game |
ESPN's Dick Vitale today will undergo surgery in Boston to have lesions removed from his left vocal cord. Vitale hopes to be able to return to work in early February (THE DAILY).
COSTAS IS AMP'D: NBC’s Bob Costas will host the net’s coverage of the Amp Energy NHL Winter Classic Penguins-Sabres outdoor game on New Year’s Day, beginning at 1:00pm ET (NBC).
CREW-NECK: In Chicago, Ed Sherman wrote of the Bears-Vikings game on ESPN’s “MNF” last night, "The three-men-in-the-booth combination, plus two sideline reporters, means there isn’t much time for dead air on the telecast. A little silence would be a nice touch.” ESPN “definitely had one sideline reporter too many.” But analyst Ron Jaworski “had a strong game,” play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico “isn’t shy about throwing in his opinion,” and Tony Kornheiser “as usual, played the wild card role. His opening monologue using the phrase ‘hubris’ to describe the Bears’ troubles this year probably went over the head of 97[%] of the viewers” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/18).
TEXAS HOLD ON: In an Op/Ed in today's HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Texas state Sen. Kyle Janek writes the NFL Network’s carriage dispute with MSOs “appears to have commanded the attention of a number of my fellow state lawmakers and other elected officials in Texas.” Janek: “No matter which side you support in this debate, I argue that government intervention is not the answer. This is a dispute between private businesses. The solution needs to be found at the negotiating table, not in a court of law, state or federal capitol, or federal regulatory agency. The Texas Legislature certainly is not the appropriate body to tackle this issue, even though state legislation is being discussed here and in other states” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/18).
"DUEL"-ING REVIEWS: ESPN's Mike Greenberg this week is hosting a new game show, 'Duel," a six-episode special airing on ABC, and in N.Y., Linda Stasi wrote Greenberg is "the perfect host -- not overbearing, not an annoying know-it-all, and most importantly, not like a professional game show host." The game show is "quick, challenging and tense" (N.Y. POST, 12/17). But in DC, Tom Shales compared Greenberg to NBC's "Deal or No Deal" host Howie Mandel, and wrote at least Mandel "is able to keep up a sense of tension, however illusory, and inject occasional hilarity." Shales wrote Greenberg is a "sleazy host," who "appears to have been born without a sense of humor, but with an obvious contempt for all game show contestants" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/17).
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