Olbermann Watch - MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Olbermann Drops Book Plans

Olbermann Watch, "persecuting" Keith since 2004

July 31, 2006

Olbermann Drops Book Plans

No, not that book...the other book. You know, the novel he was writing with Anthony Godby Johnson about baseball - the kid who turned out not to exist.

A reader posted a link to this New York Post article about Robin Williams new movie, "The Night Listener", a film based on a book of the same name by Armistead Maupin.

You can bet this is a movie KO is not likely to add to his Top 10 list for 2006 (emphasis added):

In 1992, Maupin had befriended Vicki's adopted, AIDS-stricken son, Anthony Godby Johnson, after reading a galley of his autobiography, "A Rock and a Hard Place: One Boy's Triumphant Story." Moved by the harrowing memoir of child abuse, the "Tales of the City" scribe offered to blurb the book, and immediately hit it off with the dying - but effervescent - 14-year-old when they first spoke on the phone...As digital voice analysis would later show, Anthony was Vicki - the highly skilled perpetrator of a sweeping, 15-year public scam that touched thousands of people, including marquee names such as Oprah Winfrey, Keith Olbermann, Fred "Mr." Rogers, Mickey Mantle and Jermaine Jackson...
Meanwhile, the boy's strength in the face of extraordinary medical complications - an amputated leg and testicle, a stroke, shingles, constant pneumonia - inspired many celebrity supporters. They were all happy just to chat with the sick boy over the phone or by e-mail, respecting Vicki's edict about how her son was too sick to see anyone at all - ever.

"Keith Olbermann doesn't like to talk about it," says Maupin. The sportscaster had reportedly been collaborating with Tony on a novel about baseball.

That's actually a double-shot on Keith "Edward R. Murrow" Olbermann. Not only did his finely-honed journalistic skills fail (once again) to detect fraud but he's described as "sportscaster" not "news anchor".

Posted by Robert Cox | Permalink | Comments (13) | | View blog reactions

13 Comments

By Missy on July 31, 2006 2:27 PM

I can't believe ANY of those people (Oprah, Mr. Rogers, KO) didn't first want to meet the kid.

I guess I wouldn't want to talk about it either. But if O'Reilly was duped instead of KO, I'm sure we'd see an entire episode of Countdown dedicated to O'Reilly's vulnerability.

By Keith Olbermann on July 31, 2006 3:02 PM

Hey Missy, you're damn right!

By Nonfactor on July 31, 2006 4:17 PM

That's actually a double-shot on Keith "Edward R. Murrow" Olbermann. Not only did his finely-honed journalistic skills fail (once again) to detect fraud but he's described as "sportscaster" not "news anchor".

Are you serious? You're trying to blast Olbermann because he didn't figure out a professional confidence man (or woman in this case) was scamming him? Any other journalist, however, would have discovered the truth, except for Olbermann. And describing Olbermann as a sportscaster would probably be the best way to describe him. Sports have been his life and he is famous for helping launch ESPN and SportsCenter.

By Wyatt Wingfoot on July 31, 2006 5:57 PM

For a professional in the position he was in, it would have been utterly foolish for KO to have started a collaboration without at the very least meeting with the kid. "Anthony" was so gravely ill, yet had the strength to have this widespread media love affair by proxy?

KO was gullible all right, and I wonder how many times he has been burned by one of these Nigerian e-mail fundraisers

By Scott on July 31, 2006 6:00 PM

Maybe a minor point, but ESPN and Sportscenter were on long before KO got there. About 13 years.

KO gets credit for "launching" ESPN2 because he was on the initial broadcast (with Suzy Kolber). He was just a broadcaster, not the star people try to turn him into. His "career" at ESPN didn't take off till he was paired with Dan Patrick later on.

By Cox&Balls on August 1, 2006 12:13 AM

didn't this all happen like 10 years ago?

a: he WAS a sports person then

b: "olbermann drops book plans" is about as current as "space shuttle challenger set for launch"

you're a fool, cox

By puck on August 1, 2006 4:17 PM

Non

Olby helping launch ESPN? I don't remember him there way in the begining? Now maybe Olby and Dann Patrick bringing Sportscenter to the front. By the way. I had ESPN radio on yesterday and a Dann Patrick promo came on. No mention of Keith? Wasn't there some LOON on here last week that said ESPN and Keith made up? Or was that story made up?

Wow! Keith was on the first show on ESPN2 with Suzy Kolber. WOW! Suzy has gone on to ABC sports. She also does car comercials. A nice car too! Comercial is shown in primetime. And did sideline for Monday Night Football.

Keith? Well.......ah........he did get a show on a last place cable news channel. BUT HE'S THE CENTERPIECE!!!!!! Er, wait.......... last place cable news............. centerpiece........thats not good is it?

By Scott on August 1, 2006 11:59 PM

NONFACTOR IS A HYPOCRITICAL LYING MORON.

That is solely to get NON to acknowledge the posts by Puck and me yesterday which showed the ignorance and inaccuracy of his "KO launched ESPN and SportsCenter" post.

There was a Nonfactor guote on another thread about how he/she/it loves when he/she/it proves someone wrong and they just ignore it.

WELL....its been more than a day and NON still hasn't acknowledged that he/she/it doesn't know what the hell they are talking about when they tried to credit KO with "helping launch ESPN and SportsCenter."

Neither of which are even remotely true or even within 10 years of being true.

The fact NON will not admit to a mistake is not a surprise, but a given. But to attack anyone for "ignoring" he/she/it proving them wrong, within the same 24 hour period that he/she/it was proven grotesquely wrong and refused to fess up, is sad, pitiful, hypocritical, and, basically, Olbermannesque(copyright 2006).

SOOOOOOOO, NON, until you finally admit to making a mistake, please don't accuse anyone of running or ignoring your "proof."

But, it still says something.

By puck on August 2, 2006 1:08 AM

It was Lee Leonard and George Grande that started Sportscenter in 1979. Olby didn't come along until 1992.

Keith had just earned his Bachelor of Science at Cornell in 79'

By Anonymous on August 2, 2006 5:03 PM

By Bill on August 4, 2006 8:40 PM

Just to let you jack asses know that Robin Williams film based on the Anthony Godby Johnson hoax was number 3 on KO count down.

By Anonymous on August 4, 2006 8:58 PM

Olby will do anything to give himself a "me" moment on his show, even if it means he has to admit he got suckered by a fellow loon. Of course, Olby had to have Armistead Maupin affirm that he was just trying to be a mensch by letting himself get fooled.

By Anonymous on August 4, 2006 9:23 PM

Who's the jackass? KEITH IS! Oooooh he was gonna write A BOOK with a ghost. Scary ass shit.

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13 Comments