Results tagged “60minutes”

Don Hewitt, <em>60 Minutes</em> Creator, Dies At 86

Don Hewitt, the CBS news producer who created 60 Minutes and worked with Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, passed away at age 86, due to pancreatic cancer. CBS News calls him the "father of modern television news" and points out he "played an integral role in all of CBS News' coverage of major news events from the late 1940s through the 1960s, putting him in the middle of some of history's biggest events, including one of politics’ seminal moments: the first televised presidential debate in 1960" between Nixon and Kennedy. In its obituary, the NY Times writes, "Hewitt also claimed credit for creating, at least in part, such innovations as putting headsets on newsmakers at events like political conventions so they might be interviewed by remote; displaying type, such as a subject’s name, on screen...and even the word 'anchorman,' which referred, he said, not to the anchor of a ship but the final runner on a four-person relay team — the person who, in effect, would carry the news home, and receive the most attention in the process."

Last night Michael Phelps (aka World's Greatest Swimmer) faced off with Anderson Cooper (aka Middle-aged Mortal) in the pool, for what had to have been the most well-worth watching segment in 60 Minutes history. The race lasted seconds, but the memories will surely last forever.

Ohio and Texas are "too close to call" for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, which means it will be a long night - and very possibly another few weeks of primary madness. Obama did win Vermont (so far, 59% to Clinton's 39%) and Clinton won Rhode Island (currently 57% to Obama's 42%), which is her first win in a while, but those states aren't the focus.

Seems like even at a Central Park West apartment building in the West 70s, robbers can get in. A CPW apartment belonging to 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl and her family was "ransacked" by a thief last Friday morning. Apparently the thief, who stole over a $100,000 worth of items, managed to sneak into the penthouse by posing as a contractor - there are many projects at the building.

Roger Clemens took to the airwaves last night defending himself on 60 Minutes. But the strongest action he took was off the air, filing a lawsuit against Brian McNamee for defamation and claiming that McNamee has “ruined Roger's reputation with a large percentage of the public."

Take three weeks, hire some lawyers and private investigators and this is the best you can do? While the full details won’t be available until Sunday night on 60 Minutes, Roger Clemens has admitted to being injected by Brian McNamee, but only with Lidocaine and B-12. In other words, Clemens is using the same line of defense Barry Bonds used when he claimed it was only flaxseed oil he was taking and not steroids or HGH.

Alex Rodriguez went on 60 Minutes last night and firmly denied that he used steroids. When asked if he had ever used steroids, HGH or any other performance-enhancing drug A-Rod firmly stated “no” and then explained, "I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no.”

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television:

Oops! WNBC's Mistake Causes Problems for St. Louis TV Station

The tree is lit, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is another tradition back for a 75th season. The well-seasoned Rockettes steal the show from Santa every year, and have quite a history -- they were originally called The Roxyettes and originated in...Missouri:The group was started by Russell Markert in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri as the "Missouri Rockets". In 1927, Samuel Roxy Rothafel discovered them and brought them to New York City. They...

Earlier today, the Reverend Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president, showing that the former mayor was able to win over an influential Christian conservative leader. Robertson explained,"To me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists.... We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead." And he acknowledged Rudy's NYC history, "Rudy Giuliani took a...

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television:

What is the lawsuit about, Kenneth?

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York is sure going to be a doozey. He may have decided not to visit Ground Zero anymore, but his appearance at Columbia University, to participate in a World Leaders Forum, has many people upset.

Cam'ron snitched about the "no snitching" rule on 60 Minutes Sunday, and is now apologizing for his comments on the show. To explain the rule, he told Anderson Cooper that "If I knew the serial killer was living next door to me? I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him -- but I'd probably move. But I'm not going to call and be like, 'The serial killer's in 4E.'" A bit disconcerting.

After previews of the segment last week, The Rap Up shares video of Anderson Cooper's chat with Cam'ron on 60 Minutes to discuss the "no snitching" rule prevalent in the rap community. Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Jam Master Jay are all examples of murders that have gone unsolved. More recently, Busta Rhymes bodyguard, Israel Ramirez, was shot and killed at a video shoot; out of the 25 people believed to be present during the crime - no one has come forward.

Get ready for this Sundays 60 Minutes, because there's an intriguing segment: Anderson Cooper interview rapper Cam'ron about the hip-hop community's code of silence when it comes to crimes. In fact, here's an excerpt of their exchange from CBS News:

"If I knew the serial killer was living next door to me?" Giles responds to a hypothetical question posed by Cooper. "I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him — but I'd probably move. But I'm not going to call and be like, 'The serial killer's in 4E.' "

A look at some noteworthy programs this week:

- With T-day approaching, Ed Levine digs deep on pies. At this moment the first 8 posts on the front page are pie related.

Ed Bradley, longtime CBS News journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent, died today at age 65. Bradley had been diagnosed with leukemia some years ago, but a recent infection made his condition life-threatening.

Brother. Russell Crowe complains about the fallout from his June 2005 phone throwing incident at the Mercer Hotel. Crowe pleaded guilty to third degree assault, paid a $160 fine, and had to settle with the hotel employee, Nestor Estrada. (And it wasn't just a phone handset or cordless phone thrown at Estrada - apparently Crowe had taken the whole phone out of the wall and thrown it at him, causing minor injuries to Estrada's face.) Crowe tells 60 Minutes that the U.S. legal system "is very open to being abused" and further:

"Where I come from, a confrontation like that, as basic and simple as that, would have been satisfied with a handshake and an apology."
We'll keep that in mind when we go to Australia and have a crazy temper tantrum! Do Sydney hotel employees train with rugby teams? Then again, how about not resorting to physical assault? Sure, accounts say Estrada was dismissive of Crowe's problems using the phone (which is not good when you work in the hotel business), but if your plumber tells you he can't help you fix your toilet situation, do you tear it out of the wall and throw it at him? We hope Steve Kroft interviews Naomi Campbell next for her thoughts on throwing objects at employees.

A week after mentioning the lack of development at the World Trade Center when being questioned about the lack of development in post-Katrina New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin is in New York City to bring attention to his city's redevelopment needs. But first, Nagin had to apologize for his remarks on 60 Minutes (). From the AP:

"I want to say to all New Yorkers that I love New York City and have been here on many occasions," Nagin said. "We as New Orleanians and as New Yorkers understand what tragedy is all about and understand the difficulty of recovering from tragedy." He also said he especially regretted the term he'd used to describe ground zero, where more than 2,700 people died after terrorists piloted two commercial flights into the twin towers, causing the buildings to collapse.

Oh, SNAP! In year-after-Katrina interview with 60 Minutes, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin mentions the lack of development at Ground Zero when pressed by reporter Byron Pitts about post-Katrina New Orleans progress. And it's an effective smack to city and state officials. Here's how the CBS News site explains the exchange:

On a tour of the decimated Ninth Ward, Nagin tells Pitts the city has removed most of the debris from public property and it’s mainly private land that’s still affected – areas that can’t be cleaned without the owners' permission. But when Pitts points to flood-damaged cars in the street and a house washed partially into the street, the mayor shoots back. "That’s alright. You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair."
You know, in spite of all the problems with contracts to rebuild New Orleans and their bureaucratic problems, the man's gotta point. If you watch the video clip, Pitts' reaction is of either disbelief, acknowledgement, or nervous smile. Lower Manhattan Development Corporation head Kevin Rampe, though, took offense at the remark and issued a statement emphasizing the "tremendous progress" made, "We understand how difficult rebuilding a city after such destruction can be." Of course, the two situations aren't exactly apples to apples but one thing common to both: Nothing will happen quickly and the government officials will inevitably slow and foul things up.

NBC; the different sites have the same video from this morning, where she looks very blown out and possibly chinless. Anyway, now, Couric won't be able to have her home redecorated or reorganized during spring cleaning segments, but Gothamist wonders if she'll take CBS viewers on trips to her GI doctor's office. NBC is reportedly close to signing Meredith Vieria to be the new Today show anchor (if you're gonna chose one person from The View, we guess she's the best choice, but we've grown pretty fond of Natalie Morales). Couric will also be working on 60 Minutes, which instantly makes the warhorse program more demographic friendly (younger and more women, probably).

- People snuff out a hoaxy press release that claimed Will Ferrell died in a freak paragliding accident

Todd Barry, as you know, is a comedian. However, he wasn't always a comedian. Todd's new essay in the New York Times magazine today tells one of his true-life New York stories, pre-comedian days.

That sounds about right, given how many times we seem to have change our winter layering strategies. And it sounds about right for a world that is clearly under the throes of global warming - did you last night's 60 Minutes segment about global warming (the poor polar bears!)? This past weekend was perfect for staying inside, not watching the Olympics, catching up on Netflix DVDs and wishing for mere 30 degree days. Heck, we'll take 28 without the wind chill.

During this Sunday's 60 Minutes, Philip Seymour Hoffman will reveal that he really loved doing drugs when he was younger. Here's what the 60 Minutes website says:

For the first time publicly, the actor, hailed for his performance as author Truman Capote, talks about his decision to get help for substance abuse...

He may not be anchor anymore, but Dan Rather did get a kiss from the HIV-positive Sesame Street muppet, Kami, at the Peabody Awards event last night. Awww, but alert Ken Tomlinson - this must be evidence of the so-called liberal bias of PBS! Rather received a Peabody for his 60 Minutes II report on the prisoner abuses at Abu Gharib; a one-hour documentary for South African Sesame Street to encourage adults and children to discuss AIDS and HIV received a Peabody as well. [Related: An interview with the director of content for Sesame Street.]

1 2

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS

Follow us