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Dan Rather gets a primetime tribute
Part-time Austinite Dan Rather is getting an official CBS send-off after all.
The special, “Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembers,” is scheduled to air Friday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. If you hadn’t noticed, that’s the Friday that starts the Labor Day weekend, which means normally low viewing levels on Fridays will be even lower.
The timing no doubt has a lot to do with Katie Couric’s debut as his replacement on Sept. 5. CBS had promised Rather a prime-time goodbye in June, when he left the network, and it probably seemed best to get it out of the way before the new anchor arrives.
But at least CBS News is offering a semi-salute, which, after 44 years with the network, including 24 years as anchor, Rather surely deserves.
The hour will feature Rather recalling his globe-trotting career, which took him from hurricanes to political conventions to foreign wars and back. His life in the CBS limelight also featured its share of controversies, from run-ins with President Nixon to signing off the “Evening News” with “Courage!” to the flawed report on President Bush’s National Guard service that ultimately did him in.
CBS had a modest farewell in March 2005, when Rather left the anchor desk, but the upcoming hour includes a new interview in which Rather addresses leaving CBS News. Knowing Rather, this is bound to be emotional.
“The CBS News audience, they stuck by me through sunshine and storms, and through the good times and bad times,” Rather says in the program, according to a press release.
Rather is joining Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban’s HDNet, a small network for owners of high-definition viewers, to report and anchor a news series.
Note to self: Buy earplugs!
Comedian Cheech Marin, former “Xena” Lucy Lawless, actress Lea Thompson, wrestler Chris Jericho, gymnast Carly Patterson, actor Alfonso Ribeiro and “Queer Eye” style guru Jai Rodriguez are set to join actual singers on Fox’s new reality series “Celebrity Duets.”
This warbling version of “Dancing With the Stars,” from “American Idol” guru Simon Cowell, debuts Aug. 29.
The aforementioned nonsingers are among the soon-to-be-embarrassed who will be paired with pros such as Patti LaBelle, Aaron Neville, Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick and Lee Ann Womack.
Doesn’t this sound like a celebrity freak show, partnering has-beens and almost-has-beens? On the other hand, it could be so awful it’s good.
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By Laura
August 17, 2006 04:51 PM | Link to this
Diane, you must be a frustrated musician or artist, jealous of those who are successful in their chosen talent. You wouldn't know talent if bit you in the butt. Many of the artists you slammed in your article are highly respected, and are quite actively touring and recording. You're a "never was," which is far worse than a "has been."