Glenn Beck,' weekdays on Fox News Channel
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By Verne Gay
Newsday
(MCT)
REASON TO WATCH: Because you're mad as hell and aren't gonna take it anymore.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Breaking down the gestalt of "Glenn Beck" is like reducing the collected works of Ayn Rand to haiku. OK, here goes — show/host are a headlong rush of words, image, attitude and the occasional tear in service of a nearly pure libertarian rant. (Nearly — no rant to legalize marijuana, yet.) Beck is part-clown, comic, anchor and human agitprop; every part of his face is used in service of this act — eyes, nose, ears, mouth and chin.
He usually begins with news, like last week's Chrysler bankruptcy and then uses that to torch President Barack Obama, his policies or his administration. (And if you think Obama is mistreated, the flame used on former President George W. Bush can even be a little hotter.) This is followed by studio guests, who agree with host. It all ends with an appeal to common sense, individual rights and a warning that if we don't watch out, we'll turn into France.
And yes, it's a huge hit for Fox — about 2.3 million viewers.
THE HOST SAYS: In a brief interview last week, I asked Beck whether he'd like eventually to land in prime time. Not really, he says. "Because I'm a recovering alcoholic, I've stopped trying to steer my career and enjoy the moment. I'm thrilled where we are (at 5), and whatever happens happens. I just want to enjoy myself."
BOTTOM LINE: The show's success has been widely attributed to a sense that it has filled some sort of void for the Republican disenfranchised, but that ignores another reason. This is a skillfully produced show that keeps the viewer constantly off-balance. There's a blizzard of audio and visual information, including novel use of split-screen tech into three panels, which means you can occasionally see your hero twice at the same time.
For the like-minded, "Beck" and Beck are a reassuring blend of humor and ideology, swaddled in cynicism. It's as if Rand's dyspeptic libertarian hero John Galt had suddenly become a stand-up comic. Beck can be a very funny guy, but he can also be like "The Office's" Michael Scott, or that kid in seventh grade who got a big laugh out of a joke, then keeps telling it over and over and over again. Subtlety is not his chief virtue.
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GLENN BECK
Weekdays at 5 p.m. EDT on Fox News Channel
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(c) 2009, Newsday.
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
