Stephanie Miller's on the Tee Vee

Just got my new DVR on Sunday and I programmed it wrong -- so I missed Stephanie Miller’s debut appearance on MSNBC this morning.

So I did what any video challenged blogger would do and went to You Tube. There, I found the following clip of the first ten minutes of Stephanie’s show on Monday.



After reading several blogs by Freepers and other conservative wingnuts about how unfunny Mama was including this gem which was posted here as a comment.

"Who is this clown they have in Imus' old spot on MSNBC? This person they have on today in his slot is horrible! Forget that host sounds like a total moonbat,it's like they copied Laura Ingram's show except made the format even more obnoxious. There is a news network that has totally lost it's direction and identity. They are becoming the "Pennysaver" newspaper of cable news."

But, overall, the early reviews were much more favorable:

On You Tube, several favorable comments were recorded. Here are a few of them:

This was totally worth getting up at 3 am for! Stephanie Miller is the queen of talk radio. Yes, she is the Cher of progressive talk radio!

Oh Mama you were soooo good this morning on MSNBC. You're even better looking on TV than you were at the KPHX 1480 party in Phoenix! With your fabulous fanny and Cici Goldwaters incredible rack (meant with the utmost respect) not only do the two of you appear to have been separated at birth, but together you are the perfect woman. Can't wait 'till WTF o'clock tomorrow. Oh wait I have TiVo . . . D'Oh!

Lib Talk fans were predictably upbeat. On Air America Place almost all the comments were positive:

Steph's TV experience was very apparent. She was animated and quick - and as usual very well prepared. The overall feel of the show was smart, sassy, snarky - a good fit for MSNBC. Even the callers who never heard of Mamma before seemed to like her. I checked with a co-worker who always used to wake up to Imus (as he called it, "the only thing on the damn TV that I can stomach in the morning") was impressed.

...Mama and the mooks were fabulous this morning. Mama was smoking hot (as usual), Jim was Jim (love him), and Chris was so freaking adorable. I just want to put him in my pocket and take him home!!!!

And then there was this serious piece of criticism on Radio-Info

Stephanie was speaking in hyper-warp speed, and it turned out to be much easier to follow her on radio than on television. The mooks were also much quieter than normal, and Jim Ward resembled Christopher Reeve in his wheelchair - he definitely needs to loosen up. Reading off the spiral notebook didn't help either. Usually when Stephanie gets out of control or loses her train of thought, one of the mooks picks up the slack, but that happened a lot less this morning.

I put this all on nerves. Going into a strange studio and dealing with the equipment and atmosphere is not easy for a radio show host who normally sits in an enclosed and familiar studio every day. And because Miller's show is heavily dependent on the add-on effects and bits, when something starts to go wrong, it becomes very quickly apparent.Overall, it did work and was fun, but she needs to slow down and calm down. We'll see how Tuesday and Wednesday goes. It seems there is going to be a whole parade of guest shows on MSNBC in the morning, and Miller has said on her show she doesn't want a permanent MSNBC gig.

Fans of the Stephanie Miller are encouraged to send a note to General Manager Dan Abrams and VP Bill Wolff at MSNBC. Let them know that you'd like to see her in the mornings instead of another Fox wannabe like Michael Smerconish.