Aaron Brown Sucks Up to Keith Olbermann

Aaron Brown was the serious, soft-spoken voice of CNN. Americans all remember his calm, powerful, and moving presence on CNN covering the attacks on the World Trade Center, as they happened, all day long. His first day at CNN! Then a couple years later CNN ditched him and gave his time-slot to Anderson Cooper, who is much prettier. But he's back! On, uh, PBS, where he'll look comparatively "young" and "cool." Anyway, Brown weighed in, for some reason, on the battle between Fox hothead Bill O'Reilly and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. "Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly 'are both larger-than-life figures,' he says, but Olbermann is 'smarter, funnier, better read and eminently more talented.'" Well. Is someone angling for David Gregory's spot once Gregory takes over for Chris Matthews? He's got all the time in the world, NBC. He'll wait out this rumored move that may never happen. [TVNewser]

Media Bubble: Newspapers Are Dying. Thinktanks to the Rescue!

• American Press Institute launches $2 million project to figure out the future of newspapers. By all current evidence: Death. [E&P] More »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AARON BROWN!

• Happy birthday to former CNN anchor Aaron Brown! May your 57th year be full of, um, employment! [Wikipedia] More »

Rosie: Aaron Brown Is a 'Cutie Patootie'

We were realizing that it's been far too long since we checked out the e.e. cummings dadaism of Rosie O'Donnell's blog, so we reset our expectations to free verse and navigated our way to Rosie.com, where we were shocked to find this: More »

Media Bubble: Aaron Brown Is Too Damned Smart

• Aaron Brown's problem is that he's "erudite and droll and low-key," says Jon Friedman. Would that we all had such problems. [MW More »

Media Bubble: Coming to Praise Brown and to Bury Him

• CNN's changes had nothing to do with getting rid of Brown; that was just a coincidence. "He's really a doll to work with," says CNN chief. [NYT] More »

Good Night, 'NewsNight,' and Good Luck

One of the 47 press releases that CNN sends us each day just arrived in our inbox, and either we're very confused or they're not just burying but entirely ignoring the lead. Here's the new CNN daily schedule. Do you see a show for Aaron Brown — last we heard, the network's lead anchor — anywhere on it? More »

Media Bubble: Catfight Among the Playmates and Pets!

• Penthouse raises new cash to take on Playboy. In mud-wrestling, of course, with throngs of fratboys watching. [Folio:] More »

Does Sunshine on Aaron Brown's Shoulders Make Him Happy? Efforting.

Just wanted to let you know that, no, we haven't forgotten about Aaron Brown's iPod and its secret John Denver song. Thing is, we're actually trying to find out the answer. We've emailed Brown himself a few times, we've spoken with CNN's top New York publicist, who promised she'd look into it, and we're waiting to hear back. More »

Sunshine on His Shoulders Makes Aaron Brown Happy?

CNN anchor Aaron Brown submits to a Q&A in the current issue of Golf Connoisseur, a quarterly lifestyle mag for the country-club set. He talks about what's in his hair, his bookcase, his basement, his nightmares, and, most interestingly, his iPod. More »