Nine months without a sick, personal or vacation day. The TWiT news director will finally be taking a little R&R next week. Filling in, on Thursday, will be none other than San Francisco’s golden girl, the lovely and talented Sarah Lane. Many experts have said that this shuffling may be a harbinger of things to come.
The year long contract is coming to a close on the current front man and the heir-apparent may already be waiting in the wings. With her lightened schedule after the recent purging of programs past their primes, she certainly has some time on her hands. Is this sassy sweety the answer to moving the network beyond the founder?
A rumor has surfaced that Laporte may even be putting the heat on IRC staff to reprieve all chat room bans in honor of Lane’s triumphant return to prime time. Could this be the moment he leaves behind the pettiness and returns to an era of magnanimousity? magnanmousness? magnamaneous? F.U. spell check. Others have speculated that a Mary Heart styled desk may even be in the works if the switcheroo is pulled off. That’ll be one short complaint line – for sure!
Current TD Jason Howell has been seen whispering unusually softly and unusually often to Miss Lane in their little cubical hideaway. (Nothing torrid as Howell is a happily married man) Could Howell be longing for the days of managing only single digit Skype connections?
Fans of Miss Lane know her machinations quite well. If the hair is up, TNT is not in her future, if the hair is down, it’s a maybe, but if the hair is down and to the side, you may want to bet it all on this prognostication. If she wears her purple top, JammerB may as well set that chairs height with cement. Many fans were quite impressed with the chemistry between Elise Hu and Sarah, could Hu be a future co-host as Lane leaves the rotating host nonsense behind? Hu wouldn’t jump in bed with these two for their daily dose of tech news? Would TWiT actually become a leader in diversity?
TN2 numbers started small but have been steadily trending upwards as more people learn of the high production value show. We are all aware that the marketing, of which there is none, is certainly not what has been propelling this show forward. As an example of the marketing prowess, the fans hoping for alternating hosts to present The Week Ahead on the TWiT program were met with a resounding “nah.” Lane is not particularly fond of waking up with the roosters after a night of wine drinking and dancing to the latest Funk Master Flex album. But David Letterman always had a soft spot for the The Tonight Show even after his move to CBS, and this spunky ball of sass may have her big eyes eying the big show as well. The only thing that could be said for certain: We will all be as fixated on this story as Laporte is when walking behind a fit Petaluma house-wife in black yoga pants. Who knows, Miss Lane may get her 4.7 inch gold iPhone just yet.
**Full Disclosure: Richard Yes is a devout feminist**
I love the way you write about Sarah, Richard Yes.
manimal» Quote comment
I’m not a fan of Sarah, I found her presentation and insights poor on the good incarnation of TNT. But, then again, how could things be worse? After 10 months of no Sarah Lane and a really terrible anchor on TNT, I’m willing to try it out. Who knows it might be the first full episode I watch since Tom’s goodbye episode.
David» Quote comment
She has some strengths and weaknesses. Picking a co-host will make or break the show.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
We will see over the next couple of months, certainly by the end of November whether #Gum will decide he has itchy feet (or a new Grift to work somewhere else on someone else) which will be seen has #Gum doing what #Gum has always done, moved from place to place conning people into thinking he has talent and personality and ability, but will really be him moving on because #Soup and #Slop need a way out of their unholy mess by dumping Tom Merritt and installing #Gum.
Since they have burnt their bridges with Tom completely, the only last remaining members of the old TNT team are Jason and Sarah.
Personally Sarah has always been the person that I have felt more capable and more suitable to do the News Director Job. She is far more capable and has a far better understanding of the news and at least can read off the auto-queue fluidly and competently, something that #Gum has never managed to do.
I do believe like you do that it will be a reduction of a mass of stories and a little more in-depth discussion, at least with who is skyped in, rather than calling 10, 11, 12 more people on Skype to fill the time like #Gum does to hide that he really doesn’t know anything about Tech and plagiarizes other people’s work changing it just enough to sound like it is his own work (that’s why he is merely a Thought Leader at Cult of Mac, they don’t want a finger pointed at them again).
I think that having Jason as a Co-host and not a TD and allowing someone else to do the TD and getting rid of all #Gum’s Skyped Co-hosts (Whom slowly wander away and quit when they realize that he knows diddly squat about what he is supposed to be talking about — count the number that have just quit or been banished) and it will be a far better show and the TD’s/Editors can get their room back that was stolen for them to make space for the #Grifter!
grift•er (ˈgrɪf tər)
n. Slang.
1. a person who operates a sideshow at a circus, fair, etc., esp. a gambling attraction.
2. a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like.
[1910–15]
Burntheadbob» Quote comment
what will make Sarah great is she will be able to bring on some of the guests that the old TnT had and thrived on. That is my hope anyway.
manimal» Quote comment
Don’t count on it. The network burned their bridges with Iyaz and Tom so it’s unlikely Sarah will be allowed to bring them back; if she did do so, she would be fired and banished with all of her shows deleted.
In fact this brings up an interesting point; why is it that #soup and Yoko sucks Elgums dick like it was nothing. I mean he doesn’t provide helpful information, he doesn’t build a news department. All he does is cite from other sources and spews out bullshit. Hell if anybody outshines Leo or anybody else close to him. They get the axe.
Andy, Richie, Padre, Jeff, Gina, wake up and smell the coffee! You are being used by a fat schovanistic pig for his own needs. He doesn’t know shit, he isn’t appealing, he’s just a Marxist piece of shit who needs to retire already.
K.C.» Quote comment
The rotating co-host thing is annoying. The best week of TNT was when Natali Morris co-hosted.
Count Funkula» Quote comment
Richard you dorealize that Sarah is the main host for TN2 correct? How is then that Jason is hosting on Friday? She can’t even pull a five day week? Why don’t you criticize that fact?
Observer» Quote comment
Because unlike you I know how the contracts work at twit, unfortunately I am not at liberty to disclose. I am an ace reporter.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
If you say you know something but cannot disclose it, then you should have kept quiet.
TB» Quote comment
Don’t know about her being a news director but she certainly has much better on camera presence than Mike. She energizes the news while Mike has no energy and actually makes the news boring.
Count Funkula» Quote comment
I’ll give her that. She at least seems to have a pulse.
David» Quote comment
She is a very hard worker. contrary to public opinion. She needs to know both what she is good at and what she is not good at, that is how you pick a team. Financially it will make sense to merge TNT and TN2. Again, there is no management with any broadcast knowledge at TWiT so hopefully she will reach out to Jason and iyaz or Tom to discuss.
Richard Yes» Quote comment
Always thought Leo was the Carny, ME likes to chirp ‘what’s better than living in the place you want, working for the guy you want’ – I bought into that line. Sarah is a pretty complicated subject as she has become a polished professional broadcaster – not wanting to be a local network ‘perky Calif blonde weather/news’ girl’ but also a little light on geek cred. She walks a thin line at TWIT, lately successfully compartmentalizing parts of her life and doing her best to avoid discussing personal aspects (just teasing them to Leo when cornered). When part if Tom’s fabulous TNT team she really grew, but remember it was like working in the shadow of Walter Cronkite – now she’s a poised & smooth professional – so much so, that Elgan and to some extent Chad, look ridiculous working with her. She’s tethered to TWIT, as is Jason and a lot of wonderful undervalued technical staff – it’s a shame. LK talked about a travel show w/ Johnny Jet – that’s a red herring – she’s needed to fill in for Elgan- then we’ll see what this crew has up their sleeves. I always remember what Tom said his last week – that she never gets credit for her hard work or how damn smart she is – hopefully someday she will make the break with L&L.
Muddy» Quote comment
I honestly feel like watching TNT again just to see how Sarah does; will the show be more uplifting and spirited with her hosting, or will it still be bland like how Elgum runs it?
Sure, it’s probably going to be the same format as Elgum, but at least Sarah has a good 12-13 years of active on-camera experience unlike Elgum.
TB» Quote comment
Sarah is at twit but we can see she is NOT really happy, love is missing in her life and until she finds the love she deserves she will be a fine reporter but a job is just a job, and that is what she does at twit.
Jason was fine as TD, but is beyond his ability to be a reporter, they say many people listen to the show, I just can not see how they do it, it is not for content, not for personality, ? It was a team that came to twit with TNT, but the team is broken up in pieces.
Business as usual.
starburst» Quote comment