NEWS: Andy Rooney

I am not writing this entry because I am some huge fan of Andy Rooney.  I actually haven't watched or listened to him in years.  Double digit years.  However I do remember watching him on 60 Minutes a few times as his segment would close out the broadcast.  His essays were usually a change of pace from the rest of the broadcast.  I found the man crotchety but I did enjoy his occasional cynicism and dry wit.  But like I said I am not writing this entry because I was a fan.  I am writing because I liked the style.  The man was on the program week after week and he had an opinion about some topic and as he would say he didn't care if you liked him for it one way or the other.  Now that may be a bit of an overstatement since he did say in his last TV appearance that he did care what people thought.  My point is that Rooney took a stand and had an opinion and he didn't let public opinion stop him or overly influence him.  He may have appeared crotchety but you could depend on him to have a definite view.  In my personal writings I tend to constantly be on the fence.  A lot of times it's because I often don't have a radical opinion.  In fact on most issues I am very middle of the road.  I tend to see both sides of an issue.  However to be a successful writer I need to take a few more risks and be a little more controversial.  So I will say good luck to the 92 year old Rooney.  Maybe I can learn something from his more than 50 years in journalism.



courtesy the Washington Post

‘60 Minutes’ says goodbye to loveable crumudgeon Andy Rooney

By Cara Kelly, Monday, October 3, 5:55 PM

Andy Rooney concluded his final essay for “60 Minutes” last night in front of an audience that may have reached more than 17 million viewers. Early Nielson reports show about 17.4 million people turned in for the CBS broadcast, although those stats don’t account for the NFL overrun into the program’s typical 7 p.m. timeslot.
The appearance was Rooney’s 1,097th essay for the newsmag broadcast, which was proceeded by an interview with Morley Shafer.
The seasoned writer’s final segment was similar to most of his work over the past three decades, says Elizabeth Flock of BlogPost:
 In typical curmudgeon fashion, Rooney, 92, told viewers in a final message that if they saw him out and about to leave him alone. ”Please, just let me eat my dinner,” he said.

But Lisa de Moraes of The TV Column found some softer spots:
In an unusually non-crotchety final commentary, Rooney told viewers, “Not many people in this world are as lucky as I’ve been.”
“I’ve done a lot of complaining here, but I can’t complain about my life,” the 92-year-old commentator added.

De Moraes estimated the show pulled in about 16 million viewers for the farewell edition, which would be up by around 3 million than this season’s debut episode. Lara Logan’s interview with free-solo rock climber Alex Honnold aired earlier in the broadcast. Logan and camera crews captured an unbelievable feat by Honnold, who climbed the sheet face of Sentinel Mountain in Yosemite National Park without any ropes or protection.