The Situation with Tucker Carlson

As a die-hard liberal, I must be opposed to the bowtie-wearing republican Tucker Carlson.

I must, I must, I must, but I can't!

For some strange reason, I am drawn to The Situation. At first, it was just okay. The debate was fast-paced and the choice of topics was interesting.

That all changed when Rev. Al Sharpton made his first appearance. Sharpton teamed up with regular commentator Rachel Maddow, from Air America, and took Tucker to task (wow, alliteration) for an entire hour.

Since then, Tucker's been nothing but hysterical. Taking a page from the original Talk Soup (with John Henson) it is possible to hear his producers laughing during debates or interviews. It's a small thing, but it definitely shows that nothing is taken too seriously.

Tucker answers viewer's voicemail every night. Tonight's messages included a call from a college student who developed a drinking game for The Situation. Would you ever drink to Wolf Blitzer?

Tonight, in particular was a special episode. Tucker's special guest was speed eater Sonya Thomas. She actually ate a few Brats live while Tucker offered play-by-play. Would Lou Dobbs ever do that?

The show also features a segment aptly named the Outsider. Max Kellerman, from ESPN and HBO, is the outsider and offers his take on the day's news. I was never a big fan of Kellerman while he was the host of Around the Horn, but I have definitely warmed to him through his appearances on The Situation. He usually answers Tucker's insults with anecdotes that would make even Christopher Walken cringe.

Regular appearances from the show's producer Willy top off the irreverant style of the program. Willy appears at the end of every show for the Cutting Room Floor. The Cutting Room features stories that didn't make it on during previous segments. Apparently guest won't shut up some nights and the Cutting Room Floor is a packed 5 minutes of television. Other nights it meanders along with Willy and Tucker doing some "ad libbed" banter.

Many of you know of my lust for witty, fast-paced, live and fresh news shows. In the past, I have been enchanted with a morning show out of London and a late-night news program on ABC. But now, I am singularly focused on The Situation.

You should be too!

As a matter of fact, if you were watching tonight, you would have heard this breaking news: Jennifer Wilbanks, the Runaway Bride, will be marrying tomorrow (Friday) night.