If Morning Joe seems every-so-slightly less up-to-date, there's a reason for it. The show is now seven seconds behind the times. A tape delay has been instituted in the wake of Joe Scarborough's unintentional dropping of an f-bomb two days ago.
B&C reported the change yesterday, and NewsBuster Ken Shepherd discussed it here. The Morning Joe crew had fun with the move on today's show. Coming back from its first break, the show aired tape [via Jimmy Kimmel Live] of CNN's Rick Sanchez coming back from a break of his own. With a screen over his shoulder reading "Transition to Power," Sanchez said: "We welcome you black. Uh, welcome you back." Point made: Joe's not the only cable TV guy capable of an embarrassing slip 'o the tongue.
The crew proceeded to a light-hearted discussion of the move to tape delay, with executive producer Chris Licht proudly displaying his finger poised on the red button.
View video here.
WILLIE GEIST: Poor Sanchez. Do we have the taser video?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: He needs the seven-second delay. Seriously, we asked for one.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I know; you asked for one.
GEIST: You got it.
SCARBOROUGH: I demanded it.
BRZEZINSKI: You ask for it, you get it. Thattaboy, Chris.
SCARBOROUGH: If you talk for 47 hours a week --
BRZEZINSKI: That's correct.
SCARBOROUGH: With a sidekick all doped up on Ambien and [inaudible] and vodka --
BRZEZINSKI: Well, stop talking about me. That's not nice.
It was then that Licht displayed the red button of doom. After Joe gave a bit more of the background on the decision, even mild-mannered meteorologist Bill Karins got into the act, wondering about the Vegas odds on who would cause the button to be hit first.
Predictions, anyone?
