And regarding Trump's latest remarks about the weakness of European leaders, and the decay of their civilisations, and his contempt for the EU, how many are remembering that Putin hates the EU and was a busy participant in the run up to the Brexit disaster? So, once again, Trump is advancing Putin's agenda, as he has consistently. Is he bought and paid for? Does Putin have kompromat on him? Or is this "just" a combination of his stupidity, ignorance and instinct for authoritarianism?
Trump’s son told us when Trump was first running that “we get all the money we need from Russia” when Trump’s credit rating died in American banks. Trump was both broke and stupid, so Russia’s known how to play him since Day One. THANK YOU, TINA, for nevertheless exposing to us what we CAN learn from Trump like the fact that entertainment always wins! 😄🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Tina Brown is a national treasure. Who writes so well today in the media? Biting humor and brutal honesty. Keep it up Tina- a lot of people are paying attention.
This Fresh Hellion must digress. It is not Donald J Trump who has changed us, it has been a media obsession with him over the last decade that has changed us. Change driven by their desire for greater power and greater funds over the masses they claim to be looking after, all under the masquerade of the, “free press.” Let’s face it, modern media, long ago, abandoned the journalistic phrase, “Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted,” in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
Who better to be the poster boy for that mentality than Les Moonves former head of CBS in 2016 declaring, “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS……. “Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? … The money’s rolling in and this is fun.”
When Bill Moyer decided to retire for the first time he was asked what was the big story in his decades of journalism. His response was the media. This Fresh Hellion is paraphrasing here, but according to Mr. Moyer at the time, he said Fox News was the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, and most all major media has been brought up by major corporations, so no one was looking after the interests of the public. He was spot on with that observation, more so today.
Stop for a moment and realize the top media talent on America's television airways these days makes an annual salary that is close to 1000 times over what the average American earns annually. In other words, what the media titans are trying to tell us is that the average American has to work a millennium to equal the annual work output of a Colbert, a Hannity, a Maddow, a fill in the blank here of your favorite media star. Sorry folks there is no one in this fair nation of ours who’s annual work output is worth 1000 years of my fellow citizens labor. Can you tell you’ve touched a raw nerve with his Fresh Hellion?
As this Fresh Hellion has been saying for a decade we could take any Fresh Hell subscriber, including our lovely Maestra Tina, put them on prime time television once a week, backed by award-winning writers and producers to the point that that person would become a household name, win an Emmy, and then have that person decide to run for president with the entire media establishment of this nation giving them over $1 billion in free news coverage, who couldn't become President of the United States?
This is the reality of our times. This is the reality this Fresh Hellion tried to convey to anyone who would listen back in 2016. https://substack.com/home/post/p-179619283
Once President Trump leaves office in 2028 the media in this country will suffer the same as they did in 2020 in losing what they have called the Trump Bump, increased revenues. As this Fresh Hellion asked a colleague after the 2020 election, “Now that Trump will not be in office what persona will the media create, and foists on the American public to continue to grab our attention, and keep the revenues flowing?” Time will tell. Yes, more Fresh Hell.
All of your comments hit the mark, but I could not focus deeply on your points as I was so annoyed by the FOUR times "Fresh Hellion" was repeated in your post to refer to yourself. Let's just stipulate that Tina Brown is the only one allowed to use this nomenclature, please, as she is the queen of this neologism!
We were all bestowed the title Fresh Hellion by Dame T, so running with it seems perfectly normal. Besides, well in years to this life there was a conversation with my mother in which she stated,
"Honey there is only one word describing you growing up."
"Well mom what was it?"
"Hellion!"
"Whaaaat?"
" You were unbelievable! You were worse than the other three put together!
"But mom"
"Don't even go there. You we're impossible." Then that familiar uncontrollable laughter started.
With all due respect S. Deutsch, a guy wouldn't want to disappoint his dear departed mom would he?
Thank you for the kind words, yet none of this would be possible without the excellent observational and writing prowess of Tina Brown. Every time she posts, all this hellion can think is, I want be that good at writing and more. The inspirational cocktails she serves up are intoxicating.
I agree with you 99%. If Trump had never been born, there would be someone else to fill the destructive role he's taken on. Of course this is also being driven by the collapse of traditional media, and the so-called leaders of media companies are desperate to find something – anything – that still floats. In the case of CBS and now HBO, that seems to be Saudi money funneled through right-wing allies of Trump.
I still can't wrap my head around the business logic of buying a dying company, but I guess when you're playing with house money it doesn't matter.
The 1% disagreement is that I don't see this as a linear progression from a golden age of brave and independent media into a doomed hellscape. We've been here before during the Gilded Age when media was similarly bought and paid for by the rich and powerful. What we need now as we needed then is a progressive revolution that throws out the old guard.
Fury. I feel it. Agreed. These are crazy times. Hard to fathom. People’s reactions to the survivors of the boat bombing shocked me too. Hang in there. Please be safe. I worry about Trumps fury, too. So many innocents fired. No reason. Crazytown. 🙏👍💪
#1 Best Description of Trump: "A clapped-out political Liberace honoring himself at benefits in his [own] Mar-a-Lago ballroom." Unfortunately, he appears to be there now, which means we have 3 more years before he sails into the sandy reefs of Florida.
Three more years seems like an eternity.
Purgatory
And regarding Trump's latest remarks about the weakness of European leaders, and the decay of their civilisations, and his contempt for the EU, how many are remembering that Putin hates the EU and was a busy participant in the run up to the Brexit disaster? So, once again, Trump is advancing Putin's agenda, as he has consistently. Is he bought and paid for? Does Putin have kompromat on him? Or is this "just" a combination of his stupidity, ignorance and instinct for authoritarianism?
Putin has also been actively courting support throughout Europe at every level. He supports far right groups like AfD.
Of course Trump supports them too.
Putin’s hold on Trump remains a mystery, with many suspecting kompromat, although there’s no proof.
Trump’s son told us when Trump was first running that “we get all the money we need from Russia” when Trump’s credit rating died in American banks. Trump was both broke and stupid, so Russia’s known how to play him since Day One. THANK YOU, TINA, for nevertheless exposing to us what we CAN learn from Trump like the fact that entertainment always wins! 😄🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Yes, money is part of it for sure.
Tina, I continue to like your style. You tell it like I feel it! Thanks!
So brilliantly written and sadly accurate.
Tina Brown is a national treasure. Who writes so well today in the media? Biting humor and brutal honesty. Keep it up Tina- a lot of people are paying attention.
Dear T,
This Fresh Hellion must digress. It is not Donald J Trump who has changed us, it has been a media obsession with him over the last decade that has changed us. Change driven by their desire for greater power and greater funds over the masses they claim to be looking after, all under the masquerade of the, “free press.” Let’s face it, modern media, long ago, abandoned the journalistic phrase, “Afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted,” in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
Who better to be the poster boy for that mentality than Les Moonves former head of CBS in 2016 declaring, “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS……. “Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? … The money’s rolling in and this is fun.”
When Bill Moyer decided to retire for the first time he was asked what was the big story in his decades of journalism. His response was the media. This Fresh Hellion is paraphrasing here, but according to Mr. Moyer at the time, he said Fox News was the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, and most all major media has been brought up by major corporations, so no one was looking after the interests of the public. He was spot on with that observation, more so today.
Stop for a moment and realize the top media talent on America's television airways these days makes an annual salary that is close to 1000 times over what the average American earns annually. In other words, what the media titans are trying to tell us is that the average American has to work a millennium to equal the annual work output of a Colbert, a Hannity, a Maddow, a fill in the blank here of your favorite media star. Sorry folks there is no one in this fair nation of ours who’s annual work output is worth 1000 years of my fellow citizens labor. Can you tell you’ve touched a raw nerve with his Fresh Hellion?
As this Fresh Hellion has been saying for a decade we could take any Fresh Hell subscriber, including our lovely Maestra Tina, put them on prime time television once a week, backed by award-winning writers and producers to the point that that person would become a household name, win an Emmy, and then have that person decide to run for president with the entire media establishment of this nation giving them over $1 billion in free news coverage, who couldn't become President of the United States?
This is the reality of our times. This is the reality this Fresh Hellion tried to convey to anyone who would listen back in 2016. https://substack.com/home/post/p-179619283
Once President Trump leaves office in 2028 the media in this country will suffer the same as they did in 2020 in losing what they have called the Trump Bump, increased revenues. As this Fresh Hellion asked a colleague after the 2020 election, “Now that Trump will not be in office what persona will the media create, and foists on the American public to continue to grab our attention, and keep the revenues flowing?” Time will tell. Yes, more Fresh Hell.
All of your comments hit the mark, but I could not focus deeply on your points as I was so annoyed by the FOUR times "Fresh Hellion" was repeated in your post to refer to yourself. Let's just stipulate that Tina Brown is the only one allowed to use this nomenclature, please, as she is the queen of this neologism!
We were all bestowed the title Fresh Hellion by Dame T, so running with it seems perfectly normal. Besides, well in years to this life there was a conversation with my mother in which she stated,
"Honey there is only one word describing you growing up."
"Well mom what was it?"
"Hellion!"
"Whaaaat?"
" You were unbelievable! You were worse than the other three put together!
"But mom"
"Don't even go there. You we're impossible." Then that familiar uncontrollable laughter started.
With all due respect S. Deutsch, a guy wouldn't want to disappoint his dear departed mom would he?
BEST RESPONSE EVER!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
Rosemarie,
Thank you for the kind words, yet none of this would be possible without the excellent observational and writing prowess of Tina Brown. Every time she posts, all this hellion can think is, I want be that good at writing and more. The inspirational cocktails she serves up are intoxicating.
I agree with you 99%. If Trump had never been born, there would be someone else to fill the destructive role he's taken on. Of course this is also being driven by the collapse of traditional media, and the so-called leaders of media companies are desperate to find something – anything – that still floats. In the case of CBS and now HBO, that seems to be Saudi money funneled through right-wing allies of Trump.
I still can't wrap my head around the business logic of buying a dying company, but I guess when you're playing with house money it doesn't matter.
The 1% disagreement is that I don't see this as a linear progression from a golden age of brave and independent media into a doomed hellscape. We've been here before during the Gilded Age when media was similarly bought and paid for by the rich and powerful. What we need now as we needed then is a progressive revolution that throws out the old guard.
Spot on Ed! For all we know Fresh Hell maybe the starting point of that progressive revolution.
Or a new political party.
Dear Susan,
Yes and........... It needs updating. It's a freebie. Chapter 5 cuts to the chase about working outside of the framework of D's and R's in our political system. https://books.apple.com/us/book/silent-majority/id585417283?ls=1
I saluted at Hegseth as a "flag draped pip squeak!"
He really is, too. He wears American flag socks. He has a suit with an American flag lining.
Just wondering,, shouldn't Kegsbreath be fined for desecrating the American flag by wearing it on his slimy body?
It’s pretty creepy, all right!
Fury. I feel it. Agreed. These are crazy times. Hard to fathom. People’s reactions to the survivors of the boat bombing shocked me too. Hang in there. Please be safe. I worry about Trumps fury, too. So many innocents fired. No reason. Crazytown. 🙏👍💪
Order him a 24 karat gold casket and charge it to his ballroom friends.
This is an insult to Liberace.
Trump seems to be irretrievably changing the US, with the rest of the world in a kind of tail spin. And it's getting worse month by month.
Worse “day by day” or even “hour by hour”. Fixed that for you.
Getting worse every 12 hours.
Tina you are a legend!!! Read and laugh and cry.
Your well-balanced wit, keen insight, and sharp intelligence are components of the weekly draught I need to keep my courage up for another week.
Great piece! But let’s give credit to where credit is due: Martha’s Vineyard was Gov. DeSantis’ brainstorm.
#1 Best Description of Trump: "A clapped-out political Liberace honoring himself at benefits in his [own] Mar-a-Lago ballroom." Unfortunately, he appears to be there now, which means we have 3 more years before he sails into the sandy reefs of Florida.
Superbly spoken!
Trump has taken Boris Johnson's Dead Cat strategy and exaggerated it to grotesque proportions. It's so exhausting, but I guess that's the point.