# C-SPAN could get a lot more entertaining **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-span-could-get-a-lot-more-entertaining/187685 "2003-07-11T11:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-span-could-get-a-lot-more-entertaining/187685/1 "2003-07-11T11:49:54Z")
From this AP report, [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=10&u=/ap/20030710/ap\_on\_el\_se/springer\_campaign\_2:](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=10&u=/ap/20030710/ap_on_el_se/springer_campaign_2:) > [@](#): > > COLUMBUS, Ohio - Jerry Springer, the talk show host who put wife-swappers, strippers and skinheads on the air and then watched the punches fly, will file papers to run for the U.S. Senate as early as Friday, advisers said. You know, I think I might actually watch C-SPAN if they had a Jerry Springer senate hearing on. And just think of the “guests” they could book if Springer had subpoena powers… ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-span-could-get-a-lot-more-entertaining/187685/2 "2003-07-11T13:35:25Z")
You’re a little late to the game, you’ve already missed such joys on C-SPAN as: The Al Franken vs. Bill O’Reilly hissy fit/shouting match during a recent book panel. Those various White House Correspondents Dinners with entertainment provided by the likes of Don Imus, Bill Maher, Darrell Hammond, and Ray Charles. Some of these were funny like Hammond and Imus (who now calls his material there “the speech from hell” because of the uproar over it), some were not like Maher (who started “working blue” when he saw his material was flopping). Not to mention the celebrity guests the various news organizations bring to get attention and try to upstage each other. The best was the year Ozzy Osborne came, and during his actually amusing comments Dubya noted, “Ozzy, Mom loves your stuff!” The annual “Beltway’s Funniest Celebrity Competition” held by some bar that features sometimes drunk politicos and talking heads from the cable news networks rambling and stumbling through lame stories and jokes. My favorite year featured a clearly smashed Tucker Carlson slurring his words as he told the “Seven Dwarfs go to the Vatican” joke. Wish I had taped it. Hunter S. Thompson on different discussion panels usually about the '72 Presidential campaign swearing up a storm and C-SPAN displaying a text graphic warning of explict language. Brian Lamb’s usually icy interview demeanor melting whenever Matt Drudge appears on a program with him. Some “interesting” appearances by people like Marcel Marceau, Bill Bryson, Derek Jacobi, Jesse Ventura, etc. at the National Press Club luncheons. ---
**Author:** ![macabresoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e68b1a/32.png) [@macabresoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/macabresoul)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-span-could-get-a-lot-more-entertaining/187685/3 "2003-07-11T20:09:55Z")
I propose we start a fund to get **Widdershins** cable. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-span-could-get-a-lot-more-entertaining/187685/4 "2003-07-11T21:12:53Z")
And let’s not forget the article in _The Onion_ a couple of years ago about how Vince McMahon was going to launch **X-SPAN**.