"THE BODY" LETS HIMSELF GO: I caught the second episode of Jesse Ventura's new MSNBC show last Saturday, and I take back anything I ever said about there being any possibility this show will ever be a hit- it won't. The once-sharp Ventura has devolved into a parody of himself (if, as an ex-wrestler, that were even possible), and is being paid $2 million this year for a show that's clearly being buried- it's on at 7:00 on Saturday night, and even though I watch at least an hour of MSNBC per day, I've never seen a single commercial for it.
Ventura, imitating Bill O'Reilly with the all the hostility but none of the wit, talks about boring issues with boring people, and on last week's show committed the double faux pas of wearing a shirt/jacket combo that featured exposed chest hair (yikes), not to mention that the shirt was a Chicago Cubs jersey. Not only was this a dis to the Twins on the week of their elimination, after Jesse already spent four years blocking their new stadium, but Ventura's show aired just as that day's Cubs playoff game was beginning, all but signaling Ventura's handful of remaining viewers to click over to the game.
The other strange thing about Ventura's show and recent commentaries elsewhere on the network has been his vehement opposition to the California recall, as well as to the candidacy of his old co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now perhaps, as someone who's been a governor who most of the state hates, Arnold identified on some level with Gray Davis. But as a longtime good-government populist, wouldn't the recall be right up his alley? And more importantly, did he and longtime friend Ah-nuld have a falling out at some point that we don't know about? Maybe the Governator got too close to Jesse's wife or daughter or something…
So what's the over-under on Jesse lasting on the network? Are we talking Savage-on-MSNBC short, Limbaugh-on-ESPN short, or Chevy-Chase-on-Fox short?