Among the many planned and officially sanctioned video showings at the Republican convention in Tampa this week will be a short tribute to Ron Paul, the Libertarian-leaning candidate who threw a fright into mainstream Republicans in the early presidential primaries but then faded -- and dutifully pledged not to mount a third-party effort to challenge the eventual GOP nominee, who will turn out to be Mitt Romney.

But by far the biggest video on the minds of convention-goers is likely to be one not officially screened there: 2016: Obama's America. The anti-Obama documentary narrated by conservative author Dinesh D'Souza was a huge box-office hit across the country over the weekend as it expanded to more than 1,000 screens, perhaps the start of what could be a strong run right on up to the November elections.

"You may love him. You may hate him. But you don't know him" is how TV ads on Fox News and elsewhere over the weekend were positioning the movie. Continue reading...

If Keith Olbermann were one of those National Football League players he used to cover for ESPN, and he had just been fined by the commissioner for a helmet-to-helmet hit, he’d probably be an unapologetic linebacker with a nickname like The Decapitator.

Olbermann survived the TV-news equivalent of a two-game suspension when MSNBC put him back on the air last night after a few days without pay for violating the network’s policy banning political contributions without a doctor’s note (er, prior permission of the honchos). Olbermann’s offense? $7,200 in pre-election political contributions, undisclosed to the brass – one of them coming immediately after airing an interview with the candidate.

But rather than apologize to the MSNBC chieftains after the brief if pointed unpaid leave, Olbermann resurfaced – surprise – with a big chip on his shoulder.Continue reading...