Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Armstrong 'Confession', Oprah-Style

AP Photo
I'm not that interested in Lance Armstrong's apparent mea-culpa with Oprah and although I will watch the interview, I'm more fascinated with Armstrong's desire to come clean via the Winfrey channel.

I've talked about this on the radio show. I'm not a cycling fan and only paid attention to the sport because of Armstrong and his various conquests, personal and professional.

The fact he and his handlers chose Winfrey for his subtle confession says a lot about Armstrong. It's a well-conceived media process and I'm sure it's been calculated ad-nauseum. Pick a thoughtful host, hostess who will not pit-bull you; not that Oprah is a softy but she isn't Barbara Walters nor even Diane Sawyer. A sympathetic big star who will play ball, the Lance way, yes.

My point is that assuming Armstrong wants to get this off his chest, he could have gone, say, Steve Croft on 60 Minutes. That move, in and of itself, would have said a lot. Instead, he, (and several of his advisers, I'm sure) took the safe approach. And this won't be his last interview. After a few snippets of the Oprah piece gets aired, I'm betting he does another quasi-softy--probably Piers Morgan, perhaps a local Austin TV station and then let time do its thing. And hope, inevitably, his fans and even his foes, forgives him.

This is big business. And a very well-orchestrated media play written and directed by Lance Armstrong himself. Whether it works is another story. Time will tell.

*Follow me on Twitter

*Listen to my daily radio show Monday-Friday on KOMY






18 comments:

  1. Hasn't Armstrong abused the public enough with his years of craven lying?
    Are somehow we supposed to give a rip about his "confession?"

    I surely won't be watching.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Piers Morgan would rip him a new one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oprah is the reputation rehab show, because as you state(the obvious), she plays patty cake. Folks have a soft spot for Armstrong due to his cancer history so I'd imagine that O will work that angle. Perhaps she can help out Canseco too...He told the unvarnished truth and is broke unlike Mr.100 mill bike rider.

    Armstrong fell into the same trap as Clinton and Pete Rose, the denial, not necessarily the misdeeds were his downfall. Armstrong was dirty but so was second and third place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Love the line from Rich today in hour one "Oprah's a billionaire but she's not th great an interviewer." OK, Rich, so, compared to you -- in KOMYville. Where's that leave you? Cutting off Berliner in the middle of a salient point again. And again. And again.

      Delete
    2. Oh that's funny, like a Little Leaguer saying that Buster Posey isn't that good a hitter!

      Delete
  4. honestly people, who really gives a shit about this?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Is lying and denying regardless of the evidence a concept that was revelutionized by OJ Simpson. Maybe it is my imagination but it seems since that time it is the preferred method of defense.

    You can't help but think in the long run Clinton, Bonds, Clements, Ted Haggard, Mark Sanford and now Armstrong to name a few would have been better to take their lumps early rather than think they could lie their way out of it.

    Now you can hire a PR firm that will suggest you cry, say you are truly sorry for all those you have hurt and don't forget to say "Especially my family" because that really will help. Americans are a forgiving lot.

    In the pre Simpson days we were taught to "Stand up and take it like a man!"

    George Costanza on Seinfeld once asked "Is it a lie if I believe it?"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Depends on what the definition of "is" is.

      Delete
    2. The glove didn't fit...

      Delete
    3. I thought it was flax seed oil??

      Delete
  6. The best part is that the interview will be broken down into a two day show. What a bunch of MALARKEY!!! Do 60 minutes if you have any BALLS!!!. Maybe you don't.... lets ask Cheryl Crow!

    ReplyDelete
  7. After the interview airs, Lance's followers will accuse Lance of joining the witchhunt against himself and then Lance will sue himself for slander.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If he had two balls he would've sat down with Rich Lieberman 1-4pm on KOMY

    ReplyDelete
  9. Of course he chose Oprah, Rich! How stupid do you think your readers are? We all understand what an Oprah "confession" is.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rich does or he wouldn't be wasting his time with hours of talk about that to which he knows nothing about, let alone like. Why does Rich like talking to a brick wall?

    ReplyDelete
  11. The guy was a bully, a self righteous jerk, a liar and a cheat. If he thinks he can rehabilitate his image by crying on Ophrah's shoulder, he's really being delusional!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The guy was a bully, a self righteous jerk, a liar and a cheat", not admirable traits but sadly, the world rewards those people.

      After a cycle of damage control, the book deals, talk show fees, motivation speech circuits all pay well and Armstrong probably couldn't give a shit what people think as long as the money rolls in. He's not sorry, he's just saying he's sorry and acting like he means it.

      Regarding Oprah, it's a great interview opportunity for a media whore (which they all are). She's a tool... in it for the ratings/money.

      To quote Ari Gold "It's the world we live in".

      Delete
  12. Ratings were off the charts so Oprah has hired Lance to host a remake of the old game show "Truth Or Consequences".. The first show airs 4-1-2013 on Oprah Winfrey Network..

    ReplyDelete