Out in News: June 2008 Archives

This kid's appearance on "The Today Show" this morning just blew me away. Tim Russert, who died on Friday, was one heck of a dad which is so apparent when you watch his son Luke Russert.

There are certain Sunday morning rituals that I have had for years: reading the Sunday papers and watching "Meet the Press." So it was stunning to hear that the show's longtime moderator Tim Russert dropped dead earlier in the day in the Washington D.C. bureau of NBC News. He is believed to have had a fatal heart attack.

He was a tough interviewer - really grilled public figures - and someone who really had the respect of his fellow journalists. Here is an exchange he had just recently with John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate:

Russert: "You have said repeatedly, 'I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues...'"
McCain: "Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from."
Russert: "I got it from John McCain and here it is."
McCain: "OK, let me tell you what I was trying to say and what I meant."

It is so sad to think that his life has ended at the age of 58 and that we won't have him holding the feet of politicians to the fire.

Tim also had a weekly CNBC talk show that I liked to watch where more relaxed conversations took place with authors and other noteworthy folks. My nephew Anthony, who had often stayed the weekend with his uncle Greg as a kid, always jokes about and imitates the "Meet the Press" theme music he would hear coming from my television when he was trying to get that last hour of sleep.

Rest in peace, Tim.

Here is the first report of his death, delivered by Tom Brokaw:

I attended the LifeWorks Mentoring fuindraiser Saturday evening in West Hollywood and will write all about it in a post thbis afternoon. Thought I'd do a little write-up first on Thomas Roberts who was there with his boyfriend. When I spotted him, I thought he might not wanna talk to any media so I just asked, without identifying myself, if I could snap a photo of him. He said, "Sure. But don't I know you? You're Greg, right?"

Gulp.

But no worries. He could not have been nicer and we had a chat. Thomas, the former CNN Headline News anchor, was let go from the entertainment show "The Insider" several months ago. But he seemed remarkably not bitter about it and optimisitc about the future although he couldn't yet reveal any details about what might be in the works.

When we went our separate ways, I looked at the photo in my camera and while Thomas looked sensational (how could he not?), I did not. So later, we ran into him again and it what followed was a hilarious photo session with my friend Eddie snapping our photo then Thomas and I looking at it then requesting another and another and another. He thought he looked kinda constipated in one, I had too much of a double chin in another. But we got a few that we both liked, finally...

Earlier posts:
-- Thomas Roberts surfaces...on the cover of The Advocate!!!

-- Whatever happened to Thomas Roberts?

-- Former CNN anchor Thomas Roberts goes Hollywood...

-- CNN's Thomas Roberts' not so prime-time shifts...