Normally I enjoy watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann for the same reason one would enjoy hitting oneself in the head with a hammer: it feels so good when I stop. But Wednesday night brought a pleasant surprise--the beautiful, Brown University-educated Alison Stewart sitting in for an absent Keith Olbermann. Anybody can be charming, but charisma is a harder thing to pull off, and she's got it, not to mention a natural affinity for non-dorky adlibs and an obviously agile intelligence. Plus I love her style. Check out the shirt she's wearing on the air right now: she looks like she works in the most expensive candy store in the world. Anyway, today's daily "Countdown" email announces, "Keith's back!" Well, yay. Can Alison stay on the set anyway, just to have something smart to look at? Where was Keith last night, anyway? Getting his personality Botoxed?
