Charlie Rose

I love watching this show. Charlie comes across as truly interested in his subjects and unlike others in his field, doesn't tend to take sides. He has a sense of humor and he has a wide range of guests, from the Nobel prize winners to the lamest celebrity on earth. However, I enjoy watching them because Charlie Rose seems born to interview and to interview correctly for the person across from him. Tom Cruise? No, I'm sorry, I'll pass on that one. However an hour with Tom Hanks? Could that be so horrible? I doubt it. Everyone needs a break from the constant political backbiting and drum beating once in a while and I appreciate his "fun" shows. Sometimes, you just want to listen to why "Run, Forest, run" was so catchy. Lighten up!

Charlie Rose, an award-winning journalist and former host of CBS' "Nightwatch" hosts this one-on-one talk program on PBS weeknights. This is the best talk television has to offer, with a range of guests from actors and writers to politicans and musicians. Check your local listing-(New York-WNET 11:00 pm)

While Charlie Rose seems to be a very intelligent interviewer, after watching his show for many years, I come away with the impression that he's quite biased, unless he's in a foreign capital interviewing some tyrant who could easily arrest and jail him if not that he were a famous American talk show host. With guests that he clearly adores, he's overly compliant, and with those whom he quite obviously differs, he's overly scrappy.

Two examples will hopefully illustrate this. When Thomas L. Friedman is the guest (as he has been countless times) , I sit and wait for the moment when Charlie is going to bend forward to kiss Friedman's ring, as if everything Friedman says is as epochal as a papal homily. Contrast that with when someone from the political left is the guest (hardly ever, of course). When Noam Chomsky was the guest several years ago, Charlie attacked from every direction everything that Chomsky said, and that was after Charlie fessed up that Chomsky was one of the most requested guests ever by the viewers.

And lastly, two of my pet peeves. After asking a question of a guest, as soon as the guest begins to answer, Charlie compulsively interrupts with a further refinement of his question. Some guests then just keep talking, leaving Charlie no choice but to button up and listen. The other peeve is how Charlie talks with his left hand, and leaves it frozen in the air in front of the camera after his voice trails off. I want to say to him, "Charlie, put down your hand!"

I enjoy Charlie's interviews greatly--they represent a rare oasis on television, a quiet half-hour or hour devoted to intelligent, thoughtful conversation. How rare is that?! But it kind of breaks down when Charlie is interviewing celebrities, particularly famous actors. Charlie kind of loses it with those people, becoming a bit fawning and, it would seem, a bit envious. I don't know what accounts for this--perhaps Mr Rose always wanted to be an actor, I don't know.

But this perception usually leads me to skip his interviews with actors, unless it's someone who I haven't heard from before. But there were even a couple of such programs where I couldn't get through the whole show because of Charlie's going ga-ga within minutes of the start. In those times I think of Charlie as a red carpet interviewer before the Academy Awards, except the people who do THOSE interviews usually maintain a better emotional balance.

give me a break. Charlie Rose is a legend. The black background shows his professionalism and dedication to his job. The kind of person who'd find this show boring is a person who is not interested in current events and needs to be "entertained" while they are being informed. Charlie Rose is so elegant, eloquent and humble. The conversations he has with his guests are so personal and amicable, that it's easy to think you're in the same room with them. I always watch his show and it's nice to be able to discern his character from it. I've never seen a guest be nothing but comfortable around him too. So what if he doesn't limit himself to political guests. You'll learn more about any guest in an Charlie Rose hour than on any other show. He interviews intelligent, influential people - and that's all that matters. Watch this show.