GET a load of Ted Koppel.
Only three months ago, he learned that some people at Disney consider him expendable and now look at him.
Suddenly the man is on fire. One week he’s interviewing the elusive David Letterman – the only time Dave has spoken publicly since Clinton’s first term – and this week, he has Bruce Springsteen – for two nights no less.
These days, arranging an interview with Bruce when he’s launching a new album isn’t as difficult as it sounds.
The point is, until this
week, Koppel and company
have never put themselves in the running for a celebrity interview during a PR campaign for a new record or movie.
What’s next? Mike Myers on the making of “Austin Powers”?
ABC News types will read that sentence today and groan, but the truth is, there’s nothing wrong with Koppel booking an interesting, entertaining celebrity once in a while, either on “Nightline” or his new interview show “UpClose.”
With Springsteen – who was so loquacious Koppel had enough material for one “Nightline” and two “UpCloses” – Koppel did a much better job than he did July 8 with Letterman, who revealed next to nothing.
By contrast, Koppel’s visit to Springsteen’s house was pleasantly eye-opening.
Among other things, we were literally permitted to peer inside one of Bruce’s private notebooks and learn how he writes his songs.
And best of all, Ted got somber Bruce to laugh in public, something that’s been rarer over the years than a Springsteen interview.