This isn't so much a fansite, as it is a Celebration!

So, once again Morning Joe paid off in spades this morning for, as Willie put it,” everyone’s favorite website - Viva Chuck Todd". Joe, Willie, Mika and even one of our favorites, David Schuster got in on the act of celebrating The Chuck for being the rising media star that he is.

Willie pointed out that there is in fact a "movement" afoot. A movement that has chosen to embrace all things Chuck and we're proud to say that this site has become the vanguard of that movement. We were disheartened to hear the cynical rebuke from The Chuck as to the intentions of our symbiotic relationship that has been informally struck with Morning Joe. I believe we speak for Morning Joe when we say, that we are nothing more than fragile Aspen leaves carried aloft by the winds of celebration for Chuck Todd (Scooter Libby and Judith Miller were consulted for that last part). Even Schuster proclaimed that he knows "a lot of Chuckolytes"; and if there's anyone we're going to believe in that studio, it's Schuster. Willie was quite taken aback by The Chuck's mood. Our man Willie was simply trying to get out the fact that Viva Chuck Todd is offering a free ring tone of Joe playfully introducing The Chuck and The Chuck proceeded to cast a pall over our intent and declare us some sort of Morning Joe puppet masters - j'accuse indeed Mr. Todd - you cut us to the quick. Once again, we are merely two parties, clasping the same ribbon as we dance in celebration around the Chuck Todd maypole if you will.

And now, back to politics
Inevitably, the conversation flowed back to politics and The Chuck was in the zone. He has been noticeably nonplussed by the opportunities the McCain campaign continues to fumble. His earlier point as to why McCain hasn't "danced on Ted Stevens political grave" was laser sharp and given to the McCain camp on a silver platter. His further analysis and dead-on analogy of McCain being the "slow boxer" bear-hugging Obama so he couldn't throw any hay-makers was indeed apt as was the calling him out on the whole celebrity issue; indicating that McCain enjoys his celebrity as well.

Viva Chuck Todd Editorial aside
We at the editorial offices of Viva Chuck Todd would like to chime in on this whole "celebrity" kerfuffle and say the latest McCain ad which includes Britney Spears and Paris Hilton just underscores how ridiculously out of touch he is with pop culture and the youth vote. Hilton and Spears are so 2005 it's not even funny. They're yesterday's news. But then again, this is coming from a guy if asked who should be a singled out in an ad showing sexpots with international appeal he probably would say Elke Sommer and Gina Lollobrigida
end Viva Chuck Todd Editorial aside

Apparently The Chuck was feeling exceptionally sassy this morning as to ruffle the feathers of his NBC overlords and speculate that an Obama VP announcement during the second week of the Olympics would most likely not suffer from nor fear the concurrently airing games. The Chuck in fact with great conviction warned all newsies to be on "high alert" for Obama to make such an announcement at that time - a bold prognostication from The Chuck.

Back to the Celebration
Then the hijinks started again with The Chuck taking a swipe at Joe and Mika insinuating that they'll be vacationing with the Kerry's during the Olympics; Scarborough quickly corrected him. Joe and Willie will apparently be doing the Lord's work in Guatemala and during that time they will be festooned in Chuckolyte wear. Because as it was pointed out by Joe, Chuck's huge in the Americas.

Everybody celebrate!

Chuckolytes Unite!The Chuck Todd Fan Club goes live!

It's a proud day over here at the Viva Chuck Todd offices.

After hundreds of emails asking if we were going to start a true Chuck Todd Fan Club, well, we heard you and built one. Not only is it a true home for all you Chuckolytes, but it offers some exceptionally cool real-world benefits.

Personalized Membership Card and Limited Edition Chuckolyte Pin
For just 2 bucks, you get a personalized membership card with your name and unique i.d. number as well as a limited edition collectors pin with the new Chuckolyte logo. One dollar of every membership goes to Tim Russert's favorite charities (Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Catholic Charities USA) and the other dollar goes to administration of the club (materials, hosting, etc.).

Members Rewards Program
The membership card just isn't handed out so you can impress dates; it's an actual unique card that comes with perks.

This is a program for Chuck Todd Fans who also happen to be business owners or service providers who would like to extend exclusive discounts and/or premiums to fellow Chuckolyte card holders. Any member who would like to participate gets their business/service listed on Chuckloyte.com and in future e-newsletters for free.

We want to build a community that's more than emails, forums and blogs. It is our hope to create a network that will allow members to be able to stroll into a restaurant, pub or shop and know that a fellow Chuck Todd fan has a special deal just for them.

More award-Winning Merchandise
We've just added a brand-new section to the Viva Chuck Todd Online Emporium that carries all new merchandise with the Chuckolyte logo. Our favorite is the Chuckolyte wall clock. Check it out and you'll see why. And just like everything else in the store, all proceeds go to Tim Russert's favorite charities.

Chuck Todd Fan Club Forum
Now there’s an actual place where you can post questions, get answers and correspond with other Chuck Todd fans. It’s brand-spanking new, so get over there and start posting.

The Future
In the next few weeks, all new members will be receiving a Chuckolyte e-newsletter with the latest news about The Chuck, fellow members, member rewards locations and the other stars in the Chuck Todd universe. We’re hoping to get a few guest contributors, starting with our man Willie Geist (Hear that Willie? Your adoring fans clamor for your puckish wit - call us)

So there you have it. A real fan club because you all asked for it. With that said, the site cannot be a success without your input, so by all means keep the feedback coming and flood our servers with email. This is your site now.

INTERVENTION SUCCESS!Capehart's tie knot goes on a diet

We felt the day's editorial was pretty much decided with the announcement of Chuckolyte.com - the Chuck Todd Fan Club going live. But first thing this morning, our fashion consultant, Devon O'Toole comes screaming into my office claiming that his savaging of Washington Post's, Jonathan Capehart's tie knot on Friday's Morning Joe produced a positive and quantitative effect. Being the skeptical editor-in-chief that I am, I took his rantings with a grain of salt; but then he showed me the screenshots and I'll be damned if Capehart's tie knot wasn't half the size that it was on said Friday.

Coincidence? We think not.

FREE VIVA CHUCK TODD RINGTONE:Scarborough introducing The Chuck

On this morning's Morning Joe broadcast, Scarborough introduced The Chuck with, how shall we say, a certain ethnic flamboyance. So, let it never be said that we at Viva Chuck Todd don't offer our readers something other than witty prose - now we're giving you free ringtones. Get your first ever Viva Chuck Todd ringtone of Joe Scarborough introducing The Chuck.

And if you thought that NOKIA default ringtone was annoying...you ain't heard nothing yet.

right click here and save link as - Enjoy

The Chuck sets the record straight on those pesky Gallup Tracking Polls

This morning had The Chuck being honest and assertive when giving his take on the Gallup Tracking Poll. He finds them to be bunk and said later on Hardball that no poll holds water (barring a mishap from either camp) until the day after the first debate.

He also brought up a hell of a side-note to all of this that hopefully other news organizations will run with, that Obama's field is being under-sampled. The Chuck reported this fact is causing great uneasiness amongst Republican pollsters. A new perspective and elegantly simple point when you imagine who is sitting home by the phone available to be asked questions: older voters. Otherwise known as the segment of the population who don't have caller I.D.

Also, great repartee with Mike Murphy, who appeared to be slightly punchy due to the West Coast time difference. Keep the man punchy; his cake analogy was priceless. Although we all could've done without the Obama/Akaka joke.

Ask Chuck's G:When did The Chuck move from sports to politics?

Ask Chuck's G is a Q&A format column published weekly
where Chuck Todd's Grandmother will answer reader's questions.
send your questions here
Be inquisitive, funny and courteous - it is Chuck's G after all.

The Morning Joe Boys Give It Up Big ForViva Chuck Todd

Okay, all joking aside, we're frankly humbled that Joe and Willie gave a shout out to Viva Chuck Todd this morning after their segment with The Chuck. Willie especially; our man Willie annunciated with great clarity of voice our URL and went on to say Viva Chuck Todd was "excellent".

Take that Anderson Cooper Fan Club.

NBC News Names D.C. Bureau Chief

Just announced. The following was taken from TIME's The Page by Mark Halperin

The network announces Monday that Mark Whitaker, an NBC News Senior Vice President, will take over Tim Russert’s role as Washington, D.C. bureau chief.

His position includes executive oversight of “Meet the Press” as well as network election and political coverage.

Whitaker will also continue in his current role as SVP.

Comments?

The Chuck will be on the InMyPajamas Web Radio Show Tuesday Morning

The Chuck will be joining Amy Bakari, the host of InMyPajamas web radio program for a half-hour call-in show at 10:30 AM/EST. Get the phone number and details here.

The Chuck on USA Today Talking Tech

Check out this wonderfully interesting video segment from USA TODAY "Talking Tech," web video show. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham and Edward C. Baig sat down with The Chuck to talk about how technology influences, affects and aids his job. And most importantly, the ultimate pop-tech question is asked of The Chuck: Mac or PC?

Bless You Willie Geist, as well as El Carlos, Capehart's knot and the people of Monterey, CA

It always makes for an exciting morning when you're awakened by the buzz of your Blackberry alerting you that Viva Chuck Todd got mentioned again on Morning Joe. Little did we realize that Friday morning's segment was chock-a-block with several mentions and allusions to past Viva Chuck Todd coverage. Below is a recap of the moments that had the Viva Chuck Todd offices abuzz.


Bless You Willie Geist
Willie set off a raucous opening bit with Cheetos which had the panel devouring the classic processed snack in honor of Joe's dismissive mocking of the blogging community et al or as he likes to call them: The Cheetos Brigade. Our man Willie Geist drew a line in the sand and declared Joe's hate-speak a personal attack on he (a blogger and vlogger himself - see Zeitgeist) as well as his "blogging brethren". And for that Willie, we are fast-tracking Viva Willie Geist into production. And if Willie hadn't done enough, Scarborough proceeded to introduce The Chuck and make mention that he has his own website called "Viva La..." where Willie came to our aid with great projection and elocution in saying "VivaChuckTodd.blogspot.com". Bless you Willie Geist, bless you.

An interesting aside to all of this occurred as Scarborough introduced The Chuck. He led in with his usual tired chestnut of "the guy that all the kids call Chucky T" except this time he modified it to contain the odd inclusion of two geographical locales: Mexico and Monterrey: "The guy that all the kids from Mexico to Monterey call Chucky T". Now we're going to once again pursue the concept of cause and effect and say that Scarborough was making a veiled reference to the new Viva Chuck Todd offices located in San Diego. A city in between Mexico and Monterey, CA (as was later clarified, not Monterrey, Mexico). If that's the case Scarborough, we'll take it.

The Chuck not missing a beat demanded that if Scarborough was going to carelessly talk of our neighbor to the south, it would be only appropriate that he be addressed as "Carlos". And with that brilliant syllogism, we will refer to The Chuck as "El Carlos" for the remainder of this post.


CHUCK COUTURE:
Tied up in knots

First off, we were positively giddy to see former child-star Emmanuel Lewis on the panel. Frankly, we had no idea he was so well versed in geopolitical affairs as to hold a dialog with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. With that said, later on in the morning during the segment with El Carlos we were a bit dismayed to see El Carlos defer to Emmanuel's sense of style; specifically feigning trepidation towards being on the same screen with Emmanuel and his continental shelf of a triple Windsor. Now we will give credit where credit is due by directing high praise Emmanuel's way for the brilliantly subtle pocket scarf. Playing off of the diagonal striping of his tie with a lovely silver white solid was indeed sleek. I am loathe to admit however that Scarborough said it best: "That's a helluva Windsor". It was not only what he said, but how he said it; dripping with sarcasm. Causing one to recall what the Bard's creation Polonius said in Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 86–92 "Brevity is the soul of wit". Here here Mr Scarborough, well played.

But I digress. El Carlos truly has no reason for feeling bested by the knot that wore Jonathan Capehart (never let it be said that we'll run a Webster joke into the ground). Although, it was a bit of a Goldilocks situation in the fact that Mr. Capehart's knot was virtually Rococo in it's grandiosity and El Carlos' was a tad thin. In some alternate dimension betwixt the two knots existed something that would've better served each gentlemen. But if we must pick one that looked better than the other, It would have to go to El Carlos for a wiser chosen knot in line with his particular facial structure and display of the gorge.

filed by VivaChuckTodd.tv field fashion correspondent, Devon O'Toole

THE RESURGENCE OF THE MORNING JOE MUG SCANDAL

The hits just kept coming as Scarborough wound down the segment with the line "Monterey's favorite, Chuck Todd." and there in the split-screen, El Carlos lifted to his lips the crappiest little paper coffee cup to ever see air-time thus reigniting the infamous Morning Joe Mug Scandal of 2008. I swear to god, our offices and Chuck Todd forum posts everywhere collectively cheered to see El Carlos essentially say in that one defiant act, "I'd rather drink Folgers out of Ol' Man Barnacle's tattered loafer than a Morning Joe mug." All said, we would frankly give up the chance to see El Carlos drink out of a Viva Chuck Todd mug in exchange to see him drink out of a Countdown with Keith Olbermann mug just to see Scarborough's head explode.

Aaron Barnhart interviews The Chuck in L.A.

Here's a great little audio interview done by our buddy Aaron Barnhart, TV critic for the Kansas City Star who caught up with The Chuck at the Summer Press Tour in Los Angeles. Back in June Aaron gave a nice little shout-out to Viva Chuck Todd in an insightfully fun article on The Chuck and Rachel Maddow and their ascension to being this year's new hot TV pundit properties.

Thanks to Viva Chuck Todd Field Correspondent Lenore K for the heads up

Back from vacation with new tans, new offices and renewed passion for all things Chuck Todd

As with all ridiculously fast-growing organizations, VivaChuckTodd.tv has had to endure the agony with the ecstasy. Last week we experienced both our most agonizing and ecstatic moments with the relocation to our beautiful new Viva Chuck Todd/Chuck'08 offices in downtown San Diego. This herculean task was done while most of the editorial staff took a much needed summer vacation - thus explaining the anemic coverage of a reasonably interesting Chuck Todd week (see the below retroactive posts). With that said, we're back, tanned, rested and ready to follow The Chuck into the abyss of this wacky election.

Here are the pics of the old and new digs - enjoy:

Chuck Tease: Morning Joe crawl promotes The Chuck, yet no Chuck

Hey Scarborough! Our Cheetos-smeared bosoms are heaving with asthmatic spasms brought on by the bait and switch you threw our way this morning with the bogus line-up promotion of The Chuck. What gives?

All we'll say is don't let it happen again.

The Chuck and David Gregory on Meet The PressTwo men enter-One man leaves

The Chuck had a blisteringly great performance on Meet the Press this past Sunday where David Gregory made a fine Goose to The Chuck's Maverick. The Chuck pretty much laid out a chronological formula as to when Obama is going to make his VP announcement, spoke authentically about average voter perception regarding Iraq withdrawal and named the first logical bipartisan congressional agenda item in a McCain presidency. Oh Chuck...you make it look so damn easy. Gregory followed up each point The Chuck raised citing his White House sources.

But the best moment came at the closing (47:18) when Tom Brokaw threw Gregory a bone basted in irony and Chuck Todd fans a big brightly wrapped Christmas present with the following remarks:

Thank you very much David Gregory, our NBC White House correspondent, and of course star of MSNBC, "The Road to the White House." Chuck Todd, our political director, we'll be seeing a lot more of you here on MEET THE PRESS and, of course, on all the platforms of NBC News and MSNBC in the weeks to come.We have to leave it there. We'll be right back.

"Star". "Star"? Who calls the anchor of a fancy webcam show, that when viewed through the prism of ratings is doing slightly better than Tucker which it replaced, a "star"? The New York Observer did a whole piece on Gregory's Sunday MTP appearance and the pentimento-like subtext surrounding the sign-off. The article especially savored the part where Brokaw got Gregory's show's name wrong - it's "Race for the White House" not "Road to the White House" - ouch.

And then there was The Chuck who essentially got handed the proverbial keys to the executive washroom by Brokaw. "We'll be seeing a lot more of you here on Meet The Press and, of course, on all the platforms of NBC News and MSNBC in the weeks to come" - ouch, again.

In the world of metaphors, it pretty much shakes out like this: the president of the math club who plays a mean french horn just beat the smarmy quarterback for homecoming king.

Viva Chuck Poll:what's the proper name for The Chuck's facial hair?

The Chuck Todd Drought of Summer '08 washed away this morning with his appearance on Morning Joe where the subject of his facial hair once again became a topic of conversation. The Chuck played along as to just what the proper name for his silken auburn facial manliness should be; many names were bandied about. In the case of something as important as this, we thought we'd put it to a vote.

The Summer of '08 Chuck Todd Drought continues

No Chuck on MSNBC or NBC today, but you can see him (with Mark Halperin) on Charlie Rose from last night. Nobody's stepping on his commentary or forgetting he's sitting in the Washington studio while five people chatter away in New York (yes, I'm talking about you, MJ crew).

Genius Chuck Quote of the Segment:
"As Alaska goes, so goes the landslide." (22.05 min)

And of course he posted this week's installment of the Democratic Veepstakes.

Report filed by Viva Chuck Todd field correspondent - Lenore

Ask Chuck's G:What was The Chuck like at eight years old?

Ask Chuck's G is a Q&A format column published weekly
where Chuck Todd's Grandmother will answer reader's questions.
send your questions here
Be inquisitive, funny and courteous - it is Chuck's G after all.

The Chuck gets featured in TV GUIDE:the fame ascension continues

In today's culture, there are very few places that classify you as a pop star. One of those places is still the venerable TV Guide. The Chuck sat for a light-hearted Q&A and discussed all things Chuck: Politics, University of Miami college football, the french horn and of course Viva Chuck Todd! When asked about the popularity of the fansites dedicated to him, The Chuck dispensed with his trademark humility and gave the following answer:

"It seems like the right thing to do is be embarrassed about it... but it's kind of cool. It's harmless, and I hope it stays harmless. It's better to have a fan site than a hate site."

The editors of Viva Chuck Todd would like to assure The Chuck that we will never post or endorse anything that we feel The Chuck would find objectionable. With that said, The Chuck needs to get himself on the Colbert Report and/or Daily Show to cinch his true pop star status. A shoot with Annie Liebowitz for Vanity Fair would be advisable as well.

The Chuck is aging backwards

After careful scrutiny by a special panel of physicians retained by Viva Chuck Todd, it has been determined that not only is Chuck Todd the master of all things electoral, but it appears he is also the master of time. Their conclusion: Chuck Todd is aging backwards.

A lead physician specializing in telomerase research and human aging was convinced that The Chuck is a medical anomaly of the highest degree. Such a consensus left many of the scientists puzzled as to why someone with such an obvious gift would choose to be seen on television; a transparent medium that will inadvertently chronicle a medical miracle and allow the world to see what one person has and so many do not - potentially causing worldwide sociopolitical unrest. In addition to the statement issued this morning, the panel of physicians also presented a report that contained the findings that at the current rate of regression, Chuck Todd will appear to the public as a nine-year-old boy by election day.

As with all news that smacks of the fantastic, there are always cynics and armchair specialists. Morning Joe host and former Florida congressman, Joe Scarborough scoffed, "The guy's lost a few pounds, c'mon, for crissake get a hold of yourselves!". Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist also offered an explanation for The Chuck's youthful appearance, "He's a Highlander. There's no other explanation for that handsome devil".

The Chuck "dazzles"isn't that redundant?

The Chuck was on Hardball with Chris Matthews today explaining the ever-changing electoral map. The Chuck deftly handles Matthew's signature overlaps and interruptions. Then again, Ellen found out the hard way what happens when you don't let Matthews lead.

The Dream Team for blisteringly intelligent left-leaning political junkies

This shot was taken from Tuesday night's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The program was guest-hosted by Air America Radio talk show host, Rachel Maddow; who is seen in the picture above conversing with The Chuck.

Drink it in people. This is our Dream Team.

The Chuck's back from vacation and Fineman makes a bigger collar than the DEA

As days in the Chuck Todd universe go, today was a relaxed confident post-holiday re-entry to the airwaves with no revelations or noteworthy instances. We've all become spoiled to the burgeoning screen presence and finesse The Chuck is now exhibiting. He seems empowered yet at the same time still channeling the humility and good humor that has earned him the respect of his peers and legions of Chuckolytes nationwide.

He spent the day on three different shows (Morning Joe, The Today Show and Hardball) pointing out McCain's opportunities to gain some much needed footing on Obama. And essentially laughing at the potential funding and P.R. welt the last night of the Democratic convention is going to leave on the ass of the McCain campaign- the 80K democratic love-in at Denver's Invesco Field where Senator Obama will accept his party's nomination.

CHUCK COUTURE
Our fashion correspondent Devon O'Toole filed this report today about The Chuck's threads:

The Chuck was wearing some new finery as evidenced today in the sleek dark pinstripe suit complimented by a delightful aubergine-hued tie. All the issues put forth earlier in this publication concerning tailoring have apparently been heeded as tonight's suit was impeccably tailored showing none of the unfortunate shoulder puckering of times past. A slight gap between the borderline anemic tie knot and the collar button crux was visible, but forgivable considering the long day.

Unfortunately the sheen of The Chuck's fashion star was made all the more bright by our friend Howard Fineman and his amazing technicolor polo shirt that was beamed via satellite from Denver. Poor Howard was actually allowed to go on-air with some Rotarian's navy-blue blazer draped over the most hideous cyan polo shirt ever to be photographed. Up until tonight, we were not aware that polo shirts could be purchased that had collars measuring in furlongs. Mid-segment they did try to tame the collar but to no avail. To that point, never let it be said that Viva Chuck Todd is not helpful; Howard if you are reading this, please click here to get the number for Brooks Brothers in Denver - ask for Franklin, he will dispatch a proper shirt and tie to your hotel immediately.

Happy 4th of July

To the Viva Chuck Todd readers and their families, have a happy and safe Independence Day.

THE WINNAH!Lee C. takes the caption contest prize

We here at the Viva Chuck Todd offices must admit two things: First, the caption contest was an unmitigated success judging from the buckets of entries we received and secondly, you're all a bunch of mean-spirited bastards who made this opportunity to savage Brokaw tantamount to a school of sharks sniffing a wounded seal. With that said, nicely done boys and girls.

The Chuck'08 mug has found a home in Omaha, Nebraska with our new friend, Lee C. - Congratulations Lee! Any representatives of Mr. Brokaw can point your wrath in that direction.

And a big thank you to all who entered. It was a tough job for us to judge the hundreds of great entries; although it did get a little easier once we weeded out the dozens of "pull my finger" captions.

This is why we loves The Chuck

Below is an excerpt from today's Newsvine Q&A with The Chuck. He addressed a wide range of topics germane to the general election ranging from biotech to the democratic VP pick. Take time to read the questions as thoroughly as The Chuck's answers. There are some extremely sharp Chuck Todd fans out there. Another reason Scarborough lights a fire under our ass when he refers to The Chuck's fans as "The kids on the Internet".

Ask Chuck's G:The Chuck's favorite G dish

Ask Chuck's G is a Q&A format column published weekly
where Chuck Todd's Grandmother will answer reader's questions.
send your questions here
Be inquisitive, funny and courteous - it is Chuck's G after all.