Pat Buchanan got so riled up during a discussion last night about Geraldine Ferraro’s controversial comments that he yelled out “shut up” at pundit Keli Goff during an on-air debate. Liberal talker Rachel Maddow ended up scolding him for the outburst, and MSNBC host Dan Abrams was noticeably shaken:

What did you think of Buchanan’s style?

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Update, 11:15 p.m.: Abrams tells Big Head DC that the rumor is “not true.”

Original: Staffers are buzzing, but details still being sorted out regarding the 9 p.m. ET cable talk show host and former general manager of MSNBC. Other sources within the walls of MSNBC tell us they’d be shocked if Dan Abrams left the net, although we can confirm that the former Court TV star was more than peeved when he learned that Rosie O’Donnell was being considered as his on-air replacement behind his back earlier this year.

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A few blogs this week picked up on an item originating from Jossip saying Dan Abrams found out about Rosie possibly taking his time slot by reading the good ‘ol NY Times. Kind of ironic then that his featured segment each night is “Beat The Press.” Rest assured, Dan, it looks like your higher-ups found out that Rosie may not be the one after all by reading her very own blog.

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Dan Abrams is not having a good year. First, he was “excused” from his duties as MSNBC General Manager to focus on the inevitable battle for third place at 9 p.m. Then, he poorly managed the whole David Shuster/Rep. Marsha Blackburn debacle — an issue that spiraled as a result of Abrams bad judgments.

Now, he has decided to defend Chris “I swear I’m not partisan yet I attack the GOP during a boring book party last week” Matthews on the eve of the destined-to-be low rated GOP debate that Matthews is co-moderating in Michigan today. How does he defend Matthews? By going after Brit Hume, FNC Washington Managing Editor and host of Special Report with Brit Hume during his “Beat the Press” segment last night.

Seriously? One more time… Seriously? Read more…

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Some wacky stuff happened in our media world over the past several days, and we’re still trying to sort it all out. A friend suggested that writing our thoughts down in a list form might help. After pondering the top stories at Digg (”ten pen tricks to do when you’re not jacking off” and “five ways to make your chest bigger” ), we figured everybody likes lists anyways, so why the hell not:

1) Why did MSNBC bail on reporter David Shuster for asking Rep. Marsha Blackburn a simple question?

The net’s soon-to-be former General Manager Dan Abrams made Shuster issue an apology to Blackburn on-air after he asked the congresswoman to name the last soldier to die from her district. When Blackburn didn’t know the answer, Shuster said that Jeremy Bohannon was that person — which soon became a source of controversy, with some conservatives saying that Bohannon was not from Blackburn’s district. Before that important detail could be sorted out, Abrams made an unhappy Shuster apologize because he thought Shuster had gotten it wrong. In the end, it turned out that Bohannon was from Blackburn’s district.

Hopefully Abrams made it up to Shuster in private — not that he has much incentive to do so, since he’s in the process of leaving his management job to become the permanent host of the network’s 9 p.m. hour, which was vacated by Joe Scarborough earlier this year.

Media Madness Ranking:  (3) Patrick Gavins  Read more…

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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is saying that MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson, despite his explanation yesterday, must apologize for remarks he made on-air on Tuesday night that appear to condone violent assault against homosexuals.

“The statement is not only a failed attempt to justify Carlson’s advocacy of violence, but also changes key details of the previous night’s on-air story,” according to a GLAAD press release obtained by Big Head DC. “First, Carlson does not repeat his assertion that he ‘hit him against the stall with his head,’ instead changing his story to say that he ’seized the man and held him down until a security guard arrived.’ The security guard element is also newly invented. In his on-air statement, Carlson said that ‘the cops came and arrested him.’”

GLAAD has called MSNBC Managing Editor Dan Abrams’ office to discuss NBC News and MSNBC’s response to Carlson’s behavior. If he does not apologize, insiders expect that gay leaders and advocates will ask for him to be fired.

Earlier: Wonder How Mrs. Tucker Carlson Feels About This?

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On Dan Abrams’ MSNBC program tonight Pat Buchanan, looking old and confused, really stuck his foot in it when he intimated that being gay is a disease. Salon’s liberal editor Joan Walsh yelled at him during the segment, saying she strongly disagrees. And the show’s host, who tends not to show much bias when doing political reporting, even called Buchanan on the argument.

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This story was first reported on Big Head DC.

UPDATE, 6 p.m.: Tucker Carlson released this statement today, clarifying the molesting incident:

Let me be clear about an incident I referred to on MSNBC last night: In the mid-1980s, while I was a high school student, a man physically grabbed me in a men’s room in Washington, DC. I yelled, pulled away from him and ran out of the room. Twenty-five minutes later, a friend of mine and I returned to the men’s room. The man was still there, presumably waiting to do to someone else what he had done to me. My friend and I seized the man and held him until a security guard arrived.

Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing. That’s absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn’t angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me.

Original report, August 28, 9:21 p.m.: To shocked reactions and snickers from Joe Scarborough and Dan Abrams tonight on MSNBC, conservative talker Tucker Carlson recalled that he was approached as a teen by another male to perform sexual relations in a Georgetown Park bathroom.

When asked how he responded to the situation, Carlson said he asked a buddy to help him beat in the accoster’s skull. And they did!

View the shocking video after the jump. Read more…

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