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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Franken’s ‘Lateline’ Pokes Fun At Media

Kinney Littlefield The Orange County Register

Frankly Franken. Al Franken author, political satirist and former “Saturday Night Live” writer-actor isn’t afraid of the labels nerd, putz or dullard.

He relishes playing kindly, policy-wonky news correspondent Al Freundlich on sly, new “Nightline”-styled comedy “Lateline,” premiering Tuesday on NBC. Franken is also the series’ creator and executive producer with John Markus (“The Cosby Show”).

“I like playing the show putz,” Franken, 46, said of Freundlich, whose lack of news sense terrorizes his nightly news issues show at fictional network MFNSN (More Fun No Serious News).

“But I’ve never seen this putz before,” Franken added. “He’s kind of sweet, he is.”

Freundlich cares passionately about government policies and how they affect ordinary folks - but doesn’t understand that TV news stories must be sexy to drive ratings. His oblivious intellectualism severely taxes his astute producer, Gale Ingersoll (Megyn Price), and cutthroat executive producer, Vic Karp (Miguel Ferrer, “Twin Peaks”).

Freundlich is also a henpecked husband, a love-hungry guy who is desperate to please. In one episode, narcissistic anchor Pearce McKenzie (Robert Foxworth of “Falcon Crest”) easily manipulates Freundlich into giving him his prized tickets to a dinner with Julia Roberts.

In another, Freundlich, thinking he will take over McKenzie’s anchor seat, hones his own dippy show sign-off - “Love each other.”

“I guess I am drawn to this kind of character,” Franken said. In a way I admire people like this. I often feel passionate about things, but I’m conflicted - and I sometimes wish I was a little purer.

“And I find obliviousness funny.”

Franken is chatting from Washington, D.C., where NBC is holding special “Lateline” previews. Politicos are a built-in audience for the series. Many of them appear as themselves in sly “Lateline” cameos, usually featured on “Lateline’s” fictional newscasts.

Coming up in the six episodes set to air this spring are House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. - plus televangelist Jerry Falwell, talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy, lawyer Alan Dershowitz and many more public figures.