Andrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney (born January 14, 1919) is an American radio and television writer. He became most famous as a humorist and commentator with his weekly broadcast A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney, a part of the CBS news program 60 Minutes since 1978. is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Albany. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... The word commentator has many different meanings. ... For other uses, see Journalist (disambiguation). ... is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... The word commentator has many different meanings. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... This article is about the CBS news magazine. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Youth

Rooney attended The Albany Academy in Albany, New York, and later attended Colgate University in Hamilton in upstate New York, where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity, until he was drafted into the Army in August 1941. He began his career in newspapers there, writing for Stars and Stripes in the European Theater during World War II. He later published a memoir, My War (1997) about this war reporting. In addition to recounting firsthand several notable historical events and people (like the entry into Paris, the concentration camps, etc), Rooney describes how it shaped his experience both as a writer and reporter. The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Early Childhood (age 3) to Post-Graduate. ... For other uses, see Albany. ... Colgate University is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in the Village of Hamilton in Madison County, New York, USA. It was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary, but has since become non-denominational. ... Hamilton is a village located in the Town of Hamilton in Madison County, New York. ... This article is about the state. ... Sigma Chi (ΣΧ) is one of the largest and oldest all-male, college, Greek-letter social fraternities. ... For other uses, see Army (disambiguation). ... Stars and Stripes is the newspaper published for the United States Armed Forces overseas. ... German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events (See also Events preceding World War II in Europe and Causes of World War II.) br Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a leader... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

In February 1943, flying with the Eighth Air Force, he was one of six correspondents who flew on the first American bombing raid over Germany. Later, he was one of the first American journalists to visit the German concentration camps as World War II wound down, and one of the first to write about them. For other uses, see February (disambiguation). ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force (NAF) of the major command (MAJCOM) of Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force and it is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. ... Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... Piles of bodies in a liberated Nazi concentration camp in Germany Prior to and during World War II, Nazi Germany under Hitler maintained concentration camps (Konzentrationslager, abbreviated KZ or KL) throughout the territories it controlled. ...

CBS career

Rooney joined CBS in 1949, as a writer for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, when Godfrey was at his peak on CBS radio and TV. The program was a hit, reaching number one in 1952, during Rooney's tenure with the program. He also wrote for Godfrey's daytime radio and TV show Arthur Godfrey Time. He later moved on to The Garry Moore Show, which also became a hit program. During the same period, he also wrote for CBS News public affairs programs such as The 20th Century. This article is about the broadcast network. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts (also known as Talent Scouts) was a television variety show which ran on CBS from 1948 until 1958. ... In this CBS publicity photo of Arthur Godfrey Time, vocalist Patti Clayton is seen at the far right and Godfrey sits in the foreground. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Garry Moore Show was the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. ... CBS News logo, used from Sept. ... The 20th Century was a documentary television program which ran on the CBS network from 1958 until 1970. ...

According to CBS News's biography of him, "Rooney wrote his first television essay, a longer-length precursor of the type he does on 60 Minutes, in 1964, “An Essay on Doors.” From 1962 to 1968, he collaborated with the late CBS News Correspondent Harry Reasoner —Rooney writing and producing, Reasoner narrating — on such notable CBS News specials as “An Essay on Bridges” (1965), “An Essay on Hotels” (1966), “An Essay on Women” (1967), and “The Strange Case of the English Language” (1968). “An Essay on War” (1971) won Rooney his third Writers Guild Award. In 1968, he wrote two CBS News specials in the series “Of Black America,” and his script for “Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed” won him his first Emmy." ^[1] Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist known for his use of language as a television commentator. ...

In the mid 1970s, Rooney wrote and appeared in two prime-time specials, "Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner" and "Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington." (Transcripts of these specials are contained in the book "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney."

A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney

Andy's "end-of-show" segment on 60 Minutes, A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney, began in the 1978 as a summer replacement for the debate segment Point/Counterpoint featuring Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick. The segment proved popular enough with viewers that beginning in the fall of 1978, it was seen in alternate weeks with the debate segment. At the end of the 1978-79 season, Point/Counterpoint was dropped altogether. In the segment, Rooney offers satire on a trivial everyday issue, such as the cost of groceries, annoying relatives, or faulty Christmas presents. Rooney's appearances on A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney often include whimsical lists (e.g., types of milk,^[2] bottled water brands,^[3] car brands,^[4] sports mascots,^[5] etc.). Shana Alexander (October 6, 1925 - June 23, 2005) was an American columnist. ... James J. Kilpatrick is a conservative columnist. ...

In recent years his segments have become more political, as well. For example, Rooney has become quite critical of George W. Bush and the 2003 Iraq War. Despite being known best for these segments, Rooney has always considered himself a writer who appears on television. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq without the explicit backing of the United...

His shorter television essays have been archived in numerous books, such as Common Nonsense, which came out in 2002, and Years of Minutes, released in 2003. He also has a regular syndicated newspaper column that runs in many newspapers in the United States. He has won three Emmy Awards for his essays, which now number close to 1,000. He was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Years of Minutes is a book by Andy Rooney. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An Emmy Award. ...

Rooney's often irritable and formulaic delivery of observations are frequently parodied.

Family life

He has four children, including a daughter, Emily Rooney, who is a TV talk show host and former ABC News producer; she currently hosts a nightly Boston-area public affairs program, Greater Boston, on WGBH. His son, Brian Rooney, has been a correspondent for ABC since the 1980s. Another daughter, Ellen, is a photographer based in London and Emily's identical twin. Martha, Chief of the Public Services Division at the National Library of Medicine. His wife of 62 years, Marguerite, died in 2004. He currently lives in the Rowayton section of Norwalk, Connecticut and in Rensselaerville, NY. Emily Rooney is an American journalist and former executive producer of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. ... ABC News logo ABC News Special Report ident, circa 2006 ABC News is a division of American television and radio network ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. ... Boston redirects here. ... The WGBH identity still used today WGBH is Boston, Massachusetts longtime public television and public radio station (PBS and NPR affiliates, respectively). ... Rowayton is a section of Norwalk, Connecticut. ... Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ... Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ...

Rooney is a longtime season ticket holder for the New York Giants of the National Football Conference. In sports, a season ticket is a ticket that grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. ... This article is about the current National Football League team. ... National Football Conference logo. ...

Views

He has claimed on Larry King Live to have a liberal bias, stating, "There is just no question that I, among others, have a liberal bias. I mean, I'm consistently liberal in my opinions."[1] Rooney has been rumored to be an atheist for several years. Over the years many of his editorials have poked fun at the concept of God and organized religion. Increased speculation on this was brought to a head by a series of comments he made regarding Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ (2004). In public comments he has described himself as an agnostic.[2] Though Rooney is considered by some to be 'Irish-American', he once said "I'm proud of my Irish heritage, but I'm not Irish. I'm not even Irish-American. I am American, period." Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNNs most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly. ... Liberal bias is a common phrase used in American political discourse to express the view that the American media generally has a liberal bias. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This article is about the film. ... The term agnosticism and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. ...

Andy Rooney was briefly interviewed on HBO's Da Ali G Show, where he became one of the only guests to be so annoyed by the Ali G that he furiously ended the interview several minutes into it. Before ending the interview, he repeatedly corrected Ali G when he used "does" as the conjugation of the verb "to do" in the second-person singular when addressing Rooney. When Ali G said, "I think that's an English, American thing going on," Rooney replied, "No, no. That's English. The English language is very clear. I have over fifty books on the English language if you'd like to borrow one." Da Ali G Show was the name of two related satirical TV series starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G. The original (single season) series was made by Channel 4 in the UK, and the second (two season) series by Channel 4 in the UK... Ali G (Alistair Leslie Graham) is a satirical fictional character invented and played by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. ...

Racial remarks

In 2003, an e-mail purporting to be a 60 Minutes transcript began circulating on the Internet. The e-mail assigns numerous political opinions to Rooney. Rooney claimed the remarks were not his, stating, "There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption ‘ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.’ If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him." [3]

Rooney has occasionally been accused by critics of insensitive use of ethnic and racial labels. In a 2002 commentary, Rooney addressed the use of the term "Negro" this way:

"Our thoughts about words change over the years. In 1968, I wrote a television show called 'Black History, Lost, Stolen or Strayed' for Bill Cosby. I remember being uneasy with the word 'black' because the acceptable word back then was 'Negro.' Today, I wouldn't use 'Negro.' It's a good, strong word, but now it sounds wrong to me.

"Different ethnic groups of Americans have always had terrible nicknames for each other. I remember hearing them as a kid. You don't hear them much anymore because they always make the person using them sound like such ignorant jerks.

"Italians were wops. Germans were krauts. Kikes ... Spics. Irish Catholics were "harps" or "micks." Wetbacks. Koreans or Vietnamese were "gooks." Chinks ... Slant eyes. ... Towel-heads."^[6]

He also wrote a column in 1992 that it was "silly" for Native-Americans to complain about team names like the Redskins saying, "The real problem is, we took the country away from the Indians, they want it back and we're not going to give it to them. We feel guilty and we'll do what we can for them within reason, but they can't have their country back. Next question."^[7] Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Redskins can refer to: Redskin (slang), a controversial term referring to Native Americans The Washington Redskins, a United States football team. ...

In a recent column for Tribune media services, he wrote, "I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me."^[8] Rooney later commented, "Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said it, [but] it's a name that seems common in baseball now. I certainly didn't think of it in any derogatory sense."^[9]

Remarks on Kurt Cobain's suicide

In a 1994 segment, Rooney commented on Kurt Cobain's suicide in a way that many deemed mean-spirited. Stating that he had never heard of Kurt Cobain or the band Nirvana, he went on to say that Cobain's suicide made him angry. "A lot of people would like to have the years left that he threw away," Mr. Rooney said. "What's all this nonsense about how terrible life is?" he asked, and he added, speaking rhetorically to a young woman who had wept at the suicide, "I'd love to relieve the pain you're going through by switching my age for yours." "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression, World War II or Vietnam?" "[If he] applied the same brain to his music that he applied to his drug-infested life, its reasonable to think that his music may not have made much sense either." Later, Rooney admitted that he might have been "unfair".^[10] Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. ...

Books

• Out of My Mind, 2006 (ISBN 1-58648-416-8)
• Years of Minutes, 2003 (ISBN 1-58648-211-4)
• Common Nonsense, 2002, (ISBN 1-58648-144-4)
• Sincerely, Andy Rooney, 1999 (ISBN 1-891620-34-7)
• My War, 1997 (ISBN 0-517-17986-5)
• Sweet and Sour, 1992 (ISBN 0-399-13774-2)
• Most of Andy Rooney, 1990 (ISBN 0-88365-765-1)
• Not That You Asked..., 1989 (ISBN 0-394-57837-6)
• Word for Word, 1988 (ISBN 0-399-13200-7)
• The Most of Andy Rooney, 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11864-3)
• Pieces of My Mind, 1986 (ISBN 0-689-11492-3)
• And More by Andy Rooney, 1985 (ISBN 0-517-40622-5)
• The Complete Andy Rooney, 1983 (ISBN 0-446-11219-4)
• A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney, 1981 (ISBN 0-689-11194-0)

Years of Minutes is a book by Andy Rooney. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• CBS Biography
• Archive of previous "A Few Minutes..." segments
• Andy Rooney Podcast among other CBS podcasts
• Snopes.com on Rooney E-Mail Snopes.com's article on false e-mail claims