Olbermann started his "Keeping Tabs" segment by relaying the story of Elton John's offer to perform a private concert for a substantial fee. He then played a clip of John shouting "rude, vile pig" at paparazzi members, and joked that the clip was a preview of one of John's songs. The Countdown host then flamboyantly pretended to be excited that this song might be played at the concert and, in an over-the-top manner, repeatedly shouted, "Rude, vile pig!" as he pumped his fists while the video screen beside him displayed a picture of Limbaugh. After quickly reassembling his composure, Olbermann immediately transitioned into an update on Limbaugh's legal problems by saying, "Which brings us to the latest on the Rush Limbaugh investigation."
A complete transcript of Olbermann's presentation of the Elton John story and the subsequent Rush Limbaugh story follows. Video excerpt: RealPlayer or Windows Media
Keith Olbermann: "And Christmas is our tenuous segue from that story to our nightly romp through the self-indulgent world of entertainment and celebrity, that which we call 'Keeping Tabs.' Not just Christmas but the newest high-priced item available in the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalogue, Sir Elton John. That's right. Along with the $20,000 personal photo booth, the $200,000 rideable toy train set, and the Lexus Hybrid for $65,000, your own personal 90-minute Elton John concert is available. You and 499 friends can be entertained by the rocker for a mere million and a half, all of which goes to Elton's AIDS foundation. That would be $3,000 a person, by the way. But, for a limited time, we here at Countdown can offer you this free no-obligation preview."
Elton John clip #1: "Rude, vile pig! You know what that means? Rude, vile pig! All of you!"
John clip #2: "Pig! Pig!"
Olbermann, shouting and waving his fists: "Woohoo! He's doing 'Rude Vile Pig'! Light some matches! Maybe he'll sing it again! Rude, vile pig! Rude, vile pig!"
Olbermann, after quickly reassembling his composure: "Which brings us to the latest on the Rush Limbaugh investigation. The assistant state's attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, is asking the courts there to let him talk to Limbaugh's doctors in an effort to expedite the investigation, he says, and out of an abundance of caution. That actually translates as, 'They want to ask the doctors if the radio host is guilty of doctor shopping,' getting a lot of prescriptions for a lot of pain killers from a lot of different physicians. If so, it would be a blockbuster story."
