Your new weatherman: Lewis Black

[madinmaryland]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/09/tv.weather.black.ap/index.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Weather Channel forecast: a high-pressure system of comedy.

The cable channel will feature Lewis Black -- known for his rants on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" -- in a handful of segments starting Wednesday night.

He's the first in what the Weather Channel hopes is a series of celebrity guests.

"We're going to try a few segments to spice things up a little bit," said Terry Connelly, the network's senior vice president and general manager.

Black gets the chance to try out some of the network's forecasting maps and chat on camera with weathercaster Dave Schwartz. He also gets to deliver a few comic riffs on global warming and airport delays, Connelly said.

Connelly quietly put out the word recently, asking celebrities to drop by if they're near the company's Atlanta headquarters. Black, a closet weather fan, was quick to reply.

The Weather Channel hopes occasional celebrity guests liven what's often a staid presentation. The network has begun experimenting with a weekend morning show that puts the weathercasters on couches instead of behind desks, and is considering a weekday show that Connelly called a cross between "The View" and Martha Stewart's daytime program.

The Weather Channel does well in the ratings when, say, there's a hurricane, but needs a boost for days of more sedate weather.

"Lewis Black on the Weather Channel is unpredictable," Connelly said, "and we're in the business of predictions."

[Initech]

1. Hmmm... unpredictable comedian on an unpredictable network...

Should be quite interesting! Any word on when this airs?

[scarlett1]

2. With an Un-Predicictable forecast

LOL

[madinmaryland]

4. Wednesday nights

darn, missed him.

I'd like to see he and Jim Cantore "discuss" weather issues!!!

[Jokerman]

3. I love Lewis but I wish the Weather Channel would stick to weather

Between "Storm Stories" that preempt the local forecast and the new talk-show format on the weekends, they've just about lost me.

[madinmaryland]

5. Storm stories is getting really annoying.

I always seem to want to check the weather on the 8's during that hour, and can never get it, because they are showing some rerun of a storm.

[Fox Mulder]

6. I wish they'd just stick to weather, too.

If I wanted entertainment, I'd tune-in to a different channel, damnit.

[Dave Sund]

7. I am now listening

To his bit about weatherman right now.

[Lefty48197]

8. ANOTHER reason to watch the weather channel!

I may de-program all of the other channels from my remote.