Since joining Twitter early last year, now-former Countdown host Keith Olbermann has become one of the platform’s most loquacious users, tweeting more frequently than a meth-tweaked canary. All of that came to an abrupt end in the hour before his Friday announcement that he, and his show, were leaving MSNBC. 
 
 Saturday night, though, Olbermann-watchers saw the first sign of post-Countdown life from his Twitter feed: an update to his profile which read “WATCHTHISSPACE MLB.com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14.” 
 
 At this point, very little should be read into this, but that won’t stop people from trying. The New York Daily News speculates that maybe the update signifies a return to sports for the former Sportscenter co-anchor: 
 
 Since his sudden split with MSNBC, Keith Olbermann could be going back to his roots – at least on Twitter. “W A T C H T H I S S P A C E MLB.Com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14,” he wrote on his biography line– the only update he’s written on his usually prolific account since Friday evening. 
 
 They go on to note that a return to ESPN is unlikely, for a variety of reasons that Sportsgrid details here. 
 
 The problem here is that promoting the Baseball Nerd blog is nothing new to Olbermann’s Twitter feed, and so “Watch this space” isn’t necessarily related to it. If Olbermann does remain silent until February 14, though, you can bet that will be the most widely-read edition to date. 
 
 In any case, those watching Olbermann’s feed for dirty laundry, or laundry of any kind, regarding his departure from MSNBC are likely in for a big disappointment. As much as it’s probably killing the normally-outspoken Olbermann, news accounts from respected journalists generally concur that the terms of his exit include some kind of gag order. 
 
 Much more likely is the prospect that Olbermann will share, in fairly short order, some level of detail about his future plans. Ironically, his departure has elevated his Twitter feed to near-Sarah Palin status, anticipation-wise. The parallel has been noted by some conservatives on Twitter, who wondered if Olbermann could continue to slam Palin for resigning the Alaska Governorship, which caused Olbermann to dub Palin the “former Half-Governor.” (This says more about their attitudes about the gravity of elected office than anything else.) 
 
 In that vein, it would be a satirical masterstroke if Olbermann emerged from Twitter exile to tweet about “Death Panels,” as they relate to cuts to transplant funding in Arizona. 
 
 Either way, Olbermann has to be aware that his status as a Palin-level Twitter celebrity has a short shelf-life, and if he wants to use the platform to promote his next move, sooner is better than later. 
 
 Update: On Sunday, perhaps in response to the Daily News’ speculation, the message on Olbermann’s Twitter profile was tweaked to more clearly separate the messages. It now reads “W A T C H__________T H I S__________S P A C E (Also: MLB.Com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14)” ||||| cable news news Keith Olbermann Has Reportedly Been Negotiating His Exit for a While 
 
 After Keith Olbermann suddenly announced his departure last night, some speculated that the impending NBC-Comcast merger played a role. NBC executives quickly denied any Comcast involvement in the decision. But how did it all really go down? Details are trickling in, and early anonymous sources say Olbermann was not flat-out fired. However, most outlets are also reporting that Olbermann and network brass have long been butting heads. 
 
 According to TMZ, the exit was partially about money: "Olbermann's agent went to NBC complaining that Keith was underpaid," the site reports. "NBC execs told Olbermann's agent they would not cough up more money. Network execs were well aware that Comcast wanted Keith gone because he was 'a loose cannon that could not be controlled.' It became clear to both sides that Olbermann's days were numbered and they began negotiating an exit, completed just before airtime Friday night." Under the deal, Olbermann is allegedly barred from appearing on television for a certain period of time, but he will reappear soon with "a presence on the Internet," where all fugitives of the television end up. 
 
 Deadline reports a similar story: "This was all Keith's choice. He has said several times over the years said that he wants out of his contract." The site says he began negotiating his out a few months ago, but, "because of all the false threats in the past, it was impossible for the network to know if he was really going to sign the final document." Even his own staff learned he was quitting when they heard him say it on TV. 
 
 And the New York Times concurs that NBC and Olbermann have been in negotiations to end Olbermann's run for weeks. The Times notes: "Mr. Olbermann had butted heads with his superiors long before the Comcast deal, including Phil Griffin, the top MSNBC executive ... and NBC’s management had been close to firing Mr. Olbermann before." One executive said Comcast "dreaded the prospect" of being blamed if Olbermann were to quit soon after the takeover. 
 
 Only the New York Post reported that Olberamnn was "unceremoniously dumped," but the paper also repeatedly refers to him as "a garrulous gasbag." So. ||||| Image Credit: Olbermann: Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Sorkin: Valer Now that Keith Olbermann is leaving MSNBC, could he be setting his sights on Hollywood and Aaron Sorkin’s next TV project? The Golden Globe-winning scribe behind The Social Network has long had a pilot script in the works about a cable news show, and Olbermann could be tapped to contribute rants, says a source familiar with the project. 
 
 Sorkin spent time on Olbermann’s set while penning the behind-the-scenes script (think Sports Night meets Countdown), something he did while juggling The Social Network and working on an early draft of the upcoming film Moneyball (starring Brad Pitt). Sorkin recently told BBC News that he also shadowed Chris Matthews and Fox News and that he’s working with HBO on the project. (Unfortunately, the pay cabler is not confirming anything.) 
 
 Any network giving serious consideration to Sorkin’s next series may want to wait until Tuesday’s Oscar nominations to make a bigger publicity splash since it seems all but guaranteed that Hollywood’s premier scribe will snag a screenplay nod for The Social Network. Sorkin already won a Golden Globe for writing the movie, which was also recognized as the year’s best drama flick by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In addition, Sorkin scored a BATFTA nomination. 
 
 Should the behind-the-scenes script become a series, it’s practically a given that Sorkin would call upon his trusted allies to help carry out his vision. Besides Olbermann’s potential contribution, Emmy-winning scribes like Kevin Falls (Franklin & Bash) and Eli Attie (House M.D.) — both of whom worked on The West Wing – could help Sorkin run the show, while Thomas Schlamme would be a natural to direct. And what do you say, Sorkin; how about Bradley Whitford as Olbermann’s doppelganger? Stay tuned. ||||| Sources tell Mediaite Keith Olbermann and MSNBC were headed for a breakup long before Comcast’s rise to power, but clearly something set the divorce into motion quickly today, with network promos set to run touting Olbermann’s role in MSNBC’s coverage of next week’s State of the Union address–and, notably, a Keith Olbermann promo running on MSNBC in the hour after the host signed off and left the network. 
 
 MSNBC executives have long planned for the day the network’s star might be sent packing, and the rise of Rachel Maddow at MSNBC–along with the grooming of Lawrence O’Donnell as a potential replacement for Olbermann–appears to have hastened the host’s departure. 
 
 
 
 While Olbermann and his iconic Countdown have been immensely important in the resurgence of MSNBC, Olbermann’s friction with management has been a sticking point. At many points–including the recent suspension over political contributions–tensions rose so high as to lead to serious discussions inside MSNBC about firing their star. 
 
 With Maddow enjoying both immense popularity inside MSNBC and very strong ratings for her Rachel Maddow Show, Olbermann’s invincibility as the heart and soul of MSNBC’s brand became softer. In recent weeks, sources tell Mediaite there have been meetings on the topic of Keith Olbermann and his future at the network. Did Comcast–as many Countdown viewers seem to suspect–order Olbermann out? It appears that the end of the Olbermann era at MSNBC was not “ordered” by Comcast, nor was it a move to tone down the network’s politics. Instead, sources inside the network say it came down to the more mundane world of office politics–Olbermann was a difficult employee, who clashed with bosses, colleagues and underlings alike, and with the Comcast-related departure of Jeff Zucker, and the rise of Maddow and O’Donnell, the landscape shifted, making an Olbermann exit suddenly seem well-timed. 
 
 The blunt, brief statement of Olbermann’s final day, compared to the long, lush programming memo that makes no mention of Olbermann suggests that while the timing may not have been set, the foundation had been laid for today’s move. 
 
 Update: Brian Stelter reports the following statement from Comcast: 
 
 “Comcast has not closed the transaction for NBCU and has no operational control at any of its properties including MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was announced that we would not interfere with NBCU’s news operations. We have not & we will not.” 
 
 Watch Olbermann’s Sign-off below: 
 
 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| Keith Olbermann, the former MSNBC anchor, will host a prime time program for Current TV, the low-rated cable channel co-founded by Al Gore. The one-hour program will begin sometime in the spring. 
 
 Mr. Olbermann will also become the chief news officer for Current, the company said in a news release Tuesday. 
 
 “We are delighted to provide Keith with the independent platform and freedom that Current can, and does uniquely offer,” Mr. Gore said in a statement. 
 
 Original story | Keith Olbermann, the former top-rated host on the news channel MSNBC, will announce his next television home on Tuesday, and people on Monday familiar with his plans pointed to a deal with the public affairs channel Current TV. 
 
 Mr. Olbermann, his representatives and executives from Current TV declined to comment on the move, but they did not deny that the channel, which counts former Vice President Al Gore as one of its founders, will become at least one partner in Mr. Olbermann’s future media plans. 
 
 One of the people with knowledge of the plans said Mr. Olbermann would have an equity stake in Current TV. The people insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized by their employers to comment in advance of the official announcement. 
 
 On Monday a public relations agency hired by Mr. Olbermann scheduled a Tuesday morning conference call for an announcement about his next job. “He and his new partners will make an exciting announcement regarding the next chapter in his remarkable career,” the agency wrote in an e-mail. 
 
 
 
 Current TV has set up a presentation with advertisers for Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan to announce its future plans. The channel may be betting on Mr. Olbermann to put it on the cable map. The low-rated five-year-old channel needs the help. Targeting young people, it originally subsisted on YouTube-style submissions and video journalists. More recently it started producing and acquiring traditional television series, like repeats of “This American Life.” 
 
 Mr. Olbermann departed MSNBC in January after some stormy interactions with management, including a suspension for contributing to political candidates. The settlement of his contract precluded his joining another television outlet for an undetermined period of time, but an announcement of a future assignment on Current TV would presumably not violate the terms of that deal as long as he did not start until after the agreed-upon waiting period. 
 
 A move to Current TV would challenge Mr. Olbermann’s fans of his MSNBC show — where he drew about a million viewers a night — to follow him to a channel that is considerably less accessible. Current TV is available in only about 60 million homes, and is usually provided only on the digital tier of cable television systems, which requires a separate receiver. MSNBC, which is owned by NBC Universal, is available in 85 million homes and is almost always available as a basic cable entry. 
 
 But the addition of Mr. Olbermann, the former sports anchor who made himself a progressive star at MSNBC, would surely elevate the channel, bringing it attention it has never before received. 
 
 With Current TV, Mr. Olbermann would also gain a measure of independence. Unlike most cable channels, including MSNBC, which are owned by large media companies, Current is privately and independently owned by Mr. Gore and other backers. 
 
 It is also possible that Mr. Olbermann will separately pursue other ventures, like an Internet destination. 
 
 Speculation has surrounded Mr. Olbermann since he abruptly left his job at MSNBC. He has been savoring the speculation, even posting a link on Twitter on Monday afternoon to a countdown clock for his announcement. 
 
 The abruptness of Mr. Olbermann’s departure last month suggested that he already had lined up another media job. The Internet domain name TheOlbermannShow.com was registered two days before his televised goodbye. A few days afterward, he set up a new Twitter account, called “FOKNewsChannel,” short for “Friends of Keith.” 
 
 The departure came just days before Comcast took control of NBC, leading some to suspect that he was forced out by Comcast — an assertion that the companies vigorously denied. Comcast owns a 10 percent stake in Current TV.
– Details of Keith Olbermann’s abrupt exit from MSNBC—as well as what’s in store for him now—are trickling out. The latest: Olbermann’s exit package was “well in excess” of $7 million, sources tell TMZ. The deal includes a clause that benches Olbermann for a while—at least when it comes to television—but sources claim he’ll only have to sit out for four-and-a-half months or less. The New York Times has a different estimate, citing executives involved in the deal: Olbermann must stay off TV for six to nine months, and can’t talk about his departure, although he can work on the Internet or in radio. His exit comes after years of behind-the-scenes conflict at MSNBC, the Times reports, noting that Jeff Zucker was one step away from firing him during his campaign contributions brouhaha in November. The usually prolific Olbermann has tweeted only once since his departure, and the message—apparently since removed—read “WATCHTHISSPACE MLB.com Baseball Nerd blog returns 2/14.” Of course, that sparked all sorts of speculation that Olbermann may return to his sports roots. But Olbermann has often promoted his Baseball Nerd blog, Mediaite notes, so the message could mean … nothing. Next up for Olbermann: Writing for TV with Aaron Sorkin? A source tells Entertainment Weekly Sorkin has a pilot script about a cable news show in the works—he even shadowed Olbermann while writing it—and he might tap Olbermann to contribute rants. Click for more on what may have been behind Olbermann’s departure.