Glenn Beck as Howard Beale

Is it possible that art is imitating life in the case of Fox News' Glenn Beck?

In the 1976 movie "Network" writer Paddy Chayefsky's brilliant script tells the story of network news anchor Howard Beale, played by Peter Finch, who after some personal tragedies becomes depressed, drinks heavily as the ratings for the evening news broadcast decline. President of the news division Max Schumacher, played by William Holden, is forced to fire Beale, giving him two weeks left on the air.

Ending the following evening's newscast Beale announces live that he will commit suicide on next Tuesday broadcast. His boss and old friend Schumacher agrees to let Beale do one more broadcast the following night at Beale's request so the news anchor can apologize and leave the business with some dignity.

Beale does just the opposite going into a tirade about life. A tirade that would make any of today's cable show's host proud.

The network loves Beale's tirade as ratings soar (sound familiar) and decide to keep him on the air extending the newscast to an hour. The program's ratings soar and the show becomes number one in the ratings. But when Beale decides speak out regarding the truth about a pending corporate merger he tries to get stopped, things change. One of the companies involved is the parent company of Beale's network.

If the deal is stopped by Beale, money will be lost.

The corporation’s CEO Arthur Jensen speaks to the news anchor and Beale who has become insane believes Jensen is God saying, "I have seen the face of God."  Beale agrees to speak only about the good of the corporation and all corporations. Once he does this of course, he show becomes boring to his audience and his ratings fall.

Enter Glenn Beck who describes himself on his show as being like Howard Beale in that he was also "mad as hell."

 I'm not certain whether Beck meant mad as hell at the world or mad as hell in that he's nuts.

 But in turning good this week in his pulling back from him calling President Obama a "racist" and "a guy over and over and over again who has a deep seed hatred of white people..."

 He then went on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial to make a speech that spoke of God and how the crowd should pray and pray for their children. No hate, no lies, no President Obama bashing, no Nazi references.

Has Glenn Beck "seen the face of God" and if so will he now as the fictional character Beale did preach only about God and prayer?

If so, does he risk losing his fanatic audience that gets empowered and motivated by Beck's hateful race baiting, religious intolerance, misinformed labeling of individuals and other such divisive nonsense?

In an April 2010 Forbes magazine article, Glenn Beck Inc, Beck told reporter Lacy Rose, "I could give a crap about the political process." In that interview Beck also said this about his company, "We're and entertainment company."

Why would Beck risk the $32,000,000 that his company earned in the preceding 12 months ending March 1, 2010 by trying to be inclusive, compassionate, thoughtful and truthful?

Remember what happened to Howard Beale's ratings when he did that.