The Bumbler, the Dictator, and the Senator

by Catherine Giordano

Seth Rogen was a guest on Bill Maher’s season finale (episode #37 which aired on 11/21/14. See Tis the Season to be Stupid.)  He was on to publicize his new movie, The Interview. He needn’t have bothered. The film is not going to be released. 

Rogen has made a career in the movies of playing buffoonish jerks in a series of sophomoric movies high on the gross-out factor. It’s all in good fun until it isn’t. Rogen’s new movie, “The Interview” is the movie that went too far. They never should have lampooned Kim Jong Un. Anyone can see that he doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. 

I can understand why Kim Jong Un is upset. In the movie, Kim Jong Un is made out to be a fool. And to be fair, most of the world sees him as a fool. He strikes me as a great-big spoiled baby. In the movie, Kim Jong Un is assassinated. I can see why he would be unhappy. Would you like your death to be ridiculed? 

What does a spoiled baby do when he gets angry? He throws a great big tantrum. It can be loud and messy, but a baby can’t do much harm. But Kim Jong Un is the dictator of a country.  He’s a very sensitive man-child.  His feelings are hurt and he has the resources of a country at his disposal to get even. 

First, there was the hacking of Sony, the company that produced the film. The firm’s private emails and other data were hacked and exposed to the world to embarrass and damage Sony. It’s been pretty conclusively proven that North Korea is behind the hacking, although the hackers are still anonymous. 

The hacking was a big heaping slice of revenge, but evidently not enough. The hackers have upped the ante. They have threatened devastation on any theater that shows the movie. So Sony had to cancel the December 25^th release of the movie.   

Now you can see this.
Keep reading
to learn how.

Senator John McCain (R AZ) has called the cancellation of the film’s release “deeply troubling.” I agree. It is a very bad precedent to allow terrorists censor our freedom of speech.  Who will be the next terrorist group to threaten an act of terrorism because they don’t like a movie? The world just got more dangerous by several orders of magnitude. Will we allow our entertainment industry to be taken as a hostage? 

Yet, cancelling the release of the movie was the prudent thing to do. No one could take the risk that the hackers would make good on their threat. (Imagine the liability claims if the movie was shown and a theater was blown up or shot up and people were hurt and killed.  How many people would want to go to the movie or even go anywhere near a movie theater with that kind of threat hanging over them? 

Seth Rogen and everyone involved were very arrogant. They could have made the movie a roman à clef. A fictional dictator in a fictional country.  But instead they were brazen about it.
 

CLICK HERE
You can buy this.

 

Rogen seemed pretty happy about the movie on Maher's show in mid November.  He said, "The premise of this movie is brilliant." Maybe the lesson in the whole The Interview mess is be careful who you mess with.

P.S.:Rogen and the big stars will survive this.They will go on to their next movie. I feel sorry for the actor with a small role, his first role in a major motion picture, who saw this movie as his big break.This is really hard for him.

How to see The Interview
You can now watch the movie in a few select theaters around the country and on YouTube. It will cost you nothing to see the trailer, but $5.99 to see the full movie.  (When the video starts, click the "X "to make the ad go away.)

Bill Maher’s Guests:  #337, November 21, 2014

 

John Cleese: Actor, comedian, film producer and author of several books. His latest book is Say Anyway… 
 

Seth Rogen: Actor, comedian. His most recent movie is The Neighbors. 

Christia Freeland: Journalist, politician, author of Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else 

 

Chris Mathews: Host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Mathews and author of several books.  His most recent book is Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked 

 

Roland Martin: Journalist, host of TV One News and author of Speak Brother: A Black Man’s View of America

 

Bill Maher #337 Headline Predictions Winter 2014



by Catherine Giordano  

The hottest new toy for Christmas:
"Hands Up, Elmo"*

Whenever HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher goes on hiatus, he devotes the mid-show comedy segment to a series of predictions for newspaper headlines for the period he will be off the air. The November 21, 2014 sow which was the final on for 2014 was no exception.  Maher gave us a slew of ridiculous and funny predictions

 

Whenever HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher goes on hiatus, he devotes the mid-show comedy segment to a series of predictions for newspaper headlines for the period he will be off the air. The November 21, 2014 sow which was the final on for 2014 was no exception.  Maher gave us a slew of ridiculous and funny predictions.

 

For example: 

 

• Amazon to Offer Baby Delivery
• Anthropologists Find Woman Untouched by Bill Cosby
• Pope Francis OK with Just About Everything
• San Francisco Bans Straight Marriage
• U.S Tour of Liberian Monkeys Sees Low Ticket Sales
• Bruce Jenner to Plastic Surgeon: Give me Renee Zellweger’s Old Face

See the video clip. 

 



 

As is now becoming my custom, whenever Maher does this bit, I try to see if I can top him with some of my own predictions.

 

What do you think of these?

• Hottest New Toy for Christmas is “Hands Up, Elmo.”
• Palin Tweets: “Santa is a Liberal.”
• “Elf-on-a-Shelf” is Favorite for Republican Nomination for President

Do you have a headline prediction? Add it to the comments.

 

*Note: The real name of this toy is Sesame Street: My Peek-Boo-Elmo Toy. CLICK HERE to see more information about this toy.

Read the full review and recap of this episode of Real Time with Bill Maher: Tis the Season to be Stupid

 

 

Bill Maher’s Guests:  #337, November 21, 2014

 

John Cleese: Actor, comedian, film producer and author of several books. His latest book is Say Anyway… 

Seth Rogen: Actor, comedian. His most recent movie is The Neighbors. 

Christia Freeland: Journalist, politician, author of Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else 

 

Chris Mathews: Host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Mathews and author of several books.  His most recent book is Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked 

 

Roland Martin: Journalist, host of TV One News and author of Speak Brother: A Black Man’s View of America



Bill Maher Wishes You Merry Thankshallowismas

This year give kindness.

by Catherine Giordano

News Flash: Bill Maher may be an atheist, but he likes Christmas. On RealTime with Bill Maher, episode 337 which aired on November 21, 2014, Maher said “I kinda like the story about the virgin who has a little god-baby in the barn. As a fable, it is kinda cute.” I feel the same. I intend to have a merry secular Chistmas.  Or maybe a merry Thankshallowwismas.  

Maher proposed that we have just one end-of- the- year holiday and call it Thankshallowismas.  “The whole family gets together in costume and gives thanks for a big meal of turkey and candy and then gathers around a tree decorated with toilet paper to exchange presents and tell ghost carols.”   

Maher noted that when the subject of Christmas comes up, “So many people roll their eyes and say ‘I hate Christmas.’” There are even books and movies named How to Survive Christmas, Christmas Sucks, Skipping Christmas, Surviving Christmas. 

Maher wants to save Christmas. He wants to make the season joyous once again. 

Maher wants to save Christmas by reducing the stress many people feel around the holiday—especially the stress of gift-giving.  In New Rules, he named the segment about Christmas “Present Tense.” He said, “If we really want to get rid of the Christmas stress, we have to get rid of the gift-giving. Spending money you don’t have to give people you don’t like sutff they don’t want. That’s gotta stop. All that anxiety of what to get, what to spend, and if I get something for this one do I have to get something for that one.“  

I have decided not to give stuff. Instead I will give kindness. I suggest everyone give kindness. To get it started, I wrote an article about kindness. Make My Day: Quotes on Kindness from Famous People.  My article inspired me to do something kind for everyone I know or encounter. (It’s my New Year’s Resolution starting on December 1.) I hope it will inspire you also. (In addition to the quotes, I include suggestions for kind words and acts.) 

Here’s the YouTtube video of the complete segment on New Rules.

 

 

 

Kindness is the best gift. Unless, of course, you were thinking of using one of my links to purchase a gift from amazon.com in which case I urge you to give that gift. 

 

Read the full review and recap of episode 337, November  11/21/14 here: Tis the Season to Be Stupid

 

Bill Maher’s Guests:  #337, November 21, 2014

 

John Cleese: Actor, comedian, film producer and author of several books. His latest book is Say Anyway… 

 

Seth Rogen: Actor, comedian. His most recent movie is The Neighbors. 

Christia Freeland: Journalist, politician, author of Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else

 

Chris Mathews: Host of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Mathews and author of several books.  His most recent book is Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked 

 

Roland Martin: Journalist, host of TV One News and author of Speak Brother: A Black Man’s View of America

Bill Maher #336: President Mitt McCain

President Mitt-McCain

by Catherine Giordano

On New Rules, Bill Maher railed against people who don’t vote because … just because.  And then they complain that nothing ever changes.  “You know how you get change, you vote.”

It DOES make a difference!

On Real Time with Bill Maher, episode #336, which aired ON 11/14/14, Maher specifically mentioned Florida where I live. Turnout was very low especially in the Democratic areas of the state. Maher said, "Charlie Crist losing to Rick Scott would have made a difference to the 700,000 people who would have gotten health insurance through Medicaid if Crist was governor." I wonder how many of that 700,000 couldn’t be bothered to vote? Crist lost by 66,000 votes.

(Medicare is important, but Florida will suffer in so many ways from this last election.)

Maher talked about Obama. So Obama failed to meet every one of your expectations. “The choice is not between the perfect Obama in your head and the real one who went to Washington.” Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So Crist wasn’t a perfect candidate, but he was much, much better than Scott.

Then Maher showed us the world under “President Mitt McCain”  Scary and very funny.

Think about President Mitt McCain the next time you don’t vote because it doesn’t make a difference or because the candidate just doesn’t excite you. I'll paraphrase Maher--you're selecting who is going to hold office, not a lover. 

You can read the full recap and review of this episode here:

Real Time with Bill Maher #336 11/14/14 “Revelations”

Here's the New Rules video clip.

 

CLICK HERE

 

Bill Maher’s Guests: November 14, 2014

Rand Paul:  Senator (R, KY), and author (with Ron Paul) of Government Bullies: How Everyday Americans are Being Harassed, Abused, and Imprisoned by the Fed   

Martin Short:  Actor, comedian, and author of several books. His most recent book is I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend 

Margaret Hoover: Political commentator and author of American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party 

Andrew Sullivan: Former editor of The New Republic, blogger in chief at The Dish and author of six books.  His most recent book is Love Undetectable: Notes on Friendship, Sex, and Survival  

Jeremy Scahill: Journalist and author of two books.  His most recent book is Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield

 

Working Harder; Getting Poorer: Bill Maher Interviews Linda Tirado

CLICK HERE

By Catherine Giordano

Linda Tirado, with hard work and a lot of good luck, pulled herself up by her bootstraps.  She explained poverty to the rest of us in the interview segment on Real Time with Bill Maher, episode #335, which aired on November 7, 2014.  

Her good luck began when she did a post on gawker which got picked up by Huffington Post. This led to a book deal. She said, sarcastically, “That would be Mitt Romney’s answer to poverty. ‘Why don’t you get a book deal?’” (Remember, during the campaign, Mitt Romney said poor people should start a business by borrowing money from their parents. He wasn’t being sarcastic or ironic; he was just totally clueless.) 

 

Read it here. This is Why Poor People’s Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense

The article is written with raw honesty.  The prose is not polished—it reads like something dashed off at 3am in the morning, and that is what make is so affecting and effective.  



Linda Tirado

Linda Tirado also talked about how people look down on poor people “for not properly wearing their hair shirt." She said that everyone is allowed to have vices, except poor people. It is a form of poor-shaming. 

Maher and Tirado also laughed at the McDonalds Employee Handbook which recommends good health practices.

• Get daily exercise: The only exercise poor people have time for is running from their second job to their third job. 

• Eat well:. Poor people can’t afford to buy nutritious food and they don’t have time to prepare good meals.  They need to grab something fast and cheap as they rush to their next job.  What is fast and cheap—McDonalds.

• Get enough sleep:  When a poor person is holding down two or three low paying part time jobs (and sometimes also raising kids and going to school), eight hours sleep is a luxury they can’t afford.

I’ve been poor. I don’t recommend it.

 

 

Read the full review and recap for this episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, titled: Talking Nice.

 

 

CLICK HERE

P.S.: I wrote a post about work. How to Work Harder, Smarter, Better: Quotes from Famous People on Work. It includes “rules” for work based on inspirational quotes from famous people.  I doubt that any of these quotes would have helped Ms.Tirado--I'm sure she would have laughed at me if I had given them to her when she was poor--but they may help you.

Be sure and read her book, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, if you want to understand what it is like to be poor in America. You should also read by Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. (Click the links for more information and reviews plus a peak inside.)

 

Bill Maher’s Guests for November 7, 2014

Linda Tirado: Author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America, a book about what it is like to live in poverty in America 

Bernie Sanders: Senator (I, VT), author of Bernie Sanders’ 2010 Filibuster on Corporate Greed: An Historic Speech

 

Robert Costa: Political reporter for the Washington Post 

Kristen Soltis Anderson: Co-founder of Echelon Insights, a Republican opinion research firm, columnist for The Daily Beast, author of The New Vote. 

Lisa Kudrow: Actress, currently starring in Showtime’s Web Therapy and HBO’s The Comeback

#ShowMeYourPeanuts Sugar is Poison

by Catherine Giordano

A few months ago Robert Lustig was a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher. 

I wrote a recap of the interview at Robert Lustig--Fed Up. Robert Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist, author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease and a featured expert in the new documentary, Fed-Up.

On October 26, John Oliver took on the subject of sugar and raised the volume several hundred notches as Oliver is prone to do. In this hilarious segment, Oliver demonstrates the harmful effects of sugar and shows how much hidden sugar Americans consume. 

 

Oliver suggests that food labels stop reporting the amount of sugar in products as the number of grams—no one understands grams. He wants the sugar content be reported as the number of circus peanuts—a type of candy that Oliver calls “the most disgusting candy ever."

He then suggests that everyone encourage food manufacturers to adopt this new standard by tweeting using the hash tag “SHOWMEYOURPEANUTS."

 

Enjoy the video clip of John Oliver’s segment.

 

 

Now watch Bill Maher’s interview with Robert Lustig for a more serious take on the subject.  John Oliver opened his segment talking about Halloween costumes. If you want a really scary Halloween costume, go as a sugar cube. I think you will agree after watching this video.


CLICK HERE FOR THE DVD

 

 

 

Bill Maher: Meet Roy Zimmerman

CLICK HERE

by Catherine Giordano

Roy Zimmerman is a humorist and satirist, just as Bill Maher is, except Zimmerman does his stand-up in song as he accompanies himself on the guitar.

Zimmerman is brilliant. His satire is spot on. His comedic timing is superb. His expressive face adds as much to his presentation as his hilarious words. His targets are politics, religion, and the unholy mix of politics and religion.  If Bill Maher ever wants an opening act for his performances, he should get Roy Zimmerman.

Right now, Zimmerman is doing his “Blue Dot” tour. If you have a chance to see him, grab it. You absolutely must see him perform in person. You can find Roy Zimmerman’s schedule here: Blue Dot Tour.  

If Zimmerman is appearing anywhere near your area and you can offer him a venue, contact him. He may be able to squeeze in a performance for you. He did that for the Orlando Humanist Association on Sunday, October 26, 2014. He left my throat raw from laughing, and my hands red from clapping.  

Here is a video clip to give you a taste.

 

If you can’t see Roy Zimmerman in person, the next best thing is to get one of his CD’s—there are quite a few. The song in the above video is in this CD: You are Getting Sleepy.

P.S.: Is there a documentarian out there who would like to film Zimmerman’s next tour? I would buy that video and a few more to give as gifts.

Compare Roy Zimmerman to Bill Maher in this video clip. This clip is of the New Rules segment titled “Sam’s Flubs.” Maher also aims his barbs at people who vote Republican. In this segment from the October 24, 2014 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher (episode 333) Maher focuses on the race for Governor in Kansas between Sam Brownback ® and Paul Davis (D). Maher shows how Brownback’s governorship has been a train wreck for Kansas, and wonders how this could possibly be a close race. (If you live in Kansas, please, please, go out and vote for Davis.)

 

 

You can read my complete review and recap of the 10/24/14 “Real Time with Bill Maher here: “Prophets and Wingnuts.”

 

Bill Maher’s Guests #333 October 24, 2014

 

Dr. Cornel West: Professor at Union Theological Seminary, philosopher, activist, socialist and author. His most recent book is Black Prophetic Fire.

 

Chloe Maxmin: Activist, environmentalist 

 

James Risen: Pulitzer prize winning journalist at the New York Times, author of a new book, Pay Any Price: Greed Power and Endless War

 

John Avlon: Journalist, political commentator, editor in chief of The Daily Beast, and author of several books. His newest book is Wingnuts: Extremism in the Age of Obama

 

Mary Matalin: Republican political consultant and author of several books. Her newest book is co-authored with James Carville Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home

Bill Maher Exonerated

The Exonerated becomes a
 subject for Maher's comedy.

by Catherine Giordano

Susan Mellon was convicted of murder in the death of a homeless man and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. She was innocent. After serving 17 years in prison, she was exonerated and released.

 

The group Innocence Matters, which works to get innocent people exonerated, investigated Mellen's case and was able to prove that she was innocent. 

CLICK HERE

False convictions happen all too often. If you have the opportunity, see the play or the movie The Exonerated. It is about six innocent people who were on death row and who fortunately were exonerated before they were executed. It is a powerful play. It is based on true stories of people saved due to the investigations of The Innocence Project. 

Bill Maher is in the comedy business so he used Susan Mellon’s case for a comedy skit on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, episode 332, aired on October 17, 2014. 

When Mellon was released she remarked about how everything had changed so much.

So Maher’s mid-show comedy segment was about helping the exonerated catch-up with the changes in society that occurred while they were away. He suggested a pamphlet, “So You Have Been Exonerated.” 

Here are some of the items he included.

Your old video store now sells pot.

Before you eat something, it is considered socially unacceptable not to take a picture of it first.

If someone says you have a gigantic ass, it is now a compliment.

TV sets are bigger, and so are Americans. (He shows a picture of a fat person.

But, Donald Trump is still a jackass.

Here is a video clip of  the segment.

 

 
Read my recap and review of the entire show: "Going Viral"
 

Bill’s Maher’s Guests October 17, 2014

 

Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D, NY), author of Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

David Frum: Senior editor at The Atlantic, political commentator, former George W. Bush speechwriter, and author of several books, the most recent being a novel, Patriots

Representative Barbara Lee: (D, CA), Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me

David Millband,:Chairman and CEO, International Rescue Committee

Joel Stein: Journalist, humorist, and author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity

Bill Maher's New Rules for The Lemon Party

by Catherine Giordano


John Wayne quote about stupidity
that I use ironically

        


In my review and recap of the Real Time with Bill Maher, episode 332 which aired on October 17, 2014, Going Viral, I talked about the stupid-virus.  It’s far more dangerous than the ebola virus—with ebola about half of the people recover. Just about every one wh self-identifies as a member of the tea party has it and and they are out amongst us spreading the virus.

The final New Rules segment was “The Lemon Party.”  I guess he meant that the opposite of the Tea Party is the Lemon Party. 

Currently, Democrats win every demographic group except white males.  Maher wanted to give Democratic candidates a few pointers on talking to white men.  As he said, “I am a strong powerful beautiful white male” so I know how to talk to “whitely.”

Maher said Democrats don’t understand “what white people want.”  Basically, he advised Democrats to reinforce whitey’s prejudices –talk about hard work, tell blacks to pull up their pants, and tell them how much you love dads and small business. Talk like John Wayne and talk about “kicking ass.” Never be like Neville Chamberlain; be like Wilt Chamberlain who will duke in your face.

Here’s a video clip of the segment.

 

 

 

 

Bill’s Maher’s Guests October 17, 2014

Senator Kristen Gillibrand (D, NY), author of Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

David Frum: Senior editor at The Atlantic, political commentator, former George W. Bush speechwriter, and author of several books, the most recent being a novel, Patriots

Representative Barbara Lee: (D, CA), Renegade for Peace and Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me

David Millband,:Chairman and CEO, International Rescue Committee

Joel Stein: Journalist, humorist, and author of Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity

Read the full review and recap of Real Time with Bill Maher, episode 332, Going Viral.

Thank you for sharing, liking, and tweeting.



 

Bill Maher Says Democrats are A-Holes Too

Bill Maher's Mid-Show Comedy Segment parody

by Catherine Giordano

The mid show comedy bit on Real Time with Bill Maher on October 3, 2014 was a parody of a real video put out by a Republican operative.

"Real Time" made a parody video titled Democrats can be Assholes, Too. The video was best when  pictures sometimes belied the words. For instance, when the words were "Democrats are farmers", the picture showed a farmer holding a marijuana leaf or when it said "Democrats love guns too," it showed a picture of Obama shooting a rifle.

However, the writers were a bit lazy this week because most of the pictures and captions were not a clever juxtaposition. Some of the pictures played off some Republican memes like Republicans riding a rascal scooter (like Republican billionaire Sheldon Adelson), having gay sex, or being sexist, so I'll give them a half point for those. Others just showed people doing dumb things and claimed those people were Democrats----I'd send the writers back to the drawing board on those.

Here's the video.  Judge for your self.

To the full recap and review of the 10/3/14 Real Time with Bill Maher, go to Wake Up America


Here is another YouTube video which takes the original video and alters the captions. so now instead of saying "Republicans drive Priuses too" it reads "Republicans DON"T drive Priuses."

Maher’s Guests for October 3, 2014

 

Elizabeth Warren: Senator (D, MA), author of A Fighting Chance. Maher did the interview with her. 

Sam Harris: author, philosopher neuroscientist. His newest book is Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. His other books are: Free Will, Lying, The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values, Letter to a Christian Nation, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. Harris was the mid-show guest. 

Ben Affleck: actor, director, writer, producer, activist. His newest movies are Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Gone Girl (based on a novel by Gillian Flynn) 

Nicholas Kristof: journalist, author, op-ed columnist, a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. His latest book is A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity  

Michael Steele: former chairman of Republican National Committee, political commentator, author. His book, published in 2010,  Right Now: A 12-Step Program For Defeating The Obama Agenda, sounds out of date.