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Firelight: SNL's 'Twilight' Parody (VIDEO)

2009-11-08T08:44:44Z

Taylor Swift hosted SNL last night, and got in on the "Twilight" fun by teaming up with Andy Samberg and crew to bring us the world premiere of the "Firelight" trailer. In the sketch, Taylor falls in love with a Frankenstein (aka a "frank") despite the pressure from her normal world.

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Seth Meyers & Amy Poehler Go Off On Goldman Sachs (VIDEO)

2009-11-08T08:40:25Z

While thousands of at-risk Americans wait, some big Wall Street banks have already secured the in-demand swine flu vaccine for their employees. Goldman Sachs has received 200 doses -- the same amount as Lenox Hill Hospital.

Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler devoted their segment "Really?!? With Seth And Amy" to the subject last night,

SETH: I mean I know that to you guys swine flu is almost as terrifying as drinking tap water or sending your kids to public school but really?

AMY: Can you not read how mad people are at you? When most people saw the headline 'GOLDMAN SACHS GETS SWINE FLU VACCINE' they were super happy until they read the word 'vaccine.'

SETH: Also, Centers for Disease Control, you sent the vaccine to Wall Street before schools and hospitals? Really? Were you worried the swine flu might spread to the Hamptons and St. Barths? These are the least contagious people in the world. They don't even touch their own car-door handles.

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Taylor Swift Spoofs Kanye, Kate Gosselin On SNL (VIDEO)

2009-11-08T08:31:09Z

Taylor Swift, host of this week's 'Saturday Night Live,' didn't spend much time addressing Kanye West's stage storming incident. She made brief mention in an opening song that included all the topics she doesn't want to talk about.

"You might be expecting me to say something about Kanye and how he ran up on the stage at the VMAs," she sang. "But there's nothing more to say, 'cause everything's OK. I've got security lining the stage."

She also referenced her nasty breakup with Joe Jonas:

"You might think I'd bring up Joe Jonas, that guy who broke up with me on the phone, but I'm not gonna mention him in my monologue. Hey Joe, I'm doing real well. Tonight, I'm hosting SNL but I'm not gonna brag about that in my monologue. La la la. Ha ha ha. La la la."

Later she spoofed Kate Gosselin, complete with reverse mullet, on 'The View.'

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SNL Mocks Fox's Election Coverage, Glenn Beck's Spelling Problems (VIDEO)

2009-11-08T07:59:34Z

"Saturday Night Live" opened last night with a sketch lampooning Fox News's election coverage. Yes, the 2009 elections dominated cable news coverage consisted of exactly two gubernatorial races and two congressional seats, but that didn't stop Fox News from spinning it as a referendum on Obama's presidency.

SNL's sketch focused on a panel lead by Greta Van Susteren (aptly played by Kristen Wiig) of three conservative voices and Joe Trippi, representing all Democrats. The latter was not called on to speak once.

At one point, Greta threw to Glenn Beck--Jason Sudeikis's greatest role to date--who was crying, trying on hats, and having linguistic problems on a chalk board. "Oh, and Greta, I also realized you could rearrange the letters of your name to spell 'A Great' and it was a great night--a great great night for a great great nation."

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Jason Sudeikis Reveals His "SNL" Pitches For Taylor Swift (VIDEO)

2009-11-04T09:44:52Z

Jason Sudeikis appeared on "Late Night" yesterday and revealed to former cast member Jimmy Fallon his pitches for this week's host of "SNL" Taylor Swift. The young Kanye-interuptee will be both host and musical guest on Saturday and (if Jason has his way) it will be terrible.

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Dan Vickrey: What Do We Want? Change! When Do We Want It? Ten Minutes Ago!

2009-10-27T17:00:57Z

Obama has had a rough few months. The health care debate went off track thanks to death panels and accusations of socialism, his general in Afghanistan raised a ruckus by publicly calling for an extra 40,000 troops and a few weeks back he had the misfortune of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. This week, Gay Rights! It never ends and such is the job of being President of United States of America.

Obama ran on a platform of change and while there is no harm in holding him to the promises he made, it seems to me that current chorus of criticism (taking off after the Saturday Night Live skit mocking his achievements, or lack thereof) is a bit unfair and not that realistic. The president, after all, is elected for a term of 4 years ... not 9 months! The short attention span of Americans is serving no one in these political debates.

Thinking back to the election this past November I can remember a feeling of, well, "Hope" in the country that had been missing for some time. It felt like Americans were telling the rest of the world that we were ready to take a huge step back into the global community that needed US leadership, and we were going to do it with our best foot forward. We had, after all, elected our first minority president, something unthinkable in most countries around the world. This extraordinary event brought the world together in a way that hadn't existed since the direct aftermath of 9/11. This two week period after the election was the time in which the board for the Nobel Peace Prize made the decision to ultimately elect Obama for the award. Why not? With a global economic crisis in full swing the world needed a jolt and what better than having the same America who voted George W. Bush not once, but twice, into office make a clear statement that enough was enough. America needed to change, and it voted for change in a big way.

Since the election, Obama has set in motion many policies that have changed the trajectory of US foreign and domestic policy. He passed a plan to stave off an economic landslide, put additional troops into Afghanistan, put health care reform in motion, announced that he would close Gitmo and stopped torture as a policy. None of these should come as a surprise to anyone as Obama had promised to address these issues in the campaign and has worked to make good on them, yet it still is not enough for those who seem to forget the magnitude of the economic crisis we were in when he was elected and are thereby unable to grasp the scope of each and every one of these decisions. For the millions of Americans with television ADHD, it makes sense that we as a nation would expect these issues to be resolved if not in an hour then at least 6 months! But therein lies the heart of the issue: most people in their personal lives don't make huge decisions overnight and have them finished in a day! Quitting smoking, vowing to get in shape, sticking to a budget are things that take time to adjust to and see results. The President and the Nation are no different.

The economic stimulus, health care, and the war in Afghanistan are all issues of such massive scope that previous presidents would have needed to focus on just one or two of them in a full term in office. These days that option is a luxury. This week gay rights activists are up in arms about Obama's silence on the policy of "don't ask, don't tell." Really? While I think this policy is absurd, and that in an all volunteer army we should be thankful for each and every person who pursues the armed services as a career regardless of gender, race, sexuality or anything else for that matter, I think most of us would agree that this is not an issue that is quite as urgent as the ones he has tackled. I think we can all rest assured that it is still on the to do list. George Bush educated the nation to a real truth in U.S. politics when he announced he was going to spend some of his "political capital" he felt he earned after the 2004 re-election. Presidents have only so much political capital and they had best use it wisely. This is a plain fact in politics. Obama has made an investment in these issues, any one of which could define his presidency. He must now follow them through to the end if for no other reason than to claim MORE of that coveted capital. Sure, I can see issues such as Business Regulations and Climate Change cropping up in the near future (and rightfully so), but first things first. These fights are already on the table and they must be resolved to move further ahead. Nothing breeds success like success.

Those who question the President now on issues of the Economy-War-Health Care and Gay Rights should look closely at his intent. To my eye it seems clear that this president is someone who has a to do list (like many of us do) and has prioritized everything on it and is checking away. Obama also strikes me as someone who understands that these issues are tough fights that will take time. It takes hard work and patience to find success. The Health care debate is in its 3rd quarter, Afghanistan in the 2nd Stimulus in the 2nd and gays in the military on deck. For those on the left who are now critical of his Afghan policy, what did you expect? He campaigned on making this war his priority, and for better or for worst he has followed through by initially sending extra troops and now reevaluating U.S. interests there after a questionable Afghan election. For all others, relax, and let's remember where we started -- with eight years of George Bush -- and take it one step at a time. We as a nation need to acknowledge the seriousness of the problems that confront us. We as a people need to get serious about solving them with a real debate of ideas (not name calling) or we will never really progress. The Obama administration cannot do it alone, it is after all still a Nation "of the people and for the people." Even Mother Teresa didn't cure the world's ills in four years.

Fred Armisen & Elisabeth Moss Tie The Knot

2009-10-26T15:09:34Z

Her character Peggy Olson might be stifling in a 1960s atmosphere of sexism and repression but Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss has something to crack a big smile about: The actress married Saturday Night Live funnyman Fred Armisen on Sunday, her rep confirms.

Glynnis MacNicol: Top Ten Outrageous Sarah Palin Stories Oprah Will Have To Address

2009-10-21T13:12:10Z

As reported yesterday, Sarah Palin will make her Oprah debut on November 16, one day before her already best-selling book Going Rogue is released to the public. We, also noted yesterday that the lack of Oprah's presence during the 2008 political season (she removed herself after publicly declaring support for Barack Obama) was particularly felt after Sarah Palin entered the race and it became clear she was perhaps not equipped for the role of vice president. That said, it's clear that Palin is hoping to relaunch her political career with the release of her memoir this November so no time like the present!

Palin has done only a handful of interviews since she and McCain lost the election last November, most recently appearing on the Today show in June with Matt Lauer to respond to David Letterman's late night joke about her daughter. But it's been a while since she's been on the hot seat (read: Katie Couric) and there's certainly plenty to talk about! In an effort to help Oprah prepare for her interview we've compiled a top ten list of of outrageous questions about Sarah Palin that will need to be addressed.

Baby Daddy Levi In The Centerfold

1. Oh Levi. In the last few months, while Sarah Palin was locked away furiously writing her memoir, Levi Johnston, father to Palin's grandson Trip, has been enjoying most of the Palin spotlight. Johnston has taken his 15 minutes of fame as an opportunity to bare all: first in a long piece in October's Vanity Fair and now, in the more literal sense of bare, as an upcoming Playgirl centerfold (maybe).

Who's Your Mommy: Palin and the Trig Birthers

2. Calling Andrew Sullivan and the Sarah Palin birthers! Ever since Palin stepped into the national spotlight in August 2008 there has been persistent speculation as to whether she is truly the mother of her youngest son Trig or whether the baby actually belongs her daughter Bristol and Palin's merely claimed to be his parent as some sort of cover-up. Levi hit on the sensitive subject again in his first-person VF piece. It remains to be seen if Palin mentions it in her memoir, but if she's considering another run for public office it's absolutely fair game for Oprah. Below, a typical birther vid.

>>>NEXT: The Couric Interviews, Hungry Like An Aerial Wolf, 'And Her Tina Fey Glasses!

Nicole Williams: Celeb Career Thermometer: Taylor Swift vs. Paris Hilton

2009-10-20T15:00:53Z

HOT: Taylor Swift to Host SNL

The country cutie and Best Female Video winner is slated to host this week's episode of Saturday Night Live. Swift, 19, who was asked to host the show over the summer, certainly has plenty of material to draw from when brainstorming skit ideas. "There are definitely some hilarious things that have happened to me over the past couple of months that I think will be pretty substantial skits," she said. Could one of those things be when Kanye "Foot in Mouth" West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in September? We're going to go with yes on that one. Kanye, maybe you should take a page from Palin's book and show up to prove you're a good sport. Because come Monday morning you'll undoubtedly be the butt of everyone's jokes -- thanks to a "swift" kick from a teenager.

Taylor's Girl on Top Rule: Treat Him Mean, Keep Him Keen

NOT: Paris Gets a Piglet

Paparazzi magnet and PETA offender Paris Hilton will be adding a new member to her ridiculous pet posse -- a pigelette named Princess, of course. "She's still a baby, so she's with her mom, getting ready for me. She'll be a perfect addition to the family," she told Usmagazine.com. Added Hilton, "It loves the dogs. They're smarter than dogs!" (And their owners apparently.) After the reality star shelled out 45 hundo for the special teacup breed, PETA issued a statement calling Hilton a "wretched example" whose pets are "as disposable as her friends and fiances ... The Chihuahuas, ferrets and kinkajous she's paraded through her home in the past were not accessories, and pot-bellied pigs aren't either." Responded Hilton, "It's a lot better for the pig to be home with me than be made into bacon." And it would also be a lot better for society for you to keep your mouth shut.

Paris's Girl on Top rule: Keep Your Mouth Shut

Paterson Talks Saturday Night Live, Obama Administration

2009-10-20T08:51:48Z

In an exclusive interview Monday on NY1, Governor David Paterson reaffirmed that he is running in the gubernatorial election next year and addressed the potential major budget battle with the state Legislature.

SNL Mocks News Coverage Of Balloon Boy Hoax (VIDEO)

2009-10-18T09:41:40Z

Cable news networks cut away from the president's discussion of rebuilding New Orleans this Thursday to cover the "balloon boy"--a 6-year-old who was thought to have been aboard a run-away helium balloon. Of course, it turns out the boy was not aboard the balloon at all, but instead hiding inside a cardboard box in his family's attic. News networks have been criticized for the amount of time and energy they spent covering this fake affair and SNL was not about to miss out on the fun. Weekend update got a surprise guest--no, not Falcon Heene, but the balloon itself floated all the way from Colorado for another moment in the sun.

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The Rock Obama Returns: SNL Has Beefed-Up Prez Beat-Up Sens Baucus & McConnell (VIDEO)

2009-10-18T08:57:15Z

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made a special guest appearance on "Saturday Night Live" this week to reprise his role as "The Rock Obama." This was by far the most Obama-sympathetic opener of the season, as it detailed the problems he inherited when he took office and mocked the cast of characters lined up against health care reform.

In the past weeks SNL's writers have used their cold open to criticize the president for not fulfilling his campaign promises and mock his Nobel Prize win. But this sketch addressed the opposition the president faces to his agenda both from Republicans and more conservative members of his own party.

"Maybe I can explain the Republican position. It's not that we want health care to fail, we just want you to fail. Stopping health care reform seems like the best way to do that," said Will Forte playing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. This made the president transform into his super hero self and rip off McConnell's arm.

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Bud Light Golden Wheat Commercials Buy Out All "Saturday Night Live" Advertising

2009-10-16T10:52:01Z

MILWAUKEE — Anheuser-Busch is buying all the national ads on this week's edition of comedy mainstay "Saturday Night Live" to launch its new brew, Bud Light Golden Wheat.

The brewer – part of Anheuser-Busch InBev – and NBC Universal announced the sponsorship deal Thursday. This Saturday's episode will mark the first time in the 35 seasons of "Saturday Night Live" that one advertiser has bought all of the national ads for the show.

Meredith C. Carroll: Revisiting Misstressed Opportunities

2009-10-15T12:02:56Z

It recently came to my attention that opportunity once knocked on my door but unfortunately I was upstairs at the time taking a nap with a pillow over my head.

In light of the David Letterman extortion incident, it dawned on me that at an earlier time in my life I should have tried and might have had a chance to become an Other Woman. And not just any Other Woman (because I have standards), but the Young Other Woman in a high profile sex scandal.

After every possible intimate, shocking and creepy detail of each sensational nooky story du jour is recited over and over for weeks and weeks on the nightly cable TV shows, the men involved always go back to doing what they did before (except for the ones who are occasionally shipped off to prison or forcibly shamed into resigning).

But the Young Other Woman's life is never the same. She becomes eminently unemployable by traditional means. While she vows to keep her head up, mouth shut, legs closed and return to work at her entry-level desk job, the whispers at the water cooler of her harlot-like ways eventually grow too loud and she becomes too emotionally drained to maintain a 9-5 office existence.

So instead she sells her story to the highest bidder among the weekly tabloids, takes it all off for the right price in one of the monthly skin magazines, fights in a celebrity boxing match, appears on a schlocky reality TV show or practices law with the degree she was able to earn because the high-profile married man with whom she was involved paid the tuition bills. In fact, if she plays her cards right, post-scandal she'll only have to work a handful of days in her life (which is key because, seriously -- who's going to hire a lawyer who can't even ensure the contents of her own diary remain confidential?).

My best shot at being the Young Other Woman came and went in the mid 1990s. For a short time I did some side work as a personal assistant to a cast member on Saturday Night Live. As part of the gig, it was necessary for me to be involved in almost all aspects of his life, including spending time at his apartment with his wife and baby. I'd be kicking myself now for having missed out on the chance to be a (retired) star in my own right if I hadn't since learned that he's gay.

If only Monica Lewinsky had made a name for herself a few years before that, I could have had the perfect role model. After all, Monica and I are the same age, attended good colleges, have loving parents. Like Monica, my people know people. My cousins have cousins who know people. In fact, I'm sure if I tried I could have been a White House intern, too. And with enough liquid courage and the right G-string, I totally could have out-Monica-ed Monica. (Although I would have been classy enough to destroy the blue dress or at least bright enough sell it before it was seized as evidence.)

Prior to that, emulating the Long Island Lolita, Amy Fisher, might have been an extraordinary option for me. (Never mind that I grew up on the other side of the Long Island Sound in Westchester County, where it's safe to say there aren't too many Joey Buttafuoco-types. He's 100 percent Long Island.) I'm sure my aim with a pistol would have been bad enough to maim but not kill, too. And 17 years later, Amy's still making money on her notoriety, whether it's through "stolen" sex tapes, starring in her own pay-per-view movies or performing regularly at a strip club. Some girls have all the luck.

Had I been on the receiving end of former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's toe tapping (forgetting that it's pretty clear I'm not his type), I would have tap-tap-tapped right back and then type-type-typed it up into a tell-all tome (with the help of a ghost writer, of course).

And where has South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's Argentine girlfriend been hiding? Does she think she's better than all the other Young Other Women by remaining silent on the affair? Such a waste. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's bimbo got it all wrong, too, by charging up front and not realizing the real money comes at the back end. Rookie mistake.

But all Young Other Women, aspiring and otherwise, can take a page from Rielle Hunter's playbook (although she's not so Young). She did and is still doing everything she can, including getting knocked up and hanging around like bad case of the clap, until she can morbidly move up to John Edwards' first lady status with Dave Matthews as her wedding band. While she's clearly one in a million, a girl can dream.

Taylor Swift To Host 'Saturday Night Live'

2009-10-15T08:04:43Z

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Taylor Swift will have the stage to herself next month – with no interruptions – when she hosts "Saturday Night Live."

The only question is: Who will play Kanye West?

Dr. Judith Rich: The Nobel Prize: A Tool For Shifting Consciousness?

2009-10-14T14:32:54Z

Now that just about the entire world has weighed in on whether or not President Obama deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the fact remains: he was awarded the prize.

What's with all the petty chipping and harping about his worthiness? Even those on the left are taking shots. Are we sore winners or what? "Oh this old prize? Heh, it's nothing! Who cares what five Norwegian men think?"

Can we please just accept this honor in a way befitting a nation that elected to the highest office in the land, a man whose vision struck joy in the hearts of the rest of the world?

Instead of celebrating this honor, we're diminishing it. Any club that would have Obama as a member can't be worth belonging to, right? Wait! He's OUR president! WE elected him, remember? I think we need a massive dose of "shift" about now.

We've become a bunch of curmudgeons. We're like the woman who receives a compliment on the new dress she's wearing and responds with "What, this old rag? I just pulled this out of my closet and haven't worn it in years." We no longer know how it feels to feel good or proud of ourselves. And for good reason. After all the havoc we created in the last eight years, maybe the Norwegians are trying to get a message to us that we finally did a good thing by electing Obama.

OK, maybe SNL was right. Maybe he did get it for not being Bush. But if that's his ONLY accomplishment thus far, his not being Bush is cause enough for the world to celebrate and bestow its highest honor on him.

As Americans, we cannot fully appreciate how the rest of the world must have felt during the past eight years of the Bush administration with a questionably-recovered alcoholic, ex-drug addict cowboy at the helm of the most powerful military on the face of the earth. Recall Bush landing on the aircraft carrier and strutting across the flight deck wearing that tight-fitting flight suit, proudly displaying his manhood for all the world to see. No wonder the world breathed a sigh of relief when Obama was declared the winner of our presidential election!

Huff Post blogger, Joseph Palermo, nailed it when he said:

What Bush did was shift the posture of American foreign policy toward militarism and unilateralism, and he did so with a jingoistic right-wing Christian fundamentalist flair. President Obama, in less than ten months, has reset American foreign policy more toward multilateralism and a mature engagement with the world.

So yes, Obama is not George Bush, and the world thought that was a good thing. His election demonstrated to the people of the world that the American people, who had kept Bush in office for 8 years, though even that's controversial. But then Democrats never had the cajones to actually mount a challenge to Bush's legitimacy as president even though he lost the popular vote and was selected, not elected, by the Supreme Court in 2000. They've redeemed themselves by re-engaging as a member of the world community, and resigned its role as the world's bully.

What if Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for articulating and extending a vision to the world that was one of inclusivity, not the "you're either with us or against us" kind of rhetoric heard from George W.

Here's what Obama said in his inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2009:

And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

I know these are just words and Obama gives a good speech, but maybe that's where it all begins - articulating a vision that captures the imagination. The work is yet to be done.

Palermo suggests Obama's winning the prize is another one of his "teaching moments." I agree, but for a slightly different reason.

I think there's a larger intelligence at work here, a new level of consciousness waiting to come forth. There's an awareness in giving of this prize to Obama that transcends the prize itself. It establishes new meaning. If this is a "think outside the box" collective moment, what can we learn from this event to forward the human condition?

From his inauguration speech again:

And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

Obama has taken a stand for America's return to leadership as a peacemaker. Those words were uttered ten months ago. Rome wasn't built in a day. Clearly, there is work to be done to achieve this lofty goal. We gave Bush eight years to destroy America's standing in the world. Can we allow Obama at least four to repair it?

Rather than viewing this prize as an albatross, why not hold it as a symbol we've been awarded to carry humanity's highest aspirations, like the Olympic torch? What if this award is a vote of confidence from the world community that America is once again viewed as a worthy steward of that flame? As our president said in his response to this award, " I view this less as a recognition of my own accomplishments and more as a call to action".

I can buy this. So what's the call to action? Let me take a leap here and suggest a larger context than the one Obama probably meant. I see this as a "call to action" for an evolution of the collective consciousness of mankind. That is, to have our collective consciousness aligned with its true nature, which is wholeness.

The true state of the universe is one of wholeness. There is no separation. Only in our human egotistic state do we experience separation. This is not the truth of how it is, it is an illusion.

I see the call to action as one for humanity to restore its consciousness to its natural and authentic state of oneness. I see the human race being invited to take a collective leap of consciousness so as to enter a new paradigm, one in which war is obsolete and has no relevance for how the world works. We either make this leap or we're bound for extinction, either through war or through cataclysmic environmental changes.

Let's consider that President Obama is just the torch bearer, but we're the ones who will do the heavy lifting of waging peace in the new paradigm. We're being asked to learn how to actively wage peace, not just end wars. As Obama said, "Starting wars is easier than ending them". And end them we must. But that's not enough.

We must to learn how to create peace in the aftermath. And not just the kind of stand-off peace of former enemies who've called a truce. We're being asked to stand for peace, to become peacemakers.

To be a stand for peace, not like in a Hallmark card, but in real ways in our lives everyday. Let's put aside the argument of whether or not Obama deserves the prize and get on with the business of waging peace. Here, you and me. Now.

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

These are lovely words, but it is we who must have give them meaning by getting into action and manifesting this vision. Can we unclench our fists right here in this country and begin waging peace with our neighbors, no matter who we vote for?

This is what Pesident Obama is calling us to do. He's talking not only to Americans. He's speaking to the world. This is one reason why I think the world wanted to acknowledge him. It was their way of saying, "we hear you and we're on board".

In truth, the prize belongs to each of us. Or in the words of someone who commented on another post :

"I am not an American, but have great faith in the majority of your people. Some nations take a lot longer than 8 years to fix what has gone wrong. You, on the other hand, managed to reverse the tide, and elected a great man to be your leader. In many ways, this prize is for those who have elected him. He just happened to be the one to pick it up on behalf of you."

Now let's get to work and live into the honor we've just received. Imagine you've just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (And you have!) What is your acceptance message? What does this honor mean for you and how will you use the $1.4 million to further the cause of peace?

Please drop by the comment section below or visit my personal blog and website at Rx For The Soul. Blessings on the path.

Michael Moore: Pilots on Food Stamps

2009-10-13T22:02:38Z

We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.

"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.

"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")

The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.

"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."

He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.

I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.

"I have a second job!" the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.

I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.

"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.

"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."

And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about Capitalism: A Love Story, very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.

Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.

Rachel Sklar: Michelle Pfeiffer, Biker Chick

2009-10-13T17:24:35Z

The SNL sketch "Biker Chick Chat" from the season opener of Saturday Night Live got a lot of attention thanks to newcomer Jenny Slate's F-bomb. But what didn't get attention: the frickin' bikes, dude! Though they swore up a storm and had very impressive hair, I'm not convinced they could tell their Harley Davidson V-Rods from their Kawasaki Vulcan VN750s (or Vincent Black Lighting '48s, for that matter).

OK, I'm fronting a bit here. As it happens, I can't either, but I have always had an appreciation for the mean machines, bred at an early age by Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2. She may not remember the role fondly (it was from her early "hot pants" period) but man did that ever define cool for me as a 10-year-old girl (now that I think of it, the film was a little too advanced for me. Reproduction? Let's Do It For Our Country? Yikes!).

Not to mention no help for my early feminism: "You gotta be a biker or a biker's old lady. Without a cycle, forget it." I would gladly have taken the Pink Lady Pledge ("To act cool, to look cool and to be cool!") but even so enthralled by the dazzle of Pfeiffer's Stephanie Zanoni, I could tell that it wasn't fair to tie her awesome Pink Lady-ship to dating some T-Bird. In the early '80s, awesome Pink Ladies got around that not by casting off the shackles of the patriarchy but by luckily finding the perfect guy hiding beneath the geeky exchange student from England, who turns out to be a daredevil mystery motorcyclist ("Want a light?" [Sirens.] "Some other time." Yeah, it encouraged smoking, too. This movie is terrible. And wonderful. And yes all of this is from memory).

Anyway. The point is, so what if I learned my code of womanhood from Grease 2, if it made me so very happy? Stephanie Zanoni was my very first girlcrush — oh, as if you could see her scale that stepladder and dance with wild abandon and remain impervious — but more importantly, her anthem became the theme song for me and scores of other 10-year-old girls, who realized that they wanted nothing less than a devil in skintight leather who was gonna be wild as the wind. Did she ride? Not exactly, but she was hardly what one would call passive — when Michael (so well chosen, that name, to rhyme with "motorcycle") takes her on that sunset ride and she shimmys around and sits in front of him, all a-straddle — well. Well well well. Like I said, this movie is chock full of awesome lessons for a little girl.

If you doubt, I dare you not to enjoy this video and want to rock out with her signature dance move (shake the hands, widen the stance, forward hop-hop-hop):

Seriously, people, it changed my life - enough to be the impetus for me to write a 16-page post about biker chicks. Yep, there are more of them — from Pinky Tuscadero to Jo Polnichek to Trinity from The Matrix, who more than makes up for my weak early feminism with her ass-kicking ways. Upshot: bikes are C-O-O-L. As it happens, Biker Chicks are, too. Michelle Pfeiffer will always take the number-one spot on this list in my heart — she's my Biker Chick for All Seasons — but if you're looking for a few more ass-kicking role models for your fierce little ladies, here are a few more.

Trinity from The Matrix
Cycle Sluts From Hell
Dykes on Bikes
The Mini-Skirt Mob
Chopper Chicks in Zombietown
Pravda, La Survireuse
Cindy McCain
She-Devils on Wheels
Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday
Jo from Facts of Life
Pinky Tuscadero
Batgirl
Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider
Jenny Slate, FTW

p.s. Despite how much I love love love this movie, I turned out okay. Ten-year-olds grow up, what can I say. Mostly.

Read more: Snl, Biker Chicks, Grease 2, Saturday Night Live, Michelle Pfeiffer, Real Biker Chicks, Biker Chick Chat, Entertainment News

Beverly Wettenstein: No Women Featured in NY Comedy Festival! No Joke!

2009-10-11T13:38:57Z
We're With The Banned: Cracking The Crass Ceiling

The New York Comedy Festival ad features ten men and no women.

Broadly speaking, comedy is, obviously, still a male-dominated bastion within the entertainment business. The Primetime Emmy Awards showed that women writers on a comedy or variety series are a rare and endangered species. Only seven of the 81 writers were women. There are no women writers on Leno (of 19), Letterman (of 14), and O'Brien (of 16). Colbert has two women of 14 writers. The Daily Show has one of 16. Samantha Bee is a busy worker bee and a "correspondent." "Saturday Night Live" has five women of 22 writers.

LOL: Larry Summers School for the Advancement of Women

Historically, some men have difficulty accepting women comedians. The Larry Summers School for the Advancement of Women should hire Tom Shales, Christopher Hitchens and Jerry Lewis, to teach "Why Women Aren't Funny." The three wise men opined as much in the Washington Post, Vanity Fair and at the Aspen Comedy Festival, respectively.

Shales, Washington Post TV critic, wrote that ex-SNL "Michaela Watkins may have been just too classically pretty to be hilarious." Lewis told the Aspen audience in 2000, "I don't like any female comedians" and couldn't think of one who was good. He only viewed women as baby-making machines.

SNL announced two new women for the 35th season to much press attention: Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad. Just hours later it was reported that Casey Wilson and Michaela Watkins were gone. Does SNL have a female quota? Is their comedy calculus: addition = attrition? The two new women are "featured performers," rather than full repertory players.

Kristin Wiig was SNL's MVP Iron Man last season, earning the most screen time of any cast member, with 124 sketch appearances. She is currently the only official woman cast member.
Plus, she has seven feature films in development. And she is beautiful. Please explain, Mr. Shales.

Having joined as a staff writer in 1997, Tina Fey's term as SNL's first woman head writer (1999-2006), coincided with the most women cast members in regular performing roles in its history: Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch. Much to her credit, Fey teamed with Poehler, to create the groundbreaking "Weekend Update" all-women anchor team in 2004. The dynamic duo proved they were not "Mean Girls" and sparked no cat-fight messages in the media. When Fey started on "Update," there hadn't been a woman anchor since Jane Curtin in the late 1970s and she was not afraid to promote her BFF Poehler. In fact, the two newest women are troupers from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, co-founded by Poehler.

Kudos to Fey and Poehler for empowering women, following decades of male-dominated sketch comedy. Fey and Poehler know that women succeed when they are responsible for their own material. They play comedic roles, perform standup and write and direct films and TV shows. Fey's "30 Rock" was nominated for a record 22 Emmy awards. She was named the AP Entertainer of the Year in 2008 for the greatest impact on culture and entertainment. Poehler is the lead star on "Parks & Recreation."

Timing is everything in comedy and in life. SNL mirrors the advances of women in society. In 2002 Ana Gasteyer was their first on-air pregnancy. The TV management "suits" have matured since the 1950's when the word "pregnant" was forbidden and Lucille Ball was asked to hide behind furniture, which she refused to do. The fact that nine-months pregnant Poehler posed as Hillary Clinton was a non-issue. Her absence and baby's birth were announced on "Update."

Now that SNL has accepted the pregnant pause, perhaps they may consider hiring a Black woman to play Michelle Obama and other women newsmakers and celebrities? Do they think it adds to the levity to dress men in drag or is there a women shortage? I don't communicate with Eleanor Roosevelt very often. But I do think of her and her personal equal opportunity employment act when I see a man playing a woman on SNL. Upon learning that women reporters were not admitted to the National Press Club where newsmakers spoke, Roosevelt held regular news conferences exclusively for women reporters and photographers, thus creating jobs for women. You go, girl!

Actually, in the first season in 1975, the original SNL cast was equal with three women (Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner) and three men (John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Garrett Morris) and Chevy Chase was promoted to "Update" anchor from writer. By 1993, the ratio was three women to eight men. Janeane Garafalo quit halfway through the '94-'95 season because of the male writers who "didn't write for women."

Chicago's Second City improv-sketch troupe, an SNL talent feeder incubator, only allowed two women on a six-person improv team into the '90s. Fey and Poehler are alumnae.

This is Wanda Sykes' banner year. Her HBO special just aired and "The Wanda Sykes Show" will debut in November, at 11 PM, against SNL. Sykes was the featured entertainer this year at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. This annual event honoring the president is a prestigious gig with the nation's dignitaries.

Traditionally, even though women were fully-accredited White House reporters and members of the association, they were barred from attending the dinner. Prompted by Helen Thomas, for the first time in 50 years, women were finally admitted in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy agreed not to attend unless the women did. Thomas was inducted as the first woman WHCA president in 1975.

The old boys club network is alive and, well, begrudgingly coming into the 21st century at The Friars, the premiere club for professional comedians and entertainers. Founded in 1904, Liza Minnelli was admitted as the first official woman member in 1988. This followed the Supreme Court upholding a New York City statute that barred discrimination at large private clubs. Previously, women couldn't join or enter the Townhouse before 4 PM to attend the notorious stag roasts.

Sally Jessy Raphael was the first officer (Prior) in 1999. Previously, women were honored but could not join. Sophie Tucker was the first woman roasted, in 1953; followed by Martha Raye, 1954 and Lucille Ball, 1961.

Joy Behar was the first woman Roastmaster, at a tribute for Danny Aiello in 1997. Rita Rudner was the first woman performer at a Roast for Chevy Chase in 1980. Phyllis Diller, dressed as a man in a suit, wig and mustache, attended the 1983 Sid Caesar Roast, because women were not allowed. She was outed at the end of the event and honored at her own roast in 1985. Diller was the first woman inducted into the California Friars Wall of Fame in 2001. Last year, at the behest of Behar, the Friars named one of its chambers for a woman, Lucille Ball. Currently, women comprise 20 percent of the Friars membership.

Women need to showcase their talent to survive and succeed in the comedy business. Barbara Walters first saw Joy Behar at a benefit for Milton Berle's 89th birthday at the Waldorf Astoria. Walters then invited her to audition for The View. Behar just debuted her nightly talk show on HLN. Her co-hosts on The View include comediennes Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd, who stars in her own show on Lifetime. Goldberg was the first woman and fourth honoree to win the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2001; Lily Tomlin won in 2003.

More Than Chick Shtick: "Seinfeld" Without Elaine? Get Out!

Imagine Seinfeld without Elaine. Get out! Actually, Elaine was not in the first show but executives insisted they add a woman to the cast by the second episode. Would an all-male cast have become the same audience success story without her? Not!

Liz Lemon told Oprah on 30 Rock that she hates her feet. Nora Ephron told the world that she hates her neck. It took Elle Woods' life experience in Legally Blonde to solve the murder case. Her Harvard Law colleagues didn't have a clue about women's hair treatments. Chris Rock parlayed that message into a feature film. Maybe the sexes can learn to live together and better understand each other through humor and women comedians?

One of the challenges for women comics is that society expects good girls to be well-behaved and to act lady-like. Comedians have to be aggressive and take control of the audience. The boys who were the class clowns and spent more time in the principal's office than the library are now making big bucks for their antics. Not to pooh pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, but the first new authorized female character believes that everyone should follow the correct etiquette. Lottie the Otter will be more like Martha Stewart than Martha Raye.

It's easier for women to get to the moon than to get a network late-night talk show. Conan O'Brien and Craig Ferguson had no experience as late-night talk show hosts when they were given their shows. Ferguson had not performed stand-up for ten years and had a strong Scottish brogue. O'Brien was an unknown SNL comedy writer with little performing experience. Joan Rivers was the first and only permanent host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. When Rivers learned that she wasn't on the list to replace Carson, she accepted the offer to host her own late night talk show to launch the Fox Network in 1986. She was fired six months later.

The talk show format is a cheap alternative to scripted TV and yields self-contained YouTube-friendly takeout promos. As viewers migrate away from appointment network TV, cable should create new opportunities for women. But the old boy network ways persist. The Daily Show was co-created by Lizz Winstead and Madeline Smithberg in 1995. Winstead was also the head writer. Then host Craig Kilborn made an offensive remark about her in Esquire in 1998. He was suspended for a week. She left the show soon after. Chelsea Handler has her own late night talk show on E!

Only two women comedians were listed on the Forbes "100 Celebrity" list: Ellen DeGeneres, Power Rank #40, $35 Million Pay and Tina Fey, #86, $7 Million Pay.

She Who Laughs, Lasts: "50/50 in 2020"

Last month more than 200 women met to hear a panel address and outline a "50/50 in 2020" initiative to advance women in the theater business. Three sponsors are taking the lead: the League of Professional Theatre Women, the New Perspectives Theatre Company and the Women's Project.

In 2007 Oxygen presented the "50 Funniest Women Alive." There are women who are ready, willing and able to perform at comedy festivals. They can turn the world on with their smile... and spunk.

Stand Up For Women In Comedy! Parody and Parity Proposals

1. Action! Organize a meeting during the New York Comedy Festival, November 4-8, to focus on "The State of Women in Comedy Today," to become part of the media coverage and raise public support. Since there is no professional organization for women comedians, create one or develop a Comedy subcommittee of the "50/50 by 2020" project or another industry-related association.

2. Produce a counter "Funny Femme Festival" during the New York Comedy Festival to showcase talented women comedians, become part of the media coverage and raise public support.

3. Distribute this treatise and contact the New York Comedy Festival.

4. Submit your comments and suggestions here.

5. Stay tuned. Watch this space for announcements and progress reports. Thank you.

See Beverly Wettenstein's PBS interview on youtube.com.

See Beverly Wettenstein's Letter in the NY Daily News, Sept. 4, 09
nydailynews.com/opinions/

See Beverly Wettenstein's Letter in the NY Times Science Times, July 21, 09

_________________________________________________________________________

"Celebrate Women Every Day!"

October 13

B. 1901 Edith S. Sampson First Black woman elected judge, in Illinois, 1962.
First Black woman named UN delegate.

1905 English suffragists Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney arrested.
Women over 30 got the vote 12 years later; all women in 1928.

B. 1925 Margaret Thatcher First woman Prime Minister in England and Europe, 1979-1991.

B. 1969 Nancy Kerrigan Olympic silver medalist, 1964; Oksana Baiul, 16, won gold medal.

1986 Rita Levi-Montalcini earned Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Source: Beverly Wettenstein's "Women in History and Making History Today
- 365-Days-A-Year Database"

Read more: Women, New York, Media, The Daily Show, Business, Joy Behar, Style, Entertainment, Barbara Walters, Comedy Central, Living, Saturday Night Live, Women Comedians, The Stephen Colbert Show, Comedy, Conan O'Brien, White House Correspondents Association, Vanity Fair, The View, Emmy Awards, Wanda Sykes, Friars Club, Jay Leno, Tom Shales, New York Comedy Festival, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Helen Thomas, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, E!, Kristin Wiig, Sherri Shepherd, Comediennes, Whoppi Goldberg, Chelsea Handler, Impact, Lifetime, Women's History, Oxygen, Joan Rivers, Lizz Winstead, Fox Network, Forbes, Entertainment News