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Vatican Paper Praises 'The Simpsons'

2009-12-22T17:27:10Z

VATICAN CITY — To put it as the devout Ned Flanders would, the Vatican's newspaper thinks "The Simpsons" are an okely dokely bunch.

L'Osservatore Romano on Tuesday congratulated the show on its 20th anniversary, praising its philosophical leanings as well as its stinging and often irreverent take on religion.

"The Simpsons" Opening: Estonian TV Brings The Intro To The Old World (VIDEO)

2009-12-10T15:39:00Z

If only "The Simpsons" took place in the old country, in simpler times. Perhaps it would look...strikingly similar. Estonia's TV3 has produced a spot that re-imagines the show's classic opening sequence and it doesn't miss a beat. Not to say there aren't slight modifications: Homer's now a blacksmith, finding horseshoes in his collar, and Bart's flying through crowded sidewalks -- but instead of a skateboard, he's galloping along on a toy horse. And that comfy couch they plop down on at the end? A nice sturdy, wooden bench. Well done, Estonia, well done. (Via The Daily What.)

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Mr. Burns Gets Most Write-In Votes In New York Mayor Race

2009-12-06T12:25:11Z

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg narrowly won reelection after spending over $100 million dollars on the race. But the most successful write-in candidate didn't spend a dime; he doesn't even exist.

Fictional billionaire Mr. Burns of "The Simpsons" got 27 out of 299 write-in votes.

Charles Montgomery Burns, better known as Mr. Burns in the hit animated TV series "The Simpsons", got the most votes of any write-in candidate during last month's mayoral election in New York City. According to records released by the New York City Board of Elections, the cartoon billionaire received 27 write-in votes out of the 299 that were cast.

Burns wasn't the only fictional character to get votes in the race. Mad Magazine icon Alfred E. Newman, Fantastic Four arch-villain Victor Von Doom, Mickey Mouse, and Sleeping Beauty also received write-in votes.

Burns did have some help. Shepard Fairey-style posters popped up around the city before the election declaring, "No Third Term, Vote For Burns."

And there's a Burns For Mayor website, complete with proposals for a Williamsburg Nuclear Power Plant and selling Staten Island. Here he is pitching himself to Marge Simpson over Reverend Billy:

The 29 Best Chalkboard Gags In "Simpsons" History (PICTURES)

2009-11-29T09:27:26Z

"The Simpsons" is in its 21st season, making it one of the longest running shows of all time. Over the past two decades its producers have churned out over 450 episodes, each with an opening chalkboard gag. We sifted through hundreds of openings to narrow it down to the top 29 for your amusement and judgment. Vote!

Sarkozys On 'The Simpsons' (VIDEO): Clip Mocking French President And First Lady Becomes Internet Hit In France

2009-11-24T10:42:15Z

Though little noticed at the time that it aired, a brief bit mocking French President Nicolas Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni in a recent episode of 'The Simpsons' has become an Internet sensation in France, the Telegraph reports.

The couples' appearance, in the November 15th episode entitled "The Devil Wears Nada," apparently flew under the radar until this weekend, when clips of the appearance became a viral sensation, according to the Independent.

Their cameos were unauthorized, perhaps because the parody of them was particularly mocking.

In the episode, Homer and his friend Carl Carlson visit Paris, where they bump into Bruni at a party. After some brief chit-chat she tells Carl, "I want to make love, right now."

Sarkozy's segment is more brief, and consists of him saying what may become the immortal line, "You're getting cozy with Sarkozy," when picking up the telephone.

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Ricardo Bomba: New "Simpsons" Character Contest Winner Chosen!

2009-11-19T08:40:35Z

LOS ANGELES — Ladies' man Ricardo Bomba is bringing his charms to "The Simpsons," and it's all the doing of a hospital operations manager with a vivid imagination.

Peggy Black, 52, of Orange, Conn., won a contest to create a character for Fox's long-running animated series, with her entry triumphing among the more than 25,000 received, the network said Thursday.

Catie Lazarus: A Review of The Cleveland Show : Hancock's Previous Episodes

2009-10-19T12:25:48Z

Traditionally, television comedy chronicles the woes of being a shlubby, mediocre
American male, who is really a well meaning teddy bear underneath, but it is also a
defense of obnoxious people. Perhaps this is a reflection of the shows creators or their understanding of the real America. Regardless of what propels the writers to recycle this dynamic, their (and the actors) task is to encourage viewers
to empathize with these curmudgeons, make these prickly pears appear lovable, or, at least, watchable, as determined by TV studio executives.

The
list of sitcoms featuring black or white cantankerous males is endless, be it: The Honeymooners, All in The Family, Sanford & Son, Fawlty
Towers, The Jeffersons, Mr. Belvedere, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Frasier, The Simpsons, Mad About You, Married with Children, Scrubs, South Park, Family Guy, Entourage, My Name is Earl, House of Payne, Bored
to Death, and The Office.

While
fewer in number, female driven half-hour comedies tend to follow a similar formula,
although grouchy women must fit in two girl-next-door sizes, bovine or
extra small. Rhoda, Mama's Family, One Day at a Time, Gimme a Break, Designing Women, Murphy Brown, The Nanny, 227, Roseanne,
Golden Girls, Absolutely Fabulous, Weeds, and Parks and Recreation sought (and seek) to defy the one dimensional characterizations of women as either maternal,
self-flagellating, nuns or sex-craved lunatics. As you've seen, certain characters successfully bucked the trend and others became another spoke in the tried and true wheel.

There
are comedies with equally indefensible male and female characters, colorful
ensemble casts, including Three's Company, Frasier, What's Happening, Just
Shoot Me, Will and Grace, Seinfeld (although with only one female), Little
Britain, Arrested Development, Hung, and The Cleveland Show.

And,
finally, there are comedies where the children are as complex as the adults, acting as apples that don't fall from the tree and provide space for B and C story lines instead of mere anecdotes. What The
Cleveland Show does best is that its kids are, as The Who sang, "alright." Last
night's episode of The Cleveland Show was so exception.

This time, the insipid baby
bully, Rallo, and popular, alpha teen, Regina, are mystified why Cleveland Jr. dutifully
helps their mother Roberta with household chores. But they soon realize he's not merely
responsible and good-natured, he is a sycophant. Cleveland Jr. fastidiously make his bed, ensuring the blanket doesn't
"divorce" his sheets and boast that he has never cried over his
parents divorce. Feeling compassionate, Rallo and Regina intervene.

The
pop-psychology de rigueur depiction of familial dysfunction where members act
as arm chair psychologists and solve each others' problems is America's cheapest form of mental health care (and will sadly remain so even if health care reform passes). Cleveland Jr. is not rebelling and therefore he isn't doing well. The
step-siblings set out to force him to feel his pain. He must cry by any means
necessary, even if the pain isn't about his folks per se. (If they are going to
set him free, i.e. to feel as miserable as they do, they must gain some
sadistic pleasure from it.)

Staged contrived intimacy, typically in the form of a Youtube web video or low-budget reality show, is the only way American teens know how to show they care! Luckily for us, they don't lock him in the bathroom for days on end and film it. Instead, the duo stage "The
Cleveland Jr. Roast," and call in Don Rickels to perform his services. (One
wonder if their audience know his version preceded the Comedy Central glossy toasts.)

Rallo
refers to Cleveland Jr. as a, "A Man So Huge His Butt Has It's Own Zip
Code." Cleveland Jr. feels terrible that he is so overweight, he requires
his own "municipality." After enough taunts from Rallo, Regina, and Rickels,
his whimpering turns to tears. They then hug it out, well, everyone except Don
Rickels. A commercial break appears to be the only way to stop his zinging. Oh, adult-children! Cleveland Jr.'s own parents are no more mature.

Too enmeshed in their own woes, the parents don't know how to prevent Cleveland Jr. from stuffing down his feelings. While the siblings step in, Cleveland finds his footing on the work front. Cleveland hasn't
found a job, a timely issue, except that there is no mention of the present day economic woes as an impetus. His new friend Tim quickly hooks Cleveland up with a job
as an entree level telemarketer. His boss-to-be spews overplayed fears about hiring a black man. (Institutional racism remains a serious issue, and one worthy of skewering, but, like with sexism, it is typically subtler and more intrenched than Hollywood makes it out to be.) Cleveland "overcomes" and makes exceptional sales and the boss apologizes for "stereotyping
people."

Cleveland happily takes his Employee of
the Month $200.00 reward bonus and decides, as Cleveland says, to "waste" it, as if we're in still in the nineties... In
contrast to the astronomical bonuses bankers receive, most recently Goldman
Sachs employees, his paltry two hundred dollars seem reasonable if not
inconsequential. The only person, err, mammal to appear upset is Tim, as the
bear can't seem to make a sale.

Success gets to Cleveland's head. He, along with his bar mates, mock Tim, with awful, ironic
jokes about how his bear genitalia is anything but bigger than the average
bear. Cleveland then starts to self-sabotage after a just a week of success and
plays hooky. He hits bottom when he gets into a car with Terry, his high school buddy, even though he points out that Terry
is too drunk to drive safely. A car accident with a non-moving object ensues. Cleveland
takes the rap, which somehow turns Roberta on sexually.

His
wife may have bailed him out, but he is forced to leave his job. Luckily, he
realizes his racist boss is a closeted homosexual and has a thing for Terry,
and is able to outmaneuver the boss, offering made-up titillating stories about
Terry in exchange for a job, this time though away from his desk. Cleveland
succeeds, even getting Tim a raise. The established conflicts are solved, even
if the plausibility of much of the storylines goes unanswered.

Will
the racial jokes feel less recycled? Like when Terry takes the wrap for he and Cleveland smoking pot, he does so to help Cleveland's bright future
stay that way. Except his joking about how Cleveland might one day become a black president? Mocking past generations dismissal of such possibility has been done repeatedly, including on The Cleveland Show.

Since this is a comedy starring blacks as depicted by whites, it faces greater scrutiny than comedies, the majority of which are uncomfortable and clumsy in rendering prejudice. They see it through the lens of white people and not the minorities or otherwise oppressed.

To its credit, The Cleveland Show doesn't fall as often into the same traps as those programs intending to be sensitive about race and culture as Jody Rosen points out in Slate. Rallo challenges
Cleveland's knowledge of Herbie Hancock, a musician closer to Cleveland's age
is certainly a common source of one-upmanship between parents and children,
peers, and colleagues, regardless of race. And the show will feature more hip celebrities, like Kanye West, to balance out the old school ones, like Mr. Hancock.

The show's pop-culture references outweigh the political ones in terms of
frequency, timeliness, and complexity, which is typical for Seth McFarlane vehicles. Having reviewed four episodes, I think I've offered as much as a picture of the themes and characters as is needed. The characters will continue to develop, some episodes will be better than others, as I've noted and as is the case with any series. It remains to be seen whether the
funny jokes can out outweigh the duds. And as long as The Cleveland Show
remains art mocking life, our country is fine, but if life ends up imitating
it, we're doomed.

Treehouse Of Horror XX: The Simpsons Do Hitchcock On Halloween Special (VIDEO)

2009-10-19T09:58:47Z

The Simpsons celebrated their twentieth Halloween special last night with an ode to Hitchcock. The segment was called "Dial M for Murder," but the plot more closely mirrored that of "Strangers on a Train" in which two men decide to kill each other's "loved" ones. In the chase scene, the music from "North by Northwest" played, and they pushed a likeness of Hitchcock (who always appeared in his own films) off Mt. Rushmore, where Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint scrambled for freedom at the end of that film.

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'The Simpsons' Celebrates 20th Anniversary With A Party

2009-10-19T07:26:05Z

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Forget red. The arrivals-line carpet leading into Barker Hangar was yellow – appropriate, given the night's honorees: Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie Simpson, all on hand to celebrate 20 years of "The Simpsons." Their series is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and it recently surpassed "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running American primetime scripted entertainment program.

"You know, it's really weird," noted Simpsons creator and series executive producer Matt Groening. "I mean, I thought the show would be successful. But the fact that we're still standing here some 20 years later and talking about it is very peculiar. But very happy."

Venezuela Bans "Family Guy" -- But "Baywatch" Is OK (VIDEO)

2009-10-06T14:06:12Z

By Charlie Devereux

CARACAS, Venezuela -- He's a pot-smoking toddler who fantasizes about killing his mother and he's the latest American figure to rile the Venezuelan government.

Stewie Griffin, the animated character from the hit cartoon "Family Guy," has caused offense here in Venezuela by singing a ditty lauding marijuana's restorative properties.

The Venezuelan government highlighted the clip as an example of how the U.S. government promotes pot smoking and the legalization of drugs. Venezuela resented a recent U.S. Congress report that said a fourfold increase in cocaine smuggling through Venezuela has been aided by police corruption and a refusal to work with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

A Bag Of Weed - Funny bloopers are a click away

"There's no subliminal messages here," said Interior and Justice Minister Tarek El Assaimi, who warned that the government would fine any TV station that continues to broadcast the show. "It's an animated cartoon where you can observe perfectly how they promote consumption and moreover sponsor the consumption of marijuana."

El Aissami blamed U.S. drug consumption for fueling Venezuela's narco-trafficking market and suggested that "adult" cartoons such as "Family Guy" were mouthpieces for the U.S. government's tolerant attitude toward drugs.

"Family Guy" is not the first cartoon to receive short shrift from authorities in Venezuela. Last year, "The Simpsons" was banned from terrestrial television after it was ruled "unsuitable" for children. It was replaced with "Baywatch," the 1990s series featuring scantily-clad lifeguards in California.

And offensive American cartoons are not the only shows to have felt the sting of government censure. President Hugo Chavez's government has been shutting down radio and TV stations across the country, accusing them of violating licensing laws. In 2007, the government revoked the terrestrial license of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), arguing the station had played a large part in orchestrating a coup

"Increasingly what we are seeing is the state assuming a role in which it says what you can and can't watch," said Andres Canizalez, an investigator at the Center for Communication at the Andres Bello Catholic University.

Many protested what they claimed was a clamp on freedom of expression, but others were more annoyed about losing the station that broadcast the majority of the beloved telenovelas, or soap operas.

And those staples of Venezuelan viewing habits haven't escaped fierce criticsm from Chavez.

"Careful with those capitalist telenovelas -- they poison," he said last year. "It's all a design, an ideological design -- to destroy the potential of a girl or a boy, of a youth -- to induct them into that plastic life and many times to violence, to prostitution, to the loss of values, to smoke cigarettes, to drink rum and I don't know what else ... to drugs."

So far they've survived but not without having to practice self-censorship, said Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, a professor at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and author of "Venezuela es una telenovela" ("Venezuela is a telenovela").

She points to telenovelas such as "Cosita Rica," which aired in 2003-2004 when Venezuela was at its most polarized following a coup attempt and a two-month national oil strike that tried to bring Chavez's government down.

"Cosita Rita," like other telenovelas at that time, did not shy away from political content. "It had characters who were allegoric of the political scene, including a character that was a metaphor of President Chavez," said Acosta-Alzuru.

But since 2007 when RCTV had its license revoked, most stations have toned down the subjects they tackle, even on entertainment shows, fearing similar reprisals.

The government put out its own telenovela on the state channel Venezolana de Television (VTV) in 2004. "Amores del Barrio Adentro," which told the story of love and life inside a poor neighborhood, was an attempt to present an alternative reality to what the private channels showed, but was panned by critics as government propaganda. It stopped airing soon after its launch, although the government claimed this was because VTV moved toward a news-centered agenda.

Yet despite Chavez's strong aversion to telenovelas, one of them actually helped him in his rise to power, said Acosta-Alzuru.

"Por Estas Calles" mirrored the reality under the government that preceded Chavez's. The show, set in the barrios, became famous for addressing the corruption that was rife in Venezuelan politics at the time and often used plotlines grabbed from newspaper headlines.

"To me it's always ironic when he mentions telenovelas," she said, "because actually he should be thankful."

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Catie Lazarus: TV Review: The Cleveland Show

2009-10-05T17:13:59Z

The
Cleveland Show is simultaneously inventive and familiar in how it chronicles the
adventures of a loving and garden-variety dysfunctional American family. The
second episode lets us get to know the interpersonal dynamics and challenges
Cleveland faces as he seeks to ingratiate himself and command respect in his
newly blended family.

It
is easy to root for the character, Cleveland. Like many adults, he does not
enjoy putting on the mask adulthood requires, but, as with the rest of us, he
does try to rise to the occasion that age inevitably poses. (Granted for men, these
days, effort seems to be all that matters.) Cleveland fumbles at first. He
would rather buy off his step children, Regina, who he tries to appease with a
pair of cubic zirconium earrings, and Rallo, who he tries to win over with a
new dog. He seems most uncomfortable parenting his own son, Cleveland Jr., perhaps
as he sees in his son his own tendency to avoid conflict and
active-passivity. What is most refreshing and wry is how Cleveland tackles his own
disappointment in his son's shortcomings.

Cleveland
refers to his son's dumb decisions as "curious," a far more clever
and gentle response than his more misanthropic comedic counterparts, be it
Larry David, Homer Simpson or Cartwright, might offer their kinder. As the prototypical
comedic, buffoonish dad character goes, Cleveland falls in the well-intentioned
variety. He feels bad about running over his step-children's dog, revolted by
his friend eating the dog, and clear-eyed about how the kids will react, even
if it was a mistake. His goal is not to subvert growing up at any cost, only do
right if it is the only way out. Cleveland is more of an every man, capable of
good and bad acts, despite having a heart that beats.

There
are moments and characters that are not as earnest. The show's otherwise
traditional format is broken up intermittently by catty, biting sketches ridiculing
celebrities. The jabs are on point but easy, like how pop star John Mayer, actor/Bono-to-be Brad Pitt, and several other famous males all share one thing in common: dating then dumping Jennifer Aniston. Some of the other potshots made in hindsight over yesteryear's inconsequential news are mocking the deceased Indie musician Kurt Cobain's questionable judgement in sleeping with train-wreck Courtney Love, and Halle Berry's tear-strewn acceptance speech over being the first black female actress to win an Oscar.

Overall,
The Cleveland Show is funny and, for lack of a better word, true. When Rallo compliments
Cleveland for being supportive during this vulnerable time in Rallo's life, and
then blows his nose on Cleveland's shirt, it hilariously and accurately conveys
how children, like adults, can be, as the French say, mechante. The writers also
deftly demonstrate how humans do dumb things well. Cleveland Jr. makes a
concerted effort in becoming a bathroom attendant, oblivious to the nine
zillion other options he can pursue in making a niche for himself at a new school.
With both boys, Cleveland buoyantly steps in, as he does with Regina, when her
own father neglects to do so. He is rewarded, successfully wining over Regina and Rallo, not to mention a growing audience fan base.

'The Simpsons' Mock 'The Secret' (VIDEO)

2009-10-05T07:58:54Z

On last night's episode of "The Simpsons," Bart got Mrs. Krabappel fired from Springfield Elementary by spiking her coffee. His guilt eventually got the better of him, but instead of confessing immediately, he went to the bookstore and bought his ex-teacher a copy of "The Answer" instead ("available wherever dubious quasi-scientific self-help books are sold"). Edna opened a muffin shop as a result of "The Answer," which she hated.

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Seth Rogen Gets Simpsonized: Actor Joins Cartoon Cast For Season Premiere

2009-09-25T21:14:22Z

LOS ANGELES — Seth Rogen has fulfilled a dream, and he's not talking about starring in the box-office hit "Knocked Up" or playing a superhero in the upcoming "The Green Hornet."

Rogen co-wrote an episode of "The Simpsons" and lends his voice to a character in the episode that airs 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, kicking off the Fox show's 21st season. He's only the second visiting celebrity to both write and act, following in the 2006 footsteps of Ricky Gervais.

How Your Favorite TV Shows Are Handling The Recession (VIDEO)

2009-09-07T11:06:06Z

While veteran shows struggle to incorporate the ailing economy into their story lines, networks are launching new shows born of the recession. In addition to new series in the slideshow below, Fox is developing a comedy called "Two-Dollar Beer" that follows a group of friends living in Detroit and trying to cope with the city's economy, while ABC Studios is developing "Canned" that focuses on a group of friends who all get fired on the same day.

Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [91] -- Win One For Teddy

2009-08-28T20:00:05Z

Republicans, masters of chutzpah that they are, have launched a pre-emptive strike against "politicizing" Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral with unseemly Democratic ideals. This should be so ridiculous as to endanger Americans' health from side-splitting laughter, but (Democrats being Democrats) it might just work.

A quick recent history of political funerals is in order here. I was shocked, after Richard Nixon died, that the commentary was so respectful. Lots of "elder statesman" talk, very little talk of "only president to resign in disgrace." Watergate was glossed over, his red-baiting congressional career wasn't even mentioned, and certainly very few critical words were said about the man by the inside-the-Beltway "journalists." It's as if a different man was buried.

Now, some would cite "speak no ill of the dead" as the respectful reason. Hogwash. Or, more accurately, whitewash. If that wasn't political, I don't know what was.

Next up, we have the funeral of Ronald Reagan. This began the sanctification (if not outright deification) of the man within the Republican Party. Or "continued" it, at the very least. George W. Bush was urged to politicize the heck out of Reagan's funeral, as it happened during the 2004 campaign. By the exact same people who are now warning not to "politicize" Kennedy's funeral.

Republicans, to give their side of the story, point to the "politicization" of Senator Paul Wellstone's funeral, after he died 11 days before attempting to get re-elected in Minnesota. The best thing about Al Franken being a senator is that this seat has now been returned to the Democratic Party (or, to be more accurate, in Minnesota it is officially the "Democrat Farmer Labor Party").

As you can see, from both sides of the aisle, calling for some sort of decorous avoidance of politics during the speeches given at politicians' funerals is not only unreasonable, but downright ridiculous. It'd be like eulogizing Charles Lindbergh and not mentioning airplanes. Or speaking at John Wayne's funeral without mentioning the movie business. In other words, what else do you expect people to speak about at Teddy Kennedy's funeral? His love of sailing?

The whole concept is absurd. Teddy Kennedy called reforming healthcare in America his "life's work." The man is dead, are we to ignore his self-proclaimed life's work? Because Republicans might be offended by it? You have got to be kidding me.

I would be happy to see every single speaker at Kennedy's funeral expound on the theme of "the highest honor we could ever give Senator Kennedy's memory would be to pass healthcare reform in his name." Or, much more directly: "We've got to win this one, for Teddy."

And the only -- the only -- response to Republican whining about "politicizing" Kennedy's funeral should be: "Teddy would have wanted it this way." Or perhaps, the variation: "Teddy would have loved it." That's really all that needs be said to answer any critics.

This column, it must be admitted, recently showed an incredibly bad sense of timing, since last week we awarded the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award to Teddy Kennedy. While this column still stands by what was said last week on the very specific issue we were discussing, at the same time (on a personal level) we feel terrible about the sequence of events.

To make up for this embarrassing situation, and because absolutely nobody could deny he has more than earned it; we award -- for the first time in 91 weeks -- a very special lifetime achievement award to Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Call it the Most Impressive Lifetime Democrat award.

Unfortunately, this award must be bestowed posthumously.

We're going to miss you, Teddy, that's for sure. We may not see your like again in the Senate, ever. A big piece of every liberal's heart in America will be buried with you in Arlington, under your brothers' eternal flame.

In the full tradition of the Irish wake, I offer one final toast to the Lion of the Senate:

Go raibh tú í Neamh, leathúair os comhair
a bhfuil a fhíos ag an diabhal atá tú bás.

("May you be in Heaven
a half-hour before the Devil knows you're dead."
-- traditional Irish toast)

It is with heavy heart that I am forced to hand out the MDDOTW award this week. My personal preference would have been to forego singling any Democrat out for being disappointing, in this sad week of all weeks, but Senate Majority "Leader" (or, as I have taken to calling him "Senate Majority Designated Milquetoast") Harry Reid has once again left me with no option.

Very quietly, among the Kennedy eulogizing (which Harry himself even joined in on The Huffington Post, where he was roundly and soundly criticized, in the comments section for not acting more like Teddy in his leadership), Reid announced the death of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) for this year in the Senate. This is the unions' number one priority, and is known as "card check." But it's not the issue itself which is the point here (as I said, the issue is dearly important to the unions, but it really could have been any progressive legislation Reid was announcing the death of). No, the point is that Reid reverts to form by his announcement: before the fight begins, immediately surrender.

One has to wonder if he chose this week to make such an announcement to largely bury the story in the midst of a media frenzy. But for whatever reason, against our better wishes, we simply must acknowledge this "Step One: Wave the white flag" cravenness from our so-called "leader" in the Senate.

But you know what? I bet the unions were paying attention. And Democratic union strength in Nevada is strong (all those hotel workers in Las Vegas, for instance). So I bet this one is going to come back to haunt Reid, during next year's election. As it well should.

So, Harry, while I would have much preferred not to speak ill of Democrats this week, you leave me no choice but to award you your record twelfth Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award.

[Contact Senator Harry Reid on his Senate contact page to let him know what you think of his actions.]

Volume 91 (8/28/09)

I've been trying to pace myself on the healthcare reform front, and haven't addressed it for a while here. But this year's "silly season" in politics has turned into "absolute raving lunatic season" instead, so we simply must devote some time to countering the noise coming from the other side of the aisle.

As always, these talking points are provided for Democratic politicians to use when interviewed by the press, but are equally useful for rank-and-file watercooler conversations as well. So without further ado, let's get to it.

Win one for Teddy

This one is so obvious, others have already picked up on it. Since I already covered this in the preamble to today's article, it needs no further explanation.

"Win this one for Teddy. Pass healthcare reform for Senator Kennedy. In honor of Edward Kennedy, we need to get this done. Do it for Uncle Ted. Get it done -- win one for Teddy. And to anyone who objects to healthcare reform being brought up in Senator Kennedy's memory, I have to say -- you know what? Teddy would approve. So who are you to object?"

Cut to the chase

Democrats need to start cutting the opposition off at the knees -- without anesthesia. Democrats have spent this entire debate "on the ropes" and it's time to fight back with a little demagoguery of our own.

"Republicans seem to be advocating a rather bizarre idea -- that everyone who gets sick deserves their fate. I'd like them to please explain to me how a little girl who gets leukemia is somehow 'at fault' or 'deserves' it. They try to scare people with the boogeyman of 'death panels' so they don't have to address a very cold reality -- if you get cancer and don't have insurance, it is a virtual death sentence in America. Republicans are fond of saying 'anyone can get health care, you just go to an emergency room.' But you know what? Emergency rooms don't provide chemotherapy. A death sentence from bureaucrats in this country already exists -- it's called being sick and being uninsured. Democrats are fighting to get rid of this type of death sentence. Because we don't believe that people should be blamed for getting sick."

Up or down vote

As September 15 draws ever nearer, the Democrats are dusting off a very powerful weapon -- "budget reconciliation." This means that a bill in the Senate (1) has very limited debate and proposed amendments, and (2) can pass with only 50 senators (plus Joe Biden) voting for it. This is going to send Republicans into fits of apoplexy, while they conveniently forget all the times they've rammed though major legislation using the tactic. To counter this onslaught of whininess, Democrats need to steal a phrase Republicans were very fond of (when they were in the majority, fighting filibuster attempts).

"All we are asking for in the Senate is an up-or-down vote. I think most Americans understand that this is the fairest way to run a democracy -- the majority rules. Filibusters used to be extremely rare, but in the past few years Republicans have attempted filibusters on just about every significant piece of legislation to move through the Senate. They are abusing the process -- just compare how many cloture votes there were in the past three years with any time in the Senate's history, if you don't believe me. To fight this abuse, we are going to demand an up-or-down vote in the Senate on healthcare reform. Americans deserve this up-or-down vote, and we are going to make sure that they get it. Republicans used to be for this concept, so it's actually surprising that they have flip-flopped on demanding such up-or-down votes."

Public universities, not the post office

Senator Charles Schumer came up with a wonderful metaphor last week on one of the Sunday political shows. Republicans have been using some variation of "government can't run anything right" or "name me one thing government runs that works as well as the private sector" as a club to beat up the public option with for weeks now. At first, Democrats tried to counter this by bringing up the post office. Well, while the post office actually polls fairly high numbers in satisfaction from the general public, you wouldn't know it from the ridicule it gets.

So Schumer had a better idea. These are not his words, but an elaboration of his metaphor, I should note. The best time to use this is after some variation on the "government can't do anything right" theme.

"You ask me to give you an example of the government competing successfully with private institutions? How about public universities? We have higher education in this country in two flavors: public and private. Private is usually more expensive. Many times more expensive. And while the private universities would have you believe that they provide a more valuable education, or even a 'better' education, I know a few world-class universities who would disagree. Such as the University of California, Berkeley. Or UCLA, for that matter. Or the University of Michigan. Or Georgia Tech. Or any one of dozens and dozens of excellent state schools around this country. They are government-funded entities which compete directly with private schools. And you know what? The graduates of such schools would heartily agree with me that they got an excellent education for a lot cheaper than they would have paid going to a private school. But you know what else? Public universities have not killed off the private universities. The two coexist peacefully in the marketplace. Students have the choice of both. Since, as you said, 'government can't run anything right' then should we just close down the entire publicly-funded higher education industry in this country tomorrow, and leave the field only to the private universities? Because not everything government touches is bad. I resent, on behalf of the millions of students educated by a government-funded system, the suggestion that government money automatically spells failure."

Social Security is socialism, remember?

This is just straight out of Looney Toons Land. Republicans have taken to -- simultaneously -- arguing that government involvement in anything equals "socialism" (which, of course, equals "bad"); while also portraying themselves as valiant defenders of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid (well, OK, not so much Medicaid...), and even healthcare for veterans. This is doublethink of the purest water, friends, and the contradiction needs pointing out. For any Democrat who thinks: "But that's obvious -- I don't need to point it out," I have to say: "Actually, some people are ignorant enough to believe both at the same time." Which is why you get loonies raving "Keep the government away from my Medicare!" As I said, this needs forcefully pointing out, since the media is just not up to the task.

"Republicans have been arguing against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for a long time now -- in fact, since before these programs began. Their theory of government tells them that all three of these programs are evil, evil socialism. They have not been shy in making this claim. Read some history, if you don't believe me. You don't even have to go back that far in history for some quotes on how 'Social Security is socialism!' or 'Medicare is socialism!' from prominent Republicans. Their party has been warning the American people for decades now about the evils of these socialistic programs. But now we see the spectacle of Republicans beating their chests against the evil socialism of the Democrats, while at the same time saying they're the defenders of Social Security and Medicare, and will protect these programs from 'government takeovers' or other such nonsense. Let me clue you in, guys -- you can't have it both ways. Medicare is the government. Social Security is the government. You've been warning how evil these things are for around 70 years, and yet you now expect us to believe that you are protecting them from evil interference from Democratic government socialistic takeovers? I don't know how to break it to you, but Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson are not only spinning in their graves right now, but their ghosts are actually laughing in your face.

Republicans ought to be ashamed of themselves

The wackiness just keeps getting wackier. The Republicans have learned, in the past month, a valuable lesson -- the mainstream media is absolutely incapable of determining truth from wacky, wacky fiction. Instead of an "umpire who calls balls and strikes" on the Supreme Court, at this point I'd be happy for a few on national televised news. Hey, I can dream, can't I? But since they've learned this lesson, the Republicans have thrown away any shred of a sense of shame they once possessed. Because, they've learned recently, they can say absolutely anything and the media goes along for the ride, instead of labeling as insane these outright conspiracy theories.

"Republicans are now trying to scare voters into thinking that Democrats will withhold healthcare from Republican voters. This is absolute insanity, and yet the Republican Party is using this suggestion not only to fear-monger, but also to raise money. Let me put this craziness to rest before it gets a chance to get out the door -- Democrats want all Americans to have access to healthcare. It's the Republicans who want to pick and choose which Americans deserve health insurance, and which don't. Does that clear things up for you?"

Come over and have some chow-dah!

This isn't really a talking point, but nobody else seems to have remembered Teddy Kennedy in this fashion, so I had to stick it at the end here.

Teddy Kennedy was many things to many people. But to one very important demographic, he wasn't Teddy Kennedy at all. He was, instead, Mayor "Diamond Joe" Quimby. I speak, of course, of fans of The Simpsons.

When The Simpsons Movie was about to be released, the movie promotion was just about inescapable. You couldn't walk into a 7-Eleven without being inundated with movie plugs. But the best thing they did to promote the film was to hold a contest to see which of many different towns across America named "Springfield" would host the official premiere (complete, of course, with a yellow carpet).

Now, as an aside, hardcore Simpsons fans already know that the Simpson family does not live in Springfield at all, but rather in Simpsonville, Kentucky (look it up on a map, and then look at what the town next door is named). Troy McClure even admitted as much, during an early episode.

But that is neither here nor there, so to speak. The premiere contest was held by USA Today, and consisted of videos sent in by different Springfields around the country. Each short video explained, in their own fashion, why they thought they were the true Simpsons Springfield, and why the premiere needed to be held in their town (Springfield, Vermont, a late entry, actually won). But the Springfield, Massachusetts entry was the early favorite, when news leaked that Senator Ted Kennedy did a cameo for it. He invites the Simpson family -- and "Diamond Joe" Quimby -- over for some "chow-dah."

So, on this sad week, again in the spirit of the Irish wake, I leave you with a bit of fun from Teddy (go to the USA Today contest page, and click on "Massachusetts" to see the video).

Requiescat In Pace, Teddy.

Chris Weigant blogs at: ChrisWeigant.com

Full archives of FTP columns: FridayTalkingPoints.com

Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground

Eric Blinderman: Do Governments Need The Media to Bring Criminals to Justice?

2009-07-24T17:14:15Z

In an era where our biggest threats are non-state entities and where our wars have become asymmetrical, traditional national security, law enforcement, and criminal justice structures sometimes struggle to cope with these new challenges. Enter NBC's new television show The Wanted, which poses the critical question of whether a mass market television show can shame governments into acting against some of the world's most notorious criminals.

As a former adviser to the Tribunal that convicted Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity in December of 2006, I spent nearly three years in Iraq painstakingly interviewing witnesses to horrific crimes, exhuming mass graves, negotiating the Tribunal's statute and rules of evidence and procedure, and managing one of the most complicated war crimes trials to occur since Nuremberg. It was therefore with professional and personal interest that I watched last week's premier of The Wanted.

The show's premise, for those of you who missed it, is to confront suspected terrorists, genocidaires, and others accused of committing mass atrocities while also pressuring relevant governments to take action against them. Like a myriad of non-governmental organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, the International Center for Transitional Justice, Amnesty International and others, the show's creators believe that they can effectuate real and positive change by embarrassing those in power to take action against people accused of perpetrating the most egregious crimes known to man.

Nobody can quibble with this premise considering the storied interplay between media and our criminal justice system. For example, the longest running television show in the history of the Fox Television Network is not, contrary to popular belief, The Simpsons. It is America's Most Wanted -- a show built upon the premise that millions of viewers who watch reenactments of a crime and learn the identities of the suspects can report these suspects to the police for capture and eventual trial. And America's Most Wanted has successfully bridged the gap between entertainment and law enforcement with the end result being a highly profitable show for Fox and over 1,000 suspected criminals captured as of July 17, 2009.

The Wanted attempts to do this, but on an international scale and for crimes that have countless victims. And the show's initial airing has demonstrated yet again the tremendous power of the media to compel governments to take action against known criminals living freely in their midst.

Take for example, The Wanted's decision to track down Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, aka Mullah Krekar. By way of background, Mullah Krekar founded a notorious Islamic terrorist group that eventually became known as Ansar Al-Islam and that has been linked to scores of car bombings, suicide attacks, kidnappings, and other atrocities, mostly in northern Iraq. The Wanted team located Mullah Krekar in Oslo, Norway where he was living openly in a genteel suburb outside the city's center.

When The Wanted team learned that Norway would not deport Mullah Krekar to Iraq without relevant diplomatic assurances that he would receive a fair trial and that the death penalty would not be imposed upon him, The Wanted folks traveled to northern Iraq, received such assurances from the Kurdish Regional Government, and presented these assurances to the Norwegian Government. In response, the Norwegian Prime Minister supposedly declared to The Wanted team that it was now engaging in diplomatic communications with the Iraqi government and that Mullah Krekar would be deported.

Score one for The Wanted and for the power of the media to shape world events. The question remains, however, will anyone but the Norwegian government watch?

Hank Azaria And Katie Wright Welcome Baby Boy

2009-06-10T15:03:43Z

It's a boy a bit early! for Hank Azaria and girlfriend Katie Wright.

The couple welcomed a son, Hal, on Saturday, June 6. "He was premature but he's healthy and strong," Azaria's rep Stan Rosenfield tells PEOPLE. "Everyone is very happy."

William Fisher: Mr. Common Law's Next Adventure

2009-05-29T10:01:38Z

I know, I know. Now that President Obama has chosen a nominee for the Supreme Court, I'm supposed to be writing about Sonia Sotomayor.

I will, I will.

But before he disappears into the flinty wilderness of the rural New Hampshire he loves so dearly, let me first say a few words about David Souter.

My few words are about his few words.

He spoke his few words at a recent seminar at Georgetown University on the independence of the judiciary, one of a series convened by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

His few words were on a subject rarely covered in any depth by the mainstream media, but one whose importance to the future of our country cannot be over-stated.

Souter spoke of the spectacular ignorance of the American electorate about the government they select people to serve in. And the consequences of that ignorance.

The Republic "can be lost, it is being lost, it is lost, if it is not understood," Souter said, citing surveys showing that large majorities of the public cannot name the three branches of government. Or who don't even know there are three branches of government.

Souter's trepidation has been borne out by dozens of other embarrassing surveys over recent years. Virtually every one of them has concluded that our young people know virtually nothing -- and are being taught virtually nothing -- about the way the country they live in is organized and governed. And these results are as true for college grads as they are for middle school youngsters.

For example, in one survey, fifty percent of Americans famously were able to name four characters from "The Simpsons," but only two out of five were able to name all three branches of our federal government. And no more than one in seven could find Iraq on a map.

In his best-selling book, "Just How Stupid Are We?" author Rick Shenkman writes that such uninformed voters are misusing, abusing, and abdicating their political power. He argues that we must reform ourselves before we can begin to reassert that power.

The paradox here is that, over the past half century, the U.S. population has seen huge increases in their formal educational achievements. Yet their levels of political knowledge have remained static. The result is that today's college graduates know no more about politics than high school graduates knew back in 1950.

I find it unfortunate that our poor test scores relative to young people in other countries are usually lamented only in terms of our under-achievements in science, math and technology.

There is no argument that these subjects are critical to America's ability to compete in the increasingly globalized environment of the future. But education is about a lot more than competing. It is about learning. And if are young people are content with being uninformed, they will surely get the country they've asked for.

Many observers -- including me -- were mightily heartened by the record-breaking participation of young voters during the 2008 Presidential campaign. But I have a nagging feeling that many of them were excited and moved to action by the personality, rhetoric and compelling life narrative of Barack Obama.

That kind of enthusiasm won't teach them much about our country and its institutions, but it's a start. Taking the next step will involve restoring Civics 101 to our educational agenda. Even if we have to choose it over football.

Justice Souter is painfully aware of that imperative. He said we have to start with the "reeducation of a substantial part of the American population." What is needed, he added, is "the restoration of the self-identity of the American people."

At 69, Souter has little patience for talking the talk. He is more about walking the walk. And, as if to provide all of us with a real life example, he has joined a committee sponsored by the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society that is dedicated to developing a civic education curriculum for New Hampshire's public school classrooms.

When he parts with the Supremes at the end of the current term, Souter plans to return to his hometown of Weare, New Hampshire. In retirement, we should not be at all surprised to find this most down-to-earth common-sense judge teaching that new course in Civics 101.

"If I can do it, you can do it too," Souter told his audience.

Yes, we can!

Andrea Chalupa: 15 Years Later, Why Bette Midler Is Still Trying to Save New York

2009-05-13T09:07:15Z

No one inspires picking up your trash or rockin' a sexy neckline quite like Bette Midler. From the earliest stages of her career in the '60s and '70s, the Divine Ms. M was worshiped on Broadway (and in the gay bathhouses) for letting it all hang out. There's a strength and purpose to her showgirl style, and for the past 15 years she's taken that spirit offstage with a mission: making New York one of the greenest -- and safest -- cities in the world. In this economic winter, she's determined to keep New York City from slipping back into the bad old days of the 1970s, with a little help from her new "BFF," rapper 50 Cent. (Gonna garden like it's your birf-day.)

"The bleakness of the '70s is indelible in my mind," Midler told WalletPop in an exclusive interview this week. "New York was even bleaker. It was beyond funk." The Bronx was literally burning, she recalls, as desperate landlords torched buildings to collect the insurance payouts. And you did not set foot in Central Park -- even at noon. "There was tremendous flight," she says. "It was scary. You felt threatened at every step. It was rough."

While Mayor Rudy Giuliani is often credited with having cleaned up the crime, Midler took care of the grime. Midler created her New York Restoration Project, raising over $38 million over the years, removing 875 tons of garbage and debris, and saved 114 community gardens from commercial development. "In 1999, we bought community gardens from Mayor Giuliani," she says, "and took the other ones no one wanted. We have transformed those gardens into living, growing spaces. A lot of them are urban farms."

The NYRP targets neighborhoods where local markets lack fresh produce and where asthma and diabetes rates are off the charts. Each garden takes $250,000 to build and gets an endowment of $150,000 to maintain. A bag-snagging program provides workers to do the costly work each winter of pulling plastic bags out of trees. A beautiful city is a safe and economically strong city. "That's what brings in tourists," says Midler. "We don't want to slide back to being dangerous. We want to insure that what we put forward into the public is welcoming."

The Obama administration recognizes Midler's efforts. "Government moves at a glacial pace," she says, "but this administration seems to be moving in the right direction, and quickly." Her partnership with Mayor Bloomberg's MillionTreesNYC, determined to plant a million trees in the city by 2017, has been rewarded $2 million in government funding to create green jobs. Young adults from low-income communities will receive horticulture training to tend to New York's fragile ecosystem, and hundreds of kids will learn green stewardship, she says.

"I was in Japan over three weeks last year. I did not see a single piece of litter in the entire country -- not one paper bag on the ground," Midler says. "I was beside myself. I was hyperventilating every day. They simply don't allow littering. When fast food took off in a big way in America, that's when the streets took off with this stuff." (She may be right: a British environmental group this year found that McDonalds generates 29% of the country's litter.) Such is Midler's notoriety as a green activist that she's been lampooned, as a guest star, on The Simpsons, depicted chasing highway litterbugs who eye her nervously in a rear-view mirror. In New York, she says, "There are problem areas, and I drive around in my little Prius, calling the sanitation department, shrieking. They will send their SWAT teams up." She encourages everyone to do the same when they spot a nature-choking mess.

NYRP's two annual fundraisers, the Spring Picnic on May 19, with rapper 50 Cent, Dolly Parton, Tim Gunn, and Andre Leon Tally, and, on Halloween, the insanely wild Hulaween Ball, serve "recession chic" menus: turkey, pot-pie, and barbecue. (She's dished these meals out even during the bubble years, to make sure more of her fundraiser dollars go to the cause than to the catering.) Midler, who grew up in Hawaii, says her parents never forgot the Great Depression. "My parents saved almost half of what my father earned," she says. "My mother made all of my clothes, made all of our meals, never made processed food. You wore everything until it was worn out. Everything was patched." She learned to sew, too: "I could have been Michael Kors instead of Bette Midler!"

On her Depression Tour in 1975-1976, where, for four months she traveled the country, singing songs for the New Depression (and you thought that was a modern concept), Midler wore the same outfit -- a Betsy Johnson jumpsuit -- until it literally fell off, she says. And much of her clothes on that tour were her own and some of the sets were recycled from the Clams on the Half Shell Review, when show business tradition dictates that sets are burned after a tour. (Any set, still available, from her tours is available for purchase, including the one from her notorious King Kong act. Proceeds will benefit NYRP).

Today she carries on the recession-chic tradition by exchanging handmade gifts with her family during the holidays: books, photo albums, paintings, racy poems. Another of Midler's favorite ways to save money, of course, is gardening. As more people grow fruit and vegetables for financial and ecological benefits, Midler advises patience, embracing the gruntwork, reading books and watching DVDs on gardening, and swapping out bad soil for the good stuff.

"There were Japanese people in the projects where we lived. They always had the most beautiful gardens, with the bonsai trees, and I never really forgot that," she says, of how growing up in Hawaii has shaped her deep devotion to nature. "Hawaii, in those days, was pristine. The motto was: the life of the land is perpetuated through righteousness. Part of that was treating the land with respect." Though she was often too busy to notice, when she first got to New York in her twenties, she was shocked by how people lived and how they threw everything out. "Lots of people are sleep walking. Keep your eyes open," she says "We've reached the tipping point, if we don't do something soon it'll be irreversible."

Maggie Speaks! The Littlest Simpson Says Her First Sentence While Acting Out "The Fountainhead" (VIDEO)

2009-05-11T12:59:53Z

Most of us remember when Maggie spoke for the first time in season four of the "Simpsons." She said "daddy" as her father put her down to sleep fulfilling his wish to have a child who didn't call him "Homer." Well, now after 16 years of silence she has spoken once again, and this time in full sentence form!

Last night, Marge took Lisa to get a manicure and they told the stories of Queen Elizabeth, Snow White (kind of), Lady Macbeth (again, kind of), and the "Fountainhead." The latter was set in a nursery school, in which Maggie excelled at creative architecture but was held back by the dastardly hand of mediocrity. Never has Ayn Rand been cuter. Actually, never has Ayn Rand been cute.

Maggie was voiced by Jodie Foster who lent an air of gravitas to the tot. She was originally voiced by Elizabeth Taylor in 1992.

See highlights of Maggie's story line below and watch the full episode here.

WATCH:

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'Simpsons' Cast Unveils Show Postal Stamps

2009-05-08T07:13:48Z

LOS ANGELES — "The Simpsons" now has the U.S. government's stamp of approval.

Crew and voice-cast members of the long-running animated series attended an unveiling Thursday of five "Simpsons" U.S. postage stamps at the Twentieth Century Fox lot in Los Angeles.

The Simpsons: What Will Springfield Be Like In 50 Years? (VIDEO)

2009-05-05T09:55:43Z

Catching up on some TV watching last night, I caught part of an episode of "The Simpsons" with some environmental themes. It might be about time for me to make a list of all of these episodes, eh?

This is from season 20, episode 17: "The Good, the Sad and the Drugly."

Here's the first point in that subplot:

And here's the whole episode, if you've got some time on your hands!

'Simpsons' Stamps Unveiled

2009-04-09T08:20:09Z

"The Simpsons" Mocks The Bailouts

2009-03-30T12:14:04Z

Last night's episode of "The Simpsons" was about second weddings and bridezillas, but the opening sequence featured a chalkboard gag that mocked the bailouts. Bart wrote "My piggy bank is not entitled to TARP funds," over an over again before hearing the school bell ring and heading for home.

Bart writes a different sentence on the blackboard each week, past gags have included: "No one cares what my definition of 'is' is," "Spitwads are not free speech," "My homework was not stolen by a one-armed man," "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does," and "I was not touched 'there' by an angel."

Watch the opening sequence and full episode here.

(h/t Matt Cooper)