Strollerderby : ben stiller

Morning News - Talk Show Host Waterboarded

Brett Singer — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Sean Hannity said he would do it but hasn't made good on that pledge. So Erich “Mancow” Muller stepped up and got the job done. Here's a video, which is not safe for work or anyone who feels that watching a wildly unpopular talk show host get waterboarded is an insult to their intelligence.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. The great thing about Republicans these days is that they are so tolerant. Case in point: Colin Powell, who felt the need to go on CBS' "Face The Nation" and tell everyone that yes, he is still a Republican. This depiste the fact that Dick Cheney recent said "My take on it was Colin had already left the party. I didn't know he was still a Republican." And the lovely Mr. Rush Limbaugh, who says he would like the former Secretary of State to "close the loop and become a Democrat." An article from the AFP wonders if all of this "our way or the highway" stuff is going to be a turn off to anyone who might, gawd forbid, disagree with the Cheney/Limbaugh hive mind. Gee, ya think? On a personal note (shocking, I know) I would genuinely like to have a civil discussion with a person of the Republican persuasion so I can find out what the appeal is. Seriously. I know people who lean to the right politically and yet aren't braying maniacs like Limbaugh or "Mancow". So far I haven't worked up enough nerve to discuss politics with any of them. If someone wants to leave a comment about why they are a Republican, please do so. Understand that I'm not saying that all Republicans are kooks, just that the only ones that we hear from in the media seem to be on the kooky side.

Staying with politics for a moment, President Barack Obama is expected to announce his pick for the Supreme Court this week. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that unless he chooses, say, Dick Cheney, most Republican politicians will not be pleased with his choice. But hey, ya never know. I've been wrong before. (Like the time I said, "Hairspray" as a musical? No one wants to see that. Or when I suggested that Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman make a little film called "Ishtar." Only one of those statements is true. Guess which one!)

Moving on to the world of entertainment, Susan Boyle moved on in the "Britain's Got Talent" contest. She sang "Memory" from "Cats." Daring choice. (Meow.) Here's a video, which is safe for work but not safe for those who find the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber to be only slightly more pleasurable than fingernails on a chalkboard:

Speaking on TV talent contests, Queen might have a job for "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert. They'd like him to do their laundry. Kidding! He would be the lead singer. Everyone said he (Adam) was just like Freddie Mercury, right?

In movie news, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" beat out "Terminator Salvation" by about $10 million. When asked for a comment, Christian Bale said, "OHHH! GOOD FOR YOU!"

Last, but not least, today is Memorial Day. I couldn't find one story that I thought was "the one" to link to, so here's a bunch of them from Google News.

Women Switched at Birth Find Out 56 Years Later

More Babies Named After Sports Figure than President

13 Year Old Alfie Definitely Not A Dad

Retarded movie boycott

Brett Singer — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:45:00 GMT

So – how do you get disparate groups representing the mentally challenged to get together on something?

Release a movie that makes gratuitous use of the word 'retard'.

That's what "Tropic Thunder" does, and some people are fighting mad about it. Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, told the New York Times that a boycott of the film, "Not only might…happen, it will happen."

What's their beef? Well, Ben Stiller plays a character named Tugg Speedman. Tugg appeared in a film called "Simple Jack", which was about "a mindless dolt" (according to the New York Times). Tugg did "Simple Jack" in an attempt to win an Oscar and show off his acting chops. Apparently there is "an off-color discussion with Robert Downey Jr.'s character about the merits of going 'full retard' for a role in the pursuit of Oscar gold."

This isn't the first complaint about "Thunder." There was a fake promotional web site for "Simple Jack" that included the line, "Once upon a time there was a retard." The site is now gone, presumably because of the outcry from various groups. That didn't appease them, though; Defamer says the demands were, "Paramount/DreamWorks should pull all scenes and clips that include Ben Stiller’s portrayal of Simple Jack from the movie, DVD, trailers, promotional material and merchandising" – um, yeah, and the executives will come over and do your laundry while giving you a foot massage. Defamer also mentions "Sean Penn's grossly condescending role in 'I Am Sam'", which makes me wonder why it's OK for someone to make a movie with a mentally challenged character, but it's not OK to make a movie that makes fun of someone for making a movie about a mentally challenged character. (Now say that ten times fast.) You know, as a joke. Anyone who saw even the trailer for 'Radio' will probably know what's being poked at. ("Tropic Thunder" screenwriter Justin Theroux explains what he and Stiller were trying to do here.)

So it's a joke, and as near as I can tell, the only group being made fun of is actors. The problem seems to be the very use of the word "retard." The n-word is verboten (but that doesn't stop movies featuring racist characters from getting made). You don't hear a lot of the f-a-g-g-o-t word, although "gay" is still thrown around a lot. Should "the r-word" be added to the list of words we can't say, or does everyone need to lighten up?

image: Defamer