Heidi Montag: I Blew Millions On Music Career
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Sometimes, it is about how you say it
...social scientists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have found that outrage talk is endemic among commentators of all political stripes, but measurably worse on the political right.
Hands up, the first person who's surprised. But wait a minute.
Granted that these folks are scientists and I'm not, the example they give of "outrage talk" from both the left seems to me to be at least flawed, and maybe even totally incompatible with the example from the right
Those examples are
"Whether it’s MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann spitting out his coffee because of some conservative transgression or radio host Michael Savage venomously impugning the character of immigrants, cable television, talk radio and blogs overflow with outrage rhetoric, and even mainstream newspaper columns are not above the fray," they said.
Well, as I say...wait a minute. Keith Olbermann spitting out his coffee (it's called a Spit Take, o bright sparks of Tufts Uni) is by definition an attempt at a comedic reaction. We can discuss whether or not it succeeds as comedy in any given case, but a person who uses the spit take is at least trying to be funny. I would argue they're not even being satirical, but (more importantly) they're certainly not spewing venom. Just coffee, I guess.
But Savage, on the other hand...well, take a look at the most recent handful of quotes as tracked by Media Matters, just as some examples. Forget whether or not you agree with what he's saying, that's not my point (and if you're reading my blog, there's like a one percent chance that you do, anyway). Look at how he's trying to say what he's saying. Is he even trying to make a joke? Forget failing/succeeding, is he even trying?
My point is not that Keith Olbermann has never said anything that went over the top, rhetoric-wise. He has and he's been quick to admit it. My point is, rather than spotlighting the finding that the right is considerably meaner than anything on the left, these scientists appear to have thought they had to tie their own hands by assuring us of their finding, "Oh, but the left is mean too!"
Well, no wonder that's their finding...if they're counting a spit take in the same category as Michael Savage saying that immigrants expect free education, that they are to blame for the bedbug epidemic (and that leprosy, tuberculosis & cholera will follow in their wake). And yes, both of those are real.
It's that old demon bugaboo false equivalence, and unfortunately, it is very, very...President Obama. I do not think we will ever rise above this tragically dark cloud until we accept the truth that when we are talking about vitriol, we are talking, overwhelmingly, about the right.
This is not to say that no one on the left ever has their little slips of frustration, either (including me). But with the right, I think, it isn't little slips. It's their everyday mode of discourse, 24/7.
But of course, I'm not a scientist.
This is a surprisingly great article
...on how Conan O'Brien was able to come back riding on "the wave of the future," in other words the digital media audience. I say "surprisingly great," because you don't always find two big chunks of Truth in articles about TV stars, but this one has these:
and
"The boomers have overstayed their welcome," declares the man credited by many with creating the phrase "viral video," Douglas Rushkoff, the author most recently of Program or Be Programmed, a book about digital media. "Generation X is finally at the stage where they can have the jobs the boomers had, and the economy crashes. There's nothing left for them...
and
O'Brien sits back in his office, guitar in hand, trying to make sense of his personal and digital evolution. First he thinks it through as a performer: "The Beatles were trying to be the Everly Brothers, and they couldn't quite pull it off. Elvis really wanted to sound like Dean Martin. But, you know, by failing …" He stops and starts again. "You have an image in your head of this iconic person. For me, it might have been Johnny Carson, where you grow up with him, and you think, 'Well, that's who I need to be' -- to realize that feeling I had when I was 8, sitting in my parents' house and watching him. And then things happen, and you think, 'Oh, my God, I didn't -- that fell apart.' But it's the failure to be that person or to completely follow through on what he did that leads you to something that's much better."
Monday, January 31, 2011
The moron strikes back
Once again, I have received a comment from a critic of President Obama.
I won't pretend that every single thing he's done has been a winner with me, but...pretty good, actually.
BTW, the link in the poster's screenname leads to nothing. But searching that name suggests they are Rick Fader, an Ohio resident of Hungarian descent who fancies himself good with tools, and a graduate of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, OH (Class of 1988). God, I love what the internet has done to would-be anonymous cowards.
Anyway, as happens too frequently to be merely coincidence with these kinds of comments, he seems not to have cared that the post he's commenting upon is over two years old. I guess that he couldn't slow down long enough to notice that in his hurry to call me a
This is ridiculous, of course. If I were a moron, I'd be running NBC (and/or MSNBC).
To get back to this timely comment: He responds to my querying of the qualifications and experience of Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle by first using a snark term apparently favored by "birthers," then adds:
Well, first of all, the American people chose President Obama. They must've thought he was experienced enough for them. John McCain and George H. W. Bush chose Palin and Quayle, respectively...and the American people made them pay for it to greater and lesser degrees.
But also, say what you will about Obama, and I've said some good and bad...but it's hard to deny he's smart. I mean, he's not an idiot. You can't say that about the other two.
Please don't hesitate to write if you have any other questions or witty observations.
How's that Obama thing working out for you?
I won't pretend that every single thing he's done has been a winner with me, but...pretty good, actually.
BTW, the link in the poster's screenname leads to nothing. But searching that name suggests they are Rick Fader, an Ohio resident of Hungarian descent who fancies himself good with tools, and a graduate of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, OH (Class of 1988). God, I love what the internet has done to would-be anonymous cowards.
Anyway, as happens too frequently to be merely coincidence with these kinds of comments, he seems not to have cared that the post he's commenting upon is over two years old. I guess that he couldn't slow down long enough to notice that in his hurry to call me a
Moron.
This is ridiculous, of course. If I were a moron, I'd be running NBC (and/or MSNBC).
To get back to this timely comment: He responds to my querying of the qualifications and experience of Sarah Palin and Dan Quayle by first using a snark term apparently favored by "birthers," then adds:
I mean at least [Obama] had experience as a COMMUNITY ORGANIZER....Hahahaha What a JOKE.
Well, first of all, the American people chose President Obama. They must've thought he was experienced enough for them. John McCain and George H. W. Bush chose Palin and Quayle, respectively...and the American people made them pay for it to greater and lesser degrees.
But also, say what you will about Obama, and I've said some good and bad...but it's hard to deny he's smart. I mean, he's not an idiot. You can't say that about the other two.
Please don't hesitate to write if you have any other questions or witty observations.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Come on down!
Time once again for another episode of...
"Who's searching for me now?"
Tonight's contestant comes to us from an IP Address for something called Newnan Utilities in Sharpsburg, Georgia here in the great USA. To my knowledge, I do not know anyone who works for a utility company in Sharpsburg, Georgia.
But whoever this is, he, she or undecided (and with some of my friends past and present it's hard to tell) found this blog by Googling my name, looked around for exactly one minute and then motored.
Your move, o mystery utilitarian.
"Who's searching for me now?"
Tonight's contestant comes to us from an IP Address for something called Newnan Utilities in Sharpsburg, Georgia here in the great USA. To my knowledge, I do not know anyone who works for a utility company in Sharpsburg, Georgia.
But whoever this is, he, she or undecided (and with some of my friends past and present it's hard to tell) found this blog by Googling my name, looked around for exactly one minute and then motored.
Your move, o mystery utilitarian.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
As most of you know...
... West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin is one of my writing icons (and a good bet to win a screenwriting Oscar this year for The Social Network).
Here's info on his new HBO show, and movie on the John Edwards affair (which he is also set to direct).
Here's info on his new HBO show, and movie on the John Edwards affair (which he is also set to direct).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hey Joe, don't let that door hit you in the ass on the way out, mmkay?
Joe Lieberman went on TV recently to insist that there really were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq.
...or er, at least, that Iraq was "developing" them.
Now this is, in itself, no surprise. Joe Lieberman is a boob, and a two-faced one besides. We've long known that. So it's no shock, just kind of saddening in a wholly expected way, to see him trot out this old chestnut in a Q & A with Arianna Huffington (and others):
God in Heaven, Joe. I have every intention of developing my own TARDIS so I can have Cameron Diaz, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Portman and Laura Prepon when they were good. Which I am inclined to do. Doesn't mean I can be sued for child support as the father of Natalie Portman's baby.
Another thing: Here is an item about the report he cites from the AP:
Y'get that there, Joe? "No evidence."
Also, from a related Washington Post article on the same report:
As I say, all this, like the fact that Lieberman is a two-faced boob, is what we already knew. But what we didn't know, or at least I didn't, is just how patronizing he could be to a woman...who just happens to have better information than he.
Because when Ms. Huffington quiered his assertion, the following exchange took place:
(emphasis mine)
Ooh-boy...
...or er, at least, that Iraq was "developing" them.
Now this is, in itself, no surprise. Joe Lieberman is a boob, and a two-faced one besides. We've long known that. So it's no shock, just kind of saddening in a wholly expected way, to see him trot out this old chestnut in a Q & A with Arianna Huffington (and others):
I'm basing it on the so-called Duelfer Report. Charles D-U-E-L-F-E-R conducted the most comprehensive report on behalf of our government. And it was, nobody thought it was partisan. I want to be very clear: he didn't find big caches of weapons of mass destruction. But he found, and proved I think, that Saddam had every intention, and particularly to develop nuclear weapons, was developing chemical and biological weapons, and had a structure in place including nuclear scientists that he was prepared to support if he broke out of the sanctions, which he was inclined to do.
God in Heaven, Joe. I have every intention of developing my own TARDIS so I can have Cameron Diaz, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Portman and Laura Prepon when they were good. Which I am inclined to do. Doesn't mean I can be sued for child support as the father of Natalie Portman's baby.
Another thing: Here is an item about the report he cites from the AP:
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004; 5:53 PM
Contradicting the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives, the top U.S. arms inspector said Wednesday he found no evidence that Iraq produced any weapons of mass destruction after 1991.
Y'get that there, Joe? "No evidence."
Also, from a related Washington Post article on the same report:
Duelfer's report said that no chemical weapons existed and that there is no evidence of attempts to make such weapons over the past 12 years
As I say, all this, like the fact that Lieberman is a two-faced boob, is what we already knew. But what we didn't know, or at least I didn't, is just how patronizing he could be to a woman...who just happens to have better information than he.
Because when Ms. Huffington quiered his assertion, the following exchange took place:
LIEBERMAN: ... these are not unfounded. Go read the Duelfer Report.
HUFFINGTON: There is nothing in the report that proves anything that you have said.
Dripping with condescension, Lieberman retorted, "I don't think you've read it, sweetheart."
(emphasis mine)
Ooh-boy...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Ah...you can always depend upon Tennessee
Think Progress:
You know, as I read this I'm reminded that in my play The Girl in the Boat, there is a fleeting reference to a never-seen character named José. When the play was produced in the insane state, I was asked to change the name, on the grounds that apparently, there were no Mexicans in Knoxville, Tennessee. Somewhat to my later chagrin, I agreed.
Tennessee Tea Party Demands School Curriculum Not Focus Too Much On The ‘Minority Experience’
You know, as I read this I'm reminded that in my play The Girl in the Boat, there is a fleeting reference to a never-seen character named José. When the play was produced in the insane state, I was asked to change the name, on the grounds that apparently, there were no Mexicans in Knoxville, Tennessee. Somewhat to my later chagrin, I agreed.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Better to change my sign than my sex, I suppose.
In September 2009, I linked to-
--Virgo being my astrological sign at the time and indeed for most if not all of my life. Now that I'm a Leo, I thought it might be amusing to visit the newly-relevant page...
Yeah, that's fair.
Well, that's kind of a bummer, if not exactly untrue. I do like being called "The royal Lion," tho, I admit it...
Ahem...
Sex and relationship monthly astrology: Virgo
--Virgo being my astrological sign at the time and indeed for most if not all of my life. Now that I'm a Leo, I thought it might be amusing to visit the newly-relevant page...
How to attract and date a Leo man: A Leo man needs a woman who is grounded in reality and can help him keep his feet on the ground...
Yeah, that's fair.
...Usually the royal Lion's romances do not last that long, when his emotional ideals of a grand and magnificent romance coming crashing to reality.
Well, that's kind of a bummer, if not exactly untrue. I do like being called "The royal Lion," tho, I admit it...
Sex will never be dull with a Leo, though, and they will master every move they know.
Ahem...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I don't know about you, but I could really use some comedy right about now
So here's comedian (and Woman My Own Age) Maria Bamford...
| Jokes.com | ||||
| Maria Bamford - Cults | ||||
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Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 07, 2011
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Have I mentioned lately that Christian Bale is a fucking self-important nutball?
Christian Bale has hit back at "patronizing" suggestions he picks movies that require him to lose weight, insisting it is "horrible" to drastically alter his body for extreme roles.
"To be honest, I find it laughable that it's considered some f**king gimmick -- it's so patronizing. For God's sake, do people not understand what a pain it is to do? It's as though it's some comment about, 'Oh, it's easy for him, because he's done it a bunch of times.' It's not easy, it's not fun -- it's horrible.
"I would never pick to do that, but (playing Eklund was) a part that I like and he's a welterweight and he's a crack head. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a welterweight with any fat on him - or a crack head. So it's just what you end up having to do. Somebody told me that somebody wrote something about my 'trademark weight loss'. I'd just like to p**s on that guy's shoes."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/dailydish/detail?entry_id=80476#ixzz1AKEbysTd
One or two of us were saying that back in August or so, but it's nice to have confirmed
The Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was an avoidable accident caused by a series of failures and blunders by the companies involved in drilling the well and the government regulators assigned to police them, the presidential panel named to study the accident has concluded.
Now I look forward to seeing the terrible price which the politicians will make those companies pay.
Also, I look forward to having an orgy with Teri Polo, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, Anna Faris and a 31-year-old Blythe Danner. Seems just as likely.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Todays "Who's searching for me now?" question
Someone in Villeneuve, Bourgogne, France found this blog early this morning (my time) by googling "varkentine.blogspot.com." To the best of my knowledge I do not know anyone in Villeneuve, Bourgogne, France. I don't even know anything about it.
I wonder if it's that place where the ladies wear no pants I've heard so much about. That would be cool.
I wonder if it's that place where the ladies wear no pants I've heard so much about. That would be cool.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Proof positive that Karma is real
Folks who got their audio book version of President Bush's new memoir Decisions Points on Christmas were surprised to see chapter headings like "Bushit" and "Innocent Children Die" when they popped the CD into their computers on Christmas morning.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Nice going, Brainiac
The Northwest Raptor & Wildlife Center says a young bald eagle found shot in the wing is under round-the-clock care.
The center's Matthew Randazzo told the Peninsula Daily News Saturday that the eagle's wing is broken and contains bullet fragments. He says it's unlikely the bird will be able to fly.
The male bird was found floundering on the ground near Beaver, about 10 miles north of Forks. The wildlife center in Sequim and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are seeking information about the person who shot the bird.
Shooting a bald eagle is illegal. The birds are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
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