Friday, May 15, 2015

Real Time with Bill Maher, #354, 05/15/15 "Killing it"

John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
Carsick: John Waters
Hitchhikes Across America
by Catherine Giordano


Bill Maher and guests were killing it on Friday May 12, 2015.  on episode #354 of "Real Time with Bill Maher." We had serious conversation, laced with witty jokes and put downs. And, sad to say, it had not just metaphorical killing, but some real death to talk about.  
 
Presidential candidates
Bill Maher began the show with jokes about Mitt Romney, the former Republican presidential candidate who got into the 2016 race for about five minutes. Now that he is out of the race, he can do fun things like have a charity boxing match with Evander Holyfield.  Maher quipped, “I guess he just likes getting beat by a black man.” On Saturday morning, I saw the results of the match. Romney lost. 

“You heard about the big train wreck? But enough about the Jeb Bush campaign. “ Good one Maher. A simple question about the Iraq war turned into a four day-train wreck for Jeb Bush. Maher said, “He’s the only one who could answer a simple yes or no question two different ways and be wrong each time.  

Actually, it was four different ways, but who is counting?  Bush capped it off by saying, “We don’t need ObamaCare. We have the I-watch.” And he’s supposed t be the smart one? He’s killing his own campaign.  

Even the ultra conservative on the panel Chares Murray was amazed that Bush could not answer the question. [Charles Murray is a paleoconservative and paleolibertarian—defined as someone who advocates tradition, limited government and civil society, along with religious, regional, national and Western identity.  He’s also a political scientist, author, columnist, pundit, and scholar at The American Enterprise Institute.  He is the author of several books. His most recent book is By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission 

Panelist Heather McGhee said “George W. Bush did a lot to this country that his brother will have to answer questions about.” She is President of Demos, a public policy organization dedicated to increasing social and economic equality in America.  

John Waters wants Hillary to win so Bill can be First Lady. He’d like to see Bill be a First Lady like Mamie Eisenhower. [John Waters is always so funny  He’s a film director, screenwriter, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, art collector, and author of a (sort of) memoir, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. Waters is being honored by the British Film Institute in September for his 50-film oeuvre which includes his cult hits Pink Flamingos and Hairspray.]

John Waters was the mid-show guest  in June of 2014. He discussed his book, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America, on that show. Read about it in my review and recap titled, “Spinning.”

The train wreck
The train derailment in Philadelphia killed eight people. Yet, the next day Congress voted to cut Amtrak funding. Maher said that they objected to subsidizing transportation with taxes “as opposed to the interstate highway system which is a natural-occurring geographical formation.”  

Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee
Heather McGhee said, This is no way to run a country.” While we are refusing to repair crumbling bridges from 100 years ago, across the pond, our competitors are doing broad-band, wind farms, etc. They are doing the things we taught them.”    

Maher said, “We can’t have victory for America because it might be seen as a victory for Obama. Murray tried to blame the problems on regulations. Maher pointed out that the stimulus package Obama managed to push through got things done.  

McGhee delivered the knock-out punch. “They are killing programs because they are afraid regulations would hold back the projects. That makes no sense.” 

Progressive Programs
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York wants to organize progressive leaders.  Progressives want common sense programs to improve the lives of the middle-class: A living-wage minimum-wage, sick leave, family leave, universal pre-K, etc. Republicans say it costs too much, but Maher pointed out the country had plenty of money for useless military aircraft. The F22 cost $67 billion and was never used; The F35 cost $1.57 Trillion and it doesn’t work.  

Murray said, “If they adopt this agenda, they will get wiped out.”   

Maher said that Republican citizens support these proposals, even though Republican politicians don’t.  He said, “The donor class is the gatekeeper.” 
 
The interview
"Heretic" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
"Heretic" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

The interview was with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born American human rights activist, writer, and politician. She is critical of female genital mutilation and Islam and Muslims. She supports women's rights and atheism. She is the author of several books. Her newest book is Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now. 

Her personal journey is amazing. She suffered genital mutilation at age 5. Her father tried to force her into a marriage, but she managed to escape to the Netherlands. She later emigrated to the United States.  

Maher and Ali agreed that liberals must stand up for women’s rights and not hid behind claims of cultural difference. Ali said, “Yes, some women like the burka, but millions do not like it.” 

She is calling for Islam to have a “reformation.”  She said, “We must stop investing in life after death instead of life before death. We must give up Sharia law. Holy war must be replaced with holy peace.”  

Calls for an “Islamic Reformation” are making an analogy with the Protestant Revolution. I don’t remember my history all that well, but how long did it take to “reform Christianity, how many wars, and how many dead? Religious reform does not go down easy. 

Religion
Perhaps religion is dying a slow death. The Pew Poll on religion is done every seven years. The 2015 poll shows that in the United States, the proportion who say they are Christian has gone from 78% to 70%.   

The “Nones,” people with no religious affiliation, are now at 23%. Among Millennials, 35% are “Nones.”  

This led to the mid show comedy segment –The King James Franco Bible.
  • Honor your father and mother… so you can live in their basement. 
  • Thou shall not steal.. except for music online.
  • When our Lord returns…Uber will be there.
Killer Mike
"Run the Jewels" with Killer Mike
"Run the Jewels" with Killer Mike

The mid-show guest was the rap artist known as Killer Mike. He is a rap recording artist and activist against racially- motivated police violence. He has several music CDs including Run the Jewels. 

Mike talked about the problem of cops killing black men. He said we need community policing. It’s not enough to just have black cops, the cops must live in the neighborhoods they police. And good cops must turn in bad cops. 

Maher mentioned that Bill O’Reilly is always going after rappers. He blames the decline in the numbers of Christians on rappers. Maher pointed out that blacks are the least likely group to leave Christianity. 
 
Jesus was a black guy with a posse of homies. He was against government. And everyone like him better when he was dead.
 
Brit for Brains
Bill Maher’s final New Rules bit was about the use of British accents in American culture to convey gravitas. Things just sound better with an American accent. Maher said, “They have the gravitas; we have the swag.” 

“Face it,” Bill said. “We are not a serious people. We drink wine out of a box. We invented Mormons. And Bill O’Reilly is a best seller. And the Iraq war sounded a whole lot better coming out of Tony Blair’s mouth “
 
Killing it, Maher!
When comics are funny, they are said to be killing. Bill Maher kills every week. But not for the next two weeks. He’s on tour in Europe so there is a two week hiatus of the show. He’ll be back on Friday, June 5, 2015.
 

Bill Maher’s Guests:  May 15, 2015  

The interview
 Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Somali-born American human rights activist, writer, and politician. She is critical of female genital mutilation and Islam and Muslims. She supports women's rights and atheism. She is the author of several books. Her newest book is Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now 

The mid-show guest 
Michael Render, aka Killer Mike: Rap recording artist and activist against racially- motivated police violence. He has several music CDs including Run the Jewels. 

The panel included: 

John Waters: Film director, screenwriter, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, art collector, and author of a (sort of) memoir, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America. Waters is being honored by the British Film Institute in September for his 50-film oeuvre which includes his cult hits Pink Flamingos and Hairspray.
 
Heather McGhee: President of Demos, a public policy organization dedicated to increasing social and economic equality in America.  


Charles Murray "By the People"
Charles Murray"By the People"
Charles Murray: Paleoconservative and paleolibertarian political scientist, author, columnist, pundit, and scholar at The American Enterprise Institute.  He is the author of several books. His most recent book is By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission. (A paleoconservative is someone who advocates tradition, limited government and civil society, along with religious, regional, national, and Western identity.)

Friday, May 8, 2015

Real Time with Bill Maher #353 05 08 15 "I Feel Your Crazy"

Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
by Catherine Giordano


“I feel your crazy,” Bill Maher said in New Rules playing off of Bill Clinton’s “I feel your pain.” And there seems plenty of crazy in the news these days. Maher and his guests discussed some of the crazy in Real Time with Bill Maher, episode #353, which aired on Friday may 8, 2015.

Billy Crystal
The interview is with Billy Crystal, actor and comedian. He’s the author of several books, including 700 Sundays (turned into a Broadway one-man show and an HBO special) and Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys?. Billy Crystal is currently starring on an FX TV series, The Comedians.

The show seemed a little topsy-turvey because the interview is usually with a politician or scientist and the person from the world of entertainment is usually the mid-show guest. But tonight, Maher did the interview with Bill Crystal. I figured out why. Crystal is a very strong fan of The Clippers football team, the team was playing a game on Friday night, so Crystal couldn’t stay for the whole show. He had to be at the game.  

The interview was Crystal telling a story about the Yankees (he’s also a big fan f the Yankees) and George W. Bush throwing the first pitch at a balland a few other stories about Kissinger and Reagan. It was a funny bit, but it was a bit and not much of an interview. I really don’t know anything about sports. I put a link to the interview at the end of this post.
 
Erin Brokovich

Erin Brokovich Take it From Me
CLICK HERE to look inside
The mid-show guest was Erin Brokovich, consumer advocate and president of Brokovich Research Consulting. She’s the author (with Marc Eliot) of Take It From Me : Life's a Struggle But You Can Win. I think she was supposed to be the interview guest, but got moved to mid-show because Crystal didn’t want to miss the Clipper’s game.
 
Erin Brokovich talked about all the chemicals in our food and environment—84,000 of them and only about 200 have actually been tested and found to be safe. There are some bills in Congress now that will take away consumers rights to sue if they are harmed by any of these chemicals.
 
It got funny when Maher mentioned the super blondness of her hair and she had to admit it was bleached blonde.  Maher joshed that there had to be a lot of chemicals in hair dye. Brokovich laughed it off. Blond hair is worth whatever damage the chemicals might cause.
 
Lincoln Chaffee
Lincoln Chaffee was a panel member. He is the former senator (R,RI), former governor of Rhode Island (as an Independent), and author of  Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President (He’s talking about GWB; it was written in 2008). He has now registered as a Democrat and will probably be a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Maher tried to get him to announce right then, but he dodged and weaved and said he would make a decision soon.  

Lincoln Chaffee Against the Tide
CLICK HERE to look inside
Shouldn’t Chaffee as the former governor of Rhode Island and potential Democratic presidential candidate have gotten the interview slot?.Afferall, Mike Huckabee, former Republican governor of Arkansas and Republican presidential candidate got the interview slot a couple of weeks ago. However, Chaffee was demoted to just one of three panel members. He must really want the exposure because it is kind of an insult.  (Read about the Huckabee interview in In a Blather.)
 
Lincoln Chaffee said “We need to calm down on terrorism.” He may be right, but he is not going to win the presidency saying things like that. I am very unimpressed with him--just about everything he said was uninspiring. If somehow, Chaffee became the Democratic candidate, one of the clowns will be our next president. I’m glad there are a few other potential candidates to represent Democrats if Hillary should be unable to be the candidate.  
 
Presidential candidates
The Republican clown car is picking up speed. There could be as many as 22 (or even more) candidates jumping on that car. It’s a great situation for comedians, not so great for the country.
 
Carly Fiorina entered the race. “The Republicans need a woman,” Maher quipped, “either her or Lindsey Graham.” (Graham is expected to announce soon.) Fiorina is a laughing stock for her demon-sheep ad in her unsuccessful bid for senator of California. She points to her career as CEO of Hewlett Packard as her qualification. “Let’s see,” Maher quipped, “She reduced the sales of the company and increased its debt. She might just be the one to run the country.”
 
Mike Huckabee is in. He believes we are in the biblical end-times,” Maher said. “And Ted Cruz proves it.” (Ted Cruz has already announced.)
 
Ben Carson is in the race. He said Obama is a psychopath, but it is Carson who sounds nutty. He believes the earth is only 6,000 years old.
 
Maher remarked that Hillary is making sure there is no room to her left. She has come out for campaign finance reform, prison reform, and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. If elected, she will be undoing a lot of what Bill Clinton did. The former president, her husband, is OK with that.  
 
New Rules: Legend of Curly’s Fold
Bill Maher is very disappointed in Rand Paul. Maher was once Libertarian, and although he has become more liberal as he matured, Paul Rand, because of his Libertarian bent, was the one Republican that Maher thought he could consider.  
 
He said Paul Rand was last seen in front of an aircraft carrier setting fire to everything he once believed. Now Rand is telling the crowd what they want to hear, e.g.: increase the defense budget, ban gay marriage.
 
The most shocking thing he said was what he said at a prayer breakfast—“We need another Great Awakening a tent revival.” (The Grat Awakening was  an evangelical religious movement of the 1700’s).
 
Maher brought up the Jade Helm conspiracy theory. “You can’t call out nutty people for being crazy. Crazy is not a small group. Crazy is a constituency.”  So the governor of Texas calls out the National Guard, and Rand Paul says he is going to look into it.
 
Maher called out rural white people who think they are being “messed with” “You have outlawed abortion. You are armed to the teeth. You are the white Somalia.”
 
“Stop worrying about the new world order. You are barely in the old world order. The reason we conduct military exercises in your area because it there is no danger of damaging anything anyone cares about.”
  
Mid-show comedy bit
Some European countries are worried about declining birth rates. There is a “Do it for Denmark campaign.”  Maher made up some posters for other countries to encourage more copulation. For instance, in France, the slogan could be “Pretend your wife is your mistress.”  In Germany, it could be “Ich be ein be in her.” In Greece: “Try it around the front.” And in VaticanCity, “Pretend she’s an altar boy.”
 
Islamic Jihad
Some loon in Texas sponsored a contest inviting people to draw caricatures of Mohammed, ala Charlie Hebdo. The group deliberately tried to provoke an attack and they got it. Fortunately, a police officer shot the two Muslim gunmen who showed up to avenge the insult to the Prophet before they could hurt anyone. Stupid young men—if they had just ignored the provocation or denounced them on TV as bigots, they would have won.
 
Will Cain, ESPN Sportscaster, host of The Cain Conversation on The Blaze and the conservative on the panel, agreed saying that this country is built on free speech and it should never be reined in.  “If they say, if you offend me I will kill you, then you need to offend them.”  
 
Alex Wagner, MSNBC host of Now with Alex Wagner, disagreed said, “Insulting Muslims is not the same as insulting Catholics because Muslims are more marginalized.”   
 
Maher said, “Acting like Muslims are unable to control themselves is bigotry. The Westboro Baptist Church always protest my shows, but it doesn’t end in a gun battle.”
 
I think there is free speech and there is deliberate provocation, and we should not confuse the two. Charlie Hebdo drew caricatures of everyone to satirize religion and power; this group had no larger purpose than being offensive. It is crazy to do something for the sole purpose of offending someone whether you have the right to do it or not.
 
Crazy, crazy, crazy
Clown cars, weirdo conspiracy theories, offensiveness run amok—can you feel the crazy? It’s getting more than a little scary.

The interview with Billy Crystal:

 




 Bill Maher’s Guests: #353 May 8, 2015


Billy Crystal Still Fooling Them
CLICK HERE to look inside
The interview was with Billy Crystal, actor and comedian. He’s the author of several books, including 700 Sundays (turned into a Broadway one-man show and an HBO special) and  Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? He is currently starring on an FX sit-com, The Comedians.


Billy-Crystal-700-Sundays-DVD
Billy Crystal 700 Sundays DVD
CLICK HERE to look inside


















The mid-show guest was Erin Brokovich, consumer advocate and president of Brokovich Research Consulting.  She’s the author (with Marc Eliot) of Take It From Me : Life's a Struggle But You Can Win

The panel included:

Lincoln Chaffee: Possible candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, former senator (R,RI)  former governor of Rhode Island (as an Independent), and author of  Against the Tide: How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President (He’s talking about GWB; it was written in 2008). He has now registered as a Democrat.  

Alex Wagner: MSNBC host of Now with Alex Wagner 

Will Cain: ESPN Sportscaster, host of The Cain Conversation on The Blaze
 

Friday, May 1, 2015

Real Time with Bill Maher #352 5/1/15 "Do Bee"

Romper-Room-Do-Bee
by Catherine Giordano

Remember Romper Room? You may, if you were a kid at some point in the 1950’s through the 1990’s.  There were “Do-Bees” and “Don’t Bees” to teach children good behavior. Bill Maher used this as the basis for his New Rules segment on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, episode #352 which aired on May 1, 2015. 

Maher joked that he always tries to be a Do-Bee, and that is why he has earned the nick named “Mr. Doobie.”  

Do Bee and Don’t Bee
GWB is the “Don’t Bee.” Maher said, “He baited us into war against Saddam Hussein in Iraq and what did it get us besides an Oscar nomination for Bradley Cooper. Obama is the Do-Bee. He shot the real attacker, Osama bin Laden, in the face.  Some other examples of Bush’s bad “Don’t- Bee behavior and Obama’s “Do-Bee” behavior. 
GWB told us Iraq had nukes; Obama negotiated with Iran so therewould be no nukes.
GWB got actionable intelligence from Jesus; Obama got it from tapping your phone.
GWB dodged a shoe; Obama reduced our soldiers’ casualty rate by 60%. 
 
Bill added, “We now have the same empty tough guy talk that we had back in 2003.  They don’t hate us for our prosperity; they hate us because we are in their land.” Maher said, “Look at it this way. You don’t want Mexicans in your country, and all they want to do is mow you lawn."  
 
The interview
The Great Divide
CLICK HERE
The interview was with Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel winning economist, former Senior Vice President of the World Bank, former economic advisor to President Clinton, and author of The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them.  

He was a Do-Bee when he explained how the recent events in Baltimore illustrate the great divide. Freddie Gray hadn’t even done anything wrong. He should never have been arrested. At least the six officers involved in his death have been indicted. Maybe it is a beginning of the end to allowing cops to get away with murder.  

He was a Do-Bee when he talked about the costs of the Iraq war. Bush said that the war would cost a total of $60 billion. We spent that much in the first two months. The actual cost was $3 to $4 trillion and counting. Close to 50% of our soldiers are coming home with disabilities. Those costs will continue for decades.  

Stiglitz is a Don’t Be when he blames Obama for the fact that 91% of the gains in the economy have gone to the top 1%. Maher pointed out that Obama has tried, but is stymied by Republicans. Stiglitz blamed it on campaign contributions saying that “they are really investments.” He calls it “cognitive capture.”   

I say, “Yes, campaign contributions will get you attention, but they won’t necessarily get you what you want “Not all donors want personal gain, some don’t want anything more than to help the candidate that shares their goals for the country. Furthermore, the money may get the politician to listen to you, but he or she won’t necessarily do what you want. Not if the politician has integrity.

An unctuous Don’t Bee
Panel member Dan Senor was a great example of a Don’t Bee. If I could have reached through the TV and slapped him, l would have. Like the Baltimore Mom who slapped her son, I would have done it for his own good, to keep him out of trouble.  He reminded me of the saying, “Figures don’t lie, but liars figure.” He twisted everything to make his points.  

What were those points? The problems of Baltimore are not due to poverty and lack of funding. The leaders of Baltimore are black, so the problems of Baltimore have nothing to do with racism. Obama is responsible the rise in black unemployment. The man reminded me of a snack with its head a foot off the ground darting and weaving.  

An intelligent Do-Bee
D.L. Hughley
D.L. Hughley
Fortunately we had D.L.  Hughley, actor, comedian, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, The D.L. Hughley Show, and author of I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America on the panel. Hughley is well known for his performance in The Original Kings of Comedy and the ABC sit-com, The Hughleys 

He cut the snakes head off over and over with wit and intelligence. Hughley said that what happened in Baltimore happens across America. He said, “You will never see a Black-Lives- Matter poster at a Republican Convention.”  
 
Shut Up by D. L. Hughley
CLICK HERE
Hughley spoke out against the Republican canard that all the problems that African-Americans face is due to the breakdown of the family. He said, “In the 60’s, black families were intact, and we still had riots.”  The riots are a reaction to lack of opportunities.

Maher pointed out that if black families have broken down it is because “all the black fathers are in prison.” [One third of all black males in this country will spend some time in prison.]   
 


Zagat’s Black Man’s Guide to Police Departments
This was a great segue into the mid-show comedy segment. What if Zagat’s did a guide to police departments? Maher read some excerpts from this guide. 

In Arizona: It’s a dry hate.

In New York City: Brutality with personality.

 In San Francisco: Where the elite meet to get beat.

 In Pensacola Florida: The police are Redneck Divas. The South will rise again, but you won’t. 
Don’t Be Garry Kasparov 
Garry Kasparov was the mid show guest. He is chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, a former world chess champion for 20 years, and the author of several books including  How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom.

His newest book will be out in October, 2015. It is titled Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir and the Enemies of Free World Must be Stopped. 

Do all grand master chess champions eventually go crazy? I gather Kasparov doesn’t like Putin very much and with good reason, but he was just ranting. I think he wants America to take Putin out. This led Maher to one of his favorite themes. Maher said, “Why does America always have t be Guardian of the Galaxy? 
 
 Bruce Jenner and LGBT issues
Maher said that Jenner revealed his big secret. “He’s a secret Republican." 

Jane Harman is a former Congressional Representative (D, DA) and currently Director of The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She was a bit of a Dumb-Bee throughout the show.  

I don’t mean she was stupid, just quiet. Come to think of it, maybe she was a bit dumb-stupid also. She said, “Some Republicans have been very courageous. Cheney and Rob Portman support gay marriage because they have gay kids.”   

OK, Jane, during Cheney’s last campaign, he said he loved his gay daughter, but I don’t think he ever said he favored gay marriage, not even now that his daughter is gay married. And I don’t think it is all that courageous to support gay marriage only because you have gay children. It’s just self-interest.  

Maher said he didn’t understand why “G” and “T” were lumped together into LGBT (LGBT stands for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender.”  Maher said it meant “Lesbian, Gay, Bacon, and Tomato.”) Maher said transgender is not a sexual orientation. Harman was a Do-Bee when she explained that it was all about issues related to sexual tolerance.   

Funny Bee
Maher was a funny bee this week. And now I have been a good little Do-Bee and finished my recap and review. 
 
 
Bill Maher’s Guests for May 1, 2015

The interview:  

Joseph Stiglitz:  Nobel winning economist, former Senior Vice President of the World Bank, former economic advisor to President Clinton, author of The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them 
 

The mid-show guest: 

Garry Kasparov: Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, former world chess champion for 20 years, author of How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom
 

The panel: 
 
CLICK HERE
D.L.  Hughley:Actor, comedian, host of a nationally syndicated radio show, The D.L. Hughley Show, author of I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America, Hughley is well known for his performances in The Original Kings of Comedy and the ABC sit-com,The Hughleys.
 
Jane Harman: Former Congressional Representative (D, DA) and currently Director of The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

 
Dan Senor: Cofounder of The Foreign Policy Initiative, adviser to Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, author (with Saul Singer) of  Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
 
 
How Life Imitates Chess
CLICK HERE

Start Up Nation
CLICK HERE