George Carlin Dies at 71
George Carlin, a comedian known for his combination of raunchy language and intellectual humor, died of heart failure last evening. He was 71. Carlin was an interesting guy, combining brilliant observational humor with political activism. Like too many comics in the HBO era, though, it often seemed that he was vulgar and outrageous simply because he could rather than ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 23, 2008 07:16
Men Prefer Bachelorhood to Bad Marriage
Breaking News from Reuters: Men don't like bad marriages. Bachelor Carl Weisman got fed up of being classified as a playboy, a loser or a commitment-phobe so he set out to find out exactly why he and a growing number of eligible men were steering clear of marriage. Weisman, 49, conducted a survey of 1,533 heterosexual men to research a book ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 2, 2008 11:24
McCain Wins Iowa and New Hampshire Endorsements
John McCain has received all the key newspaper endorsements for the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, despite being a non-factor in the polls in the former and trailing in the latter. The Des Moines Register backed McCain despite his being in 5th place in their own polls; apparently, they're not so much trying to influence the outcome as to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 16, 2007 09:37
Michael Bay Doesn’t Suck
Matthew Yglesias seeks to justify his "reputation in the blogosphere as a leading Michael Bay apologist" by providing a video of a Levis whereby readers might "truly glimpse the man's skillz." The commercial is rather entertaining. Then again, I'm not sure where the near-consensus among movie critics that Michael Bay makes terrible moves comes from. For example, a profile in ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on July 6, 2007 14:01
Michelle Manhart Demoted, Discharged for Playboy Pics
Michelle Manhart, the Air Force noncom who caused quite a splash by posing nude for Playboy, has been demoted and discharged from active service. Details and video, along with some levity, at Gone Hollywood. The case is interesting from a military and political standpoint, leaving aside from the prurient interest that seems to be driving Internet traffic on the issue. First, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on February 15, 2007 15:57
John McCain Taps Terry Nelson as Campaign Chief
ABC reports that John McCain will announce "veteran GOP campaign operative Terry Nelson as his pick to be his national campaign manager, should the Senator choose to turn his exploring into a full-blown run for the White House." Nelson served as national political director for Bush-Cheney '04. He has served in senior roles in both the political and ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 7, 2006 13:44
Ford Attack Ad Racist?
An attack ad running against Harold Ford and sponsored by the Republican National Committee is generating controversy, with the Ford campaign calling it "racist" and his Republican opponent, Bob Corker, calling for it to be removed from the air. Here's the video: Here's the transcript: (UNKNOWN): Harold Ford looks nice, isn’t that enough? (UNKNOWN): Terrorists need their privacy. (UNKNOWN): When I ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on October 25, 2006 10:11
Star Trek Celebrates 40th Anniversary
It was forty years ago today (well, actually, yesterday) that Captain Roddenberry taught the band to play. Or, at least, created an iconic space western called "Star Trek." Cue the iconic theme music: Forty years ago, on September 8, 1966, "Star Trek" lifted off into TV and cultural history. Over the subsequent decades, the sci-fi adventure series has amassed millions ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 9, 2006 09:06
Colorado Rockies Love Jesus, Not Naked Chicks
The Colorado Rockies are turning to Jesus in hopes of winning more games, reports USA Today in yesterday's edition. No copies of Playboy or Penthouse are in the clubhouse of baseball's Colorado Rockies. There's not even a Maxim. The only reading materials are daily newspapers, sports and car magazines and the Bible. Music filled with obscenities, wildly popular with youth today and ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 1, 2006 14:50
McGreevey Had Gay Truckstop Sex While Maintaining Heterosexual Cover
Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey reveals his life of seedy debauchery before press revelations of an affair with a male aide forced him into coming out of the closet. Jim McGreevey shockingly admits that before he became governor of New Jersey, he'd have anonymous gay sex at Garden State highway rest stops. "All I knew was that my behavior was ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 22, 2006 19:42
