The Onion on Star Trek
This "Onion News Network" parody report on fan reaction to the then-new "Star Trek" prequel movie came out in May but Timothy Sandefur's post was the first I'd seen it. "Yes it was exciting . . . but where was the heavyhanded message about tolerance, where was the stiff acting . . . I mean, it just didn't seem like a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 9, 2009 07:05
Bruno La Toya Jackson Scene Cut
He's dead and buried but Michael Jackson still dominates the news: The makers of the film "Bruno" have cut a scene featuring Michael Jackson's sister La Toya because of fears it was in poor taste following the singer's death, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. The scene in the spoof movie featuring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as an outrageous gay Austrian ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 8, 2009 15:02
Nicole Bobek Meth Dealer, Michael Jackson Still Dead
Taking a quick glance at YahooNews before shutting down for the evening, I see that the most popular searches are "Michael Jackson Memorial," "Michael Jackson Funeral," and "Nicole Bobek." I gathered from Twitter and other sources that the Michael Jackson funeral was a ridiculous circus, which is fitting in so many ways. But, what with Jackson having been dead several days ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 7, 2009 21:59
Abe Vigoda Still Alive
The list of major celebrities who have died in recent days is staggering. Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. Billy Mays. Karl Malden. Steve McNair. Ironically, however, Abe Vigoda -- who was famously erroneously declared dead by People magazine way back in 1982 -- is still alive and kicking at 88.Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 5, 2009 12:11
Larry King Minutes
Hugh Hewitt has come up with a brilliant meme: "LKM" stands for Larry King Minutes --the number of broadcast minutes that Larry King would devote to your death if it occurred today. Michael Jackson has set a very high standard, swamping all other coverage from Larry's show and triggering hours and hours of extra programming from Larry. Conor Friedersdorf and Andrew Sullivan ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 2, 2009 14:51
Overdosing on Michael Jackson
Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Lester: via Frank Stephenson via Robert PratherPosted in Outside The Beltway on July 1, 2009 07:59
Michael Jackson News Saturation - Micheal Jackson Tops Iran!
Michael Jackson died yesterday and given that his death was unexpected and that he was arguably the world's most famous entertainer, one would naturally expect a significant amount of news coverage. But methinks this is overdoing it a mite: Amusingly, a misspelled variant of his name ("Micheal Jackson") is the fourth most popular search right now, beating out Iran. Alas, "Jeff ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 26, 2009 08:15
Michael Jackson Dead at 50
BREAKING: LA Times: Michael Jackson hospitalized - Yahoo News Michael Jackson has been rushed to the hospital, a fire department official told the Los Angeles Times. Capt. Steve Ruda said Thursday that Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m. The paramedics performed CPR and took him ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 25, 2009 18:04
Farah Fawcett Dead at 62
Breaking: Actress Farrah Fawcett dies at 62, according to AP CNN (Farrah Fawcett, sex symbol and actress, dies): Farrah Fawcett, the blonde-maned actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, has died. She was 62. People (Farrah Fawcett Dies of Cancer at 62): Farrah Fawcett, who skyrocketed to fame as one of a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 25, 2009 12:54
Illegal Music Downloads Bring $1.9 Million Fine
A Minnesota woman has been fined $1.9 million for downloading 24 songs from an Internet file sharing service, CNN reports. Jammie Thomas-Rasset's case was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in the United States, her attorney said. Attorney Joe Sibley said that his client was shocked at the fine, noting that the price tag on the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 19, 2009 12:58
Palin Ignored Worse Jokes Than Letterman’s
Via Twitter, Jeff Jarvis links this interesting bit from WaPo's Paul Farhi: So, the strange case of Palin v. Letterman appears to be resolved with Letterman's very classy apology last night. I say "appears" because, based on my email, some people just won't let it go. They insist, despite TWO on-air explanations, that Letterman really, really was aiming his crack at ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 17, 2009 08:33
Chastity Bono Sex Change
A story of interest only to people over a certain age: "Chastity Bono is having a sex change to become a man." [caption id="attachment_37695" align="alignright" width="249" caption="In this April 7, 1998 file photo, Chastity Bono is shown in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Susan Sterner, file)"][/caption] A spokesman for Bono, born a girl to Sonny and Cher, says he "has made the courageous ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 11, 2009 19:41
John Wayne: 30 Years Later
Alex Massie and Radley Balko remind me that John Wayne died 30 years ago today. I recall it well, having just recently returned to the States from Germany and waiting to start 8th grade in El Paso. I've seen most of his movies since and become a bigger fan. Someone (Robert Prather, perhaps) shared via Google Reader a superb tribute by Roger ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 11, 2009 16:15
Stephen Colbert in Iraq
Stephen Colbert takes a lot of grief from my side of the aisle for his partisanship but his USO trip to Camp Victory in Iraq deserves nothing but praise. Here's Campbell Robertson's NYT writeup from a couple days back: War, as things go, is a fairly unironic exercise. Sure, there are endless incongruities to be found and parodied in the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 10, 2009 12:30
Letterman Palin Jokes Cross the Line
While I'm willing to defend HuffPo's discussing Sarah Palin’s Toenails for reasons outlined yesterday, I think David Letterman's quip about her "slutty flight attendant look" is pushing it a bit far. Still, Palin's a public figure and a grown-up. Jokes about Palin's 14-year-old daughter being "knocked up by Alex Rodriguez"? Way over the line. Even if the butt of the jokes ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 10, 2009 08:46
