America’s newspapers of record in turn published what now seem to be perfunctory articles
about the maybe new Iraqi prime minister that read a lot like so many
previous articles about all the other Iraqi prime minister-designates
dating back to the invasion of Iraq. Like his predecessors, Kadhimi
apparently can balance between the United States and Iran and is a
person of integrity who can elicit political support from different
factions. But such testimonials, in typical fashion, are followed by
caveats about the significant shortcomings of Iraq’s political system
that will likely make it difficult for the prime minister-designate to
form a government and subsequently govern. The articles generally close
with a fingers-crossed quality. It is a formula that journalists in the
field and their editors at home seem to have perfected.
The person nominated is always the big story, but the far more
consequential issue that these articles and commentaries often merely
allude to is Iraq’s political institutions. Even the most casual
observers of Iraq know that the country’s problems are significant,
complex, and seemingly unresolvable. No one knows how to fix them,
despite years of trying, so everyone in Washington who ever cared about
Iraq seems now to be advocating for the United States to head for the
exits.
-- Steven A. Cook, "Nobody Can Help Iraq Anymore" (FOREIGN POLICY).
Monday, April 27, 2020
Truest statement of the week II
The coronavirus-stricken crew of the USS Roosevelt would be more
useful making N-95 masks, building housing for people living on the
streets, and tilling community gardens to prepare for supply chain
collapse.
“Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb.”
Pentagon brass say they’re anxious that US adversaries Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran may take advantage of our pandemic-crippled armed forces in their hemisphere, but they can kiss my ass. I still don’t have an N-95 mask, a coronavirus test, or a stimulus check, so how’m I supposed to worry that a Chinese aircraft carrier steamed through a strait in the East China Sea? That a Russian fighter jet flew within 25 feet of a US Navy surveillance plane over the Mediterranean? Or that Iranian Navy vessels are “harassing” the US Navy and Coast Guard in the Persian Gulf?
Why don’t we just bring them all home? What the hell is our Coast Guard doing off the coast of Iran anyway? Who’s protecting New Jersey?
I’m more frightened of empty grocery shelves, unemployment, and gun-toting militias egged on by the Orange Tweeter-in-Chief.
-- Ann Garrison, "Pentagon Brass Can Kiss My Ass" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).
“Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb.”
Pentagon brass say they’re anxious that US adversaries Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran may take advantage of our pandemic-crippled armed forces in their hemisphere, but they can kiss my ass. I still don’t have an N-95 mask, a coronavirus test, or a stimulus check, so how’m I supposed to worry that a Chinese aircraft carrier steamed through a strait in the East China Sea? That a Russian fighter jet flew within 25 feet of a US Navy surveillance plane over the Mediterranean? Or that Iranian Navy vessels are “harassing” the US Navy and Coast Guard in the Persian Gulf?
Why don’t we just bring them all home? What the hell is our Coast Guard doing off the coast of Iran anyway? Who’s protecting New Jersey?
I’m more frightened of empty grocery shelves, unemployment, and gun-toting militias egged on by the Orange Tweeter-in-Chief.
-- Ann Garrison, "Pentagon Brass Can Kiss My Ass" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).
A note to our readers
Hey --
Early Monday morning.
Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:
The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.
And what did we come up with?
- Truest statement of the week
- Truest statement of the week II
- Editorial: Protests continue in Iraq
- TV: Journalism isn't supposed to be melodramatic o...
- The Whores List
- From The TESR Test Kitchen
- Krystal Ball: Young voters to Democratic party: SC...
- New music
- Tweet of the week
- Life just got a little harder for fake asses like ...
- This edition's playlist
Peace,
-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.
Editorial: Protests continue in Iraq
The failed state of Iraq continues to fail the Iraqi people. NRT reports on a protest that took place Sunday:
That's Sulaimani. It's not the only place protests are currently taking place in Iraq. Terry Evans (THE MILITANT) reports:
A Tweet from earlier this month regarding Nasiriyah protests:
And there are protests in Basra Province. SHAFAAQ NEWS reports:
The coronavirus faces a great challenge in Iraq: With only 0.8 doctors and 1.4 beds per thousand people, Hospitals, which aren’t up to the pressure of “regular” patients, certainly can’t deal with the spread of the virus that is killing thousands of people, or with those suspected of being infected.
Zvi Bar'el (HAARETZ) offers:
Bar'el misses the 'brain drain.' That's after the occupation began -- US-led occupation -- in 2003 and it's medical professionals fleeing due to threats. The brain drain took place repeatedly in Iraq long before ISIS rose. Here', for example, is a 2006 report on the brain drain by Jonathan Steele.
Former political prisoners protested
in front of the Amna Suraka National Museum in Sulaimani on Sunday
(April 26) saying that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had
mismanaged their benefits and demanding an intervention by the federal
government.
Like many people who suffered under the
Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein, former prisoners convicted of
political offenses in the Kurdistan Region receive monthly payments from
the KRG. As part of the pension and salary reform bill passed by the
Kurdistan Parliament in January, some previous beneficiaries were struck
off the list.
On Sunday, the protesters expressed two main
demands. First, that the KRG reinstate those who were stripped of their
benefits by the reform bill. Second, that they start receiving benefits
directly from the federal government, rather than through the KRG.
That's Sulaimani. It's not the only place protests are currently taking place in Iraq. Terry Evans (THE MILITANT) reports:
Hundreds of Iraqi protesters defied a government-imposed curfew in the southern city of Nasiriyah and took to the streets in recent weeks to demand a halt to restrictions on their gatherings. They also condemned the April 5 assassination of Anwar Jassem Mhawwas, a leader of anti-government demonstrations there.
Large numbers of workers and youth have joined protests in Baghdad, the capital, and several other cities since last October, but many suspended their actions at the end of March after the government clamped down on any gatherings, using the spread of coronavirus as a pretext. The protesters have been fighting for political rights, the fall of the government, jobs, water and electricity, and a halt to Tehran’s and Washington’s interference in the country.
A cadre of protesters have maintained encampments in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, in Diwaniyah, Basra and Nasiriyah. They are determined to be well placed to restart their hard-fought struggle, which attracted tens of thousands of working people.
“I will not abandon my dream of a nation that suits us and provides us with a dignified life,” student Hassan Abdulkarim told Asharq Al-Awsat in Tahrir Square.
A Tweet from earlier this month regarding Nasiriyah protests:
From the sit-in in southern Nasiriyah / Habboubi, logistical preparations have been completed to start the third round of decisive protests to pressure the international community into holding early elections to protect democracy in #Iraq
And there are protests in Basra Province. SHAFAAQ NEWS reports:
A group of Iraqi workers working in the British "security CRG" company in West Qurna Field (1) in Basra Governorate renewed their protest on Sunday in front of the company's headquarters in al- Zubair district west of the province, in protest against the termination of their services by the company and firing them without notice.
“The protest was renewed today in front of the company’s headquarters, for firing (49) workers under the pretext of the spread of Corona's epidemic and comes as a result of the non- response to our demands despite our appeals to the Iraqi MPs of Basra Governorate in the Oil and Energy Committee and Basra Governor and our fear that the fate of (49) the family would be hunger and poverty due to ending our contacts we have families and we do not have another source of income,” One of the protesters, Muhammad Al-Shammari told Shafaq News reporter.
Iraq is a failed state. The government doesn't serve the people which is why the people protest. All this takes place now as the coronavirus confronts countries around the world.The coronavirus faces a great challenge in Iraq: With only 0.8 doctors and 1.4 beds per thousand people, Hospitals, which aren’t up to the pressure of “regular” patients, certainly can’t deal with the spread of the virus that is killing thousands of people, or with those suspected of being infected.
Zvi Bar'el (HAARETZ) offers:
According to official reports, there are about 1,500 patients throughout the country,
a bogus figure since testing is nil and the ability to pinpoint the
locations of infected people is almost nonexistent. Not to mention the
more than 1.5 million refugees living in Iraq, without any sort of
documentation or supervision and no access to medical centers.
The devastated health
care infrastructure is not a recent challenge. It started back in the
first and second Gulf wars, the sanctions on Iraq for more than 12
years, between 1990 and 2003, and the occupation of Iraq by the
coalition forces, during which medical personnel fled or lost their jobs
as part of the purge of Saddam Hussein loyalists.
Later, when Iraq
was partially occupied by the Islamic State, hospitals in the south and
west of the country came into the hands of ISIS forces that led to the
flight of thousands of doctors and nurses and to the destruction of the
physical health care infrastructure. To this day, the Iraqi government
has been unable to rehabilitate much of the healthcare system. The state
budget for 2019 allocated about 18 percent to defense and only about 3
percent to health care. Bar'el misses the 'brain drain.' That's after the occupation began -- US-led occupation -- in 2003 and it's medical professionals fleeing due to threats. The brain drain took place repeatedly in Iraq long before ISIS rose. Here', for example, is a 2006 report on the brain drain by Jonathan Steele.
TV: Journalism isn't supposed to be melodramatic or provoke belly laughs
Last week, two long running series came to an end -- one a drama, the other a sitcom. Somehow though, the biggest drama came on the so-called news channels and, sadly, so did the biggest laugh.
EMPIRE wrapped up its disappointing sixth season with more nonsense. As Stan has repeatedly noted at his site, there never should have been a sixth season and the show should have ended with season four. That was the last time the series had any coherence at all. Lucious was struggling with who he was (after surviving the hit that his son Andre had carried out on him). Nurse Claudia (Demi Moore) shows up to help him but she's not there to help. Cookie's dating weak, mama's boy Angelo (Taye Diggs) whose mother (Phylicia Rashad) is soon plotting to destroy Cookie. Forest Whitaker and Nicole Ari Parker had joined the cast as Eddie and Giselle Barker. Nurse Claudia terrorizing Lucious and Cookie would be real tension.
Lucious fighting some gangster in the final episode didn't produce tension. It was badly staged and made it look as though neither Terrence Howard nor Wood Harris (Damon Cross) had ever been a fight in their lives -- let alone acted out one. To offer some perspective, we haven't seen a fight scene staged so badly since ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. In fact, the opening fight scene on the beach in that film was was the scene that neither George Lazenby nor his career could ever recover from.
And EMPIRE never recovered from bad writing nor from Jussie Smollett. Jussie played the sympathetic and likable character of Jamal who was supposed to be a breakthrough by proving being gay was a choice. Lee Daneils, Jussie explained, like Jussie, was attracted to women from time to time. Oh, how f**king sweet. That should have been called out from the get-go.
We saw that 'fluid' back in the day. ABC couldn't take that Steven Carrington was gay. Al Corley complained about the nonsense of ABC's homophobia and the constant trying to pair gay Steven with a woman and they responded by firing Al Corley.
EMPIRE was not a break through for gay characters. Lee Daniels may need to examine his own homophobia. Any major character that was presented as gay on the show tended to actually be bisexual.
There's nothing wrong with being bisexual. But stop presenting it as "gay."
Presenting bisexual -- people who are attracted to both genders -- as "gay" reinforces the lie that being gay is a choice.
Daniels and Smollett both insisted -- lied -- that they were demonstrating that sexuality was fluid.
Of course, sexuality is fluid. Pauline Kael was writing about that decades ago.
Help us out, though. If sexuality is fluid (and we believe it is) and that was the message Daniels wanted to get across, why Jamal?
Why not have Lucious fall in love with a man or Cookie with a woman?
Isn't sexuality fluid, Lee Daniels?
Or is just fluid for the gay characters?
It's bad enough that EMPIRE trafficked in homophobic tropes like the killer lesbian (Naomi Campbell's Camilla kills lover Mimi portrayed by Marisa Tomei). But a time when 'conversion therapy' still exists (quack science claiming you can 'cure' homosexuality), to take the only main cast character who is gay and repeatedly have him attracted to women was disgusting and offensive.
Again, there was no effort to use a 'straight' character to demonstrate the 'fluidity' of sexual attraction -- not by Lee Daniels. Using a straight character, could have addressed fluidity but this wasn't about that -- this was about someone who's gay and their personal shame over being gay influencing storylines. Lee Daniels has a career, he needs to examine his own homophobia before he creates anything else.
Jussie Smollett has no career.
Americans loved him as Jamal. Jamal was a good character who was pushed to the limits by his parents -- even when they were unethical, he still loved them and tried to support them. Jamal was someone America rooted for -- rooted that Lucious would truly accept him, rooted that Jamal would end the relationship with the man who battered him, rooted that love would win out for Jamal. Jamal could also sing and America rooted for him to record what he wanted and not what Lucious tried to bully him into doing.
Then, in season five, Jamal became a problem. That's when the actor that played him, Jussie Smollett, claimed he was attacked by Trump supporters early in the morning in Chicago while getting a Subway sandwich. They told him, he said, that he was in "MAGA country" and snarled racist and homophobic words at him while tossing a substance on him and putting a rope around his neck.
Jussie, tearfully explained to the media, that he fought back. He did so, apparently, with one hand because despite fighting off two men who were able to put a rope around his neck, he was able to arrive home with his Subway sandwich still intact.
Maybe, before he fought back, he said, "Hey, guys, ground rules -- sandwiches are off limits"?
It was all a lie. Two friends of his (brothers) who had worked on EMPIRE were the 'attackers.' They say Jussie paid them. Jussie denies it. He can't explain, however, why he couldn't recognize these men he knew, worked out with, went to the bath houses with, texted constantly, etc. He can't explain why he couldn't recognize them or why these brothers from Nigeria were able to sound like White men.
Jussie is a liar. He is a disgrace.
And once that became obvious, FOX (in the process of being bought by DISNEY) should have hired a spin-control expert for their property -- the TV show. FOX refused to do so. You had Lee, Taraji P. Henson and assorted others making statements of support for Jussie even after it became clear that Jussie was lying.
Even after Jussie cut a deal -- which was an admission of guilt. He lied to the public -- and was allowed to -- about the deal. But you don't forfeit your bail money unless you're pleading guilty. Innocent people don't forfeit their bail.
Even after that, Taraji was still shooting her mouth and looking like a hood rat. The result was that she destroyed her film career. When promoting 2018's PROUD MARY, she said she thought it would be a hit but she had other films coming out and they were strong films. She was sure that she'd have a big hit in at least one of the films released over the next two years. Then came Jussie's January 2019 lie and Taraji's constant lying for him.
WHAT MEN WANT was supposed to be a blockbuster. Blockbusters, in the 90s, were defined as films that crossed the $100 million mark domestically. $54.6 million is how much it took in (US and Canada). Opening one week after Jussie's 'attack,' the film debuted at number two. As America realized Jussie was lying and as Taraji continued to lie for him, the film sank. Week two, it fell to number four, week three, it fell to number six. Then it went to number nine, then to number ten. Then out of the top ten. Five weeks in the top ten.
It wasn't a blockbuster. You can argue that with the $20 million shooting budget and the $15 million on advertising and prints, it really wasn't even a hit.
Then came THE BEST OF ENEMIES which was supposed to be Oscar bait. Supposed to be. Instead, it was just a flop. With a ten million dollar shooting budget, grossing ten million did not make it a break-even because the studio also spent millions on prints and advertising.
At 49-years-old, the moment has now passed for her to be a leading actress and that's why the industry now defines her as a "supporting actress." Lee Daniels keeps talking about a Cookie spin-off of EMPIRE but he seems not to realize how hated Cookie and Taraji have become.
Jussie's lying was so against everything his character Jamal believed in and espoused. There was no way he could ever return to playing Jamal and the fans felt betrayed. FOX should have hired a spin guru to explain to the cast that there was no return to the show for Jussie and that their remarks about how he was innocent (he wasn't) were dragging the whole show down because the fans didn't want to hear it. They were angry and they felt betrayed by Jussie. They didn't want to hear Taraji lying that he was innocent.
All of this led to the destruction of the show. The final season's storylines did not help either. It was another season of Cookie's a dog. Here's the ball, Cookie, here's the ball, go get the ball, go get it!!!
Every season Cookie is over Lucious and every season Cookie then realizes she loves Lucious.
It is the same damn storyline and it is tired. It's also offensive when it's repeatedly dressed up in false talk of empowerment and growth -- this season ridiculously found Cookie going to therapy. We say "going" and not "entering" because most therapy patients aren't bullying and threatening and cursing their therapist in session after session.
Terrence Howard maintained his dignity and managed to rise above the bad, bad, really bad storylines. Trai Byers (Andre), Nicole Ari Parker and A.Z. Kelsey (Jeff) deserve praise. They made every scene believable in spite of the bad writing.
Bad writing?
The same storyline again for Cookie was bad writing, absolutely. But there was so much more. Far too much to mention. But we will note Giselle and Becky. Giselle's brother shows up. He gets hurt and we learn he is her son. And then? He has an argument with Giselle (who he doesn't know is his mother) and that's it. He disappears. What was the point in wasting time on a new character in what everyone knew was the final season if that storyline isn't even developed? That's how it was over and over. And poor Becky (Gabourey Sidibe) looked like a damn fool over and over. Giselle took money from Damon Cross to keep BOSSY from going under. Giselle and Becky started BOSSY and later took Cookie on as a partner. When Cookie finds out that they owe Damon, she tears into Giselle in front of Becky. Does Becky defend Giselle? No, she lets Cookie fire her. That firing made no sense. It doesn't work in reality -- they had no grounds to fire her without going public about Damon which they didn't want to do. It doesn't work for the story either. Giselle had Becky's back and Cookie never did -- not before BOSSY and not after. Becky ended up miserable. It was her own damn fault. The storyline rendered the character stupid. Later, when she was attacking Porsha (Ta'Rhonda Jones) and snorting cocaine, who gave a damn about Becky anymore. The last episode tried to band-aid Becky by having her apologize to Porsha but it was way too late for that.
Most episodes were disappointing and dull and that was especially true of the final episode which opened with Taraji looking really unattractive in bizarre make up and a bad wig for a sequence that had nothing to do with the actual episode. The episode worked -- when it worked -- due to the musical performances. Sadly, it tried to do more than music. And the suspenseful climax was Cookie realizing, as she's told Damon is about to kill Lucious, that she loves Lucious so she goes racing to his home (they divorced this season and Cookie moved out of their home) as Lucious and Damon engage in that badly staged fight we mentioned earlier.
More drama was provided on 'news' network CNN. That's where 'journalist' Anderson Cooper plies his trade. In the video below, Anderson is shown brushing up on his 'skills.'
Yes, Anderson's resorting to his moist and damp journalism again. On Friday, he spoke to Katie Coehio, widow of Jonathan who had died from the coronavirus, and Anderson began his dramatics again. He'd read the note from Jonathan previously, off air. That was during his prep time and, apparently, he prepped for his tears then as well.
When Anderson's pulls this b.s., CNN should borrow this screen shot from AMERICAN DAD.
Anderson's not doing journalism, he's doing theatrics and it doesn't belong on television.
We'll come back to Anderson in a moment but let's move over to comedy.
NBC brought back WILL & GRACE and it did well. So people were upset with NBC when it was announced that season three would be its latest. NBC clarified that they were not the ones ending the series. What killed the show?
What we knew would. Back in 2017, we offered "NBC has a hateful bitch problem on their hands" and Debra Messing proved we were correct. Megan Mullally wasn't in the mood to keep playing Karen on a show with Debra Messing. And when that became public, we covered it in "TV: Truth in television?"
Megan has explained that she didn't like working with a bully (Debra). That when she finally confronted Debra, it didn't make things better or easier, Debra just got more abusive.
Sadly, Megan got no support from her co-stars Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes. We get it, it's hard to work with a bully. And standing up to one can make you the focus. But it was also cowardly of Eric and Sean to pretend they were 'neutral' when, in fact, they were enabling Debra's ongoing bullying.
It was worse than cowardly for Eric to lie to US that there were no problems, no feud between Debra and Megan.
In terms of acting, we're happy to note that Debra achieved her best moments as Grace (best moments during the three season revival) in this final season. Megan and Sean were outstanding in all three seasons and Eric McCormack was just a damn disappointment.
Once upon a time, the asexual Will was a TV breakthrough. ELLEN had been cancelled by ABC the previous season. Asexual Will was tentative and played by a straight actor. Will didn't get to kiss forever and a day. And he got to draw a line between himself and Jack by noting Jack was more of a "f*g" (season one's "WILL WORKS OUT" which aired April 22, 1999). The show returns in 2017 and he's still the prissy and safe character. Times have moved on but Will hasn't.
Equally true, Eric has been a gross disappointment in his post-WILL & GRACE career. Debra's at least tried different roles -- often failed in them, but she tried. She can't carry a show and that's been the main revelation of Debra's career in the years since WILL & GRACE first ceased production. Sean hasn't really acted all that much -- he moved into production. When he did, he played Jack regardless of the name of the character. Megan? She's the only one working to create actual characters. Her Tammy on PARKS AND RECREATION was different than Karen, so was her Bev on 30 ROCK, her Dana on HAPPY ENDINGS, her Franny on WEB THERAPY, her Margaret on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, her Chief on CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, etc.
Megan's a real actress and she's carved out a career as a result of that.
If NBC wants to do a spin-off, it's KAREN. She's got the acting chops. Karen's got the storyline. Vanessa Bayer has been a great sidekick for Karen as Amy. With Karen owning the minor league baseball team, you've got your setting.
Thursday, two episodes of WILL & GRACE were served up. The first thirty minute one was an actual episode. It was also pretty damn disappointing. Eric being pensive is not a storyline. Too much time was wasted on his character who did nothing -- he didn't even speak to the surrogate carrying his child. But he was given a ton of lines and way too much time to show that he's never grown as an actor and never will. Sean Hayes got a storyline with Jack debuting on Broadway. Grace went into labor. Karen? They gave her a storyline where she reunites with Stan. Stan's never seen in any episode (the closest was when Jack was with Stan in a steam room years ago). So it was pretty pointless. Karen was much better when interacting with Jack.
The whole episode was pretty weak. But it was better than the original ending. That ending had Will and Grace destroying friendship and the goodwill the audience had for the show. (We reviewed that episode May 21, 2006.)
The episode that followed was pure garbage. Eric McCormack hosted a clip-show. He was the host, as Eric, not as Will (but is there a difference?). And as he prattled on in his boring manner, we were left to wonder why Sean Hayes wasn't hosting the clip show instead?
Sean would have brought energy, to be sure. But, more to the point, if we're going to talk about the series being groundbreaking -- as Eric did -- than why is Sean not the host? Sean Hayes actually is gay.
He was 'in the closet' when WILL & GRACE first aired. He'd already appeared in BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN TEST -- but, in addition to that, Cher outed him by accident after filming the episode "Gypsies, Tramps and Weeds" (aired November 16, 2000) when speaking to the gay press -- she didn't realize he wasn't out of the closet. Sean is out today.
If you want to get credit for breakthroughs for the LGBTQ community, why aren't you going with Sean Hayes who is gay? Again, there's also the fact that Sean would have brought life to the episode. It's as though the producers of WILL & GRACE, like Will in "Will Works Out," feels Sean Hayes is too much of a "f*g" for viewers to relate to.
That's disappointing.
So was the lack of strong laughter from either episode Thursday. The big belly laugh that WILL & GRACE should have delivered came Saturday on, you guessed it, CNN. That's when CNN finally discovered the Tara Reade story and uttered the words "Tara Reade" on camera for the first time. It was NEWSROOM and Anna Cabrera was tossing to MJ Lee to discuss a video segment that bolsters Tara's allegations. "And, first off, MJ, can you bring us up to speed on the allegation itself." March 24th, Ryan Grim reported on the allegation for THE INTERCEPT, March 25th found Katie Halper posting her interview with Tara Reade. One month later, CNN finally discovers the story and before they can cite themselves -- that's probably the only reason, the segment aired -- Anna has to offer, 'And, first off, MJ, can you bring us up to speed on the allegation itself." You know, the one that they never previously reported on.
Better late than never.
But some honesty would have been appreciated. The segment was about how Tara's mother had called into CNN's LARRY KING LIVE in 1993 and talked about her daughter's problem with a US senator. Tara had already said that happened. But no one wanted to do the work to find the clip -- including CNN. They reported on the clip Saturday . . . one day after Ryan Grimm had reported on it. Ryan was not mentioned in the CNN segment.
From Ryan's report:
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade told The Intercept that her mother called in asking for advice after Reade, then in her 20s, left Biden’s office. “I remember it being an anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was mortified,” Reade told me.
Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. I was unable to find the call, but mentioned it in an interview with Katie Halper, the podcast host who first aired Reade’s allegation. After the podcast aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
On August 11, 1993, King aired a program titled, “Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?” Toward the end of the program, he introduces a caller dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California. Congressional records list August 1993 as Reade’s last month of employment with Biden’s Senate office, and, according to property records, Reade’s mother, Jeanette Altimus, was living in San Luis Obispo County. Here is the transcript of the beginning of the call:
King’s panel of guests offered no suggestions, and instead the conversation veered into a discussion of whether any of the men on set would leak damaging personal information about a rival to the press.
Tara's charges against Joe have always rang true and she just ends up with more and more proof as time passes. It's strange that people spent so much time avoiding this story.
Spent?
COUNTERSPIN -- FAIR's weekly look at the media -- still hasn't found the story. Last Friday? Instead of covering Tara -- even in the 'recent headlines' segment -- FAIR elected to air . . . a 2019 repeat of COUNTERSPIN. Now we don't pay that much attention to the show anymore. We lost interest in 2006 when we discovered that they had more male guests than female ones. And their refusal to cover sexism in the 2008 campaign (one sentence does not qualify as coverage) didn't help either. Nor did their faux-rage that Barack Obama was asked about being friends with Bill Ayers -- who had been wanted by the US government. FAIR went into overdrive telling you that was out of bounds. A strange stance when you consider that FAIR routinely attacks any right-winger for being friends with this or that person. They're just a joke. Which is why we've lost interest. But we do not remember FAIR ever doing a repeat episode of COUNTERSPIN. Apparently, in order to avoid covering Joe Biden's alleged rape of Tara Reade, they'll even resort to airing repeats.
They're a joke and they're not the only ones. Anderson Cooper? Baby Cries A Lot got called out on FOX NEWS by Tara Reade. She explained she'd lost "total respect" for Anderson after he interviewed Joe twice since she made her charge and Anderson refused, both times, to raise the issue with Joe. Maybe 'news' should leave comedy and dramatics to the arts and try instead to practice journalism?
EMPIRE wrapped up its disappointing sixth season with more nonsense. As Stan has repeatedly noted at his site, there never should have been a sixth season and the show should have ended with season four. That was the last time the series had any coherence at all. Lucious was struggling with who he was (after surviving the hit that his son Andre had carried out on him). Nurse Claudia (Demi Moore) shows up to help him but she's not there to help. Cookie's dating weak, mama's boy Angelo (Taye Diggs) whose mother (Phylicia Rashad) is soon plotting to destroy Cookie. Forest Whitaker and Nicole Ari Parker had joined the cast as Eddie and Giselle Barker. Nurse Claudia terrorizing Lucious and Cookie would be real tension.
Lucious fighting some gangster in the final episode didn't produce tension. It was badly staged and made it look as though neither Terrence Howard nor Wood Harris (Damon Cross) had ever been a fight in their lives -- let alone acted out one. To offer some perspective, we haven't seen a fight scene staged so badly since ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. In fact, the opening fight scene on the beach in that film was was the scene that neither George Lazenby nor his career could ever recover from.
And EMPIRE never recovered from bad writing nor from Jussie Smollett. Jussie played the sympathetic and likable character of Jamal who was supposed to be a breakthrough by proving being gay was a choice. Lee Daneils, Jussie explained, like Jussie, was attracted to women from time to time. Oh, how f**king sweet. That should have been called out from the get-go.
We saw that 'fluid' back in the day. ABC couldn't take that Steven Carrington was gay. Al Corley complained about the nonsense of ABC's homophobia and the constant trying to pair gay Steven with a woman and they responded by firing Al Corley.
EMPIRE was not a break through for gay characters. Lee Daniels may need to examine his own homophobia. Any major character that was presented as gay on the show tended to actually be bisexual.
There's nothing wrong with being bisexual. But stop presenting it as "gay."
Presenting bisexual -- people who are attracted to both genders -- as "gay" reinforces the lie that being gay is a choice.
Daniels and Smollett both insisted -- lied -- that they were demonstrating that sexuality was fluid.
Of course, sexuality is fluid. Pauline Kael was writing about that decades ago.
Help us out, though. If sexuality is fluid (and we believe it is) and that was the message Daniels wanted to get across, why Jamal?
Why not have Lucious fall in love with a man or Cookie with a woman?
Isn't sexuality fluid, Lee Daniels?
Or is just fluid for the gay characters?
It's bad enough that EMPIRE trafficked in homophobic tropes like the killer lesbian (Naomi Campbell's Camilla kills lover Mimi portrayed by Marisa Tomei). But a time when 'conversion therapy' still exists (quack science claiming you can 'cure' homosexuality), to take the only main cast character who is gay and repeatedly have him attracted to women was disgusting and offensive.
Again, there was no effort to use a 'straight' character to demonstrate the 'fluidity' of sexual attraction -- not by Lee Daniels. Using a straight character, could have addressed fluidity but this wasn't about that -- this was about someone who's gay and their personal shame over being gay influencing storylines. Lee Daniels has a career, he needs to examine his own homophobia before he creates anything else.
Jussie Smollett has no career.
Americans loved him as Jamal. Jamal was a good character who was pushed to the limits by his parents -- even when they were unethical, he still loved them and tried to support them. Jamal was someone America rooted for -- rooted that Lucious would truly accept him, rooted that Jamal would end the relationship with the man who battered him, rooted that love would win out for Jamal. Jamal could also sing and America rooted for him to record what he wanted and not what Lucious tried to bully him into doing.
Then, in season five, Jamal became a problem. That's when the actor that played him, Jussie Smollett, claimed he was attacked by Trump supporters early in the morning in Chicago while getting a Subway sandwich. They told him, he said, that he was in "MAGA country" and snarled racist and homophobic words at him while tossing a substance on him and putting a rope around his neck.
Jussie, tearfully explained to the media, that he fought back. He did so, apparently, with one hand because despite fighting off two men who were able to put a rope around his neck, he was able to arrive home with his Subway sandwich still intact.
Maybe, before he fought back, he said, "Hey, guys, ground rules -- sandwiches are off limits"?
It was all a lie. Two friends of his (brothers) who had worked on EMPIRE were the 'attackers.' They say Jussie paid them. Jussie denies it. He can't explain, however, why he couldn't recognize these men he knew, worked out with, went to the bath houses with, texted constantly, etc. He can't explain why he couldn't recognize them or why these brothers from Nigeria were able to sound like White men.
Jussie is a liar. He is a disgrace.
And once that became obvious, FOX (in the process of being bought by DISNEY) should have hired a spin-control expert for their property -- the TV show. FOX refused to do so. You had Lee, Taraji P. Henson and assorted others making statements of support for Jussie even after it became clear that Jussie was lying.
Even after Jussie cut a deal -- which was an admission of guilt. He lied to the public -- and was allowed to -- about the deal. But you don't forfeit your bail money unless you're pleading guilty. Innocent people don't forfeit their bail.
Even after that, Taraji was still shooting her mouth and looking like a hood rat. The result was that she destroyed her film career. When promoting 2018's PROUD MARY, she said she thought it would be a hit but she had other films coming out and they were strong films. She was sure that she'd have a big hit in at least one of the films released over the next two years. Then came Jussie's January 2019 lie and Taraji's constant lying for him.
WHAT MEN WANT was supposed to be a blockbuster. Blockbusters, in the 90s, were defined as films that crossed the $100 million mark domestically. $54.6 million is how much it took in (US and Canada). Opening one week after Jussie's 'attack,' the film debuted at number two. As America realized Jussie was lying and as Taraji continued to lie for him, the film sank. Week two, it fell to number four, week three, it fell to number six. Then it went to number nine, then to number ten. Then out of the top ten. Five weeks in the top ten.
It wasn't a blockbuster. You can argue that with the $20 million shooting budget and the $15 million on advertising and prints, it really wasn't even a hit.
Then came THE BEST OF ENEMIES which was supposed to be Oscar bait. Supposed to be. Instead, it was just a flop. With a ten million dollar shooting budget, grossing ten million did not make it a break-even because the studio also spent millions on prints and advertising.
At 49-years-old, the moment has now passed for her to be a leading actress and that's why the industry now defines her as a "supporting actress." Lee Daniels keeps talking about a Cookie spin-off of EMPIRE but he seems not to realize how hated Cookie and Taraji have become.
Jussie's lying was so against everything his character Jamal believed in and espoused. There was no way he could ever return to playing Jamal and the fans felt betrayed. FOX should have hired a spin guru to explain to the cast that there was no return to the show for Jussie and that their remarks about how he was innocent (he wasn't) were dragging the whole show down because the fans didn't want to hear it. They were angry and they felt betrayed by Jussie. They didn't want to hear Taraji lying that he was innocent.
All of this led to the destruction of the show. The final season's storylines did not help either. It was another season of Cookie's a dog. Here's the ball, Cookie, here's the ball, go get the ball, go get it!!!
Every season Cookie is over Lucious and every season Cookie then realizes she loves Lucious.
It is the same damn storyline and it is tired. It's also offensive when it's repeatedly dressed up in false talk of empowerment and growth -- this season ridiculously found Cookie going to therapy. We say "going" and not "entering" because most therapy patients aren't bullying and threatening and cursing their therapist in session after session.
Terrence Howard maintained his dignity and managed to rise above the bad, bad, really bad storylines. Trai Byers (Andre), Nicole Ari Parker and A.Z. Kelsey (Jeff) deserve praise. They made every scene believable in spite of the bad writing.
Bad writing?
The same storyline again for Cookie was bad writing, absolutely. But there was so much more. Far too much to mention. But we will note Giselle and Becky. Giselle's brother shows up. He gets hurt and we learn he is her son. And then? He has an argument with Giselle (who he doesn't know is his mother) and that's it. He disappears. What was the point in wasting time on a new character in what everyone knew was the final season if that storyline isn't even developed? That's how it was over and over. And poor Becky (Gabourey Sidibe) looked like a damn fool over and over. Giselle took money from Damon Cross to keep BOSSY from going under. Giselle and Becky started BOSSY and later took Cookie on as a partner. When Cookie finds out that they owe Damon, she tears into Giselle in front of Becky. Does Becky defend Giselle? No, she lets Cookie fire her. That firing made no sense. It doesn't work in reality -- they had no grounds to fire her without going public about Damon which they didn't want to do. It doesn't work for the story either. Giselle had Becky's back and Cookie never did -- not before BOSSY and not after. Becky ended up miserable. It was her own damn fault. The storyline rendered the character stupid. Later, when she was attacking Porsha (Ta'Rhonda Jones) and snorting cocaine, who gave a damn about Becky anymore. The last episode tried to band-aid Becky by having her apologize to Porsha but it was way too late for that.
Most episodes were disappointing and dull and that was especially true of the final episode which opened with Taraji looking really unattractive in bizarre make up and a bad wig for a sequence that had nothing to do with the actual episode. The episode worked -- when it worked -- due to the musical performances. Sadly, it tried to do more than music. And the suspenseful climax was Cookie realizing, as she's told Damon is about to kill Lucious, that she loves Lucious so she goes racing to his home (they divorced this season and Cookie moved out of their home) as Lucious and Damon engage in that badly staged fight we mentioned earlier.
More drama was provided on 'news' network CNN. That's where 'journalist' Anderson Cooper plies his trade. In the video below, Anderson is shown brushing up on his 'skills.'
Yes, Anderson's resorting to his moist and damp journalism again. On Friday, he spoke to Katie Coehio, widow of Jonathan who had died from the coronavirus, and Anderson began his dramatics again. He'd read the note from Jonathan previously, off air. That was during his prep time and, apparently, he prepped for his tears then as well.
When Anderson's pulls this b.s., CNN should borrow this screen shot from AMERICAN DAD.
Anderson's not doing journalism, he's doing theatrics and it doesn't belong on television.
We'll come back to Anderson in a moment but let's move over to comedy.
NBC brought back WILL & GRACE and it did well. So people were upset with NBC when it was announced that season three would be its latest. NBC clarified that they were not the ones ending the series. What killed the show?
What we knew would. Back in 2017, we offered "NBC has a hateful bitch problem on their hands" and Debra Messing proved we were correct. Megan Mullally wasn't in the mood to keep playing Karen on a show with Debra Messing. And when that became public, we covered it in "TV: Truth in television?"
Megan has explained that she didn't like working with a bully (Debra). That when she finally confronted Debra, it didn't make things better or easier, Debra just got more abusive.
Sadly, Megan got no support from her co-stars Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes. We get it, it's hard to work with a bully. And standing up to one can make you the focus. But it was also cowardly of Eric and Sean to pretend they were 'neutral' when, in fact, they were enabling Debra's ongoing bullying.
It was worse than cowardly for Eric to lie to US that there were no problems, no feud between Debra and Megan.
In terms of acting, we're happy to note that Debra achieved her best moments as Grace (best moments during the three season revival) in this final season. Megan and Sean were outstanding in all three seasons and Eric McCormack was just a damn disappointment.
Once upon a time, the asexual Will was a TV breakthrough. ELLEN had been cancelled by ABC the previous season. Asexual Will was tentative and played by a straight actor. Will didn't get to kiss forever and a day. And he got to draw a line between himself and Jack by noting Jack was more of a "f*g" (season one's "WILL WORKS OUT" which aired April 22, 1999). The show returns in 2017 and he's still the prissy and safe character. Times have moved on but Will hasn't.
Equally true, Eric has been a gross disappointment in his post-WILL & GRACE career. Debra's at least tried different roles -- often failed in them, but she tried. She can't carry a show and that's been the main revelation of Debra's career in the years since WILL & GRACE first ceased production. Sean hasn't really acted all that much -- he moved into production. When he did, he played Jack regardless of the name of the character. Megan? She's the only one working to create actual characters. Her Tammy on PARKS AND RECREATION was different than Karen, so was her Bev on 30 ROCK, her Dana on HAPPY ENDINGS, her Franny on WEB THERAPY, her Margaret on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, her Chief on CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, etc.
Megan's a real actress and she's carved out a career as a result of that.
If NBC wants to do a spin-off, it's KAREN. She's got the acting chops. Karen's got the storyline. Vanessa Bayer has been a great sidekick for Karen as Amy. With Karen owning the minor league baseball team, you've got your setting.
Thursday, two episodes of WILL & GRACE were served up. The first thirty minute one was an actual episode. It was also pretty damn disappointing. Eric being pensive is not a storyline. Too much time was wasted on his character who did nothing -- he didn't even speak to the surrogate carrying his child. But he was given a ton of lines and way too much time to show that he's never grown as an actor and never will. Sean Hayes got a storyline with Jack debuting on Broadway. Grace went into labor. Karen? They gave her a storyline where she reunites with Stan. Stan's never seen in any episode (the closest was when Jack was with Stan in a steam room years ago). So it was pretty pointless. Karen was much better when interacting with Jack.
The whole episode was pretty weak. But it was better than the original ending. That ending had Will and Grace destroying friendship and the goodwill the audience had for the show. (We reviewed that episode May 21, 2006.)
The episode that followed was pure garbage. Eric McCormack hosted a clip-show. He was the host, as Eric, not as Will (but is there a difference?). And as he prattled on in his boring manner, we were left to wonder why Sean Hayes wasn't hosting the clip show instead?
Sean would have brought energy, to be sure. But, more to the point, if we're going to talk about the series being groundbreaking -- as Eric did -- than why is Sean not the host? Sean Hayes actually is gay.
He was 'in the closet' when WILL & GRACE first aired. He'd already appeared in BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN TEST -- but, in addition to that, Cher outed him by accident after filming the episode "Gypsies, Tramps and Weeds" (aired November 16, 2000) when speaking to the gay press -- she didn't realize he wasn't out of the closet. Sean is out today.
If you want to get credit for breakthroughs for the LGBTQ community, why aren't you going with Sean Hayes who is gay? Again, there's also the fact that Sean would have brought life to the episode. It's as though the producers of WILL & GRACE, like Will in "Will Works Out," feels Sean Hayes is too much of a "f*g" for viewers to relate to.
That's disappointing.
So was the lack of strong laughter from either episode Thursday. The big belly laugh that WILL & GRACE should have delivered came Saturday on, you guessed it, CNN. That's when CNN finally discovered the Tara Reade story and uttered the words "Tara Reade" on camera for the first time. It was NEWSROOM and Anna Cabrera was tossing to MJ Lee to discuss a video segment that bolsters Tara's allegations. "And, first off, MJ, can you bring us up to speed on the allegation itself." March 24th, Ryan Grim reported on the allegation for THE INTERCEPT, March 25th found Katie Halper posting her interview with Tara Reade. One month later, CNN finally discovers the story and before they can cite themselves -- that's probably the only reason, the segment aired -- Anna has to offer, 'And, first off, MJ, can you bring us up to speed on the allegation itself." You know, the one that they never previously reported on.
Better late than never.
But some honesty would have been appreciated. The segment was about how Tara's mother had called into CNN's LARRY KING LIVE in 1993 and talked about her daughter's problem with a US senator. Tara had already said that happened. But no one wanted to do the work to find the clip -- including CNN. They reported on the clip Saturday . . . one day after Ryan Grimm had reported on it. Ryan was not mentioned in the CNN segment.
From Ryan's report:
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade told The Intercept that her mother called in asking for advice after Reade, then in her 20s, left Biden’s office. “I remember it being an anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was mortified,” Reade told me.
Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. I was unable to find the call, but mentioned it in an interview with Katie Halper, the podcast host who first aired Reade’s allegation. After the podcast aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
On August 11, 1993, King aired a program titled, “Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?” Toward the end of the program, he introduces a caller dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California. Congressional records list August 1993 as Reade’s last month of employment with Biden’s Senate office, and, according to property records, Reade’s mother, Jeanette Altimus, was living in San Luis Obispo County. Here is the transcript of the beginning of the call:
KING: San Luis Obispo, California, hello.
CALLER: Yes, hello. I’m wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington? My daughter has just left there, after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.
KING: In other words, she had a story to tell but, out of respect for the person she worked for, she didn’t tell it?
CALLER: That’s true.
King’s panel of guests offered no suggestions, and instead the conversation veered into a discussion of whether any of the men on set would leak damaging personal information about a rival to the press.
Tara's charges against Joe have always rang true and she just ends up with more and more proof as time passes. It's strange that people spent so much time avoiding this story.
Spent?
COUNTERSPIN -- FAIR's weekly look at the media -- still hasn't found the story. Last Friday? Instead of covering Tara -- even in the 'recent headlines' segment -- FAIR elected to air . . . a 2019 repeat of COUNTERSPIN. Now we don't pay that much attention to the show anymore. We lost interest in 2006 when we discovered that they had more male guests than female ones. And their refusal to cover sexism in the 2008 campaign (one sentence does not qualify as coverage) didn't help either. Nor did their faux-rage that Barack Obama was asked about being friends with Bill Ayers -- who had been wanted by the US government. FAIR went into overdrive telling you that was out of bounds. A strange stance when you consider that FAIR routinely attacks any right-winger for being friends with this or that person. They're just a joke. Which is why we've lost interest. But we do not remember FAIR ever doing a repeat episode of COUNTERSPIN. Apparently, in order to avoid covering Joe Biden's alleged rape of Tara Reade, they'll even resort to airing repeats.
They're a joke and they're not the only ones. Anderson Cooper? Baby Cries A Lot got called out on FOX NEWS by Tara Reade. She explained she'd lost "total respect" for Anderson after he interviewed Joe twice since she made her charge and Anderson refused, both times, to raise the issue with Joe. Maybe 'news' should leave comedy and dramatics to the arts and try instead to practice journalism?
The Whores List
March 24th, Katie Halper's interview with Tara Reade aired, the interview where Tara details how then-Senator Joe Biden assaulted her. In the days that followed, numerous people either attacked her or ignored her. Below is a list of 20 whores working to ensure that Tara's voice will not be heard. Want to add someone? E-mail common_ills@yahoo.com and we'll update the list.
1) Alyssa Milano
2) Michelle Goldberg
3) Baby Jessica Valenti
4) Joan Walsh
5) Amanda Marcotte
6) Anderson Cooper
7) Debra Messing
8) Chuck Todd
9) FAIR and COUNTERSPIN
10) Amber Tamblyn
11) John Aravosis
12) Ken Olin
13) Patricia Arquette
14) Mira Sorvino
15) Jane Mayer
16) Ronan Farrow
17) Ashley Judd
18) Mia Farrow
19) Dylan Farrow
20) Leonard Pitts
1) Alyssa Milano
2) Michelle Goldberg
3) Baby Jessica Valenti
4) Joan Walsh
5) Amanda Marcotte
6) Anderson Cooper
7) Debra Messing
8) Chuck Todd
9) FAIR and COUNTERSPIN
10) Amber Tamblyn
11) John Aravosis
12) Ken Olin
13) Patricia Arquette
14) Mira Sorvino
15) Jane Mayer
16) Ronan Farrow
17) Ashley Judd
18) Mia Farrow
19) Dylan Farrow
20) Leonard Pitts
From The TESR Test Kitchen
Under corona quarantine? Snacks might get you through another day of it. Looking for a new snack?
Snack Factory has long offered various flavors for Pretzel Crisps. And you can buy them online at AMAZON if you're not going to grocery stores these days.
If you're buying, we recommend two newer flavors: Dark Chocolate Crunch and Milk Chocolate Crunch. Both are tasty but if you're only going to choose one, we recommend Dark Chocolate.
We hear you, we're fans of milk chocolate and often iffy on dark chocolate; however, with the pretzel, the dark chocolate really works.
Krystal Ball: Young voters to Democratic party: SCREW YOU
Krystal Ball discusses a new survey from Chegg that shows 22% of college students will not vote in the general election, and what this means for the future of the country. About Rising: Rising is a weekday morning show with bipartisan hosts that breaks the mold of morning TV by taking viewers inside the halls of Washington power like never before. The show leans into the day's political cycle with cutting edge analysis from DC insiders who can predict what is going to happen. It also sets the day's political agenda by breaking exclusive news with a team of scoop-driven reporters and demanding answers during interviews with the country's most important political newsmakers. Follow Rising on social media: Website: Hill.TV Facebook: facebook.com/HillTVLive/ Instagram: @HillTVLive Twitter: @HillTVLive Follow Saagar Enjeti & Krystal Ball on social media: Twitter: @esaagar and @krystalball Instagram: @esaagar and @krystalmball
New music
Fiona Apple's instant classic FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS contains 13 great songs. "Under The Table" is just an example of one.
Bob Dylan's released another new song. This one is "I Contain Multitudes."
The Rolling Stones' released "Living In A Ghost Town."
Bob Dylan's released another new song. This one is "I Contain Multitudes."
The Rolling Stones' released "Living In A Ghost Town."
Tweet of the week
Katie:
One of the worst parts of seeing people I know disparage Tara Reade and still support Biden is that if I ever opened up about an harassment or assault, I now know they wouldn't give a shit. They would support a rapist that they felt was on their side.
Life just got a little harder for fake asses like Alyssa Milano (Ava and C.I.)
Ava and C.I. wrote the below on Friday:
Life just got a little harder for fake asses like Alyssa Milano (Ava and C.I.)
Aging hagtress Alyssa Milano tried to salvage her non-career by
pretending she was a feminist. A feminist isn't a producer of a show
where a man regularly assaults women. Why could CBS do what Alyssa
couldn't (fire the man)?
Because Alyssa is a fake ass.
She was a very fat fake ass and then she tried to shame Jay Mohr for pointing out the obvious -- that she was fat. If he wanted to be mean he could have commented on her mustache as well. Or the way one of her boobs is significantly higher and one of her eyes is a lot smaller than the other. Having shamed Jay Morh, Alyssa suddenly realized the internet could do more than offer her many topless photos from her younger days. So she became a 'web star.'
Trash attracts trash which is how Alyssa ended up married to a CAA agent. It's a joke, isn't it? Her marriage. When she was still young or early middle-aged, she dated people like Scott Wolfe (who she would also try to shame publicly by letting the world know she had two abortions in one year while she was involved with him). He was an actor. Now? She's married to an agent. Within the industry, that causes laughter.
But trash attracts trash and he's a CAA agent. CAA spent decades pimping women for Harvey. They lied to women that it was an audition, the women showed up and were attacked. A foreign actress was destroyed by Harvey because of CAA. She had even managed to break into the US market and be a successful actress until CAA set her up with a night 'audition' with Harvey.
So Alyssa's always a fake ass. Her 'Indian' garb that she tries to sell goes to what a racist she really is. There, honestly, isn't anything worse in California than Alyssa Milano.
She could be just another failed actress if she wasn't such an attention whore. No one is irritated by her contemporary Tracy Wells, for example. When Tracy's career dried up, she found a new one. She wasn't an attention whore like Alyssa.
Not all that long ago, Alyssa felt the need to say believe all women.
Up until it was Joe Biden.
And we've noted this before, it's not just with Joe's alleged rape of Tara Reade.
It started when women came forward last April about Joe invading their space, making them uncomfortable by touching them, by coming up behind them and pressing his body into their bodies -- hey, what sort of wife goes along with that? -- and sniffing their hair and so much more.
Alyssa whored for Joe then too.
So we shouldn't be at all surprised that the whore attacked Tara Reade. She even lied about her, she claimed TIMES OUT broke confidentiality and spoke to her about Tara.
Alyssa's a whore. A whore edging up on fifty who never managed to give one decent acting performance her entire career -- she just got by on her tits and they're off balance now (and they were implants, though she lied about that too).
She's got nothing.
Alyssa truly has nothing.
She called Tara a liar.
Alyssa's the damn liar. (Rose McGowan warned you repeatedly about the whore. And you shouldn't have needed that. Just what Alyssa did to Shannen should have been enough for you to know that Alyssa was trash.)
So Alyssa claims that Tara just doesn't have any proof that Joe Biden assaulted her.
We know Alyssa's had too many chemical peels -- from some angles, her face looks fried, but even so, her face can register emotion and what you're seeing right now is the collapse of a craven whore who thought she could betray women and get away with.
Ryan Grim (THE INTERCEPt) reports:
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade told The Intercept that her mother called in asking for advice after Reade, then in her 20s, left Biden’s office. “I remember it being an anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was mortified,” Reade told me.
Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. I was unable to find the call, but mentioned it in an interview with Katie Halper, the podcast host who first aired Reade’s allegation. After the podcast aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
On August 11, 1993, King aired a program titled, “Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?” Toward the end of the program, he introduces a caller dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California. Congressional records list August 1993 as Reade’s last month of employment with Biden’s Senate office, and, according to property records, Reade’s mother, Jeanette Altimus, was living in San Luis Obispo County. Here is the transcript of the beginning of the call:
King’s panel of guests offered no suggestions, and instead the conversation veered into a discussion of whether any of the men on set would leak damaging personal information about a rival to the press.
Woop! We believe that was that was the sound of Joe Biden's limp dick hitting Alyssa in the face -- knowing Alyssa's she loved it. But we'd argue that's pretty strong proof on Tara Reade's side.
Looks like it's time for everyone to realize that Joe Biden is a threat to women and always has been. What that says about his wife, we'll let others decide.
But Joe is as cheap and trashy as Alyssa -- or, for that matter, as his only living son who not only shacked up with his brother's widow but also got a stripper pregnant and then refused to accept responsibility until the court ordered him to.
"As a Biden."
Next time Joe says "as a Biden," remember that translates into "rape."
And next time fake ass Alyssa tries to pretend she cares about women, just roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, right, Alyssa."
-- Ava and C.I.
Because Alyssa is a fake ass.
She was a very fat fake ass and then she tried to shame Jay Mohr for pointing out the obvious -- that she was fat. If he wanted to be mean he could have commented on her mustache as well. Or the way one of her boobs is significantly higher and one of her eyes is a lot smaller than the other. Having shamed Jay Morh, Alyssa suddenly realized the internet could do more than offer her many topless photos from her younger days. So she became a 'web star.'
Trash attracts trash which is how Alyssa ended up married to a CAA agent. It's a joke, isn't it? Her marriage. When she was still young or early middle-aged, she dated people like Scott Wolfe (who she would also try to shame publicly by letting the world know she had two abortions in one year while she was involved with him). He was an actor. Now? She's married to an agent. Within the industry, that causes laughter.
But trash attracts trash and he's a CAA agent. CAA spent decades pimping women for Harvey. They lied to women that it was an audition, the women showed up and were attacked. A foreign actress was destroyed by Harvey because of CAA. She had even managed to break into the US market and be a successful actress until CAA set her up with a night 'audition' with Harvey.
So Alyssa's always a fake ass. Her 'Indian' garb that she tries to sell goes to what a racist she really is. There, honestly, isn't anything worse in California than Alyssa Milano.
She could be just another failed actress if she wasn't such an attention whore. No one is irritated by her contemporary Tracy Wells, for example. When Tracy's career dried up, she found a new one. She wasn't an attention whore like Alyssa.
Not all that long ago, Alyssa felt the need to say believe all women.
Up until it was Joe Biden.
And we've noted this before, it's not just with Joe's alleged rape of Tara Reade.
It started when women came forward last April about Joe invading their space, making them uncomfortable by touching them, by coming up behind them and pressing his body into their bodies -- hey, what sort of wife goes along with that? -- and sniffing their hair and so much more.
Alyssa whored for Joe then too.
So we shouldn't be at all surprised that the whore attacked Tara Reade. She even lied about her, she claimed TIMES OUT broke confidentiality and spoke to her about Tara.
Alyssa's a whore. A whore edging up on fifty who never managed to give one decent acting performance her entire career -- she just got by on her tits and they're off balance now (and they were implants, though she lied about that too).
She's got nothing.
Alyssa truly has nothing.
She called Tara a liar.
Alyssa's the damn liar. (Rose McGowan warned you repeatedly about the whore. And you shouldn't have needed that. Just what Alyssa did to Shannen should have been enough for you to know that Alyssa was trash.)
So Alyssa claims that Tara just doesn't have any proof that Joe Biden assaulted her.
We know Alyssa's had too many chemical peels -- from some angles, her face looks fried, but even so, her face can register emotion and what you're seeing right now is the collapse of a craven whore who thought she could betray women and get away with.
Ryan Grim (THE INTERCEPt) reports:
In interviews with The Intercept, Reade also mentioned that her mother had made a phone call to “Larry King Live” on CNN, during which she made reference to her daughter’s experience on Capitol Hill. Reade told The Intercept that her mother called in asking for advice after Reade, then in her 20s, left Biden’s office. “I remember it being an anonymous call and her saying my daughter was sexually harassed and retaliated against and fired, where can she go for help? I was mortified,” Reade told me.
Reade couldn’t remember the date or the year of the phone call, and King didn’t include the names of callers on his show. I was unable to find the call, but mentioned it in an interview with Katie Halper, the podcast host who first aired Reade’s allegation. After the podcast aired, a listener managed to find the call and sent it to The Intercept.
On August 11, 1993, King aired a program titled, “Washington: The Cruelest City on Earth?” Toward the end of the program, he introduces a caller dialing in from San Luis Obispo, California. Congressional records list August 1993 as Reade’s last month of employment with Biden’s Senate office, and, according to property records, Reade’s mother, Jeanette Altimus, was living in San Luis Obispo County. Here is the transcript of the beginning of the call:
KING: San Luis Obispo, California, hello.
CALLER: Yes, hello. I’m wondering what a staffer would do besides go to the press in Washington? My daughter has just left there, after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him.
KING: In other words, she had a story to tell but, out of respect for the person she worked for, she didn’t tell it?
CALLER: That’s true.
King’s panel of guests offered no suggestions, and instead the conversation veered into a discussion of whether any of the men on set would leak damaging personal information about a rival to the press.
Woop! We believe that was that was the sound of Joe Biden's limp dick hitting Alyssa in the face -- knowing Alyssa's she loved it. But we'd argue that's pretty strong proof on Tara Reade's side.
Looks like it's time for everyone to realize that Joe Biden is a threat to women and always has been. What that says about his wife, we'll let others decide.
But Joe is as cheap and trashy as Alyssa -- or, for that matter, as his only living son who not only shacked up with his brother's widow but also got a stripper pregnant and then refused to accept responsibility until the court ordered him to.
"As a Biden."
Next time Joe says "as a Biden," remember that translates into "rape."
And next time fake ass Alyssa tries to pretend she cares about women, just roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, right, Alyssa."
-- Ava and C.I.
This edition's playlist
1) Fiona Apple's FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS.
2) Fiona Apple's WHEN THE PAWN HITS THE KING . . .
3) Carole King's TAPESTRY.
4) Sam Smith's THE THRILL OF IT ALL.
5) Dionne Warwick's SHE'S BACK.
6) Harry Style's FINE LINE.
7) Sam Smith's IN THE LONELY HOUR DROWNING SHADOW EDITION.
8) Cat Power's THE GREATEST.
9) Janet Jackson's UNBREAKABLE.
10) Stevie Nicks' 24 KARAT GOLD SONGS FROM THE VAULT.
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