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Richard Belzer on Air America?
We like him on Law&Order, but instead of Randi Rhodes?
Hmmm - earlier the AAR webpage graphic had a button for "the Richard Belger Show" - now there's a gap in the 3-6pm time slot where the Belzer graphic was just an hour ago, just before they go live with the new show.
By Tim Einenkel
Air American Radio (www.airamerica.com) is excited to present the debut of “American Afternoon” with guest host Richard Belzer, well-known for his work as Det. John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and numerous other TV shows including “Homicide,” “The X-Files” and “The Beat.” Starting today April 14 and continuing all week, the veteran comic, actor, talk-show host and author will be joined by special guests for an entertaining, fast-paced and engaging afternoon listening experience to Air America Radio broadcast, satellite and Internet audiences nationwide. ... In the coming weeks, “American Afternoon with...” will feature a series of additional top celebrity hosts.
Sorry that they're not likely to give Sam Seder a chance. In any case, this afternoon show should be interesting.
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Holy crap, Randi! Watch yo' mowf!
huffingtonpost.com — Air America host Randi Rhodes called both Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton "whores" in a recent appearance, seen below. Rhodes, who hosts a weekday radio show on Air America, said to the cheering crowd, "What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is! She's such a fucking whore!" She then proceeded to say, "Hillary is a big fucking whore, too" to a mixed audience reaction. "You know why she's a big fucking whore? Because her deal is always, 'Read the fine print, asshole!'"
Watch the fur fly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfdhWi5MILo
Update: Rhodes has been now been suspended from the network. Air America released the following statement: Air America has suspended on-air host Randi Rhodes for making inappropriate statements about prominent figures, including Senator Hillary Clinton, at a recent public appearance on behalf of Air America in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station.
"Air America encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our Hosts," said chair Charlie Kireker. This is such a load of crap. If Michael Savage (né Weiner) used the same expression at a public function, no one would say a word about it.
It has occurred to me that the whole thing may be a publicity stunt ...
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Don't make Iowa a media diversion from Iraq
AAR blog open-thread topic starter today: What's more relevant to you in the next week, New Years or Iowa? My response:
You want us to talk about Iowa?! Or New Years?! Really?!
Those choices are no choice at all.
No offense if you're from Iowa (been there myself several times, lovely state but not this time of year) - but who gives half a flying freak-on about the Iowa caucuses?!
Seems like the M$M, and maybe even some AAR hosts, want (us) to spend the whole week speculating about how the very very white Caucasians are going to caucus, as if all that Caucasian caucusing matters.
Iowa and New Years are nonstarter topics - compared to all the other real HERE-AND-NOW PROBLEMS that we face as a nation.
Some folks talk as if this Incidental Iowa Caucasian Occasion is going to determine the entire outcome of the election.
When will people wake up and realize that this horserace mentality, where the presidential election campaign dominates the political discussion, focusing the media's message on the election (starting immediately after the 2006 election), is exactly what Bu$hCo wants them to do?
Obviously progressive talk radio is much better than the M$M in this regard, but consider this: If the "news" media spent a tenth of their election campaign coverage time investigating, say, THIS pRezident and discussing his high crimes - well, just imagine.
Just imagine if the "news" media spent a tenth of their time investigating, perhaps, widespread rampant GOP election fraud - well, who knows?
If the "news" media spent a tenth of their campaign coverage time investigating, say, the failure of this illegal occupation of Iraq - well, you get the idea.
But instead of engaging the candidates on real issues, the media has twisted it into a Bizarroland fashion show where nothing of substance is debated.
It's an obvious political strategy: get everyone looking ahead toward the hopeful but uncertain future, so that we're not seeing how they're stealing this country out from under our feet right this very minute, and have been, since the sElection / coup of 1999 (and yes, even before then).
As long as Bu$hCo leads the M$M to endlessly follow election campaign coverage - and as long as the MSM continues to lead the American public around with rings in their noses - we will never start focusing on the real crises facing this nation now.
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I called into The Young Turks just last hour. Çenk Uygur, with Christy Harvey from Miccheckradio.org on today's show, wanted folks to call in on the question, Is torture ever the right thing to do, imagining a scene where there was a ticking dirty bomb?
In response I told this Nasruddin joke:
One day, the wise fool Mullah Nasruddin happened to be present in the court of Tamerlane, the shah, when a drunken soldier was brought before the imperial presence. The soldiers who brought the drunkard asked what they should do with him.
The shah, who was occupied with thoughts of his treasury, waved them away and said carelessly, “Oh, just give him 300 lashes.”
Nasruddin started laughing uproariously.
The shah was incensed by Nasruddin’s hilarious outbreak, and yelled at him: “What are you laughing at? Are you laughing at me? You should be ashamed!”
Nasruddin managed to stifle himself and respond, “I am laughing because either you don’t know how to count, or you have never experienced a lash of the whip yourself.”
I added the point that people who advocate torture likely have never experienced the terror of torture themselves.
I must have blown my delivery of the last line, because both Çenk and Christie said they were expecting a punchier punchline, although Çenk said he appreciated the story and its point.
But that's how the joke goes! I even checked several versions in different books before I called in.
Sigh. I need to go to Reparative Comedic Delivery 101.
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How fantastic to return to iTunes this afternoon and have it download TRMS. Have quietly waited for today for weeks. Double the Rachel, double the Kent, and sooo much more. Yayyy! When it works, it's sooo awesome. Su-weeeet! The first show is lively, fun, compelling, and intellectual nutricious. I feel like it's like getting my MDR of progressive poltitical discourse. Yumm! Excellent guests and bits! "Predictions from left field" is great. Nice bumpers too. The show seems somewhat restrained on the cute sound buttons but not overly serious.
http://shows.airamericaradio.com/maddow/node/1356#comment-5862Current Mood: erect Current Music: AAR - Randi Rhodes |
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Jan. 2nd, 2006 @ 02:08 am
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Monday is the start of the new Air America Morning program, with Marc Riley and Rachel Maddow, and I'mve been waiting for more than a week since they announced the program change: now, two hours of Rachel in the morning drive slot, 7:00-9:00am, along with the fantastic Kent Jones. 5:00-7:00am is Marc Riley. Tune in!Current Music: AAR - Majority Report |
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Here's my take on the extended discussion on the Letters to the Editor page of a local radio station's format change from Big Band-Swing-Jazz Classics to 60s-70s-80s "oldies."
It's nice to have developed a pleasant relationship with the letters editor!
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Discerning New London Ears Seek Better Radio
Published on 11/20/2005 in The Day
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=B0107370-1D44-44C1-A77D-768D3379812E
Calling all ears of New London! Insist on the best quality radio in our area.
With all the discussion of format changes of our local radio stations, consider the possibility of making a real change — and brave market media move — for Southeastern Connecticut. Air America Radio, progressive talk radio now in 75 markets nationwide, is in its ascendancy.
Air America is smart, funny, compelling progressive radio, and is growing rapidly. New Haven's The Voice carries its basic lineup but its signal doesn't make it to southeast Connecticut.
Progressive talk radio icons such as Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, Rachel Maddow and Jerry Springer are raising the rhetoric of the national political conversation far beyond that of mainstream talk radio.
Considering the atmosphere of local political change, a New London-based Air America affiliate would grab listeners by their ears, rather than by producing more preprogrammed pop-rock pabulum.
I suggested trying to start a New London Air America Radio affiliate at a discussion of media reform following the local Peace and Justice Network screening of “Outfoxed” at Kream on Sunday, and the reaction was very positive.
Air America's the only news and humor source I trust these days (other than “The Daily Show”). I stream and podcast from www.airamericaradio.com.
Let's give New London ears the intelligence, laughter and respect they so richly deserve.
Ron Jackson Suresha
New LondonCurrent Mood: scrunchy shoulders Current Music: AAR - Ring of Fire! |
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Randi: Ron in Connecticut.
Ron: Hi, Randi. Love ya.
Randi: Hi, Ron.
Ron: I wanted to speak to your use of the term "homoerotic."
Randi: Mm-hmm.
Ron: I'm the author of several books of gay and bi male sexuality...
Randi: Mm-hmm.
Ron: And true homoeroticism - same-sex love - is not about torture, dominance, subjugation, or oppression.
Randi: Well, heterosexual sex and homosexual sex can have sadistic or masochistic elements to the sex acts.
Ron: There is that component, yes.
Randi: But when it's man-on-man, it tends to make it homoerotic instead of heteroerotic. Lindey England, on the other hand, and the use of women, in order to demoralize or embarass or demean Islam and the religious beliefs of detainees, having them smear fake menstrual blood on men's faces - that comes from the sick twisted minds of heterosexuals in the Department of Defense. But truly this stuff is so homoerotic and it does, y'know, kind of - I don't want to say "reek" of ass-pants, because that's a vile thing [to hear] when you're driving in the car, but it does. It reeks of S&M. It's another form of rape. It's homosexual rape. It's not natural to do this without a safe word. Y'know, I'm not stupid, I understand what I'm talking about. But if you're gonna do this, give the guys a safe word. Y'know what I mean? If you're gonna play, play.
Ron: Right. The real erotic experience is not about subjugation or oppression.
Randi: Oh, come on.
Ron: It's about creating loving families.
Randi: You know when you get subjugation, you know when you get that, you know when that happens, when that becomes a feature of the sex? When there's an enormous amount of guilt involved. And one person needs to be relieved of that guilt. And that's when you start to get involved in, "Well, maybe a little bondage. Okay, humiliate me." And when it downshifts into pain, it's probably because somebody associates feeling good with pain because somebody's abused them. A very, very prominent feature of this administration is a lot of repressed homosexuality. And I have said a million times, "Come out, come out, wherever you are." There is nothing scarier to me than a repressed gay man with the use of the most lethal army, navy, air force and marines known to man.
Ron: [Karl] Rove and [Ken] Mellman!
Randi: Unbelievably frightening. And Libby!
Ron: Can we start a website? ComeoutKarl.com and ComeoutKen.com. Somebody take that and run with it.
Randi: There's so many of them. Come out, Harriet. Come out, Libby. There's so many of them. Come out, Congressman Dreyer. Come out, Congressman Foley.
Ron: Why isn't the press paying attention to Gannon any more? He's been writing for the Washington Blade!
Randi: That's another thing! I have a rule-- I have a rule on the show now - if anyone comes at me with a flaming Monica, I'm coming at them with a flaming Gannon/Guckert. [bullwhip sound] I mean, you had a male--
Ron: Well, if we could offer a reward for anyone who would step forward... When you said the other day, reading from that report that there was a leather daddybear, or a daddy leatherbear, from Mr Virginia 2004. I know those people. They're in my community.
Randi: Yes, we all know them and, you know what really amazing, is that we all love them. And we would like to help them. We would like to help them feel safe, and free! The promise of America: we would like them to live in a free society, the same way we have come to accept that we live in a free society. Some people are just so stubborn, and so full of guilt, and so full of shame, and I look to relieve that from their little heads, and tell them there's a place in my party for all of you. Just come out! Because the only thing that scares me more than a repressed homosexual is one that has the authority to order our troops to do this stuff - so they can watch!
Ron: It is scary.
Randi: They're horrible people in that they will not tell the truth about themselves, they probably are carrying big bricks of guilt, and they take it out on innocent people, people who have nothing to do with them, who did nothing to them, never hurt them, never will.
Ron: Randi?
Randi: Yeah.
Ron: I was married last year in Massachusetts, and I wish I could tell you what an amazing experience that was.
Randi: Well, I'm anti-marriage, so... [Ron laughs] It's because I love you so much. I don't want anyone to get married. It's not free. At all. Enjoy your comingled assets.
Ron: Well, we need to redefine family, not marriage.
Randi: I agree with you. Family is a group of people who care for each other, love each other, provide for each other. And the idea that you can't have a stay-at-home dad and you can't go out and work is bizarre to me. I don't understand why that is.
Ron: Well, that's what I mean is true homoeroticism.
Randi: Well, I understand that's your thing. But you gotta admit that there are a lot of leather stores around this neighborhood for a reason.
Ron: I'm well aware of those, yes.
Randi: I found - I found the most twisted store! I'm looking for an apartment, 'cause I gotta move - and I was walking up one of those little side streets. And they had - I shouldn't say, 'cause the Bush administration will go out and get it - they had neoprine masks with, like, breathing tubes. Holy crap.
Ron: Yep.
Randi: Even I don't feel that guilty. [Both laugh.]
Randi: Take care.
Ron: Love ya.
Randi: Love ya more. Be happy.
Ron: I'm sending you a Saraswati.
Randi: Oh, thank you! Be happy.
Ron: You too. Bye. [Hangs up.]
Randi: Bye-bye. [Pause.]
Aww, newlyweds. [Pause.] Sell me your apartment! [laughs] Forty-five after.
[The next day I sent Randi a chanting card with a small picture of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, music, and speech. I included some Saraswati backgrounders, and a CD with me singing the Saraswati mantras and Bear Soup #15. I usually describe Saraswati as the matron goddess of editors, and she just as well serves radio divas such as Randi.]Current Mood: winnowing Current Music: Saraswati mantra |
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FRANKEN IN NEW HAVEN
I sent a note to the Franken show telling them about my fun experiences with censorious bigotry here in the heart of liberal New England. I wonder if they'll let me talk about it. I'm heading out by 10:00 to try to get there early. I also want to ask them how we can get AAR affiliated here, or get a better signal from New Haven.
http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/05-11-08-01.all.html
New Haven, Conn. — Author and comedian Al Franken will broadcast his national radio program from Yale University’s Woolsey Hall on Monday, November 14 from 12-3 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend the free live broadcast. Woolsey Hall, at the corner of College and Grove Streets, will open for the program at 11:30 a.m.Current Mood: yes please Current Music: nada |
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Went to see "Outfoxed" tonight and it got me riled up. Jenny, the MoveOn person who hosted the event after the screening and discussion, acted kinda weird toward me. I advocated several times for trying to get an Air America affiliate here in New London, but the reaction was cautious. I think I may have subverted Jenny's intention to get a media criticism group united here in New London. I think she was taken aback when I told her I might know someone who's had sex with Karl Rove. Whups. Jenny and Dennis, the cute coowner of Kream, the downtown cafe where it was held, seem to be dating, which led to a somewhat awkward moment with Jenny and Dennis as I left. I think they were negotiating something. Met Rocco for dinner at Stash's and we had a good long talk.
I saw the handsome bearded mayoral candidate Andy Derr and several other Greens at this screening from the local Peace and Justice Network. Andy's a master carpenter, married man, great hugger, and I supported him in a letter to The Day. Sadly none of the Greens who ran in this election won - Andy, Bob Stuller, the other candidate, and Ken Hanson who ran for school board (another bearded woofster and really nice guy).Current Mood: springy sproingy Current Music: AAR - The Rachel Maddow Show podcast |
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