The ‘American Idol’ Winner is?
May 26, 2011
And the American Idol winner is Scotty McCreery. The 17-year-old Garner, North Carolina native defeated fellow country singer Lauren Alaina, 16, in the 10th season of Idol. Alaina competed in Tuesday night’s final sing-off despite injuring her vocal cords, and received rave reviews from the judges, but McCreery, a high-school student, won more votes from viewers in the end.
McCreery is the first country music winner since Carrie Underwood won in 2005, and also the fourth consecutive male contestant to win the competition.
A record 122 million votes were cast in the final contest.
John Lithgow ‘Performs’ Gingrich’s ‘Literati’ Battle Cry (Video)
May 20, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)—It’s official. Newt Gingrich’s massive square head is just too minuscule to contain his burgeoning megalomania. After getting smacked around by members of his own Party for stating the obvious about Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-MN) budget plan to end Medicare as we know it, Gingrich’s flack, no doubt a frustrated wordsmith of the pulp fiction fantasy genre, issued an overwrought press release portraying Gingrich as an heroic knight ready to do battle with the evil “literati” and “sheep,” otherwise known as the lamestream “gotcha” media. The “epic” and “florid” press release was universally mocked by just about everyone. But it took Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert to properly skewer the ridiculous press release and Gingrich’s delusions of grandeur. Colbert brought on acclaimed actor John Lithgow to “perform” the press release “verbatim.” It was truly epic. Read more
Letterman Demands Trump Apologize for ‘Racism’
April 29, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)—If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck. Despite denials from Donald Trump that he really didn’t mean to lob racist volleys at our first black president, it doesn’t change the facts. Except for the Fox News crowd, a number of high profile media personalities and journalists have recognized the blatant racism behind Trump’s birtherism and dog-whistle implications that Obama only got into Harvard because he’s black, including CBS’ Bob Schieffer. David Letterman, host of The Late Show followed suit last night, by slamming Trump for his offensive attacks on our President that “smack of racism.” And he warned The Donald that he had better apologize, if he ever expects to return to The Late Show as a guest. Read more
Colbert: Sen. ‘Jon Kyl Has a Vestigial Tail’ Not Meant to be ‘Factual’ (Video)
April 12, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)— Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert had some fun Monday night, skewering Sen. Jon Kyl’s (R-AZ) absurd defense to spewing a bold-faced lie on the floor of the Senate. Kyl denied that he was lying his ass off to mislead the public for the purposes of furthering right-wing ideology, and anti-abortion hysteria. He told CNN that his lie about Planned Parenthood devoting 90 percent of its services to performing abortions, was not meant to be “factual.” Colbert suggested that Kyl was some sort of evil genius for coming up with an “amazingly liberating defense.”
In the world of lying Republicans, constituents shouldn’t take them at their word, according to Kyl. You see, politics is just a twisted game of street theater to these people. Read more
Crazy Glenn Beck, GOP Channel Fox News Parting Ways
April 6, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)— Crazy paranoid conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck announced today he’s leaving Fox News when his contact expires in December. Whether he was pushed out, is leaving on his own accord, or a little bit of both is still not clear. But Fox News officials let slip last month that Beck’s loony and violent apocalyptic conspiracies about the coming Communist Muslim terrorist caliphate spearheaded by the secretly Muslim “racist” President Obama, were starting to grate on their last nerve. And after Beck attacked our first black president as a racist against white people, at least 300 hundred advertisers pulled their ads from Beck’s Armageddon hour. The joint announcement released by Fox News and Mercury Radio Arts, Beck’s media company, referred to the demise of Beck’s TV show as an agreement for Beck “to transition off of his daily program.” The press release spoke of future on-air projects between Beck and Fox News. So, he would still be peddling his giant hair ball of lunatic hate and paranoia, just in much smaller doses. And that’s good news for the state of our social discourse. Read more
Colbert Mocks Wis. GOP’s Kooky ‘Leftist’ ‘Organic Gourmet Food’ Rant (Video)
April 1, 2011
(ChattahBox Political News)— Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert devoted a segment of his show last night to mocking Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and his gang of lawless Republicans thumbing their noses at the rule of law. It took three Temporary Restraining Orders from Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi, until Walker’s goon squad decided to obey the law, and stop implementing their controversial union-busting bill, which is before Judge Sumi on a possible open meeting violation. “We heard you the first time,” Colbert quipped. “God, it’s like you’re Walker’s mom or something,” adding “Well you know what, you’re not the boss of him. Later in his segment, Colbert skewered the Dane County Republicans’ insane attack on Judge Sumi as a dangerous commie “leftist,” who ”shops at organic gourmet food shops.” The bizarro world of Republican Wisconsin politics is sure entertaining, but Walker and his minions are hurting Wisconsin workers. Read more
Limbaugh, Hannity used paid actors for call-ins?
March 9, 2011
[ChattahBox] – In unsettling news concerning Rush Limbaugh it’s being reported the company behind both his show and those for such names as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have been hiring actors to pose as call-in guests.
A new report in Tablet claims the company, Premiere Radio Networks – a division of Clear Channel Communications – hired actors to pose as guests for both shows and even provided scripts for their topics.
“Premiere On Call is our new custom caller service. We supply voice talent to take/make your on-air calls, improvise your scenes or deliver your scripts,” said their web site. “Unless you request it, you won’t hear that same voice again for at least two months, ensuring the authenticity of your programming for avid listeners.”
The site went offline when the report surfaced, but a member of Premiere’s staff who spoke on condition of anonymity says the practice is ongoing. Actors seeking auditions must even sign confidentiality agreements to keep their role secret.
“By requesting an audition you are also agreeing to keep the details of the audition and the type of work you may perform confidential,” reads the form. “Disclosure to any third party, sharing project information or publicizing what you do (including via social media) may be considered grounds for dismissal.”
One actor told reporters he auditioned for Premiere by calling a fake radio show and lamenting an imaginary bachelor party that was marred when one attendee brought his girlfriend along. Premiere loved it;
“Thank you for auditioning for Premiere On Call,” he was told by email. “Your audition was great! We’d like to invite you to join our official roster of ‘ready-to-work’ actors.”
They offered $40-an-hour, with at least one hour of work a day guaranteed. The source explained the actor’s job thusly;
“If he passed the audition he’d be invited to call in to various talk shows and recite scenarios that made for interesting radio,” they explained. “He would never be identified as an actor, and his scenarios would never be identified as fabricated — which they always were.”
In their defense, Premiere’s rep, Rachel Nelson says the responsibility for any such nefarious fakery was the responsibility of the stations that used their service.
“Premiere provides a variety services, one of which is connecting local stations with great voice talent to supplement their programming needs,” she told the reporters via email. “Premiere facilitates casting, while how the talent’s contribution is integrated into programs is handled by the varied stations.”
The stations involved – most of whom have ongoing dealings with Premiere – have made no comment so far, but some observers say the report’s findings regarding Sean Hannity are well supported by history.
“Hannity’s record of being caught manipulating public opinion, deceptively editing video, suppressing opposing views, and his lopsided call ratios speaks for itself,” Gustav Wynn wrote in a recent column on OpEdNews.
Overtures made to Rush Limbaugh’s office to gain his response were unsuccessful at press time.
Source: Raw Story
Fox News mulling Glenn Beck’s exit, sources claim
March 7, 2011
wikimedia - credit Gage Skidmore
[ChattahBox] – When Glen Beck made his much-vaunted debut on Fox News in 2009 the effect was considerable. His ratings were beyond even the most aspirant dreams of his peers on cable, advertisers were standing in line and audiences were entranced by his singular vision. But things have changed, and Mr. Beck’s iconic flavor of doom-laden oratory may soon be silenced.
In the past week the 47-year old political prognosticator managed to weave Hezbollah, the socialist movement, gas prices, the growth of Shariah law and even the troubles of Charlie Sheen into yet another tapestry that foretold the end of the world. Read more
Rush Limbaugh talking out of his fat ass again in attack on Michelle Obama’s diet
February 22, 2011
(ChattahBox US News) – Rotund talk show clown Rush Limbaugh tried to use Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign as fodder for one of his latest radio show tirades.
Limbaugh opportunistically jumped on a report which mentioned that the first lady ate ribs at a Colorado restaurant during her skiing holiday there this Presidents Day weekend. According to the Vail Daily, the first lady went to Restaurant Kelly Liken in Vail Village on Saturday night, “dining on a pickled pumpkin salad with arugula and a braised ancho-chile short rib with hominy wild mushrooms and sauteed kale.”
Limbaugh squealed all Ned Beaty like, that this was evidence of Michelle’s hypocrisy around food.
“The problem is, and dare I say this, it doesn’t look like Michelle Obama follows her own nutritionary, dietary advice. And then we hear that she’s out eating ribs at 1,500 calories a serving with 141 grams of fat per serving.”
Limbaugh blathered on that, “I’m trying to say that our first lady does not project the image of women that you might see on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue or of a woman Alex Rodriguez might date every six months or what have you.”
The Vail Daily quickly followed up on its original report rebutting Limbaugh’s ample flanks, saying that “some conservative bloggers and talk-show hosts act like the short rib in Michelle Obama’s dinner entree was, like Adam’s, extracted from them personally.” They go on to say that not only was Michelle’s short rib nowhere near 1,500 calories, but the meal was politically correct, too:
A braised short rib is a relatively lean cut of beef, braised with most of the fat cooked off. The 5-ounce serving runs about 600 calories, Liken said — a far cry from the 1,500 calories and 141 grams of fat it’s accused of.
“A proper 5-ounce portion of protein is what nutritionists say we should have,” said Kelly Liken, who launched the highly successful restaurant.
Let’s not forget that the 5-ounce rib is served with local kale, nurtured and grown by students at Eagle’s Brush Creek Elementary School.
Gore’s Current TV Brings Back ‘Great Provocateur’ Olbermann
February 8, 2011
(ChattahBox US News)—Well, that didn’t take long. Less than three-weeks after abruptly leaving MSNBC, progressive firebrand Keith Olbermann announced today he’s joining Al Gore’s fledgling independent cable outlet, Current TV. A slew of press releases from Olbermann and Current Media executives in the wake of the Media Decoder’s report on Monday, tells us that Olbermann will host a new nightly “primetime news and commentary show.” In his new role, Olbermann will also serve as Current’s chief news officer and will enjoy an equity stake in the company formed in 2005. Al Gore, Chairman and co-founder of Current Media, described Olbermann, as a sterling example of the rare “truly distinct, unfettered voices on television.” The free-wheeling Olberman, who publicly clashed with his superiors at MSNBC, hailed Current Media, as a “model truth-seeking entity,” free from “corporate interference.” The media conglomerate Comcast, officially took over MSNBC soon after Olbermann left his “Countdown” perch. Read more