Gawker: strange bedfellows

Hippie Folksinger Invades WSJ Newsroom

Ryan Tate — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:51:28 EST

Pat Buchanan is defending Hillary Clinton, the Guardian is scooping on U.S. political news, and now this, perhaps the ultimate WTF moment in media this week: Lefty, anti-corporate folksinger Ani DiFranco performed two songs for Wall Street Journal editorial staff today, right before deadline, we hear. "Weird time to be a biz reporter," one staffer at the conservative business newspaper Twittered. The setlist?

DiFranco played a song about Barack Obama! Also, something off her newest album. Owner Rupert Murdoch was not around, probably because he ran home to get his tie-die and water pipe and got caught in traffic, or so we like to imagine. We also like to imagine DiFranco acoustically reformed some of those right-wing vulgarians on the editorial page, but we'll settle for the folksinger stealing some column inches in Weekend Journal from one of those wretched articles on how to buy a private jet or whatever. It's not clear how large DiFranco's audience was or where, exactly, her performance took place, but newsroom staff could hear it.

Idiot Columnist: Powell To Endorse Obama

Pareene — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:42:22 EDT

Back in the day, confused Republicans used to like to pretend that careerist military hack Colin Powell would be the first Black President, because he is a Republican who is mostly well-liked. Powell never wanted the job, because he generally refuses to accept positions that force him to do anything other than follow orders (he is a very good soldier! cf. that fucking UN speech), and now he's a pariah for embarrassing the Republican Party in the UN speech and not being a very good Secretary of State. Now terrible hack Bill Kristol—who, as far as we can tell, has no professional or notable personal relationship with Powell—claims he knows for sure that Powell will endorse Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention. What a scoop! You know, if it's true.

“He may well give a speech at the Democratic convention explaining his endorsement of Obama,” Kristol said, citing inside sources. “For whatever reason I think he has decided he’s going to endorse Obama. I think [Powell] has a high respect for Senator McCain, they go back a long way.”

Kristol continued, “This is not an absolute done deal, but these people are very confident that Powell will endorse Obama.”

Then Powell's spokesperson strongly denied this almost-rumor ("may well"?). But if Powell endorses Obama and then Lieberman endorses McCain, everyone will see how good these candidates are at uniting with members of the opposite party who aren't actually really members of the opposite party, even in name.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Neil Patrick Harris to Party With the GOP

Pareene — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:28:26 EDT

The political conventions are pointless pageants designed to get candidates and up-and-coming political stars some prime time television exposure. They're also convenient excuses for trying out new and exciting paramilitary policing and, most importantly, lengthy benders for political operatives, donors, and the rest of the party faithful. Booze will flow, drugs will be procured, local women of the night will be solicited. And—celebrities! Oddly, Hollywood lobbying group Creative Coalition will bring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Neil Patrick Harris to Minnesota for a party at the Republican convention. Though maybe it's not so odd?

Being the party of closet kinky bastards (how awesome is it that their convention is in the Twin Cities, right?), they're presumably familiar with Gyllenhaal's rich filmography. And, as we all know, Neil Patrick Harris is the gay who makes the straights feel totally comfortable.

Word to the wise: outside of the Distilled Spirits Council party, skip the official bullshit and get wasted at the damn CC Club or something.

Fox Fights For The Right To Prime Time Smut

Hamilton Nolan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:04:19 EDT

The Fox Network: freedom fighters, or the anchor around American pop culture's neck as it plummets down to the inevitable lowest common denominator in all forms of entertainment? Could be both! Fox is refusing to pay a $91,000 indecency fine from the FCC for a 2003 episode of the execrable show "Married By America" that featured guys licking whipped cream off strippers and being spanked [Variety]. On one hand, screw the uptight fascists at the FCC and their enforced moralizing! On the other hand, we know Fox is fighting this just so they don't set any precedents that would hinder their rush towards programming that will culminate in live executions of the poor on TV. So it's hard not to be torn on this issue. Below, what appears to be the only clip on YouTube of "Married By America' (not the stripper one). This was a justifiably unpopular show.

Kristian Laliberte Is The New U.N. Ambassador From Doucheland

Emily Gould — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:40:19 EDT

From the e-desk of noted socialolgay Kristian Laliberte comes a missive with an opening that gave us pause:

Dear Friends,
Some of you are already helping with this amazing event, but I wanted to invite those who are not the chance to buy tickets. I am the Vice-Chair for the Junior Committee, and tickets at the Junior level are $250.00.

I am writing on behalf of The United Nations.

We paused here, as you no doubt just did, to clean the gobs of spat-out beverage off our monitor. And as we paused, we wondered whether the world was really as topsy turvy as it had seemed there for a second, or whether Kristian was perhaps exaggerating the importance of his role a tad? Well, you be the judge.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Equality Now, would like to invite you to the Gala Dinner and Premiere of the Hollywood film Trade starring Kevin Kline, at the United Nations Headquarters. The film powerfully depicts the problem of international sex trafficking of women and children. Although the movie's narrative is fiction, it was inspired by "The Girls Next Door," an article by Peter Landesman published in The New York Times Magazine in January 2004.
This is the first time any major motion picture has held a world premiere at the UN. The premiere will take place at 7 p.m. on the 19th of September, 2007, in the historic Trusteeship Council Chamber at UN Headquarters in New York. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will open the Premiere. The screening will be followed by a gala dinner in the magnificent UN Delegates Dining Room, from 9:00pm until 11:00pm. So far the host committee includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Hillary Swank, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Waterston, Stanley Tucci, Candice Bergen, Gloria Steinem, Phoebe Cates, Marisa Tomei, Eve Ensler, Ivanka Trump, Bianca Jagger, Jack McCollough, Lazaro Hernandez, Bijou Phillips, Zani Guggelman, Rachel Roy, Jessica Stam, Lucy Sykes, Eleonora Kennedy, Trade producer Roland Emmerich (director/producer/writer of "The Day After Tomorrow", "The Patriot", "Godzilla", and "Independence Day"), and Terry George (director/producer/writer of "Hotel Rwanda" and director of "In the Name of the Father"). Additional confirmed supporters that will be in attendance include Ted Turner and her holiness Sai Maa. Music will be provided by Mark Ronson.

To view a trailer of Trade, please log onto www.tradethemovie.com. All proceeds of the event will benefit victims of human trafficking.

I would like to ask for your support in the form of a ticket or table purchase for this amazing event. Individual tickets are $250. Tables are $5000 and seat ten.

As the UN is reaching out to the next generation of influential young people, we think he would make a great addition to the attendance. [Ed. Note: HUH?] I would be grateful if you could let me know at your earliest convenience so that we make all necessary arrangements.

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please contact me.
I hope you can join us.

Kind regards,
Kristian

Chris Noth: Champion Of New York's Gritty Authenticity

Emily Gould — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:52:40 EDT

"What makes me really sick is how New York now looks like a bad imitation of Sex and the City. Meatpacking is a good example of just how fucked up it is. You can't have a city that's interesting where the only people living in it are rich," Chris Noth told New York mag, echoing his earlier anti-Meatpacking sentiments—you know, the ones we recently used to justify breaking our ban on stalker sightings of the hounddog-eyed 'star.' He's repetitive, yes, but the thing is, he just gets righter! We hereby officially lift the ban. But when you send your sightings, make sure not to identify Noth by his Sex and the City moniker, 'cause he totally hates that: "When people call me 'Mr. Big,' I can't help feeling a kind of contempt."

Big Regrets from Former Mr. Big [NYMag]