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working 'with' the press
Obama's Cartoon Retribution
After the New Yorker ran its controversial Barack Obama cover satirically mocking smears against the candidate, the presumptive Democratic nominee acted like it really didn't bother him all that much. "It's a cartoon," he told CNN. That seemed very reasonable! But it sounds like Obama was more angry than he let on. The New Yorker was shut out of much-coveted plane tickets for the senator's trip to the Middle East and Europe next week. Neither Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza nor, Politico's Mike Allen confirms via email, anyone else from the magazine is among the 40 journalists blessed with seats. Granted, some 200 people applied for tickets. But given the New Yorker's circulation, influence and often heroic coverage of not only politics but also the war in Iraq (George Packer), U.S. intelligence and covert military operations (Seymour Hersh, Steve Coll), American torture (Jane Mayer) and the inner workings of the Bush administration, it's hard to see the snub as anything other than payback. More »
foofaraw
Obama On Cover Flap: "It's a Cartoon"
Here's Obama responding reasonably to that New Yorker cover! He thinks it is unsuccessful as satire (whatevs!) but also says it's just a cartoon. And though he sort of calls the cover an "insult to Muslim-Americans" he really seems to be apologizing for his campaign's "omg Muslims are scary, good thing our guy's a stand-up Christian" routine. Look, we're sick to death of his campaign and his supporters (especially this week!) but the guy's off-the-cuff reasonableness still impresses us. Is that a sign that our standards have fallen? Compare Obama's cartoon routine to Jon Stewart's on last night's Daily Show, after the jump. More »
foofaraw
Reader Response: We Are All Racist For Not Hating that 'New Yorker' Cover
A reader is upset with Gawker for wholeheartedly embracing The New Yorker's terribly offensive cartoon about how Barack Obama is a terrorist. She writes: More »
cartoon violence
Remnick Defends Obama Cover, Idea That Readers Aren't Retards
This is the problem with being an editor or publisher or writer or cartoonist or even blogger and having some small lingering trace of a sense of irony—sometimes you accidentally assume that the Vast and Mysterious "Audience" shares that subversive French sense. Thankfully, after what will presumably be a full week of Outrage and Demands for Apologies, David Remnick and his New Yorker will never make that mistake again. As you might've seen, the cover of that influential publication this week shows Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim, and he is Terrorist Fist-Bumping his aggrieved wife as a flag burns in the Oval Office. This obvious and heavy-handed satire has enraged Democrats and liberal media critics because now they are pretty sure this nation of child-like imbeciles will believe it to be an un-retouched photograph from the FUTURE. New Yorker editor David Remnick defended the cover to the Huffington Post. Did you know that sometimes that magazine makes "jokes"? More »
bloggers in peril
Blogger Shot in DC
Yikes. Media Consortium blogger Brian Beutler was shot in Washington DC last night, a block away from my old apartment. Or pretty much directly in front of Andrew Sullivan's apartment. He is expected to make a full recovery. And next time, thanks to the Supreme Court, he will be able to shoot back. [DCist, Photo]
videuhoh
Bands Vs. Fans: The Greatest Hits
Country star Tim McGraw drew cheers and admiring headlines yesterday when he snatched an unruly fan out of the audience and tossed him aside like a big sack of jerkness. But he's hardly the first famous singer who had to stop a show in order to manhandle a crazy audience member. Fans run on stage, throw bottles, and scream insults—and sometimes, the band fights back. The stars on stage almost always win. Eagle-eyed Gawker video chief Richard Blakeley has compiled ten clips of Famous Band Vs. Stupid Fan violence, from the Rolling Stones to Akon. Click to watch, and learn your lesson.
Exclusive
Did 1 Oak Try To Shrug Off Gay-Bashing Incident?
When the Meatpacking District club 1 Oak opened in December, it was the toast of the Manhattan nightlife scene. It was founded by a quartet of club veterans including Butter frontman Richie Akiva , Lotus co-owner Jeffrey Jah, and former Ashley Olsen boyfriend Scott Sartiano as a "kind of boutique space" for the elite. But a tipster tells us that everything is not well at 1 Oak; last week, they say, there was a vicious gay-bashing incident in the club—forcing one victim to go to the hospital—that club management tried to sweep under the rug. The eyewitness' full account of the violence, and the club's response to our questions, after the jump. More »
cartoon violence
The Joke So Ill-Advised, Sean Delonas Made It Multiple Times
New York Post editorial cartoonist Sean Delonas is known for his distinctive visual style, his keen grasp of current events, and his virulent, hateful homophobia. Seriously, at least once a week he commits a hate crime to paper. So his take on Thomas Beatie, the pregnant transgendered man, is predictably nuanced and clever. See, it's some bearded guy who looks a bit like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad going into labor while a bunch of doctors ask for "suggestions" on how to deliver the baby. Because he's a man! Men don't have babies! Get it? We enjoyed this cartoon even more today than we did when Delonas made the exact same one two months ago: More »
violence on the bike
Spin Class Berserker Cleared In Court
A jury today acquitted that stockbroker who upended a fellow spin-class participant's stationary bike. Christopher Carter had gone after Stuart Sugarman for shouting "Yeah!" and "You go girl!" at the top of his lungs after the class instructor declined to intervene. The district attorney went after him for assault, which would have carried up to a year in prison, but jurors were sympathetic to Carter's plight. One told the Times: "I probably would have helped Carter with telling the instructor, 'Look at this guy. He’s being a nuisance.'" Well, yes, but Sugarman spent two weeks in the hospital with neck injuries. What does it take to get Equinox gym to intervene in one of these classes? And, most importantly, is it really a safe place for so many of our alleged closeted gay celebrities? [Times] (Public domain photo via Wikipedia)
violence on the bike
Inside The Mind Of A Spinning Class Dude
Last year, tabloids were abuzz with the story of a spinning class gone bad on the Upper East Side. One man was assaulted by another man, right in the middle of class. To be fair, the man who was assaulted—48-year-old Stuart Sugarman—is the type of guy who likes to shout out "you go girl!" and "great song!" during spinning class. A fellow spinner, irate at Stuart's unceasing exclamations, grabbed his bike and slammed him against the wall. Now the case has finally come to trial, and Sugarman took the stand yesterday, resulting in what is perhaps the finest exercise-related legal news story of the year: More »
personal ads
Cash-Waving Craigslist Player's Fury: 'These Photos Are Mines'
Moral of this story: if you're digging yourself into a hole, stop digging. Yesterday, we got a tip about a self-described "Mr. Right" on NYC's Craigslist, who posted a personal ad with 30 pictures of himself, several of which feature him waving a stack of $20 bills. We put up a few of his photos and chuckled. But he was upset! So he called up the Gawker offices to voice his grievances. He charged us with fraud. He threatened to "punch the fucking guy whoever did this" and "fuck him up." And he warned us, "I'm ten times smarter than these people, cause I"m gonna record it right now." So are we! You have to hear it to believe it. Remember, kids: Craigslist is a public place. Click to listen to the highlights. (To refresh your memory, three of his moneymaking personal ad photos are below): More »
whoops
Mike Huckabee's Hilarious Joke About Assassinating Barack Obama
Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is a slick, smooth, charming guy. He would've been a dangerous nominee, because he's TV-friendly and quick-witted in a folksy, unthreatening way. But he's actually a rar-right nutcase. And sometimes his jokes fall flat. As in the clip above. If you can't get a laugh from telling a "someone is going to shoot Barack Obama" joke in a talk at the NRA then your delivery needs work, we say. Oh, also we say: wtf.
sex and violence
Blood-Thirsty Pundits Demand Violent End to Primaries
MSNBC pundit Keith Olbermann on how to deal with Hillary Clinton's never-ending campaign: "Right. Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out." Ok! As HuffPo's Rachel Sklar points out, that means he would like someone to beat her up. Metaphorically! Also, sexistly! Well, it's maybe debatable. Like that New Republic cover. Clearly stupid, but scale of 1-10, how vile? We won't wade in! We will say, though, that it's not even the worst of recent cable news comments. More »
art
Swiss Upbringing Turns Photographer Violent
25-year-old photographer David Houncheringer is from Switzerland, an idyllic nation that has one major flaw: not enough murders. Houncheringer is doing his part to correct that, through art. Which is mightier than the gun! The young man has series of photos called "Would you like to die today?" He says, "I really enjoy seeing people watching these 'hard' pictures. Most of them laugh. Others are shocked. But they watch 15 murders a day on TV so I don't care." And he adds, "If someone wants to die, don't hesitate to contact us!" So keep that in mind! He has a point, though; these could be mistaken for stills from any episode of "CSI." Three bloody samples from his series [via First Magazine], after the jump. More »
advertising
"It's Just A Fucking T-Shirt."
The competitive high-fashion t-shirt market is divided into those who believe their clever t-shirts mean something and those who don't. And, of course, those who don't care, but cultivate an aura of meaning as a marketing tactic, and also those who act too cool to care, but really do. Australian label Goat Boy sells its Princess Di t-shirt with the slogan "SHE'S DEAD, So get over it" for $49.95, so you know it's special (somebody buy one for Tina Brown, quick!).But they market that t-shirt with the slogan "IT'S JUST A FUCKING T-SHIRT." And with this "very violent" video, after the jump [via AdScam], of a guy wearing the shirt getting beaten up by an old woman. Which is appropriate on so many levels. More »
disasters
5 Rampages of Naomi Campbell
Oh dear. Naomi Campbell has been arrested at Heathrow airport for assaulting a police officer. Sadly, this isn't the first time the feral English supermodel has shown her bottled-up rage, caused by a difficult job and having lots and lots of money. She seems to enjoy hurling things at her servants and other blue-collar folk. Also Italian ladies. After the jump, a brief recapping of some of the more memorable Naomi Campbell attacks. More »
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