Kathy Griffin, The Devil

I never thought of myself as a fan of Kathy Griffin. She co-starred on the Brooke Shields show from the 90s called Suddenly Susan that I never watched. As well, she appeared in two Seinfeld episodes as Sally Weaver. Neither episode is among my faves. Apparently, she was in Pulp Fiction but I do not remember her in it at all.

Top 5 Most Memorable Performances from Pulp Fiction
1. Samuel L. Jackson
2. Bruce Willis
3. Ving Rhames
4. John Travolta
5. Eric Stoltz

But as we moved into the 21st century, she suddenly became very funny to me. She has a psuedo reality show called My Life On The D-List which she makes fun of herself struggling to continue to be a name in Hollywood.

Her persona became one where she essentially told it like it was without caring about the Hollywood phoniness. Her show showed her at her best (hosting award shows, going to parties) and her worst (her divorce, the death of her father). For a reality show, it felt honest.

So you are saying to yourself, why am i writing about her? Well, her show My Life On The D-List won Outstanding Reality Show during this past weekend's Emmy Awards.

In her acceptance speech, she said the following.

"A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now."

Backstage, she still stood by that rather tongue-in-cheek speech by saying, "I hope I offended some people. I didn't want to win the Emmy for nothing."

Well, it worked. The Catholic League is completely enraged by her comments. Catholic League President Bill Donahue has asked TV academy president Dick Askin to denounce Griffin's speech and for Griffin to publicly apologize.

The Catholic League's website has a scathing article about Griffin's comments with a final paragraph that read as follows:

“Finally, while we are pleased to learn that Griffin’s celebrity stock has plummeted as a result of her scripted speech, we also know that there are some very sick people out there who love it every time some bigot takes a shot at Christianity. To wit: the phone calls and messages we’ve received are proof positive of how visceral the hatred is, much of it aimed directly at the Catholic League. No matter, at the end of the day, Griffin lost and we won.”

According to Griffin's publicist, Griffin's reaction was "Am I the only Catholic left with a sense of humour?"

The joke is really on all of us because Griffin's comments are really a reference to her latest comedy special Everybody Can Suck It. Meanwhile, her fans have launched a new website called suckitjesus.com which includes a petition to stop the sensoring of Griffin's comments.

All of this should make for an interesting new season of My Life On The D-List. I just hope (nee pray) for the day when certain media and religious groups start realizing that some celebrities are simply using them to further their career and they would carry more weight if they started ignoring comments such as Griffin's this past weekend.

CNN smackdown...Michael Moore style

Not since Jon Stewart's appeared on Crossfire in 2004 and told the hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala that they were "hurting america", has someone lambasted CNN on their own channel like Michael Moore did earlier this week.

Moore was appearing on with Wolf Blitzer talking about his new documentary Sicko. Before Moore came on, they showed a segment by Sanjay Gupta who detailed all the inaccuracies in Sicko.

Blitzer than cut to Moore who had a look on his face that said plenty. Moore than went off on Blitzer, CNN and Gupta's report. Despite his heated emotions, he spoke coherently backing up the facts he presents in his movies and demanding Blitzer and CNN not only apologize to him but to the american people as well for their lack of honest coverage regarding both the war and the health care industry.

The entire segment is 15 minutes long but it is pretty entertaining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpKoN40K7mA

Moore does promise during this interview to post on his website facts to back up all the claims that Gupta criticized. That information has now been posted so check it out on his website.

The Gupta-Moore show has continued throughout the week with them debating each other on Tuesday night's Larry King.

Between this and watching the Live Earth broadcast this past Saturday, I am feeling all left-wingish.

Top 5 Appearances at Live Earth
1. Madonna (yes, I can't believe I am saying it either)
2. Roger Waters
3. The Police
4. Lenny Kravitz
5. Paolo Nutini

American justice?

I know I am going to get trashed for this but there is something I am not able to bend my mind around. OJ Simpson is free but Paris Hilton is going to jail for 45 days.

Look, I admit to having a soft spot for her. I don't know why. Yes she is only famous for being famous. Yes she probably released that sex tape with her and Rick Solaman. Yes she can't sing and can't act. Yes she has one look and other than that she isn't that good looking. Blah, blah, blah. She is simply taking advantage of celebrity driven society we live in. You don't like it. Stop watching Entertainment Tonight.

If you don't know what I am talking about, Hilton has been sentanced to 45 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended licence. Apparently, she was confused as she thought she could drive to work, but nothing else.

The fireworks began right after the sentance was handed down as Hilton's mother Kathy Hilton yelled out to the prosecutors, "You're pathetic". And then sarcastically added, "can I have your autograph?".

Hilton then fired her long time publicist (a man who should win awards for being able to keep Hilton in the limelight for so long) Elliot Mintz. He has since been rehired. Her legal team have appealed the 45 day sentance. And here's the best part, Hilton has asked California governer Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon for her sentance.

Top 5 Worst Schwarzenegger films
1. Hercules In New York
2. Junior
3. Jingle All The Way
4. Raw Deal
5. Batman & Robin

So, to review, Paris Hilton going to jail for driving with a suspended licence. OJ Simpson, convicted in a civil court of the wrongful deaths of his ex-wife and her friend, out free.

And speaking of Simpson, he was in the news recently as well. He was in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. With a group of 12 at an upscale steakhouse, the owner asked Simpson to leave his restaurant because "he is sickened by the attention Simpson still attracts.

Stop me if you've heard this before but Simpson's attorney says the incident was about race and intended to go after the restaurant for refusing to serve his client. I want to say something funny here but no words are coming to me. God bless America.

Don Imus = old news

I guess if there is one person "happy" about the recent shooting massacre at Virginia Tech has to be Don Imus. This absolutely horrible tragedy has taken Imus off the front pages and talk radio.

I am not here to minimalize that tragedy but I always find it funny when there is a big story getting wall to wall coverage that all of the sudden becomes ignored when an even bigger story occurs.

The biggest example of this that I can remember occured around the time of 9/11. Do you remember what the big story in the weeks leading up to that event? The disappearance of Chandra Levy and the investigation that seemed to point to congressman Gary Condit having something to do with it. Interviewed by the police on two seperate occasions, the 53 year old Condit denied having an affair with the 23 year old Levy but he finally admitted to it after Levy's aunt went public with the details.

Condit was never officially charged with her disappearance. In May of the next year, Levy's remains were found but the case remains unsolved. Condit lost his next election and has faded from public view. But once the tragedy of 9/11 took hold in the media, Levy's story became secondary.

The same thing is currently occuring with Imus. CNN is wall to wall about Virginia Tech. Victim's names are being released, details on the shooter and the fall out for all US college campuses are being discussed.

But lets not forget about Imus. If you haven't actually seen the footage and only know about the "nappy headed hos" comment. Take a look. Is he trying to be funny?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui1jPNDWArM

As stated in this blog last week. I don't know where I am on this issue. Obviously those comments are horrible. But what do I care about some 70 year old white guy says on a radio show I don't listen to and a tv show I don't watch.

What about Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson weighing in on the issue. Aren't their bigger issues for us in the black community to worry about? What about these athletes talking about how Imus' comments ruined their season and playing the victim in this? Why are they putting so much weight to what this old codger has to say?

And what about journalist Jason Whitlock who is being interviewed by everyone on this topic. He has a lot of powerful things to say about the issue, the black community and how the hip-hop community is to blame for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CCS7kTLUZM

According to Whitlock about the firing of Imus, "they are sentancing the jaywalker to the death penalty while the real killers are walking free, cashing cheques and writing rap songs." But who is Whitlock? He is a staunch conservative with his own agenda. How can he really be speaking for all African Americans? Before last week, I'd never heard of Jason Whitlock. The irony is that Whitlock is using this event as much to further his career, his agenda just as much as Sharpton and Jackson.

See I write that and I am not sure how strongly I believe it. I heard numerous interviews with Whitlock and I believed a lot of what he said. A lot of what he said really resonated with me. I just think we need to look at all sides. A slo-pitch teammate of mine forwarded Whitlock's now famous article on this topic earlier this week. On first glance, it is a powerful opinion piece. The first paragraph is "Thank you Don Imus. You've given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problems". Fascinating stuff. But read the whole piece a second time with a critical eye, keeping his politics in mind, and then how does it read? Are rap moguls like Russell Simmons really to blame? Or is it society in general?

http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/66339.html

Since we are talking about basketball, the top 5 basketball movies.
1. Hoop Dreams
2. Hoosiers
3. He Got Game
4. Blue Chips
5. Celtic Pride

Pfizer is in a lot pfreaking trouble

This battle has been brewing for years. Clearly AIDS groups have had just about enough when it comes to viagra. The AIDS Health Foundation is suing Pfizer Inc over their ads saying they encourage users to take viagra as a party drug and that its recreational use has furthered the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The group calls Pfizer's ads misleading, indicating that they have nothing to do with selling a drug to cure impotence.

The impetus for this recent suit is the new series of Viagra ads that are set to debut during next month's Super Bowl. The ads will include the line "Be this Sunday's MVP".

This is not the first time Viagra ads have come under fire. In 2004, the ads featuring a middle aged couple as the voiceover explains "Remember that guy who used to be called 'Wild Thing'?" And the commercial ends with devils horns appearing on his head which then morph into a viagara pill? Pfizer was forced to pull that off the air as it failed to disclose known risks of the drug.

In the suit, aside from getting the ads off the air, the group is also asking that the FDA step up the way they oversee Viagra ads. Interestingly enought, this news comes forward just as Pfizer has announced lay-offs of 10 000 to help trim costs.

When the drug company Pfizer first released the drug viagra, it was meant to be a drug to help men with impotence. The release of this drug also coincided with the internet. To this day, I receive more emails, on a daily basis, at work and at home for viagara or viagara type drugs than any other product.

Is there really that much of a demand for this product? Is impotence effecting that many men, young and old! And the constant ads for the product. Enough is enough. Should I be worried? It went from being a head scratcher to know being just gross. During the same Super Bowl broadcast where Janet Jackson bared her breast and got CBS in trouble with the FCC, there were dozens of ads for viagra. Are you telling me hearing about a warning that if you have an erection for more than 6 hours to call your doctor is less offensive than a split second of Jackson's breast?

And how about these viagra ads? They used to feature Bob Dole. But the actors have become younger and younger. And now they feature music like the song Good Morning from the film Singin' In The Rain and Queen's We Are The Champions.

Top 5 Queen Albums

1. A Night At The Opera
2. The Game
3. Jazz
4. The Works
5. A Day At The Races
   

Pardon?

So Gerald Ford is dead and I still do not know about his place in history. Anytime a person dies, one must feel some sorrow and look back fondly at that person. However, Gerald Ford PARDONED Richard Nixon. Let's think about this for a second, a president of the United States either committed or had people commit illegal activities. And the person who takes over for him lets him get away with it.

In a television broadcast to the nation, Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country and that the Nixon family's situation "is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must."

During his tribute to Ford, current President Bush (who knows a little something about illegal activities) mentioned that Ford "helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the presidency". Rather ironic that Bush made these statements considering that in a 2004 interview with Bob Woodward, Ford said that Bush "made a big mistake" with their justifications for the Iraq war. What is even more interesting is that these anti-Bush comments did not come to light until after Ford died. Apparently, Ford requested that Woodward not publish the interview until Woodward had written a planned book about Ford or until he died.

Anyway, getting back to Ford's pardoning of Nixon, a lot of political pundits believe that Ford doing that is what cost him the re-election. He ended up losing to Jimmy Carter in 1976. However, some believe that it wasn't really Ford's idea to pardon Nixon in the first place.

You have to remember that Ford's ascension to the presidency was a rather bizarre one. Spiro Agnew was Nixon's original Vice President. He resigned, while in office, after he was charged with tax evasion. Nixon than nominated Ford to take over as VP. Soon after taking over that role, White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig advised Ford that Nixon was probably going to end up taking the fall for the Watergate scandal. In other words, Ford would soon end up being the 38th president of the United States.

According to Bob Woodward's book Shadow, Ford becoming President and the pardon of Nixon was part of a backroom deal between Ford, Nixon and Haig. In the same conversation where Haig advised Ford about what was going on with Watergate, he also advised the three options there were to protect Nixon from jail time. (1) Nixon could pardon himself and resign, (2) Nixon could pardon his aides involved in Watergate and then resign, or (3) Nixon could agree to leave in return for an agreement that the new president would pardon him. It looks like Ford went with option #3. Interestingly enough, Ford's first press secretary and close friend Jerald terHorst resigned his post in protest after the announcement of President Nixon's full pardon.

Top 5 most famous guests of the Betty Ford Center-Rehab Facility.
1. Elizabeth Taylor
2. Jerry Lee Lewis
3. Mary Tyler Moore
4. Johnny Cash
5. Chevy Chase

Wal-Mart? Do you buy walls there?

Listening to my pal Elvis last week talking about his job is what gave me the idea for this blog entry. He works for a company that supplies products for Wal-Mart.

He was telling me all the problems he has dealing with that conglamerate. That essentially they call the shots, no matter what because 50% of people in North America shop at Wal-Mart. He supplies them with a certain amount of product, if they run out, it's HIS fault...HE gets penalized. If HE doesn't like it, they'll simply take their business elsewhere. So essentially, this company holds the entire continent hostage because people are too stupid not to shop there.

This isn't the only criticism that Wal-Mart receives. Essentially, they destroy all the local business around them in order to survive. I know they spin this topic to show how they actually help local economies.

A study commissioned by Wal-Mart by Global Insight, claimed that their stores' presence saves working families more than $2,329 per year, while creating more than 210,000 part time, minimum wage jobs in the U.S. From 1985–2004, Wal-Mart was found to be, "associated with a cumulative decline of 9.1% in food-at-home prices, a 4.2% decline in commodities (goods) prices, and a 3.1% decline in overall consumer prices."

The study also indicated that, "nominal wages are 2.2% lower, but given that consumer prices are 3.1% lower, real disposable income is 0.9% higher than it would have been in a world without Wal-Mart."

However, a study at Iowa State University in 1997 found that small towns can lose almost half of their retail trade within ten years of Wal-Mart opening. To illustrate this, Wal-Mart has faced several accusations of, predatory pricing, or intentionally selling a product below cost in order to drive some or all competitors out of the market. In 1995, in the case of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. American Drugs, Inc., American Drugs accused Wal-Mart of intentionally selling individual items below cost for the purpose of injuring competitors and destroying competition. While the lower court ruled in favor of American Drug, the Supreme Court of Arkansas ruled in favor of Wal-Mart, citing that their pricing strategies, including the use of loss leaders, did not constitute predatory pricing.

Wal-mart has also faced a great deal of criticism regarding its treatment of employees. First regarding employees trying to creat unions at the stores. For example, when meat cutters at the Jacksonville, Texas supercenter voted to unionize in 2000, Wal-Mart closed its meat department and began shipping in pre-packaged meats at all stores. When workers at a Jonquière, Quebec Wal-Mart voted to unionize, Wal-Mart closed the store five months later, citing weak profits.

In the United States, there are concerns on several labor issues, including low pay and inadequate health care coverage. Additionally, Wal-Mart is facing several lawsuits by current and former hourly associates who allege that the company forced them to work, "off the clock", or failed to provide work breaks, or otherwise claim they were not paid for work performed."

Another controversy regarding Wal-Mart related to DVDs they packaged together on their retail website. For African-American related DVDs like Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and a Martin Luther King documentary, they included a link to other similar DVDs that you may also enojoy like Planet of the Apes or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wal-mart referred to this as a software glitch, later changing the story to "human error".

Most of this information I received from wikipedia's section on the criticism of Wal-Mart. It is some pretty interesting reading.

There was also the infamous memo from 1995 by Wal-Mart's executive VP for Benefits regarding how to reduce spending on health care. Its recommendations included the following:

• hiring more part-time workers
• discouraging unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart
• wooing younger, and presumably healthier, workers by offering education benefits
• workers with seven years' seniority earn more than workers with one year's seniority, but are no more productive
• jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)
• employees pay more for their spouses' health insurance
• cutting 401(k) contributions to 3 percent of wages from 4 percent
• cutting company-paid life insurance policies to $12,000 from the current level, equal to an employee's annual earnings
• Life insurance was a "high-satisfaction, low-importance benefit, which suggests an opportunity to trim the offering without substantial impact on associate satisfaction."
• Wal-Mart workers "are getting sicker than the national population, particularly in obesity-related diseases," including diabetes and coronary artery disease

The New York times got a copy of this memo and it became a huge scandal at the time. However, that scandal has clearly dissipated almost 10 years late.

For more about the issues with Wal-Mart, I highly recommend the documentary Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. Here is that documentary's trailer.



As the idea for this blog was from my pal Elvis. The top 5 list is as follows:

Top 5 Elvis Costello songs.
1. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
2. Pump It Up
3. Radio Radio
4. Shipbuilding
5. She
1. King Creole