The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?' Edition
The two people without invitations that crashed President Obama's first White House state dinner, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, polo-playing socialites from northern Virginia, are now offering to talk to broadcast networks about it - providing they're well paid. The Virginia couple was looking for a payment in the mid-six figures range - about half a million dollars...
Are you interested enough in what they have to say about their exploit to watch an interview of them?
Meanwhile, two senators, Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) and Jon Kyl (R- Arizona), have called for criminal charges be brought against the couple...
Do you feel that the party crashing couple should be prosecuted?
Leo answered in his subject line...
Yes, the party crashing couple should be prosecuted.
Adam in NoHo snarled...
These guys want 10k to tell their story on the air. Fuck 'em. Send them a subpoena and make then testify under oath in a public hearing. See, their very own Reality Show... Then audit 'em... And BTW- Sarah Palin is Evita Peron: Up from poverty (more or less) and obscurity to be on the public stage any way possible (ESPN is as good as politics, except that governing is really hard). Even though she promotes herself as a 'woman of the people', now that she has a taste of the high-life, she's taking as much for herself as she can.
DC Madman wrote...
I wouldn't waste my time listening to anything this couple had to say. That's what I read blogs for. Let the bloggers waste their time, digest, apply appropriate snark and then I'll pick up the story. If a crime was committed, prosecute (start with the Bush Administration). If I showed up at a neighbor's party uninvited and they let me in, I've done no wrong. If I peed in their aquarium I should be held responsible.
Charlie Y. takes us back with a great picture...
If the Salahi's make any money off of this, it will be a sad comment indeed, and they sure won't get any from me. As long as they didn't do anything beyond crash the party, I don't think they should be charged with anything, but the Secret Service should certainly be examining this lapse of security.
This is nowhere near as much fun as the incident in 1970 in which Grace Slick attempted to bring Abbie Hoffman to the White House to a party for Tricia Nixon. Grace said she was going to dose Nixon with LSD. I don't really think we would be living in a different world had she succeeded, but it shows somewhat how times have changed -- for the worst, in my opinion.
Richard McD. yawned...
Who cares.
DanD was short and sharp...
Well, since these alleged crashers are actually well-known, past-party-attendees of the Obamaites, the HNIC would never let it happen. Just more intentionally inflicted information overload. Cheap tricks.
DRD with a good point...
My thoughts on this whole episode are summed up in another short question! If you and I had hypothecated dressed in drag, be guilty of identical acts at the White House, where would we be today, bargaining for a news-story payment or in the darkest cell in DC? Enough said? A very enlightening demo of the privileges money and friends bring to the table of justice! Good question Bob.
SallyP was the only naysayer...
Actually, I don't. At best, it's a, "he said, she said" situation. They say they thought they were invited, and AFTER THEY GOT IN, the White House says they were not. Okay, we all know they are lying up the wazoo, but can we prove it?? Furthermore, what's the worst for which they could charged, trespassing? Is there even a jail sentence for it anyway? I thought it was a fine offense only. They had no weapons, threatened no one, and again, they AND THEIR CAMERA MAN were admitted to the party. Had they not found it necessary to, "Twitter" themselves (amateurs) they would probably have gone away, Scott free.This was a case of reverse discrimination, and should be a good lesson for those protecting President Obama - although they did not look like Mahmood, the neighborhood terrorist, the Salahi's were not only able to gain entry to the WH function, but had their picture taken beside the President! Shame on you, WH security!!
With all of the financial woes nowadays, do we REALLY want to incur the expense of an official, "Investigation" about that which we all know? Even if we don't, eventually, the Salahi's will "tell all" for bucks anyway, hahaha.
Well, then, Poll-fans, there it is... Sorry about the delay... Medical issues involving mind fogging drugs... Ack...
Anyway, I think it would be amusing to see those publicity hounds tried and found guilty of some minor misdemeanor and given a ton of community service. They could star in a new production called "The Real Soup Kitchen Servers of Washington D.C.". Wouldn't that be grand?
Next question on the 15th as I should be better adjusted to the meds... I hope...
Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ted Rall: WAR, MORE WAR OR MORER WAR
Debate Freezes Out the Majority View: Get Out Now,
KEN ILGUNAS: I live in a van down by Duke University (salon.com)
How do I afford grad school without going into debt? A '94 Econoline, bulk food and creative civil disobedience
Mark Morford: Confused naked teens click here! (sfgate.com)
Please send dirty photos/text messages. Hey, all the cool kids are doing it.
Luaine Lee: Tai Babilonia straps on her skates again for the troops (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
They were the darlings of the skating rink, Tai Babilonia and her partner Randy Gardner. Piling up trophies and titles since they were kids, the young skating pair were the top contenders in the 1980 Olympics.
Robert Crampton: "Paul McCartney: in love and back on the road" (timesonline.co.uk)
He is in the best place he has been for years. If only John Lennon were here. "We were really good mates again," he says.
ZACH HINKLE: "A Welcome Return Home: The Orenda Fink Interview" (popmatters.com)
Orenda Fink, one half of the acclaimed band Azure Ray, discusses her newest solo release, Ask the Night, a stripped-down piece that finds her reconnecting with her childhood in Alabama.
PC Muņoz: An Interview with Diane Birch (popmatters.com)
For me songwriting is like running: it's not always easy, sometimes you're in the mood, sometimes you're not, but when you hit your stride there is nothing in the world that feels better.
Sophie Heawood: The new mellow Snoop Dog still has bite (timesonline.co.uk)
Snoop Dog: 'Now that I'm more concerned and caring and a father and a husband - it seems the less respect I get.'
John Timpane: Devendra Banhart a master of mixing music and worlds (Philadelphia Inquirer)
A talk with Devendra Banhart is like a front-loading washer stuffed with smiles. Happy. Whirly. Splashy. Cleansing.
Stephanie Marsh: "P!nk: Happy but still incredibly ambitious" (timesonline.co.uk)
Think P!nk: 'I think that in the beginning I was definitely punk rock mentality, but now my anger is more focused.'
Lynn Barber: "Shady lady: The truth about pop's Lady Gaga" (timesonline.co.uk)
She's loud, brash, trashy and sexually ambiguous, but this shameless self-publicist claims to be traditional at heart.
David Hall: After nearly ending, Wolfmother has been reborn (The Orange County Register)
Before the birth of Wolfmother in 2000, frontman Andrew Stockdale had never owned, let alone played, an electric guitar.
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
Backs Gay Marriage
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen posted a statement on his Web site urging support of the gay marriage bill that's up for a vote in New Jersey's Senate on Thursday.
Springsteen wrote that he's long believed in and has "always spoken out for the rights of same-sex couples."
The native son says he agrees with Gov. Jon Corzine that marriage equality is a civil rights issue.
Gov.-elect Chris Christie is a big Springsteen fan. The Republican has said he would veto the bill.
Bruce Springsteen
Musical Instrument
Leonardo da Vinci
The first functional model of a harpsichord-viola designed by Leonardo da Vinci more than 500 years ago will have its premiere in New York City.
The instrument combines a harpsichord keyboard with the sound of a viola. It will be played Thursday at the "Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop" exhibit at Discovery Times Square Exposition.
It's designed to let musicians play while walking. The internal motor that propels the mechanism is activated by the player's legs.
The harpsichord-viola will be played by the Piffaro Renaissance Band.
Leonardo da Vinci
Art Auction
Alitalia
A collection of Futurist paintings and other works of art owned by Italian air carrier Alitalia has raised 1.2 million euros ($1.77 million) under the hammer, the auction house said on Wednesday.
The Italian national airline had put up the art -- some of which hung inside its planes -- after filing for bankruptcy last year after years of losses due to strikes and inefficiencies.
Paintings by Futurist artists like Giacomo Balla and Enrico Prampolini formed the bulk of the art sold, while select works by Italian artists like Francesco Lo Savio and Carla Accardi also enjoyed considerable success, the auction house said.
Private talks are being held to sell a large painting by Gino Severini. Some of the pieces fetched prices four times pre-sale estimates.
Alitalia
Hospital News
Johnny Hallyday
France's biggest rock star, Johnny Hallyday, has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, but his press service said Wednesday that the infection he was suffering from following back surgery has been "contained."
Hallyday's producer, Jean-Claude Camus, "has been given reassuring news," said a statement from the 96 B press service. Hallyday "is reacting satisfactorily to antibiotics. The infection has been contained."
The 66-year-old Hallyday, an entertainment icon for decades, underwent surgery in Paris on Nov. 26 for a herniated disc. Four days later, he traveled to Los Angeles with his wife Laeticia.
Hallyday is in the midst of a multi-city tour - billed as his last - called "Route 66," a reference to his age and homage to the American rock that has inspired his music.
Johnny Hallyday
$110M Libel Suit Filed
'Bruno'
A Palestinian shopkeeper and father portrayed as a terrorist in the movie "Bruno" is suing film star Sacha Baron Cohen, David Letterman and others for libel and slander.
The lawsuit filed last week by Ayman Abu Aita in District of Columbia federal court seeks $110 million in damages.
Abu Aita is suing CBS and Letterman's company Worldwide Pants over an interview before the film's release where the Late Show host and Cohen discussed Bruno's encounter with a "terrorist."
In the interview, Cohen, 37, said he set up the meeting in the West Bank with the help of a CIA agent. Cohen said he feared for his safety and interviewed the "terrorist" at a secret location chosen by Abu Aita. A clip was then played on "The Late Show with David Letterman."
'Bruno'
Ex Sues
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend is suing the actor and his former business manager, claiming she is owed more than $13 million and a house the actor promised her.
Christina Fulton, who is the mother of Cage's adult son, Weston, sued the Oscar-winner in Los Angeles on Tuesday. She claims Cage promised her a home in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood, but that she has now been ordered to leave the property.
Fulton is seeking the title and rights to the house as well as money for a series of debts she claims were caused by Cage's former business manager, Samuel J. Levin.
Cage's attorney, Marty Singer, called Fulton's claims against the actor absurd and said Cage has given her far more than the $6,000 per month he was required to pay her under a court order. Cage has paid $3 million per year on behalf of Fulton in recent years, he said.
Nicolas Cage
Placating The Goppers
Clay Aiken
A North Carolina election board has determined there's evidence showing former "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken may have voted illegally in Wake County this fall. But officials don't plan further action.
The county elections board voted unanimously Wednesday to end its investigation at a preliminary hearing because Aiken wrote a letter asking officials to remove him from their voting rolls, making the issue moot.
The local Republican Party chairman filed a complaint because Aiken voted in Wake County elections even though he has a house in adjoining Chatham County. Aiken has criticized local school board candidates.
Wake County GOP Chairman Claude Pope said after the hearing he was happy with the outcome.
Clay Aiken
Spoils Of War
Art Book
After fighting his way across Europe during World War II, John Pistone was among the U.S. soldiers who entered Adolf Hitler's home nestled in the Bavarian Alps as the war came to a close.
Making his way through the Berghof, Hitler's home near Berchtesgaden, Germany, Pistone noticed a table with shelves underneath. Exhilarated by the certainty of victory over the Nazis, Pistone took an album filled with photographs of paintings as a souvenir.
Sixty-four years after Pistone brought the album home to Ohio, the 87-year-old has learned its full significance: It's part of a series compiled for Hitler featuring art he wanted for his "Fuhrermuseum," a planned museum in Linz, Austria, Hitler's hometown.
Pistone's album is expected to be formally returned to Germany in a ceremony at the U.S. State Department in January. Germany has 19 other albums discovered at the Berchtesgaden complex that are part of a 31-album collection of works either destined for or being considered for the Linz museum.
Art Book
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. NFL Football: New England vs. New Orleans (Monday, 8:29 p.m.), ESPN, 14.87 million homes, 21.4 million viewers.
2. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 6.27 million homes, 9.43 million viewers.
3. Movie: "I Quit ICarly" (Saturday, 8 p.m.), Nickelodeon 5.33 million homes, 8.84 million viewers.
4. "Sportscenter" (Monday, 11:37 p.m.), ESPN, 4.42 million homes, 5.67 million viewers.
5. College Football: Oregon vs. Oregon State (Thursday, 8:53 p.m.), ESPN, 4.15 million homes, 5.72 million viewers.
6. "White Collar" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.84 million homes, 5.54 million viewers.
7. "ICarly" (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.71 million homes, 5.48 million viewers.
8. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.71 million homes, 5.48 million viewers.
9. "Presidential Address/Analysis" (Tuesday, 8:36 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.56 million homes, 5.21 million viewers.
10. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.5 million homes, 4.45 million viewers.
11. "Monk" (Friday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.41 million homes, 4.72 million viewers.
12. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.25 million homes, 4.81 million viewers.
13. Movie: "I Quit ICarly" (Sunday, 7 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.19 million homes, 4.59 million viewers.
14. "ICarly" (Saturday, 7 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.18 million homes, 4.57 million viewers.
15. "Monday Night Countdown" (Monday, 7 p.m.), ESPN, 3.15 million homes, 4.22 million viewers.
Ratings
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