Monday, June 4, 2007

Profile 6: Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher

Rush Limbaugh cartoon caricature art pundit
Rush Limbaugh is the premier conservative voice in America. He is credited with reviving AM radio and considered the main catalyst for the Republican Party's Congressional landslide in 1994. He has been consistently voted as the most influential talker in America. Both from those in the industry like Talkers Magazine and Newsmax to the whopping 20 million listeners who tune in weekly. Rush is the undisputed leader of Opinion Talk, topping countless lists. He is contracted to Premiere Radio Networks till 2009, for a reported $365 million making him the highest-paid radio personality ever. This earned him a spot in the 2006 Forbes Rich list. Rush has been the recipient of many awards, usually for his work towards the cause of the conservative movement. Rush was recently nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Whilst Limbaugh has enjoyed immense success, controversy has followed him and he is targeted by many. He resigned from ESPN's football pregame show after remarks he had made. On October 10, 2003 admitted to his radio listeners that he was addicted to prescription painkillers. Limbaugh has often spent time off the air attending to these problems.

Rush has made several forays into television including a 4 year stint hosting his own self titled show ending in 1996. He had a tumultuous first time on TV guest hosting for Pat Sajak's late-night talk show in 1990. Most recently Rush can be found on Fox News' comedy show "1/2 hour News Hour". Rush is a big fan of '24'.

Rush has written 2 books: The Way Things Ought to Be (1992) and See, I Told You So (1993).

Bill Maher cartoon caricature art pundit
Bill Maher is a liberal comedian, actor, writer and producer. Whilst he has featured in and produced many movies, Bill is best known as the host of HBO's Real Time. Bill is known for his comedic social commentary and political satire. Prior to Real Time he hosted a similar politically themed talk show, Comedy Central's Politically Incorrect. This show premiered in 1993, predating the popular Daily Show which first aired in 1996.

Bill has written 5 books:
1) Does Anybody Have a Problem With That? Politically Incorrect's Greatest Hits, 1996
2) True Story: A Novel, 2002
3) When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism, 2003
4) Keep the Statue of Liberty Closed: The New Rules, 2004
5) New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer, 2005

Bill Maher has his own personal website which has an archive of feature articles.

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