Michelle Malkin appears on the 'Today Show' with Matt Lauer

Michelle Malkin is doing the rounds on TV promoting her new book 'Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies'.

There is no formula that determines whether a pundit is suitable for mainstream TV. Conservative media monitors like RadioEqualizer made the observation that certain pundits were being shunned because of their strident conservatism. Mark Levin, who's book 'Liberty and Tyranny' consistently remained in the number one slot for the New York Times Bestseller List being the most recent example of this. Conversely it was argued that "useful" or "reasonable" conservatives like Joe Scarborough who were willing to attack their party were more welcomed on mainstream programming.

The appearance of Michelle Malkin on the 'Today Show' may put that theory to bed. Michelle who is often compared to Ann Coulter, is one of the most outspoken and relentless critics of the mainstream media and all things liberal. It proves that the metric for determining what makes a pundit suitable for mainstream TV consumption remains elusive. A 'Today' Show appearance is usually followed by a sitting on the 'The View' and perhaps a late night appearance on 'Letterman'.

"Controversial" pundits like Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck have experienced all or part of this journey. An appearance on 'The View' like some people have hoped might herald Michelle Malkin's place alongside these mainstream pundits.

VIDEO: Michelle Malkin talks with Matt Lauer about Obama's "Culture of Corruption"

The APF is back in business

APF flag in New York

I am back from the States. The blog will return to its regularly scheduled programming

ABC's 20/20 profiles Glenn Beck

ABC's John Stossel profiles Glenn Beck providing an insight into his work schedule his turbulent history and highlights critics from Stephen Colbert to Jon Stewart and ladies from The View.

VIDEO: Glenn Beck profile on ABC's 20/20

Air America cancels 'Break Room Live' with Marc Maron and Sam Seder

Online Webcast, 'Break Room Live' with Marc Maron and Sam Seder is no longer. This is sad news for fans of Marc and Sam and unfortunately all too familiar. For Sam this is the fourth show incarnation he has hosted for Air America and has been canceled from. Beginning with 'The Majority Report' with friend Janeane Garofalo. Then 'The Sam Seder Show' sans Janeane followed by 'Seder on Sundays' when Air America under new management replaced Sam's weekday timeslot, transferring him to Weekend duty.

At the end of that run, Sam continued his infamous sparring segments with Marc Maron on a startup video chat show informally called 'Maron V Seder'. After many months as a webshow on Sam's website, Air America picked up the format during the run up to the 08' elections where it picked up the official show title of 'Break Room Live'.

For Marc Maron this is his third run with Air America. Starting with his first show 'Morning Sedition' co-hosted with Marc Riley. Then going solo on the 'Marc Maron Show' after moving home to LA. Marc famously left Air America in spectacular fashion, fighting on-air with management which he recounted to Sam and Janeane at the time.

Marc and Sam have both alternated between being outspoken, diplomatic and philosophical of their turbulent relationship with Air America. This has been highlighted in previous posts and my interviews with Marc and Sam.

As has been the case previously Marc foreshadowed the impending but not yet announced cancellation of 'Break Room Live' during the closing a monologue of their penultimate show - Tuesday July 14, 2009.

MARC MARON: (talking about America's economy and job market) It's a very bleak thing and I'm feeling it personally cause you never know how long you're job is going to last. I know I'm in show business...

Marc continues, alluding to favourite themes like 'Art VS Commerce' and integrity whilst taking a swipe at "management" types

MARC MARON: This is us, we're doing big work here... we appeal to specific people on a first name basis and that's exactly the kind of business that gets killed by the big guys in this country. Because there are people's jobs in this country who's only job is to smugly and with a smile fire other people. They get paid a lot of money to do that and when they leave they move onto something else where they hang out and fire other people.

Learning from previous experience Sam chose to bite his tongue over his fourth cancellation on Air America

SAM SEDER: There have been many times where I've made the mistake of expressing certain things at at inopportune time that has led to a greater lack of inopportunity

Watch the abrupt final show - Wednesday July 15, 2009

APF - Gone fishing 2009

Hello readers,
Apologies for the lack of updates on the APF blog. I will be away on vacation in the United States for a short while.

I will refer you my previous placeholder post for my last vacation here - APF on vacation: favourite posts of the year compilation

Breaking news: Sarah Palin resigns as Alaskan Governor

This just in - Sarah Palin resigns as Alaskan governor despite having two years left of her term

Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret
"Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that," she said.

The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party's base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency.

You can find the aforementioned Vanity Fair article here

It Came from Wasilla
...In the aftermath of the November election, the conventional wisdom among Palin’s supporters in the Republican establishment was that she should go home, keep her head down, show that she could govern effectively, and quietly educate herself about foreign and domestic policy with the help of a cadre of experienced advisers. She has done none of this...

In celebration of Sarah Palin I will try to create a new wallpaper, in the meantime you may download these world famous Palin wallpapers. Kindly spread the word.

Sarah Palin wallpapers

- Saturday Night Live Wallpaper: Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
- Tina Fey and John McCain
- Sarah Palin VS Joe Biden debate wallpaper
- "No She Didn't"
- Sarah Palin means Change
- PalinMania: The original Sarah Palin Wallpaper

Jill Greenberg makes Glenn Beck cry for GQ cover

What do these three subjects I've previously written about all have in common
1) Glenn Beck crying
2) Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen's Gay Austrian alter ego)
3) Controversial photographer Jill Greenberg

Answer: They've all come together on the recent July issue of GQ Magazine. The special "Comedy issue" with 'Bruno' on the cover features a Glenn Beck piece titled "The hilarious rage of Glenn Beck". Its only fitting Beck would welcome being featured in such an issue as he is a keen student of comedy.


What is also interesting about the piece is the accompanying photographs were shot by Jill Greenberg. You will remember Jill, a proud liberal, caused quite a stir for her partisan misuse of portraits she shot of Presidential candidate John McCain for the Atlantic magazine. Jill Greenberg was probably tasked to do the shoot as Glenn has a reputation for being a cryer and Jill a reputation for photographing people crying.

But as Gawker astutely points out, Jill Greenberg true to form may have subverted her subject once again

Exclusive: How GQ Made Glenn Beck Cry
And if Beck knew who Greenberg was, then he almost certainly would have known that the crying bit he was so eager to play along with was a sly reference to End Times, her 2006 series of photos of crying toddlers, which she shot by giving kids candy and then taking it away from them. Beck called that "terrorizing children" last year.

"The crying was my idea, and Glenn was cool with trying it," Greenberg says.

You can read GQ's piece on Glenn Beck here

An Extended Q&A with Glenn Beck
GQ: Funny isn’t exactly the first word that leaps to mind when you think "Glenn Beck."
BECK: It’s actually the reason I decided to do radio. Every time I listened to talk radio, the conservatives had a stick lodged in their butt. I never understood why the entire world could have a sense of humor but the conservatives have to be Thurston Howell. I mean, you can’t have a sense of humor and be conservative?

A Franken wins Senate Seat after 7 months, Minnesota Supreme Court rules

After 7 long months for Minnesotans, the Supreme Court has finally settled the much disputed election between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman.

Franken wins Minn. Senate race; Coleman concedes
Al Franken ascended Tuesday from the ranks of former "Saturday Night Live" comedians to an even more exclusive club, outlasting Republican Norm Coleman in an eight-month recount and courtroom saga to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Franken's victory gives Democrats control of 60 seats in the Senate...

PBS Newshour hosted a discussion on the long-awaited outcome in the Minnesota US Senate race
Eric Black trying to encapsulate what Al Franken was and has now become

After Long Court Battle, Franken Wins Minn. Senate Seat
ERIC BLACK: Well, I think he's not going to be your average senator. He didn't come from a typical background for a senator. His pre-politics life left him with some impressions that people found difficult to accept from a senatorial candidate. He's got a different personality. I think he's on his best behavior now and is going to try to keep it up.

But, you know, he was a comedian. He was a radio talk show host. He was very aggressive and argumentative in some of those roles. And now he's pledging to be someone who can work across party lines.

And, you know, he won't have to face the voters of Minnesota for five-and-a-half years. We'll see what they think of his personality when his turn comes around.

Amy Walter brings up Franken's reputation as a funnyman and asserts he has a capable challenger in the affable Amy Klobuchar, formerly Minnesota's lone Senator whilst the Election was in dispute.

AMY WALTER: ... I think he wants to dispel those stereotypes, that I'm just the guy from "Saturday Night Live" ... I'm going to just be the funny guy in the Senate, number one, because, quite frankly, Amy Klobuchar, very funny, so she's, I think, taken that mantle. If you've seen her in public, she's been really seen as sort of a rising star in part because she has this wonderful sense of humor.

But also that his temperament was going to be a problem. Remember, he wasn't just a liberal talk show host. He was a very aggressive attack dog, writing books like, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot." So I think he's going to want to -- he wants to come in, prove that he has the policy chops, prove that he has the temperament to do this job.

- Listen to the discussion of Al Franken's Senate win from PBS Newshour

Speaking of funny. Former Presidential contender and actor, Fred Thompson conducts a mock interview with new junior Senator Al Franken.

Fred Thompson mock Interview with Al Franken
FRED THOMPSON: Al I hate to tell you this, you're not good enough. You're not smart enough and nobody who knows you likes you doggoneit.

- Listen to Fred Thompson's Al Franken interview here

Read more about Franken's journey to Senate victory
- Political life imitates art: Stephen Colbert for President and Al Franken for Senate
- Al Franken - The Road to the Minnesota Senate
- Answering the critics: Jesse Ventura, Al Franken and The Terminator
- Al Franken wins the Minnesota Senate seat. Coleman to challenge
- Al Franken: American Pundit really fighting