Controversial author Christopher Hitchens appearing at Sydney Writers Festival

Controversial author Christopher Hitchens will be in Sydney, Australia for the 'Sydney Writers Festival' (May 15-23, 2010). He will be making appearances discussing his pet themes of politics and Religion as well as introducing his new autobiography 'Hitch 22'.

Christopher Hitchens (International)
Christopher Hitchens, "one of the most prolific, and well as brilliant, journalists of our time" ('Observer'), is a widely published polemicist and frequent radio and TV commentator. He is a contributing editor to 'Vanity Fair' and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School in New York. His numerous books include the international bestseller 'God is Not Great'. His latest book is 'Hitch 22: A Memoir'.

appearing at...
88: No He Can’t?
184: Programmatic Specificity We Can Believe In
195: Christopher Hitchens

Here are Christopher Hitchens' dates in detail:

Event 88: No He Can’t?
When: Friday, May 21
Time: 11:30 - 12:30
... A little over a year after Obama's historic election, Christopher Hitchens, Anne Davies and Don Watson put the Obama presidency under the microscope. Can we still believe in hope? Chair: Geoffrey Garrett.

Event 184: Programmatic Specificity We Can Believe In
When: Saturday, May 22
Time: 16:00 - 17:00
Is soaring rhetoric just as much the enemy of democracy as the numbing bureaucratese beloved by so many politicians? Former New South Wales premier Nathan Rees, the ABC's Annabel Crabb, and US-based British journalist Christopher Hitchens dissect the importance of language to democracy and good quality government. Chair: Neil James.

Event 195: Christopher Hitchens
When: Saturday, May 22
Time: 20:00 - 21:30
Last time he was here he talked about God. Now, he talks about Hitch. On the publication of his autobiography, 'Hitch 22', Sydney Writers' Festival presents journalist, philosopher and raconteur, Christopher Hitchens. He speaks with Julian Morrow.

Read previous APF posts featuring Christopher Hitchens:
- Watch Christopher Hitchens volunteer to get waterboarded for Vanity Fair Magazine
- The art of "Selling" - Christopher Hitchens with Ralph Reed on 'Hannity and Colmes'

WWE's Linda McMahon on 'The View', leads GOP hopefuls for Connecticut Senate seat

I mentioned previously former WWE CEO Linda McMahon's bid for a Connecticut Senate seat. The GOP primary race maybe resolved as early as a fortnight with Linda McMahon seen as most favorable Republican representative to challenge Democrat Richard Blumenthal who enjoys a comfortable lead.

In Case You Missed It: McMahon Campaign Catches Fire
Democratic Senate hopeful Richard Blumenthal continues to pull in over 50% of the vote and hold a double digit lead no matter who he’s matched against.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Connecticut finds Blumenthal leading Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, by a margin of 52% to 39%...

The GOP contest may be sorted out as early as May 21 at the party’s state convention or linger until an August 10 primary. McMahon, drawing on her sizable personal fortune, is already heavily outspending Simmons and because of that money edge is viewed by many Republicans as more competitive against Blumenthal.

Apart from the endorsement of GOP Connecticut voters comes a glowing recommendation from wrestling living legend Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan for Linda McMahon
For a man who is bent on making a dent in Vince McMahon's WWE empire that helped make him a star, Hulk Hogan is unequivocal in his support of Linda McMahon in her bid for the U.S. Senate from Connecticut.

"I think she's going to win, Hogan said in answer to a question at the TV critics press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Friday. "She's brilliant. She's a very gracious, very smart lady, and her intent and her agenda has always been to help the community and be plugged in and be involved. Inside or outside that wrestling world that the McMahons have created, Linda McMahon is a great person."

Another soft endorsement comes from Barbara Walters who makes an observation on how discriminant American voters are and have been.

VIDEO: Linda McMahon on 'The View' (January 21, 2010)

Connecticut Senate seat hopeful, Linda McMahon on ABC's 'The View'
BARBARA WALTERS: We've got some footage many people have enjoyed. You have been in the wrestling ring yourself. You have not just been the CEO. You've been slapped by your daughter. You've kicked a guy where it hurts... You've got good aim
SHERRI SHEPHERD: I think you could handle Washington
(audience laughs)
WALTERS: What do you think of people who say "You know, this is not a serious woman. We can't have you in the Senate?" Although I think this could get you elected.

Despite the perceived stigma of wrestling it hasn't stopped the likes of wrestling/fight personalities Jerry Lawler and Chael Sonnen from running and Jesse Ventura from winning.

¡SATIRISTAS! - A new book featuring comedians Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert

¡SATIRISTAS!: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians

From Paul Provenza, the man who brought you the ensemble comedy documentary 'The Aristocrats', comes another impressive lineup of comedians this time in book form. Featuring many of the APF's comedians from Bill Maher to Stephen Colbert comes '¡SATIRISTAS!: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians'

SATIRISTAS! Book Signing
Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, Lewis Black, Billy Connolly, Patton Oswalt, Robin Williams, George F-ing Carlin. They are all Satiristas! – a cadre of independent comic provocateurs targeting political hypocrisy, media distortion, complacency and the institutionalized ignorance infecting American culture.

Through candid interviews and intimate art portraits, stand-up comedy veteran and filmmaker Paul Provenza and comedy’s go-to photographer Dan Dion shine a spotlight on some of the most interesting comic artists who influence and critique American culture.

Go to the official SATIRISTAS! website

Watch a clip starring many of the featured comedians on the Satiristas book

VIDEO: The Andy Borowitz Report: Obama's First Year at the 92nd Street Y

Broadcast News has a new whipping boy: Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart roast CNN's Rick Sanchez

It seems as though broadcast news has a new whipping boy, CNN's Rick Sanchez. Sanchez is lampooned as he embodies the caricature of the 'empty headed Anchorman'. Former #1 target Glenn Beck is one of Sanchez's enthusiastic critics. Beck like Sanchez was mocked for his over the top antics and bufoonery, for Beck however most of the slings came because detractors felt threatened by his raging popularity and influence. Unfortunately Sanchez cannot make the same claim, some are arguing he may just be a real life Ron Burgundy.

Jon Stewart and Glenn Beck pile on CNN anchor Rick Sanchez

Jon Stewart: Like a guy at a party who’s doing a lot of coke, who traps you in a corner, who explains really intensely how an ant is the strongest animal on earth

Glenn Beck: Rick Sanchez is the biggest dope on television

VIDEO: Glenn Beck roasts Rick Sanchez

VIDEO: Jon Stewart goes after CNN's Rick Sanchez
The Uninformant!

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Political Humor

Tea Party

Iron Man and Captain America get political? Are they Conservative and Liberal darling?

Frequent consumers of political blogs will be familiar with editorials where authors argue that a popular but otherwise apolitical group or cultural product belongs to the left or right. In this instance the case being made - "Superhero movies are conservative".

Men of iron and steel
The release of “Iron Man 2” this weekend kicks off the summer blockbuster season. It’s an interesting cultural moment for conservatives. The movie version of Iron Man is one of the most unambiguously libertarian figures in popular culture, a billionaire industrialist playboy who spends much of the new movie telling the government to get bent when it tries to claim his amazing suit of high-tech armor. He’s patriotic, loves the military, and views the bad actors of the world from a Reaganite position of moral confidence. In the original movie, he did what Hollywood has been painfully reluctant to do, ever since September 11: he flew over to the Middle East and took out the trash...

The recent wave of super-hero movies has been largely agreeable to conservatives...

It is an interesting piece by Doctor Zero, clearly an avid comic book reader.

The piece goes on to mention the disparity between the "pro-conservative views" found in the blockbuster movies and the "liberal slant" found in the source material of the comics

The characters [in the movies] haven’t been overexposed and eroded through complex re-inventions [like they have in the books], leading lazy writers to inject leftist cant into their stories, in a desperate attempt to seem relevant and high-minded. Average folks who enjoy “Iron Man 2” this weekend would be utterly baffled by the portrayal of a nearly fascist Tony Stark in the recent “Civil War” storyline running through Marvel Comics. An industry that flirts with the idea of Captain America charging into battle against the Tea Party has lost touch with its roots, and taken leave of its senses. Fortunately, the superhero movies are giving us cleaner, more coherent interpretations of these great characters.

The idea that certain movies or heroes represent the values of certain political parties and politicians is not new. I previously mentioned how cultural writers have written that 'The Dark Knight' echoed George W Bush' brand of justice and that President Obama was some kind of Superman.

Marvel Comics: Captain America #602

But the most intriguing turn in the comic book universe is the reframing of Captain America as liberal patriot. With the latest controversy of Captain America seemingly portrayed as Anti-Tea Party threatening to alienate a portion of the fan base. Marvel Comics has responded to the controversy with Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada defending the Captain America #602 storyline but conceding there was an error in the editorial process.

Marvel admits to 'mistake' in controversial Captain America comic
It looks like Marvel Comics' Captain America is throwing his mighty shield at the Tea Party Movement. Warner Todd Huston wrote on his Publius forum blog that the super-powered soldier who fought the Nazis in WWII observes with disdain Americans who are seemingly compared to Tea Party Movement protesters of today...

Update: (May 10, 2010)
Perhaps this might bring up Iron Man's conservative credentials, here is Bill O'Reilly on his cameo in 'Iron Man 2'. I will post the actual film excerpt when that becomes available online. In the meantime find a full transcript with screen grabs of O'Reilly's scene from Flicksided.com - Bill O’Reilly Trashes Potts, Stark In Iron Man 2 (Screenshots)

VIDEO: Bill O'Reilly In 'Ironman 2'

Arizona's controversial immigration law and the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns donning their "Los Suns" uniform variant

Arizona's recent immigration law change has been the source of national debate. The bill signed into law last month by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer makes it a misdemeanor for immigrants to be in Arizona without proper documentation and allows police officers to request proof of status if there is a "reasonable suspicion" that persons are in the country illegally.

NBA team The Phoenix Suns, who are currently locked in a heated Playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs have made a statement by donning their 'Los Suns' variant uniforms as a gesture of support to their diverse community. This show of support by the Suns organization has drawn enough attention that Rush Limbaugh has weighed in on it and President Obama used the Phoenix Suns for an applause line.

Professional Sports Should Man Up
RUSH LIMBAUGH: This is no different than the Republicans supporting amnesty back in 2007 because they don't want to offend anybody, and they hope to get these votes. So you have the ownership of the Phoenix Suns, the "Los Suns," and whoever, "We don't want to offend a portion of our fan base. We don't want to appear to be politically correct. We want to appear to be all inclusive and so forth." Well, fine and dandy but what happens when that contributes to the overall deterioration of the culture of the society? I just think it's cowardice. I'm sorry. I think it's cowardice, pure and simple.

Robin Williams chats with Marc Maron - WTF Podcast Episode 67

WTF with Marc Maron | Ep 67: Robin Williams

Marc Maron takes his brand of incisive conversation to arguably the most recognisable comedian of this generation - Robin Williams. Its an enlightening sit-down, with Robin Williams using his indoor voice for the whole hour talking candidly about celebrity, bitterness, vices and joke stealing

Episode 67 - Robin Williams
Yeah, Marc's sitting down with Robin Williams for an hour. No big deal. So what do you talk about with an international comedy superstar? How about alcoholism, cocaine, divorce, joke stealing, heart surgery, fame, Richard Pryor, jealousy, and Twitter? Yeah. That should do it.

Maron tells Punchline Magazine about his trepidation before the interview considering Williams' public persona as a Tangent-Tasmanian devil.

Marc Maron delves into the real Robin Williams
Maron continues: “No matter what your opinions may be of him he was, and might still be, one of the biggest comedy stars in the world. I was nervous because I didn’t want to get caught up in the Williams riff cyclone and be blown out without getting a real interview– a genuine conversation with him. We sat down for about an hour and he stayed still and focused and open. This is a rare chat with a huge star.