UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen on his planned book linking Politics to ProWrestling

For the last 6 years I've been covering the analogy that American Politics is not unlike Professional Wrestling. UFC Fighter and Promo king Chael Sonnen offers an interesting variation on the meme. He aims to discredit the credibility of the American Government for having been duped by Professional Wrestling.

VIDEO: UFC 148 - Chael "I Misunderstood Rules In 5 Round Fight w/ Silva"

CHAEL SONNEN: (1m 2s) I've been writing this book in my head for a decade. For a decade I had this idea I could explain everything you need to know about Government if I can get you to understand Professional Wrestling. You have to understand Professional Wrestling was sanctioned within 38 different States in this Country, which means it passed the Senate, it passed the House and was signed by Governors into law to oversee and regulate as a licensed referee watches a licensed athlete with a folding chair while he pretends to be unconscious with an earpiece in his right ear. 

These are the same guys that though Professional Wrestling was real. That's why they did it. These are the same guys that are in charge of Healthcare, your Social security, your Education, teaching the Children, the military. These same guys. So when Vince McMahon goes to trial in 1989 and has to admit under oath the whole thing is a play. This is the most embarrassing thing that's happened in American Politics. Very quickly, State by State did away with their Wrestling commissions because they were embarrassed they fell for it. Our best and brightest, our elected officials fell for it and passed laws. But not all of them...

If I can get you to understand that then I can get you to not just accept things like Bird Flu or Global Warming or the War in Iraq or Party lines. These are the same guys that fell for Professional Wrestling. 

Unfortunately as Chael explains he was never able to properly organise his concept to make the book.

SONNEN: Now with that in mind, do you wanna hear the bad news for me? So I've been working on this for 10 years. The whole concept, get the whole thing written out. I got 20 some pages and that's it. I've got nothing . In my head I've got this whole, I've got book after book. I've got nothing!

Find previous Chael Sonnen Punditfight posts here:
- Mark Levin interviews UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen
- Republican UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen withdraws from Oregon Senate Race 

Shaun Micallef's MAD AS HELL, American Punditry done Australian style

Australian funnyman Shaun Micallef parodies American style pundits for his new ABC show, 'Shaun Micallef's MAD AS HELL'. Micallef's second foray into satirical news after 'Newstopia' in 2007

Shaun displays impressive improv chops reminiscent of Stephen Colbert whilst carving his own path, the program owning its Australianness and preserving Shaun's signature absurd style. The show's title comes from the movie 'Network' (1976). News Anchor, Howard Beale famously rouses his discontented audience with an impassioned "I'm Mad as Hell" speech. APF pundits Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck have channeled Beale in recent years, Micallef similarly has modeled his comedic Anchorman after him.

All Pundit parodies will forever be judged on the gold standard that is Colbert and Micallef holds up capably as the following monologue shows. Stephen Colbert parodied the bravado and naked passion of punditry with lines like "I speak straight from the gut, okay? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument" and "The 'truthiness' is, anyone can read the news to you. I promise to feel the news at you".

Read Micallef's own fresh take

MAD AS HELL Intro. Episode 4 

SHAUN MICALLEF: What's all the whooing there. Are you out of your minds? Your sounding very American. You know I don't like that. It's crazy, its the start of the show. Its completely uncalled for reaction in my view. I'm sorry about starting the show in this way. Gun's down, the gun's down. I'm sorry I've never pulled a gun on an audience in my life 

I'll be honest with you, I'm very angry this week and I'm not sure why. I feel a certain way about something but when I actually think about it I get just as angry but for a completely different reason and that makes me mad. So my anger this week is unfocused and double what it would be normally. So when how we feel and what we think are on the same road but are traveling in opposite directions you're on a collision course with blind fury and I don't like blind fury. It makes me furious! That's right I'm talking about...

Watch an excerpt of the show, featuring Sean's regular offsider Francis Greenslade.

VIDEO: Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell - Positivity and Growth Rate

The Chaser’s Empty Vessel at the 2012 Sydney Writers' Festival

The last time I was at the Sydney Writers' Festival I had the privilege of seeing the late Christoper Hitchens.
The 2012 Festival offers a similarly juicy treat for Political junkies with the The Chaser’s Empty Vessel, what they've described as "A Variety, Talent show without the variety or talent".

@danilic "I'm at The Chaser's Empty Vessel it is like an intellectual gang bang #tcev #swf"

The maiden (Wednesday, May 16) show for 'The Chaser’s Empty Vessel', featured Chaser Muckrakers, Julian Morrow, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Chas Licciardello and Scott Dooley as they welcomed three authors on stage. Joe McGinnis and Nick Bryant were particularly interesting because of their anecdotes on American Politics. Mcginnis spoke of his friendship with Fox News president Roger Ailes, sharing his blunt appraisal of employee Sarah Palin. Joe is the author of 'The Rogue', a book he wrote whilst being next door neighbors with the the Palins. He shared a few stories proving there's no love lost between himself and the diminutive Todd and revealed having photos that could be gamechangers for the Palins.

Nick Bryant, an Englishman now living in Australia shared his experiences working with the Daily Mail. He offered anecdotes of his time covering Bill Clinton for his uni paper when he was a candidate and being a part of the Lewinsky circus in proceeding years.

There was an interesting exchange where Chris Taylor posed the question if the blurring of politics and entertainment was detrimental, the trivialising of politics is something this blog constantly wrestles with. The authors replied that likability has always been crucial to garnering votes citing how presidents like Nixon and Clinton had used Light Entertainment TV to appeal to the electorate.

The Chaser’s Empty Vessel will be on every evening from May 16th to the 20th  for the Sydney Writers' Festival, featuring authors Joe McGinnis, Glenn Carle, Michael Hastings, Jeffrey Eugenides, Walled Aly and Marc Lewis.

'The Chaser' began as a satirical newspaper but are best known for their TV shows 'The Chaser's War on Everything' and faux news show 'CNNNN'

VIDEO: The Chasers War On Fox News

Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis’ Political Battle in "The Campaign"

VIDEO: 'The Campaign 'Movie trailer 

starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis

Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis' Political Battle in "The Campaign" 

A new political satire starring comic super cast Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign is bound for theaters this year. Indulging in his known penchant for George W. Bush impersonation, Ferrell plays a Southern politician running for office opposite Galifianakis in a congressional comedy making fun of American politics. A strong supporting cast include Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Sarah Baker. This hilarious Warner Bros spoof preempts the real presidential elections with its August 10 release.

Wrestlemania 28: Rock VS Cena - White House 45: Romney VS Obama Wallpaper

WrestleMania: White House XLV Romney VS Obama Wallpaper

Just like Rock VS Cena for WrestleMania 28, its seems like Romney VS Obama has also been a year in the making.

Some Handy links looking back at the 2008 Election Season:
- View all the Art of the Primary PPV Posters
- Relive the struggle Between Hillary Clinton and Obama in the Democratic Primary
- Watch the main event between Barack Obama and John McCain
- Watch the rise and influence of Saturday Night Live
- Watch the entertaining sub plot involving the Vice Presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

Update: John Cena and Mitt Romney pose for photos at Daytona 500 in Florida. Find more photo photos from AP here - Romney takes campaign detour to Daytona

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney with Wrestler John Cena

Laughspin: Marc Maron gets his own show on IFC

Though Marc Maron has well and truly stepped away from the Political Talk arena, this is welcome news for fans of comedy and podcasting.

IFC greenlights Marc Maron show straight to series (Exclusive)
MARON explores a fictionalized version of Marc's life, his relationships, and his career, including his incredibly popular WTF podcast, which features conversations Marc conducts with celebrities and fellow comedians. Neurosis intact, Maron is uniquely fascinating, absolutely compelling and brutally funny.
Produced for IFC by Fox Television Studios and Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Apostle, MARON (wt) is directed by Oscar® winning director Luke Matheny (God of Love) and executive produced by Marc Maron, Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, Olivia Wingate, and Duncan Birmingham, who also serves as the series' writer.

- Listen to my 2008 PunditFight interview with Maron here, NerdsGoneWild presents: A conversation with Marc Maron
- Marc Maron's WTF podcast Ep 23: Wyatt Cenac talks pundits and professional wrestling
- Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt talk about Right Wing pundits and bad comedians

Newt Gingrich and Hulk Hogan are "Real Americans" but only one has a sex tape

Hulk Hogan put Professional Wrestling on the map, during the height of his fame his iconic entrance theme sent fans into a frenzy. President Obama used it for comedic effect at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and now Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has adopted it also:

Newt Gingrich Looks to Hulk Hogan for Inspirational Georgia Win
What do Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and the "Immortal" Hulk Hogan have in common? Well, they're both "Real Americans." Newt Gingrich bounced out to Hulk Hogan's epic 80s theme song when he was introduced to a crowd of supporters in Georgia on Monday. Apparently Gingrich is hoping that, much like the theme song helped inspire "Hulk-a-Mania" in the mid 80s, the song will inspire "Newt-a-Mania" on Super Tuesday in Georgia.
Professional wrestling and American politics make strange bedfellows...

Check out Talking Points Memo's tongue-in-cheek gallery - Newt Gingrich, Real American: An Anthem In Pictures

For those in the know, there is an amusing layer to Gingrich's mistimed use of the song as it coincides with rumors of a Hulk Hogan sex tape surfacing. Newt Gingrich has had a patchy Family Values history, having been married three times amongst other indiscretions.   

The folks at Live Audio Wrestling capture it succinctly:

Mar. 11 Edition of The LAW w/ Steve Austin, Vader
JASON AGNEW: As the story of the Hogan sex tape was breaking, US Politician Newt Gingrich used the Real American by Rick Derringer to come out for his Post-Primary win in Georgia on Tuesday night. What a - just not informed.
DAN LOVRANSKI: I thought that was pretty funny yes

APF's own Sam Seder talked Wrestling and Politics, largely at the insistence of his producer Matt

VIDEO: Newt Gingrich: The Pro Wrestler of Politics

Find related posts below:
- Real American: Jon Stewart, Sarah Palin and Hulk Hogan
- Hulk Hogan brings change to 'TNA Total Nonstop Action' Wrestling
- Mike Huckabee Wallpaper - Huckamania!