Numerous American celebrities have been getting pretty political these days. No longer are they hitting the red carpet only to dish on their designer clothing or relationship of the month; they are talking politics.
So moveon.org, a website for an organization that aims to get the average American voter involved in politics, launched an ad contest and invited celebrities to be the judge. The contest is called Obama in 30 Seconds. The objective of the contest was to create a non-traditional ad that can engage or enlighten viewers. And so who exactly are these judges? Well, they are comprised of 24 celebrities from Matt Damon to John Legend to Oliver Stone to Moby and the list goes on from there.
I think having celebrities encourage the public to voice their political opinions is great. Most Americans do not have outlet to let their voices be heard and this contest definitely allots them one. I am not too crazy about the overall first place winner. But, I like the ad with that won the category for the most positive message.
Also, I should mention that a contest does not exist entitled McCain in 30 seconds....hmmm
AWARD: FIRST PLACE WINNER
AWARD: PEOPLE'S CHOICE
AWARD: FUNNIEST
AWARD: MOST ORIGINAL
AWARD: POSITIVE MESSAGE
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Subliminal Message Maybe?
This web ad confuses me! When I started watching this ad, paid for by John McCain, I thought to myself there must be some mistake - this ad is in favor of Barack Obama. It is infused with theatrical biblical references. Maybe the McCain camp wants to send that message about Obama - he is as fake and overly dramatic as these movies that claim to represent a form of divinity. I really am confused by this ad.
This Can't Be Good
Although most people may argue that Gov. Sara Palin has not done much while serving in Alaska, it is now apparent that she was busy. She was busy doctoring documents to get free rides (literally) on the state of Alaska. I guess, if Palin saw no harm in using her political powers in the Troopergate Scandal, she surely could see no harm in creating fake official business for her children to accompany her on, just so Alaska could foot the bill.
"The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel," according to an Associated Press article on cnn.com. It's one thing to take Bristol to New York on supposed official business. Hey, maybe Bristol helped her mom to prepare for meetings - maybe. I would not really care so much about that. But, paying for a family outing to watch dad race? Now that is a waste of the tax payers money! I wonder if the taxpayers hard-earned money went toward watching Mr. Palin pull in part of the "$10,500 in Iron Dog snow machine race winnings," that the Palins claim as income.
Gov. Palin has charged $21,012 to Alaska for children's travel expenses in the short time she has been in office. This only makes me wonder what she would up to while serving four years in the White House.
"The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel," according to an Associated Press article on cnn.com. It's one thing to take Bristol to New York on supposed official business. Hey, maybe Bristol helped her mom to prepare for meetings - maybe. I would not really care so much about that. But, paying for a family outing to watch dad race? Now that is a waste of the tax payers money! I wonder if the taxpayers hard-earned money went toward watching Mr. Palin pull in part of the "$10,500 in Iron Dog snow machine race winnings," that the Palins claim as income.
Gov. Palin has charged $21,012 to Alaska for children's travel expenses in the short time she has been in office. This only makes me wonder what she would up to while serving four years in the White House.
Monday, October 20, 2008
It's 3am...The Phone Is Ringing
Although, I take the concept behind the 3am emergency phone call serious. I love these funny versions of what 3am calls would look like. I feel as though these comedic attempts display some common concerns about a candidates inabilty to serve in the White House.
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
Interestingly, I could not locate any seriously funny 3am calls on Obama and Biden. But, I did find some mildly funny video about Obama being a President-in-Training.
Truth So Funny, It Hurts To Laugh
It seems to me that comedians who focus on politics have taken the anti-New York Times approach. They poke fun at the news that's NOT fit to print. And my guess is, some comments are not fit to print because they can be considered hurtful or maybe even inappropriate.
But, for the most part, I have also noticed how some comedians are careful to draw the line and not go too far with potentially offensive comments. They stick to comedy that they feel safe making fun of. This can be seen in a few examples. Black comedians are able to push the envelope further when discussing race and politics, when it concerns Sen. Obama. Comedian Chris Rock's appearance on Bill Maher is a prime example of this. Maher appears to set the stage by making racial jokes and then quickly throws in a "just kidding," at the end (probably because he wants to be funny for the moment and doesn't want to leave a lasting negative impression). Maher sets Chris Rock up for some racially driven comedy. After all, no one will call Chris Rock a racist if the throws jabs at Sen. Obama regarding his race.
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Chris Rock delivers funny lines. He jokes that his father always told him, "you can't beat white people. You can only knock them out." Chris Rock is also careful not to deliver any punch lines that could be overly offensive to whites. The toughest thing he says about Palin is, "Vanessa Williams has done more interviews promoting Ugly Betty than she's done to run for Vice President of the United States."
Sara Silverman takes an interesting approach to comedy, politics, and culture. She is a sarcastic comedian with what some might call a potty-mouth. However, she uses her Jewish heritage down get down and dirty with comedy, all while promoting her presidential pick.
"If Barack Obama doesn't become the next President of the United States, I'm gonna blame the Jews," says Silverman. Now, I ask you who else could get away with saying that? A bible toting Christian could not and neither could a follower of the Koran without being considered antisemitic.
One thing has also become clear to me - candidates cannot make jokes about their opponents on areas not related to policy. Sara Palin certainly felt the heat when she attempted a joke about the old age of Joe Biden. And Joy Behar, a non-Palin supporter and comedian jumped all over this comment because she did not find it funny.
Those who resemble the candidates in some form or fashion have the easiest time coming down hard on them. It's as if they are saying, hey McCain, hey Obama, I am like you. It’s okay, by making fun of you, I am making fun of myself too!
But, for the most part, I have also noticed how some comedians are careful to draw the line and not go too far with potentially offensive comments. They stick to comedy that they feel safe making fun of. This can be seen in a few examples. Black comedians are able to push the envelope further when discussing race and politics, when it concerns Sen. Obama. Comedian Chris Rock's appearance on Bill Maher is a prime example of this. Maher appears to set the stage by making racial jokes and then quickly throws in a "just kidding," at the end (probably because he wants to be funny for the moment and doesn't want to leave a lasting negative impression). Maher sets Chris Rock up for some racially driven comedy. After all, no one will call Chris Rock a racist if the throws jabs at Sen. Obama regarding his race.
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Chris Rock delivers funny lines. He jokes that his father always told him, "you can't beat white people. You can only knock them out." Chris Rock is also careful not to deliver any punch lines that could be overly offensive to whites. The toughest thing he says about Palin is, "Vanessa Williams has done more interviews promoting Ugly Betty than she's done to run for Vice President of the United States."
Sara Silverman takes an interesting approach to comedy, politics, and culture. She is a sarcastic comedian with what some might call a potty-mouth. However, she uses her Jewish heritage down get down and dirty with comedy, all while promoting her presidential pick.
"If Barack Obama doesn't become the next President of the United States, I'm gonna blame the Jews," says Silverman. Now, I ask you who else could get away with saying that? A bible toting Christian could not and neither could a follower of the Koran without being considered antisemitic.
One thing has also become clear to me - candidates cannot make jokes about their opponents on areas not related to policy. Sara Palin certainly felt the heat when she attempted a joke about the old age of Joe Biden. And Joy Behar, a non-Palin supporter and comedian jumped all over this comment because she did not find it funny.
Those who resemble the candidates in some form or fashion have the easiest time coming down hard on them. It's as if they are saying, hey McCain, hey Obama, I am like you. It’s okay, by making fun of you, I am making fun of myself too!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
"I'm Not Going To Take Any Of Your Questions"
"You know, I'm Not Going To Take Any Of Your Questions," said the real-life Gov. Palin on Saturday Night Live. Boy, Palin...I thought this was about acting, not your everyday life?
Gov. Sara Palin Visits SNL
Gov. Sara Palin Visits SNL
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wow!...They Endorsed Who?
And so the firsts just keep coming... I guess it is only fitting that a historical first in a presidential election brings about other historical firsts. But, either way, I must admit that I found the recent endorsement of the Chicago Tribune and LA Times surprising.
Interestingly enough during the third and final presidential debate Sen. Obama referenced the Chicago Tribune as being a traditionally conservative publication. Well, that publication certainly parted with its conservative tendencies with this statement published Friday....
"On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose. The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States," proclaims the editorial board.
The Chicago Tribune published a rather moving and inspiration piece, citing reasons to assure the voting public of why Obama is the better option for the President of America. The Tribune used rather strong language to declare why they believe that neither Sen. McCain or Gov. Palin are ready to take over the Oval Office.
"McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country," writes the Tribune Editorial Board. "Obama chose a more experienced and more thoughtful running mate--he put governing before politicking. Sen. Joe Biden doesn't bring many votes to Obama, but he would help him from day one to lead the country."
Now, I wasn't as moved by the language used in the LA Times Endorsement of Barack Obama. But, I did find this statement about McCain interesting. "His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory."
I too initially thought that McCain proved to be very clever in the selection of his Vice Presidential pick. However, I soon learned that it was only clever on the surface. Beneath the facade, I found Palin to be very green. I say this even though, I am a person who very strongly believes that wisdom and foresight do not always go hand and hand with age. While, some lessons and values must be learned through first-hand experience, I believe whole-heartedly that most valuable qualities are innate.
What I find most interesting about the election is that it's as much about politics as it is about one's personal belief system. Whether one takes notes from the endorsers of Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama, the voting public has some very tough questions to ask themselves come this election day. So come the morning of November 5th, we have more than just a new leader, we have a sense of the America's core belief system as a whole.
Interestingly enough during the third and final presidential debate Sen. Obama referenced the Chicago Tribune as being a traditionally conservative publication. Well, that publication certainly parted with its conservative tendencies with this statement published Friday....
"On Nov. 4 we're going to elect a president to lead us through a perilous time and restore in us a common sense of national purpose. The strongest candidate to do that is Sen. Barack Obama. The Tribune is proud to endorse him today for president of the United States," proclaims the editorial board.
The Chicago Tribune published a rather moving and inspiration piece, citing reasons to assure the voting public of why Obama is the better option for the President of America. The Tribune used rather strong language to declare why they believe that neither Sen. McCain or Gov. Palin are ready to take over the Oval Office.
"McCain failed in his most important executive decision. Give him credit for choosing a female running mate--but he passed up any number of supremely qualified Republican women who could have served. Having called Obama not ready to lead, McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His campaign has tried to stage-manage Palin's exposure to the public. But it's clear she is not prepared to step in at a moment's notice and serve as president. McCain put his campaign before his country," writes the Tribune Editorial Board. "Obama chose a more experienced and more thoughtful running mate--he put governing before politicking. Sen. Joe Biden doesn't bring many votes to Obama, but he would help him from day one to lead the country."
Now, I wasn't as moved by the language used in the LA Times Endorsement of Barack Obama. But, I did find this statement about McCain interesting. "His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was, as a short-term political tactic, brilliant. It was also irresponsible, as Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory."
I too initially thought that McCain proved to be very clever in the selection of his Vice Presidential pick. However, I soon learned that it was only clever on the surface. Beneath the facade, I found Palin to be very green. I say this even though, I am a person who very strongly believes that wisdom and foresight do not always go hand and hand with age. While, some lessons and values must be learned through first-hand experience, I believe whole-heartedly that most valuable qualities are innate.
What I find most interesting about the election is that it's as much about politics as it is about one's personal belief system. Whether one takes notes from the endorsers of Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama, the voting public has some very tough questions to ask themselves come this election day. So come the morning of November 5th, we have more than just a new leader, we have a sense of the America's core belief system as a whole.
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