TresSugar

The Real John McCain in Radar - He Likes Lost and Dexter!

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Ooh, don't get excited - I'm not insinuating John McCain is a lady, merely that given this awesome interview in Radar this month by Ana Marie Cox (the original Wonkette) that he deserves the space on the cover instead of Shannen Doherty. So I thought I'd just adjust my cover to my liking.

Cox asked McCain all manner of questions with an emphasis on the pop culture that is less fluffy than you'd think. I mean, we've heard him talk politics for eons. His less practiced answers about TV and movies? I think pretty telling. Like his love of the zombie movie 28 Weeks Later that has oblique references to Guantanamo and a post 9/11 world? McCain shrugs and says, "A lot of those zombie movies are political, you know." Here are the answers I filed away for future reference:

On Dexter being one of his favorite TV shows: "I think it's a very good series. I enjoy Dexter; I enjoy The Tudors. You know, I think I'm pretty normal in my tastes.... Lost, I also like Lost. And Prison Break. I think it's a shame when the guys get out of prison. I thought The Wire was an excellent series. I've also heard that John Adams is excellent-that's my next viewing assignment." [Ed. note: I love Lost too! We could totally have TV night together.]
On heated discussions with Jon Stewart: "Hey, I don't disrespect the guy. He feels passionately about issues. A lot of times he covers it up with humor, but you can detect there's an intensity there that suggests he's very concerned about America and its future."

To see what else he had to say, read more.

On why he does the late-night shows: "One reason I like to go on those shows, particularly ones like Leno or Letterman, is that they help you reach a wide viewing audience that otherwise would not be paying attention to the political scene-people who would never be exposed to the Sunday-morning shows or other programs that politicians traditionally are on."
On friends on the left changing now that he's running for president: "Political campaigns are a tough business. I understand that. If you start taking offense or say, "Oh, that's unfair," or all that, you head down a slippery slope. Frankly, if I were getting upset ... you just gotta move on."

Check out the whole piece to see what he digs about Dexter - maybe that can be his Halloween costume? That'd be pretty scary, though I don't know if it's any spookier than this option. . .

Top Ten Newscasters That Push My (Remote) Buttons

CitizenSugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:00:38 -0700

Think you have a pretty good idea how TV news insiders would talk about Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann behind their backs? Radar went looking to confirm those suspicions in their feature "Head Trauma: Insiders Reveal Television's Most Hated Pundits." Sounds good, right? There are juicy quotes aplenty like this about Keith Olbermann: "He's just a full-blown, red-in-the-face screamer," followed by, "his disregard for those beneath him is almost comical." Ooh. And we thought O'Reilly was the screamer. The Radar list of hated new folks reminded me of the Maxim list of sexiest news anchors (hey, I have a brother. I hear things) and I'm convinced that surely there must be a middle ground. What's between love and hate? Ah, the all powerful remote button. Here are the top ten newscasters, that while I'm sure are lovely people, make me change the channel.

View Slideshow ›

Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:30:51 -0700

Race: Athletes included? Beijing bars told to ban black people during Olympics. - Shanghaiist
Gas Prices: Who's to blame for $4 gas? Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the two oil men in the White House are. - Huffington Post
VP: Ticket of rivals? Republican Hagel for Obama, Democratic Liberman for McCain? - Politico
Bush: Was it Bush or the mascot? President tries to give little girl baseball at T-ball game, she runs away. - Radar

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

CitizenSugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:30:28 -0700

Terrorist Watch List: Is Little Miss Sunshine a terrorist? With a million strong and growing, Abigail Breslin and Tom Bosley make a terrorist list of a different sort. - 23/6
Polio Strikes: New cases of Polio crop up in Pakistan - with protests against vaccinations and eradication workers being kidnapped? - The Lede
Chandra Levy: Remember? The Post's 12-part series on her disappearance is sparking memories of the event. - Radar
Michelle Trouble: Obama blames negative views of his wife on right wing, Hannity? - Townhall

Rent Control: Rep. Charlie Rangel's sweet and cheap digs come with a price: his landlord tried to evict a blind tenant who's daughter helped him write checks. - gothamist

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:30:40 -0700

Pollution: Is this for real? George W. Bush bids farewell to G8 saying "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter." - Donklephant
Surrogates: Does this apply to Obama, too? McCain says only McCain speaks for McCain. - DailyKos
China: Worth a trip? Jackie Chan Museum coming to Shanghai! – Shanghaiist
Minimum Wage: How much do you know about minimum wage? Test your smarts. - SavvySugar
History: Detailed plans for the first 100 days of the Kucinich administration doesn't make the cut? 100 things we're not putting in the time capsule. – Radar

Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:30:47 -0700

GI Bill: What do the vets think? Responses from veterans around the country about the historic GI bill. - Huffington Post

McCain And the new campaign slogan is? "Putting Country First." - Politico
Slavery: I mentioned they're witches, right? The latest from NYC millionaire slave abuser. - Radar
Zimbabwe: Who's going to win? Live updates as Zimbabwe votes in the one-candidate contest. - newsblog
Nukes: Nuclear nonproliferation is a liberal position? That's what Mitt Romney says. - donklephant

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:30:25 -0700

Zimbabwe: Could it get any worse? Supporters of President Mugabe broke both of baby's legs in an attempt to force his mother to reveal the whereabouts of her husband. – Radar
Media: Would the issues work? Media struggling with the campaign narrative. - DailyKos
Obesity: Obesity and savings connected? Australia is the most obese country, but the US isn't far behind and has dwindling savings accounts to go with it. -SavvySugar
Equality: Chauvinist backlash? British proposal for positive discrimination to end gender pay gap not well received. -newsblog
Tiny Campaigners: Christina Aguilera chats to Larry King about her little one's political involvement. - lilSugar

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Beijing Gets an Olympic-Sized Makeover: In 8 Easy Steps!

CitizenSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:30:49 -0700

Beijing will be dressed to impress this August when the world turns its attention east for the Summer Olympics. Radar lists eight changes in its July/August issue that China is making to ensure the city is picture perfect when the cameras go on.

Reduced traffic
To avoid unsightly traffic, the Chinese government will only let half of Beijing's drivers on its streets. How will they decide who gets to drive? Even- and odd-numbered license plates will alternate days. See, life is fair.
Less spitting
China's government is known for its oppressive quirks, but that does not include prohibiting spitting in the street. Until now. Fines and tissues will be handed to the defiant.
Fewer felines
Apparently, Beijing is like one giant cat lady. And that never did my image any good, so I can see why China is concerned. To reduce the city's overpopulated kitty sidewalks, the government launched an aggressive campaign to ensure people know the truth about cats. You know, like how they carry SARS. Scared pet owners have been sending their beloved fluffies to cat death camps.

There are more upgrades afoot. To see what else is going on, read more.

Cloudless skies
You know what they say! It never rains in Beijing when they hire scientists to shoot silver iodide-filled rockets into clouds from 21 locations to preempt summer showers.
No knockoffs
Take your counterfeit Olympic gear back to Canal Street. Officials are patrolling the streets, particularly looking out for unauthorized use of the Olympic logo. Make sure your new mug has all five Olympic rings!
Orderly lines
Since China is a Communist country, it surprises me that standing in line never really took off. But there you have it. Preferring to nudge their way to the front, Beijingers have been learning the letter queue for over a year now with monthly, government-induced practice.
No turtle blood
Competitive athletes take note: Turtle blood - and deer penis - can be used as performance-enhancing drugs. Just not in Beijing this August.
No Chinglish
Bad translations can be so much fun - "slip and fall down carefully" - but for a city in primping mode they are an embarrassment. Unfortunately, a 35-person committee is "caretaking" this problem.

Looks like once they get these eight woes under control, they'll be good to go for 08/08/08 . . . right? Are cosmetic changes like these eclipsing the greater human rights concerns? If China is shiny on the outside, will people overlook deeper trouble?

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

CitizenSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:30:13 -0700

Mermaids: Coney Island hosted a whale of a good time at the 105th Annual Mermaid Parade on Saturday. Not fishy at all. - Gothamist

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Buns and Guns: Hezbollah opens a new themed restaurant, Buns and Guns, selling terrorism-themed treats. The owner says, "they accuse us of terrorism, so let's serve terrorist bread, why not?" - Radar
Pundit Catch-Up: One-stop shopping for the best in weekend punditry, condensed for your comfort. - Daily Kos
Racy Campaign: Obama camp braces for race-based ads. Promise swift response, unlike 2004 not-so "Swift Boat" response. - Townhall
Royal Birthday: His royalness Prince William played it up to celebrate his 26th birthday this weekend. Tons of pictures. - PopSugar UK

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:30:24 -0700

McCain: Getting swift boated? How McCain's navy record discrepancy would be treated if his name was John Kerry. - 23/6

Russia: Who will report on this in Russia? Government's media crackdown gaining attention. - Radar
Race: Funny or offensive? Button asks: "If Obama is president, will we still call it the White House." donklephant
Oil: Is ridesharing the new offshore drilling? How to beat gas prices, and still get where you're going. - The Green Life

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