For the third time this election season, a band has asked the Republican party to not use one of its songs to introduce the party's presidential and vice-presidential nominees, John McCain and Sarah Palin. Much like Bruce Springsteen, who in 1984 asked Ronald Reagan to stop using "Born in the USA" on his reelection campaign trail, the artists say their politics don't jibe with those of the GOP candidates.
After the jump, the artists and the songs to which they've asserted control.
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Dana Milbank is just so pleased with himself. He's managed to turn politicians' criticisms of the "media elite" into a four-minute long video starring himself, pretending to be part of this club (which he is).
Just good old Dana, being his usual clever, on point self, like those kids over at The Daily Show he's heard so much about.
See how long you can make it through the video without wincing at the heavy-handed approach taken by Milbank, who makes Michael Moore look like Richard goddamn Pryor.
It's mentally fatigued to work for the New York Times, because everyone is always on your case about political biases and blatant nepotism. And it's hard for a reader to tell them to "suck less" because hey, they are still the standard for journalism in the city, if not the country.
Alas, the NYT is in a financial tailspin just like every other publication, so it's with a heavy heart that executive editor and Adam West lookalike Bill Keller dashed off a memo to his staff about the "consolidation" of the Metro and Sports section. At least he tried to rally his employees to look on the bright side: CONTINUED »
Perhaps you've been made aware that these two things called Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Hanna are attacking Americans like a pair of terrorists, squashing homes, tearing up roadways, and taking aim at our oil fields. Ike is headed to South Florida and the Gulf of Mexico while Hanna is headed to the Carolinas to punish us for embracing gay marriage. So you know what this weather-related tragedy is perfect for?
A marketing opportunity.
Underwear website Nuwear.com — think International Male, but only for skivvies — just alerted customers to its "Hurricane Sale 10% Off Everything at Nuwear.com." Be sure to use promo code "Hanna"!
Britney Spears teased Sunday's MTV VMAs in a series of spots with the evening's host, comedian Russell Brand. This caused everyone to speculate she was going to re-do last year's dismal performance. But then MTV issued a release, saying that while Spears will open the show, she wouldn't be performing.
And then MSN just happened to "get its hands on" this "secret Britney video" that shows the pop star rehearsing choreography to what sounds like a new (utterly terrible) track. Which feeds speculation that she will perform. At least she would have practiced the dance steps once or twice this time.
Hats off to MTV — because whether she dances on stage or not, they've got the blogs, and TV viewers, on the hook with suspense. Check back next week to see if Nielsen agreed.
Kicking off Fashion Week, lingerie label La Perla took over the rooftop of the Empire Hotel, which just unveiled its renovated pool deck. That La Perla was showing off its new swimwear collection, then, it made sense they'd opt for one of the only venues in the city with an open pool space. (Hotel Gansevoort is too tiny; Soho House too miserable and unbuzzworthy.) So far, it's La Perla's show theatrics we're most impressed with. But we've got, what, 200 more shows to follow? Stay tuned for our regular coverage of Fashion Week dramatics.
'Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to have switched colleges at least six times in six years. The transfers included two stints at the University of Idaho before Palin graduated from there in 1987 with a degree in journalism. Federal privacy laws prohibit the schools from disclosing her grades, and none of the schools contacted by The Associated Press could say why she transferred. There’s no indication any were contacted as part of the background investigation of Palin by presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign.' [AP]
We've always hated those ads for pain medication or heartburn relief pills, since they always turn the human body into something that's lit on fire to explain just where the pain is, and how it can be extinguished. Windows salesman Jerry Seinfeld noticed it to, and produced a skit about it. Turns out, it's not just the over-the-counter pharmaceutical industry that's relying on this ad gimmick — but the hip- and joint-replacement industry. CONTINUED »
'With a backdrop of rising paper costs and declining advertising, Vibe is downsizing. The hip-hop monthly will switch to a smaller trim size as it redesigns with the October issue, on sale Sept. 16. Vibe also cut its rate base, to 800,000 from 850,000 starting in July. … the size will shrink to 7.75 inches by 10.5 inches from 8.25 by 10.875, which will save costs, said Edgar Hernandez, Vibe’s publisher.' [MW]
Voters around the country haven't forgotten about the time, in February of 2007, when Joe Biden complemented his future running mate, Barack Obama, by using the racially charged word "articulate." I don't have to explain the significance of the term in its backhanded, racist context; my question is, under what circumstances is it OK to call a black person "articulate"?
BriWi is about one major coverage short of a nervous breakdown. It's already duly noted that NBC is scheduling Williams so many places at once that he can't even blog, but that was apparently just the beginning:
From the Olympics in Beijing to the Democratic convention in Denver to Hurricane Gustav coverage in New Orleans to the Republicans in St. Paul to L.A. tomorrow for a cancer awareness special with his Big 3 competitors.
By Williams' calculation, it comes to 38,486 miles — including two Pacific crossings, two Atlantic crossings and 10 overseas cities.
All in less than a month, remember. Well that explains why he's getting so snippy when talking about Bristol Palin, "Families are messy and complicated and American and normal…it's where public officials kind of close the door behind them. Home is home. Family's family."
Here that America? Brian Williams wants you to stop the clamoring so he can finally catch some Z's.
Playboy Playmates notoriously don't age well. Except for Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson, but if you have to go to those two for the "not bad" pile, you're already in trouble.
Ole' Firecrotch Lohan, in the first smart career move in awhile, declined Hugh Hefner's generous offer of $700,000 to pose nude in his glorified skin rag. Hefner must have thought it would be a quick sell; Lindsay did that nudie Marilyn Monroe spread in New York magazine back in February and her new film, Labor Pains, isn't out for a couple more months. So why not drop trou and make some bank in the meantime?
Looking at the "Where are they Now" Playboy Bunny spread, Lindsay actually reserved some prudent judgment and exercised that brain of hers that you've all known was in there somewhere since Mean Girls:
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If Kanye West were a politician he'd be a flip flopper. Since he's a mercurial, egotistical pop star, no one will pay that much attention to the fact that he has decided to return to MTV to close out Sunday's VMAs.
White people love the Internet and social networking sites. And everyone loves to download music for free off of LimeWire. But how do old, white people bands make money off their product when no one is paying cash for their compact discs anymore?
Case in point: Recall R.E.M., that band that was really popular with your older siblings and had that really fast song about the end of the world as you know it. And you felt fine?
Michael Stipe hopes you remember, and in between listening to Muxtape.com and writing for Pitchfork, he would like you to check out his new awesome Internet campaign to become relevant again. And he's not alone.
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