Finished principle photography on Life’s Too Short. It was an eight week shoot and probably the easiest and most fun ever. It was so stress free and we did such short days that every evening I had time to relax and write stand up. Now I just need to edit it all down into seven half hour shows. I’ll spend most of the next few weeks in an editing suite in central London. Well two editing suites actually as I’m also editing An Idiot Abroad 2. We arranged for the editing suites to be across the road from each other but I’ll still feel like Mrs. Doubtfire running between the two with different hats on. Metaphorically of course. I won’t literally be wearing hats. Nor did Mrs. Doubtfire actually. This analogy is flawed. In the evenings I’ll work on The Ricky Gervais Show Series 3. So that still leaves me enough time to think about posters for my next tour. It’s called “Humanity” and I’d like your help with choosing the perfect image. I’ve wanted to do this picture for about 20 years. Finally did it this week with Photographer Rich Hardcastle. And this was done for Rolling Stone Magazine but I think they decided it was a little strong for their demographic. To be fair when I described it to them over the phone weeks before the shoot they said they’d like an alternative, if I wanted a front cover. When it came to it I decided that I didn’t want to do an alternative, as I knew they would go with that. I was right. They definitely would have gone with the alternative, but since I didn’t give them one they went with Rihanna. Ha Ha. Fair enough. I stand by my decision. I love this pic though by Nadav Kander. Thoughts? (Reverse psychology might be best, as I’ll almost certainly choose the one that most people hate. Ha Ha). I thought the caption for the first one could be “Eager to please”, or ‘Dead funny”. And I thought the caption for the second could be “Stand up for what you believe”. Vote now. And don’t get annoyed. Just ignore them if they offend you. Or is that the right thing to do? Obviously as an artist it’s important to evoke a strong reaction. But should I care beyond that how it affects people? Should art have a social conscience? I’m a comedian. Some people probably object to me using the term artist about such a lowly profession. And some people think I shouldn’t even be pondering such highfalutin questions, let alone answering them. So for a change I’ll try to be economical with my opinions and simply try to provoke yours. First of all, what is a social conscience? Is it simply an attitude of sensitivity toward and sense of responsibility regarding injustice and problems in society or does it involve positive action? Secondly, what is art? And does being art automatically justify something? Does art have its own conscience? Or is it amoral? Can there be art that is so bad that it is no longer art? And could art be great art but cause great harm? Can art “cause” anything? Anyway, what photo of me is your favorite?
Continue reading …NBC’s Gregory Claims Obama ‘Trying to Help’ Boehner by Pressuring House GOP to Accept ‘Balanced Approach’ of Tax Hikes
July 26, 2011 No Comment
During an NBC News special report following President Obama's Monday night speech that blamed the GOP for the debt ceiling stalemate, Meet the Press host David Gregory argued the President was doing John Boehner a favor: “…this is a president trying to help the Speaker of the House make the case to freshman Republicans who won't give at all on the idea of tax increases.” Gregory declared that Obama was “trying to create more pressure on them [Republicans] among the public, who are fed up with this, to say we've got to find some way to compromise here…. he's actually trying to create some political room for his adversary in this fight.” Nightly News anchor Brian Williams began the exchange by observing: “…a big item on the President's list that is a deal-breaker for so many on the other side, the wealthy Americans, millionaires, billionaires, can afford to pay more.” Gregory repeated Obama's talking points: “Well, you heard him, time and again, say a balanced approach is reasonable here.” Interestingly, special coverage of the speech on ABC had a very different take on the political impact of the President's address, suggesting it may actually energize the GOP. Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos noted that Obama was trying to “put pressure” on Republicans, but wondered: “…is there a chance that it could actually backfire and unify those House Republicans?” Correspondent Jon Karl replied: “You are exactly right, George. The House Republicans who don't want to vote for an increase can now be told, “This is your chance to stick it to the President, to go against the President who is trying to force us to do something we don't want to do,” so I think this will actually help John Boehner, kind of rally those really, on the right of his caucus, the real conservatives.” Here is a transcript of the July 25 NBC exchange between Williams and Gregory: (…) BRIAN WILLIAMS: Let's bring David Gregory back in, he's watching all of this with us from Boston. And David, of course a big item on the President's list that is a deal-breaker for so many on the other side, the wealthy Americans, millionaires, billionaires, can afford to pay more. DAVID GREGORY: Well, you heard him, time and again, say a balanced approach is reasonable here. It took us a long time to get this far into debt. And we know the debt has gone up 35% since the President came into office. If the debt limit is extended through 2012, it would be up 54%. But his point was, it took us a long time to get here. And behind the scenes here, Brian, the message, this is a president trying to help the Speaker of the House make the case to freshman Republicans who won't give at all on the idea of tax increases. He's trying to create more pressure on them among the public, who are fed up with this, to say we've got to find some way to compromise here, and do it in a way that will have the rest of the world, including the credit agencies, think that U.S. is taking a serious step here, and get us through the 2012 election. It's a big argument, but he's actually trying to create some political room for his adversary in this fight. WILLIAMS: That's right. David Gregory, again, watching from Boston. (…) Here is a transcript of the July 25 ABC exchange between Stephanopoulos and Carl: (…) GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Jon, the President clearly hoping that by going to the public tonight he'll be able to put pressure on those Republicans, but is there a chance that it could actually backfire and unify those House Republicans? JON KARL: You are exactly right, George. The House Republicans who don't want to vote for an increase can now be told, “This is your chance to stick it to the President, to go against the President who is trying to force us to do something we don't want to do,” so I think this will actually help John Boehner, kind of rally those really, on the right of his caucus, the real conservatives. STEPHANOPOULOS: But as he was coming into this speech tonight, he was not sure that he had those Tea Party Republicans, the most conservative members of his caucus behind this plan. (…)
Continue reading …NBC’s Gregory Claims Obama ‘Trying to Help’ Boehner by Pressuring House GOP to Accept ‘Balanced Approach’ of Tax Hikes
July 26, 2011 No CommentDuring an NBC News special report following President Obama's Monday night speech that blamed the GOP for the debt ceiling stalemate, Meet the Press host David Gregory argued the President was doing John Boehner a favor: “…this is a president trying to help the Speaker of the House make the case to freshman Republicans who won't give at all on the idea of tax increases.” Gregory declared that Obama was “trying to create more pressure on them [Republicans] among the public, who are fed up with this, to say we've got to find some way to compromise here…. he's actually trying to create some political room for his adversary in this fight.” Nightly News anchor Brian Williams began the exchange by observing: “…a big item on the President's list that is a deal-breaker for so many on the other side, the wealthy Americans, millionaires, billionaires, can afford to pay more.” Gregory repeated Obama's talking points: “Well, you heard him, time and again, say a balanced approach is reasonable here.” Interestingly, special coverage of the speech on ABC had a very different take on the political impact of the President's address, suggesting it may actually energize the GOP. Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos noted that Obama was trying to “put pressure” on Republicans, but wondered: “…is there a chance that it could actually backfire and unify those House Republicans?” Correspondent Jon Karl replied: “You are exactly right, George. The House Republicans who don't want to vote for an increase can now be told, “This is your chance to stick it to the President, to go against the President who is trying to force us to do something we don't want to do,” so I think this will actually help John Boehner, kind of rally those really, on the right of his caucus, the real conservatives.” Here is a transcript of the July 25 NBC exchange between Williams and Gregory: (…) BRIAN WILLIAMS: Let's bring David Gregory back in, he's watching all of this with us from Boston. And David, of course a big item on the President's list that is a deal-breaker for so many on the other side, the wealthy Americans, millionaires, billionaires, can afford to pay more. DAVID GREGORY: Well, you heard him, time and again, say a balanced approach is reasonable here. It took us a long time to get this far into debt. And we know the debt has gone up 35% since the President came into office. If the debt limit is extended through 2012, it would be up 54%. But his point was, it took us a long time to get here. And behind the scenes here, Brian, the message, this is a president trying to help the Speaker of the House make the case to freshman Republicans who won't give at all on the idea of tax increases. He's trying to create more pressure on them among the public, who are fed up with this, to say we've got to find some way to compromise here, and do it in a way that will have the rest of the world, including the credit agencies, think that U.S. is taking a serious step here, and get us through the 2012 election. It's a big argument, but he's actually trying to create some political room for his adversary in this fight. WILLIAMS: That's right. David Gregory, again, watching from Boston. (…) Here is a transcript of the July 25 ABC exchange between Stephanopoulos and Carl: (…) GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Jon, the President clearly hoping that by going to the public tonight he'll be able to put pressure on those Republicans, but is there a chance that it could actually backfire and unify those House Republicans? JON KARL: You are exactly right, George. The House Republicans who don't want to vote for an increase can now be told, “This is your chance to stick it to the President, to go against the President who is trying to force us to do something we don't want to do,” so I think this will actually help John Boehner, kind of rally those really, on the right of his caucus, the real conservatives. STEPHANOPOULOS: But as he was coming into this speech tonight, he was not sure that he had those Tea Party Republicans, the most conservative members of his caucus behind this plan. (…)
Continue reading …Authorities are seeking a hoaxster who sent 30 police officers and a SWAT crew to the home of a prominent Internet safety advocate and critic of cyber-bullying. The man called 911 to say he had killed four people and was holding another hostage inside the New Jersey home of Parry…
Continue reading …Call it Yellowstone sur Seine. French shepherds are demanding the surging wolf population be culled following increasing sheep deaths by the growing packs of protected canines. Wolves are now roaming the Vosges Mountains on the Alsace-Lorraine border for the first time in 80 years. Some experts predict the wolves could…
Continue reading …Yet another complaint has been filed by a cancer-survivor flier who has already received one apology from the TSA after a rough airport search left him drenched in his own pee from a urine collection bag he must wear. Thomas Sawyer says he nearly suffered the same humiliation before his…
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Who Is Gina Carano? SDCC ’11: HAYWIRE interviews with CHANNING TATUM and GINA CARANO Comic-Con 2011 SDCC Gina Carano Haywire Interview Renee_Clayton says: Watch the Gina Carano 'Haywire' movie trailer http://bit.ly/qyRBJd
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Big Ricks Swim Team ..Channel 2011- France.. Thats true ( West Coast Hip hop) Adventures in… Doug Elkins Workshop, Day 1 whiptynews says: Doug Moe: Can we all agree that
Continue reading …HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag
July 26, 2011 No Comment
It’s Verizon Wireless’ first LTE-powered laptop, but is it really anything to write home about? The familiar HP Pavilion dm1 — which emerged last year on Big Red’s 3G network — has undergone a minor revision, this time surfacing with a 4G radio and a far more respectable processor. The dm1-3010nr is expected to ship two days from now (you know, alongside that grotesquely overpriced Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE), with an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED display, 1.6GHz AMD Zacate E-350 APU, 320GB hard drive, 2GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, multi-format card reader and a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. It measures in at 1.2-inches thick and weighs 3.52 pounds, and so far as we can tell, the $599.99 asking price doesn’t require a constricting two-year data agreement. We’re awaiting specific word from VZW to confirm, but as of now, it looks as if you can get 5GB per month for $50, or 10GB for $80. Looking for that $30 / 2GB plan? Tough luck, bub — she ain’t available here. Gallery: HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr for Verizon Wireless Continue reading HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …After a lifetime pushing the benefits of freezing dead people in the hope that they can someday be revived by medical science Robert Ettinger has died—and been frozen. The 92-year-old father of the cryonics movement has joined 105 other people—including his mother and two wives—frozen in liquid…
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