Kathy Griffin Takes on the Palins...again

I meant to post this for you last week...

Kathy Griffin in her latest Bravo special, "Gurrl Down," takes on Sarah, Bristol, and just about any other Palin she can think of.

The Weekend Readout

We're back in business (at least for now!)

If you missed anything that happened this week or just want to relive the quirkier stories from this week...here you go.

Jon Huntsman: Food Truck Connoisseur

Jon Huntsman is a fan of food trucks. In a video posted on his 2012 website, Huntsman says he’s fond of pancakes, omelets, and definitely burritos from a shack. But his all-time favorite are taco trucks, especially his boyhood favorite, Henry’s Tacos in Los Angeles. On vacation, he’s made his family drive “halfway across the state of California, just for a Henry’s burrito.” In another Huntsman video a narrator explains, “Some see a man of the world. His family sees the world’s best pancake chef, who makes a mean egg white omelet.”

Jon's Favorite Foods from Jon 2012 on Vimeo.

Palin's Bus Rolls On

Sarah Palin’s bus tour has been cancelled, or has it? Despite media reports that the bus tour’s been parked, Sarah Palin’s writing that the rumors have been greatly exaggerated. A Facebook note posted Wednesday reads, “Imagine our surprise when reading media reports today that the “One Nation Tour” has been cancelled. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Oh, wait, that’s because it hasn’t been cancelled. (Good ol' media... you never cease to amaze!)...I wouldn’t think it to be such a slow news day that, what with numerous wars and serious economic woes concerning Americans, a bus is driving news stories today. The next leg of the tour continues when the time comes. In the meantime, no one should jump to conclusions – certainly not the media with their long track record of getting things wrong or just making things up.”

Obama-Bieber Gridlock NYC

Apparently President Obama and Justin Bieber were both be in New York City on Thursday afternoon. My Fox New York warned the citizens of Gotham that the visits would turn the city into a gridlocked mess--which they did. They write, “Expect 'Obama-Bieber' gridlock throughout the day especially in Midtown Manhattan and the West Side of Manhattan as the two very popular and heavily protected figures travel around town.” President Obama will arrive at approximately 5 p.m., to attend two fundraisers. Bieber, meanwhile, will be attending a launch of his new fragrance “Someday” at Macy's Herald Square.

The Baby Whisperer

"Brilliam" for President

He can deliver the "Nightly News," he can deliver a punchline, and he can slow jam , but does Brian Williams have what it takes to become the next leader of the free world?

The Full Ginsberg think so! The political sketch comedy group from New York think that he would be a dandy Commander-in-Chief. So much so, that they've come up with at 30 second ad for television.

And the Emmy Goes To.....Sarah Palin?

So Sarah Palin will be a candidate one way or another. Her docu-drama "Sarah Palin's Alaska" has been entered for Emmy consideration in four different categories: cinematography, picture editing, music composition and best reality program.

According to the LA Times, "It's not the first time politics and entertainment have mixed at Hollywood awards. Minnesota's U.S. Sen. Al Franken is a five-time Emmy winner: four as a writer and producer of "Saturday Night Live" and another for writing "The Paul Simon Special" in 1978. Jerry Springer was the mayor of Cincinnati (1977-1978) before becoming better known for his infamous daytime talk show, but the only major showbiz award he won was a Razzie Award as worst new star for the 1998 film "Ringmaster." And, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the star of the "Terminator" films and many others before serving as governor of California. In 2004, he won a Razzie as "worst Razzie loser of our first 25 years.""

However, I would imagine that if Sarah Palin is a candidate for best reality program, that would put her tete-a-tete with Kathy Griffin. This could get ugly...

Bristol's Memoir Leaks...

The literati have been waited with bated breath for this day. The day 20 year old Bristol Palin’s memoir hits the bookshelves. In her book, "Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far," Bristol mentions appearing with Johnston onstage at the GOP convention in St. Paul during her mother's vice presidential run. That “somehow legitimized us as a couple,” she writes. The couple split soon after their son, Tripp, was born in December 2008 because Johnston "who cheated ... about as frequently as he sharpened his hockey skates" had been unfaithful again, writes Bristol. A year and a half later, the relationship was back on, and Johnston proposed. And I think we all know how that ended...

Bristol v. Meghan

via The Daily Caller

The author of “Not Afraid of Life” is also not afraid to publicly criticize the McCain family. "Dancing with the Stars” finalist Bristol Palin takes many
jabs at former presidential candidate John McCain, his wife Cindy, and daughter
Meghan in her new memoir “Not Afraid of Life,” which hit bookstores
Tuesday.
Bristol writes about her experiences on the 2008 campaign trail,
when her mother Sarah ran alongside John McCain. Bristol, who was pregnant
during the election cycle, didn’t have glowing things to say about the
McCains.
“I’d never seen people with so much Louis Vuitton luggage, so many
cell phones, and so many constant helpers to do hair and makeup,” Palin writes,
adding that Cindy McCain looked “like a queen” and carried “herself like
royalty.”
Bristol was also apparently turned off when the would-be first lady
asked to be the godmother of her unborn baby.
“I had just met her and I
wondered why she wanted any type of guardianship over my child,” Bristol writes.
(Bristol
Palin lost virginity during drunken moment)
Meghan McCain, who penned her
own memoir “Dirty Sexy Politics” last year, famously complained that she was behind the Palins, who “don’t share,”
in line to get her makeup done.
“I was running late that morning, and hoping
to get some help with my hair for a photo shoot,” McCain wrote. “I entered the
makeup room and looked around. But all the chairs were taken. The stylists were
busy with the Palin kids, as well as Levi…Levi, Bristol, Willow, and Piper, who
was 7, needed to be styled first.”

Weiner Gets An Action Figure

What would Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal be without an action figure of its own? HeroBuilders.com is offering the "standard" doll for $39.95 and an “adults only" version for an extra $10. Both are dressed in a gym shirt and shorts with a label that reads "Tweet This." On Tuesday, the demand to see the small plastic version of the congressman was so high, that the traffic crashed the site. Emil Vicale, founder of HeroBuilders.com, told POLITICO that two other dolls – the Sarah Palin doll and the Jennifer Wilbanks runaway bride doll – have crashed the site in the past.

By the way, you can accessorize your Weiner doll with a Blackberry and stand for an additional $18.

Tea Party Camp!

A Florida tea part group is offering a weeklong summer camp—offering kids a chance to learn more about the nation’s founding principles. Organized by conservative writer Jeff Lukens and staffed by volunteers from the Tampa 912 project, Tampa Liberty School will meet every morning July 11-15. The camp hopes to introduce kids ages 8 to 12 to principles that include "America is good," "I believe in God," and "I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable."

St. Petersburg Times

First Lady, Daughters in Los Angeles

First Lady Michelle Obama, with daughters Malia and Sasha in tow, have been in LA the past couple of days. The First Lady is making the fundraising and speech rounds in support of her husband's reelection campaign.The first lady reportedly raised $1 million with her shmoozing Monday — but the awesome Universal Studios Hollywood VIP tour that Sasha and Malia got? Priceless. The two girls were accompanied by Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, for the private tour, a witness tells us, experiencing many park attractions, including "King Kong 360 3-D" and "Jurassic Park: The Ride." The girls also got a private tour of the set of iCarly. Meanwhile, their mom dined at Hollywood hotspot Osteria Mozza.

Willie Nelson Backing Gary Johnson...again

GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson’s on-again-off again endorsement by Willie Nelson is back on! On Wednesday, Nelson’s Teapot Party penned a blog post pushing for Johnson to be included in CNN’s Republican debate on June 13. The post points out that Johnson was part of Fox’s May 5 GOP debate and that the upcoming CNN-sponsored debate “includes every candidate from the May 5 debate except Johnson.” “How come?” They write, “CNN claims Johnson doesn’t have enough public support, but Johnson contends his name “wasn’t even on” some of the polls that CNN used to determine the debaters.”

Twitter Gets a Little Quieter (shhh)

Twitter has been a little quieter this week in the wake of Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Twitter scandal. According to The Hill's Emily Goodin, a new study by TweetCongress says members of Congress tweeted roughly 28 percent less last week than they did the week before. And that number has continued to drop this week—especially among Democrats. On Monday, the day Weiner admitted he'd lied about the extent of his online activities, there were just 120 Twitter messages sent by Democrats—roughly 30 percent less than usual. Republicans, meanwhile, sent 338 Twitter messages Monday—18 percent less than average.

Stephen Colbert's Not Rep. Garamendi's Type

Last night on the Colbert Report, Congressman John Garamendi took part in Stephen Colbert’s Better Know a District segment. The two covered a lot of ground in the short, satricial segment. Colbert asks the Congressman why he’s too good to live in his own District—Garamendi represents the 10th, but actually lives in the 3rd. The Congressman, a self-proclaimed “tree hugger,” talks about his environmental record and defends voting to resume drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But I think the Rep. might have hurt Colbert’s feelings when talking about his opposition to California’s Prop 8.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know A District - California's 10th - John Garamendi
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Michelle Obama is Teaching Everyone How to Dougie

Michelle Obama’s teaching the administration how to dougie, one Cabinet member at a time. The First Lady proved to be something of an authority on the subject in May when she busted a move for her Let’s Move Flash Workout—doing the dougie with a group of students in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, the first lady corrected Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius who mispronounced the name of the dance. In her remarks, Sebelius noted that the first lady had recently done “The Doogie with Beyonce.” When it was Mrs. Obama’s turn to speak, she said, “I have to say, Secretary, it’s actually called The Dougie, not The Doogie. …I know your cool factor just went down by one, but it’s okay.”


The dougie lessons starts 1 minute into the video

Santorum Wants Lohan Endorsement

Last week, I mentioned that Miley Cyrus had a bone to pick with GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum. The former Senator isn't happy that Hannah Montana criticized him on the Twitters, but he's talking about the story nonetheless. On Monday, Santorum addressed the pop star's Twitter rant against him.

“When she came out against me, we actually had a family meeting and decided whether I can continue on in this process and, you know, we had to talk to the kids and it was difficult,” Santorum said. “But we’re actually holding out. We still think we might get Lindsay Lohan. And with that, we can continue. So, we’re waiting.”

**Note to the Senator's campaign, you might want to hold out for a little less controversial endorsement.

Jimmy McMillian Is A Ladies Man?

Jimmy McMillan has done many things in his life. He's run for Mayor of New York several times. He's run for Governor of the state. And now, he's running for President of the United States. But one thing Jimmiy McMillan's never done is fall in love.

If you thought presidential hopeful Jimmy McMillan was only about rent and it's propensity for being "too damn high," then we've got some news for you. Turns out, Mr. McMillan has all sorts of issues. Most of them seem to be with women, but they're issues nonetheless.

Wanted: Gov. LePage's "Open for Business" Sign

State police in Maine are investigating the disappearance of Gov. Paul LePage’s “Open for Business” sign from Interstate 95 and so far the ledes include a Craigslist ad and a ransom note left at Stephen King’s radio station. According to the Bangor Daily News, “It disappeared sometime before Memorial Day but has not been found. A tongue-in-cheek advertisement appeared briefly Thursday on Craigslist offering a “right-wing political sign” for $1,000. A similar message was left in a “ransom note” taped last week to the door of WZON-FM, according to a radio station employee. The note was composed using letters cut out of newspapers and magazines and glued to a piece of paper. State police say they have several leads on the stolen sign.”

Prime Minister Harper Gets a Cat

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a new pet cat and he’d like the internet to help name it. The Harpers announced the arrival of the newest, furry member of their family Saturday on the prime minister’s Facebook page — and offered the public the chance to name the grey tabby. Early suggestions from commenters included Majority (or Major), as well as the current favorite among his Facebook fans, Stanley—in honor of the Stanley Cup. Other choices include Gandalf, Griffin, Earl Grey, and Vingt-Quatre. The poll will close later today.

Sen. Schumer wants "Law & Order" Back in NYC

Attorney General Eric Holder may want “The Wire” back on television, but Sen. Chuck Schumer wants to bring "Law & Order" back to New York. “LA is a great city, but Law & Order is much better in NYC,” he tweeted on Thursday. Politico's writing, “The hit series used to be filmed in the Empire State, but its East Coast location was tossed aside for the sunny skies of Los Angeles last year. The New York Daily News reported that the senator wrote to NBC programming bigwig Bob Greenblatt urging him to move the show back East. He pointed out that if “Law & Order” comes home, it would mean about "4,000 jobs and about $79 million for the local economy."

Piper Palin--Star of the "One Nation" Bus Tour

Sarah Palin's East Coast tour may be a dry run for her potential presidential campaign, but the real star of the show this week has been the former governor's 10-year-old daughter, Piper. The youngest Palin daughter has been at her mom's side all this week during the ex-governor's tour of historical sites. Sarah Palin described her jaunt this week as a "family vacation," and Piper has had a starring role in her mother's diary from the road. But Piper isn't thrilled with all of the media attention that her mom’s bus tour is attracting. Upset with a Time magazine photographer snapping pictures, the 10-year-old reportedly said: “Thanks for ruining our vacation."

Justice Department Demands More Episodes of "The Wire"

Like me, Attorney General Eric Holder was a BIG fan of HBO’s cop drama “The Wire,” so on Tuesday while at an event with stars from the show, the AG took the opportunity to press the show’s creators to please, please, please make another season.

"I want to speak directly to Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon: Do another season of ‘The Wire'," Holder said, drawing laughter and applause from the audience. "That's actually at a minimum. … If you don't do a season, do a movie. We've done HBO movies, this is a series that deserves a movie. I want another season or I want a movie. I have a lot of power Mr. Burns and Mr. Simon."

Speaking at a press conference announcing the launch of the "Drug Endangered Children Public Awareness Campaign," Attorney General Holder was joined by Wire stars Wendell Pierce (Bunk), Sonja Sohn (Kima) and Jim True-Frost (Prez).

The Herman Cain Train is Here

Herman Cain is serious about his 2012 presidential bid. How serious do you ask? Well, he’s made a music video to accompany his campaign. Tech President says it’s a “spirited homegrown video that ends with Cain supporters repeating the campaign slogan "Raising some Cain." That reminds me of “Raisin’ McCain” from 2008, but I imagine John Rich was too busy winning this season of Celebrity Apprencite to record a song for Mr. Cain. Now, may I present to you, "The Official Herman Cain Train Music Video."