Tucker Carlson: Blowhard or Gay Basher?

Let me rephrase that as "and Gay Basher," since Tucker's been blowing hard for decades. If you've missed this ongoing story, here goes.

In an MSNBC Live interview, Tucker, in a lame-assed attempt to demonstrate his manliness, claimed to have "bashed" a gay man in a men's room for coming on to him. Transcript below.

ABRAMS: Tucker, what did you do, by the way? What did you do when he did
that? We got to know.
CARLSON: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you
know, and grabbed him, and -- and --
ABRAMS: And did what?
CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually!
[laughter]
CARLSON: And then the cops came and arrested him. But let me say that I'm
the least anti-gay right-winger you'll ever meet --

Note the laughter--not just from Tucker, but from Dan Abrams and Joe Scarborough, as well.

Verdict: Tucker's either 1) laying it on thick to increase his frat boy credentials; or 2) a criminal. Just to be safe, I'd go with 3) an asshat without a shred of credibility.

And if you want to see another conservative go down in flames, here's the video:

Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?

I've been away for a while: getting ready to travel, travelling, and recovering from travelling. But I'm back now, full of beans, and ready to take this show on the road.

More tomorrow.

Fanboy Ecstasy

1. J.J. Abrams Cloverfield phenomenon has mushroomed out of control. It's everywhere, even on VH1--the channel for shortbus hipsters to lazy too actually be cool. If you haven't seen the trailer, it's here. And don't forget the weird/dumb movie website with the moveable photos. Do a Google search if you want to see theories, fake websites, predictions, parodies, et al. Survey says: Fanboy wet dream.


2. David Duchoveny claims there is a second X-Files movie in the works. Please, let it be so. And please, let it not suck.


3. Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! was broadcast on the TCM cable channel last week. Outstanding. Even better was the post-movie chat between Robert Osborne and Tod Oldham. Hilarious--especially Osborne's face when Oldham compared the Russ Meyer gem to Citizen Kane with nary a whisper of irony.

Why the iPhone Matters

I'm already a fan. Farhad Manjoo explains why you should be, too.

"We all have phones and iPods, but the portable Internet is a fairy tale every tech company has been laboring to realize for a long while. So far, we've got nothing very great. The best portable Internet app is e-mail on a BlackBerry, and it feels stunted compared with what you get on a full machine.

Apple says the iPhone will give us the Internet on the go -- and because Apple has a vaunted history of making good on big claims about consumer technology, it's wise to take it seriously."

Update: Check out a video blog of the iPhone line in Manhattan. The feed stopped at 10:39 AM, so we don't, in fact, get to see any hipsters trampled in the bumrush for the door.

Vice-President for Torture

I'm a big Andrew Sullivan fan. Even when he's wrong. His persistent defense of our country's moral obligation not to torture--yes, that's right, we shouldn't torture--is only one of many reasons this man should be read everyday by every thinking American.

A fine example:

...it is a doctrine completely toxic to democratic self-government and to the entire principle of a president obedient to the rule of law. It is tyranny - enabled by lawyers. It is really stunning in retrospect how adamant Cheney is on this, and how utterly contemptuous of public and world opinion he is. It is almost as if torture is his primary weapon in the war. You get the distinct sense that, in wartime, he finds democracy itself repugnant. The feeling, Mr Vice-president, is mutual.

Blog Update

My ongoing feature Insult of the Week has become Insult of the Day. The first post in this new format is below.

Q: Why the change?

A: Visitors like this feature.

Q: Why do people like it?

A: Because they are mean.

File Under: Hell No!

The craziest job you never knew existed, and will have nightmares about tonight. Hat tip: The Cunning Realist.

glumbert.com - High Power Job

Insult of the Week #2

Village Voice headline: Is Eli Roth a poseur or a pussy? Maybe both.

'Nuff said.

Gay Assimilation: Good or Bad? Discuss

The news from Russia certainly makes me rethink my longing for the good old days of the gay subculture. It's easy to forget how bad it was, even as one remembers the parts that were engergizing and fun.

Don't get me wrong. I've always thought of myself as assimilated, even when it wasn't true. And even to the point of getting ultra-lefty activists pissed at my desire for ordinariness. But I always had the subculture to fall back on if things got too safe.

That's why Little Britain's Daffyd Thomas is a brilliant tonic. As "the only gay in the village", he reminds us that there is a certain comfort and stability to be found in victimhood. But enjoying it is very limiting--and only possible when you're not actually being beaten.

Religion + Skinheads = Idiots

Nationalist and pro-fascist thugs (with help from militant Orthodox Christians) attacked and beat peaceful gay rights protesters in Moscow yesterday. Who do the police arrest? The gay demonstrators, of course. In front of the office of the mayor, who last year called gays "satanic". Personally, I think that any coalition that includes Orthodox priests, skinheads, and the elderly is pretty fucking satanic. Perhaps now we can put to rest thoughts that Russia can join civilized nations at the same table.

Wi-Fi iPod?

CyberNet says maybe. It's an old article, but it still made my ears perk up.

Conservatives Want the Terrorists to Win

From AP:

Lawmakers who say the military has kicked out 58 Arabic language experts because they were gay want the Pentagon to explain how it can afford to let the valuable specialists go.

Seems to me: Bigots = Traitors.

Kirk Cameron Proves God Exists

The usually unreadable Slate digs deep.

[T]he God Squad had but three arguments on behalf of the big guy: All things have makers; the human conscience is evidence of a higher moral power; if you read the Gospel, then Christ will be revealed to you. For reasons too stupid to type, this was not an airtight case, and the atheists made quick work of it in tones of juvenile sarcasm.

Now let's pray for Passion of Tina Yothers?