In today’s Facebook culture, we all have an opportunity to share with the world our favorite pop culture: books, magazines, musicians, movies, etc. Head to my page, and you get a candid look at the artists and writers whom I enjoy — from Springsteen to Twain to Tony Soprano.
But while I don’t mislead my “friends,” I must admit — particularly from my previous political perch — that I’ve never engaged in full pop culture disclosure. Indeed, I have some unusual favorite acts and shows about which I’m a little embarrassed to admit.
Since part of my recovery as a recovering politician is complete candor, I will now finally admit some of my most guilty pop culture pleasures. I hope you still respect me in the morning.
Here goes:
5. ” I Want it That Way,” The Backstreet Boys
A boy band? Why are you looking at me like that? First of all, two of BSB are Kentucky boys; one’s even from Lexington. Sure they’re purty. And frankly I can’t stand most of their music. But have you ever listened to this song? The harmonies are exquisite, the lyrics are charming, and the performance is pitch-perfect. I even get a little verklempt listening to it. So what if I make sure my car windows are closed before I start belting the chorus along with them? I am proud to finally admit it — I want it that way!
4. People Magazine
Finally, 20 years of blackmail by my barber are over. No longer will I hide my People underneath a Sports Illustrated cover. I will revel in the celebrity-friendly gossip, the true tales of ordinary bravery or tragedy, the truly significant debate over who is really the sexiest man alive! (My vote still goes to George Clooney.) While I never touch the mean-spirited tabloids, and I’ve outgrown the uber-sophomoronic lad mags, I will now fully embrace my inner fanboy and simply accept that a haircut is not complete unless I have scoured two Peoples. And I dare you to try to resist its all-American charm.
3. MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenges
If Real World is the grandaddy of reality programming, than this “spinoff” is its seriously deranged cousin. I’ve recently grown tired of the standard Real World formula: take 7 great looking, stupid young people, give them lots of alcohol and watch them fight and “hook up.” The Challenges take the prettiest, the stupidest, and the least alcohol-resistant, take them to an exotic location, ply them with booze, place them in ridiculous competitions, and offer the “winner” loads of money. Watch them scheme, backstab, betray, and otherwise destroy each other. What results is the week’s funniest 60 minutes of television.
Read the rest of… The RP’s Top 5 Guilty Pleasures: What Are Yours?
Witha full week that began with Fathers’ Day tributes and ended with anti-Semitic insults, we here at The Recovering Politician are relieved that the weekend has arrived.
But next week, we will be up in full force again. On Monday, we debut our newest recovering politician, Greg Harris, who served as a Council Member for the City of Cincinnati and now is doing some great work for his hometown from the private sector.
We will have much more as well, including a bunch of stuff that we can’t even anticipate right now. So rest up and join us on Monday!
We began it with the debut of former Republican National Chairman Michael Steele at The Recovering Politician, and we end it with more national feedback on the RP’s article earlier this week denouncing the injection of anti-Semitic language into the political debate in Kentucky.
If you thought we’d take a rest from controversy, tomorrow another contributing RP joins the RP in his call for President Obama to endorse gay marriage now.
Come back for the latest developments tomorrow AM!
Within the past hour, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) issued a release that strongly denounced the anti-Semitic language used by former Kentucky GOP gubernatorial candidate, Larry Forgy, in a TV interview that was discussed earlier today at The Recovering Politician.
[T]his incident is deeply troubling and deserves condemnation from all who believe that anti-Semitic language and canards have no place in our political discourse.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jun 23, 2011 at 12:15 PM ET
Earlier this week, I wrote a piece for The Huffington Post that shared some absurd and offensive comments made by Larry Forgy — a former Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nominee and a prominent supporter of GOP State Senator David Williams’s 2011 campaign for Governor — regarding the Jewish faith of Governor Steve Beshear’s running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson:
The “only reason” Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear picked former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson to be his running mate was “to attract New York and Hollywood Jewish money” for the campaign.
See the interview with Insight’s CN2 “Pure Politics” below.
Of course, in typical Williams style, he blamed a Democrat for starting the controversy.
Me:
Unfortunately, Larry Forgy stood his ground in another interview with Insight. Forgy claimed that Jews such as George Soros, Barbra Streisand and Steve Spielberg would be pumping in significant loads of cash to support their co-religionist’s bid for Lt. Governor. Of course, the reporter followed the interview by noting that none of the those famous names had contributed; and in fact, the Beashear campaign had raised only a tiny fraction of his campaign war chest in New York and Los Angeles.
I share the video interview below with a little hesitation. I want to assure my out-of-state readers that this is not a reflection of the significant majority of Kentucky citizens who have embraced their Jewish brothers and sisters and do not believe in a Jewish conspiracy led by Soros, Streisand and Spielberg that dominates national politics. With that caveat, check out the video below:
Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee Chair and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland joins the team as a contributing RP.
Tomorrow, he weighs in on energy policy, and suffice at to say, he has a different viewpoint than the RP. Remember: Michael was the originator of the catch phrase: “Drill Baby, Drill!”
And that’s what The Recovering Politician is all about — a post-partisan dialogue on the issues of the day. Please join us and comment away tomorrow at 8:30 AM.
Today’s list emerges from my admission a few weeks ago that I never liked John Edwards because he reminded me of the pretty-boy jock in high school whom I envied and privately despised. Turns out there were other — less personally insecure — reasons to object to the former Senator.
But this journey of introspection into my high school-based shallow steretoyping — as I argue, a trait that most every human shares — has helped me understand why I unfairly disliked other pop culture figures, and how age and hopefully wisdom has helped me understand the error of my ways.
As you read my list of the Top Five Pretty Boys that I Begrudgingly Admire, I encourage you to think about whether you apply a similarly unfair standard to high-profile celebrities. Or whether I’m just full of Freudian psycho-babble.
Here goes:
5. Alec Baldwin
As a youth delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention (my first of six), I had two brushes with greatness. First, I stayed at the same hotel and shared an elevator with Rob Lowe (who just barely missed this list) at the height of his fame. (I learned a few months later that he temporarily derailed his career a few floors below my room in an encounter with an underage girl.) Second, was my attending a speech to our delegation by a then-unknown-to-me supporting actor in a movie I hadn’t seen (Married to the Mob). My frustration at attracting merely a C-list actor was heightened by the cliched bromides the pretty boy shouted at crowd. I grew to despise Alec Baldwin. His ridiculous marriage to the gorgeous town-purchasing Kim Basinger, and his dramatic movie career in which he seemed to always play the same arrogant pretty man that I assumed him to be in real life only accentuated my feelings. And then he gained a bunch of weight. I ended my Baldwin boycott, and watched his hilarious hosting turns on Saturday Night Live (Ahh.. Schwetty Balls), and his frankly brilliant portrayal of Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock (I still think this scene in which he performs family therapy for Tracy Morgan is his finest work.) The man is a comedic genius. And in re-watching Glengarry Glen Ross, I’m forced to admit, the pretty boy can act. (Coffee is for closers!)
4. Tom Brady
Growing up in Kentucky before the advent of the Tennessee Titans, the logical NFL team to support was the Cincinnati Bengals. OK, stop laughing. As ESPN The Magazine just ackowledged by rating the Bungles the very worst professional sports franchise — 122nd place to be exact — I was forced to find another team. After a childhood infatuation with the Dallas Cowboys, I ultimately settled on my college-area team, the New England Patriots. That, of course, was an uninspired choice for more than a decade; until 2001, when it looked like the team had the makings of a champion. Then our quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, went down, and was replaced by the unheralded pretty-boy in his second season, Tom Brady. I refused to give him credit for that Super Bowl win, and the rings he won in 2004 and 2005 were overshadowed in my mind by his dumping the pregnant Bridget Moynahan for the supermodel Gisele. But Brady kept improving, winning MVP awards and leading the Pats to an almost-perfect 2007 season. I gave up. I’m a Brady fan. No matter how pretty he is.
(WARNING: Next Pretty Boy Picture –after the jump — is NSFW)
Read the rest of… The RP: Top 5 Pretty Boys I Begrudgingly Admire
Within the past hour, the National Jewish Democratic Council weighed in on the controversy:
Former Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Forgy inappropriately injected anti-Semitic language into the Kentucky gubernatorial race on behalf of current Republican candidate David Williams. Williams is challenging current Governor Steve Beshear and his running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, is Jewish…
Forgy’s comment is deeply troubling and has absolutely no place in our political discourse. His statement should be condemned by all who believe that candidates should refrain from using religious innuendo, especially anti-Semitic canards.
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jun 20, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
Veteran political reporter Jack Brammer revealed in this morning’s Lexington Herald-Leader that Larry Forgy, the 1995 GOP nominee for Governor in Kentucky and a leading supporter of State Senate President David Williams’ 2011 bid for that same office, made the following statement:
The “only reason” Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear picked former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson to be his running mate was “to attract New York and Hollywood Jewish money” for the campaign.
The Williams campaign has not issued a comment on Forgy’s statement.
I have.
The Huffington Post published my response — as well as my analysis of the state of anti-Semitism in Bible Belt politics. Here’s an excerpt:
Seven years ago, when former GOP U.S. Senator Jim Bunning’s huge re-election lead was in free fall due to a series of missteps made by the cantankerous Baseball Hall of Famer, State Senate President David Williams rode to the rescue, armed with a slew of gay-baiting innuendos about Bunning’s then-single, heterosexual opponent.
It worked. Bunning’s numbers steadied, and he squeaked out a 1 point victory.
Alas, gay-baiting won’t stick this time: The Governor’s been happily married for more than four decades.
Instead, at least one of Williams’ most high-profile supporters appears poised to try a much older strategy, one that’s been used successfully for centuries: highlighting the Jewish faith of Beshear’s running mate, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.
4. People Magazine
3. MTV’s Real World/Road Rules Challenges
