Hold that punch!

August 15, 2005
by Janet Donovan

Celebrities and politicians "spring from the same
DNA". Jack Valenti


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"I don't understand what gay people want from
me." "Are you looking for a revolution?"

"The heat in the gay press is that I didn't sock him,"
said Elizabeth Birch responding to the above
out of touch remarks by political pundit Pat Buchanan
during an interview on Birch & Company that launched
August 12th on the here! Gay Network.

In contrast to the controversial, uber conservative
Chicago Sun Times columnist and TV political commentator
Bob Novak who lost it on CNN last week (much to the glee of his detractors)
while thrashing it out with fast-talking, Democratic squawk box
with attitude James Carville, Birch remained in control of the sparring
interview with the arch (make that a double) conservative.

"In person he is like a grandfather figure, but a scary
one," continued Birch. She chose Buchanan in order
not to fall into a pattern of predictable guests
emphasizing her ongoing desire to understand what
drives each person and perspective. "He showed
up", added civil rights leader and Congressman Joe
Lewis, "That was a gracious act".

Gracious act? The only one gracious here was the
Congressman as Buchanan went on a biblical
reference tour of the sinful ways of a gay life.

At the preview launch hosted by The
Motion Picture Association of America viewers got an
intimate take on feisty TV talk show host Rosie
O'Donnell, the outspoken gay activist who was
the show's inaugural guest. Her very candid interview
not only displayed the star's determination for equal
rights but also unveiled her vulnerabilities and the
heartache she has endured under an unjust system.

The mother of three was particularly vocal about
adoption rights. "The baby Bushes have
done a lot of damage", said O'Donnell in reference to Florida laws
which prohibits adoption by gay couples. "Explain
Schiavo, when children of gays don't have basic rights."

Regarding her highly public law suit with the
magazine of her namesake which began to tank when
she 'came out' she said: "The lawsuit never would
have happened if I weren't a lesbian."

Closing arguments: "If being gay is such a horrible
sin it would have made the top ten," said Birch.

Well, gotta go now.....want to catch up on the
anti-gay priest caught up in a sex scandal with his
female worker.

"As rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral Monsignor Eugene Clark
blamed gays for "destroying the church", now he's been named as
"the other man" in a nasty divorce involving a woman who worked
for the diocese," according to New York's 365Gay.com
bureau chief Doug Windsor.

Clark's duties as a monsignor in the New York
Archdiocese included regular appearances on the
Catholic cable television network EWTN, on a
show called "Relationships." He also worked as an
editor of "When Conscience and Politics Meet: A Catholic
View."

In 1999 Clark told a Catholic radio audience that
gays are "the enemy of Christian marriage and
Christian falling in love and all the tenderness
that goes with that." In 2002 Clark blamed
gays for the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.
In a homily delivered from the pulpit at the cathedral Clark
called homosexuality a "disorder," and said gay men
should not be allowed to become priests. In a
radio broadcast he said Hollywood was
controlled by gays and their supporters advancing a
"homosexual agenda". All this from Monsignor Eugene
Clark, now caught up in his holy sex scandal
according to Windsor.

Now THAT will make the top ten. So that's
all folks!

Guests included Tammy Haddad, Executive
Producer of Hardball with Chris Matthews
and her husband Ted Greenberg as well as
Birch's longtime partner Hilary Rosen (second
from the right in the photo).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wait, this just in!

"Our great country is in a terrible downward spiral.
We're outsourcing jobs, bankrupting social security,
and losing lives at war. We need to focus on what's
important-- paying attention to our children, our
citizens, our future. We need to think about
improving our failing educational system, making
better use of our resources, and helping to promote
a stable, safe, and tolerant global society. It's time
to be smart about our politics. It's time to get
America back on track."

The Official
Homepage of the Walken 2008 Campaign (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=sscs4nbab.0.0.6la6f9n6.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walken2008.com)


Yup, that's all!

The Bobbsey Twins

August 4th 2005
Hollywood on The Potomac
by Janet Donovan

Celebrities and politicians "spring from the same
DNA". Jack Valenti

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John
McCain: Color them fraternal, although it's
harder to tell them apart these days.

McCain's outspoken, shoot-from-the hip style
enrages many right leaning conservatives, while
Clinton's electric slide to the middle angers left leaning
Democrats.

They'd make a formidable ticket in 2008
if they weren't after the same spot. Taken
separately, here are the odds for each according to
a recent Gallop poll: In WH '08 general match-ups,
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defeats Sen. Hillary Clinton
(D-NY) 50%-45%. (The Hotline) However, if
this poll is as accurate as those of the last two years
color it dubious.

The McCain/Clinton love fest took their road show to
D.C.'s Uptown Theater for the Premiere of Miramax's
The Great Raid based on the true story about
WWII American POW's. While the twosome was
fulfilling their senatorial obligations with a late night
vote, the audience fidgeted for an hour. Good thing that
arm candy Mark Conseulo and Benjamin Bratt
kept the felines happy while spunky talk show host
Kelly Ripa of Regis & Kelly fame engaged
the guys. Not a bad trade off!

With the credits still rolling, some 300 guests bolted
to the after party hosted by Capitol File at
the old Shoreham Hotel famous for Mark
Russell's "Musical Mischief"

Sema Olson, who may have otherwise gone
unnoticed in the celebrity laden crowd, was
there with her young son who had recently returned from
Iraq shy his left leg - a reminder of the oft unseen
horrors of war. The two will reside in Washington
throughout his recovery, according to her emails
which she signs "From the Proud Army Mom".

We couild be watching his story someday much as
we did The Great Raid , an amazing movie by
Harry Weinstein which not only highlights
the drama of war but the after affects - how quickly
we forget.

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Time Warp

It seems like both yesterday and a zillion years ago
that Speaker of the House Jim Wright resigned from
Congress amidst a monetary scandal. The sad part
is that whatever else he has ever done or will do in
life, that story alone will lead the obits.

What's ironic is that the scandals that have plagued
both Congress and the corporate world since then
make Wright's activities look like child's play. But,
rather than getting into all that jazz, check out Scandal, the
Culture of Mistrust in American Politics, by
Suzanne Garment.

In town for the release of his latest book The
Flying Circus : Pacific War--1943--as Seen Through
a Bombsight , the speaker was warmly received
by both former colleagues and friends. He and
his still glamorous wife Betty were relaxed and
enjoying their visit which included a personal tour of
the WWII Monument by Gen. P.X. Kelley who was on
the commission that completed the project.

According to the Speaker, the only thing he's done
wrong lately is choosing the wrong title for his book
as told to Inside the Beltway's John McCaslin at a private dinner
at Teatro Goldoni: "If I could have just changed two
words in the book's title, I could have sold a zillion
copies: Harry Potter's Flying Circus." Guests included
his former publisher Frank Margiotta, close friends
Janelle and Chuck Conconi (who recently left
Washingtonian Magazine),The Hill's Al Eisele and
CQ's Economics Editor Jodi Schneider with whom he had a lengthy
discussion regarding CAFTA vs. NAFTA. Look it up!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cruise Control: Going Bonkers, Inc.

Trust me: This is not an advertisement for Crest
White Stripes, although Tom Cruise would be
a good catch.

It's Tom Cruise in his latest reincarnation as
therapist, doctor and mentor to those afflicted with
post partum depression, a sometimes dangerous side
effect of child birth. It seems that Cruise has been
dispensing his wisdom not only to actress Brooke
Shields, but to anyone that will listen including
Today Show host Matt Lauer.

Guess that jumping up and down on Oprah's
sofa in a declaration of love for much younger
squeeze Katy Holmes simply wasn't attention
grabbing enough for this devout Scientologist,
whatever that means. Look it up!

Well, gotta go now to check my mailbox. Word has it
that the Runaway Bride's getting married. So that's
all folks!

Photo Credits: Senator John McCain, Senator Hillary
Rodham Clinton - Linda Roth.

Janelle Conconi, Chuck Conconi, former Speaker of
the House Jim Wright - Dan E. Moldea

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Yup, that's all.