Jon Stewart kicked off the night with some anger fueled by Mets love. Mets manager Willie Randolph was fired in a rather unceremonious manner. He was all the way on the other side of the country, contacted at 3:00 a.m. and fired by Mr. Met. Sick burn."The Gay After": In other news, same-sex marriage is now legal in California, and, somehow, the state is still attached to the rest of the country and it hasn't been engulfed in flames. Hmm, interesting. Some newsworthy couples have tied the knot since this announcement, including George Takei, who married his long-time partner. I just started one of my Summer mini-projects, watching the entire original Star Trek series in preparation for its TV Squad's Retro Squad week, and while I know I'm a newbie Trekkie, I'm pretty sure Takei's name is pronounced "Tek-ayy." It allows for maximum fun in rhyming, "George Takei is gay."
Surprisingly enough, Senior Legal Analyst John Oliver got in on this same-sex marriage action. He may not be gay, but he's got visa issues. He's gay for America and, since he needs that visa to work, I guess he's also gay for pay. His new husband was revealed to be none other than fellow correspondent Jason Jones, who needed some American ties to strip him of his Canadian-ness. Too bad John Oliver is definitely British.
JO: I'm British. You wanker.
JJ: I don't want to fight aboot this. Not on our honeymoon! [storms off]
JO: Here we go again, Jon. You know how it is. I have to chase the ol' ball and... ball. And penis.
No mention of the Canadian leaving his super-pregnant wife, Sam Bee, for this new life, though.
"Free Radicals": 400 Taliban members recently escaped from a prison in a Kandahar. 400 extra-angry, super-Islam radicals. Good news, villages in the surrounding area!
The night's guest was Lara Logan, Chief Foreign Correspondent for CBS News. I'll admit, I'm not a CBS News kind of gal, so I rarely ever see Logan's work. When she stepped onscreen, I kind of shrugged her off as another one of those delicate faces that draw in the male viewers. Boy, was I wrong. This lady was awesome in this interview. Let me get this straight... Logan has a fantastic, respectable job that she takes very seriously, she's gorgeous, she curses like a sailor, she's funny, she has a nifty accent, and she naturally speaks in that husky cold voice (I hope it's not weird that I enjoy what colds do to my voice). Have I got that straight? Then, I hate her. And I'm not just saying that because I'm threatened. Okay, I'm a little threatened. But all jealous girlcrushiness aside, this interview was really powerful. Even Mr. Jon Stewart seemed like he didn't know quite how to wrap up the discussion. She made some fantastic points about issues in mainstream journalism's focus and the plight of our soldiers. Logan isn't always this spot-on, is she? If so, I need to start watching.
Moment of Zen: George Takei says, "May equality live long and prosper." Congratulations, sir!
And a bonus Jason Jones/John Oliver slideshow! That garter photo was precious. I need a bigger version for my desktop. If I can't find one, I will settle for a tiny tattoo of the moment on my arm.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-18-2008 @ 12:00PM
Zachary said...
The end of the Mr. Met phone call: ... you son of a bitch, no disrespect, all due respect, fahgeddaboutit, how ya doin.
Poor Jon. I'd feel bad for him if I weren't a Phillies fan and didn't detest the Mets.
I'm glad you chose that picture for this article's image.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:09PM
Laura said...
You would be wrong. His name is pronounced "ta-kie" not "ta-kay". Not nearly as fun, I know. Sorry.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:24PM
Annie Wu said...
Oh, fail! Now I'm going to have to figure out an equally appropriate rhyme.
... "Takei likes guys"?
That'll have to do.
6-18-2008 @ 1:03PM
Fnor said...
Actually "Tah-kay-ee." I'm not funny enough to come up with a rhyme. Sorry.
6-18-2008 @ 1:10PM
Akbar Fazil said...
And actually you would be wrong. It is pronounced Ta-kay. Rhymes with "OK"
6-18-2008 @ 7:27PM
lyung said...
Actually, the "kei" part of Takei does rhyme with "gay". In Japanese, "ke" is pronounced to rhyme with the "eh" sound. If his name were Takai, then the last syllable of his name would rhyme with "pie".
6-18-2008 @ 12:40PM
Wu Kong said...
Lara Logan is a first-rate journalist. She has done so much in spotlighting what is actually going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the reason the soldiers respect her is because she is telling their story -- the good, the bad and the ugly.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:56PM
Vincent J. Murphy said...
And George didn't get married, he just got a marriage license: the ceremony isn't until September.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:12PM
KamenRiderTakoyaki said...
It's pronounced Ta-KAYY. Only people close to him know how he likes it done.
Doesn't this mean that Oliver's now Canadian?
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6-18-2008 @ 3:36PM
kristin said...
You can see George pronounce his name (Ta-kay) on my most favorite video of him ever, his response to Tim Hardaway's homophobia. Hilarious! Best! Video! Ever! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s1iQODC5OI
6-18-2008 @ 2:21PM
Nuski said...
Lara Logan, had me spell bound from the moment she walked out on the set. I couldnt help but fall fer her, I mean crazy fan boy, possible stalker fall for her.
That was before she even said one word, then when she started speaking, I was like looking on the her hands to see if there was a ring and once I saw no ring, then my mind went crazy. Then she started cursing I thought I died and went to heaven. I was all primed and ready to start an internet site dedicated to her and all her glory, ready to ditch my boring life and wait outside her home, ready to search her trash. Yea I dont know what kind of crazy power she just unleashed but I cant fight it. I never watch cbs news but from this moment on I need to see and hear her on my tv.
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6-18-2008 @ 3:41PM
Peanut said...
Is Samantha Bee still pregnant? How long is the gestation period of a Canadian anyway?
I once saw George Takei get a blowfish at my university bookstore.
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6-18-2008 @ 4:18PM
Peter Lynn said...
Is that a euphemism, Peanut?
6-18-2008 @ 6:04PM
Drew said...
I've always heard it pronounced "ta-kie" (rhymes with fly)
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6-18-2008 @ 9:27PM
Zachary said...
You're all wrong. It's pronounced ni-MOY.
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6-19-2008 @ 12:05AM
StillBash said...
You know it's interviews like this one that sometimes make me wonder whether it would be a good idea to actually take one episode each year of TDS and show all what they demand of the major news networks and the big four to show. Because otherwise I guess it would never be shown. Usually the interviews are all light and funny and it's kind of "ha ha" but when Logan said if she had to watch the regular US news she would blow her brains out that's how I feel every time I am to the US and turn on the TV. Yes it is THAT horrible. And TDS as well as TCR are the only way to laugh about this instead of actually starting to cry about the ignorance and callousness that's US TV news. There is a good reason why my country was so against the war in Iraq. The basic reason is this: we got the "other" side of the story. You know the part where it said that the yellow cake from africa was just a hoax. That the truck for fabricating nerve gas actually looked like something that could be used for all and everything. Even people on TV from the "german CIA" telling the viewers that nothing is as certain as it is portrayed by Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheyney and Powell.
And again it's interviews like this one that really leave a huge stone in my stomach that reminds me of the fact that in the past five years NOTHING has changed when it comes to the "regular news" on US television. It's so f***ing disappointing. There was a time when I laughed at those people Jay Leno meets on the street who display their ignorance about history, geography et cetera. I can't anymore. I mean how idiotic is it that people can't point out on a map where their own country is currently fighting? How insane is it that they actually think that Saddam Hussein was involved in the planning of 9/11? That more people believe that the US government was involved in the attacks than those who just know that it was wrong to leave Afghanistan before it was actually conquered? That more people know baseball statistics than the fact that (as Jon said) the purest form of black tar heroin is produced in Afghanistan?
I don't know if it is a good idea to have guest like this on the show. It makes you stop laughing. But then again who else would report the REAL news? How f***ed up is it that the best source for the actual news are two shows on a comedy network owned by Sumner Redstone?
Anyway, again a great review Annie. I love your vast knowledge of pop culture and should you ever leave this website please drop a note where you're headed so I can keep following your stuff.
You should really consider getting your talent on TDS. If not as a correspondent then maybe as a writer.
Nice - I fulfilled my weekly quota of kissassery in only one post. I shouldn't have watched "Leading to War" and "High Fidelity" right before writing this.
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6-19-2008 @ 1:55AM
jam said...
Outstanding that Lara Logan has now also come on the show, after having Richard Engel. I dont have as much time nowadays, but for a few months I had iTunes subscription to vidcasts of both NBC Nightly News and CBS Evening News ( I dont have 40+ minutes each day now to watch those anymore 8( ), and I was always rooting when they put on either Engel or Logan's work.
I can certainly believe her comments regarding the public's preferred intake of information and news, and how her (would it be a?) producer was dismissive of her report due to its supposed lack of variety or high-profile, nwell-recognized names. I remember one of the things I liked the least about the CBS news was the friday assignment america, or stories along that line. I'm definitely not saying that those type of feel-good stories dont have a place in media, but it always felt like the purpose of those pieces was to attract viewers with their "happy ending" stories. *shrug* Some of them were indeed very heartwarming. I dunno......
And lastly, yeah, Lara Logan is hot. Total NILF (she was indeed in that bit)
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