CitizenSugar -- Breaking News, Together.

Paper or Cash? Supermarket Bagger Returns Lost $10,000

LibertySugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0800

Moses, a supermarket bagger, says the bible inspired him to return $10,000 in cash he found in his store's bathroom. Moses explained: "I teach at Sunday school with 10-year-old kids and I always tell them to do the right thing."

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CNN deemed Moses' action so unusually generous that it sent a reporter to the store to discuss his decision making process. But perhaps choosing to return the money isn't so surprising. Despite the lure of free money, $10,000 on a bathroom floor seems a little fishy. Maybe Moses didn't want to get mixed up in any trouble, since someone would probably come looking for the cash.

What would you do if you found $10,000 in a bathroom?

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Battle For Turkey Pardon Would Make Great Reality TV

LibertySugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:00:23 -0800

Last night on her show, Rachel Maddow described the grueling elimination process conducted to select two lucky turkeys who receive the president's Thanksgiving pardon.

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The competition begins with 13 turkeys, who then get trained to be comfortable around humans. The two turkeys with the best personalities won George W. Bush's pardon and a first-class trip to Disneyland, where they act as grand marshalls of the Thanksgiving parade and live happily ever after in Disneyland's frontier land.

As for the unlucky losers — you might meet one of the kicked-off turkeys at your local Subway. Watch Rachel break it down, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Real or Fake? Giving Thanks to Sarah Palin

CitizenSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:30:24 -0800

Everything about this video produced to give thanks for Sarah Palin sounded legitimate, and then I watched it. And everything — save the part about the troops — looks like a parody that Tina Fey will jump into at any second. Yet it all checks out. It will air on cable station across the US this weekend. A conservative group called Our Country Deserves Better claims to have paid for and created the ad as a counterattack to the media bashing thrown her way. But the conspirator in me says it cannot be real. Or can it?

Real or Fake? Giving Thanks to Sarah Palin

Yes, it can.

Moose chili? No!

So few choices! I'll tell you below.

John Legend & Stephen Colbert Experience the Joys of Nutmeg

LibertySugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:30:06 -0800

Thinking outside the fake-news (gift)box last night, Stephen Colbert premiered A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All. John Legend sang about his love of nutmeg, while Jon Stewart took the opportunity to teach Stephen about Hanukkah with his own serenade. Other guests included Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, and Feist.

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If you missed the union of two of my favorite things in the world — the holiday season and Stephen Colbert — you can buy the DVD or download it on iTunes tomorrow. The soundtrack, sure to join Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey on the list of classic holiday albums, will also go on sale. A portion of the proceeds go to Feeding America. Did you catch Stephen's holiday special?

Jon Stewart on Irony: 69% of Blacks Voted For Prop. 8

LibertySugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

While opponents of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, protest carrying signs that say "Separate Is Never Equal," they failed to find effective allies in other traditionally marginalized groups. Sixty-nine percent of African-Americans voted for Proposition 8. Thus, high turnout among that demographic eager to vote for Barack Obama also led to a defeat for proponents of marriage equality. On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart discussed Tuesday night's irony: America elected its first African-American president, as California wrote discrimination into its constitution.

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Natalie Portman and Rashida Jones Vote Along Feline Lines

Molly — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 23:05:00 -0800

Natalie Portman and Rashida Jones are once again here to talk about the important issues — first they took on the economic crisis with puppies and now they're here to urge us to vote with kittens. With election day just hours away and early voting taking place all over the country, there may be a record turnout at the polls. If you're having trouble making your final decisions, Natalie and Rashida have a furry suggestion. Check out the video below for a little laugh before November 4 is finally upon us.

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

Sarah Palin Gets Pranked! Chats With Faux President Sarkozy

LibertySugar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Yesterday Sarah Palin happily took a call from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Only problem: two Canadian comedians merely pretending to be the French president were on the line. Despite the tres bad French accent, the Alaska governor carried on the conversation about how Sarkozy could see Belgium from his house. And it got even better — Palin listened politely as the man she thought was the French president discussed his love for the pornography starring Palin's look-a-like. Oh la la.

Palin even chatted policy, saying Sarkozy's help for the French middle class was a great example. Perhaps she's not as afraid of socialists as she lets on.

Don't worry — she isn't the first leader the duo has embarrassed. She now joins Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy as victims of the same comedians. Keeping her good humor, Palin's camp released a statement following the prank: "C'est la vie." Take a listen, and then let GiggleSugar know if the joke was funny, or too mean.

The Daily Show Checks in With Joe the Community Organizer

LibertySugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:30:00 -0700

While Joe the Plumber works on his country music record deal, The Daily Show's John Oliver hit the streets to find out what "Joe the Community Organizer" really does. He chatted with ACORN's chief organizer and a community organizer watchdog, who points out that Osama Bin Laden is in fact a community organizer as well. Check it out!

Obama on the Daily Show — Better Than His 30-Minute Ad?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:07:31 -0700

Here's the second installment of "the night Barack Obama took over the television." Appearing via satellite on the Daily Show before his 11 p.m. rally with Bill Clinton (so late!) Obama described his big infomercial to Jon Stewart, re-running Michelle's line about his kids being afraid he was taking over all the TV. Stewart asked of the commercial, ". . . Will it. . . annoy us?" Fair question, sir! Poking fun at some of the scare tactics used against Obama, Stewart brought up the specter of the "Bradley Effect" and asked whether Obama might hit the booth on the 4th and his white half might be scared to vote for him. After chatting for a bit, Obama said, "This is the time to want to be president. . . now is the time when you can have some impact." Obama summed up his visit saying that despite being a "pretty conservative nation, " we now have "big challenges and problems that give us a chance to really move in a new direction." It was a better satellite connection than usual — both Obama and Stewart drew audience laughs and cheers — sometimes that satellite delay kills any sort of comedic timing. What did you think? Was this appearance better than his 30-minute infomercial?

Obama on the Daily Show — Better Than His 30-Minute Ad?

The Daily Show was cute, but I really liked the infomercial — it was the perfect pitch.

The Daily Show all the way. He was relaxed and compelling, the big ad was too much.

Neither! Big deal, he bought an infomercial and was on late night TV. Not interesting.

Both. Each appearance succeeded in its own way and I liked the whole night.

Other. I'll tell you my opinion in the comments.

Are Obama's Volunteers Just Drunk at This Point?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:25:57 -0700

Are Obama's Volunteers Just Drunk at This Point? Have you ever phone-banked? It's pretty dull, even if you are helping people help themselves by voting FOR CHANGE. Have you tried drinking while making cold calls for Obama? The election is nigh; clearly Obama's army is overworked, overtired, and inebriated. Listen to the pretty funny results. . .

Biden Talks Crazy Crisis on SNL: Guffaws or Groans?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:29:08 -0700

"Gird your loins!" Yeah! My favorite quote of last week made it into the opening of SNL last night where Joe Biden and John Murtha attempted to remove their feet from their mouths for certain "crises" and "redneck" statements. Biden just blusters on with the thought. "Our military may invade Pakistan, or surrender to the Chinese. We may sell Hawaii to Saudi Arabia or just destroy it, so it can't fall in to North Korean hands. But just reserve your judgment — we know what we're doing!" Really? Let's watch and just see about that. Biden's bombastic soothsaying continues, "If Barack Obama is elected, we will have a crisis. And when this crisis hits, and it will! In the second week of February, we may do some weird things." It's followed by a list of other crazy things Biden could say when he should know better. Punctuated with Murtha trying to get a word in edgewise about how he didn't mean redneck, he meant racist and ignorant to the modern world, it was a cavalcade of "not helping! Stop talking while you're ahead!" moments. Just like the campaign itself. Ah, philosophy on a Sunday morning. Also in the political scheme of things, Maya Rudolph made her debut as Michelle Obama in a sketch about the variety hour Obama is going to turn his 30-minute television spot into this week. I hope it's true! It looks better than the Carol Burnett Show and Hee Haw! combined.

Biden Talks Crazy Crisis on SNL: Guffaws or Groans?

Guffaws! Finally, Joe gets skewered for his crazy big mouth!

I'd laugh if the thought behind his original statement wasn't so scary.

Groans. It was one remark taken completely out of context. Get over it!

Other. I'll holler my opinion in the comments.

Will Ferrell Back as Bush on SNL Thursday: Ha! or Blah?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:00:57 -0700

In a class reunion of sorts between two SNL alums and two of the most recognizable and/or popular political impressions, last night's Thursday edition had Bush meeting Palin — for an endorsement of a very special kind. Asking where McCain was to receive this special blessing and waxing on the experience of his last eight years in office, "Bush" said, "George Bush always finds his man, save for one huge exception." He went on, complimenting Fey-lin on her folksiness, saying, "For a while I was trying to be folksy, but after a bit, it just came off 'douchey'" Do we say that? Does the fake president say that about the real one? With a higher level nod to perhaps the perception of his own VPs role, the faux-Bush said the job was important because the Veep, "decides when we go to war, how we tax the citizens, and how we interpret the Constitution." When McCain enters, Bush is bound and determined to get his endorsement in, regardless of McCain's reluctance — which I guess is satire, but I watched the real one back in March. . . I think "similarities" is the word we'd use. Though Will's Bush has a tinge of Ricky Bobby now, it was nice to see him back. While Pat Buchanan has some strong words for what he sees as a double-standard when it comes to the show's mockery, what did you think of the ersatz endorsement?

Will Ferrell Back as Bush on SNL Thursday: Ha! or Blah?

Ha! Almost makes me wish the ticket was Palin/Bush so we could have eight years of it.

Blah. So sick of the "Bush and Palin are dumb hicks" trope. Can we move on? Please?

Other. I'll give my own endorsement in the comments.

Jon Stewart Stands Up For Fake Americans

LibertySugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Last week in North Carolina Sarah Palin said, "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation." In what may have been her "cling-to-guns" moment, Sarah Palin potentially alienated the large portion of America that does not live in small towns.

Some critics say Palin's comments were polarizing at best, and perhaps at worst a veiled attempt to say real America is white, not multi-ethnic like the cities. Jon Stewart found a positive edge – if McCain loses the "American" election, he can still be president of the real America that matters. Despite his attempt at silver lining, Palin's comments obviously upset Jon, who also said on last night's show: "I guess if you're from New York City and you signed up to fight in Iraq and died, it doesn't count."

Jon went on to issue a quiz to help viewers figure out if they're in fact "real Americans." To take the quiz with Jon,

The Real Sarah Palin on SNL! Hysterical or Predictable?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:01:40 -0700

This is it! After inspiring the most talked-about impersonation since Will Ferrell's Bush, the Real Sarah Palin was on SNL last night, opening the show and showing up to Weekend Update (can I say she looked very comfortable behind that news desk?) She seemed the picture of a good sport and kind of in her element. Check out what happens when Alec Baldwin confuses Palin for Fey-lin. . . . Alec Baldwin? Not so smooth at reading the cue cards, but he grabbed Palin's arm like they were old pals — and the moment where Palin and Fey-lin pass each other? I giggled. Plus! A Baldwin joke. What did you think? Did you stay up for SNL? Here's the other sketch Sarah Palin was in, the Update rap. It does make me wish upon wishes that Palin had actually done the rap herself. Drill, baby Drilla!

The Real Sarah Palin on SNL! Hysterical or Predictable?

Hysterical! Who knew she had it in her? I dug (and drilled) it.

It was cute, but nothing to write home about.

Predictable. You're right, if she'd done the rap? Now that would have been funny.

Other. I'll tell you what I thought in the comments.

McCain/Letterman, Biden/Leno, SNL/Crazy Lady? All Here!

CitizenSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:00:22 -0700

Just when we thought it was going to get all grim and serious for the last 18 days of the election, the funnies come marching in! After LOL performances by both candidates at the Al Smith dinner — and despite jokes falling 7-1 against Republicans, which I'm sure were helped in part by Letterman's recent . . . . disgruntlement with McCain — the Mac showed up and told Dave last night the line more men might take advantage of: "I screwed up."

After taking a helicopter to the show to make darn sure he didn't miss it this time, Dave asked, "can you stay?" Laughs, but not all fun and games — he also hit McCain with serious questions about his association with Watergate player G. Gordon Liddy.

It was a tough and funny night — but McCain and Dave weren't the only ones yukking it up. SNL was on last night, and Joe Biden stopped by Leno — to see the clips,

Obama and McCain Roast and Make Up at Al Smith Dinner

LibertySugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:00:33 -0700

Last night's Alfred Smith Dinner put on by Catholic Charities was exactly what we all needed to get through the last 18 days of this grueling election. After months/years of pretending to live in an alternate universe where their talking points define reality, Barack Obama and John McCain not only acknowledged the headlines we've all been reading, but did so with a dose of self-deprecating, and opponent-deprecating, humor. While it was swell to see the candidates having fun, I was most excited that I got to laugh at this campaign, rather than sigh in disbelief, frustration, or suspense.

Some of Obama highlights:

"Can somebody tell me what happened to the Greek columns I requested? I do love the Waldorf-Astoria. I hear from the doorstep you can see all the way to the Russian Tea Room.”
“Barack is actually Swahili for ‘that one.’ And I got my middle name from someone who obviously didn’t think I’d ever run for president."
“My greatest strength is my humility. My greatest weakness is that I am a little too awesome.”

Some of McCain's highlights:

"It's going to be a long, long night at MSNBC if I manage to pull this thing off. I understand that Keith Olbermann has ordered up his very own Mission Accomplished banner. And they can hang that in whatever padded room has been reserved for him."
Bill Clinton "has been hammering away with me with epithets like, "hero."
Says that Joe Biden falsely claims that Joe The Plumber isn't rich enough to trigger the Obama tax hike; "What they don't know is that Joe The Plumber recently signed a lucrative contract to handle all the work on all seven of their houses."

There are many, many, more good jokes. To see the video,

Republicans on the Receiving End of Late-Night Jokes 7-1

LibertySugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:45:33 -0700

If you're staying up to watch John McCain make his grand, and potentially awkward, return to David Letterman tonight, you should expect to hear seven jokes about McCain's party for each joke made about the Democrats.

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According to the Center For Media and Public Affairs, since McCain tapped Sarah Palin, 286 jokes have been made about the Republicans by late-night comics compared to 42 about the Democrats. Even material-producing Joe Biden, set to appear on Leno tonight, doesn't find himself the butt of many jokes. I guess the availability of a Sarah Palin comedian look-alike got Joe off the hook.

Perhaps Republicans should take it as a compliment — maybe they're just funnier than Democrats! Do you think late-night skewering could help kick politicians out of power?

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Lighten Up: Palin As President — Play With Her Oval Office

CitizenSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:00:56 -0700

Here it is folks, the uber-viral goodie of the day: PalinAsPresident. It couldn't be more straightforward — run your mouse over just about everything in the pic and see an admittedly editorial view of what a Palin administration might look like. To wit: knock the trash can over and see the science magazine inside.

The list of baby names on the wall are pretty good — Cashew? The site promises to update every day from now until the election, so go knock yourselves out! One wonders what a Biden or Obama version look like?

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Who's the Original Guy to say Obama Is a Muslim? Andy Martin

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:25:33 -0700

Who's the Original Guy to say Obama Is a Muslim? Andy Martin The "Obama is a Muslim" platform sure is catchy. Bet you think that Steve Schmidt is one shrewd guy to make that the campaign's overarching message. The real architect of of the Muslim idea is some guy named Andy Martin, a self-described "colorful person" who back in 2004 sent around an "Obama Is a Muslim" press release.

Briefing Book! Michelle Obama Stops By the Daily Show

LibertySugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Michelle: Jon Stewart asks Michelle Obama — who is Barack Obama? Watch the entire interview. —Huffington Post
Food: Are restaurant bans a good idea? SF officials want to ban new restaurants to save shoe repairs, laundromats, and hardware stores. — YumSugar
Sex: Can this be pro-life? Bush administration quietly cutting off birth control supplies to some of the world's poorest women in Africa. — NYTimes
Economy: Eratic behavior? Obama blasts McCain's plan to buy up bad mortgages. — Politico
Toughness: Was that an invitation? McCain should accept Obama's invitation to repeat criticisms to his face. — Townhall

Briefing Book! Last Night's Debate . . . Comic Book Style

LibertySugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Series of Town Halls: A few highlights from Nashville in graphic-novel form. — 23/6
Debate Winner: The winner of the debate? That one. — Huffington Post
Arnold: What did the Terminator say to the Hockey Mom? Miss Alaska is beating Mr. Universe. — Radar
Smoking Laws: No Smoking? Shanghai outlaws smoking inside public places, but only during certain hours. — Shanghaiist
Palin: What does Fred Thompson think? Ex-candidate defends Sarah Palin. — Townhall
Authors: Melissa Walker is the latest author to throw her two-cents for Obama in the YA for Obama blog. How can the under-18s get involved? Here's how. — YA for Obama

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The Case of the Missing SNL Bailout Sketch: What Happened?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:55:29 -0700

This is an odd story, the mysterious disappearance of an SNL sketch on the Bailout. Since $700 billion is pretty big doin's, naturally the Lampooners in Chief wanted to get in on the action — regardless of whether Congressional hearings/press conferences lend themselves to comedy (uh, they don't.) The sketch trained a carefully pointy eye on the possible Democratic roots of the Bailout plan.

Why then has the sketch, which skewered everyone from the 99th richest person in the world, George Soros to philanthropists Herb and Marion Sandler, disappeared? The rumor is, the skit got zapped because it tweaked the above, who happen to have well-known liberal leanings. It also happened to identify the Sandlers as "people who should be shot." Despite their best efforts, it's the internet — you can still watch the whole clip and see a full script, if you know where to look.

What was SNL up to? To find out,

Lighten Up: Funny Moment From Bush's Presidency

LibertySugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:30 -0700

David Letterman's segment Great Moments in Presidential Speeches always makes me chuckle. I pulled one out of the archives to share with you all. I hope the next president is as entertaining . . . but maybe a little less scary.

The Vice Presidential Debate on SNL: Home Run or Ho-hum?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:46:16 -0700

The costumes were spot-on down to the fetching French braid, and Queen Latifah stepped in quite convincingly as moderator Gwen Ifill — all the details of the Saturday Night Live skewering of the Vice-Presidential Debate were picture perfect. (Even down to Joe Biden calling himself "Joe Biden." Did you catch that on Thursday?) The zinger-iest question re-do? The discussion of gay marriage, from Biden's "visiting them in the hospital is just as good," to Palin's it should be an institution "between two unwilling teenagers." And then there was the talent portion. Oh, yes, it was there — I kind of wish the real debate had had one too! Check out the sketch — are you laughing at the fake version?

The Vice Presidential Debate on SNL: Home Run or Ho-hum?

Home Run! Hilarious, and Queen Latifah! She should have really hosted!

Ho-hum. The original debate was just enough thank you.

Other. I'll debate you all in the comments.

SNL Spoofs the Palin/Couric Interview: Lay Off or Loving It?

CitizenSugar — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:17:29 -0700

SNL was almost wall-to-wall politics last night, with an ersatz debate match-up, a faux Bill Clinton making an appearance on "Weekend Update," and this spoof on the Palin/Couric interview from earlier this week. Compare it to the original and see what you think — did they nail it? Or do you wish there was a joke where the punchline wasn't "Sarah Palin?"

SNL Spoofs the Palin/Couric Interview: Lay Off or Loving It?

Lay off. Honestly, can we find someone else to make fun of? This is getting old.

Loving it. Tina Fey is brilliant as Palin. I cannot get enough — there's so much material!

Who cares. Saturday Night Live? I'd make the Saturday Night Dead joke, but. . . .

Other. I'll let you know in the comments.

Sarah Palin the Disney Movie Gets a Trailer!

LibertySugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:00:00 -0700

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Recently Matt Damon shared his views on VP nominee, Sarah Palin. He said: "It's like a really bad Disney movie. The Hockey Mom. Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska, and she's president. She's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd." Well, the trailer for Matt's movie finally hit the Internet, and the hockey mom is putting the "ice" in Vice President. (Body) check it out!

Source

Lighten Up! Candidate Al Franken Writes a Skit for SNL?

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:07 -0700

Comedian Al Franken, who is currently running for Senate in Minnesota, phoned in this weekend's opening skit on Saturday Night Live, according to NBC insiders.

Both SNL and the Franken campaign want to downplay Al's involvement. Allowing a liberal Democratic candidate to write a piece critical of John McCain could make the network look bias. And as for Franken, his campaign has spent a lot of time trying to contextualize his funny, yet risqué, past. The official story is that Franken, who hasn't worked on SNL for 13 years, called creator Lorne Michaels to chat about something else. The topic of McCain commercials came up, and Michaels went on to create a sketch after he hung up.

I often think candidates would do well if they used pieces of political comedy as their campaign commercials. For example, no one can articulate hypocrisy quite like Jon Stewart's Daily Show. Check out the alleged Franken sketch — should the campaign gladly take credit for it?

Lighten Up! Fake Sarah Palin on Twitter, Giggles Ensue?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 07:00:21 -0700

I know, I know, I'm voting how I'm voting but gosh darn it if my sense of humor isn't bipartisan as all heck. I cannot stop laughing at this. Someone (with a lot of time on his/her hands and a fair amount of dialed-in-edness to the whole campaign) has created a Twitter account for Sarah Palin, called FakeSarahPalin.

OK, there are a fistful of caveats and disclaimers here, the largest of which is . . . this is clearly created to poke fun at Palin, but the Twitter-speak, cramming that info into the allowed 140 characters, and overall sense of good fun made me read the whole thing. And whether one agrees with the opinions raised or not, I think at this juncture in the campaign, a little bit of levity could be just what the doctor ordered. Like in the midst of Yahoo-gate, the Tweet, "Ummmm why can't I log in to my yahoo account??!" Tee hee, right? Right?

Lighten Up! Tony Blair on Inexplicable Friendship With Bush

LibertySugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Last night on the Daily Show Jon Stewart quipped with Tony Blair, the man who ran Britain for 10 years. With a veil of comedy, Jon could ask the ex-prime minister provocative questions such as "How did (Bush) bring (Iraq) up?. . . Did he say: 'Hey man, you know who we should invade?'" The answers provided insight as to why Blair got on board for Iraq and how he assesses his legacy. Blair said that although he stands by Bush and the Iraq invasion, he never "took the view that people who disagree with it were stupid or misguided or had bad intentions."

Jon and Tony also chatted about the role of religion in politics, international relations, and their personal lives. The former leader discussed his recent conversion to Catholicism along with how UK politicians consider their religious lives distinct from their public persona, a privacy British voters are happy to oblige. To see the clip on religion and globalization,

The Maverick Mixes It Up, Calls Obama Out on Financial Crisis

CitizenSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:15:20 -0700

Another nugget of fallout from the financial crisis isn't just the prices on Lehman Brothers swag on eBay — it could be Obama's seemingly gleeful reaction to it, according McCain strategists. Steve Schmidt told reporters today that Obama is "cheerleading the crisis," and using it to his own political advantage, while McCain seeks a bipartisan solution to the money woes.

While Obama is "cheerleading" the financial crisis, Sarah Palin did some McCain cheerleading of her own at a joint town hall in Michigan last night. Jumping in to the proceedings, Palin said:

Okay. May I add something, because sometimes my running mate is a bit too humble. We need to remember who it was who pushed for and supported and risked much for the strategy that is working in Iraq, and that is the surge. He is the one who pushed for it.

Plus, I'm learning so much about culture today! McCain raps! Or R&Bs or something. I don't care what you call it, it's hilarity squared. Just watch. I promise it's worth it to

Barack Obama? That's My Name, Says Six Brazilian Politicians

CitizenSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Remember when using Barack Obama's middle name was a big deal? Yeah, vaguely right? Well it seems like his moniker has become less of a slight and more of selling point, at least for six politicians in Brazil, all of whom have changed their names to "Barack Obama." It's not just a tribute, but a sneaky election tactic.

Brazilians have embraced the candidate enthusiastically in a country with a large population of African descendants and a corresponding minority of space in government. It's thought that by adopting the name of the Democratic candidate, the politicians will have a better chance of being elected. A quirk of Brazilian election law allows candidates to run under the name of their choice, so Obama seems a likely pick.

To see the story of one such name-switcher,

Are You Smarter Than a Vice Presidential Nominee?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:55:58 -0700

Are You Smarter Than a Vice Presidential Nominee? All eyes were on Sarah Palin last week as she sat down for her first big girl interview with ABC's Charles Gibson. It was a big moment for both her fans and her detractors, and a chance for her to prove once and for all that she has the skillz to pay the vice presidential billz. How'd she do? Opinions differ, but this humorous take on it just might bring us closer together.

Lighten Up: What Your Name Would Be If You Were a Palin. . .

CitizenSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:30:33 -0700

The Palin clan, Track, Trig, Willow, Bristol, and Piper (um, just listed by memory, look out!) are as well-known for their unique monikers than almost anything. While there are stories behind all of the names, the boys might have gotten theirs just so they'd appear all the more manly. One name expert says, "Short names like these are given by people who want their kids to be masculine. She's athletic, she's coached kids, so maybe that's part of her value system." Want some of that value system in your own name, cursing your own dumb luck for not being born a Palin?

Wait no more! This brilliant afternoon time-suck is the most fun you'll have with Sarah Palin all year. Promise. Just enter in your own name, and out comes your if-Sarah-Palin-named-you name. Let's just say, as a proud "Hen Waffle Palin," I'm sure I'd fit right on in on the campaign trail. What's your Palin name? Maybe it'll be so good, you'll want a tattoo of it . . .

Source

Florida Awash In Various Provocative Campaign Signs

CitizenSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:07:59 -0700

Florida Awash In Various Provocative Campaign Signs Competing with the sprinklers? One Floridian says, “This has been in my yard for over a month, except for the occasional picture taking by someone driving by, the neighbors seem to be ignoring my Obama Jesus,” he writes sadly. Is his message all wet?

Lighten Up! North Koreans Protest Regime With Jokes

LibertySugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:47 -0700

While life in North Korea isn't a laughing matter, tough times have given birth to a unique sense of humor. According to defectors who have escaped Kim Jong Il's tight grip, jokes in the Stalinist country revolved around the regime, or the male reaction to women working outside the home to help families scrape by.

Here are some examples pulled together from Radio Free Asia.

Two men are talking on a Pyongyang subway train:

“How are you, comrade?”
“Fine, how are you doing?”
“Comrade, by any chance, do you work for the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Have you worked for the Central Committee before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then, are any of your family members working for the Central Committee?”
“Nope.”
“Then, get away from me! You’re standing on my foot!”
At High School No. 1 in Pyongyang, a girl brags to her teacher about the cat she’s got at home: “Our cat has just given birth to seven kittens. All of them just stick close to their mother, they feel really comfortable, and sleep all the time. They’re all true communists.”

A few days later, the teacher asks the girl: “Are the communist kittens at home growing up nicely?”

The girl says: “Comrade teacher, big trouble! They’ve all opened their eyes, and they’ve all renounced communism!”

To see a few more examples,

Blessed Be the Answer to the Soda vs. Pop Question in a Map!

CitizenSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:00:22 -0700

Oh, answer from the heavens to the existential question that's plagued mankind since the dawn of liquid, what, oh what, in all that is holy-regional-specificity do we call that most bubbly of beverages? Oh, map of the ages, slake my thirst for knowledge!

So yeah. Soda or Pop — or in a crazy Southern specialness that can't at all come from the fact that Coke is based there, Coke. What do you call it? This map will save you from ever having that conversation again — though by all means use it as an icebreaker and then pop them (heh.) with your fizzy drink fountain of knowledge. Maps. Ah, refreshing.

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Lighten Up: When the News Goes Bad

CitizenSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:15:43 -0700

Nope, not bad news, just terribly, terribly wrong. Hey, it's live — anything could happen. Check out this round up of crazy news outtakes, that um, made it right on the air. Oh, watch when the guy loses his satellite interview and it gets replaced with some guy he's never seen before.

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CNN doesn't have nearly enough of these moments. Give me Tony Harris with some guy behind him making bunny ears and TJ Holmes for, um, entertainment value and I'd be a happy camper.

The Daily Show Live! Plus, Jon Stewart Serves Karl Rove, Hard

CitizenSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:30:39 -0700

With a ramped up convention, comes amped up comedy. The Daily Show was out in full-force yesterday, with Samantha Bee interviewing the more creatively dressed delegates. In this scene she was doing a little role-play, pretending to be Bristol Palin while the lovely delegate played Sarah. Hilarity ensued.

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My favorite part of this video? The women behind me while I was filming having this conversation: "What news show is this?" "I don't know." "Oh, I think it's that Daily thing." "What? Oh, you mean that show all the kids watch?" Ha. And not 10 minutes before, in that very spot, Karl Rove strode past me — he might have escaped my camera, but he didn't escape Jon Stewart on last night's Daily Show. He had some pretty blistering things to say to Mr. Rove. To see what,

Lighten Up: Kids Draw Presidents Set to Tunes!

CitizenSugar — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:00:24 -0700

This is near and dear to my heart since the whole reason I got interested in politics to begin with was our unit on the presidents in fifth grade — this video brings it all back.

With fast-forward animation and cheerful music accompanying the kids' drawings, well, it's not controversial at all. But with the convention starting tomorrow (!), I'm liking the priceless drawing of number five, James Monroe, and his drawings of balloons and the "Era of Good Feelings" written on his shoulder. Plus! For extra credit you can use it as a little quiz — see if you can name the president before the picture and name gets filled in. Quick, who's number 34?

Lighten Up: Is the Presidential Campaign Just Like Rocky II?

LibertySugar — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:00:38 -0700

Barack Obama might want to stop spending thousands of dollars to produce fancy campaign ads, and start running Baracky II. This humorous take on the campaign features Barack Obama as Rocky Balboa. Obama comes off strong on the Iraq war, the economy, gas price relief, Democratic unity, and bunch of other issues.

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This short movie makes me think that if Barack had Hillary and Bill in his corner, he would be unstoppable. Check out the video! If you're an Obama supporter, I think you'll love it. If McCain's your guy, tell me which movie you think represents the campaign!

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Lighten Up: Rappers — They're Just Like Republicans! Right?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:30:03 -0700

Who loves Hummers? Rappers and Republicans apparently! After Rep. Virgil Goode took to his Fourth of July parade a gassy Hummer perhaps cementing his pimpness, The Daily Show took note and cooked up this game "Republican or Rapper?"

How are they alike? A love of money and guns (and some dicier reasons) according to the clip, but then this little parallel I uncovered: A prominent place on court dockets:

Rapper DMX (yep, the same one who recently learned a very important fact about the election) just pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and then plugged his upcoming album, in rap-form. Brilliant!

To see the rest of the Rapper/Republican trifecta,

Could This Be? Former VP Quayle Rumored to Be on DWTS!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:15 -0700

Could it be?! Oh, that it be true! Dan Quayle, former veep under George Bush I, is rumored to be in talks to join the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. The show is lacing up its shoes to reappear on Sept. 22, and the cast list is not yet concrete.

The show has been angling for a political figure, and Quayle seems to be tops of the shortlist. With tidbits of fame that include his tussle with fictional character Murphy Brown, and the whole "potato/potatoe" incident, he might be a great asset to the show. I don't know about you but I'm making up a whole list of politicians I'd like to see cut a rug: Mike Huckabee, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Kissinger, Nicolas Sarkozy — I could play this game all day. If it's true, will you watch?

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Lighten Up: Vintage SNL Shows McCain's Funny (Creepy) Side

LibertySugar — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0700

I decided to open up the Saturday Night Live politics-vault, and ended up finding a gem! In 2002, with the 2000 primaries far behind him and no need to worry about image control, John McCain decided to show television viewers that he can play the "creepy husband" character pretty darn well. Check out the clip, which I can guarantee will either make you laugh out loud or cringe silently. Would you like to see more unmanaged footage from the candidates?

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