Thursday, September 30, 2010

Christine O'Palin's Great Disappearing Act



She's scarcer than an Osama bin Laden video. Harder to find than Waldo. The burning question in Delaware these days is, "Where's Christine?" As the NY Times reported Thursday, the state's cracked-Tea-Pot Senate candidate, Christine O'Donnell, is apparently in hiding. And why not? She's terrified of opening her mouth in public. I guess those grass roots have rotted.

Since beating her Republican rival Mike Castle in the recent primary by just 3500 votes, O'Donnell has had virtually zero presence in the state. No events planned. No campaign office. And most of her funds have come from out-of-state donors. If you're a Delawarean and you'd like to ask her about the issues and her positions, good luck.

A tax cheatin', tuition welchin', home foreclosin', education lyin', non-masturbatin', evolution-refutin', "mice- with-fully-functioning- human-brains" stem-cell-hatin' Tea Bagger, O'Donnell's a candidate in the clone-mode of her creator and mentor, the mad Dr. Palinstein. They're both cute, perky, full of Fox News-worthy snarky soundbites and not a lick of substance between them. O'Donnell's main strategy? Hope voters are just plain stupid and will vote for her in an unprecedented knowledge vacuum. Same goes for Kentucky's Rand Paul, Nevada's Sharron Angle and Alaska's Joe Miller, her fellow Tea Bag, gag-ordered, all-stars.

With all their big talk of "taking back America" with a bold new plan, they sure as hell are utterly terrified to go before voters and the press to articulate what it is any of them truly stand for.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Message to Republicans: Don't Go Measuring the Drapes Just Yet


If you listen to leading Republican voices like Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Morris you'd hear how the GOP this November is going to pick up anywhere from 39 to 85 House seats and take control of the Senate. That there's gonna be a conservative landslide that'll dwarf Gingrich's 1994 "Republican Revolution." That America is shifting way to the right, with enthusiasm for a power change the highest it's ever been. Unfortunately for these Tea Party hopefuls the polls just don't support their wild predictions. In fact, if the polls are any true indication of what may happen, momentum appears to be shifting back to the Democrats.

In a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. when it comes to who voters prefer to control Congress, Republicans area ahead 46%-43%, but down from a 9-point lead a month ago. On the critical "enthusiasm" front, a new Zogby poll shows Democrats up by just one point, 44%-43%, but it was the first time since mid-May that Democrats were ahead. Zogby also shows President Obama's popularity climbing as well.

"President Obama's attempts to draw contrasts with the Republicans and raise fears about a Republican takeover of Congress appear to have been successful, especially among Democratic voters," said John Zogby.



The WSJ/NBC poll also showed that 59% of independents do not support the Tea Party, which could be a troubling sign for hard-line conservatives as they seek to move beyond their tiny radical fringe base and appeal to these all-important undecideds.

Also of note is the narrowing gap in the Kentucky Senate race. According to a new Survey USA poll Tea Bagger Rand Paul's lead over Democrat Jack Conway is down to just two points after leading by as much as 15%.

To be sure, the electorate is frustrated, angry and disenchanted with politicians on both sides of the aisle. The economy still faces myriad challenges, and unemployment remains unacceptably high. But the polls still show voters' preference for Democrats when the question is who can better handle the economy and the nation's main problems. With 34 days still to go before the midterm elections, Republicans would be wise not to uncork the champagne just yet.


On another note, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Celebrity Auction runs for just one more day! Don't miss out on a chance to bid on exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban, Rosanna Arquette, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet & greets at Joan Rivers' new stand-up show, Maroon 5, Dar Williams, Semi-Precious Weapons and the hilarious NYC show Celebrity Autobiography? We also have VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett; TV show set visits/meet & greets for The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.; walk-on extra roles on Community, Hung and Todd Solondz's next film Dark Horse. Mark your calendars for September 20!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Democrats Just Love Those Ticket Splittin' Republicans!



Conservative candidates Mike Castle (DE), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Charlie Crist (FL) and Doug Hoffman (NY) represent the GOP's worst nightmare as it heads into the November midterms. Moderates Murkowski, Castle and Crist lost their Senate primaries to their extreme radical Tea Party opponents Joe Miller, Christine O'Donnell and Marco Rubio respectively, while Tea Party darling Hoffman lost his bid to snag New York's 23rd District House seat to another radical wingnut Matt Doheny. That seat in particular causes major heartburn for the GOP, as Hoffman lost the special election in 2009 to Bill Owens after his Tea Baggin' supporters pushed moderate Dede Scozzafava out of the race. It was the first time a Democrat had won the district since the Civil War era.

So what exactly has the Republican Party so upset? As it strives to recapture control of the House and Senate, candidates like Castle, Murkowski, Crist and Hoffman, choosing to run on the Conservative party line or as write-ins, threatens to monumentally derail this goal.

They're the ticket-splitters. The Tea Party-crashers. They're turning everything upside down in critical races where they're dampening Republicans' spirits as right wing media blowhards like Sean Hannity vilify them daily as "sore losers." And we all know in Hannity's perfect little Republican world everyone always plays fair, right?

To be sure, Democrats are enjoying sitting back with their popcorn buckets as they watch the GOP Civil War get nastier and bloodier by the minute, making it even likelier that the left will have another two years at the controls.


On another note, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Celebrity Auction is live! From now until Sept 30th, you can bid on exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban, Rosanna Arquette, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet & greets at Joan Rivers' new stand-up show, Maroon 5, Dar Williams, Semi-Precious Weapons and the hilarious NYC show Celebrity Autobiography? We also have VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett; TV show set visits/meet & greets for The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.; walk-on extra roles on Community, Hung and Todd Solondz's next film Dark Horse. Mark your calendars for September 20!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Republican Tea Party's Real "Pledge to America"


In a desperate attempt to recreate the sweeping victories of 1994's Congressional midterm elections, spawned by Newt Gingrich's Contract With America, the Republican Tea Party on Thursday will release it's "Pledge to America," a broad, unspecific blueprint for making everything in the country wonderful again. It's chock full of catchy over-reaching promises aimed at shrinking government; controlling spending; reducing the deficit; balancing the budget; creating jobs; reforming Congress; strengthening national security; honoring the nuclear family; and restoring trust. But it's woefully short on detail and substance.

And, it's bullshit. It's code-language for simply returning America back to the days of the failed Bush administration and its misguided economic and foreign policies. To the days when the GOP, as it does historically, focuses exclusively on making the rich richer while screwing the poor.

In its final "Checks and Balances" section, the Pledge to America calls for an end to the Democrats' one-party control of Washington. This is the same party that, if it wins House and Senate majorities in November, will fight to the death to also win the presidency in 2012 and return America to the days of Republican one-party rule; corrupt, special interest anti-reform days that served as the precursor to the worst economic crisis the nation experienced since the Great Depression.

So to cut through it all and expose it for what it truly is, here's the real GOP Pledge to America:

We the Republican Tea Party pledge:

-To lower taxes for the rich

-To cut spending on all programs that help the poor and middle class

-To end any program that helps you buy a house, a car, pay for college, save for retirement

-To cut Social Security and Medicare

-To repeal all those horrible Health Care Reform benefits such as no pre-existing condition exclusions; no lifetime caps; coverage for kids up to 26; and affordable coverage for everyone

-To eliminate those "unconstitutional" unemployment benefits

-To permanently freeze the minimum wage

-To let corporate special interests and lobbyists set policy

-To cancel aid and tax breaks for small business

-To waste trillions on unnecessary defense spending

-To employ more illegal anti-terror tactics such as spying and torture

-To let Wall Street run wild and reckless with the same sort of high-risk investment schemes that brought about the financial crisis of 2008

-To let corporations influence elections without any transparency whatsoever

-To let right-wing religious extremists run the country

-To ban gay marriage

-To ban abortion

-To mock scientific reasoning

-To eliminate funding for environmental/clean air/climate control initiatives

-To cut funding for the arts

-To cut funding for sex-education programs

-To bust the unions

-To deport all illegal aliens

-To "take America back" to the days when blacks, Hispanics and Muslims were discriminated against and deprived of their basic civil rights and liberties

-To fear-monger and further turn Americans against Islam

-To return America to its isolationist days, and reduce America's standing in the world

-To demonize and attack as "hating America" anyone who disagrees with us

-To obstruct government and reject every single initiative of the Obama administration

There's your choice America: this, or the Democrats.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Why the Tea Party Candidates Are So Afraid of the Media


They're outsiders, they're angry and they're winning key GOP primary elections. They're the Tea Party All-Stars like Sharron Angle, Rand Paul and Christine O'Donnell. But what they also are is terrified; scared to death of going before the national mainstream media's camera's, and hence scrutiny, as they attempt to convince voters that they have the qualifications to serve the United States Senate.

And the reason for this monumental fear of the press? It's because they're all woefully lacking knowledge of policy and the issues; cannot articulate their positions; and most of all, are radical fringe wingnuts who get into an embarrassing heap o' trouble every time they open their mouths (can you say "mice have fully functioning human brains?")

O'Donnell, the Sarah Palin protege (or should we say clone) went on Sean Hannity's Fox News program Tuesday night to defend her decision--urged by Palin--to shun the national news media's talk shows. Apparently, this self-imposed gag-order excludes friendly outlets like the "fair and balanced" Fox, where her segment with Hannity seemed more like a paid campaign commercial than a serious, legitimate interview by a respectable, objective journalist. Let's just keep it all in the family I suppose, right?

So this is what it comes down to, huh? This cabal of "grass-roots" everymen and women who shake in their bootstraps as they cower from the press and voters. Who only show their faces and espouse their substance-lacking incendiary rhetoric at small town churches and halls to adoring extremists who lob softballs and give these empty-suited frauds an opportunity to bash the opposition to rousing applause.



O'Donnell cancelled all her Sunday morning interviews last weekend. So did Paul after his victory last Spring. And Angle makes like Jesse Owens and high-tails it to the exit door whenever she sees a press badge headed her way.

Just what are these Tea Baggers so afraid of, anyway? I thought they have all the answers as to fixing America's problems? You'd think they'd just jump at the chance then to share all this wisdom and insight over CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS too, right? And, aren't politicians supposed to be thick-skinned, able to be in the hot seat and explain their positions without losing their composure or cool as they discuss decisions that impact the health, welfare and national security of America? These are the same people who want us to believe they have the character, depth and gravitas to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Ahmadinejad, Qaddafi, Kim Jong Ill and Putin when they're utterly terrified of facing David Gregory, Bob Schieffer and Wolf Blitzer?


On another note, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Celebrity Auction is live! From now until Sept 30th, you can bid on exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban, Rosanna Arquette, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet & greets at Joan Rivers' new stand-up show, Maroon 5, Dar Williams, Semi-Precious Weapons and the hilarious NYC show Celebrity Autobiography? We also have VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett; TV show set visits/meet & greets for The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.; walk-on extra roles on Community, Hung and Todd Solondz's next film Dark Horse. Mark your calendars for September 20!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Gaga Over Gaga



Her music is catchy, her style outlandish and her attitude brash. Now add political ball-buster to pop sensation Lady Gaga's impressive list of attributes.

Speaking at a rally in Maine Monday, Gaga officially threw herself front and center into the military's 17-year-old "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy which allows gays to serve but not disclose their homosexuality or act on it.

Gaga growled, "Doesn’t it seem to be that DADT is backwards. Doesn’t it seem that we’re penalizing the wrong soldier? Doesn’t it seem to you that we should send home the prejudiced? The straight soldier who hates the gay soldier? The straight soldier whose performance is affected because he is homophobic? The straight soldier who has prejudice in his heart, in the space where the military asks him to hold to our core American values ... he instead holds and harbors hate, and he gets to stay and fight for our country."

Bravo, I say. We need more "voices of a generation" like Lady G to use their massive celebrity to help bring about much needed change in America. To help the small-minded and frightened close the discrimination gap.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a Gaga groupie or anything. In fact, she's not even in my iPod. Oh, she's certainly very talented and is a real fav of my 22 and 24 year old daughters. But, at almost 51, my heart still belongs to Madonna, of whom Gaga is a tad derivative. More importantly though, I now have immense respect for her as a person, in particular, a young person, who has achieved gargantuan success so quickly, and who has just as quickly realized how she can use this immense fame to make a difference in peoples lives. She's not just a marketing and branding genius, but one of those rare people who truly have their fingers on the pulse of society and culture. Many more good things to come from her politically I suspect, and hope.


On another note, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Celebrity Auction is live! From now until Sept 30th, you can bid on exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban, Rosanna Arquette, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet & greets at Joan Rivers' new stand-up show, Maroon 5, Dar Williams, Semi-Precious Weapons and the hilarious NYC show Celebrity Autobiography? We also have VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett; TV show set visits/meet & greets for The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.; walk-on extra roles on Community, Hung and Todd Solondz's next film Dark Horse. Mark your calendars for September 20!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Adrienne Shelly Foundation Launches Star-Studded Celebrity eBay Auction


I normally blog about politics, but today I write about another subject that is very important to me. The Adrienne Shelly Foundation (ASF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the memory of my late wife, writer/director/actor Adrienne Shelly ("WAITRESS") who was murdered in 2006, launches its star-studded 3rd annual celebrity auction on eBay Monday evening. The auction will run from September 20-30. Items can be previewed at www.ebay.com/ASFoundation.

I founded ASF with a singular mission: to support women filmmakers. Since its inception, ASF has partnered with the industry's finest academic and filmmaking institutions such as AFI, IFP, Women in Film, Sundance Institute and Columbia University and has awarded 20 grants and scholarships. One grantee, Cynthia Wade, won an Academy Award in 2008 for her documentary "FREEHELD," which ASF helped fund.

This year's auction is the biggest and best yet. The 55 item catalogue features exclusive lunches with celebrities including Paul Rudd, Keri Russell, Jane Lynch, Michelle Williams, John Hamm, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, Patricia Clarkson, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor, Jeremy Sisto, Rachael Harris, Bill Hader, Mark Cuban and many others; set visits and meet & greets to TV shows The Good Wife, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad and The Rachel Maddow Show; and walk-on roles on Community, Hung and in in Todd Solondz's next film "Dark Horse," produced by Ted Hope; VIP tickets w/meet & greets to Maroon 5, Joan Rivers, "Celebrity Autobiography," Semi-Precious Weapons and Dar Williams; VIP tickets to Ellen, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to the Sundance Film Festival and red carpet premiere tickets at the Tribeca Film Festival; and a birthday telephone call from Bones stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz.

Bidding is scheduled to begin Monday, September 20 at 4:00pm PST.

Photo credit: Jordan Matter www.jordanmatter.com

Friday, September 17, 2010

Tea Baggers Pour Money Into O'Palin's Campaign. Time for Democrats to Do the Same for Coons


There is no more critical a race in the November midterms than the Delaware battle between Tea Party princess Christine O'Donnell and Democrat Chris Coons for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by vice-president Joe Biden. I say this with the utmost gravity and concern for the future of our nation. Quite simply, a victory by O'Palin (as I like to call her given her chilling clone-like attributes of the Queen herself) will tip the scales of political logic, rationality and decency into the hands of the crazies. I am not a fear-mongerer, but I can assure you that an America led by the likes of Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Sharon Angle, Rand Paul, Newt Gingrich, Jim DeMint and O'Palin will make the Bush/Cheney/Rove years seem like the Carter administration.

Let me say that I don't think there's a chance in hell that O'Palin can win. And I have GOP guru Karl Rove on my side. But I also don't expect to die anytime soon either, yet I still have life insurance. So think of supporting the campaign of Coons as life insurance. We don't think we'll need it, but boy will our loved ones be happy that we sprung for it. Click here to contribute money to Coons.

Prior to Tuesday's Republican primary, in which O'Palin in a stunning upset defeated 42-year Delaware career-politician Mike Castle, she had about $20,000 in the bank to Coons' $944,000. Since then, the radical Tea Baggin' crazies have cracked open their piggy banks and sent her $850,000 through her website. Coons has raised $125,000 this week.

Expect the crazies to keep sending money; funds that O'Palin will use in an unprecedented barrage of television ads between now and November 2nd to raise her awareness and character-assassinate Coons. Which is why Democrats across the nation must head to Coons' website immediately and donate as much as they can so he can combat this ad campaign with his own.

What's happening in America today is reminiscent of what the Rovians did to the electorate in 2004. They scared and distracted voters with terrorism, gay marriage, abortion and gun control in an effort to divert them away from the disastrous Iraq war and their own economic self-interests. Well, the Tea Party consists of Rovians on steroids. A small subset of Republican voters have been dumbed-down so far to the point that, as evidenced in the video below, they have no idea what the hell they're so angry about and find it difficult to articulate their thoughts. With this level of ignorance they should be called the Kool-Aid Party. Talk about being brainwashed.



So I say again, we cannot allow this woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Here's what O'Palin represents: she's got zero experience in business or politics. She owes the IRS $12,000 in back taxes. She's defaulted on her home. She was sued by Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2004 for unpaid tuition, and didn't get her Bachelor's degree until 2010 when she took a final electives course, but that didn't stop her from lying about her education. She advocates teen-abstinence and has waged a very public campaign against masturbation. She's accused Coons of having a gay affair. And she's made very bizarre accusations that her "opponents" hide in the bushes outside her home. O'Palin is not someone who deserves to walk the Senate's hallowed halls. Democrats must visit Coons' website now and make sure he has the necessary funds to combat her soon-to-be massive TV campaign.

Democrats need to show the crazies how much money they are capable of raising for a real candidate. One who's a distinguished humanitarian aid volunteer, lawyer and politician. It's time to show Sarah & the GOPettes that Americans aren't as dumb as they'd like them to be.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Sarah & the GOPettes: Assessing the O'Donnell Victory


It's the hottest band in politics: Sarah & the GOPettes. Ya got Palin, Michelle Bachman, Nikki Haley and Christine O'Donnell. They're young, personable and attractive, and are out there on the 2010 Tea Party Tour whipping the radical right-wing fringe base into a veritable frenzy. O'Donnell's the latest addition, with her stunning defeat of 42-year Delaware Republican career-politician Mike Castle in Tuesday's Senate primary. Heck, I'll even throw the 61-year-old Sharon Angle into this group.

Palin, her GOPettes and all the other Tea Baggers like Newt Gingrich, Rand Paul and Joe Miller speak in racist code language ("restoring America," "taking the country back"), portray themselves as grass-roots revolutionaries, but lack any real qualifications commensurate with one of the most important jobs in the world. What they're expert at is throwing around irresponsible, incendiary rhetoric at every turn while claiming to be part of America's diverse fabric.

Yet during O'Donnell's victory speech there appeared to be just one black person in the entire room. In a pathetic attempt to prove the Tea Party's 'big tent' claim, he was quickly ushered to the stage and very noticeably and awkwardly pushed right beside her as she began to speak. But then O'Donnell introduced him as the campaign's lawyer. And truth is, he had a decidedly uncomfortable look on his face the entire time as if to say, "Hey, I'm not so sure how much I'm into this whole 'returning America back to what our Founding Fathers envisioned' thing. In case you hadn't noticed, black folks didn't fare too well back then!"

To be sure, O'Donnell knows how to fire up voters. But in a virtually all-Democratic state like Delaware, she's gonna fire up more Democrats and Independents against her, which is why she's unelectable in the general election, and which is why iconic Republican operative Karl Rove gave a delicious smackdown to Fox's Sean Hannity Tuesday night in telling him how utterly wrong he was about her chances of winning in November against Democrat Chris Coons. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Kind of like the wise old parent trying to knock some sense into the young, hot-headed, know-it-all kid. Hannity was very visibly shaken by Rove's on-air lecturing.

Rove also spoke of O'Donnell's questionable character, and that she owes $12,000 in taxes; foreclosed on her home; lied about her education; and has made very bizarre claims that her opponents "Follow me home at night. I make sure that I come back to the townhouse and then we have our team come out and check all the bushes and check all the cars to make sure that — they follow me....They're hiding in the bushes."

These skeletons are also why the GOP won't be throwing its support behind O'Donnell's futile campaign. As Rove authoritatively assured Hannity, "This is not a race we're going to be able to win." And he lamented how O'Donnell's victory could translate to the GOP's failure to win a Senate majority. Give Rove credit. He knows a thing or two about winning.

The emergence and success of the Tea Party is a direct result of the Bush/Cheney/Rove dumbing-down of the Republican electorate. For eight years they lied to them about the Iraq war, fear-mongered over terrorism, distracted them with gay marriage and veered them so far away from their own economic self-interests to the point where they were well-primed for Sarah & the GOPettes' ignorant, empty-suited populist rhetoric. They literally dumbed 'em down so far that it didn't take much for Mama Grizzly's even dumber Tea Bag minions to steal them away from Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and the mainstream GOP leadership. I guess you reap what you sow. The Tea Party fanatics are Rove's chickens coming home to roost.

And now the unthinkable is occurring: O'Donnell, Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and others are attacking the heretofore venerable Rove, turning on him as if he was Sean Penn:

"I think he's seeing that he was one of the so-called experts whose credibility was hurt last night," said O'Donnell Wednesday morning. Oh no she d'int just say so-called expert, did she? Is she kidding? Rove was smart enough to get a knucklehead like George W. Bush elected president while she was running around the country with bad 80's hair telling teens to be abstinent and that masturbation was wrong: "The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery" and that "You can't masturbate without lust." Jeez, Chrissie, stop embarrassing yourself. I'll bet you $1000 that come November 2nd you're gonna learn the hard way just how much of an expert Rove really is on the subject of your electability.

"Karl has admitted that one of his mistakes was not defending Bush against all of these insane, stupid, slanderous, libelous attacks against Bush for eight years," Limbaugh said. "But I've never heard ... Karl so animated against a Democrat as he was against Christine O'Donnell last night....Why is he so mad at a Republican?" Well Rush, when Coons wins in November and costs the GOP what would've been a very likely Senate seat and perhaps the majority, you'll have your answer.

With O'Donnell's victory, Tea Baggers are sending the same kind of naive, misguided, anger-fueled message to the Republican Party that the Naderites sent to Democrats in the 2000 presidential election. Syphoning precious votes away from then-vice president Al Gore, these foolish voters' real message soon became quite clear: "Welcome to the White House, Mr Bush." And for eight miserable years they got in return the exact opposite of everything they stood for. Now with nominees O'Donnell and Angle, for example, this same sort of Tea-Party-poured message will not only cost Republicans key seats, but could very well be the thing that keeps Democrats at the controls.


On another note, get ready for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Celebrity Auction which launches in just 5 days on September 20th! Wanna go to exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban, Rosanna Arquette, Gina Gershon, Lili Taylor among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet & greets at Joan Rivers' new stand-up show, Maroon 5, Dar Williams, Semi-Precious Weapons and the hilarious NYC show Celebrity Autobiography? We also have VIP tickets to The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Ellen, Rachael Ray and The View; VIP tickets to Jimmy Buffett; TV show set visits/meet & greets for The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Castle, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.; walk-on extra roles on Community, Hung and Todd Solondz's next film Dark Horse. Mark your calendars for September 20!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Monday, September 13, 2010

MTV's VMA's Make Me Feel 100 Years Old


Politics isn't my only love. Being a music lover as well I decided to tune in to MTV's Video Music Awards Sunday evening. I regret that I did. Though only 50, watching this show left me feeling completely out of touch with today's music scene. I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to make my way through the Pearl Jam catalogue. I simply have no idea who or what a Drake or a Ne-yo is. And what about Kings and Queens? Isn't that the sitcom with the chubby guy?

So watch I did, taking notes, and wondering how the entire music biz has seemingly passed me by.

The program was hosted by comedienne and talk show host Chelsea Handler, who proudly acknowledged that she was the first female host in the show's 16 years. And what a great choice she was. This woman is not only funny, as my much-cooler-than-I 24 and 22-year-old daughters have been trying to tell me, she's also smart, sexy and wickedly brash, with a tongue so sharp she could cut right through Pauly D's hair. In her intro she threw props to toddler heartthrob Justin Bieber:

"His song "Baby" is so amazing, an amazing love song...imagine how good his music will be when he sees a vagina."

Poor Bieber. During his performance he surrounded himself with a gaggle of 6-year-old back-up dancers in a desperate attempt to look older than 10.

And am I the only one who was a little tired of seeing the uber-tanned and talentless Jersey Shore mooks? Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is clearly starting to believe his own hype, while "Snookers" can't, no matter how hard she tries, hide her "what the fuck am I doing here" look, as if she knows she's in minute-9 of her countdown from 15.

Will.i.am came out looking like a cross between Blue Man Group and Al Jolson in a wet-suit. He did a duet with Nicki Minaj, a hip-hop cutie with an ass so big the Israelis could build settlements on it. She makes J-Lo look like she needs butt-cheek implants.

And what's with all the futuristic garb? Why does every performer have to look like they're auditioning for the next Star Wars film? Can we please bring back a little flannel for the old man? Also, must every singer have a phalanx of dancer boys/girls behind them like some cheesy Vegas burlesque revue? Whatever happened to just coming out and singing? Maybe all the dancers are just a distraction from the lack of real talent in front of them?

Outside of the awesome Eminem and Mary J. Blige, the room seemed all style and no substance. And speaking of Mary, did they have to pair her up with Drake? Blige has such an amazingly beautiful, soulful voice which was drowned out by the young ring-ding. Having her do a duet with the Canadian rapper was like having to watch George Clooney do a table-reading with Snooki. Jeez, you know there's slim pickings for a 50-year old when he starts rooting for Taylor Swift.

Sofia Vergara looked gorgeous, but was so hard to understand she made 70's Latin star Charo sound like William F. Buckley.

My favorite moment of the night was a very "If I Could Turn Back Time" decked out Cher (looking about 35, mind you), handing out the Video of the Year award to pop sensation Lady Gaga, who took home a total of eight awards. It was sort of a cool passing-of-the-torch moment. Only thing is, Cher's torch officially blew out about 40 years ago. (By the way, if Lady Gaga married Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik, would she be Lady GooGoo GaGa?)

And my least favorite moment? The megalomaniacal, pathetically self-important Kanye West's closing number with the following chorus: "Let's have a toast for the douchebags, let's have a toast for the assholes, let's have a toast for the scumbags, let's have a toast for the jerkoffs?" Clearly, West dug from deep within for the inspiration for this one.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

An Open Letter From God


Dear Faithful.....
As I sit here thousands of years after creating you all (although some would have you believe in "evolution" or that even crazier notion, the "Big Bang Theory"), I can't help but think, "What the f**k is wrong with you people?! What I have I done? Where have I gone wrong?" Oy vey!

The world is a freakin' mess, defiled and ravaged by hunger, poverty, disease, racism, terrorism, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, global warming and a heretical force of evil called Sarah Palin. And they say President Obama has his hands full...

And as if all this wasn't enough, there are now people who are committing the ultimate blasphemy by using my good name to justify their acts of bigotry and hatred. This includes that nitwit down in Gainseville, Florida who wants to burn Korans. And this bedlamite's a preacher? I must've missed his application somehow. When I find out who approved him, heads are gonna roll.

For the record, my mom, dad and I love everyone and sit in judgement of no one. You are all my children. I don't care whether you're Christian, Jew, Protestant, Baptist, Muslim or Mormon....well, maybe not Mormon....nah, just kidding! (Honestly? I do wonder about those Jehovah's Witnesses, though. That whole Armageddon thing freaks me out). Hell (can I say that?), I even love Atheists!

So the idea of burning a sacred religious book like the Koran is just plain heresy. It's religious intolerance of the worst kind. It's racist, and it's nothing I condone. And for someone like Pastor Terry Jones to claim burning these books is God's work...that I told him to do it... man, that really pisses me off. Well, this is me very clearly telling him not to do it. Jeez, what kind of church does he lead? What kind of church preaches such hate and intolerance? Exactly which God and which scripture does this behavior ascribe to? Funny, I don't remember anything in the Bible about burning Korans, and I oughtta know because I wrote the damn thing (shit, I can't say "damn" either, right?)

Let me be clear to Jones and those like him who hide behind my cloak as they spew their vitriol: you're no Christians! You say Islam is evil? No, you're the evil ones. You are vile and hateful and the exact opposite of what Christianity is all about. I didn't start this religion just to have people like you disrespect everything for which I sacrificed.

And while I'm writing, I'd like to address something else that's really been bothering me; something I need to clear the air about once and for all. I am NOT a Republican! You see, conservatives have been laying claim to faith and God (that's me) while portraying Democrats and liberals as being faithless non-believers. Well let me tell ya something. My whole family and I are liberals. That's right, raging libs. Have you seen my sandals? They're the original Birkenstocks. Seriously, have you read my book? "Love thy neighbor?" "Treat the poor fairly?" "Feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked?" "Turn the other cheek?" Not exactly the sort of crunchy stuff you'll hear often on Fox News. Come to think of it, much of modern conservatives' behavior doesn't really follow my teachings at all.


On another note, get ready for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Auction which launches September 24th. Wanna go to exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet/greet to Joan Rivers' new stand-up show? We'll also be offering VIP tickets to THE COLBERT REPORT, THE DAILY SHOW, RACHEL RAY, ELLEN, Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett concerts; plus TV show set visits/meet & greets for THE GOOD WIFE, BREAKING BAD, CASTLE, UNITES STATES OF TARA, CASTLE and RACHEL MADDOW; walk-on extra roles on COMMUNITY and HUNG; as well as movie walk-ons. Mark your calendars for September 24!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Donald Trump Needs to Shut His Mouth

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



As if the heated debate over the proposed Islamic Community Center two blocks from Ground Zero wasn't controversial and divisive enough, Donald Trump has decided to exploit the situation in a pathetic attempt for attention while ratcheting up the inflammatory rhetoric.

Trump, the narcissistic, carnival-barking real estate developer in desperate need of a 12-step program for self-promotion addiction, offered this week to purchase the equity in the Park Place property held by one of it owners, Hisham Elzanaty. Of course, Trump portrayed his offer as an altruistic, selfless, patriotic act designed to diffuse and find a solution to the situation.

So what does Trump do? In an obvious and shameful publicity stunt, he made a low ball offer of 25% over the $4.8 million Elzanaty paid (a paltry sum he'd never accept on one of his own properties), and turned down the owner's counter for $25 million.

And then on MSNBC's Morning Joe Friday, The Donald made a baseless, trumped up prediction that "You're gonna have riots in the streets.. I believe September 11 is going to be a very bad day down there," referring to lower Manhattan on Saturday's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Trump was then aggressively challenged by one of the show's guests, Lawrence O'Donnell, who charged, "If you really wanted to buy this building you could do just like the movie, and 'make him an offer he can't refuse'...." He then accused Trump of having no real intention of purchasing the building. Major props to O'Donnell. That guy's got more balls than anyone else in the political media today.

Trump kept defending his decision by claiming the building's owner was asking way too much money and was looking to hose him. "He just wants to bludgeon a lot of money out of somebody and it's not gonna be me," Trump said, adding, "I don't want him saying Donald Trump is stupid."

O'Donnell brilliantly and swiftly replied, "Someone says you're stupid every day. It's water off your back."

In continuing to relentlessly press Trump on his ulterior motives, O'Donnell suggested that the billionaire entrepreneur, if he truly wanted to help New York, simply view the purchase as a charitable donation and not assess the price tag with his normal real estate due diligence. "Don't you give $25 million to charity each year?"

I'm willing to bet that Trump spends more than $25 million each year changing the faucets in his gazillion bathrooms, so if he really wanted to come to the city's rescue he could certainly afford to.

To be sure, the egomaniacal, self-aggrandizing Trump saw the mosque controversy as an opportunity to grab the media attention he so ravenously craves. He got himself in the papers and on TV, and he got to talk about himself and display his bloated self-importance yet again.

I can accept that from Trump, because that's who he is and what he does. But to predict violence and riots on this sacred day, without any reasonable or rational basis for which to make such an irresponsible and reprehensible claim, is despicable and anything but patriotic.


On another note, get ready for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Auction which launches September 24th. Wanna go to exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet/greet to Joan Rivers' new stand-up show? We'll also be offering VIP tickets to THE COLBERT REPORT, THE DAILY SHOW, RACHEL RAY, ELLEN, Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett concerts; plus TV show set visits/meet & greets for THE GOOD WIFE, BREAKING BAD, CASTLE, UNITES STATES OF TARA, CASTLE and RACHEL MADDOW; walk-on extra roles on COMMUNITY and HUNG; as well as movie walk-ons. Mark your calendars for September 24!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

What I Miss About George W. Bush


The heated controversy over the planned construction of an Islamic Community Center two blocks from Ground Zero has sparked a range of emotions--some rational, some not--from fear, anger and resentment to ignorance, racism and religious intolerance. And it shows no sign of abating anytime soon.

But if there ever was a time when Americans would've been expected to express such animosity and sweeping bias towards Muslims it was in the days, weeks and months after the 9/11 attacks. But what kept blood from spilling into the streets was the relative calm and reassuring words from then-President Bush, urging them to rise above their shock, pain and anger.

The true historical significance of Bush's behavior back then, and perhaps his greatest legacy, was in tamping down the anti-Muslim rhetoric and keeping Americans from going on an Islamic witch-hunt. Americans today need to once again hear his impassioned plea in the speech at the Islamic Center of Washington just six days after the attacks:

..."The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war. When we think of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world...America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect."...

..."Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must be not intimidated in America. That's not the America I know. That's not the America I value...That should not and that will not stand in America. Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior."


Bush spoke from the heart which, for better or worse, was always his greatest strength. While I personally disagreed with virtually 99% of his policies and decisions, I still to this day respect and admire his conviction. We always knew where Bush stood on the issues. Not sure I can say the same for President Obama, who seems more concerned with playing the middle, trying to make everyone happy and in the process pleasing no one. Not liberals, not conservatives, and, unfortunately, not even himself.

So it would be an invaluable contribution to the Mosque debate, and to his legacy, to hear Bush once again be the oasis of reason in a sea of Islamophobic hate-mongering by the likes of Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and others who've opportunistically hijacked this issue.

Friday, September 03, 2010

"I Can Has Cheezburger," says Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer



Well, not really. I Can Has Cheezburger is funny-cat-picture web site. But what Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer did say during her opening remarks at her debate with Democratic challenger Terry Goddard Wednesday was just as grammatically horrifying.

Brewer opened with an embarrassingly weak, slow-motion, rambling, repetitive and brief statement: "I have, uh, done so much, and I just cannot believe that we have changed everything since I have become your governor in the last 600 days. Arizona has been brought back from its abyss. We have cut the budget. We have balanced the budget, and we are moving forward. We have done everything we could possibly do."

Brewer, realizing that a stammering, empty-suited 25-second summation of her accomplishments and why she deserves to be re-elected was woefully insufficient, put her head down, stared at her notes, fidgeted with her hands, laughed nervously and after 15 seconds of painful silence only managed to come with "We have did what was right for Arizona." O-tay, Spanky!

For a legislator who all but wants to crucify illegal aliens, at least they speak better English than she does.


On another note, get ready for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Auction which launches September 24th. Wanna go to exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet/greet to Joan Rivers' new stand-up show? We'll also be offering VIP tickets to THE COLBERT REPORT, THE DAILY SHOW, RACHEL RAY, ELLEN, Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett concerts; plus TV show set visits/meet & greets for THE GOOD WIFE, RIZZOLI & ISLES, BREAKING BAD, CASTLE, UNITES STATES OF TARA and RACHEL MADDOW; walk-on extra roles on COMMUNITY and IN PLAIN SIGHT; as well as movie walk-ons. Mark your calendars for September 24!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Sarah "The Quitter" Palin's Delusion


Some moments in politics seem to last forever, and other times the moments and the memories are short and quickly forgotten. So I think it's important to remind everyone from Wasilla to Washington that Sarah Palin, the Mama Grizzly who wants to be president, is a first-class quitter who didn't have the dedication and will to make it through a full term as Alaska governor.

That's right, the volatile, temperamental, policy-challenged queen of sarcasm who expects to convince us in 2012 that she's got the gravitas, character and integrity to hold the most important, challenging and stressful job in the world, bailed on Alaskans after just half her term. The pressure of the job just got too much for her, so she decided to screw voters and her commitment to public service and instead chase the almighty dollar giving rancorous, incendiary partisan speeches all over the country. This is a person who wants the toughest job on the planet? Does she think the media, Democrats and voters in general will forget this little resume blip? Palin's gubernatorial "no mas" is one pearly-white skeleton in the closet that will haunt her the rest of her political career.

And now the Wasilla Wonder has been criss-crossing the country, sending out more inane Tweets than a 15 year-old, while throwing her dubious support behind myriad Tea Party candidates, the most recent being Joe Miller, who upset Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska's Republican primary. Miller and others like him have been all too happy to accept The Quitter's endorsement. They know how ravenous the Tea Baggers are when it comes to Mama Grizzly and all her moose-shootin' charms and pearls of non-wisdom.

But the bigger question is with Palin herself, and whether this little-educated, inexperienced, bad-tempered rabble-rousing quitter who lacks cultural, literary and intellectual curiosity and passion truly expects to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate in 2012 or if she's just plain delusional and drunk on her own hype.

The 2008 election showed just how few Republicans and independents wanted her in the White House, as John McCain abruptly learned. And a new poll showed that 65% of Alaskans who voted for Miller weren't at all influenced by Palin's endorsement. My guess is that two years from now Palin will once again be reminded that while some voters may salivate at the thought of hearing her speak, they still cringe at the thought of her as president. She's a quitter, and when it's time to pull that voting booth lever, no one likes or respects a quitter.


On another note, get ready for the Adrienne Shelly Foundation's 3rd Annual eBay Auction which launches September 24th. Wanna go to exclusive, one-on-one lunches with stars like Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Michelle Williams, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Patricia Clarkson, Rachael Harris, Keri Russell, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Jeremy Sisto, Mark Cuban among others? Or how about VIP tickets and meet/greet to Joan Rivers' new stand-up show? We'll also be offering VIP tickets to THE COLBERT REPORT, THE DAILY SHOW, RACHEL RAY, ELLEN, Maroon 5 and Jimmy Buffett concerts; plus TV show set visits/meet & greets for THE GOOD WIFE, RIZZOLI & ISLES, BREAKING BAD, CASTLE, UNITES STATES OF TARA and RACHEL MADDOW; walk-on extra roles on COMMUNITY and IN PLAIN SIGHT; as well as movie walk-ons. Mark your calendars for September 24!

The The Adrienne Shelly Foundation is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization dedicated in my late wife's honor, and with a simple mission: supporting women filmmakers. Adrienne, who wrote, directed and starred in the hit film WAITRESS, was killed November 1, 2006. Through the Foundation, her commitment to filmmaking lives on. We've established scholarships, grants, finishing funds, screenwriting fellowships and living stipends at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts/Kanbar Institute of Film; Columbia University; American Film Institute; Women in Film; IFP; the Nantucket Film Festival; the Tribeca Film Institute; and the Sundance Institute. Your generous contribution will go a long way towards helping us achieve this very important mission. Please click here to make a donation. Thank you.