Memo to Bill Maher---Christopher Hitchens is a really terrible guest.

[AlCzervik]

i mean really, what a petulant little asshole. It's your show Bill you really shouldn't let the guests shit on the audience.

[Moochy]

1. agree 100%

That Drink-Soaked former trotsky popinjay ruined that show. I doubt I will watch again.
Bill showed some terrible judgement letting that asshole on his show.

He should have kicked him off soon as he whipped out his little stubby drunken middle finger.

[AlCzervik]

4. yes really bad, i knew Hitchens loved the war but i didn't how much he

loves the Bush.

[DanCa]

9. Did anyone else get tired of the elite one percent crap?

Gawd if I ever met the poser I am not responsible for my actions.

[AlCzervik]

10. yup, the whole show tonight was a pissing match between him and Bill

and assholery doesn't always make interesting television.

[Hubert Flottz]

63. I kept hoping someone would come up and whip his butt!

I'll bet he had to leave early to get out of that studio in one piece!

EDIT...BTW, I loved the show! The last ten minutes was worth the getting pissed off at that ass kisser.

[texpatriot2004]

19. Ditto nt

[Julius Civitatus]

76. VIDEO HERE

Is it true he's in rehab? I can't tell, because he's still acting like a violence-prone drunk asshole.

Here's a small snippet of his performance last night on Bill Maher's show. Evey time Hitchens opened his mouth he seemed ready to start punching Maher or one of his guests. He cursed at the audience, insulted Maher, gave the finger to the audience several times, insulted Elvis Costello, and then told Maher that he would "explode" if he mentioned he was part of the 1% British elite. What a shameful excuse for a human being.

Video:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/08/26/hitchens-curses-out-bill-mahers-audience

Embarrassing.

[burythehatchet]

2. Hitchens is one of these guys that leaves you asking

what does a person have to say to lose credibility within the classes of the punditocracy.

[AlCzervik]

5. no kidding. Imo after Hitchens started berating the audience Bill should

have showed his drunk ass the door.

[madame defarge]

12. I kept wishing Maher would just tell him to leave...

Or better yet, too bad Hitchens didn't pull a Novak & just get up & walk away... What a pompous SOB.

[FUGW]

86. William Kristol tops that list.

[tularetom]

3. You got that right - the show sucked because nobody would shut him up

They need to find guests like the woman who drove coultergeist from the hannity/colmes set by not letting her take the segment over or just let the audience come up and kick the living shit out of hitchens.

[DanCa]

6. K&R I am only to give this show one more chance.

If I wanted to be insulted I woulda watched Hannity or Rush. This show was an utter disappointment. I only watched it cause Max, my hero, cleland was on but the show really , really stank tonight.

[AlCzervik]

7. i decided after tonight that was it for me, by him not telling Hitchens

to knock off the bs it almost seemed like Bill doesn't respect his audience much either.

[babylonsister]

8. Max didn't help either. There's lots of blame to go around. nt

[DanCa]

15. I agree Max bares some responsibility too. (nt)

[tallahasseedem]

11. I couldn't believe it when he flipped off the audience.

No class whatsoever. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[K8-EEE]

43. My Husband Was Saying, THROW HIM OUT>..

the second time he did it, he was like "If Bill Maher had any class he would throw him off the set for doing that TWICE to the audience..." what an asshole!

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. He flipped off the audience??

What an ass.

[SammyWinstonJack]

53. I believe he also said "FU" too. At least I thought I heard him say

that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. Oh wow

I set it to tape tonight. Can't wait to see that - not.

[Julius Civitatus]

77. You can see parts of it here:

Small snippet of a night full of insults from Hitchens:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/08/26/hitchens-curses-out-bill-mahers-audience

Embarrassing.

[Skarbrowe]

13. I took it as a last gasp for what Hitchens believes in. What do right

wingers do when they know they're out numbered, backed into a corner, totally wrong, and, well, pretty much hated? They say "Get over it!", flip the bird, or walk off a show in a childish, whiney hissy fit. I thought Bill let Hitchens make a fool of himself. Yes, I did feel like Bill could have shut him up a time or two and at the very beginning when Hitchens called Bill on letting Spike Lee get away with a question, I thought Bill was going to lose it. I was surprised that I was relieved that Bill let it pass and got on with his show. Maybe Bill likes a ridiculous ruckus every now and then.

Haven't you noticed that the right wing backers are getting extremely thin-skinned lately? I'm lovin' it. I sure hope the damn vote tabulations don't let them start their smart ass struttin' again. I'm really bummed that I always feel the need to put in that disclaimer.

Also, I was cracking up along with Max Cleland on the "liquids" skit. Max saved the show for me.

[The Backlash Cometh]

49. We need to be prepared for their last throes.

In response to your observation that right-wingers are thin-skinned, I say, be prepared for an all out emotional flanking maneuver once they lose power. Be prepared for more Waco style private encampments, and when a Democratically controlled government even attempts to regulate order, the rest of them will snap and accuse us of being fascists.

[Maven]

14. Maher is ALWAYS doing that to the audience

Telling them to "settle down" when repuke guests are lying through their teeth (read: moving their lips). He needs to stop taking his liberal audience for granted.

Not only that, tonight's show broke rule #1 in entertainment--it was BORING.

[Skittles]

79. THANK YOU

wtf is all this kudos over Bill f***ing Maher - he is creepiness to the core

[LiviaOlivia]

16. After Sunday night HBO is dead to me.

Maher never fails to disappoint. His interviews with Spike, Elvis and Kos were terrible. Why no real smack-down of Hitchens from Maher? That was worthy of a chickenshit chickenhawk. Remember how Maher would get pissy with the audience last year when they would boo some wingnut asshole? Maher is a whore.

P.S. His jokes sucked.

[exlrrp]

51. What do you expect from a friend of Ann Coulter's?

Coulter and Maher are big buddies. Why does anyone think he's a liberal or even sympathetic to our aims?

[orpupilofnature57]

64. He lost money for his Liberal ,Anti-Shrub Views, no matter who he scr

Bills true Blue!

[annabanana]

80. not "Deadwood " too?

(I love Deadwood)

[LiviaOlivia]

82. Yes

HBO, those fucking traitorous cocksuckers.

[shanti]

17. he is!

now how about some NEIL YOUNG, bill????? wouldn't he be a great guest?

[orpupilofnature57]

73. Yes he would!! Great !

[shanti]

18. he just told us to go fuck ourselves

whatta guy.

[Joanie Baloney]

20. My two cents

I believe that Maher invites jackholes such as Hitchens to be on his show and lets them show their true colors on purpose. He wants outrageous behavior in these guests hopefully to incite the other panel members to squash them. Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesn't.

Just my opinion! :shrug:

(You gotta admire Elvis Costello's articulate, measured assessment of the Katrina debacle...and the products-not-allowed-on-planes schtick was hilarious!)


JB

[K8-EEE]

44. True -- A Couple Of Times There Were No Wingnuts On The Panel

And it really was lacking in the give and take even though the libs were good guests...there were a couple of times he just couldn't get any RWer to book, as I remember. They don't like that format...it's not controlled enought, they like trading 30 second soundbites with somebody. Any kind of in-depth off the clock conversation if deadly for the Repukes.

[JI7]

21. is he drunk again ?

[AlCzervik]

22. when is he not drunk? He was more of an asshole than usual so maybe

he's still recovering from what i can only imagine is his daily afternoon bender.

[Moochy]

25. I think that's a default state for a popinjay...

I'd be suprised if that "water" bottle wasn't gin.

[upi402]

23. Coulter should get him whilst really really drunk and...

marry his ass in Vegas to shunt all the gender questions.
Can't imagine Chris waking up and seeing her whopper draped over his hip...:yoiks:

[DanCa]

24. Lol I am not a big fan of cruel and unusual punnishment

But there are exceptions for everything. Thanks for the laugh, I needed it after watching that.

[WinkyDink]

60. Hitchens is apparently quite happily married to an American.

[Penndems]

26. Hitchens made a complete ass out of himself on Maher's show

Flipping off the audience twice, insulting them and yelling "Fuck you" when they booed him? Wow, it was easy to see that he was a repeat customer at the hotel bar before air time.

Did anybody see Bill Maher's expression when the camera cut to him? Maher was getting angrier and thoroughly disgusted with Hitchens' behavior.

Message to the booking staff at "Real Time with Bill Maher": Put somebody on that show who's an adult and can discuss the issues with some intelligence, maturity and decorum. Hitchens doesn't have the right stuff to sit on the panel and discuss current events in a rational manner.

[Stardust]

27. Careful...they might bring back Coulter.

[Penndems]

31. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, LOL

Coulter doesn't have a problem with men debating her. It's women - and married women, in particular - that she detests and treats with disdain.

Watching Hitchens and Coulter reminds me of the good ole days when William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal used to go at it on "Firing Line". Things could get contentious, but boy was it entertaining and enlightening. Now all the right-wing has are a bunch of egotistical clowns.

[zeemike]

56. I remember that

I remember Buckley getting so man at Fidal that he came out of his chair.
Vidal could cut deep and stay cool.

[otohara]

81. It's A Done Deal, She's Coming

sometime during this season. I read it or heard it somewhere.

[DanCa]

28. Is there a way to write to his show?

Complaining about it as all well and good, but I want to do something.

[Penndems]

33. You can contact HBO regarding "Real Time with Bill Maher"

http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do?title=Real%20Time%20with%20Bill%20Maher&questiontype=realtimewithbillmaher

Here's the website for the show:
http://www.hbo.com/billmaher/

[Stardust]

29. I thought the show was great. There were plent yof things to bash

about but, for the most part, I applaud the show and am very glad it's back.

[Tarheel_Dem]

30. I agree about Hitchens, but the whole show...

seemed to drag. I'll keep watching, but I'll boycott Hitchens & Coulter for sure. Tonight's show needed a well informed counter-journalist to Hitchens. Hitchens is probably patting himself on the back right about now, because Bill allowed him to hijack the show. This first episode really sucked!

[ourbluenation]

32. ITA with everything you said. The show seemed off a step. Hope he gets

the mojo back for next week.

[MazeRat7]

34. I do enjoy the the "message in a bottle mentality".....

[Stardust]

35. Hey! I've got an idea - y'all can watch O'Reilly or Hannity instead!

New rule: Quit bashing Maher when he's one of the few on our side.

When the airwaves are overrun by lefties, bitch away, but until then, ease up on the criticism, woncha? I hate the expression "Democrats are eating their own" but this thread is a classic example.

[AlCzervik]

39. use your hide thread function then. Seems kind of funny, you're

bitching about bitching.

[stopbush]

36. I didn't find the show - or Hitchens - to be that bad.

A few caveats: I'm not a big Bill Mahre fan. I find him lazy and half-informed most of the time. He's the broken
clock that's right twice a day in spite of itself. I've seen Hitchens act in a much more obnoxious fashion than he did tonight. And, he actually interrupted less
than the normal RW guests that Bill features.

My take on tonight's show: Bill was unprepared, as usual. He had the entire summer to get ready for this, but the show seemed incredibly
lightweight. Bill acted like he wanted Hitchens to agree with him, and when he didn't, Bill didn't have a Plan B. He was stymied. Indeed, Bill's questions and
line of discussion seemed to be a few months behind where the public is right now. The whole thing about the 1% of the Brit public was a waste of time. Bill's
unpreparedness means that he's never going to ask a guy like Hitchens (or Cleland, for that matter) the pertinent, burning question. For his part,
Hitchens seems hell bent on providing opinions to questions he himself poses, and these questions are largely irrelevant. Stating that "these people hate us
and want to destroy us" is empty posturing.

I was disappointed in Cleland tonight. His answers seemed canned and formulaic.

Yes, it was an odd show - lacking any spark or energy...or insight, for that matter.

Let's hope things improve.

[IChing]

40. Bill was Intellectually uniformed and was unprepared

His writers were lazy and seem to throw the show together since so much has passed in what we know since his last show.
He should have had a verbal barb equal to Hitchen, Bill was not up to the task in either facts, wit or knowledge to counter arguments to Hitchens.

It was center to right panel, Max at the center the other guest works and teaches the naval school here in the west and is also a member of the Dubai group.

The bright spot was Costello.

His other interviews were lame, even though the quest were good, his staff didn't prepare him to ask probing questions.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

37. Memo to DU---Bill Maher cares deeply only about

Bill Maher.

[OneBlueSky]

46. exactly! . . . understand what that means and . . .

you'll be in the right frame of mind to watch his show . . .

me, I just avoid it . . .

[6000eliot]

38. What does Rove have pictures of this guy doing?

[XOKCowboy]

41. Markos kicked ass

Hitchens made the same old tired points. He sneaks in his little points so he'll be seen as a moderate but he's drinkin' the koolaid.

[K8-EEE]

42. My Husband Was So Totally Disgusted With Bill & Chris

He thought he should have told him to get the fuck out when when he gave the audience the finger....what an mean, evil little tiny drunk excuse for a man he is!

[Laurab]

45. I find Bill Maher normally to be really well-informed

tonight he didn't do so well. He also should have kicked Hitchens off his show for his rudeness to the audience, and his rudeness to the other panel members. Bill couldn't get the guy to shut up, and was getting really angry.

Still, it was good to see him back (for me, anyway), and to see Max Cleland, Kos, and some Katrina talk.

Hitchens doesn't seem to have any sense of humor whatsoever, nor any respect for other people. He deserved to be booted off - I wish Bill would have done it.

[lildreamer316]

47. HEAR HEAR.

I am re-listening to it now and it makes me cringe. What a tool.

[orpupilofnature57]

48. I've always said a prig that gets too much mileage of Thomas Jefferson!

At least Bill kept him in his place.Not the best Real Time , but great to have it back on.

[malaise]

52. He was offensive

To compare Rethugs attacks on Murtha in Congress with Moveon's criticism of Bush was beyond sick. To abuse the audience was typical of that drunken popinjay.

[newspeak]

69. well, no one explained that the one Hitler move-on ad

was a contest--clueless Hitchens, got that? When Hitchens attempted to put Saddam and OBL together, I thought I was going to puke-even though Bill said "you really don't believe that." He needed the facts to ram down Hitchens throat. My God, OBL's wet dream was to get rid of Saddam and get the military out of SA. Hitchens must be on the hard stuff to believe that OBL and Saddam were buds. I remember them making a case that there were terrorist camps in the north--HELLO-that's kurd territory--so who was promoting the al quaeda camps and with whose blessing? Hitchens needed to be called on his BS!!!!

[Paladin]

55. Oh, Shit---Here We Go With The Week-By- Week Maher Rollercoaster

One week, Maher is the Spawn of Satan, because he or one of his guests uttered something more-or-less conservative. The next week, he's crowned as the Second-Coming Jesus, because he got off some really nice anti-Bush zingers. I love you guys, but this is really fucking tiresome. Settle down, appreciate the show for what it is, with all its faults and limitations, and concentrate on something more important...

[orpupilofnature57]

62. Still one of the Best shows on not tv. Not perfect , but Real

[Paladin]

70. I'll Forgive Maher For All Imperfections, Both Past and Future.....

...if he'll just have the incomparable Ian McShane on as a guest again.....

[Writer]

85. And we do the same thing with Tweety...

and every reporter we watch on TV, because we can't quite grasp the reality that we tend to read bias into news programming, even when no real bias exists.

In this case, a comedy/infotainment program, I think the entire concept of bias is moot, as it's an opinion program. Why even brush the subject? People are complicated, generally, and hold complicated world views. Why categorize? Do we fear the Other that much that we need to categorize in order to box up and store away those ideas that might challenge how we see the world?

Just. Fucking. Wondering.

[H2O Man]

57. I enjoyed the show.

I though Hitchens disgraced himself. He had a couple points that, properly presented, might have led to an interesting discussion. The panel had the potential to examine important issues seriously, though with humor. Hitchens couldn't handle it. His personality disorder came to the surface, and he behaved like a flaming asshole.

[AnnInLa]

58. I think Maher invites controversy to the show

to make it more "interesting." It's probably a very calculated move. I thought the whole show was kinda weak, and the part that annoyed me most was Maher's rather condescending attitude toward Markos. Markos and Elvis were the most erudite/knowledegable people on the show, including Maher.

[Darth_Kitten]

65. Elvis Costello?

what he have to say? :)

[orpupilofnature57]

66. He has Liberal views. And being he's a musical Genius, he's worth a chat.

[Darth_Kitten]

68. He's an honourary Canuck now.......

being married to Diana Krall. :)

[orpupilofnature57]

71. Oh Canada ! We came down the Hudson in a piss-pot,or so said Dad.

[AnnInLa]

75. much info on what he has been doing

in helping Hurricane Katrina victims.....and, how Europe perceives bush/blair. Elvis wasn't too hard on the bush admin, but just hard enough. I liked that he expressed himself very well....much better than Maher.

[AnnInLa]

59. Also, anyone going to the rallly for Murtha

on Sept 30th....the one mentioned by Max?

[WinkyDink]

61. More info?

[AnnInLa]

74. don't have more, sorry

just heard max mention it when he was ranting about the swift-boating attempt by repukes on Murtha....then everyone started taking over him. Probably, if you go to the PA forum and ask, someone will know. Wish I was closer to PA!

[ElboRuum]

67. Bill's not a full-bore liberal

But why hold that against him? Why make an enemy out of him when his views are largely in step with most of our own?

Bill has, throughout his entire career espoused a moderate view and that often requires a dialogue between competing sides. Granted that there really are no liberal mass media outlets anymore. Maybe we just want to have something to cheer about too. I fully understand.

But...
Let's not fuck with Bill because one of his guests have the utter lack of class to flip off the audience and call them idiots.
Let's not fuck with Bill because EVERYONE on that show was taken aback by Hitchens' open combativeness.
Let's not fuck with Bill because he expected a level of decorum from Hitchens and wasn't prepared to deal with it. I've seen Hitchens before and this was overtly bellicose, even for HIM.

Hitchens is just another neocon, Trotskyan, Straussian boob who needs philosophical justification for being angry. Any semblence of intellectualism you may get from him is a candy coating covering an unimaginative person who long ago stopped trying to think that while the problems of the world MAY be solved by talk, his own demons cannot be reconciled without some level of violent revenge. Hitchens needs a psychiatrist, not a book deal, and even he knows it. Now everyone else does too.

I give Maher at least the credit for at least inviting guests on his show which will challenge both the other guests and the audience, however I do believe that once he turned on the audience, a big fat no no in broadcasting, he should have been shown the door. If Bill made an error last night, it wasn't inviting Hitchens to the party, it was not showing him the door when he started getting in the face of other partygoers.

[orpupilofnature57]

72. But he does have Liberal views.

[Moochy]

78. Past performances should have been a guide to his behavior

I used HBO's RealTime feedback website to send them a message saying that choice of guests, but you are correct that his biggest failing last night was "not showing him the door when he started getting in the face of other partygoers."

Maybe he could have thrown a plastic chair at him... :D (Maybe you've seen that clip of the cable access TV show getting a chair thrown at him...)

[bliss_eternal]

83. Can you believe this guy flipped off the audience...?

I just started a thread on it, as I didn't see this one. He is completely repugnant. He had a chip on his shoulder the second he tried to talk to him about Elvis Costello.

What the hell is this guy's problem? Other than being a * apologist. Defending his stupidity? Come on...

[FUGW]

84. A-Holes like C.H. want to be the victim and shut down on shows like this.

Then they can act like they were denied the chance to defend their pointless point of view by the evil Liberals. By letting him speak and show his true colors Bill did more damage to that piece of crap than wasting time proving him wrong.