Monday, July 05, 2010

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Back in May, Senator Evan Bayh ripped the judicial confirmation process.
In an appearance on MSNBC, Bayh was asked if he agreed with a 1995 piece by court nominee Elena Kagan in which she called confirmation hearings a "vapid and hollow charade."

"Absolutely Joe," the centrist senator said. "You get these very erudite people coming before Congress saying as little as possible in very intelligent-sounding phrases. It's really kind of a sad kabuki theater but that's what it's evolved into."
Comedian Paul Scheer ranked what he believes to be the five best SNL movies.

Judd Apatow recieved the UCLA Jack Benny Award.
The UCLA Jack Benny award was created in order to recognize individuals who have contributed significantly to the field of comedy, whether in film, television or in stand-up, in honor of Mr. Jack Benny’s legacy. The award was first presented to Johnny Carson in 1977 and since then many prominent figures in entertainment have been recognized with this award. Previous recipients include Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler and Bill Murray. The last recipient was Kevin Smith in 2006.

Judd Apatow was a natural choice for the award considering his substantial body of work and its profound influence on comedy today. He wrote, produced, and directed Funny People, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Knocked Up, and has also produced works such as Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Anchorman. Regarding the award, Judd Apatow said, “I am honored to receive this award from UCLA even though I am a former USC student. I am torn, but since I never graduated from USC, I shall accept it.”
Bayh appeared on The Daily Show a while back in a segment with John Oliver.
After all, Oliver noted, many senators stay "well into their diaper years."
"Evan Bayh, a senator in the prime of his career, popular enough to be on Obama's short list for vice president, young enough to dominate the senatorial racquetball league and stupid enough to be walking away from all this," says Oliver, starting off the segment before showing a clip from Bayh's retirement announcement in which he says, "I do not love Congress."

The piece then shifts to an interview in Bayh's office, while asking this question, "So what exactly is his problem?"

Bayh: "It's been a privilege. I love my colleagues, but we're just not getting enough done, I think, to warrant another six years."
Oliver then tells Bayh to pretend Oliver is Congress and to explain to him why he is breaking off the relationship.
Bayh: "Well, I hate to say it, but our relationship has become much too partisan."
Oliver: "What? What are you talking about?"
Bayh: "It's too ideological."
Oliver: "Why are you doing this to me?"
Bayh: "Well, it's been a great 11 years, and I've been honored to serve the people of Indiana..."
Oliver: "No, no, no, no, no..."
Bayh: "We're just not getting enough done."
Oliver: "I can't believe you're doing this to me. You know what? There's plenty of other politicians out there, and I hope when you see the next senator from Indiana inside me, it makes you feel sick."
Bayh: "I'm sure it will."
More background on the interview:
show contacted Bayh’s office in early March, shortly after Bayh announced his retirement. An aide told ITK the senator is a fan of the show and accepted the offer “right away,” and that Oliver and a crew filmed the segment in Bayh’s office in the Russell Senate Office Building about a month ago.

Oliver told Bayh in advance that the questions would be about his retirement, and interviewed Bayh for about 45 minutes, collecting far more footage than was shown. While waiting for Bayh, Oliver posed for photos with tourists in the hallway and with staffers in the nearby offices of Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).

In the broadcasted segment, Oliver pretends he’s “the Senate” and invites Bayh to “break up” with him, prompting Bayh to declare that he’s tired of the chamber’s partisanship and gridlock, as he has said in media interviews. Oliver then tries to goad Bayh into declaring that he is retiring because he has had sex with Senate pages, with Bayh resisting and wearing a slight smile.

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