Real Time With Bill Maher Show Weekly Update

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Bill Maher Recap Show. On the show tonight is Bill Nye (The Science Guy), Rob Reiner, Alahe Izadi and Fran Liebowitz along with Aloe Blacc.

It is Oscar Weekend. Funny joke about Boyhood and the Catholic Church and then also about Julianne Moore being type cast in her roles. Plus, I guess it was 42 degrees in Miami. And, cool, Bill is going over the comments made by Rudy Giuliani. Does he (Rudy Giuliani) really have a book called ‘Fifty Shades of Black’? I assume this is part of that joke. I am surprised its being done during the monologue.

The first interview with Aloe Blacc is to discuss the music industry. They bring up how songwriters just do not make any money any more. For instance, he (Aloe Blacc) has or had the most plays this year (last year) or maybe even ever on Spotify. He had 168 Million Streams on Pandora and the three songwriters made like $12,000. That ‘Happy’ song had 43 Million Spins and the artist made 2,700 bucks. Another example they give is that a song like ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon has the same statutory rate as say the song ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ but then again, I think all songs have the same statutory rate. And also, I had no clue they changed that lyric from ‘all religion’ to being ;one religion?’ That is weak. How can they have done that to that writing of ones song and did the person that allowed it get a credit on that song now? That’s is beyond lame that anyone would be allowed to change the actual song lyric when that writer is dead. That’s the thing now. We have archaic laws that are still in place and it has not adapted to the new mediums and then to the new technologies. Bill was not able to use the Stevie Wonder ‘Superstitious’ song in his documentary film (Religulous). That’s also interesting. I also thought that you need approvals to cover tunes. I know there is a site or company that allows whomever to do it but again, I had always thought that you would need to get those clearances. And, great point regarding longevity because music is something that is and will be around for many life times. I have been saying that for decades now. 

 The thing about Spoitify and Pandora is that I look at it like a marketing tool. And, that I happen to get paid for it. It is not the end all be all outlet that I remotely depend on getting paid but the point is that an actual sale gets us 70% of all sales whereas songwriters get like $0.06 but again, that’s age old. That rate has been that way forever and so when Joe Blow had a song played on the radio, that’s the ‘mechanical rate’ everyone was paid. The people that are bullies are the PRO’s (Performance Rights Society’s). They collect money in almost a way that is extortion (i.e.: they collect it and then come to you to say they have it and they will give it up for a fee).

 Anyway, the panelists Rob Reiner, Elahe Izadi and Bill Nye discuss the underlying racism of former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani's and his comments about President Obama. They are also discussing how the POTUS says that we are fighting terrorists and not Islamic extremists. I see both points and I did not see both or the other at the beginning of the week. At first, I was like they are extremists but then again, I also figured out that white supremacists make up a mili percent of actual white people that act their way. That’s how I took the term Islamic Terrorists or Extremists. Meaning that not all of them act that way but the extreme ones do. Now, I understand that taking out the word Islam may be smart. It also may be hard for us simple minds to grasp if we do take it out. I say that because its easier just to name something and then to blame it. I see it both ways. I can see how they (Islamic people) would get upset at being named in that label but then again, so should all white people when the term white and supremacy is named in the media. The problem with the suggestion by Bill Nye, the Science Guy to push for the Internet to be more prevalent in those regions, is that the ISIS/ISIL groups use that for their own propaganda and to even recruit its members. Now, we just segued into the Jeb Bush candidacy which we brought up that debate and his stances this week a few times. His speech said something along the lines that ISIS fighters had 200,000 people when he was off by like 180,000 people. That, BTW, is a giant percentage to be off. But again, we had discussed that this week on the Morning Joe recap show. He did correct it later but still, he is running to be out POTUS. He should say thing that are correct.

Bill (Maher) gets into some great points about why can’t the other countries in that region deal with fighting ISIS themselves? He goes on to make greater points saying that Jordan for instance, has 180,000 people in its armed forces. Turkey has 991,000 thousands people in its military. Egypt has 1.4 million people in it. Iraq has 800,000 and the Kurds have up to 250,000 people in their military. The Saudis (Saudi Arabia) also have 250,000 people. Lebanon has 290,000 people in the armed forces. Syria has 600,000 thousand people in its military.

 That’s about 5,000,000 people in armed forces in those countries around and in where ISIS/ISIL has its strong hold (not even including Iran).

 That is the best point ever in that sense that why can’t they deal? That’s astounding when you break it down that way and again, it’s the best point ever that no one has even discussed at all when it comes to fighting vs. ISIS/ISIL. Elahe Izadi is saying that the sophistication, funding and weaponry and what not held by these armed forces is NOT that great but still. They have some amazing numbers compared to ISIS fighters. And, she goes on to make a good point that our (USA) government may not exactly want the Iranians to have so much power in those regions. Which is counter productive if we are against our own selves strategy wise. That’s a tight line to draw.

And low and behold that Bill (Maher) brings up another amazing point tonight. Which is that we should remember how those countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Egypt bound together to combat Israel for decades. Why not now vs. ISIS/ISIL?

 They now discuss how Jews are targeted a lot lately in the Europe regions and how Nettenyahu suggested that they (European Jewish People)

 BTW, the show is not on next week but that show ‘Vice’ starts up again. We have seen the previews of it about cancer and treatment for it.


Next, the Academy Awards and the Daytona 500 are in direct competition this year – not just for TV ratings, but also for the best celebrity gift bag. Here is that segment but the actual giveaways in the Academy gift bag look more fake than being real but here it (that segment) is here off YouTube:

Fran Liebowitz from Vanity fair is on the panel now. 
Oh wow. I never thought about movie stars in the way they discuss it. I always realized they are crème de la crème looks wise and the best looking people on the planet but what an amazing point about how for them to get some form of notoriety, they have to dress themselves down. They gain acclaim for having to gain weight for a part. They have to get fake things on their faces to prepare for a role. That’s an amazing point that I have never thought about all of these years. And, also, she/they are discussing how Los Angeles today is more manageable but only because New York has gotten worse and man have I been preaching that sediment for months. New York really sucks lately. Which in turn makes L.A. not that bad. Another true comment is how its worse to be called a raciest than it is to actually be a raciest. Bill brings up how that writer stated that Obama was the most raciest person ever and Bill goes on to jokingly say that ‘even more than those people that had slaves” to paraphrase a bit but yeah, that GOP are a funny group of conservatives today. And again, New York has gotten to be so conservative today. Which started with Rudy (Giuliani) coincidentally and considering his comments made about the POTUS this week. Maybe that is what he (Rudy) meant by Obama not liking us or you. Fran (Liebowitz) states that not one unarmed white person was ever shot in NYC, by a NY cop. Conversely, that many unarmed black people had been shot during the Rudy Giuliani years.  She says that the most of them were done under the Giuliani watch while he was in Mayor. Regardless of that viewpoint which I don’t really know if that stat (100% vs. none) is completely true but I totally agree that his opinions said about him and about NY this week. Plus, I agree that his comments in that speech are a huge problem for Scott Walker. Not only did he speak them at his fundraising event this week, Scott Walker basically agreed with them, let alone he did nada to denounce them. That is just not going to fly in this upcoming general election. If Chris Christy were smart, he would speak up against it to get ahead of it a bit. And, it would be a way for him to boost his numbers that are very low today. Jeb (Bush) won’t because he is just too safe in every regard. He wont go there but (Chris) Christy needs anything to get him back to that upper and middle ground for that primary race. (Bobby) Jindal and much of the GOP people actually agree with (Rudy) Giuliani's comments about the POTUS.

And, oh yeah. What is anti colonialism and why is that a bad thing? Fran (Liebowitz) says its not that particular colonialism they are speaking up against or that Obama is against.
The bottom line is that Rudy gets paid to speak and the things that gets the applause from his fans is to say bad things against Obama. That’s been the GOP M.O. for years now. Everyone in that GOP does that about Obama.

And, funny joke about ‘Mega Drought,’ that band out of Spinal Tap (a Rob Reiner film) but there is a report that we will be going through what will be a mega drought starting in two years. This is good for Bill Nye to discuss. We all know the problem here and that’s brings us to New Rules. 

 New Rules folks. 

 The crying baby joke and relating it to fashion Week because of how and who sews up those clothes in those countries was funny (although I wish he would have done a more animal welfare type of joke about fashion week but anyway, that’s me wishfully thinking out loud here). Two more funny ones but this one about Google’s auto ad is great about the Moon (is it real is at the top) and then calling on the fact that Rick Perry can indeed be called POTUS is classic and great, finally. Any joke about the boxing weigh ins and how they basically kiss when they face each other before their fights. Boxing and MMA fighting alone is very homo erotic but man, this weigh in kiss so to speak, is the most. Very funny joke about it. 

Next  and I think is the last New Rule is the legalize bud one. In this editorial New Rule, Bill Maher calls on President Obama to legalize marijuana and pardon non-violent drug offenders. I just love how I quit years ago only for it to become legal all over the place. That is typical me. But I am glad I am not dependent on pot any more. But it should be legal I guess. Especially considering alcohol is legal. But yeah, that stock answer the POTUS candidates make is lame when you consider people that act that same way, are in jails or in some horrible part of our horrible criminal justice system. Because people like Jeb Bush would put thousands of people in jails for using pot and drugs, however, when his daughter did it, an exception was made for her. That is lame. That’s unreal actually. 40,000 people are in jail today for pot related incidents. Maybe Obama should pardon them all. Like past Presidents that pardoned tens of K ex prisoners for certain things, maybe this would be an amazing precedent to set. The bottom line is that these people should not be in jails or prisons or even in this awful criminal justice system.

Anyway, good show. Great points made by all....And most of all, please stay in touch!

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