S16.E33: Bari Weiss, Barbra Streisand, Chelsea Handler, Jim VandeHei, and Anthony Romero

[formerlyfreedom]

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Barbra Streisand, Chelsea Handler, Jim VandeHei, Anthony Romero, and Bari Weiss

[Caseysgirl]

I think this was a great panel and guests, although I think Bill could have done a little less fan-girling over Babs, but I’ll forgive him because she IS Barbara Streisand. Even Chelsea Handler was easy to take and seemed much less abrasive than usual. I think we’re all too scared right now.

[For Cereals]

Agreed on Streisand.  You know they played her video because they had to set up to film her good side.  Great career, I love her acting, but she’s not royalty and I would have more respect if she could’ve just been part of the panel like any other guest.  That said, a hug from the Focker parents in this climate would be awesome right now.

[ZoqFotPik]

4 hours ago, For Cereals said:

I would have more respect if she could’ve just been part of the panel like any other guest.

Streisand is apparently a massive diva. There is no way she would part of the panel.

[GoldenGirl90]

“He [Trump] has state TV [Fox News], that’s what we’ve never had before and that’s what a dictator always has.” 

Good show tonight. 

[Milburn Stone]

I thought Bari Weiss was magnificent.

[One Imaginary Girl]

Agreed. I can't imagine speaking publicly so soon about something so painful, but she did it very eloquently.

[paigow]

10 hours ago, For Cereals said:

Agreed on Streisand.  You know they played her video because they had to set up to film her good side. 

You mean the Botox side?

[wknt3]

11 hours ago, Caseysgirl said:

I think this was a great panel and guests, although I think Bill could have done a little less fan-girling over Babs, but I’ll forgive him because she IS Barbara Streisand. Even Chelsea Handler was easy to take and seemed much less abrasive than usual. I think we’re all too scared right now.

 

3 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I thought Bari Weiss was magnificent.

 

Agreed on all points. I did not know about Bari's connection to Pittsburgh previously so I was not expecting something so personal and real from her and Bill - about as different as possible from their usual interactions on the show. Bill so rarely drops the smarmy exterior that when he does it's really striking (like when he paid to tribute to Gary Shandling after he died.) And the panel was great - smart people engaged in back and forth conversation with some good one liners and Bill moderating effectively. And the scripted material and Overtime were both really good too. When it all comes together Bill's annoying little quirks (talking about how brave and honest he is while sucking up to his guests or trying to impress with how informed he is on foreign affairs while demonstrating his ignorance, etc.) are a lot easier to take. I hope we can get more shows like this without the sort of external events that provided the context for this week.

[ganesh]

3 hours ago, wknt3 said:

I did not know about Bari's connection to Pittsburgh previously so I was not expecting something so personal and real from her and Bill - about as different as possible from their usual interactions on the show.

Yeah when he announced her I rolled my eyes, but yeesh. Her dad knew 5 of them. 

And she's 100% correct in laying it all on Trump. 

I love Handler. She's right too. This is the first time I voted all Democrat. 

The problem with being all hung ho about suing the president over birthright is that their already gearing up the narrative about liberals wanting America to be invaded. 

I have plenty of empathy. I'm not the problem. There's no obligation to give empathy to people who think taking away health care is ok. Or who think people coming here for a better life are invading. 

Edited November 3, 2018 by ganesh

[iMonrey]

I didn't think there was any point to the Streisand interview, other than to plug her whole album. She really didn't have much of anything to say other than agree with Bill. He did most of the talking.

I didn't get the joke about Teri Sullivan/Megyn Kelly. Who is Teri Sullivan?

[ganesh]

I liked the interview just to learn that she was on Nixon's list. Bill seems to be a huge fan, so I'm not going to begrudge him for having her on because he just wanted to. I appreciate that she has a history of speaking out. 

But I'll tell you, Babs, they let him do it because of the SCOTUS seats. That's it. They don't care otherwise. 

Edited November 3, 2018 by ganesh

[ZoqFotPik]

19 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I didn't get the joke about Teri Sullivan/Megyn Kelly. Who is Teri Sullivan

I think it was a made up name. Bill was making a joke about how since she completely failed on NBC, she needs to restart her career as cub reporter Teri Sullivan and work her way back up. At least that's how I interpreted it.

Edited November 3, 2018 by ZoqFotPik

[ganesh]

Yeah I think he's saying that the Kelly persona is done so she's needs a new one and start over. She's a fraud just like the test of them. 

I just don't think young people will come out and vote. 

Eh, I take the point about the right to assemble, but I don't think MSG has an obligation to provide a platform for anyone. I suppose back then they didn't have the lens of history that we do now. In Charlottesville one year later, they didn't issue permits to anyone, and I didn't see any law suits. Context means something. 

There also weren't hate speech laws in 1934. So I'm not thinking if MSG refused to provide a permit to the Proud Boys, the ACLU would sue. 

Freedom of speech isn't indivisible. You can say what you want right up to the point where I tell you to STFU if you're talking about how you need to shoot Jews. 

They aren't suing twitter for blocking Alex Jones.

Edited November 3, 2018 by ganesh

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Fantastic final new rule that hit it out of the park. Bari Weiss was amazing, given the circumstances. She's been on MSNBC/Nicolle Wallace several times this past week, always very (understandably) emotional. I was glad she laid the blame right where it belongs.

While I appreciate Barbra's activism, I agree with those who didn't see a point to that segment. It was more of a "we got Barbra Streisand!" than "Barbra Streisand has anything significant to say right now." I wish someone like Larry Wilmore or Malcolm Nance had been the last guest/panelist, they could have significantly contributed to the entire discussion.

But quibbles. One of Bill's best shows overall in a while.

[GHScorpiosRule]

This was a very good show.

I particularly enjoyed New Rules.

[Victor the Crab]

Good bit of timing on Bill's part, just days before the midterms, to tell millennials to go out and vote and WHY. But whether or not they get it and actually do so still remains to be seen.

[candall]

You all are much more generous toward the Streisand segment than I am. 

I could have easily listened to that panel for 60 uninterrupted minutes, but Bari Weiss was a surprising opener with a poignant perspective, the mid-show scripted bit was sobering and the New Rules editorial was a strong pre-midterm call to action.  

So WTF at grinding the whole show to a halt while Bill used his obsequious "gentle voice" on the mega-celeb insisting actors . . . and also singers! . . . have to be real, have to be honest.  Really?  Thanks so much for playing.  And was that Bill Maher wistfully referring to the time when it was considered impolite to discuss politics and religion?  He must've been glamourized.

[Note:  I'm mad because I was really counting on RT to help me get through next Tuesday.  Right now, I guess everything makes me mad--I'm strung pretty tight.]

[DXD526]

I'm a few years younger than Bill, but I grew up a middle class kid in New Jersey just like he did, and everyone in my neighborhood knew which church everyone went to. That was a big thing back in the 60s and 70s; people maybe didn't discuss religion, but everyone belonged to a church and everyone knew who went where. So my experience of growing up in the same place he did at roughly the same time is very different, if he didn't know what churches his neighbors attended. 

I didn't enjoy the episode all that much. I found the ACLU guy overbearing to the point I just wanted him to shut it for a few minutes. Chelsea Handler was charmingly foul mouthed, as always. I wish she was a semi-regular instead of those humorless right wing women Bill loves (*cough* SE Cupp *cough*).

[ganesh]

3 hours ago, DXD526 said:

I found the ACLU guy overbearing to the point I just wanted him to shut it for a few minutes.

I'm really worried his whole "bring it on" attitude will blow up in his face and ruin 2020. All he should be doing is making sure as many people as possible can vote. 

[atlantaloves]

I thought this episode was simply epic. The best of the season as far as I am concerned. I adore Miss Handler. She can say whatever she wants and does. 

[b2H]

The Dems should take Bari’s speech at the end of her interview and play it on endless loop for the next two days.  Millennials will need to acknowledge that this election is really for their future and start getting engaged.  This speech was just what is needed.

[SuzieSioux]

I felt Bari came very close to equating criticism of Israel with anti-semitism, which I disagree with, or at least I would like to hear her explain more what she is getting at there. There is something to be said about those people who focus so intently on the wrongs done by Israel while ignoring those done by others. But Israel is still a state like any other, capable of wonderful policies and awful policies and everything in between. Criticism of Netanyahu, or of actions you find diasgreeable made by the government in power at the time are not anti-semitism. Or not necessarily anti-semitism as I guess you never know completely what is in someone's mind. Bill is always talking about liberals standing up for liberal values, which I agree with. I just don't agree liberals should stand up for liberal values up until discussion of Israel, which appears to be one of Bill's blind spots.

The first episode I ever saw of Real Time was in 2007 with Salman Rushdie, Janeane Garofalo and Rob Thomas and I remember Janeane called Bill out on this very thing. I wish the clip was still up.

I was glad to see Bari brought up how some people's support for Israel comes from the wrong place, like Steve Bannon's. This needs to be heard because there is a very cynical attitude towards Israel from some of its loudest supporters in the government that funnily enough probably does have more of a tinge of anti-semitism to it underneath.

It's been awhile since I've watched a full episode of this show, mostly I just catch clips online that interest me, plus overtime. The panel discussion whizzed by way too fast, and in my opinion too much time was taken up with Barbra who wasn't really being that revelatory ("whatever happened to just being kind?"). She has that Barbara Walters stare while she is waiting to speak too. Eyes pulled so tight she looks like she is struggling to focus on the person in front of her. The panel is usually the best part of the show, but once you get through opening monologue, pre-Panel interview, mid-show joke section, second interview and New Rules, there really isn't that much time for the Panel. It probably would've at least felt different had Babs actually deigned to sat at the table with the others. It still would've been her "best side".

[MsTree]

6 hours ago, SuzieSioux said:

It probably would've at least felt different had Babs actually deigned to sat at the table with the others. It still would've been her "best side".

RE: Babs "good side"...exactly my thoughts! So I don't see why (for what I think is the first time) a special area was set up for her. Is it because she's anti-social? She didn't want to engage the panel? Because she wanted Bill's undivided attention?  Or more than likely all of the above?? 

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 hours ago, MsTree said:

RE: Babs "good side"...exactly my thoughts! So I don't see why (for what I think is the first time) a special area was set up for her. Is it because she's anti-social? She didn't want to engage the panel? Because she wanted Bill's undivided attention?  Or more than likely all of the above?? 

It’s not the first time Bill has interviewed the mid-show guest off to the side from the panel. He’s done it a few times before. Just not in some time.

[ProudMary]

My bet is that the whole episode was reconfigured after Pittsburgh.  I'm sure that Barbra Streisand was scheduled to be the top of the show guest, with Chelsea Handler being the mid-show interview and Bari Weiss sitting on the panel.  When they discovered Bari's close connections to the Pittsburgh victims, they smartly bumped her to top of the show and then had to shuffle to accommodate La Streisand.  I have been a Barbra Streisand fan for decades, but she's a notorious diva and I'm sure had the specifics of exactly how her segment would be handled written into a contract.

[atlantaloves]

Exactly, that gal doesn't ever show her right side, or whichever one she has decided isn't her best side.  IT'S INSANE.  Talk shows for 50 years have constantly changed their seating arrangements to suit her SIDE. That's okay, she's Barbra.....We love her, her heart is always in the right place. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

10 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It’s not the first time Bill has interviewed the mid-show guest off to the side from the panel. He’s done it a few times before. Just not in some time.

The last time I recall Bill interviewing the mid-episode guest off to the side was Ralph Reed Jr. back in Aug. 2017 (http://forums.previously.tv/topic/60165-s15e22-al-gore-ralph-reed-jr-kristen-soltis-anderson-joshua-green-and-michael-weiss/)
 

[ganesh]

I think he's done it this year. 

[msrachelj]

good show....i really need to see the other, bad, side of barbra's face now! surely a paparazzi has a pic somewhere!

Edited November 6, 2018 by msrachelj
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[iMonrey]

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The last time I recall Bill interviewing the mid-episode guest off to the side was Ralph Reed Jr. back in Aug. 2017 (http://forums.previously.tv/topic/60165-s15e22-al-gore-ralph-reed-jr-kristen-soltis-anderson-joshua-green-and-michael-weiss/)

He interviewed Leah Remini that way too - I don't remember if it was before or after that. The only connection I can draw is that these particular guests are there to plug one specific thing and have nothing to contribute to the panel discussion. 

[wknt3]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

He interviewed Leah Remini that way too - I don't remember if it was before or after that. The only connection I can draw is that these particular guests are there to plug one specific thing and have nothing to contribute to the panel discussion. 

Since when has a guest having nothing to contribute to the panel discussion stopped them?

Edited November 8, 2018 by wknt3

[ottoDbusdriver]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

He interviewed Leah Remini that way too - I don't remember if it was before or after that. The only connection I can draw is that these particular guests are there to plug one specific thing and have nothing to contribute to the panel discussion. 

The show with Leah Remini was on Feb. 17, 2017 -- 6 months earlier than the Aug. 2017 with Ralph Reed, Jr. -- and she was also interviewed off to the side as the mid-show guest.

[izabella]

He also interviewed Jake Tapper that way in March 2017.