Real Time with Bill Maher in the Media

[sistermagpie]

On 6/26/2023 at 6:01 PM, heatherchandler said:

RFK Jr is a democrat.  I don’t think a differing view is dangerous.  Someone can listen and then decide for themselves. 

When it's a lie vs. the truth, that's not just a different view, though. There's not really any value to listening to conspiracy theories that aren't factual. It's really unfair for somebody to get wrong information because they thought someone knew what they were talking about.

[heatherchandler]

27 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

When it's a lie vs. the truth, that's not just a different view, though. There's not really any value to listening to conspiracy theories that aren't factual. It's really unfair for somebody to get wrong information because they thought someone knew what they were talking about.

RFK Jr didn’t lie, I listened to the interview and he’s obviously done his research.  He cites studies and research for every point he makes.  Bill will sometimes say, “I think such and such” or “I feel like, etc” but RFK doesn’t just throw out thoughts.

[sistermagpie]

6 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

RFK Jr didn’t lie, I listened to the interview and he’s obviously done his research.  He cites studies and research for every point he makes.  Bill will sometimes say, “I think such and such” or “I feel like, etc” but RFK doesn’t just throw out thoughts.

He cites research and studies and studies to claim things about them that they don't say. And claims that vaccines don't get tested the way other drugs do, which is completely not true.

Edited June 28, 2023 by sistermagpie

[heatherchandler]

13 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

He cites research and studies and studies to claim things about them that they don't say. And claims that vaccines don't get tested the way other drugs do, which is completely not true.

From the Bill Maher interview, which is what I listened to, I didn’t hear him say anything anti-vaccine.  He has cited studies that led him to be skeptical.  I did not hear him say anything about vaccine testing, unless I missed it.

[ShadowKnight2]

On 6/28/2023 at 1:00 PM, heatherchandler said:

From the Bill Maher interview, which is what I listened to, I didn’t hear him say anything anti-vaccine.  He has cited studies that led him to be skeptical.  I did not hear him say anything about vaccine testing, unless I missed it.

Bill Maher didn't bother pushing back against RFK Jr's claims.

Bill Maher Hosts RFK Jr. But Does Not Fact Check These Statements

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/06/28/bill-maher-hosts-rfk-jr-but-does-not-fact-check-these-statements/?sh=1f6c39a46a89

Because Bill Maher believes what RFK Jr. is spewing out!

[RealHousewife]

On 6/28/2023 at 12:00 PM, heatherchandler said:

From the Bill Maher interview, which is what I listened to, I didn’t hear him say anything anti-vaccine.  He has cited studies that led him to be skeptical.  I did not hear him say anything about vaccine testing, unless I missed it.

Isn't Bill vaccinated himself?

[ShadowKnight2]

8 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Isn't Bill vaccinated himself?

Yes he is, but he was ordered to do so by HBO, and he was pissy about it. He never even bothered to get a booster. And, after all that, he got hit with COVID, which, more than likely, might have saved his life.

You'd think he'd come to an understanding about how effective the vaccines are to combat COVID. But NOOOOOO!!!

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

Yes he is, but he was ordered to do so by HBO, and he was pissy about it. He never even bothered to get a booster. And, after all that, he got hit with COVID, which, more than likely, might have saved his life.

You'd think he'd come to an understanding about how effective the vaccines are to combat COVID. But NOOOOOO!!!

Seems like he likes to try to have a reasonable veneer of saying that he thinks *some* vaccines are okay, but he's "just asking questions" any time he hears about getting one. And I remember his questions being really ridiculous, like "Doesn't it seem like there's more conditions now and also more vaccines? Isn't it logical that it means one is causing the other?"

Then he doesn't research this stuff in a real way. He'll just bring on anti-vax conspiracy people. It goes along with his usual instinct to blame people for getting sick, like if they'd just lose weight and eat better there would be no disease at all.

[wknt3]

On 6/28/2023 at 12:06 PM, sistermagpie said:

When it's a lie vs. the truth, that's not just a different view, though. There's not really any value to listening to conspiracy theories that aren't factual. It's really unfair for somebody to get wrong information because they thought someone knew what they were talking about.

And I would add that's it also particularly annoying in that Bill picks and chooses when "open debate" and listening to "all sides" are his Prime Directive. When one of his hot take right wingers starts claiming climate change isn't serious and we should do our own research he will rip them a new one. Same thing for other topics he really cares about. If he was guilty simply of prizing open debate over facts it would be one thing, but the shifting goal posts of when facts and responsibility matter and when they don't make it much worse.

[Spartan Girl]

Ugh OFC even with the writers strike, he just HAS to get out his opinion about Barbie:

 

[ruby24]

Wow. That is one deeply insecure, pathetic man. What a baby.

Also I love how he cites the word of a woman way too young for him, telling him what he wants to hear, as if that’s not proving the movie’s point, LMFAO

Edited August 8, 2023 by ruby24

[DXD526]

Aww, Bill's all butthurt by Barbie. An old, straight, white guy thinks the patriarchy is made up. Alert the media!

[aghst]

Has he said anything about the strike?

I'm sure the HBO show isn't provide that much income for him but it probably helped drive traffic to his big gigs.

 

 

[ShadowKnight2]

No, Chris Evans. Bill Maher is NOT okay.

[DXD526]

Bill is catching abuse for his little temper tantrum - https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bill-maher-barbie-one-lamest-133000534.html

[wknt3]

On 8/8/2023 at 5:52 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Ugh OFC even with the writers strike, he just HAS to get out his opinion about Barbie:

 

I am shocked. Mind completely and utterly blown. Bill is admitting going  on a date to the movies with a woman in her 30s???!!!

[heatherchandler]

On 8/9/2023 at 12:30 PM, DXD526 said:

Bill is catching abuse for his little temper tantrum - https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bill-maher-barbie-one-lamest-133000534.html

The author doesn’t seem to like him but the comments are mostly supportive of Bill.

 

[ShadowKnight2]

13 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

The author doesn’t seem to like him but the comments are mostly supportive of Bill.

 

Yup! Nothing but contemptable douchebros that Bill Maher attracts these days.

[aghst]

Bill Maher and Joe Rogan debate Biden v. Trump.

 

Found better link to video long with text excerpts.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/joe-rogan-bill-maher-trump-biden-1235581529/

 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by aghst

[ebk57]

And after (or before, not sure of the timeline) a somewhat reasonable take in the above post, he says this.   He's such a jerk. 

 

 

[ShadowKnight2]

10 hours ago, aghst said:

Bill Maher and Joe Rogan debate Biden v. Trump.

 

Found better link to video long with text excerpts.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/joe-rogan-bill-maher-trump-biden-1235581529/

 

 

The meeting of the mindless meatbags. How quaint!🙄😒

 

9 hours ago, ebk57 said:

And after (or before, not sure of the timeline) a somewhat reasonable take in the above post, he says this.   He's such a jerk. 

 

 

At this point, no one should be surprised about Bill Maher's continuing right wing march, with ignorant shit like that!

[Spartan Girl]

Well, Bill, you aren’t “owed anything” as a talk show host/commentator/pundit either, yet you still take all the money you’re given for it, so STFU.

[aghst]

Bill came up as a writer but now he's a producer.

If the writers got more money in a union deal, the costs for his show would go up so he probably gets a percentage of profits and thus, he'd get less if the writers get more.

[ShadowKnight2]

4 hours ago, aghst said:

Bill came up as a writer but now he's a producer.

If the writers got more money in a union deal, the costs for his show would go up so he probably gets a percentage of profits and thus, he'd get less if the writers get more.

Considering how the writers do their best to make Bill Maher seem funny, that seems money well invested. Perhaps he should be more grateful, considering that his own brand of humor is considered noxious and unfunny.

[aghst]

8 hours ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

Considering how the writers do their best to make Bill Maher seem funny, that seems money well invested. Perhaps he should be more grateful, considering that his own brand of humor is considered noxious and unfunny.

True but at least some of the writers are often standup comics themselves, who aren't as well known.

If they performed the lines they wrote, they wouldn't be nearly as successful as Maher saying those jokes.

Bill says the writers are getting screwed by streamers but he's not willing to give up some of his profits to them either.

How many of us in his position would say differently?

[ShadowKnight2]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

Bill says the writers are getting screwed by streamers but he's not willing to give up some of his profits to them either.

How many of us in his position would say differently?

Well we've seen some of his late night contemporaries helping cover the wages of their staff that was lost due to the strike. Bill Maher comes off as being selfish and greedy here.

[aghst]

1 hour ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

Well we've seen some of his late night contemporaries helping cover the wages of their staff that was lost due to the strike. Bill Maher comes off as being selfish and greedy here.

Sure but if any of them get profit participation in their shows, and they may not if they are on a major network, they may not necessarily accede to all the WGA demands.

That doesn't mean they wouldn't help out with the podcast but they might not necessarily agree, if they had a role in the decision, to give up profits so that the staff are better paid.

Bill is no doubt protesting his privilege since he's towards the top of the food chain among entertainer.  But he probably believes that he toiled for years to get where he is and that besides the hard work, he has some talent which deserves better compensation than the average WGA member.

Also it should be noted that the most ambitious screenwriters will write and develop their own shows to pitch, will cultivate relationships with producers so that they can become show creators and show runners, owning a percentage of the show.

So in that sense, screenwriting is kind of a lower-level, not entry level like gofers and production assistants but a stepping stone towards more lucrative roles in the industry.

His attitude may be that the best and ambitious ones are able to move on to better roles such as producing and show running and if you're a screenwriter more than a couple of years, you're in the wrong profession because it's not meant to be a long-term job.

[sistermagpie]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

His attitude may be that the best and ambitious ones are able to move on to better roles such as producing and show running and if you're a screenwriter more than a couple of years, you're in the wrong profession because it's not meant to be a long-term job.

That sounds a lot like the people who claim people shouldn't be able to live on a minimum wage salary because it's supposed to be (and always was supposed to be) for teenagers and not longterm. Even while they make tons of money for their own jobs and don't want to work for less.

[aghst]

13 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

That sounds a lot like the people who claim people shouldn't be able to live on a minimum wage salary because it's supposed to be (and always was supposed to be) for teenagers and not longterm. Even while they make tons of money for their own jobs and don't want to work for less.

Sure.

But it’s also said about adults who work at fast food restaurants or retail with high school or college kids too.

However many are unable to move beyond entry or low level jobs because of life circumstances or mishaps.

I wonder what the age range  of writers on Real Time is.  I would guess they’re older and some or all of them have producer credit.  As opposed to people a couple of years out of college.

But one of the arguments the WGA is making is that there are fewer opportunities for career development because of mini rooms and productions, particularly those associated with streamers, don’t keep writers on for as long as network and cable TV shows did, which allows writers to learn all different aspects of production, giving them a chance to move beyond just writing scripts.

So it seems that Bill rejects this argument or is unaware of it when he says they’re not owed a living as mere writers.

 

[sistermagpie]

7 minutes ago, aghst said:

But it’s also said about adults who work at fast food restaurants or retail with high school or college kids too.

 

Exactly, that's what I meant. It's one of those many lies that justify not paying people. I disagree with Bill on them not being owed a living as mere writers.

[ShadowKnight2]

And the hit jobs on Bill Maher just keep on coming! Add Fred Armisen's name to the growing list of ex Real Time guests who obviously didn't enjoy their time on the show.

Tim Heidecker’s Interview With Fred Armisen Was One Giant Sneak-Diss on Bill Maher

https://www.cracked.com/article_39390_tim-heideckers-interview-with-fred-armisen-was-one-giant-sneak-diss-on-bill-maher.html

[Spartan Girl]

Saw this coming from a mile away. Nothing to add except

[ShadowKnight2]

Translation: Fuck you writers with your piddly little concerns nobody cares about! My ego and self importance are far too important for you fucking whinny little bitches! Lick my dick and love it, scum!

[ShadowKnight2]

LOL!!! Even Bill Maher's old pal, Keith Olbermann, is viciously torching him for restarting his HBO show, while the writers are still on strike!

Can't wait to hear Michael Moore's take on this.

[tessaray]

Keith Olbermann's Countdown podcast of 9/15 focuses on Bill a bit. I may have lost track of how many times he calls him a scab.

[arachne]

I'd already heard Olbermann's "Me and Bill Maher in college" story a couple of times, so I shut it off rather than hear it again. But I do remember the part where Bill called Keith a "corporate sellout" for working at the college radio station. Indeed, the irony has never been more timely.

I do not intend to watch Real Scab, and may never watch it again, no matter what happens with the strike. IIRC, Bill's contract with HBO runs out at the end of next year anyway. 

[aghst]

Surprised that Maher decides the show is going to be back.

You'd think it would be HBO which decides whether to air new episodes during the strike.

Without the monologue and the canned bits, maybe the panel gets more time to have real exchanges, though who knows what kind of guests will appear, if the strike is still ongoing when they film.

Oh Republicans will appear on the show if invited.  If those are the only kinds of guests he gets, won't be worth watching.

I'm surprise the guilds haven't asked for consumers to boycott TV networks, studios, streaming services, etc.

Reason may be that they've cut a number of smaller deals with independent production companies and so the projects which those companies are working on are allowed to work with the blessings of the guilds.

[Pike Ludwell]

.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Pike Ludwell

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, Pike Ludwell said:

I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much."

The idea that he's doing this because he feels so bad for the below the line people is ridiculous. If he thinks the writers are being divas for wanting to be paid what they're worth, he doesn't care about below the line poeple. The writers getting paid what they're worth helps them too. They don't benefit from corporate not having to pay people enough. 

Just because Bill's doing something considered shitty doesn't make it admirable. He's just siding with corporate and making money himself.

Edited September 16, 2023 by sistermagpie

[ShadowKnight2]

8 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

The idea that he's doing this because he feels so bad for the below the line people is ridiculous. If he thinks the writers are being divas for wanting to be paid what they're worth, he doesn't care about below the line poeple. The writers getting paid what they're worth helps them too. They don't benefit from corporate not having to pay people enough. 

Just because Bill's doing something considered shitty doesn't make it admirable. He's just siding with corporate and making money himself.

HEAR HEAR!!! The idea that Bill Maher cares deeply about the people working for him is a god damned fucking joke. Maher has shown himself to be a full blown toxic narcissist who fucking only cares about himself. Proof of that theory was when he had canned laughter put in when he came back from the lockdown so that his shitty jokes could be considered "funny."

Bill Maher had better make his own coffee while he still has a show. Methinks his assistants will provide extra spit in it, whether he wants it or not.

[aghst]

WGA said they're disappointed by the decision of the shows, Real Time, the other talk shows.

They will picket all of them.

[ShadowKnight2]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

WGA said they're disappointed by the decision of the shows, Real Time, the other talk shows.

They will picket all of them.

Are there other talk shows, besides Bill Maher's and Drew Barrymore's, that are returning during the strikes?

[Salacious Kitty]

45 minutes ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

Are there other talk shows, besides Bill Maher's and Drew Barrymore's, that are returning during the strikes?

I saw a new episode of Tamron Hall last week. 

[aghst]

Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk are also resuming.

[Soapy Goddess]

UO here, but I don't understand the uproar. Talk shows are not using writers, at least the one I watch doesn't. And Bill says he will eliminate ALL portions of his show that employed writers. Instead he's basically reverting to a talk show. 

I understand sympathizing, but if they're not using writers and simply speaking their own words, what's the problem?!?  

[arachne]

Update on Drew Barrymore's show:

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/drew-barrymore-pause-daytime-talk-show-strike-ends-1234826742/?fbclid=IwAR3YW7rHMg7GGyySKLmE_mpbzHK8KdXnjlbzscOte_ySEk461nIG6F65_xs

Think Bill will follow suit? I doubt it. 

[iMonrey]

I really don't have a problem with talk shows coming back sans writers. It's true there are lots of other people out of work who aren't writers.

The problem is that the one last redeeming feature of Real Time was the occasionally good New Rules segment. The rest of the show has devolved into garbage. The panel discussions are usually the worst part of the show because Bill is a terrible moderator and gives a platform to right wing pundits who come on and spew their usual talking points. The interviews are even worse. Bill doesn't seem to be able to articulate very well anymore. I don't know if it's his age or if all the pot smoking has deteriorated his brain or just what but he tends to babble and stammer and trail off.

I gave up watching this show last year anyway so it doesn't matter if the show comes back or not as far as I'm concerned. But I do think a legitimate argument could be made for the continued employment of all the non-writers who are out of work because of this damn strike. 

[tessaray]

24 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

But I do think a legitimate argument could be made for the continued employment of all the non-writers who are out of work because of this damn strike. 

Aren't most of the crew jobs, like camera people, directors, etc also unionized jobs? That's awkward, asking them to cross a picket line. Even if they want to get back to work. (Though I do understand the trickle down effect for caterers and local businesses. )

I think it's a mistake for Bill to go out there and wing it. He's so out of touch anyway, this will just shine a spotlight on it. Without writers his default state is petulant geezer. (Which I can say, since I'm about the same age.)

[ShadowKnight2]

Bill Maher had his crew come back to work in the middle of a pandemic, because he felt his voice deserves to be heard. Like he gives a fuck about their general welfare and well being.

[aghst]

Yeah some of the other unions for Hollywood trades were suppose to be observing the picket lines so we will see what they do.