A Little of the Old In and Out



Untainted. (image via msnbc)

In: Senator John McCain, Majority Leader? As the House rethinks its leadership structure (DeLay is out), perhaps the Senate ought to do the same. If this week doesn't show how prescient Senator John McCain has been on the subject of Campaign Reform legislation, well, The Corsair frankly doesn't know what does. Granted, The Senator is watching "Channel Zero" on issues such as Gay Marriage and Intelligent Design; but, in a sense, he's all we have with regards to sanity and principle in the Senate. McCain, a true Centrist, is as popular among conservatives as a case of the clap is at a dive bar. But MCain cannot be ignored.

We are at present in a bona fide McCain moment.

Consider: McCain's steady guiding of the momentum of the United Sates Senate -- the Greatest Club on the planet, so they say, outside of the Papal enclave -- has been unparalleled (Sorry, Frist; its the truth). From the somber Abu Graib hearings, to steroids in baseball, to the carefully crafted Gang of 14, to the torture Amendment, to -- now -- the Abramoff scandal, Senator John McCain is all but the Senate Majority Leader if only with regards to moral tone of the chamber, if not the actual directing of the flow of legislation.

Yes, John McCain is as popular among Conservatives as a social disease at a college, but a) McCain's clean of Abramoff money (Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott, leading campaigners for Majority leader are both "infected" by the issue), b) McCain represents campaign reform and will get it done, and, c) Bill Frist is tainted by scandal, and the Republican Party cannot go forward into the 2006 Midterm elections with a tainted chief. That having been said -- McCain would be a perfect Majority Leader, one that the President -- veering Centerwise, ever since New Year's -- could work with, and both aisles of the Senate could be proud of.



(image via tonyshatz)

Out: Gene Shalit. Ancient film-critic Gene Shalit -- Frankly, we didn't even know he was still hustling -- is reason #7,548 why networks should really try to keep their on-air talent somewhat "with-it." Otherwise, the culture changes, and the show is still caught up in an Eisnhower aesthetic. To wit:

"For the most part, the critics agree that Brokeback Mountain is one of the year's most commendable films.

"Then there's Gene Shalit's point of view.

"The veteran Today show critic has been taken to task by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation over his negative review of the gay cowboy western, in which he referred to Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Jack, as a 'sexual predator' who 'tracks Ennis down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts.'

"The group claimed that Shalit's statements, delivered during his 'Critic's Choice' segment on Thursday's Today show, promoted 'defamatory anti-gay prejudice to a national audience," and criticized NBC News for providing the eccentric critic with a platform from which to air his views.

"Shalit's bizarre characterization of Jack as a 'predator' and Ennis as a victim reflects a fundamental lack of understanding about the central relationship in the film and about gay relationships in general,' GLAAD said in a statement."



(image via mediavillage)

In: Comedy Central's Motherload Channel. The Corsair has always said that as far as iPod content -- think: $.99 downloads and the possibility of "iNetworks" -- Porn (Playboy's iBod, amateur "Bodcasts"), Extreme Fighting, Cartoons and Edgy Comedy Routines are the no-brainer commercially viable options.

(A considerable pause) Uhm ... is the future of iPod programming looking like the result of our Attention Deficit society?

Still, props to Comedy Central, which is putting salt up in their game with the Motherload Channel (Now, when will WWE, UFC and The Cartoon Network elevate their game to allow for iPod-programming?) According to PaidContent:

"Comedy Central's getting serious...eight-original-web-only-shows-serious. It is introducing its 2006 slate of new shows today for its online channel MotherLoad.

"The MotherLoad lineup includes such series as 'All Access: Middle Ages,' billed as the inside story behind the coolest crusades and 'most awesomely bad plagues,' and "Golden Age," which finds out what happened to retired cartoon characters. The numbers are still small. During its best week, in early December, MotherLoad attracted 109,000 viewers. "

Out:



(image via variety)

In: Proenza Shouler. What's with the stories that they're going to do "Fashion for the Masses"? According to British Vogue:

"THE Proenza Schouler design duo are apparently in talks with Target to follow in the footsteps of Isaac Mizrahi and Cynthia Rowley in creating a diffusion line for the budget US retailer. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have put nothing in writing yet, however, and they are also no-commenting rumours that they were approached by LVMH for the top jobs at Celine and Givenchy."