A Little of the Old In and Out



Above: Karl Rove contemplates stripping the Minority party in the Senate of some of its powers. Such are the mysteries of the Dark Side of the force. (image via amra.pl)

In: The Nuclear Option. The Corsair had thought that with corporate lobbyists lining up against the "nuclear option," the issue was dead in the water for Republicans who rely on that wellspring as mother's milk. It is not. A nuclear winter may be upon us. The will to ramrod conservative judges is greater than those interests. Recent drives by Vice President Dick Cheney and Senate Majority Leader (and Karl Rove's favorite '08 marionette) Bill Frist prove that it's on like Gray Poupon, according to TheHill:

"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has taken steps to try to soothe business and trade-association leaders who have voiced concerns that the so-called nuclear option will stymie the business agenda in Congress.But Frist has shown no sign of backing down and has indicated his intention to press ahead with his drive to stop the Democratic filibuster of judicial nominees.

"Frist?s every move on the judicial filibuster issue is receiving heightened scrutiny, and the issue has been transformed in recent weeks into one of the most prominent national political news stories. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters yesterday that GOP leaders are being driven to act by 'radical Republicans' while predicting that the issue will help Democrats pick up Senate seats in the 2006 elections."

Prepare for the Democrats to shut down the government a la Gingrich. And prepare for the Democrats to bring up the "Star Wars" narrative reference of the stripping of powers of the Senate. Will Jimmy Smits actually get involved? And, prepare for public opinion to agree that the overzealousness of Evangelicals is getting fucking out of hand.



Out: Robert Downey, Jr. No wonder "Rip" gave "Julian" that bad bump of speedball in "Less Than Zero." He's inappropriate! And ... he had that really ... really weird shirt in that scene. *The Corsair shudders* What was up with that?

But we digress. According to ThisisLondon (link via Drudgie poo):

"Actor Robert Downey Jr left presenter Lorraine Kelly lost for words today by telling her: 'Your t*ts look great!'

"The former Hollywood bad boy had daytime viewers choking on their cornflakes when he made the remark on ITV1 show This Morning.

"Kelly, wearing an orange cardigan and black camisole which revealed a hint of cleavage, was hosting the show in place of Fern Britton.

"She welcomed Downey Jr to the show by telling him: 'You look fantastic, you look really well.'

"The 40-year-old actor replied: 'Thanks. I was going to say that your t*ts look great too!'

"A clearly shocked Kelly, 45, said 'Thank you, that's nice,' as Downey Jr added: 'Particularly today.'

"Kelly managed to say: 'Oh good, well I'm glad I made you happy.'

(A considerable silence on the part of The Corsair)

"Gazing down at her cleavage and adjusting her top, she said: 'I didn't realise they were so out.'

"Kelly's co-host Jeremy Kyle, on his first day as temporary replacement for Phillip Schofield, stepped in to change the subject by saying: 'Let's move swiftly on.'

"An embarrassed Kelly agreed: 'I think we should.'"



In: Carolyn Murphy. Not that a blonde, blue eyed model needs any extra help in the business -- they don't -- still, it is impossible to overlook the incredible success of Carolyn Murphy.

She's on every magazine cover that matters. Murphy harkens back to the Golden Age of Supermodels (The Corsair's IQ suddenly dropped about 15 points for actually writing that last sentence, sorry guys), when the category of "model," was as socially prestigious as that of "actor," or "rock and roll star," or -- later in the irrationally exuberant 90s -- "CEO." Check out the Fashionweekdaily's Caroline Murphy Timeline, and observe in detail the rapid rise of "Nicolae" ... er, we mean Carolyn.

Out: Jude: I'm Not Moving to New York. Corsair: I Couldn't Give a Fuck. Asshole, Eurotrash punkface.

In: Andy Dick. Andy Dick ... is tripping. Andy Dick is not right in the head. Andy Dick's so crezzy; he's the car wreck that we all gawk at; Andy Dick is the comedy that keeps giving. The very cool Laurie and the La.com gang (hey guys!) at LA.com (link via Defamer) note this Andy Dick news from a source:

"I was getting my hair done and I overheard some people saying that organizers of Coachella actually had a special meeting about NOT letting Andy Dick in to the festivities this year. You'd think his arrest at the fest last year for smoking a joint would be good publicity for a fest that this year boasts the musical talent of Junkie XL, Snow Patrol, Z-Trip, the Chemical Brothers and Spoon. Apparently not. Maybe the organizers fear he's become a more hardened criminal, graduating to jaywalking or making illegal U-turns."

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Andy Dick's wild rampage at Suede last year. Here.

Out: CBS' Multiple Anchor Format. RIP, at least for now (Don't play "Taps" on the bugle yet), according to Boston.com (link via Romenesko):

"'Despite speculation that CBS might try a multiple-anchor format, network news president Andrew Heyward said yesterday that the evening newscast will revolve around interim anchor Bob Schieffer for the foreseeable future.

In a Globe interview, Heyward said that CBS chairman Leslie Moonves ''threw [the multiple-anchor concept] out as an idea, one of several different approaches that were worthy of considering. Part of Leslie's job is to be an agent provocateur, and he's very good at that.' But Heyward dismissed the idea of using anchors behind desks in different cities."

Next up: Moonves arranges a painful execution for Heyward at Black Rock for using his full Christian name "Leslie" (Averted Gaze) in the press.