Terrible news for peace in the Middle East. Justin Bieber, visiting Israel as part of his ongoing world tour, was all set to meet up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A true meeting of the minds! But the plan fell apart, possibly because the wee pop star’s handlers didn’t like the idea of his participation in the event after Netanyayu also invited some children from a town frequently struck by Palestinian rockets. That would be too political, you see. So now the Bibi-Bieber meeting
is officially off, and the little guy has been tweeting petulantly about the paparazzi in Israel.
“You would think paparazzi would have some respect in holy places,” he tapped out with his precious miniature fingers. “All I wanted was the chance to walk where Jesus did here in Israel. People wait their whole lives for opportunities like this, why would they want to take that experience away from someone.”
Note that in this particular case, the “people” waiting “their whole lives” have waited all of 17 years.
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IT’S ONLY GREED WHEN OTHER PEOPLE WANT MONEY No need to give up on peace in the Middle East, however. (I’m kidding, of course. Give up.) Musician Yoko Ono has things figured out: The problem is “human greed.” Here’s what she told the AOL’s music blog Spinner this week:
“The civil uprising in the Middle East and before that were the earthquakes and the [2004 Indian Ocean] tsunami and Katrina in New Orleans — they are all connected. I think even with the Japanese situation, they blame the ‘ring of fire,’ but whatever it was I think human greed had much to do with it. It didn’t help.”
Yes, human greed, the cause of all natural disasters, and also conflicts in the Middle East. Curse that human greed! By the way, did you know that Yoko Ono once sold a cow for $250,000? Maybe that sale was some sort of art project. And what about when she sued a female songwriter who happened to be named Lennon, because this younger Lennon had dared to name her band after herself? Was that some kind of non-human-greed-related work of performance art?
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BITTER DIRECTOR CLINGS TO HIS AWARDS & HIS PERFECT HAIR Director and environmental activist Robert Redford had some choice words to share about Sarah Palin while promoting his new movie “The Conspirator.” An interviewer remarked that Palin seems to believe higher education is elitist, expressing surprise at the concept. Redford replied:
“The country is made up of three categories. Traditionalists, cultural creative people and the moderns. The moderns are the hi-tech Silicon Valley people. The traditionalists on the lower end of it are the people who don’t want change, they’re afraid of change therefore they have anger. The fear card is a very big powerful card and when you have people afraid of change; they’ll do anything to prevent it. They’re doing it because they’re limited, frightened of people who are not as limited. I think Sarah Palin, part of her strength is how limited she is.”
Great analysis, Bob – can I call you Bob? That is definitely not condescending at all, and not something that will contribute to widespread loathing of Hollywood millionaires who think they’ve figured out how to run the world just because they have really tan faces and own some property in Utah.
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THE $70,000 BOX-OFFICE MAN Actor, lover of models, and twinkly-eyed liberal activist George Clooney is working on a new project! It’s called “The $700 Billion Man,” and it’s not an inflation-adjusted version of “The Six Million Dollar Man.” The film, which Clooney is producing and possibly directing, is based on a 2009 article in the Washington Post about a former Goldman Sachs executive named Neel Kashkari (Cash-Carry?!), who helped administer the Troubled Asset Relief Program, then resigned and moved to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Because when you think “Wall Street bailout drama” you think “blockbuster!”
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COSBY V. TRUMP: THE RECKONING Comedian Bill Cosby apparently doesn’t respect longtime professional buffoon and newly minted Serious Politician Donald Trump.
“Oh, please, with Donald Trump, take him home with you,” Cosby told Meredith Vieira on “The Today Show.” “He’s full of it….The only thing he’s running is his mouth.”
“If he runs, you have to take him seriously,” Vieira responded, incorrectly.
“I don’t care!” Cosby shot back.
Trump, in his usual dignified manner, quickly released a statement commenting on how “hatred was pouring out of [Cosby’s] eyes.” Trump added: “I wish he would be more honest, and if he doesn’t want me to run because he’s obviously an Obama fan.”
Right, because Obama fans certainly would not love it Donald Trump became the Republican nominee for president next year. They’d hate it even more if he ended up running as a third party. “Please don’t stay in this race, distracting voters from viable, sensible candidates and making the Republican primary look like an absurd circus!” is definitely what all the rabid Obama fans like Bill Cosby are thinking right now.
By the way, just minutes before Cosby went off on Trump, he pointedly declined to say whether President Obama had been a good education president.
Meanwhile, musician John Legend is also no fan of Trump these days. “He needs to stop saying that racist bullshit birther shit. Quote me please,” he told New York magazine. “He should be ashamed of himself. It’s awful, really.”