Has Real Time With Bill Maher Jumped The Shark?

[SoFlaJet]

I've watched all 3 episodes of the new season and all 3 have pretty much sucked with last nights guests pretty much taking the prize as suckiest-Mos Def and Cornell West...that rapper dude is obviously crazy-not because I don't agree with a lot of what he said just because he IS crazy..

[seemslikeadream]

1. I don't know I kinda like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5WlQ54Sg0

[eleny]

2. I enjoyed last night's show

I think Mos Def was pulling Bill's leg from time to time. It seemed to me that the show got away from Bill. Mos Def and the Professor could take their show on the road.

After last week's show that left me cold, last night's was pretty entertaining. Nader didn't even bother me. I think I needed the comic relief after a tense week.

[maseman]

3. I liked the shows thus far

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. No problem with last night's guests. I did have a problem with Bill continuing the myth that Shrub

meant well be his invasion of Iraq.

[GR]

8. That's Ridiculous...I Hadn't Heard That Part Yet...

Bush is such an egotistical fool that who knows why he originally invaded, but it wasn't for any good reason...

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. It was in Maher's New Rules. The text isn't up at HBO yet but here is the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClyGsQnOKG4

[GR]

5. I Really Liked Last Night's Show...At Least The First 35 Minutes...

I haven't had time to watch the rest yet. Mos Def was so right about 911. If you read The New Pearl Harbor, you will see what he is talking about. There are so many unanswered questions that he is right to question the whole accepted narrative. Cornell West is extremely articulate and wonderfully enlightening.

The Criminal Bush Administration's 1984-like use of the bin Laden tape to push for perpetual war through perpetual fear is what's jumped the shark, not Real Time...

[SoCalDem]

6. I think his guest list has shrunk somewhat.

He used to have a more diverse group, when it was Politically Incorrect

[GR]

9. Rahm Emanuel Was Supposed To Be There...

But had to vote instead.

[Bitwit1234]

7. You are correct he seems to have lost the "zap"

he used to have...did HBO tell him to tone it down.

[Justitia]

10. The bit w/Mos Def on the "boogeyman" Bin Laden tapes was comedic gold!

Paraphrasing Mos Def, he doesn't fall for the "boogeyman" tapes, because if someone wants to kill you they just do it, they don't send tapes telling you about it:

Mos Def mocking Bin Laden: "When I see you, I'm gonna fuck you up!"

and: "Yo bitch, it's me..."

I laughed so hard at that I had a choking fit. I replayed just that part 3 times, it was hysterical.

He was pretty funny about all the stuff he didn't believe in either (some was tongue in cheek), like the moon landing.
He said to check out his MySpace page, he had a whole list of stuff he didn't believe in, but he believed in BigFoot. ;-)

And yes, other times you couldn't understand what he was saying.
He did, however, have a pretty good historical context and was impressively on top of current issues. More than I can say for some other guests (Kevin Costner, anyone? Rainn Wilson?)

[eleny]

15. I think his funniest thought was....

How the Bushes and Clintons are passing the presidency back and forth like a party joint - Bush Clinton Bush Clinton.

I hollered out loud at that characterization.

[peacetalksforall]

11. I haven't seen the show, but I can't imagine Cornell West ever

not being good. I revere the man.

[valerief]

12. No, it was funny. Thank god he didn't have a right-wing shrieker on. nt

[SoFlaJet]

14. Mos Def

would have smacked the smirk off the face of any of them..it was fear Val

[eleny]

17. Oh valerief! Can you imagine West & Mos Def with a wingnut?

I almost wish Bill had one on.

And maybe it's a good thing that Rahm Emanuel couldn't make it. They would have shut him down.

[valerief]

18. Maybe that's why he didn't show. It's not like Congress really cares about their votes. nt

[eleny]

32. Uh-huh, he had to know it would be a rocking night! nt

[GCP]

16. Last night's show was horrible

I really think Mosdef was drunk or high - he was unintelligle at times.

[mduffy31]

25. EXACTLY

I was wondering the same thing.

[Maat]

19. I thought the show was great.

And, I agreed more with Mos Def than I care to admit (almost eveything except for O.J. being innocent - no way - he's got a personality like my mom's - totally self-centered to the point of consciencelessness - & the Moon - I'm not sure if we landed on the Moon).

"There are people that want to attack ..." "Yeah, and some are called 'the police.'" I loved that one (and I'm a white, middle-aged ol' lady - retired social worker, that is).

[Snot Hannity]

20. Bill Maher needed this lesson

from Mos Def.

[LostInAnomie]

21. Last night's show was pretty fucking awful.

Mos Def was unintelligible for most of the show.

I've never found Cornell West to be that insightful. He uses a lot of $0.50 words to convey very basic thoughts most of the time.

Bill seemed disinterested until he got the chance to go after Islam and interview Nader.

[Yupster]

23. Cornel West reminds me of

Professor Irwin Correy if anyone's old enough to remember him.

He had a wonderful ability of speaking where he would be saying a complicated sentence where you're waiting for the point of the sentence, and then he would end the sentence and there wouldn't be a point, but the sentence was ended correctly. He was a rare talent.

[Maat]

22. Oh, and Mos Def is FAR more informed about the world than he lets on ..

he supplied details about the Louisiana Purchase (INTERNATIONAL details) than 99% of the population would NOT be able to do.

He's very adept at communicating in his stage persona; he's VERY informed, however.

[alcibiades_mystery]

24. Mos Def's a fucking genius

I thought he and Cornell West were awesome last night.

[killbotfactory]

26. I've enjoyed every episode of this season, so far

It's always a treat when there is no loudmouth idiot republican trying to shout everyone down with stupid talking points, like last night.

[Maat]

31. I quite agree.

It was SO nice not having a Rethuglican spouting propaganda.

It would be one thing if they had a legitimate point-of-view, and I was learning something from the argument; but, they don't. Listening to a Bushbot is just a waste of time.

[stranger81]

27. Last night's show was amazing . . . . .

I could listen to Cornel West talk to days. Personally, my favorite Bill Maher episodes are those -- like last night -- where Bill is the most conservative member of the panel.

[Maat]

30. I agree with you wholeheartedly (n/t)!

[TSIAS]

28. Imagine if Emanuel were there?

I think he might have felt a bit out of place? But at least he would have added to the religious diversity (Def is Muslim, West Christian, Bill athiest)

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

29. I could not understand

85% of what Mos Def said. I thought he was either high or drunk. The few things I did get, I thought were very funny. Overall, the show left me frustrated.

[Blue_Roses]

33. I thought it was GREAT!

:shrug: