Fresh off his role as the punchline to Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, Chuck Norris is taking a fresh stab at politics by weighing in on Proposition 8 protests. In an op-ed called "If Democracy Doesn't Work, Try Anarchy", he cries "Where are the hate-crime cops when religious conservatives need them?"
It was a busy weekend in the life of Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson. The inseparable duo gallivanted around Paris, taking in the sights, enjoying the nightlife and being pelted by PETA-approved flour bombs. As you do.
Evidently some crazed French animal rights activist got all up in arms over a fur stole that Lindsay was sporting at a Paris nightclub, so she threw a bag of flour at the "actress" before running off down the sidewalk, Napoleon Dynamite-style. (You can watch the video here.)
Not to worry, though: Sam retaliated in the most effective way possible, by blogging about the incident on MySpace. Full rant after the jump.
Columbus Circle in New York City was filled with chants of "Gay, Straight, Black, White, Marriage is a Civil Right!" as thousands of protesters came out in opposition to California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California last week. The event was the largest protest outside of California so far and shows how quickly and rapidly organized opposition to Prop 8. has sprung up across the country.
Yep, the gays mobilized in huge numbers after losing their right to homosexual marriage.
Starting at Sunset Junction in Silver Lake at 6 p.m. and arriving eight and a half hours later in West Hollywood at around 2:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Prop 8. protest ended early Sunday with a sit-in in the middle of the street. Throughout the night, groups would join the protest as it made its way through Hollywood and environs. While passing through the Sunset Strip, the rally picked up everyone's favorite angel, Drew Barrymore — and paparazzi — who marched with the approximately 3,000 swing shift protesters. As the exhausted but defiant crowd occupied the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica, Drew took to the microphone, tearfully telling the assembled crowd, "I will fight with you!"
(Click image to enlarge)
JOSSIP REPORTS: See? You don't need to be some sort of genius 4chan hacker or son of a state Representative these days in order to obtain personal phone numbers. Sometimes, you just have to scour The New York Times a little harder than usual; when the Times ran a story about an anti-Iran rally yesterday, they included a shot of a protester holding up a sign reading "Sarah Palin: Call me" followed by his phone number.
And while your first instinct might be to feel bad for the poor kid and the inevitable prank calls he undoubtedly received today, we talked to the protester, 19-year old Eitan Levine, about his phone number being blasted all over the blogs today and he's not that upset about it:
CONTINUED »
Nas' protest outside News Corp. wasn't the only activist-led television disruption yesterday. A group of picketers got their message across during the live broadcast of Today show, calling on NBC to stop ignoring the suffering in Darfur, which the American Jewish World Service said had begun as the network inches closer to broadcasting the 2008 Beijing Olympics and grows more wary of upsetting China, which stands accused of remaining complicit with Sudan's human rights violations. When, during the broadcast, a few of the protesters made their way in front of cameras, and their shouts drowned out the voices of Al Roker, Meredith Vieira and David Gregory outside 30 Rock, the jovial weatherman suggested they switch locations. But not positions. Though it's not like they haven't prepared themselves for something like this to happen again.
Are you losing your voice telling people what's wrong with this planet? Is making posters taking over all your composting time? Do you have no plans tonight?
Well, then, good news. NYU is hosting a seminar on protest burnout tonight at 6:30:
Titled "Living a Joyful and Productive Progressive Life," Rettig's seminar teaches activists how to avoid burnout. It will center on what she describes as the building blocks of a happy and productive life: mission management (to figure out your authentic goals and path); time management (so you can develop a schedule that helps you focus on your goals); and fear management (so you can get past procrastination, perfectionism and blocks to success).
Forget YouTube Tuesday in Williamsburg; this event will attract the most diverse audience in the city. Better get there earlier to make sure you get a seat.
Editorial Director
