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Archive for November, 2008

27
Nov

Billy, Bobby, and the rest of the Deceiver team wish you a Happy Thanksgiving

Just for fun. There’s nothing hypocritical about it. And yes, it’s real.

On October 31, 2001, Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro filmed a Thanksgiving-themed “I Love New York” commercial in New York City’s Central Park. I imagine the conversation between takes went something like:

“I’ve seen worse … It just so happens that this turkey is mostly dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.”

“Hey turkey! You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin’ to? You talkin’ to me? Well I’m the only one here.”

Here’s to being thankful for a world where we can gang up on famous hypocrites for fun, and nobody (really) gets hurt.

My cohorts and I are taking a few days off. We’ll see you in the funny papers.

26
Nov

Olbermann Talks, Is Turkey

Who knew one kitchen segment could hold so much hypocrisy? I was so focused on Martha Stewart’s idiocy in that clip I put up yesterday, I totally missed the other loon on the set:

YouTube Preview Image

Sure, it’s a small lie, as these things go. But why tell it? You know you were on a national TV show just hours before, saying something different, but you say it on your own national TV show anyway. What a strange man.

Speaking of turkey necks, can’t this guy afford a gym membership? Not that I’m one to talk, but at least I hide behind a keyboard where I belong.

26
Nov

Google Tosses Its Code of Conduct — Along With 10,000 Jobs

Here’s the very beginning of Google’s Code of Conduct:

“Don’t be evil.” Googlers generally apply those words to how we serve our users. But “Don’t be evil” is much more than that. Yes, it’s about providing our users unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services that we can. But it’s also about doing the right thing more generally - following the law, acting honorably and treating each other with respect.

The Google Code of Conduct is one of the ways we put “Don’t be evil” into practice. It’s built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct.

(”Don’t be evil,” eh? This from the company that wants to sell books that you can only read online.)

Another part of the Google “Code” says, bluntly, “Obey the Law.” Don’t be evil? Obey the law? Kinda hard to reconcile with this report from WebGuild Silicon Valley:

Google has been quietly laying off staff and up to 10,000 jobs could be on the chopping block …

By law, Google is required to report layoffs publicly and with the SEC however, Google has managed to get around the legal requirement. In fact, one of the ways Google was able to meet Wall Street’s Q3 earnings expectations was by trimming “operational” expenses.

Google reports to the SEC that it has 20,123 employees but in reality it has 30,000. Why the discrepancy? Google classifies 10,000 of the employees as temporary operational expenses or “workers” …

So, how does Google get around the SEC requirement regarding material information? Google has hundreds of lawyers figuring out how not to get caught. One of them is by moving workers from job to job every few months so that their status remains temporary. That is why you probably have never spoken to the same person twice at Google and that is also why there is somebody new on the job and most times you know more about their job than they do.

Well, as long as Sergey Brin’s wife has enough capital to keep marketing her creepy in-home DNA testing kits, I guess evil remains in the eye of the beholder.

(Hat tip: Deceiver reader Neoterikos)

25
Nov

Martha Stewart Shows Respect for Those Poor Turkeys

Sometimes, folks, all you have to do is let them talk:

YouTube Preview Image

That’s right, we should all be more respectful of the unfortunate birds. No joking around. Right, Martha?

25
Nov

Spencer and Heidi Elope With Us Weekly

Honestly, it’s sad to admit but I will probably pick up the new issue of Us Weekly to get me through airport hell tomorrow, despite the fact that these d-bags grace the cover.

How else can I find out the EXCLUSIVE DETAILS of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt’s Mexico elopement? It was super sacred and romantic, you guys, just them on the beach. Surrounded by their paparazzi entourage.

Heidi moons in an excerpt from the weirdly fawning interview:

“I called [my mom] right before the ceremony, sort of hinted that something that happened, but her reaction was to ask me if we were breaking up! I told her it might be something else, and she said, ‘Well, if you ever plan on getting married just know that your stepdad is really upset that you want your father to walk you down the aisle.’ She was starting so much drama, it kind of pushed me toward wanting to get married without that. I don’t know when I’ll tell her.”

Well if her mom goes to the grocery store, I guess she will find out tomorrow.

And give me a break about the drama. Clearly this pair thrives on it. I mean, the wedding party was evidently made up of cameramen and reporters, which accounts for this toxic couple’s continued existence.

P.S. — That dress does nothing to disprove my pregnancy theory.

25
Nov

PETA Finally Gets on Lil’ Hayden’s Case

If you’ve been reading Deceiver for a while, you know that we’ve taken every opportunity to remind cherubic charlatan-cheerleader Hayden Panettiere that cows are animals too. She’s all about saving the dolphins and whales, but apparently she thinks the leather purses she sells for Dooney & Bourke grow on trees.

Looks like the rest of the world is finally catching up with us! Hayden just launched a new line of clutch purses for D&B, made of “soft, supple Italian calfskin,” and everybody’s like, “LOL WUT?” Especially a certain “animal rights” organization that has praised Hayden in the past:

Animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is having mixed feelings about the actress’ new endeavor.

Their media rep Heather Carlson said in a statement: “When celebrities get involved with animal rights in any way, we’re happy to work with them. Even if it’s on just one issue. Hayden has been wonderful on issues involving the slaughter of dolphins and whales.”

“We are sure that she’ll extend her concern for abused animals to those less popular, like cows who are skinned for bags and shoes, once she sees our undercover footage, which we’ll be sending to her.”

Yeah, right. Can a cow jump through a hoop to grab a sardine? Is she supposed to draw a cow on the cover of her math notebook now? Get real, she’ll be cashing those big D&B paychecks until the cows… Well, you know what I mean.

UPDATE:  The Dooney & Bourke website has a video interview with the human pep rally herself (below), in which she says that she “did the original drawing, and I made a lot of notes [about] fabrics, you know, how I wanted it to look…”

So Hayden’s not just putting her name on the bag — she really wanted it to be “crafted of soft supple Italian calfskin and trimmed with gold leather piping.” Take that, PETA!

http://deceiver.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Hayden_Web_Video.flv

24
Nov

The Hogans Teach Us the True Spirit of Thanksgiving

Linda Bollea has had a pretty good year, all things considered. Her son made it out of jail seemingly unscarred. She snagged herself a hot teenage boyfriend. And for the most part she came out of her divorce from Hulk Hogan looking marginally better than he did.

Until now. Girlfriend is broke despite wrangling crazy alimony out of the Hulkster. The deets:

Hulk Hogan’s wife, Linda Bollea, has run out of money — despite receiving $40,000 a month in temporary alimony payments.

During a court hearing on Thursday, Bollea’s attorney asked the judge to set another hearing to discuss unfreezing some of the divorcing couple’s assets for her own use. Hogan’s attorney, however, wanted to see proof that the wrestler’s wife was indeed broke.

“They have to tell me why she’s out of money. They have to show me in bank statements,” Ann Loughridge Kerr, the lawyer for Hulk Hogan — whose legal name is Terry Bollea — told the Tampa Bay Tribune.

Back in August, Hogan — in addition to the monthly alimony payments — agreed to pay some monthly costs, including repair and maintenance to their home. Bollea’s legal team claims that Hogan refuses to pay for cable, pest control, window washing and their security system. The judge told Hogan’s attorneys to pay for those costs, excluding the security system payments. According to the Tribune, that was not Hogan’s responsibility.

The Hogans starred on VH1’s Hogan Knows Best, and Bollea filed for divorce from her husband after 24 years of marriage in November.

I didn’t know he even had that kind of cash — I guess those Japanese commercials pay out big time. But yeah. Hogan Knows Best indeed.

23
Nov

Gwyneth Paltrow Will Always Be One PETA Apology Behind. (Serves Her Right.)

Holly blogged last week about how Gwyneth Paltrow offended the animal kingdom’s High Priests at PETA — and then publicly apologized — for daring to model a stole made of fox fur in an ad campaign for the Italian luxury brand Tod’s.

In her mea culpa, Paltrow claimed that a stylist plopped the garment on her in the middle of a busy photo shoot, and her only real sin was failing to ask whether it was “real” or fake”:

“It was a daylong photo shoot on a boat near Capri, and there were all sorts of poses with all kinds of clothes—none with fur. During one set-up, a stylist came up from behind and draped a stole around my shoulders. I didn’t pay much attention to it, and when I noticed it was fur I assumed it was fake fur but did not ask, so it’s my fault.

It turns out that Paltrow also modeled a pair of fur-trimmed boots in the Tod’s ad campaign, which kinda blows the whole “sneaky stylist” excuse out of the water.

But the plot thickens. London’s Sunday Independent reported today that Gwyneth sends out free subscriber e-mails to fans who sign up at her website, Goop.com. And her latest missive outlines a Thanksgiving dinner that — well, let’s just say it won’t please anyone in the Tofurky fan club.

Sure enough, HuffPo reproduced that e-mail on Thursday. Here’s a paragraph that Paltrow will be apologizing for next week:

Turkey will always be the main event of Thanksgiving (at least in my house) and a whole turkey is the way to go if you’re feeding at least 12. But if your party is smaller, the stuffed turkey breast turns out to be a great halfway point. Brining it overnight insures that you don’t need to baste it and it has a quick cooking time. Why should things be any less festive if dinner is just for two? I came up with these stuffed turkey burgers which were a giant hit in my house. They are the perfect solution for anyone who isn’t feeding a big group (or for a big group that wants to try something different!).

Mmmm… Stuffed turkey burgers.

Funny — Just six months ago, Paltrow told V magazine that she was strictly a non-meat-eater:

I haven’t eaten meat for about fifteen years. I eat fish, a little bit of dairy — not much milk — but I love cheese. We’ll make chocolate chip cookies and eat them, but sugar makes me feel pretty bad. I have coffee and wine. I’ve got lots of lovely vices.

The cartoon angel on my right shoulder thinks Gwyneth, like most of Hollywood, is just not sophisticated enough to figure out how PETA operates and what its leaders really want. The cartoon devil on my left, however, suspects that one of her “handlers” floated the fur apology last week in order to make it harder for PETA to beat her up about eating turkey this week.

Both of the cartoon characters think Paltrow doesn’t understand that turkey is, in fact, meat.

23
Nov

NBC Pink Slips Are Actually “Green”

Deceiver reader Sal wrote last Wednesday to our “tips” e-mail address about an NBC football broadcast he saw (I cleaned up a few of Sal’s typos, which I’m attributing to his being a fan of the More Taste League):

During their Sunday night NFL broadcast, NBC had each of their studio panelists tell us what they were doing to keep up with the nonsensical green movement. Jerome Bettis said he washes his clothes in cold water, Keith “the smarmy hump” Olbermann has given up bottled water, and Chris Collinsworth says he walks to work.

Meanwhile, the set for “Football Night in America” eats up more electricity than most small towns.  NBC flies their correspondents all over the country, they bring Dan Patrick in for a few minute “highlight” recap (highlights that any football fan has already seen 643 times by the time NBC’s show hits the air), not to mention that they ship John Madden around the country in a luxury bus.

And I’m sure you can find even more hypocrisy in all of this.

Sal … Sal … Don’t you understand? NBC is doing this For Your Own Good. Without their helpful insights, Global Warming will overwhelm the planet, and We’re All Gonna Die.™

Or not.

Either way, NBC has some ’splaining to do, since it has just fired the entire Environmental Unit at The Weather Channel. Smack dab in the middle of the network’s “Green Week.”

From the “Capital Weather Gang” at The Washington Post:

NBC Universal made the first of potentially several rounds of staffing cuts at The Weather Channel (TWC) on Wednesday, axing the entire staff of the “Forecast Earth” environmental program during the middle of NBC’s “Green Week,” as well as several on-camera meteorologists. The layoffs totaled about 10 percent of the workforce…

The timing of the Forecast Earth cancellation was ironic, since it came in the middle of NBC’s “Green Week,” during which the network has been touting its environmental coverage across all of its platforms. Forecast Earth normally aired on weekends, but its presumed last episode was shown on a weekday due to the environmentally-oriented week.

Forecast Earth was hosted by former CNN anchor Natalie Allen, with contributions from climate expert Heidi Cullen. It was the sole program on TWC that focused on global climate change, which raises the question of whether the station will still report on the subject.

Well! At least there’s a silver lining.

22
Nov

Obama The Public School Reformer Will Send His Kids To Private School

Barack Obama, at a speech to the NAACP on July 14:

“We need to fix and improve our public schools, not throw our hands up and walk away from them.”

The Associated Press, yesterday evening:

President-elect Barack Obama and his wife have chosen Sidwell Friends School for their two daughters, opting for a private institution that another White House child, Chelsea Clinton, attended a decade ago.

ABC News, a few hours earlier:

An Obama aide added, “Mrs. Obama is the product of public education on the South Side of Chicago and she believes strongly in the importance of good public schools for all kids…”

… except her own, of course.

Barack Obama spent four years as Chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, part of a $500 million project to fix, reform, and otherwise spiff up America’s screwed up public schools. Must not have worked much.

Yeah, yeah, I know — it’s a personal decision that parents should make based on what’s best for the kids. Blah, blah, blah. But do you remember the “day after the election” episode of The West Wing where Matt Santos made the opposite choice? For all the right reasons? (Everyone’s watching TWW in reverse nowadays.) That was cool.

Show me a politician whose kids go to a public school, and I’ll show you a guy with a real incentive to make public schools perform. I think thousands of kids trapped in DC Public Schools just got screwed.

Mmmmm… Change.




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