Politics Archives - Page 8 of 10 - Channel Guide Magazine

NAACP expresses concern over lack of full diversity in presidential debate moderators

August 14, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer Comments Off

The dates, venues and moderators have now been set for the three October presidential debates between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney, and the one October vice presidential debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan. Moderators will include Jim Lehrer, host of PBS’ NewsHour (first presidential debate, Oct. 3); ABC News chief foreign correspondent Martha Raddatz (vice presidential debate, Oct. 11); CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley (second presidential debate, Oct. 16); and Bob Schieffer, host of CBS’ Face the Nation (third and final presidential debate, Oct. 22). Crowley becomes the first woman to be the […]

HBO’s “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” takes a sobering look at the job crisis

July 6, 2012 Lori Acken 1

In the opening moments of HBO’s disquieting new documentary Hard Times: Lost on Long Island, balding, bespectacled Alan Fromm — an unemployed corporate trainer — catalogs the catastrophes he survived prior to losing his job a year earlier: struck by lightning at 15; heart trouble at 21; in the World Trade Center during the 1993 bombing; on the Long Island Rail Road when Colin Ferguson gunned down 25 passengers nine months later; and in the north tower on 9/11. By comparison, he says, unemployment doesn’t seem so bad. But it’s getting there. Fromm often gathers with a rotating crew of […]

Russell Brand fits FX with “Brand X”

June 21, 2012 Channel Guide Staff 2

For anyone who’s ever watched the news and wondered, “What would Russell Brand think of all this?,” FX has got your answer. Brand X With Russell Brand will present the outrageous, unnervingly erudite Brit commenting on current events in front of a late-night audience. The six half-hour specials — Thursdays beginning June 28 at 11pm — will be taped just days in advance, allowing Brand’s perspective on topics ranging from politics to gossip as much immediacy as possible, and his interactions with the audience are being sold as an integral part of the entertainment value. Much will be made of […]

Obama and Romney open tonight’s 2012 CMT Music Awards

June 6, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer Comments Off

‘Tis the season for political pandering! On Sunday night, the Barack Obama campaign debuted a commercial during the MTV Movie Awards, probably to attract the attention of young voters, and tonight, the Democratic incumbent and his competitor for the presidency, Republican Mitt Romney, both seem to be aiming for mainly Red State audiences. The two political rivals will appear in a pre-taped comedic opening segment of the 2012 CMT Music Awards, hosted by Toby Keith and Kristen Bell. The awards air live tonight, June 6, at 8pm ET on CMT and CMT.com. “The President and Gov. Romney each understand the […]

Cory Booker to appear on Sunday’s “Oprah’s Next Chapter”

May 24, 2012 Lori Acken Comments Off

Newark, New Jersey, mayor Cory Booker — a much-loved figure in the Democratic party who came under fire when his strong remarks about the negative tone about the presidential campaign on last Sunday’s Meet The Press were interpreted as disparaging to President Obama — visits with Oprah Winfrey on this Sunday’s Oprah’s Next Chapter. Winfrey traveled to Newark just days after Booker — long regarded as a hero in his community for making his home in the inner city and patrolling its most dangerous streets to encourage young men and women to rise above their circumstances — made headlines when he risked […]

The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur on “fake neutrality” in TV news

May 11, 2012 Lori Acken 1

Though the official general election season is still months away, your television is likely overrun with incendiary ads and partisan discourse that drive you nuts. But before you turn on that “news” program that makes you feel so much better, Cenk Uygur [say it Jenk YOU-gur], host of Current TV’s gleefully unvarnished nightly news staple The Young Turks, wants you to consider whether it’s really giving you challenging, fact-based analysis — or just snuggling your conviction that the other guy’s a dolt. “I don’t like the partisanship where people on different cable news outlets play on Team Republican or Team […]

NBC takes viewers “Inside the Situation Room” to recall bin Laden’s death

May 2, 2012 Tom Comi Comments Off

Most Americans recall vividly where they where a year ago when they heard the news that Osama bin Laden — the man behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States — was killed, but none of us were privy to what actually occurred to pull off what President Barack Obama called “the longest 40 minutes of my life.” NBC News will take viewers behind the scenes tonight at 9pm ET with a special edition of Rock Center With Brian Williams called “Inside the Situation Room.” Williams and NBC were granted unprecedented access to the Situation Room where Obama and his […]

Where to watch (and who to watch for): White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2012

April 27, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer Comments Off

Jimmy Kimmel is headlining the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this Saturday, the 98th installment of the venerable event that is traditionally attended by the President and First Lady, as well as many other senior government officials and members of the press corps. Proceeds from the dinner go toward scholarships and awards aimed at supporting aspiring journalists and recognizing excellence in the profession. Last year’s event was notably headlined by Saturday Night Live‘s Seth Meyers, and also featured President Obama getting in a few tweaks at Donald Trump, who at the time was mulling a presidential run while making […]

Food Network doc “Hunger Hits Home” addresses childhood hunger in America

April 13, 2012 Lori Acken 2

Did you know that more than 16 million children right here in the United States regularly go hungry? This Saturday, Food Network and Share Our Strength‘s No Kid Hungry campaign team up for the new documentary, Hunger Hits Home, which premieres on the network at 8pm ET/7CT. Narrated by Oscar-winning actor and national Share Our Strength spokesman Jeff Bridges, the hourlong film takes a first-hand look at the crisis of childhood hunger in America via the stories of three hardworking American families struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. The film also gives firsthand accounts of ongoing […]

Julianne Moore is Sarah Palin look-alike in HBO’s “Game Change”

February 27, 2012 Jacqueline Cutler 3

A few moments after Julianne Moore appears onscreen in HBO’s Game Change as Sarah Palin, Tina Fey’s hilarious impersonation is forgotten. “They are performing political satire,” Moore says of the SNL skits while relaxing in a hotel room in Pasadena. “[Game Change] is about illuminating the 60 days in American politics with as much veracity as I could muster.” She musters plenty. Moore’s accent and stance are dead-on in the movie, which is based on Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s bestseller. Moore recalls she was shocked when approached about the role. “I don’t even know how they came up with […]