bill maher

By Stone Martindale Oct 20, 2007, 16:00 GMT


Last night's live feed of "Real Time With Bill Maher" was an unscripted wild ride, as host Bill Maher jumped into action as a group of people in the audience disrupted his show.


Maher helped security give the boot to a rowdy protester from the studio of his weekly HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday night, and it was all captured on live television.

Maher was talking science during one of his weekly panel discussions when a protester in his audience stood, held up a smuggled-in sign reading "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and shouted comments to the same effect.

The host tried to shout down the audience member, who only became more agitated.

"Do we have some f***ing security in this building," Maher yelled, "or do I have to come down there and kick his a**?"

When security reached the man's aisle and he resisted, Maher jumped out of his seat and ran into the audience and helped them push him out the door, shouting "Out! Out! Out!"

Several other protesters, sprinkled throughout the audience, then stood up and shouted.

"This isn't the Iowa Caucus, OK, we're not here to debate," Maher shouted with most of his audience cheering him on. "This is the problem with live television."

The incident was shown live on the East Coast, and the network appeared to show the entire affair unedited for the taped-delayed West Coast version.

After the instigators were ejected, Maher told his panelists ?MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein and Congresswoman Sheila Lee Jackson ?that they often linger outside his studio to share 9/11 conspiracy theories with him and try to get into the show.

"This time I'm with Bush on this one," said Maher. "It's the only time I defend President Bush," he said.

"I'm thinking about firing my audience department," he added.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and wife Elizabeth had been in the studio for an interview before the panel discussion and dustup.

Elizabeth Edwards was shown in the audience after her husband's interview, but it was not clear whether she remained in the seats during the incident.

At the end of the show, an normally smiling Maher was visibly livid and upset still. He could be made out saying "I'm sorry" to his guests.
HBO's Bill Maher is in trouble with the extreme left-wing of this nation - which, coincidently, represents the vast majority of his fan-base! - for refusing to believe the Bush administration had anything to do with taking down the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

In fact, last month on "Real Time," he dedicated an entire "New Rule" to this matter stating, "Crazy people who still think the government brought down the Twin Towers in a controlled explosion have to stop pretending that I'm the one that's being na?ve."

On Friday's "Real Time," the Truthers struck back by infiltrating his audience, and interrupting the show for several minutes. The fracas resulted in Maher actually going into the crowd several times to assist security in removing the offending parties, and finally saying (video available here courtesy our dear friend Ms Underestimated, viewers are forewarned about the presence of vulgarity):

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You know what that's all about? Of all the things I've said, and, believe me, I've said a lot of things as you all know that could get my head on a block. The one that they protest about out here is the people who think that the World Trade Center was a controlled explosion. You see, in that instance, I'm actually defending President Bush. I don't think President Bush brought down the World Trade Center. (Sounds of booing from the audience.) And cows disagree with me!

Well, the reality is, Bill, that though your view of this matter is for a change correct, by consistently taking extremely hostile positions towards President Bush, you have catered to the very folks who believe this absurd conspiracy theory, and have deservedly brought this wrath upon yourself.

There's an old saying that if you lay down with pigs, you will wake up smelling like slop; you, sir, have reaped what you've sown.

―Noel Sheppard is an economist, business owner, and Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
Debate was repeatedly interrupted during a live broadcast of Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday in an effort by audience members from the 9/11 Truth movement to steer the conversation towards circumstances surrounding the collapse of World Trade Center building No. 7 during the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.

In a contentious war of words between Maher and the Truthers, Maher has said on his show that the movement are "crazy people" in need of mental help, prompting protests and a video response.

Says an audience member after security personnel escort one man out of the building: "That was cowardice, attacking a man for asking a question!"

Maher's response: "I'll kick your ass outta here too."

Maher, made visibly upset by the interruption, reiterated his stance on 9/11 Truth and gave his blessing to security personnel to apply applicable "ass-kicking" in lieu of personal "attention" from the host himself.

"I'm not going to even touch the First Amendment," says Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. "I'm going to leave it alone."

The following video is from HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, broadcast on October 19, 2007:
Kasparov on Maher � checkmate in two
20.10.2007 � Bill Maher is a colorful, eloquent and witty talkshow host, a comedian who has very high ratings and a dedicated following. Maher also tends to dominated his guests with his superior intellect and verbal skills. But his encounter with Garry Kasparov ended in a double checkmate for the former world chess champion. It was an impressive display in a tough talk show. Good stuff, must watch.


Kasparov on Maher � checkmate in two
Bill Maher, 51, is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer, and the host of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. Maher (pronounced something like Mars without the s) is famous for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets right and left-wing policies and bureaucracies, show business, the mass media, and inflential people in general. His "New Rules" section is hilarious and a must-watch for any talkshow buff.



Maher is a self-proclaimed libertarian who supports the legalization of gay marriage, the death penalty, the legality of abortion and euthanasia (describing his position humorously as "pro-death") and racial profiling at airports. He favors partial privatization of social security, ending corporate welfare, and legalizing gambling, prostitution, and all drugs. He is very critical of organized religion, which he describes as a neurological disorder that spreads guilt and hatred among people while offering nothing in return. He calls himself an apatheist, which is a mixture of apathy and atheism, defined by a lack of belief in deities in general, rather than specific disbelief in any of them. Maher is a very colorful character, eloquent, witty and genuinely funny.



Kasparov was obviously well acquainted with the show. As with Steve Colbert he grasped the reins early on in the show and had Maher saying "touché, checkmate!" a number of times during the show. Normally Bill Maher dominates the show verbally, often speaking longer than his guests. But here, against a well prepared grandmaster, he did not have a chance. Checkmate indeed.



Is he in mortal danger back home, brought upon him by his vigorous involvement in Russian politics? Does his name offer him some degree of protection? "Unlike many other activists in Russia," says Kasparov, "I can rely on my name and on my fame. But still I take some measures to minimise the risk. I have bodyguards in Russia, I do not fly Aeroflot, I do not consume any food or liquid in places I am not fully aware of. But again, that is just minimising the risk."

One exchange was outstanding:

Maher: "When you look at what's going on in Russia, Putin has a very high approval rating...

Kasparov (interrupting): "How do you know?"



Kasparov (continues): "Are you seriously relying on the polling results in a police state? I think that with the same tight control of the media and a pervasive security force Bush and Chaney could enjoy the same approval rating here." (Laughter, whistles and cat-calls).

Maher: "Checkmate to me! But come on, there is something in the Russian soul that loves a strongman..."

Kasparov: "Wait, wait, wait, wait, this is total nonsense. It has been refuted by history..." etc. Watch it yourself � the link is given below.

Kasparov is very direct in his criticism of the current US politics. "When I look at this administration, which is trying to "build democracy" [air quotes] in Iraq at the expense of democracy in Russia I get confused." Maher mentions seeing a picture this week of Putin with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and thinking: "Here, once again, President Bush has succeeded in uniting our enemies and dividing our friends. But," he says to Kasparov, "you've got to admit at least your guy isn't stupid!" To which Kasparov replies: "I don't think it makes me feel comfortable to accept the fact that he can outplay your guy."



"It went wrong for Bush in the very beginning," he continues. "At their first summit Bush tried to play psychiatrist and look at Putin's eyes, searching for his soul, instead of looking at his record. Now Putin is basically spitting in his face by making open friendship with Ahmadinejad. But it was obvious from the very beginning, that Putin has just one item on his geopolitical agenda: he needs high oil prices. Tension in the Middle East helps him to keep the oil prices at an all-time high. That is why he sells nuclear technology to Iran, he sells missiles to Hezbollah and Hamas, via Syria, because it helps Putin to stay in power. If the oil price goes down, the Putin regime goes down. I am suprised that the White House did not recognise this in time."



The debate ends with Maher improbably saying "Okay, chess master, you win!" One of his guests, Chris Matthews, talk show host (NBC news panel and MSNBC's Hardball) and former political aide, chimes in with the following eulogy: "Do you ever get the feeling that they are playing chess and we are playing checkers? He is so far beyond... that was sophisticated and this audience was listening to every word. Our guys never get to that level of sophistication. They talk down to us. You've got to follow a guy like him, because you want to. And he is thinking in Russian! He's thinking in Russian and talking to us in another language! Can you imagine one of our guys talking in a foreign language at that level of sophistication?"



We hear you, Chris. Listen, Kasparov, if it doesn't work out in Russia, you can always run for office in the States. What an Austrian body-builder did, you can do any day. Think about it.