August 2004:
A little late, but congratulations to Bill Maher for his
2004 Emmy nomination!
Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
The 76th Annual Academy Awards
• ABC • The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Billy Crystal, Host
Elaine Stritch: At Liberty
• HBO • Home Box Office and BBC
in association with Iambic Productions Ltd. and Pennebaker Hegedus Films
Elaine Stritch, Performer
Ellen DeGeneres: Here And Now
• HBO • Tenth Planet Productions
in association with HBO Original Programming
Ellen DeGeneres, Performer
Real Time With Bill Maher
• HBO • Kid Love Productions and Brad Grey Television
in association with HBO Original Programming
Bill Maher, Host
Tracey Ullman In The Trailer Tales
• HBO • HBO Original Programming
Tracey Ullman, Performer
BTW, two years ago I met Bill after his "Ride Alone" show at the
92nd Street Y. He agreed to pose with me with him holding a copy
of MAD Magazine. MAD often publishes pictures of its readers
with celebrities holding a copy of MAD, and MAD awards the reader
with a free subscription. Well, it's been nearly two years and
MAD hasn't published my picture, so I'm publishing
it below in the "Getting Personal about Bill Maher" section!
May 2004:
Congratulations to Bill Maher for being named #38 on
Comedy Central's Greatest 100 Stand-Ups of All Time list.
38. Bill Maher
BTW, congratulations to Al Franken for winning the Spoken Word Grammy.
December 2003:
Congratulations, Bill, on your Grammy Award nomination!
Category 75
Best Spoken Word Album
(Narrated/dramatized books include authors' names
in parentheses for identification.)
Fear Itself (Walter Mosley)
Don Cheadle [Time Warner Audiobooks]
Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them:
A Fair And Balanced Look At The Right (Al Franken)
Al Franken [HighBridge Audio]
Living History (Hillary Rodham Clinton)
Hillary Rodham Clinton [Simon & Schuster Audio]
The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection (Nikki Giovanni)
Nikki Giovanni [Caedmon]
When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden (Bill Maher)
Bill Maher [New Millennium Audio]
August 2003:
A recent Maher quote worth keeping:
"Between this, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Florida 2000,
and the recall in California, I am convinced that Republicans
will do anything to win an election except get the most votes!"
Bill, it's amazing--once again, you've said exactly what I was thinking!
Thanks--again!
*****
Singer/songwriter Julia Rose got "Dixie Chicked" when
a bookstore in Fredericksburg, VA cancelled her appearance
because she said GWB had "chicken legs" and "needed to exercise".
And she was only talking about Bush's appearance!
Julia Rose has the honor of penning the first song inspired by Bill Maher:
click here for sample of "Maher's Planet"
click here for full version of "Maher's Planet"
backstory and lyrics on mp3.com
Julia's song has shown up, among other places, on WBAI.
July 2003:
"Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home" returns briefly to Broadway
July 17-19, Hudson Theatre, NYC; HBO will tape
BTW, Def Poetry Jam won the Special Theatrical Event Tony--
which I believe is what Bill expected:
"I'm happy to be up against Def Poetry Jam, except they'll probably
win. It's a cool, edgy show. I'd rather lose to them than Jackie Mason."
--from an article by Michael Musto, the Village Voice, May 19, 2003
Bill Maher and date, model Coco Johnsen, at Tony Awards, June 8, 2003
photo from JPix/Ebay
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May 12, 2003:
2003 Tony Award Nomination:
Best Special Theatrical Event
"Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home"
Congratulations, Bill!
April 2003:
Bill Maher on Broadway!
BILL MAHER ON BROADWAY!
BILL MAHER ON BROADWAY!
image from www.playbill.com
"Victory Begins at Home"
Virginia Theater, NYC
Previews: April 29
Opens: May 5
Closes: May 18
Telecharge: 212-239-6200
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"Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home": New York reviews
The New York Times The New York Daily News
New York Newsday: Linda Winer New York Newsday: Associated Press
The New York Post
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
****************************************************************
February 2003:
REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
HBO, Fridays 11:30pm ET, beginning February 21, 2003
repeats on HBO2, Saturdays, 11pm ET
January 2003:
A belated Happy Birthday to Bill Maher,
who turned 47 on January 20--coinciding with
this year's Martin Luther King holiday!
Maher in horoscope listing in NY Daily News 1/20/03
--not that I'm advocating horoscopes!
BTW, I'm enjoying your book!
Because Amazon.com hasn't properly linked my review
to my profile, here's the text:
*****
*****This book is a .... challenge!, November 18, 2002
Reviewer: mnl_1221 (see more about me)
from Corona, New York, United States
If you're a Christian, read this book. Oh, you won't like some of the
things it says, and you certainly won't some of the language nor the
imagery. But you might find yourself challenged over whether you are
really living out Jesus' program, or if you've gotten caught up in
the modern Western values of comfort, materialism, and bigotry. It
sure is a challenge to whether or not I'm living out the full tenents
of my Christian faith--particularly about taking care of the
marginalized and helpless, and doing without a few things--to the
best of my ability.
If you're not a Christian, but you care about morality, ethics, or
the United States of America, read this book. I'm not saying believe
everything he says; I don't. But consider where he is saying things
we desperately need to hear--and what too many people are afraid to
think about, let alone say.
Maher's book is sure fascinating, challenging, and provocative!
Amazon.com customer reviews:
When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden
**********************************************************************
November 2002:
He may be coming to your town!
The book is out, and so is Bill Maher! Out on tour, that is!
Bill Maher's Itinerary: Stand-Up Tour, Book Signings, TV Appearances
He's coming to NYC the weekend of 11/9:
to the 92nd Street Y on Saturday Nov 9 (got my ticket!)
and to the Barnes & Noble near Rockefeller Center
Monday afternoon Nov 11 (sorry, I'm working then!).
92 Street Y: An Evening With Bill Maher (press release)
********************************************************************
September 2002:
I am please to announce the title of
Bill Maher's new book, due later this fall:
When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden:
What the Government Should be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism
available in hardcover book, audiocassette, and CD
**********************************************************************
a "dis" from "Boondocks":
Boondocks 9/12/02
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![]()
me with Bill Maher after his appearance at the 92nd Street Y, NYC, November 2002. I submitted the photo to MAD Magazine, but they never printed it!
Okay, I dig the guy. I can name a roster of male celebs I have liked, desired, admired, or thought was cute, over the decades: Robert Morse, Robert Redford, Kurt Russell, Lance Kerwin, Vincent Van Patten, Danny Bonaduce, Ross Martin, Glynn Turman, Dennis Miller, Chris Rock... Phil Hartman is in a class by himself. I'll also name some female stars I've admired: Shirley Jones, Jodie Foster, Irene Cara, Pamelyn Ferdin, Sydney Penny, Lonette McKee. And for now I'm turned on by Bill Maher. And, unlike in the Showboat song "Bill", it is his brain that makes me thrill! It's certainly not his looks. Although I'll admit, too, to liking short men. A "dis" from The Simpsons: On the episode "Pygmoelian", "After his photo on the Duff beer calendar is covered with a giant sticker because he is too ugly, Moe decides to get plastic surgery. He gets a new, handsome face and gets a role on the soap opera "It Never Ends." Homer comments that people on TV need to be beautiful. Then he adds: "That's why they won't let Bill Maher on TV before midnight." click here and scroll for more details A "dis" from Boondocks: Huey and Riley reflect on the year after 9/11: Boondocks 9/12/02 "Maher" in the Bible Isaiah 8:1-4 (NIV) The Lord said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will call in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me." Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria." (Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil) MNL & BM 4E...yeah, right! Although I'm only a year younger than him, I think that's too old for him. I'm a Christian, and although he believes in God, he distrusts organized religion. (I don't blame him.) I probably weigh twice as much as he...and I'm about four inches taller. I have met him face to face, after the Friars' Club roast of Richard Belzer in NYC's Town Hall last year. I gave him a copy of one of my poems. He gave me his autograph. If I could sit down with him for one session, there's a lot I'd like to ask him. Such as: "Besides not driving gas guzzlers (I don't drive at all), what can ordinary Americans do these days to help make things better, or at least tolerable? "What is your spiritual take on things? (I don't mean just your religious affiliation. I noticed that you had a minister among your first guests on your first post-Sept. 11 show.) "How does your spirituality affect your comedy--or vice-versa? "What is your relationship with God? What moves you to pray? In what ways do you think God "takes care" of this world? And of you? "I know you don't think Jesus is a Republican, and I agree. But why don't YOU think so? "And since you don't believe Jesus is a Republican, why was Christianity represented on PI by right-winged Republicans? Could you not find some moderates or left-wingers or apoliticals who follow Jesus? "In what ways have your experiences growing up shaped your personal and political views? For instance, I can imagine that you were the short guy that all the big guys picked on--and that some of the girls wanted to mother you. "When did you realize you were funny--or, when did you decide to be funny?" And I have questions that are hard to put into words...questions that can only surface when you're actually with a person. Anyway, the Bill Maher website has linked to interviews with him. When I read them, I can get some questions answered--and new questions will form.