According to his blog, Moore was urging a “nonviolent rumble of citizen participation,” although it’s unclear whether he made such a disclaimer during his remarks.

While Moore posted video of a different portion of his Thursday night Bunker Hill appearance, the only account of his “rumble” remarks currently available is from Moore’s own web page:

So last night, I just couldn’t take it, folks. I turned away from this Dickensian “alms for the poor” scene and screamed “Enough!” I asked how many in the audience had come from the “other” sections of Boston to be here tonight. About half the crowd raised its hand. I then asked them to please put as much as they could afford into those envelopes and I would match it, dollar for dollar. By the end of the night I think we raised about ten grand for the Bunker Hill Community College Student Emergency fund (and with my match, it became a total of $20,000).

And then I asked all who were in the arena to make a pledge with me to reject this vision of America that has been thrust upon us. Reject it, fight it, fix it — and to fix it, it will require a rumble. But hey, I was in south Boston, and if there’s anyone who knows how to rumble …! What I asked for was a nonviolent rumble of citizen participation.

The crowd spontaneously got up and clapped and shouted. I asked them if they would raise a ruckus in the months to come. The crowd shouted yes. And I believe they will. Here comes trouble? Ha! The kleptocracy had better brace themselves. It won’t be long before they wish that had been just a cute title on an overpriced book.

Several things about Moore’s remark caught my eye. First of all, it’s just the kind of thing that people seize upon these days to feign outrage about violent political metaphors, a point that both sides have been missing ever since the shooting tragedy in Tucson opened up a dialog on the subject in January.

It also serves as a neat bookend to Andrew Breitbart‘s Friday remarks about “fir(ing) the first shot” because conservatives “have the guns.”

Although highly unlikely, the juxtaposition makes it look almost like Breitbart was trying to top Moore. What odds do you give on Michael Moore with a bike chain, vs. Andrew Breitbart and his squad of secret commandos?

The location of Moore’s book tour stop is also rather amusing. He was speaking in the Charlestown section of Boston, the setting for the Ben Affleck-directed heist flick The Town. You may recall that House Republicans used a scene from The Town to butch up during the debt ceiling debate. Come to think of it, the way that worked out, maybe the White House ought to schedule a screening of Reindeer Games, pronto.

Elsewhere in his Q&A, Moore drew a laugh from the audience when he said that Republicans “are Americans, too,” and re-dubbed the Tea Party the “Tea-tanic.”

Here’s the clip, from Michael Moore’s Youtube channel:

(h/t)

Just the news that The Town was the film of choice was enough to confuse Stewart. “The Town?” he asked several times, wondering why The 300, Blindsaw, or any of the Rocky movies weren’t chosen. “You went with the Boston bank robbers in gun costumes flick,” he deadpanned.

When he played the actual clip– of Affleck asking Jeremy Renner‘s character to aid him in “hurting some people” without asking questions, with the latter unblinkingly following– Stewart seemed even more perplexed. “I’m going to assume the Tea Party coalition has not seen the whole movie,” he suggests, since Renner’s character, as he explains, is a mentally unhinged criminal, and Affleck uses him uncomfortably to achieve his ends, but without much respect. That didn’t seem to stop Rep. Allen West from immediately saying he was “ready to drive the car”– Renner’s response to Affleck’s request. “Quick, to the batshitmobile!” exclaimed Stewart.

But there was some silver lining to the story– it meant that Sen. Chuck Schumer got to read the plot of The Town in an event aloud, in dramatic reading form, glasses at the tip of his nose. Concluding his own version of the Sen. Schumer movie review, Stewart noted, “that must be the worst DVD feature extra ever,” before delivering a Schumerized review of Star Wars.

The segment via Comedy Central below:

O’Donnell left no doubt that he questioned Rep. McCarthy’s, “the most misguided House Majority Whip in history,” competence, though didn’t blame him for knowing “inspirational speaking is not his strong point.” What he did blame him for, however, was the anti-Christian message of the clip, which showed Affleck and his crew, “some distinctly unchristian Boston career criminals,” preparing to, as O’Donnell put it, “beat the living shit out of a guy.”

Calling McCarthy as “religiously illiterate as he is economically illiterate,” O’Donnell marveled at the fact that he played the video “exhorting every Republican in the House to go commit violent sin.” And some of those, he noted, are taking notice, though the example he used didn’t corroborate the persuasive power of the film by his own admission. “Florida Congressman Allen West, who seems frequently unhinged in general,” he joked, “reportedly said ‘I’m ready to drive the car’”– a continuation of the metaphor that the Republicans were the criminals in The Town, about to go violently assault someone.

It wasn’t that the Republicans were intending such violent, O’Donnell concluded, but that they were “trying to do too many things at once.” To help them on their way, he used a clip from The Company Men, the film a quizzical Ben Affleck suggested in its stead, where the tension of unemployment loomed vividly over the characters.

The segment via MSNBC below:

First up, the Democratic National Committee. In this particular scene from The Town, the two characters speak their lines before driving over to someone’s apartment and bludgeoning two men. DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz thought this was a “sad metaphor” for how Republicans have acted during the negotiations process. From CNN:

“They could have used ‘Hoosiers,’ ‘Rudy’ or ‘Band of Brothers’,” Wasserman Schultz said in a press conference Wednesday. “But this was the choice they made.”

The Florida congresswoman interpreted the clip as the Republicans wanting to hurt either the Democrats and President Obama in the debt talks–or the American people through entitlement cuts.

“Now is the time for compromise, not for pain,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Congressman James Clyburn echoed her statements, but admitted that after Republicans took the House majority, Democrats watched Bravehart during a caucus meeting “as a metaphor for us maintaining our own faith in the process.” Senator Chuck Schumer also spoke out firmly against the GOP’s decision to play the clip.

But perhaps no reaction was more interesting than that of the film’s writer, director, and star: Ben Affleck. Affleck’s politics are more liberal, and so did not have a very positive reaction to Republicans using the clip to psyche up their party.

“I don’t know if this is a compliment or the ultimate repudiation,” said the actor, who is currently in Turkey directing and starring in “Argo,” an adaptation of the Tehran hostage crisis. “But if they’re going to be watching movies, I think ‘The Company Men’ is more appropriate.”

The Company Men is a recession piece focusing on middle-class Americans struggling to find jobs in this current economy.

To me, here’s the most frustrating part of this controversy: everyone reporting on this has officially ruined the movie for me. Hello, media! What happened to spoiler alerts?

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the party’s vote counter, began his talk by showing a clip from the movie, “The Town”, trying to forge a sense of unity among the independent-minded caucus.

One character asks his friend: “I need your help. I can’t tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later.”

“Whose car are we gonna take,” the character says.

Then, according to GOP aides, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) stood up and said, “I’m ready to drive the car.”

By far, the funniest part of this story is that the Republicans wanted people to hear about their motivational badassery. Some attention is being paid to the fact that the quote, as told to the reporters, omits a violent (if apropos) line (“and we’re gonna hurt some people”), and some of my fellow liberals might take issue with the House GOP using a gangster movie to pump up its members, but for me, the takeaway is that they’re using a Ben Affleck gangster movie.

No disrespect to Ben Affleck, or The Town (which is a great flick), but is this the GOP’s way of suggesting deep funding cuts to the pantheon of quotable gangster flicks? And what’s on tap for their next meeting, some Reservoir Dogs cosplay? I guess we know who gets to be Mr. Orange.

If there are any Democrats reading this, and you ever get together before a big vote to screen your favorite West Wing clip (“I serve at the pleasure of the President!” comes to mind), for Bartlet’s sake, please keep that to yourselves.

Here’s the clip in question, from “The Town”: (h/t TPM)

Two bank robbers dressed as nuns–and carrying handguns–raided a suburban Chicago bank Sunday afternoon, in a heist seemingly inspired by the 2010 movie “The Town.” According to ABC News, the robbery may have been the work of a man-and-woman team who hit the TCF bank in Palos Heights, Illinois just as the bank was preparing to close. “The individuals came in and took over the bank, instructing tellers to do what the say or be harmed,” ABC quotes an FBI spokeswoman.

No shots were fired and nobody was hurt.

The FBI described the robbery as a “takeover-style” heist, with the robbers jumping over the counter and ordering a teller and the bank manager to fill a duffel bag with cash taken from the bank’s vault. Investigators did not say how much money was stolen.

The robbery mimics the plot of the Ben Affleck film “The Town,” which featured a team of friends in Boston who dress as nuns to rob a bank:

Watch the video from ABC below:

Dick Cheney

Maddow, like many on a Sunday night, was not in political mode the night the news broke. Describing how he still does not know how Ben Affleck‘s latest film, The Town, ends because of her phone going off, to Maddow finding out bin Laden had been killed was a moment she will never forget, and the image of Obama delivering the news one that will never leave her. “That is the image for all of us,” she argued today. “It is indelible.” So it took little time for her to see Cheney’s picture, “in the same suit and the same shirt and the same tie and the same flag pin, standing in the exact same place where Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden,” to connect the dots. The cover, she argues, “pictorially makes him the guy who killed bin Laden,” and “they might as well have Photoshopped Dick Cheney’s head on one of those soldiers at Iwo Jima.”

The image does bear a striking resemblance, from the outfit to the location, and given that many speeches are given in all parts of the White House it’s hard to see why this room had to necessarily be the one for the photo. However, there is some wiggle room here for the optics. For one, the kind of people who would excitedly buy Dick Cheney’s book are also likely to see not wearing a flag lapel pin as a sign of something fishy. The white shirt/red tie combination is also Politics 101 for anyone who regularly has to appear before cameras, and red, despite its history with the communist party, is generally considered the color of the Republican Party today. Maddow’s best argument here is that the angle and expression on Cheney’s face was adopted from the Obama announcement, a bizarre bit of optical plagiarism if there ever was one.

The segment via Fox News below:

That call, Affleck says, was an invitation for McCain to join the actor on a trip designed to get attention for the suffering of the people in Congo, an issue the two will testify about tomorrow on Capitol Hill. “Politics doesn’t have anything to do with this. This is about human lives,” McCain said.

Tapper reports Afflect made his first trip to Congo five years ago, and the star says there’s a moral responsibility to pay attention to the suffering there and to get involved. “People are dying, really dying and have been for a long time,” Affleck said. “Fifteen years, three-plus million people have died. I don’t know that I can make any more argument about why you should pay attention to this.”

Affleck and McCain said that there’s a need for a special advisor to the region who can coordinate the efforts of governments and western aid organizations. “It doesn’t need a giant check,” Affleck said. “It needs someone to help shepherd this process along.”

Is this the beginning of a fast friendship? “I’d say we have, actually, frankly, quite a bit in common. I don’t know if, maybe she doesn’t want me to say that out loud,” Affleck joked.

Watch it here, from ABC:

Pesyer wrote:

In the end, it wasn’t Keith Olbermann’s wacko politics, bipolar tantrums, or the Comcast takeover that set his MSNBC career on a collision course with an iceberg.

It was Ben Affleck.

A source formerly with the cable network said the end began in April 2009, when Rachel Maddow booked Hollywood’s darling to appear on her show. Olbermann wanted the star for himself on “Countdown.”

It was the first battle Keith didn’t win.

“In protest, he refused to go on the air,” said the ex-colleague.

It wasn’t his first meltdown. A year and a half earlier, MSNBC had moved studios from the Jersey boonies to Rockefeller Center. When Olbermann discovered that his new office door had a built-in window, he went ballistic, phoning network President Phil Griffin and threatening to walk.

It bears noting that the NY Post, like Fox News, is owned by Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp., the media entity often targeted by Mr. Olbermann, and Peyser’s critique seems unnecessarily gratuitous.

Much has been reported about Olbermann’s disappearance from the airwaves that followed the Affleck booking, and other instances where Olbermann refused to appear on-air when he became upset at some trivial matter. But to suggest a cause and effect between that incident nearly two years ago, and Olbermann’s ouster today seems like a long shot at best.

Peyser, who is respected for her candid and sometimes politically incorrect commentary, doesn’t end there. She goes on to dredge up past incidents about Olbermann at previous work places which seem to have little connection to his current split with MSNBC. Yes, Olbermann may have left ESPN and Fox Sports under duress as Peyser suggests, but the amplification of old grievances presented in her case makes her overall argument about the split from MSNBC seem somehow weaker. To wit:

Tales of Olbermann’s unhinged behavior go back almost to the beginning of his career. In the ’90s, he anchored ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “He didn’t play so nicely in the sandbox,” said an ESPN source.

“He was condescending to those who didn’t see things his way. What recently happened was a blast from the past, as far as we’re concerned.”

After a female ESPNer wrote a book, “one day,” said the source, “Keith counted how many swear words were in it.” He sent the results to the entire newsroom. “Why? To embarrass her? To draw attention to himself? It did not add to the workplace.”

In 2004 — seven years after he left — Olbermann was the only on-air personality excluded from SportsCenter’s 25th-anniversary reunion week.

No question Olbermann has had regular problems with colleagues, underlings and management, and all of that certainly contributed to his ouster from MSNBC, but to blame the Ben Affleck interview seems unfair.

Keith Olbermann’s departure from MSNBC was a result of a complex set of circumstances that came together at an opportune time. MSNBC and NBC News might be relieved to be rid of Olbermann particularly under new ownership, but that doesn’t justify an oversimplification of the facts at hand.

On last night’s Daily Show, Jon Stewart took on Keith Olbermann‘s 3-day Scott-war against the newly-elected Republican Senator from Massachusetts, incinerating the Countdown host’s Special Comment segment along the way. In a case of life imitating art, Olbermann parodied the Special Comment hours after Stewart taped his takedown, saying that yesterday’s Supreme Court decision legalizing corporate campaign contributions was worse than the Dred Scott decision.

I’m sure we’ll see more from Stewart next Monday, but for now, enjoy his absurd take on Keith’s mannerisms, and note how familiar the first part of his bit sounds:

While Stewart misses the fact that Scott Brown did, in fact, disavow the curling iron remark, he also picked up on something that I missed: Olbermann’s own hostile rhetoric toward women with whom he disagrees.

He also nails the camera changes, the repetition for dramatic effect, and the use of the glasses as a prop. I was a little disappointed he didn’t go to a welder’s mask or swim goggles.

As for last night’s actual Special Comment, that’s another story, one that I’m sure will be re-told “fundit”-style on tonight’s Daily Show.

• Update: Olbermann reacts to Stewart’s impression, in a response to TVNewser: “It was a little bit of a ripoff of the Affleck thing, but overall, I’d give it a B-.” -SK

This isn’t the first time Keith’s Special Comment has been lampooned, but I think it’s the best. Check out Ben Affleck‘s version, and decide for yourself whose is better:

Not surprisingly, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever was the number one worst movie, with a grand total of 0% good reviews. The cast was promising: – Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu – so why so bad? Do you really want to see it to find out? That goes pretty much for all the movies on the list — from Glitter to Swept Away to The Hottie And The Nottie.

Which prompted a natural follow-up question: what directors and actors had the worst results on Rotten Tomatoes from 2000-2009? Thanks to computers, we have the answer.

First, the methodology. Each person (actor or director) was given a number of points that corresponded to how badly the movie did. The 100th worst movie earned a participant 1 point – Ecks vs. Sever earned 100. Directors, however, deserve special blame for resultant crappiness, so they were given a 50% mark-up on their scores.

Which leads us to our list: the 375 Worst Actors and Directors of the Past Decade. (To be fair, most of these people were in one moderately bad movie, but that title is so catchy, we’re sticking with it.)

Here are the top ten:

1. Aaron Seltzer
2. Uwe Boll
3. Jason Friedberg
4. Roberto Benigni
5. Stephen Dorff
6. Eddie Griffin
7. Larry the Cable Guy
8. Lucy Liu
9. Natascha McElhone
10. Zach Cregger

Number 1 is no surprise Aaron Seltzer, who, along with #3 Jason Friedberg, makes the insipid Movie movies which are designed to cost a minimal amount and make up for it by fooling enough teenagers into coming that they end up being profitable (Seltzer did Date Movie without Fraiberg, which accounts for his exalted status). Likewise #2 – Uwe Boll. Somehow, a director who makes deliberately terrible movies is still given money to do so.

As for number 4 – Roberto Benigni‘s role as actor and director of the terrible Pinnochio did double damage. Is it fair to ding him twice for it? Yes.

Anyway, here’s the full list, as a sortable Google Doc. Points are calculated as above; “dings” are counted each time the person was in or directed a movie, regardless of rank. What do Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Dianne Weist, Scott Baio, Kal Penn, Brent Spiner, Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Kate Beckinsale, Charlotte Rampling, Steve Martin and DJ Pooh all have in common? They’re aaaaaall in here. Enjoy.

Oprah, Dateline, Geraldo Rivera… SNL‘s had distinctive takes on almost every major media presence over the years. And SNL‘s news spoofs aren’t just entertainment: it’s arguable that more Americans made up their minds about Sarah Palin based on SNL‘s Katie Couric/Sarah Palin interview than on the original interview itself. Stephen Colbert and John Stewart have done a lot in the news satire biz, but they still have some catching up to do.

In honor of the premiere of season 35 of SNL, we’ve pulled together 35 of SNL‘s choicest news anchor spoofs and Weekend Updates, spanning all seasons. Shoot us a comment or a tip if you think we’ve missed a good one.

We’re seriously counting on a good Glenn Beck skit…
Here it is.

Baba Wawa
Turning Barbara Walters into Elmer Fudd may have been one of the most dastardly stunts that SNL ever pulled off, but it was a game-changer for the show and for Walters. At one point, Walters personally confronted Gilda Radner and made her do the impression to her face. Presumably, the meeting involved wevewations, wapport, and wepartee.



The Today Show With Hoda and Kathy Lee
When it comes to the zaniness of Kathy Lee Gifford, the jokes write themselves. Still, Kristen Wiig’s command of Lee’s facial tics and body language, paired with Michaela Watkins’ portrayal of Hoda Kotb’s Today straight woman, result in pure absurdist joy.

Creepy, Creepy Dateline
Bill Hader really knows how to bring the creepy when he wants to, which is perfect for a Dateline sendup. No disrespect to actual Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, but it takes a certain kind of nervous system to converse with murderers and victims of tragedy like you’re talking about the weather.

Gerald Ford was Eaten by Wolves
Carvey’s Tom Brokaw wants to vacation in Barbados for the winter, so he’s got to prerecord every possible way Gerald Ford could die, including gunshot, wolf attack, convenience store mountain lions, and Zimbabwean invasion. It’s funny cause it’s true?

Joe Wilson and Kanye: Really?
SNL spinoff Weekend Update Thursday started its second season with a bang last week, coming up with a “how the Joe Wilson thing happened” conspiracy theory involving restrooms and Michelle Bachman.

But the “Really?” segment was even better; there are few things more satisfying than hearing Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers repeatedly shouting “Really?” at notable shouters Kanye West and Joe Wilson.

Next: “Jane, you ignorant slut,” Wolf Blitzer, and more

Joe Coscarelli and Palika Makam contributed to the writing and compilation of this post.

Some hints:

• He was one of Salon’s “Sexiest Men Living” in 2008.
• He’s been on 60 Minutes and Charlie Rose
• He’s from New Hampshire.
• He looks like someone who used to date Jennifer Garner who is not Ben Affleck — though he has worked with both of those people for his day job, which is actually a night job.
• That job requires him to wear a suit.
• It’s not Glenn Beck.

Who is it?