Bill Maher On Obama's Legacy

"You sometimes hear people, even Democrats, say, 'I’m tired of Obama because he didn’t live up to his promises.' I say, 'Are you sure about that? Maybe they just didn’t cover it on TMZ.' Because Obama is slowly going down the list: Cuba, gay marriage and, I’m hoping before he leaves, pot. He’s trying to finish strong. Obama should be a better bragger. He needs to start acting like he won the last election instead of lost it. If the Republicans had his record, they’d be riding it like a fuckin’ wild bronco into the 2016 election. Their attitude would be, 'Why even have an election? We’ve tripled the stock market, unemployment is below six percent, 10 million more people have health insurance, the auto industry is back on its feet.' Oh, and he averted a depression." - Bill Maher, speaking to Playboy Magazine.

Wingnuts Cheer End Of Playboy Club

Dan Issett, head of the right-wing Parents Television Council, is claiming credit for the demise of The Playboy Club, which has been canceled by NBC after only three episodes.

"The show would still be on the air if people hadn't stood up and spoken out to the sponsors of the show and the advertisers on the show," Issett suggests. "So there's a lot of credit that needs to be given to people around the country who made the simple step of just letting their opinion be known about this." He says that was the bottom line to NBC's decision to end the show that was designed "to promote the Playboy brand". So Issett says that is what it will take in the future to get the point across to the entertainment industry. And he hopes that those making programming decisions in the future will more carefully consider whether the content of a show or movie violates public trust.

The show scored only a 1.2 rating in its last airing. Issett: "We’re pleased that NBC will no longer be airing a program so inherently linked to a pornographic brand that denigrates and sexualizes women."

Quote Of The Day - Michael Savage

"What does it mean? You hang around with a gay man, you’re gay? I mean, what are they, nuts? Don’t you see the hate that comes out of people when they try to pervert this? Who the fuck would sleep with Ginsberg even if they were gay? He was a horrendous man, horrible. An old, fucking disgusting queen. Communist NAMBLA member. There were a lot of reasons to not like the man, and he wasn’t my friend." - Radio blowhard Michael Savage, speaking to Playboy Magazine about beat poet Allan Ginsberg, with whom Savage was photographed swimming naked in the 1970's.

Letters and postcards exchanged between Savage and Ginsberg in the early 70's are maintained in the late poet's papers at Stanford University. Wikipedia notes that "One postcard mentions his desire to photograph Ginsberg in a provocative way, though Savage states that this correspondence is actually a forgery created by gay detractors." In 2006, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said on air, "For God's sake, Mike. Will you just cut to the chase and come OUT of the closet?"

The BVM Does Playboy?

The Mexican version of Playboy is causing some ire over its current cover.

Playboy, based in Chicago, has offered its "sincerest apologizes" for the newest issue of its Mexican edition, which seems to poke irreverent (some would say lewd) fun at the Virgin Mary. The magazine's cover features a model clad (barely) in a white cloth, in front of a stained glass window. The headline, "Te adoramos, Maria," means in English, "We love you Mary," or "We love you, Maria." (The model is Maria Florencia Onori.)

The magazine hit the stands on Dec. 1 -- seven days before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church; and 11 days before an even bigger holiday in Mexico, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, commemorating the supposed appearance of the Virgin to a Mexican peasant, Juan Diego, in 1531.

In its apology, Playboy said the Mexican edition of the magazine is published by a licensee, and that the parent company did not approve the cover. "While Playboy Mexico never meant for the cover or images to offend anyone, we recognize that it has created offense, and we as well as Playboy Mexico offer our sincerest apologies," the company said. Raul Sayrols, publisher of Playboy Mexico, said: "The image is not and never was intended to portray the Virgin of Guadalupe or any other religious figure. The intent was to reflect a Renaissance-like mood on the cover.

A reader sends us this clip of Miami-based priest Father Cutie (no, really) discussing the situation with CNN's Rick Sanchez.