Robin Williams doing... Robin Williams

Promoting his new HBO comedy show “Weapons of Self-Destruction”, comedian and Academy Award winning actor Robin Williams brings his sole brand of insanity to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.

He’s as wired as ever and loaded with new material.  First up:  Sarah Palin (an easy target, but can we ever get tired of Palin-jokes? Okay, maybe we can).  Williams is aging very nicely (still hairy, but now practically all-white hair).

The reason I bothered to tune into this interview was (1) Williams has had a tough time this past year (rehab, getting a new heart, his divorce) and I was curious to see how these life changes would cause the entertainer to evolve his routine and (2) I had to see how Stewart would handle Williams who (though he’s been on the show before) never ceases to shock.

He’s the same old Williams, thankfully, just with a new heart.  But even with a new heart and reaching his later years, he has more energy than people half his age and that’s pretty cool to watch.  Also cool to watch (though many may disagree) is Robin Williams discussing his life-changes (though barely touching on things with the limited time).

Williams "self-destructs" on HBO

Williams hasn’t lost his edge or enthusiasm.  We’ll have to wait and see (based on how his new HBO comedy special)  if that’s a good thing.

My roommate just burst my Robin Williams bubble with the following logic:  “the reason Robin Williams is no longer relevant as a comedian is because he is completely predictable and he has a tendancy to do topical humor about world events that really don’t effect him (he can joke about Sarah Palin but you get the feeling he’s not really effected by her either way)”

I’d love to hear other thoughts on this.

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Want some? Ludacris Conjurs up some Cognac for Chelsea

Momma always told me to love a man who brings over a good bottle of booze.  Ludacris, I heart you.  The rapper dropped in on Chelsea Lately and presented handler with a bottle of Cognac (with a red bow on it!) which he happens to be his own special brand (Conjure).

Ludacris and Chelsea are having a great week as both are reigning at the top of the charts (Chelsea, for her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, is number one on the NY Times Bestseller list and Ludacris’ new CD Battle of the Sexes debuted at number one).  Congrats kids!

Somehow, the conversation veers to Justin Beiber.  I’m convinced Beiber is either the anti-christ or Christ himself (laying low until he gets to reveal: “I’m back bitches!!!”)

The interview is short but you get the feeling that sitting in a room with Chelsea, Ludacris and a bottle of Cognac would beat any party on a Saturday night!

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Cynthia Nixon and fiance Christine Marinoni

Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) is deeply committed to the fight for marriage equality.  Using the power of her passion and celebrity to galvanize an army of people who are just as committed to overturning laws that prohibit gay marriage, Nixon is not only making waves by demanding more of state senators in representing the gay community, she’s also reaching out to and educating an entirely new generation of passionate protesters.

Looking stunning on the red carpet at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, Nixon took a few moments to speak with Neal B. and ArtofTalk.TV about Fight Back New York (an organization dedicated to removing from office senators who voted against marriage equality) and her experience attending the National Equality March with her family and friends.

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Barker and Tyra

Nigel Barker (the dashingly handsome judge on America’s Next Top Model) chatted with ArtofTalk.TV on the red carpet at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards about his idea of what it truly takes to be beautiful.

Working in the fashion industry for over 20 years and seeing his share of beautiful people all over the world, Barker knows better than anyone how to embody and exude beauty (so take notes!).  He’s in the business of beauty.  Barker recently authored a book on beauty, Beauty Equation (@BeautyEquation), due to be released September 2010.

More photos of Barker and expressions of beauty after the video.

Nigel Barker soaking up beauty with models on the red carpet

Barker and his own brand of beauty as a young model.

Barker with wife Cristen and their two children Jack and Jasmine emanating beauty on the red carpet.

Jessica Simpson - Mayer's nepalm no longer

Jessica Simpson dropped in on The View to discuss her new VH1 tv special The Price of Beauty (where she travels around the world to discover and define beauty) and to address her critics who have berated her for gaining weight over the past year (something that she was clearly hurt by).  The good news is that she seems to have made peace with herself (refusing to shrink to a size “hollywood zero”, shrugging off critics and still enjoying her fried foods in moderation).

Where Simpson also scores points here is on her candor regarding ex-boyfriend John Mayer who recently ran off at the mouth about Simpson and his other ex-lover Jennifer Aniston.  While his comments about Aniston were less than flattering (and even harsh), Mayer calls sex with Simpson addictive.  Barbara Walters and crew are of the consensus that being called sexual napalm and wanting to be sniffed like cocaine by a man is a flattering thing — they still, however, refuse to let him off the hook (this is The View, after all).

Simpson’s best line of the segment was regarding John Mayer comment about Simpson wherein he compared having sex with her to “sexual napalm”:

“Oh, he’ll never have this napalm again?”

Okay then.

This segment with Simpson does exactly what a talk show appearance is supposed to do:  it reveals a bit about the guest and discusses whatever they are promoting in a way that titillates us into wanting to invest in their latest project.  Her tv show looks surprisingly good and she is clearly passionate about it.  Watching Jessica Simpson come into her own as a woman, take on douchebag former lovers and redefine her beauty on her own terms makes you want to root for this Texas girl all the way.

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Maher and Panel answer your questions.

Ask Bill.

After watching brain-dead, cable news programs fight over the same scraps of news stories that they regurgitate exhaustively with their own political spin, it’s very refreshing to see (on a Friday night – relaxation time) questions from viewers on the internet being answered and debated thoughtfully by Maher and his panel (usually an eclectic mix of professionals from politics, entertainment and sports).  Overtime should be extended.  Better yet, it should be completely pimped out and turned into its own series.  Last night

This week’s panel includes Amy Holmes (America Morning News), Gary Johnson (sporting bangs) (Chairman, Our America Initiative), Hill Harper (actor, author The Conversation) and John Heileman (co-author Game Change).

Questions from you inquisitive, web-surfing Americans that was submitted to Real Time via Twitter include:

• From Steven:  “Why do we allow the Texas State Board of Education to push their agenda on an entire nation of school children?“

(In case you haven’t heard, Texas (the dominant creator of text books that educate tens of millions of school children every year) made a decision this week that a commentor Gawker.com summed up in four, easy-to-remember words:  “Your kids are doomed!“  Yes, but that was the case even before Texas put the nail in the evolution-education coffin)

• From Ryan: “Is Obama being held to higher standards than previous presidents?“

An awkward silence falls over the panel and the audience after Maher reads this question.  Let’s call it the silence before the storm.  This question causes a bit of riff on the panel between Hill and Holmes with the audience throwing in cheers and jeers before Maher settles the score by underscoring the partisan undercurrent of Holme’s response.  Pow!

• From D. Donovan:  “What do you think about Walmart selling Black Barbie at a reduced price while White Barbie is slightly more expensive?  Is it a conspiracy or just regular inventor?“

Yes, someone really submitted that question.  And I love Bill Maher and his panel for taking it on (not because I think it is a profound question – it isn’t – but because it is precisely these kinds of questions from ordinary people on the internet that is asked and debated every day in comments sections).  Though the answers are full of jokes, the panel’s comments on the matter are also revealing and stirring (Amy Holmes gets booed again by the audience — poor Amy – she holds her own though – tough and smart).

Watch the video below to see how Maher and his panel answered these burning questions “from the internets” this week?  What do you think of their answers?

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Leave it to Jon Stewart to be an incessant thorn in the buttocks of Fox News.  He does it like nobody else. The fact that he does this and manages to make a few folks laugh is all the more reason to dig him.

Stewart lets the FOX News sorority secret out of the bag.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that FOX News (President Obama’s arch nemesis) is campaigning against healthcare with anti-healthcare ads.  What may be surprising, however, is the vitriol with which they are doing it.  You would think they were his political opponent during an election campaign.

Of course, this is not lost on Jon Stewart (not even for a second) who proceeded last night to supply a thorough verbal smackdown of the ultra-conservative, tea party-loving network.  Stewart picks apart FOX footage practically frame by frame and, after proving that the footage was highly doctored, comes to the conclusion that FOX News is :

“I think Fox News might be the meanest sorority in the world.”

If given the choice between being approached by a gang member or being approached by a member of Fox News in a back alley, I’d go with the gang member.

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Howard Stern and Jay Leno - no love lost.

Howard Stern has never minced words about how much he hates (and I choose my words carefully here – Stern “hates” Leno).

Stern shared his thoughts on Leno’s controversial reemergence as host The Tonight Show with Harry Smith of CBS Earl Morning.  The radio talk show shock jock spared no words and made no attempt to mask his seething disgust of Leno and how he displaced Conan O’Brien.  Stern, as usual, opens strong:

“I don’t do a lot of television interviews. but when your people called me up and said you wanted me to comment on late night television, boy did you get my juices going. Just the mere mention of Jay Leno’s name makes me want to vomit.”

It’s clear Stern feels he must say what other people in the entertainment industry are too afraid to say about Leno (though quite a few comedians (including Jimmy Kimmel) have openly and mercilessly bashed Leno for his role in the NBC talk show debacle.   As Stern puts it, it’s Leno’s MO to cut a guy just to get a job.  He recounts how Leno “pushed Johnny Carson out of The Tonight Show and he did it in a merciless way” over 15 years ago.

Harry Smith clearly delights in Stern frothing at the mouth while unleashing a can of whip-ass on Leno.  This is probably the easiest interview he’s done ever.  Stern needs no proding or trick questions or motivation.   When it comes to Leno, he’s a loaded gun.

Stern wraps up his assault on Leno by explaining Leno’s “lack of integrity”:

“Jay is a multi-millionare a many times over.  I was fired by NBC many years ago.  You know what I did?  I didn’t sit there like a lap dog and take it.  I got up.  I brushed myself off and I went on terrestrial radio on a competing station and I burried NBC alive.  That’s what you do.  Jay should’ve dusted himself off and gone to a competing network and beaten Dave and beaten Jimmy Kimmel… like a real man!”

Ouch!

Before ending the interview, Stern manages to clarify the rumors of him possibly replacing Simon Cowell as lead judge on American Idol.  Love him or hate him, Stern has a way of bringing a controversial topic into focus and presenting in a way that makes it a no-brainer.  When asked by Smith whether or not he would take the American Idol gig, Stern defiantly says:

“Listen, wouldn’t you judge a karaoke contest for a hundred million dollars?!”

And there you have it.  I’d take the job for a vodka cranberry and a Happy Meal.  Call me Simon.

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Shaun White with Audrina Partridge

Stephen Colbert (sporting tight, winter-white pants) continues to melt the snow and ice with his hotness in Vancouver where he is taping The Colbert Report and covering the Winter Olympics.

Shaun White (Olympic gold medal winner in snowboarding) (@shaun_white) sent some shine Colbert’s way when he dropped by the show last night to discuss… well… his fierceness.

Colbert is adorable when he is drooling over a guest and White feeds into and plays off of Colbert’s boyish enthusiasm (with his tight, winter-white pants) and sarcasm perfectly.

White seems so completely comfortable in his own skin and so game to have a good time and laugh that you can’t help but want to grab a beer and talk with him (and he’s a bit snarky too – glad he’s on our team).  In case you doubt that White is as much of a free spirit as he appears to be, check out his canon ball after the video clip – F-I-E-R-C-E.

Shaun White - classic cannon ball

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