Freedom to Differ

Web and Tech Super Bowl Ads 2010

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Megan Fox Motorola Ad

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FLO TV: My Generation Ad

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Monster.com Fiddling Beaver Ad

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GoDaddy Super Bowl

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Boost Mobile Ad

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Google: Parisian Love Ad

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Intel Lunch Room Ad

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Go Daddy: News

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Vizio Beyonce Ad

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Cars.com Ad

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Other Super Bowl Ads 2010

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Snickers Super Bowl Ad

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Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains Ad

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Hyundai Sonata Ad

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Doritos Ad

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Robin Hood Spot

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Doritos: House Rules Ad

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NCIS /CBS Ad

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Coca-Cola / Simpsons Ad

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Undercover Boss Ad (CBS)

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Doritos Casket Ad

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Wolfman Ad

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The Good Wife

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Emerald Nuts: Awesomer

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Hyundai Soata / Brett Favre Ad

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VW Punchdub

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Budweiser Bridge Ad

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Denny’s Chicken Birthday Ad

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Denny’s Chicken Warning

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Alice in Wonderland

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Skechers

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Homeaway Vacation Ad

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Dr Pepper / KISS ad

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Select 55 Ice Bottle Ad

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Michelob Ultra – Little Bumps Ad

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Budweiser Clydesdale Fence Ad

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Late Show Ad

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Bud Light Asteroid Ad

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It was apparently the most open secret of the Prop 8 trial in San Francisco.

The presiding judge, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, is gay.

The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate has the full report, and the article cites many sources who say they do not expect his sexual orientation to influence his opinion. 

Walker was appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1989 and has never "taken paints to disguise -- or advertise -- his orientation," the article said.

The judge in this landmark gay rights litigation being gay is quite ironic, but it isn't the first eye-brow raising trial Walker has been involved in.

He came under heavy criticism from the gay community for representing, when he was in private practice, the U.S. Olympic Committee in its successful lawsuit that sought to prevent the Gay Olympics from infringing on the USOC name.

"Life is full of irony," Walker told the SFGate when they reminded him of that suit. Walker is not publicly commenting on the Prop 8 trial while it's pending.

Some will undoubtedly make noise about potential bias because the judge is gay. But, two things.

Judges bring to the bench all sorts of life experiences that could potentially cause them to be "biased" on any number of issues. But they are judges, and their job is to decide on the law. It's refreshing that no one with any knowledge seems to be saying they expect Walker to do anything less. (As we've mentioned before, 5-4 decisions along political lines are a little frustrating.)

And second, we doubt anyone who would dare conclude he might make a certain decision because he is gay would have had the same concerns if he were straight. Would we assume he could not make a fair decision about Prop 8 and gay marriage because he was heterosexual? Doubt it.

Jay and Dave together? Could it be true?

It is, and there they were, Jay Leno and David Letterman sitting on a couch – with Oprah Winfrey between them - upstairs at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where Mr. Letterman tapes his show.

The spot was shot last Tuesday afternoon, under the strictest of secrecy which involved both Mr. Leno and Ms. Winfrey flying in surreptitiously to New York, and arriving incognito at the theater, while Mr. Letterman was in the midst of taping his show for that night. It also involved Jay wearing a disguise: hooded sweatshirt, glasses and faux mustache. If you happened to be on Broadway between 53rd and 54th street last Tuesday about 4:15, you might have seen a man fitting that description slip into the theater by a small entrance under the marquee.

According to staff members of the “Late Show with David Letterman” who were on the scene that day - including the executive producer Rob Burnett – it all happened because Mr. Letterman had an idea he thought would be truly funny: a Super Bowl ad that featured the two longest-running adversaries in late night, sitting with Ms. Winfrey as though at a Super Bowl party.

What gave the idea extra spin, of course, was that the relationship between Mr. Letterman and Mr. Leno has been especially fractious of late in the wake of NBC’s moves that led to the departure of Conan O’Brien from the “Tonight” show and Mr. Leno’s impending return to the show, where he will once again go head to head with Mr. Letterman.

In the weeks since the decision was announced, Mr. Letterman had been notably acerbic in his on-air jokes about Mr. Leno, suggesting he was a schemer in some way in the moves that led to the changes in late night, and Mr. Leno had responded with jokes about Mr. Letterman’s well-covered romantic entanglements.

That added to the surprise viewers encountered when the ad came up and there the two comics were, flanking Ms. Winfrey, in essence for a promotion for Mr. Letterman’s show.

As Mr. Burnett described it, Mr. Letterman had the idea to invite Mr. Leno to participate, playing off a similar ad he put together with Ms, Winfrey the last time CBS had the Super Bowl in 2007. “Dave wrote the bit himself,” Mr. Burnett said. “He just thought: it’s the Super Bowl, you’re supposed to entertain people.”

Steps were takes to contact Ms. Winfrey, who agreed immediately, Mr. Burnett said, and then Mr. Leno. Mr. Burnett said he spoke with Mr. Leno’s executive producer, Debbie Vickers. “She asked if this was for real and then she laughed for about 10 minutes,” Mr. Burnett said.

Mr. Leno quickly agreed, but the idea had to be passed by the top NBC executives, including the chief executive, Jeff Zucker. Permission was granted.

Mr. Leno was able to get Tuesday free – NBC had rearranged its schedule to pre-empt his 10 p.m. show that night - and took the NBC corporate jet, Mr. Burnett said. There seemed little chance though that Mr. Leno could sneak into Mr. Letterman’s theater unseen, so the idea was hatched to try to sneak him in during a live taping - in disguise.

Both guests turned up while Mr. Letterman was on stage doing his show. They were kept in a secret green room until the show was over and the theater was cleared. Then Mr. Leno and Ms., Winfrey went up to the theater balcony where a living room set was fashioned with a faux TV and a couch.

Mr. Letterman arrived a short time later. The two late-night rivals greeted each other warmly, Mr. Burnett said. “It was very friendly, very professional, totally cordial,” he said. “You could tell these were two guys who have known each other for a long time.”

The idea Mr. Letterman came up with was for him to be first seen alone, complaining about being at the worst Super Bowl party ever - then to be seen in a two-shot with Mr. Winfrey as he had been in 2007, with her telling him to be nice. And then Mr. Leno would be revealed at the other end of the couch saying that Mr. Letterman was only complaining because he was there.

Mr. Letterman followed doing a mock-Jay voice. The entire spot was shot quickly and efficiently, Mr. Burnett said. “I’d say it took no more that 20 or 30 minutes,” he said.

“I think everybody wanted to do it just because they all knew it would get attention and they all just wanted to do something funny.”

After the taping was completed, Mr. Letterman thanked his guests and they said a cordial goodbye, Mr. Burnett said. The two stars slipped back out into the Manhattan night, Mr. Leno back in his faux mustache.

“This wasn’t done to help Dave or to help Jay,” Mr. Burnett said, “though I think it does help both of them. It was just done because Dave thought it would be funny and would entertain people. Nothing went beyond that.”

As a general rule, I avoid aggressive monitoring of comments. Megan McArdle explains my reasoning well in describing her own similar policy:

As y’all know, I exercise a pretty light hand on the comments section. That’s a tough choice. I could probably have a more civil comments section if I were more willing to delete nasty comments and ban trolls.

On the other hand, I don’t trust myself in the position of censor.... One will always find most outrageous those people who disagree with one’s own pet notions. If I started deleting comments, the net effect would be to pull the comments section towards agreeing with my particular brand of libertarianish, market-loving philosophy. This is not, to my mind, the point of the comments section. So I delete comments only when they are obscene or intolerably nasty; I ban people only when they have a history of repeatedly derailing threads, defaming my family, or similarly doing things that would get them kicked out of any decent private home.

So I have to ask you guys to do it for me. Play nice. Don’t call people names–any names, not just profane ones. Don’t characterize people as having bad motives. Don’t make absurd statements about how liberals, Republicans, or some other group are less virtuous, clever, empathetic, rational, pragmatic, civic-spirited, patriotic and so forth, than the fine, upstanding Americans on your side. 

In the first place, it’s incredibly rude. In the second place, it’s basically never true..... And in the third place, while you lightheartedly believe that you are opening your opponents to justified ridicule, in reality all you achieve is to start everyone else snickering at you, because you sound like such a bigoted, arrogant fool.

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I don't get many comments on this blog, so this isn't really something I need to worry about.

This line from David Marr is one of the best descriptions I’ve ever read of the farcical sound and fury which is Question Time in the House of Representatives:

It’s a bit like an RSPCA pound: never free of the spectre of being put down, the dogs bark and howl to attract attention.

Hear, hear!