Janeane Garofalo turns serious on CNN's 'Crossfire'

As Carlson's liberal sparring partner on CNN's Crossfire this week, the former Saturday Night Live star has more than held her own. And anybody else's, for that matter.

"Tucker's madly in love with me," says Garofalo, 38, tongue firmly in cheek. "His shrill nature and constant need to marshal my opinions are just masking his deep admiration.

"Like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, his aloofness is a cover for his ardent feelings."

Garofalo's scathing public criticism of the United States' going to war with Iraq angered many Americans. An actor's opinions, they said, held no weight.

News flash: Garofalo is no political dilettante. A Providence College grad with a degree in American studies and history, she devours all things political. She even watches C-Span.

The stereotype of airhead actors "is perpetuated by the mainstream media's need to idolize and tear down celebrity," says Garofalo, whose movie credits include The Truth About Cats and Dogs and Reality Bites.

"It's the myth of the limo liberal vs. the Ford Taurus conservative. All liberals are out of touch and wealthy. That myth has been a useful tool for the right."

A frequent guest on political talk shows, Garofalo is one of a select few actors to host CNN's 4:30 p.m. weekday slugfest. (Others include Ron Silver and Alec Baldwin.)

"I actually find political talk shows interesting. I am a fan of the form. If anyone would hire me, I'd like to have a show like [Chris Matthews'] Hardball or Crossfire."

"Having people constantly fighting and being so constrained by time is very anxiety-producing," Garofalo says. "The level of discourse is not edifying enough. When you talk about things as complex as the Middle East, one needs time."

So why host Crossfire for a week? "I cannot deny my attraction to it. I can get emotional and quite strident."

Garofalo continues doing stand-up and is writing a collection of essays, The Dumb and the Mean. Her first effort, 1999's Feel This Book, with her pal Ben Stiller, was a best-seller.

A development deal with ABC went south about six weeks ago because the two sides had totally different visions for the series - a subtle office comedy in the style of the BBC's The Office.

On the personal side, Garofalo recently went blond and is living happily with rock musician Chris Anderson. After quitting for a year, she's back to a pack a day of English Ovals.

The trigger, she says, was a visit to former CNN star Connie Chung's talker. "The typical faux questioning made me so angry, I started smoking again. It was infantilizing."

It's still there

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/columnists/stu_bykofsky/6355507.htm

MORNING YAWN TV columnist Gail Shister launched into "a high-volume, obscenity-laden rant" when CNN's Tucker Carlson told her he was forced to cancel an appearance at last year's National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention, the "Crossfire" host writes in his upcoming book. (He canceled his appearance because his wife went into labor.)

Asked if she'd delivered the rant, Gail says sweetly, "I don't even remember, to tell you the truth," explaining that Tucker was the third guest who canceled last minute. "It is conceivable that I was that upset, but I think my state of mind was understandable given the circumstances."

The brief passage appears in "Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News," out Sept. 15. Gail sums up her reaction to inclusion: "I'm thrilled he spelled my name right." (When cornered, take the high road.)

She denies having a tendency toward tantrums (despite what we know from some publicists she has tongue-lashed, not to mention colleagues who report on her volcanic eruptions). "That's not true. I don't suffer fools gladly, but I don't have an anger management problem," says Gail.

Gail - who we've always respected and liked (but not in that way) - recently interviewed Tucker (before learning of the dis) and won't avoid him in the future, she says. "I'm in my 21st year of doing this column, and if I held personal vendettas, I wouldn't have many people left to write about...I forgive, but I don't forget."

Seems like Tucker - who's in Liberia and out of reach - feels the same way.

This is what the columnist who wrote this tripe considers to be Garofalo "holding her own" - from the MRC:

Another round of looniness from left-wing activist/actress Janeane Garofalo as the co-host in the left chair on CNN's Crossfire this week. On Monday she held the Bush administration "responsible" for the blackout. On Wednesday afternoon she blamed the Bush team for the terrorist attack on the UN hotel: "It is the Bush/Cheney cartel's fault for this."

Railing against the Bush administration's efforts to pass and now argue in favor of the benefits of the Patriot Act, Garofalo raised Nazism. Playing off how George W. Bush is the 43rd President, she charged: "It is in fact a conspiracy of the 43rd Reich."

In between, she contended that the war in Iraq "was an attempt at a corporate takeover. This was about oil. It wasn't about human rights. It's not about human rights." And she spewed: "Team Bush is more radically corrupt than Richard Nixon ever tried to be."

I guess to a liberal, holding your own means believing your own lies more than your opponent believes the truth.

What a poser! Did she ever think of doing anything like this prior to Dennis Miller's now famous comedic expressions of his burgeoning conservative views???? What a reactionary. No pro-action, just reaction. Just another Janeane tantrum. Of course Tucker Carlson is no match!, put her up against Brian Kilmeade or Dennis Miller.

A frequent guest on political talk shows, Garofalo is one of a select few actors to host CNN's 4:30 p.m. weekday slugfest. (Others include Ron Silver and Alec Baldwin.)

A few select!?! - carefully selected to spout only the farthest left, ultra-lib views, pablum eagerly sucked up by entranced viewers... I can just feel myself sliding off to the left, down the slippery slope...

All liberals are out of touch and wealthy. That myth has been a useful tool for the right."

Yeah, she's a poster child for regular folk. She's a useful tool for the left and apparently unaware of it.

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