Today's Outspotlight is Rachel Maddow.
Ms. Maddow is the host of “The Rachel Maddow Show” radio show on Air America, funny, fast-paced, news-based show often described as “the headlines, and the politics behind the headlines.” She is now making history by becoming the first out lesbian to host a prime-time television news program in United Stated, on MSNBC.
Maddow has been working on the MSNBC staff as a political analyst, appearing Monday through Friday as a panelist on MSNBC's “Race for the White House with David Gregory" and appears regularly on MSNBC election coverage. She is also a frequent contributor
to, and sometime guest host of, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.”
The Rachel Maddow Show, will focus first on the final weeks of the historic presidential campaign.
Maddow came out at 17, and 19 watched Pat Buchanan speach at the 1992 Republican convention, calls for a culture war against such liberal notions as "homosexual rights."
"I felt my country was declaring war on me," she says.
Maddow is a policital pundit that brings another perspecitive to the political round table. She brings intelligent, concise and on target analysis from a progressive perspective to the political situation. She holds a doctorate in political science, as well as being a Rhodes scholar, and has a background in, HIV/AIDS activism and prison reform.To quote Rachel: "She shakes a mean cocktail, drives a bright red pickup, hates Coldplay, loves arguing with conservatives, spends a lot of money on AMTRAK tickets, and dresses like a first-grader. "
It is her "dresses like a first grader" that has gotten her in the news as of late. Page Six of the New York Post has recently reported "MSNBC loves the chatter of liberal pundit Rachel Maddow, but not her look. Maddow, who's getting her own show, is being subjected to a net work makeover. A source says an entire "glam squad" has been hired for the openly gay Maddow, and she has been asked not to wear her Drew Carey-esque glasses again. There's even talk of "putting her in a skirt." We're sure that'll do the trick. A rep for the channel didn't return e-mails"(Sept 2, 2008) Page Six insinuated is that she is too butch for network television. The double standard is that media would never criticize any of her male counterparts being to femme.
"I know I don't look like everybody else on television, "I'm not that pretty. Women on television are over-the-top, beauty-pageant gorgeous. That's not the grounds on which I am competing. There's a basic threshold you have to cross: not looking like you're insulting. You ought to wear makeup, comb your hair." And if she tried for a makeover, she says, "I would fail, and I would look dumb doing it." (August 27, 2008)
"I can't be less gay." (About being the first out lesbian to host a prime time news program) But she does acknowledge the virtues of being a pioneer: "Being the first blank is always important."
She and her partner Susan Mikula share there time between New York City and their home in Western Massachusetts.
RachelMaddow.comRachel Maddow (Washington Post Article)
Rachel & Susan
27 comments:
Jersey Tom said...
Rachel Maddow is awesome. I am so happy that she now has her own show on MSNBC. She is bright and very entertaining. Kudos to MSNBC for reckonizing good talent when they see it. Now if Anderson would only have the b*alls to come out both major cable news channels would have out gay hosts.
Thanks for this post! She certainly set off my gaydar when I caught her during some of the convention coverage, and I'd read about her new show, but I had no idea she was out. I sure hope MSNBC doesn't cave and try to "fem" her up--I can see glamming it up a bit though, for tv, but what's wrong with a stylish pantsuit?
Nothing at all wrong with a stylish pantsuit, even slacks and a blouse or, doggone it, a plain ol' nicely ironed shirt if she in the heck wants to. Giminy's, top brass get me when they tinker with stuff.
It's different if you work in manufacturing like I do. We had the ol' annual mandatory Good Manufacturing Practices 1/2 hr talk last week. Poor QC Mgr, he has to try & make that interesting. Uniforms must be snapped all the way up, top snap may be left undone, clean uniform, no jewelry, rings, no sandals, safety shoes must be worn, hairnets, beardnets,all PPE, washing of hands, sneeze away from body & task at hand, blah blah blah. All very valid points but not for a TV studio. You know what? If she's a good commentator, people aren't going to necessarily pay a whole lot of attention if she's wearing a skirt. I am in real admiration of her schooling & education. I will certainly tune into MSNBC to try & catch her, besides one of my faves, Dan Abrams.
I don't know why she put herself down like that. I think she's appealing & attractive. And that picture of her with her partner is wonderful; they look very happy & natural. When I say natural, I realize to myself that I am thinking they are sporting very honest, naturally happy smiles. I think I've been looking at too much internet. Too many manufactured, tight, teeth gritting, plastic, lightbulb reflecting smiles.
And I love that white house in the background. I wonder if that's their house. I love old houses like that.
Oh, I forgot I had changed my avatar. I have a new one to put on there. This avatar was done during a period of intense Heath obssession and, although still slightly obssessed, I must return to my true root and I will have a new one in a second. Ha! as if anyone really cares.., lol just talking to myself
Hi all -
Wow, great Out Spotlight today! I think she looks beautiful just the way she is, with her first-grader style fashion, and shouldn't change a thing - she's unique in a full medium of clones. All the best to her with her television program. :)
^^oops, sorry - that should read "Rachel is unique in a medium full of clones." :)
Been doing alot of thinking the past week 1/2-two weeks, who knows when time flies like it does. (Interruption! Colonel Klink & Hogan have switched clothes/uniforms on Hogan's Heroes right now on TV. Klink in Hogan's and Hogan in Klink's complete with eye monocle - absolutely hilarious).
Wondering if one, non-TBers are thinking they sense some kind of weak period. They have certainly been hacking in and adding interesting speculation & fussiness. I think alot is going to come to light this fall. When Mr. Gyllenhaal gets back into the States, we'll hopefully see some signs of where this is all headed. And it may not be what we like. No one knows. But this period of time made me recall something that happened to me several years ago.
Several years ago, my company had a union strike and it was a terrible experience. Our plant had never had one and I was even sent out onto the production floor for a short period of time. Thankfully, I was rescued from that & sent to a sister plant up North where I spent 3 months helping out up there (I about kissed my temporary desk up there, I was so relieved). I knew nobody up there and was only able to go home every so often for a weekend. I left my co-workers, family,, church family, & friends during a very stressful time. Anyway, what happened was I ended up making a whole new group of friends at this plant, I found a neat church up there, a new place to go walking, a nice concierage guy at the place I stayed at, but I also spent alot of time alone in my room, reading & thinking. I did get very lonely sometimes, but it ended up being a great spiritual, personal experience.
It has reminded me of Mr G in Morrocco. Now he's not even in the States, he is across the ocean and in a country where the food is all different, the language is rarely English, etc etc. And not that there's not alot of beauty to see & things to do there, people to meet. I would hope so. But after a couple of weeks, there's going to be some rough patches of isolation. And there's nothing like isolation to take you inside yourself & have alot of time to think. I hope he thinks alot. I hope he looks back on the past year and replays everything in his mind. Did he like how it went? Was he happy or was he at least true to himself, because none of us can be happy all the time. And if he can say yes, then so be it. That was the real Jake this past year. If not, then what can be done to turn it around? What can be done for inner peace? Because when I look at old pictures & old videos of him, I wasn't seeing that person this year. And it would take great courage and inner strength to try and turn it around. And when we can take a bad experience and turn it into a blessing, that is an awesome thing.
Sorry for the long post & hope it makes sense for what I'm trying to say.
Shoot, I didn't save my blogger photo change. Here we go.
"I know I don't look like everybody else on television, "I'm not that pretty. Women on television are over-the-top, beauty-pageant gorgeous. That's not the grounds on which I am competing.
Has she seen Mika Brzezinski or Andrea Mitchell lately? Rachel is head and shoulders prettier than either of them!
Andrea is downright scarey--way too much botox or surgery.
Interesting thought PG about Jake having time to think in Morocco, assuming he isn't too exhausted. And you're right about the non-TBers, they always seem to get nervous if they don't get Reeke pictures every other day.
Good Spotlight today. I had never heard of her so I went to her website and looked at one of her videos. She has a nice voice and she's definately is not hard to look. I don't get what the big deal is here. She would look just fine in a nice pantsuit. I hope she doesn't let "them" turn her into something that she's not.
"And you're right about the non-TBers, they always seem to get nervous if they don't get Reeke pictures every other day"
Believe it or not - there are non-TBers who are also not so much interested in "Reeke"....
I prefer Jake the actor in the news over "Jake the boyfriend" every day. And I miss Jake with Chris, with Austin and with his family.....
Great Spotlight on Rachel Maddow.
I think she's hot! I hope she doesn't let them change her.
Reese's Pieces shopping (what else?!) in Beverly Hills yesterday
What I find interesting is that MSNBC has used her as political consultant and fill in anchor for Olberman for a few years and never had a problem with her look. It isn't until she has her own show that rumors come out of about possibility change her image.
Yeah, PG, the house in the picture is their house. From the link about Rachel & Susan. "Maddow walked into her life after Mikula told mutual friends she needed a "yard boy" to help her manage the demands of a creaky old structure that had stood empty for almost a year as well as the 2 acres of vegetation that were threatening to take over."
Prairie Girl, I hope you are right and Jake uses this time for introspection. Despite being a wordly traveler, I think he has led a pretty sheltered life. He said that the time filming BBM was the first time he was ever really alone. It's great to have friends and family as a support system, but those who had to struggle often emerge self reliant and strong.
Mikula told mutual friends she needed a "yard boy" to help her manage the demands of a creaky old structure
Huh, that's kind of funny. How ironic. And she got a great, what must be a kindred spirit in the process. That's a pretty romantic story. I love how things like that happen in life. What at first seems like a run-of-the-mill occurrance or by-chance meeting becomes a big, knock ya down rush of wind in one's life. Sigh.
And what fun to save an old house. The old houses have some of the prettiest woodwork, nooks & crannies, and uniqueness that new ones just don't.
me said:
Despite being a wordly traveler, I think he has led a pretty sheltered life. He said that the time filming BBM was the first time he was ever really alone. It's great to have friends and family as a support system, but those who had to struggle often emerge self reliant and strong.
Not in the sense of experiencing things because heaven knows, how could one not help but be exposed to just about anything & everything in Hollywood. If what you refer to, m, is hardship then I agree with your assessment. The kind of hardship that helps you realize who you are, what is important to you, what do you really believe in, and what is it you'd like to be given the chance to accomplish while you're here on this earth. And not that there's anything wrong with having led a sheltered life, not at all. And he is only 27, soon to be 28. But while in Morrocco, he's being given the opportunity to think about how this past year's gone. I just hope the time helps. Or maybe I'm living in an ideal, dream world.
"He said that the time filming BBM was the first time he was ever really alone."
That can be really tough on an extrovert because they recharge from the people around them.
Have friends that can't handle being by themselves or living alone. And others who need to be alone to recharge and center.
Introspection is tough, because holding that mirror up to yourself you see things you don't always want to see when you take a good hard look at yourself.
Introspection is tough, because holding that mirror up to yourself you see things you don't always want to see when you take a good hard look at yourself.
Speaking from personal experience.
Jake once used the word "ostracization" when describing what was, actually, "isolation", which made me feel he was pretty embedded in family and community and accountable to these, that is, fear of being cut-off if he didnt observe these cultures.
For those of us who have enjoyed his bad-boy poses, it's been a surprised to realize he seems to be fairly sheltered, conventional and perhaps more conservative than his "politically radical" parents.
Repeat of 60 minutes interview with Alec Baldwin, and some of his comments struck me.
SAFER: Alec Baldwin's star rose in the '80s with memorable turns in "Married to the Mob" and "Working Girl." And by 1990, true megastardom seemed ensured when he starred as Jack Ryan, the hero of "The Hunt For Red October," the first in a series of Tom Clancy thrillers. But when he was offered the next Jack Ryan role in "Patriot Games," he said no, and instead chose Broadway and "Streetcar Named Desire." Hollywood was not amused.
BALDWIN: They kind of look at you like, you know, 'We don't ask just anybody to do this.' You know? And when you don't do it, they are appalled. They think you're just -- you're a moron. And they went and got somebody else to do the movie.
....
BALDWIN: Whenever I see a film of mine when I was young, I see someone who was far more vulnerable than I am now. Audiences want that. Johnny Depp seems like someone that needs to be taken care of, you know? Women want to reach out and they want to braid his hair or something. And when you convey to audiences a sense that you don't need to be taken care of, there's a whole other set of parts you're going to play.
SAFER: You also become a better actor or a more interesting actor?
BALDWIN: You have a shorter schedule on the film, that's for sure. I mean, you're in and out of there in four weeks.
Best part of the VMA's is reading Michael K's live blogging of it.
Introspection is tough, because holding that mirror up to yourself you see things you don't always want to see when you take a good hard look at yourself.
ITA, of course it is. And I'm 1st to hold my hand up on that one. Will beat myself over the head re-living something I've said or done over & over; part of some of my obssessive behavior. Helps though to face up to what I've done or said. How humbling that exposure of self-ugliness can be. On the other hand, you can't hold that mirror up too much. We're not supposed to beat ourselves or others up too much. Only human. And there's alot of good inside everyone.
I don't know why I'm bein' so heavy today; sorry, everyone! Comes from dogsitting like I've been; being in a "mini" isolation, LOL!!
Don't know if anyone has seen this:
The Movie Fanatic Controversial: Gay roles for "real men"-Who's afraid of playing gay?
I sincerely hope that Jake does
what makes him personally happy!
Whatever that is, I wish him the
very best in his life! I am also
glad that Austin has gotten a new
job on OTH. Because I have no access to the CW network, please
keep me informed how Austin is
doing!
I just have to say what great
articles you come up on OMG!
I just think that people would
be so much happier with themselves
if they could just be honest in
their lives! How sad that they have to hide who they are inside
for the sake of their careers!
Ted has really been something
lately! I will bet the next article will be something too.
Have a good week everyone! I
have to finish getting ready for
work so I will catch you later on
in the week! I will bet that there
will be photos of Austin with Sophia Bush at times now!
What a great Out Spotlight once again. Each week someone new or something new to consider, and when it comes to introspection as Special and PG have mentioned it only makes you think what changes in your attitude and approach can have in your own life and others.
Hope everyone had a good weekend, I'm just heading back to work. Thanks again Wicked and Special.
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