Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez surprised the assembled press last night by showing up unannounced to a special screening of Oliver Stone’s new documentary, South of the Border, at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. He stood by Stone’s side while the director was asked (as he was at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month) to defend his new documentary, which portrays Chavez in nothing but the most superflattering light. (Watch our video above for the director’s response.) Stone, of course, is no stranger to being criticized for his not-strictly-accurate characterizations of historical figures in feature films; think JFK, The Doors and Nixon. Read more »

Hot, toned guys in a perfectly blue pool on Fire Island: proof that we gays can make even fund-raising look sexy. Members of Offsprung, a program of the Empire State Pride Agenda, gathered at the Pines this weekend to encourage folk to donate to the cause of marriage equality, and provide much-needed funding for the group’s work of LGBT civil rights and advocacy within our state. ESPA hosted a cocktail-laced pool party at a fund-raiser’s home (musician Justin Utley even whipped out his guitar and sang an activist ditty), which was followed by a tea dance at the Blue Whale. Read more »

How the times have changed. Karl Rove, once the ringmaster of the Republican Permanent Majority Circus, is now reduced to inconsequential jester. Just picture that unholy clown car for a second, would you? Rove, Cheney, Rummy and Satan all jammed into a tiny automobile that wouldn’t seat two leprechauns comfortably. Instant comedy classic. We spoke to Democratic strategist and Old School star James Carville about Lee Atwater’s protégé, and they will both be interviewed by Charlie Rose at Radio City Music Hall May 26. Some of our favorite Rove moments after the break.

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Christopher Buckley is a writer who resists the label of “humorist,” but is, all the same, funny as hell. The well-spoken and self-deprecating Reaganaut scion has written many books (including Little Green Men and Supreme Courtship), and made waves in the 2008 election when he publicly supported then-Senator Obama and incurred the wrath of rabid right-wing “kooks” everywhere. Last night he was a bit (and just a bit) more somber than usual when he sat down with Tina Brown of The Daily Beast to talk about his latest book, Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir of dealing with the recent passing of his famous parents.

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Comedian Andy Borowitz, fearless editor of the online fake news provider, Borowitz Report, is appearing this Thursday at the 92nd Street Y to discuss President Obama’s first 100 days with Hendrick Hertzberg (who has this amazing piece in “Talk of the Town” this week) and Jonathan Alter. We recently spoke with Borowitz about our beloved socialist Antichrist’s first months at the helm.

What’s significant about the President’s first 100 days?
Well, you know, I was noticing that the cable news networks have been all over Obama’s first 100 days. Like, I was watching CNN the other day, and they’ve actually branded it. It says, “Obama’s First 100 Days: Brought to you by Taco Bell.” I didn’t realize that there were naming rights to be given away for your first 100 days. If FDR had only known. Maybe the whole Bay of Pigs invasion would’ve been fine if we had said, “Brought to you by Xbox 360.”

Video-game tie-ins!
What I loved about it was that they’re basically turning his first 100 days into a TV series. One that only lasts 100 days. I thought that if they’re going to be that glib and dumb about it, I can certainly live up to that quality. I’m comfortable with my role as a commentator, if that’s all that’s being required.

Glibness is the only currency that matters anymore.
Exactly. My philosophy in doing my website and stuff is that the most important thing is to be first rather than right. It’s the opposite of what they teach you about journalism. Just strike first. We’re giving no time for reflection.

Read on for pirates!

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A few minutes ago we spoke to blog overlord Arianna Huffington about politics and stuff, and she seemed quite happy that we’re done with the Kennedy and Blago sideshows. Now we can tangle with “serious” issues, just like our fearless, somber, awesome new leader commanded us to.

The Kennedy name doesn’t seem to carry as much weight as it used to.
Well, first of all, I’m very relieved that it’s over. Because I think that the media tend to love soap operas, and we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on the Blagojevich soap opera, and the New York Senate seat soap opera. The senate seat is now resolved, and I hope Blagojevich will soon be impeached and out of the way. These are incredibly serious times that we’re living through, and I would love for that energy to go into looking what is happening with the bailout and how we are allowing it to proceed with so little accountability.

Some other Huffington commentary after the break.

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Sure, he's ready to lead, but chanting can't hurt.

Bummed that you can’t make it to D.C. for the inauguration? Yeah, us too. Luckily, there are a bajillion ways to celebrate President-elect Obama’s swearing-in right here in NYC, none of which involve freezing your ass off on the National Mall and fighting for a Porta Potti. Score one for staying in the city!

Here’s another way to welcome in the Obama administration: Beginning at 8am on Tuesday morning, Lululemon and the Pond at Bryant Park will lead a mission to send good vibes to the new Prez…by chanting. Participants are asked to gather in the park before 8am, and on the hour, the assembled parties will chant “om” as loudly as possible (the word is often used at the beginning and end of yoga classes, and can take on multiple meanings, including a representation of “the divine presence”). Okay, so it’s a little hippie-dippy, but Obama can probably use all the help he can get. Namaste, Mr. President-elect.

If trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat isn’t serious enough, our sister publication, Time Out Chicago, is reporting that Blago also discovered an alarming new virus.

Thousands of homo-friendly New Yorkers gathered at City Hall on Saturday to protest the passing of California’s preposterous Proposition 8, which amended its state constitution to restrict the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. This nullified a Californian Supreme Court decision earlier this year, stating that same-sex marriage was a fundamental right. Antigay motions enacted elsewhere were also the subject of New York’s ire: Arkansas banned nonmarried couples from adopting (effectively targeting the gays, as well as straight living-in-sinners and singletons) and Florida also amended its constitution to ban gay marriage.

Once the rain stopped in New York and the sun came out to shine on God’s queer children, homemade signs were raised aloft. One read, "I’m so gay for marriage,” another announced, "No more Mr. Nice Gay.” Yet another showed pictures of Barbie marrying Barbie, and Ken saying "I do" with another dapper Ken. Every time a double-decker bus of sodden tourists passed by, the gays flapped their signs and waved (this reporter noticed only one tourist waving back). Read more »

It’s official: Change is coming… um, slowly. President-elect Obama’s (we just can’t say it enough, either!) new website, Change.gov, is up and running—albeit suffering from some first-week loading-time glitches. In keeping with his campaign promise of transparency and to use the Internet to grant more accessibility to the American people, President-elect Obama’s latest online endeavor will cover the transition process to his (that would be President-elect Obama’s) new administration. Don’t expect all fancy quotes and photo ops (although, we’re hoping for regular updates on the new puppy); its aim is to be a one-stop shop for all you average joes out there "doin’ your own research” on policy. In true President-elect Obama fashion, there are plenty of interactive features for you, the great people of the United States of America, to tell your story and offer your suggestions. And for those who really want to play a part in history—or just happen to be one of the millions who have recently found themselves unemployed—there’s even an “Apply Now” button for President-elect Obama’s administration. (Yeah, we’re considering it, too!)— Django & J.P. Siggins

Our sister publication in Chicago was there for all the action last night. Live vicariously here.

On the eve of the biggest presidential election since the ushering in of the Harding era in 1920, Obama supporters in New York were taking nothing for granted. If anything, the encouraging poll numbers for their candidate have fostered visions of an 11th-hour GOP "miracle" victory for John McCain, and that nightmare scenario has pushed more and more people to canvass battleground states by cell phone until the last vote is cast. Ironically, the biggest problem for Blake Zeff, director of communications for Barack Obama in New York, is that the phone bank can’t get new lists of prospective Obama voters quickly enough from headquarters in Chicago to furnish the overflowing rooms of volunteers with people to call. So many volunteers were there at Broadway and Exchange Place last night, in fact, that rooms normally reserved for adminstrative duties were being quickly converted into extra space for the line of willing telemarketers. There is an undeniable electricity in the air, and voter apathy seems to be, temporarily at least, a thing of the past. Phone calls to conflicted places like Ohio and Pennsylvania will continue through tonight. Four Election Day phone banks after the jump. Read more »

My day starts on a great high.

I spent the morning with the “Fab Old Babes for Obama,” prepping arrivals for the pass through the metal detectors. "You’re going to have a great day; you’re going to see the next great American President,” I tell them. “Sign up for a four-hour get-out-the-vote shift before you leave. It’ll really piss Sarah Palin off!” It may have been a bit off-message from the No-Drama Obama campaign, but it got a great response. After the speech began, I noticed two kids—maybe between five and eight—in the crowd, getting a view of nothing but the adult backsides in front of them. I made it my next duty of the day to alternate sitting both of them on my shoulders so they could glimpse history in the making.

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Why waste your time getting cavities and turning blue-collar occupations into "sexy" getups on Halloween? Instead, show everyone that your blood runs blue (that’s Democratic, not aristocratic) by carving your Obama pride into a pumpkin. Just go to Yes We Carve, a site that provides downloadable Obama-themed stencils so you can create your very own Barack-o’-lantern. Choose from the Obama campaign logo, Barack’s profile and well-known campaign slogans—all are surely more inspiring than square-toothed grins and broom-riding witches. Progress, right? McCain/Palin supporters be forewarned: Yes We Carve has a strict "No Attack O’Lantern" policy.—Amanda Waas

New York is squarely in the tank for Obama, as it has been for nearly every Democrat who has sought the White House in our lifetime. The Democratic candidates will swing by to rub elbows with the well-heeled at fund-raisers and withdraw some money from the NYC ATM, but rarely do they actually spend the time or money to ask for our votes. The presidential election, for all intents and purposes, has already happened in our ‘hood.

But I remember that sense of malaise turning into regret when George Bush recaptured the White House in 2004. So this year, I’ve decided voting is not enough. So far, I’ve given an unprecedented amount of money to Obama’s campaign and MoveOn.org; I’ve boarded a bus and knocked on doors in Pennsylvania; and today I leave the Northeast altogether and head to Sarasota, Florida. This historic battleground state (dare we even think about the year 2000?) seemed like a hopeless cause six weeks ago. Now, reports state that Obama has a slight lead. But I can hardly take comfort in that, so tomorrow I’ll be at the Ed Smith Stadium, then on to help push the Sunshine State into the blue column. Where will you be?

Stay tuned for more reports from the trail…

Photo: Creative Commons

After the whole hide-your-head-in-the-sand tactic demonstrated during the 2004 election, the TImes‘  editorial board has opted for a ballsier move today with an impassioned endorsement for Barack Obama for President of the United States. What d’ya think?

The Times reports that the NY City Council has passed Michael Bloomberg’s proposed bill extending city term limits. But nobody panic. We’re pretty sure that this just means he gets to "seek" a third term. Until the city passes a law obliterating the democratic process, we all still have the right to vote in the next mayoral election.

As you might know, if you google "Palin Biden ‘drinking game,’" you’ll get 18,300 results. To save you from scrolling through a sea of half-witted comments and emoticons in order to come up with a contrived way to get drunk with your friends and yell at the TV tonight, here’s an amalagam of the best drinking-game rules we found on the Internets, plus a few of our own sprinkled in. We’ll leave the kind of booze you use up to the friends and barkeeps who have to clean up after you. If you want something a little more official, there are debate bingo cards here and here that you can download and take with you to the party at Monkey Town.

For Palin, everyone drinks:

When someone in your party blurts out "WTF is she talking about?"

When she leaves the g off progressive verbs or gerunds, e.g., "takin’," "leavin’," "changin’"

When she refers to Joe Biden as "Joe" or "Joey."

Every time she says "mustn’t," "maverick," "hockey mom," "Putin’s head," "pitbull," "lipstick," "thanks but no thanks" or "I’ll have to get back to you on that."

Everyone chugs whatever they have in their hand if Palin:

Wears her hair over her ears, brings up any of her offspring or vomits.

For Biden, everyone drinks:

When he chuckles while Palin is talking.

When he mentions taking the train.

When he refers to Senator McCain as "John."

Every time he says, "Scranton" "Wall Street," "main street," "malarkey" or "Geraldine Ferraro," or refers to himself in the third person, or anyone else as his "good friend."

Everyone chugs whatever they have in their hand if Biden:

Pats Sarah Palin on head at the beginning or end of the debate, or compliments moderator Gwen Ifill on her outfit.

SEE RELATED: Last-minute Debate Strategies for Sarah Palin

Because the coverage of the Republican National Convention has left us all in need of a good laugh:

Thank you, Sara Benincasa and Diana Saez, for the chuckles.

It’s all about the spin, right? If you want Obama to win, you thought his speech tonight was better than that one dude’s speech 45 years ago tonight at some march. If you’re a McCain backer, Obama’s nomination acceptance was self-centered, forced and overtly political.

It’s impossible for me to divest myself completely from the former camp, but I’d place myself between the two poles: This was the best speech I’ve ever seen in person.

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