Welcome to the February 26, 2015 edition of Outrage Watch, HitFix's daily rundown of all the things folks are peeved about in entertainment. Today's top story: Madonna's ageist critics get what's coming to them.
After video of the Material Girl falling at the BRIT Awards began circulating online, trolls and malcontents across the web decided to (once again!) make Madonna's 1992 predictions come true by cracking wise about her age:
Madonna doesn't understand that she's like 79978987 thousand years old
– – (@JoeyXcv) February 25, 2015
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The old girl should've had her Med-Alert bracelet. She's fallen & can't get up! #Madonna https://t.co/nnGFpZLbOa
– John Bishop (@JohnBishop71) February 26, 2015
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Madonna falls, almost breaks old hip trying to act young.
– The Fake CNN (@TheFakeCNN) February 26, 2015
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“The View” moderator Whoopi Goldberg, for one, wasn't having it. After referring to the commenters collectively as “boneheads,” the comedian and actress concluded by saying: “Unless you can do what Madonna can do — shut up!”
Guardian writer Bidisha was even more damning of the ageist mob: “Madonna”s longevity was first admired and is now actively sabotaged by editorials which never fail to mention her age, as though it is something to be ashamed of. I am shocked by the uninflected scorn, the derision and foul-mouthed trashing she is dealt, and how much of it is grossly visceral: hatred of her flesh, physicality, sexual confidence, athleticism, ambition, her preference for Latin spunkbots, her alternating bossiness and vulnerability and romanticism and eroticism and playfulness, her performance ability and hunger. All the things which were once admired about her are now used to bash her and make her appear laughable or monstrous or desperate.”
[h/t The Wrap, The Guardian]
Want more? There's plenty of indignation to go around. See below for a full roundup of today's kerfuffles.
Outraged: Fox News
Target: “Far left advocates” Mother Jones and Media Matters
Why: The cable “news” network has come out in support of O'Reilly in the wake of allegations that the right-wing host embellished or outright fabricated his experiences in “war zones” over the years, stating: “This is nothing more than an orchestrated campaign by far left advocates Mother Jones and Media Matters. Responding to the unproven accusation du jour has become an exercise in futility. Fox News maintains its staunch support of O”Reilly, who is no stranger to calculated onslaughts.” Nor is he a stranger to threatening reporters.
[Deadline]
Outraged: Jon Stewart
Target: The right-wing media
Why: The “Daily Show” host is calling b.s. on conservative pundits' claims that Hollywood hates “American Sniper” because it didn't win in any of the major categories at Sunday's Oscars: “Clint Eastwood's been a conservative icon for years. “The Oscars already awarded with Best Director and Best Picture during that time,” railed Stewart on last night's episode. “The left wing-loons in Hollywood made the fucking movie in the first place, and nominated it for Best Picture!” The whole rant is pretty great — stay tuned for the insane Rush Limbaugh clip montage.
Outraged: Georgia state representative Dar'shun Kendrick
Target: Stacey Dash
Why: “I”m going to slap Stacey Dash if I see her…..that wasn”t nice. Forgive me God. I”m going to pray she stops talking..ok. that”s better,” wrote Kendrick on Facebook Wednesday, in reference to the “Clueless” star's slam of Patricia Arquette. Kendrick quickly deleted the post, clearly not understanding that the internet doesn't work like that. “WOW #GA State Rep @DarshunKendrick wants to ‘slap me” until I ‘stop talking.” Such a role model for young black women,” tweeted Dash, along with a screenshot of Kendrick's post. Way harsh, Dar'shun.
[Atlanta Journal Constitution]
Outraged: Dean Cain
Target: U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice
Why: Remember Dean Cain, arguably our most forgettable Superman? He's on Twitter! And he's a conservative! Here he is slamming Rice over her recent assertion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu”s upcoming speech to a joint session of Congress is “destructive of the fabric of the” relationship between the U.S. and Israel (due to the danger of it appearing as though the U.S. government is backing him in the upcoming Israeli election):
Ever since she blatantly lied to the American public…I can't listen to her speak without a sense of distrust. https://t.co/oV73EyDOVK
– Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) February 26, 2015
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Cain is referring, of course, to charges that Rice made “misleading” statements about the 2012 Benghazi attack, which ultimately caused the diplomat to withdraw her name from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Cain, meanwhile, can currently be seen in whatever the hell this movie is:
[Twitchy]