Garofalo Awards Announced at White House Press Dinner

NewsMax.com ^ | Saturday, April 26, 2003 | Carl Limbacher

[kristinn]

Comedienne-turned-antiwar activist Janeane Garofalo will be among those honored at a ceremony sponsored by the Washington, D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com outside tonight's annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner.

The first annual "Garofalo Awards" ceremony will spotlight celebrities who distinguished themselves in recent months with "histrionic predictions of gloom and doom before and/or during Operation Iraqi Freedom [and who] stand head and shoulders above all others for their shrillness, certainty and apocalyptic ravings," a FreeRepublic spokesman told NewsMax.

The award itself - a stuffed ready-to-eat crow on a silver platter - will be given to the top 10 celebrity activists, politicians, pundits and reporters based on votes of FreeRepublic members.

Winners include Garofalo herself, who was the top vote getter based on her bizarre pre-war observation, "We are doomed if we go into this war into the heart of the Arabian world with a U.S. led effort against world opinion. We are doomed if we do this."

CNN news executive Eason Jordan followed in second place, for his recent confession in a New York Times op-ed piece that he and his network covered-up firsthand accounts of Saddam Hussein's torture and execution of innocent civilians.

Other Garafalo Awards winners include:

* Fired NBC and National Geographic reporter Peter Arnett

* Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter

* Actor Tim Robbins

* Columnist Helen Thomas

* Former President Bill Clinton

Clinton is being honored with a Garofalo for his for remarks to a New York business group last week, where he accused the U.S. of trying to bully the world.

"Our paradigm now seems to be: something terrible happened to us on September 11, and that gives us the right to interpret all future events in a way that everyone else in the world must agree with us," Clinton told the Conference Board. "And if they don't, they can go straight to hell."

Each Garofalo Award recipient will also receive a bottle of red wine vinegar to help wash down the crow dinner.

[nicmarlo]

: ) thanks for the ping! !!!

[Slings and Arrows]

I'd've though that Nicholas "Million Mogadishus" DeGenova would have been a shoe-in. Still, he had very stiff competition.

[Fred Mertz]

I'm proud to say that I don't know who Garofalo is.

Great job tonight!

[floriduh voter]

Please ping me when it's going to be on in case I get on FR beforehand. I love seein' freepers on tv.

[Major_Risktaker]

A great quote from Janeane Garofalo: "Our country is founded on a sham: our forefathers were slave-owning rich white guys who wanted it their way. So when I see the American flag, I go, 'Oh my God, you're insulting me.' That you can have a gay parade on Christopher Street in New York, with naked men and women on a float cheering, 'We're here, we're queer!' -- that's what makes my heart swell. Not the flag, but a gay naked man or woman burning the flag. I get choked up with pride."

IF Garofalo statement was said in the 50's, what "ism" would have said it and why?

[floriduh voter]

FYI: The WH correspondents dinner thread is over 1,000. Lots of ground was covered imo. Good job, DC.

[blam]

Excellent.

[Angelwood]

The awards were awesome -- if you like crow! tgslTakoma did a great job creating the awards and she also took pictures which she will be posting tomorrow (probably). The winners were:

Janeane Garofalo (she got a gold platter and an extra helping of 5 crows)
Eason Jordan and CNN
Peter Arnett
Scott Ritter
Michael Moore and Bill Clinton (tied)
Nancy Pelosi
David Hackworth
Tim Robbins
Helen Thomas

There was actually a tie for tenth place with Helen Thomas and Chris Matthews. The judges decided to put Chris Matthews into the Dishonorable Mentions category along with all the other non-winners because he had, at least in one small public venue (speech), stated that he was wrong.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the nomination and voting process for the Free Republic Garofalo Awards.

[azGOPgal]

Sounds like you guys had fun. Great job with the selections for the Garafolo award. I hope this becomes a yearly award.

[azGOPgal]

Ping!

[kristinn]

Thank you. Pictures tomorrow. This was a bit different in that we got media attention for the first time in five years there. Also, we were moved across the street from our regular location by the police so we didn't have as much interaction with the attendees as usual :-(

[kristinn]

One reporter from NBC told Angelwood it might run on the Today show this Sunday morning, I think.

[freebilly]

Each Garofalo Award recipient will also receive a bottle of red wine vinegar to help wash down the crow dinner.

Red wine vinegar is perfect for Garofolo, the walking talking douche bag....

[kristinn]

We had a blast. The rain stopped as we were getting set up, so the crows didn't get soggy.

Sauropod dressed down as Helen Thomas. Doctor Raoul was merciless with his bullhorn. The signs were great and we only got a handful of single digit salutes compared to lots of positive reactions.

[gcruse]

The Today show doesn't come on on Sunday....Monday, perhaps...but who knows?

[kristinn]

Well, maybe Monday. It'll be funny if they do end up showing some of the footage they shot.

[nhoward14]

Yes it does... It is called "Weekend Today"

[Mo1]

The Today show doesn't come on on Sunday....Monday, perhaps...but who knows?

There use to be some kind of Weekend Today Show .. I remember David Bloom use to host it. I'm not sure if it's still around because I haven't watched that show is a while

[Mo1]

Sauropod dressed down as Helen Thomas. Doctor Raoul was merciless with his bullhorn. The signs were great and we only got a handful of single digit salutes compared to lots of positive reactions.

LOL .. thanks for the report .. I sure hope they do air y'all .. DC CHAPTER ROCKS!!

[gcruse]

TIVO shows no such program, and my local NBC affiliate has Meet the Press and such, but no Today-type show. If there is a Weekend Today, our affiliate isn't showing it (Amarillo).