Bill Maher Boots 9/11 Truth Nuts Out of Live Broadcast

[sandgk]

This is absolutely fucking classic stuff. I'm deliberately NOT posting this in Politics because seriously, the incident described is pure high comedy.

Some 9/11 Conspiracy Nut Jobs managed to get into Bill Maher's live airing of Real Time on HBO.

Here is the AP article on the incident -

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Bill Maher can add "security guard" to his job description alongside comedian and political commentator.
Maher on Friday night helped security remove a rowdy protester from the studio during his weekly HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher," and it was all captured on live television.
Maher was talking science during one of his weekly panel discussions when a protester in his audience stood up, held up a smuggled-in sign reading "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and shouted comments to the same effect.
The host tried to shout down the audience member, who only became more agitated.
"Do we have some (expletive) security in this building," Maher yelled, "or do I have to come down there and kick his (expletive)?"
When security reached the man's aisle and the man resisted leaving, Maher ran into the seats and helped them push him out the door, shouting "Out! Out! Out!"
Several other protesters, sprinkled throughout the audience, then stood up and shouted.
"This isn't the Iowa Caucus, OK, we're not here to debate," Maher shouted with most of his audience cheering him on. "This is the problem with live television."
The incident was shown live on the East Coast, and the network appeared to show the entire affair unedited for the taped-delayed West Coast version.
After the instigators were ejected, Maher told his panelists ? MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson ? that they often linger outside his studio to share 9/11 conspiracy theories with him and try to get into the show.
"It's the only time I defend Bush," he said.
"I'm thinking about firing my audience department," he added.

But you know what, words alone don't do justice to this piece of live theatre - only YouTube will suffice.

It starts about a minute into this video.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhtqI1U4BP8"]YouTube - 112th Episode, Real Time with Bill Maher, 3 of 6[/ame]
Last - here is the LAist blog on the incident, which provides more background on why, perhaps Bill was so pissed off. The writer is a frequent attendee in the audience.

I've spent a handful of Friday evenings in the Real Time with Bill Maher studio audience and it's a blast. But last night at Studio 33 on the CBS lot (of Price is Right and Carol Burnett fame) was a really weird one. Halfway through the show, four audience members seated individually in middle seats of different sections, challenged Maher to address 9/11 consipiracy theories, namely: "What happened to Building 7?"
...
n the minutes preceding Real Time, the audience is instructed to laugh and clap at will, but not to boo or "help" the panelists. Shout-outs and heckling are unheard of at Real Time -- nobody wants to get Maher in trouble as he did on "9/17 (as exec. producer Billy Martin calls it)," when he agreed with wingnut columnist Dinesh D'Souza's statement that the 9/11 terrorists weren't cowards and then went too far, leading to the eventual cancellation of Politically Incorrect. So it came as a surprise when the first heckler, a man of middle to AARP age, jumped out of his seat stage-right, unfolded some sign and started shouting at Maher. But when a redheaded woman in the center section chimed in "who's got a camera? Don't tase him!" and someone (maybe heckler-man) shouted, "Don't tase me bro!" as Maher rushed towards him (since the security guards were too slow) it seemed this could have been a stunt designed by Maher if not a joke staged by his producers. I was just hoping Chris Matthews would cut his cackling.
After the third and fourth hecklers were removed (more aggressively), it became apparent that this coordinated disturbance was most likely plotted by this group of 9/11 Truthers. When all settled down, Maher took a breath: "You see, in that instance, [referring to people who claim the WTC was brought down by a controlled explosion] I?m actually defending President Bush. I don?t think President Bush actually brought down the World Trade Center."

 

[jlb1705]

I subscribe to the audio podcast of the show. They usually do the full broadcast plus outtakes. I hope this makes it in.

 

[sandgk]

I subscribe to the audio podcast of the show. They usually do the full broadcast plus outtakes. I hope this makes it in.

I think this entire show made it's way onto Youtube in 6 pieces.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Thats some hardcore hillarious stuff Sandgk, thanks.

 

[WyoBuck]

Y'know, I don't really care for the guy, but when you're right, you're right.

 

[DaytonBuck]

Maher does an amazing job of scoring hot black chics

 

[Mike80]

That's hilarious.

On a sidenote, has anyone seen or heard from lvbuckeye lately?

 

[Big Papa]

Yeah, I heard those morons are always there at his shows trying to get him to listen to their bullshit theories. Glad to see he handled them appropriately.

 

[scooter1369]

That's hilarious.

On a sidenote, has anyone seen or heard from lvbuckeye lately?

He was the first person I thought of when I saw the thread title. So I purposefully dodged it for a day as to not look like I'm stalkin him.

I'm disappointed he hasn't chimed in, in a while.