[psmith2.0]

Or, put a little nicer, Sharon Osbourne goes off on U2 for daring to release a free album, or something.

"The Talk" co-host and wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne went on a Twitter rant about the group's recent free release of its new album on iTunes. "U2 you are business moguls not musicians anymore," she tweeted. "No wonder you have to give your mediocre music away for free cause no one wants to buy it."

Says the woman who paraded her dysfunctional family - drug-addled, low-functioning husband and twerpy, spastic brood with no trace of charm or talent - on TV for several years. All for free (and strictly to promote good music), I assume? There's no way that was any sort of a business/money-oriented decision. It was all about The Music, dammit!

Speaking of "bats", how is her husband doing in his latest musical endeavors? Does he even have any? Does he even know what a microphone is, at this point?

Osbourne is clearly not a fan and shared her irritation [over U2's free iTunes release] with her Twitter followers. "Guys nothing is for free, how much you making," she tweeted. "PS, btw you are just a bunch of middle age political groupies...."

She may have a point, but I suppose that's preferable to being advanced-aged, semi-coherent freak shows.

She went on to say "Whose political a** are we going to pull you out of today? Or are you front row at another tragic fashion show?" and finished her tirade with "Jimmy Iovine, iTunes, U2, you're a bunch of megalomaniacs. F**K YOU!"

Ooh, topical! Taking it to The Man, old school. Nothing like one set of millionaires giving the business to another set. "We only pull the silver out for birthdays and anniversaries. The Edge uses his as a paint-scraper!"

Apparently Ozzy's on the corner, busking for change these days, so acts like U2 and Iggy Azalea just really get under Ms. Osbourne's skin because they don't understand how tough up-and-coming artists have it. I think that's kinda her point? I don't really know. I'm not entirely convinced she knows. Sounds like she had a couple of stiff drinks, found her iPhone and randomly pushed some buttons.

In any case, Bono will surely forgive her transgressions. Or he'll take her out with a well-placed lightning bolt. Either way.

If famous(?) people didn't have Twitter to remind us how outraged they are on any given topic on any given day, we'd probably have no idea. It's almost like a public service or something!

[Mugge]

But is that U2 album any good?

My iTunes hasn't auto downloaded it and I'm not that much into U2. In fact I'd probably peg Bono and Sharon as equally obnoxious, in each their own way. However, my sisters boyfriend doesn't like Apple, but loooves U2, so I was thinking playing it for him just to tease him a little.

[psmith2.0]

No idea. The reviews are quite varied. It could be the second coming of "Abbey Road", but she doesn't care...she's got bigger, more important points to make!

[addabox]

Good stuff, Paul.

Seems like the Twitter/social network model is attack big, so your name gets linked to a publicity train that's already up and running. But seriously, it does sound like she got into the hooch and decided to unload. If you read everything in that bar floozy voice-- you know, the Cops perp white trash tirade from the lawn by the woman with the meth face? "YOU GOT NO RIGHT FUCK YOU FUCK ALL Y'ALL MOTHERFUCKERS I GOT MY RIGHT" it sounds about right.

[psmith2.0]

I don't know how the lady keeps landing TV gigs, again and again. She has no discernible talent or gifts, related to the medium. I mean, that doesn't seem to factor in much these days, I realize. But still...she's a bit extra useless, compared to someone who can cook, read a teleprompter or ink a tattoo.

Or pan for gold, run a pawn shop, build motorcycles, design a dress, eat weird stuff, sell real estate, cut hair, redecorate a room, do a landscaping project, sing, bake a cake, dance, operate a towing service, get pregnant at 16, discuss politics, sell jewelry, explain the weather, analyze sports, find their soulmate after banging 16 others in three weeks, berate criminals...

You get my point.

It's pretty bad when you can make screech owl Nancy Grace come across like Walter Cronkite.

[murbot]

Ever since she laughed and made fun of the guy who's wife cut his penis off and put it in the garbage disposal a few years ago, I've been secretly waiting and praying I'll hear of her painful death on the news. This woman should be fed to a fucking lion (after having her

clitoris twisted off with a pair of pliers, and her vagina filled with cement,

of course).

[psmith2.0]

I don't feel that strongly about her, but she's truly in that Rosie O'Donnell/Nancy Grace/Piers Morgan group of people whose appeal (or ability to land TV work) I'll just never understand. I change the channel immediately if I see them.

"How did someone with your horrible personality and questionable talent get this job? Again?!?" Blows my mind, what passes for on-air talent. Of all the smart, funny, pleasant, charming and interesting people out there, it comes down to people like the above.

[murbot]

Ugh, just the way she laughs the whole time this guy's injury is described, then says "I don't know the circumstances or why she did this, but I just think it's FABULOUS!! Imagine that thing just spinning around in the disposal!! HAHAHA!!"

Can you imagine what would happen if a man said that about a women who had something cut off of her anatomy and laughed about it on air? Jesus I hate that woman. I hope she gets an infection in her little toe that spreads one inch per day, burns like acid, and can't be cured.

[Matsu]

The world went nuts when Don Imus referenced race and hair, imagine... And I'd make an argument that Imus should get more lattitude because it's clear he's doing something satirical, even if it's sometimes (often) in bad taste, but nothing there is just casually funny, it's pointed and angry, sometimes not funny at all. Comedy (of that type) in part exists to offend people's tastes, to make people squirm as much as laugh. But she's part of some kind of daytime talk, something far more casual. A closer parallel would be Regis coming on Rachel Ray and laughing his ass off at the mutilation and rape of a woman while they prepare burgers in the test kitchen. Double standard, for sure, and maybe I'm wrong, but I seem to have just accepted it, maybe because I'm a man an haven't been conditioned to feel oppressed or put upon by contradictory opinions.

I think men in general are less inclined to be specifically interested in gender issues, certainly those from my father's generation. You could argue they took all that for granted and wouldn't be completely wrong, but I'm a child of the 80's and I've never been that interested in thinking about my own position "as a man" in the world vis a vis gender and politics, and I think about that stuff a lot. Weird.