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Al Franken

[Image:Al Franken at Rammstein Air Force Base, Dec 2000.JPEG|thumb|right|Al Franken entertaining at Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base

In mathematics [i], the convolution theorem states that under suitable ... 

, December 2000.]] Alan Stuart Franken is an American United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 comedian, actor Actor

An actor is a person who acts [i], or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... 

, author, screenwriter, political commentator and radio host, noted for his liberal politics. Franken first achieved national prominence on Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is a weekly late night 90-minute American [i] comedy [i]-variety show [i] ... 

as the writing and performing partner of Tom Davis. His more recent career accomplishments are politically oriented, authoring books such as Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations is a 1996 book by author and comedian Al Franken [i] ... 

and serving as host of the flagship program from the liberal Air America Radio Air America Radio

Air America Radio is a full-service radio network [i] and program syndication [i] serv ... 

 network.

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Quotations

We need to be pro-science; we have to go back to science.

Said at a Book Signing on December 4th, 2005 in Edina MN

When you encounter seemingly good advice that contradicts other seemingly good advice, ignore them both.

Oh, the Things I Know, 2002

The biases the media has are much bigger than conservative or liberal. They're about getting ratings, about making money, about doing stories that are easy to cover.

Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them, 2003\

       More Quotes >>


Encyclopedia


Alan Stuart Franken is an American United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 comedian, actor Actor

An actor is a person who acts [i], or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... 

, author, screenwriter, political commentator and radio host, noted for his liberal politics.

Franken first achieved national prominence on Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is a weekly late night 90-minute American [i] comedy [i]-variety show [i] ... 

as the writing and performing partner of Tom Davis. His more recent career accomplishments are politically oriented, authoring books such as Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations

Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations is a 1996 book by author and comedian Al Franken [i] ... 

and serving as host of the flagship program from the liberal Air America Radio Air America Radio

Air America Radio is a full-service radio network [i] and program syndication [i] serv ... 

 network. He is currently considering running for the United States Senate United States Senate

he United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States [i], the other b ... 

 as a Democrat Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties [i] in the United States [i] ... 

, representing Minnesota, and in 2005 he established Midwest Values PAC to lay the groundwork for that possible campaign.

Personal life


Franken was born in New York City New York City

[i] in the [[United States]... 

 into a Jewish Jew

Jews are followers of Judaism [i] or, more generally, members of the Jewish people , an ethno [i]... 

 family, and grew up in St. Louis Park St. Louis Park, Minnesota

St. Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota [i] and a suburb [i] immediately west of Minneapolis [i] ... 

, Minnesota Minnesota

Minnesota is a state [i] in the Midwestern [i] region of the United States [i]... 

, in suburban Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis.
  • Minnesota State Highway 65 [i] follows Central Avenue through Northeast Minneapolis, and ... 

    . He graduated in 1969 from The Blake School The Blake School

    The Blake School is a private, coeducational school serving students in grades PreKindergarten [i] ... 

    , where he was on the wrestling Amateur wrestling

    Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling [i].... 

     team. He attended Harvard University Harvard University

    "Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].

... 

 and graduated cum laude in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in government.

Franken met his wife, Franni, in his first year at college at a Harvard-Simmons mixer, and they have been together ever since. They have a daughter, Thomasin, and a son, Joe . Joe attends Princeton University Princeton University

Princeton University is a coeducation [i]al private university [i] located in Princeton, New Jersey [i]. ... 

 and Thomasin is a public school teacher in New York City, with a degree in sociology from Harvard University Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].
... 

. The Frankens reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis.
  • Minnesota State Highway 65 [i] follows Central Avenue through Northeast Minneapolis, and ... 

    .


Franken is also a Grateful Dead Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead were an American [i] psychedelia [i]-influenced rock [i] band form ... 

 fan, as evidenced by the use of their music as segues to commercials on his radio show.

Franken is a distant cousin of CNN CNN

The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network [i] founded in ... 

's Bob Franken. His older brother, Owen Franken, is a photojournalist Photojournalism

Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism [i] that creates images in order to tell a news story ... 

.

Career


Writer and performer

Franken's performing career began in high school, where he and longtime writing partner Tom Davis were known as class clowns. Franken honed his writing and performing skills at Minneapolis's Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop theater specializing in political satire. He and Davis soon found themselves in "a life of near-total failure on the fringes of show business in Los Angeles."

Franken and Davis were recruited as two of the original writers on Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is a weekly late night 90-minute American [i] comedy [i]-variety show [i] ... 

. Franken was awarded three Emmy Award Emmy Award

The Emmy Awards are United States [i] television [i] production awards, similar to the Peabody Award [i]... 

s and seven Emmy nominations for his television writing and production. He created characters such as self-help guru Stuart Smalley Stuart Smalley

Stuart Smalley is a fictional character that was invented and performed by actor, comedian, author, and ... 

 and schticks such as proclaiming the 1980s to be the "Al Franken Decade". Franken was associated with SNL for over 15 years and in 2002 interviewed former Vice President Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the second-highest executive official of the United States government [i] ... 

 Al Gore Al Gore

Albert Arnold Gore, Jr., is an American [i] politician [i], teacher [i], businessman [i], ... 

 while in character as Smalley. Franken and Davis wrote the script to the 1986 comedy film One More Saturday Night One More Saturday Night

One More Saturday Night is a 1986 [i] comedy film [i], written by Al Franken [i] and Tom Davis [i] ... 

and they both had roles as rock singers in a band called "Bad Mouth."

Franken's most notorious SNL sketch may have been "A Limo for the Lame-O", a commentary delivered by Franken near the end of the 1979–80 season. Franken mocked controversial NBC president Fred Silverman Fred Silverman

Fred Silverman is an American [i] television [i] executive and producer. ... 

 as "a total unequivocal failure" and displayed a chart showing the poor ratings of NBC programs. Al proclaimed that Silverman did not deserve a limo unlike Al, a comedian on a popular NBC program. According to associates of the show, Silverman's anger over the sketch helped prompt him to abandon negotiations with SNL creator Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels

Lorne Michaels is a Canadian-born [i] American television producer [i] and writer [i] ... 

 and seek a different producer for SNL's sixth season.


Besides having written five New York Times The New York Times

The New York Times is a newspaper [i] published in New York City [i] by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. [i] ... 

bestselling books, three of which reached #1 , Franken wrote the original screenplay and starred in the theatrical flop Stuart Saves His Family. He also co-wrote the hit film When A Man Loves A Woman. These movies are still used as an aid by various addiction programs. He co-created and starred in the NBC sitcom LateLine Lateline

Lateline is a late night current affairs television [i] program on ABC TV [i] ... 

, but low ratings led to its cancellation halfway through the second season, with only twelve of the nineteen episodes airing. He had a cameo as "Baggage Handler #2" in the Eddie Murphy Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is a comedian [i] and actor [i]. ... 

/Dan Aykroyd Dan Aykroyd

Daniel Edward Aykroyd CM [i] is an Academy Award [i]-nominated Canadian [i] ... 

 film Trading Places.

In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow with Harvard Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].
... 

's Kennedy School of Government John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government is a public policy school [i] and one of the graduate schools o ... 

 at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. He also became the first nationally syndicated radio talk show host to visit Iraq Iraq

The Republic of Iraq, is a Middle East [i]ern country [i] in southwestern Asia [i] encomp ... 

, where he headlined two USO United Service Organizations

The United Service Organizations is a volunteer organization that provides morale and recreational servi... 

 shows. Franken has done five USO tours to date.

Since May 2005, Franken has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post is a political group weblog [i] founded by Arianna Huffington [i] and Kenneth Lerer [i] ... 

. Franken's most recent book, The Truth , was released on October 25, 2005. A film titled is scheduled for release in 2006

Radio Show


On January 13, 2004, it was announced that Franken would enter the radio Radio

Radio is the wireless transmission of signals [i], by modulation [i] of electromagnetic waves [i] ... 

 business. He signed a one-year contract to become a talk show host for Air America Radio Air America Radio

Air America Radio is a full-service radio network [i] and program syndication [i] serv ... 

's flagship program, The O'Franken Factor with co-host Katherine Lanpher Katherine Lanpher

Katherine Lanpher, born May 27 [i], 1959 [i], was until recently a talk radio [i] personality, and previ ... 

. The inaugural broadcast kicked off the network's launch at noon EST on March 31, 2004. Franken said that the he chose the "O'Franken" in the title was "to annoy and to bait" Bill O'Reilly  to sue him again, thus bringing publicity to Franken's show. O'Reilly never did, so on July 12, 2004, the program was renamed The Al Franken Show. Franken has said that one of his primary goals was to "get Bush George W. Bush

This page is monitored by many people and bots, and joke edits are removed quickly.
... 

 unelected", and that he might end the show if President Bush lost the 2004 election. He decided in 2005, after Bush's reelection, that he would do the show for at least two more years. In December 2005, the show moved from New York New York

New York is a state [i] in the northeastern [i] United States [i]. ... 

 to Minneapolis.

Franken has composed introductory theme songs for some of his regular guests. When introducing liberal think-tank director Christy Harvey, Franken sings the following song in a meandering lounge style over a piano track to the tune of "Misty":

Talk to me
Talk about the right wing's dishonesty
She is the Center for American Progress's
Director of Strategic Communications
She's my Christy, Christy Harvey is here.


When introducing Judd Legum , Franken co-opts the melody of the popular Beatles song "Hey Jude Hey Jude

"Hey Jude" is a rock [i] song recorded by The Beatles [i] at Trident Studios [i]. ... 

":

Hey Judd
Don't be a putz
You were born to
Be on our program today
The minute you give us the scoop
We'll know the poop
And make it better.


As discussed on his 21 July 2006 radio program, Franken applies what he calls the "Tim Robbins Rule": He generally does not invite entertainment-industry celebrities to be guests on the show. The rule is named after actor Tim Robbins Tim Robbins

Timothy Francis Robbins is an American [i] Academy Award [i] winning actor [i]... 

 based on a request Robbins made to be on the show, which Franken turned down . Franken clarified the rule to say that celebrities could not come on the show to talk about politics, but could come on to perform or sing .

Amid rumors of a pending announcement of bankruptcy by Air America, Franken has expressed confidence that the network and his program will continue, though he has admitted that the network has fallen behind in his pay. Franken makes a reported $2 million a year hosting his radio program. The show, along with the network as a whole, has struggled in ratings battles against more established programs, although The Al Franken Show has consistently been Air America's highest rated show.

Controversies


Radio Show

Franken's time at Air America Radio has not been without some scandal and controversy. In September of 2005, The New York Sun New York Sun

The modern New York Sun is a daily newspaper [i] published in New York City [i]. ... 

reported that Al Franken was among the signers of a confidential agreement in November 2004 that said the Air America network would repay $875,000 it had borrowed from the , a Bronx nonprofit organization. The legality of the loan is under criminal investigation by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Although Al Franken was one of the signers of the November 2004 confidential agreement to repay the Gloria Wise loan, Franken maintains that he was not aware of the details regarding Gloria Wise in the agreement and simply signed it under the advice of legal counsel . On September 8 2005, The New York Sun quoted Air America CEO Danny Goldberg's defense of Al Franken: "Al Franken does not have and never had any responsibility for this loan." Piquant LLC, the parent company of Air America, has repaid the entire $875,000 into an escrow account.

In October 2005 his on-air partner Katherine Lanpher Katherine Lanpher

Katherine Lanpher, born May 27 [i], 1959 [i], was until recently a talk radio [i] personality, and previ ... 

 left the show to meet a book deadline. In November, Franken told an audience in Berkeley, California that he would not seek a replacement for Lanpher.

Conflict with Fox News Channel


In August 2003, Penguin Books Penguin Books

Penguin Books is a British [i] publisher [i] founded in 1935 by Allen Lane [i]. ... 

 published Franken's . Fox News Fox News Channel

The Fox News Channel is an American [i] cable [i] and satellite [i] ... 

 sued, claiming that Franken infringed its registered trademark Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or is a distinctive sign [i] of some kind which is ... 

 rights in the phrase, "Fair and Balanced." Fox was unsuccessful, with a federal judge finding the lawsuit to be "wholly without merit." The lawsuit focused a great deal of media attention upon Franken's book and is credited with enhancing its sales. Reflecting later on the lawsuit during an interview on the National Public Radio National Public Radio

National Public Radio is an independent, private, not-for-profit membership organization of public radi... 

 program Fresh Air Fresh Air

Fresh Air is a radio [i] show broadcast on National Public Radio [i] stations across the United States [i] ... 

on September 3, 2003, Franken said that Fox's case against him was "literally laughed out of court," and added that the judge's comment that the case was "wholly without merit" was a good characterization of Fox News itself.

Apology to Attorney General and conservative leaders

In June 2003, Franken wrote a satirical letter to then Attorney General John Ashcroft., in which he asked Ashcroft to be a role model for the youth of America by sharing "a moment when you were tempted to have sex, but were able to overcome your urges through willpower and strength of character." Franken proposed including the contribution in a book he claimed to be was writing called Savin' It!. Franken said he wanted administration officials who promoted premarital abstinence to provide examples of when they had actually abstained themselves, showing the youth that they "truly walked the walk — instead of just talking the talk — by not having sex until they are married." The letter stated that other conservative leaders had already submitted their testimonies. All of these figures either supported "abstinence from sex until marriage" promotional programs in school, or worked for people that did. The letter was written on letterhead from the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University Harvard University

"Harvard" redirects here. For other uses of the name Harvard, see Harvard [i].
... 

's Kennedy School of Government John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government is a public policy school [i] and one of the graduate schools o ... 

 where Franken was a fellow at the time.

In truth, Franken was not writing a serious book about abstinence nor did he receive testimony from any of the people he mentioned. Al Franken claimed that the letter was obviously satirical. Although Franken's fans believed there was a prankish spirit in the letter. , some conservative critics claimed there was no obvious satirical intent in his actions and charged the comedian with being a hypocrite who lied in order to make fun of the concept of abstinence-only sex education programs.

The following month Franken wrote a letter of apology to Ashcroft in which he told the truth about the subject matter of his book, the purpose of his abstinence letter to the Attorney General, and apologized for "any discomfort" caused to conservative leaders whom he claimed to have responded to the letter but in reality had not-- and that they would receive the letter of apology. Franken expressed his biggest regret over "sending the letter on Shorenstein Center stationery", writing, "I am very embarrassed to have put them in this awkward and difficult position, and I ask you not to hold this against the Center, the Kennedy School or Harvard in general." He then asked that Ashcroft take his "original letter with a measure of humor with which it was intended."

The Takedown

In the early stages of the 2004 presidential election, Franken was at a support rally at the Palace Theater in Manchester, New Hampshire for governor Howard Dean Howard Dean

Howard Brush Dean III is an American [i] politician [i] and ... 

 in his bid for the Democratic Party nomination. A supporter of perennial candidate Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon LaRouche

Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American [i] political activist [i] and founder of seve ... 

 attempted to shout down the governor, who was taking questions from the audience. Two members of Dean’s security team immediately moved toward the man, who shoved and elbowed them. According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, "... Franken emerged from the crowd and was elbowed in the face by the heckler, knocking the comedian's glasses off. Franken, a former highschool wrestler, used a takedown move to attempt to immobilize the man." The heckler then managed to scramble over a few people onto a balcony railing, screaming at Dean. He eventually left the premises after theater manager Peter Ramsey threatened to call police. Franken said his tackle had nothing to do with Dean specifically, but that he was upholding the right to free speech, and that he "would have done it if [the heckler] was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally." Conservative bloggers criticized Franken for physically assaulting somebody speaking his mind.

Political aspirations

Franken had been a strong supporter of Democratic Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties [i] in the United States [i] ... 

 Senator United States Senate

he United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States [i], the other b ... 

 Paul Wellstone Paul Wellstone

Paul David Wellstone was an American [i] politician [i] and two-term U.S. Senator [i]... 

, who was killed in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 elections.

Franken announced in November 2003 that he was considering moving back to Minnesota, his home state, to run for the Senate seat held by Wellstone's successor Norm Coleman Norm Coleman

Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr. is an American politician [i] and a member of the Republican Party [i] ... 

 in the 2008 election. On April 28 2005, Salon.com Salon.com

Salon.com is an Internet [i]-based media [i] company founded in 1995 [i] by editor-in-chief David Talbot [i]... 

 reported that Franken, who had previously promised that if he was to run for office he would move to Minnesota and broadcast from the Twin Cities Twin cities

Twin cities are two cities [i] that are geographically [i] close to each other and may se ... 

, was doing just that. "I can tell you honestly, I don't know if I'm going to run, but I'm doing the stuff I need to do, in order to do it," Franken said. He has said that he would run as a Democrat, stating that "Democrats care so much more for the poor than Republicans do".

He talked about his political aspirations when he went on The Daily Show The Daily Show

The Daily Show is a Peabody [i]- and Emmy [i]-winnin ... 

on October 25, 2005 to promote his book, The Truth , saying that if he ran, he would run on a platform of universal health coverage and expanding alternative energy -- a message that he would repeat on the March 15, 2006 episode of The Colbert Report The Colbert Report

The Colbert Report, is an Emmy Award [i]-nominated American [i] satirical [i] ... 

.
Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert

Stephen Tyrone Colbert is a four-time Emmy Award [i]-winning American [i] comedian [i], actor [i] ... 

 jokingly egged him on to make a declaration, asking him to announce his candidacy right then , but Franken refused. He has previously claimed that he would not be able to decide if he would run for a seat in the Senate until 2007, stating that he has written this in a chapter of his new book.

Franken's books express strong support for abortion rights, gun control Gun politics

The term gun politics refers to the various public policy debates surrounding the freedom or restriction... 

 laws, same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is the union [i] of two people who are of the same biological sex [i], or gender [i] ... 

, environmental protections and a revamped income tax system burdening the wealthy more than the poor and middle classes. In the postscript of The Truth , Franken joked that if elected to the Senate, in the two week window between the Senate's swearing in and Bush's leaving office, he would push for a "quickie impeachment."

In late 2005, Franken started his own political action committee called Midwest Values PAC. In a period of a little over two months, the PAC raised nearly $170,000.

Books


  • The Truth ISBN 0-525-94906-2
  • ISBN 0-525-94764-7
  • Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or Failing That, Happiness ISBN 0-452-28450-3
  • Why Not Me? Why Not Me?

    Why Not Me? The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency is a satirical [i] ... 

    a parody-journal of the fictional “Franken campaign” for President ISBN 0-385-31809-X
  • Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations

    Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations is a 1996 book by author and comedian Al Franken [i] ... 

    ISBN 0-385-31474-4
  • by Al Franken, Stuart Smalley Stuart Smalley

    Stuart Smalley is a fictional character that was invented and performed by actor, comedian, author, and ... 

      ISBN 0-440-50470-8

CDs and Compilations

  • The Al Franken Show Party Album
  • The O'Franken Factor Factor - The Best of the O'Franken Factor

Trivia

  • Had a brief role in one scene of the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon From the Earth to the Moon

    From the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fiction [i] story written in 1865 [i] by Jules Verne [i] ... 

    . His character counsels President John F. Kennedy's advisers to send an unmanned ship to the moon, scoop up some rocks, and send them around the world "for propaganda purposes" rather than sending human explorers there, adding, "It sure as hell won't cost 20 billion dollars."

References


External links