Rules to Live by

Bill Maher is a funny guy. He might be one of the best comedians out there, which may explain why he hasn't had good movie roles. His filmography includes movies like D.C. Cab, Tomcats, House II: The Second Story, and Pizza Man. Richard Pryor and George Carlin had a tough time trying make good comedies. Dave Chapelle and Patton Oswalt are often casted in supporting roles.

But Maher isn't just a comedian. He's also a political comedian. Rather than talk about things that are topical, he forms an opinion. And like other comedians (Jon Stewart, Al Franken, and Dennis Miller) who have turned political, there stand-up routine seems more like they're on a soap box rather than telling jokes.

After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Maher made some comments on his now-defunct show Politically Incorrect about the American military being cowards by bombing countries from far away. A lot of people didn't like it. It was the truth. But Maher said the right thing, instead of the nice thing and the wrong time. The show was off the air within a year, after several advertisers refused to buy slots. ABC owned by conservative Disney told Maher to hit the road. It was really a blessing in disguise.

Anyone who had watched Politically Incorrect from its beginnings on Comedy Central know that something changed once it switched over to ABC. One panelist (political analyst Lakita Garth, especially) seemed to want to dominate the whole show. Maher seemed less like a host and more like a station manager, constantly reminding the panelists that the show had to cut to commercial. Gimmick shows that focused on the Mafia and tapings from the Playboy mansion were just silly.

Maher wasn't a First Amendment martyr. He was just another Hollywood personality who the conglomerates tried to tone down.

Now, he has his own show on HBO, Real Time. No commercials, more than twice as much air time, and more control over the panelists, Maher seems to speak his mind easier. He seems to enjoy it more than he did during the last years of Politically Incorrect.

Why am I saying all this? Because Bill Maher is a different type of comedian from Miller, Stewart, and Franken. Granted, we might not always agree on them, but they seemed to get more leniency. Why? Probably because they're married with children. Maher is nearly 50 and single. Unlike George Clooney, who can rely on his looks to even hush his toughest critics, Maher seems to be the guy everyone hates to love, but loves to hate. Maher is neither a Republican or a Democrat. He says he's a Libertarian. His views are those of a man who's sick and tired of the way things are being handle. But he's smart enough to know what he's talking about.

His latest book is taken from his show, Real Time. It's called New Rules: Polite Musings From a Timid Observer. Maher takes stab at topics in writings that generally two or three sentences long. The chapters are from A-Z. Each chapter ends with a rant, but unlike Miller, you don't feel like you need to consult a thesarus to understand what Maher is getting at.

Some readers might not like what Maher has to say, but he doesn't say the nice thing. He says the right thing. Granted some of his new rules seem dated now in 2006, like the Britney Spears-Madonna kiss or how Schwarzenegger has the right to run for president.

However, this is an interesting book by someone who sees the bullshit for what it is. Rather than just gripe, Maher suggest ways to fix them. Most of them are outrageous solutions, but at least he has a solution.