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The Stephanie Miller Show is a syndicated progressive radio talk show which uses humor and comedy to poke fun at right-wing politics, celebrities, and pop culture. On the air since September 7, 2004, the show is hosted by Stephanie Miller and includes "voice deity" (and sometimes "voice monkey") Jim Ward, an impressionist who frequently mimics Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and George W. Bush; and producer "Boytoy" Chris Lavoie. It is not to be confused with the similarly-titled short-lived syndicated TV talk show she had in the mid-1990s.
Show format
The majority of the show is a conversation between Stephanie, Chris, and Jim, with Miller controlling the topics of the conversations and Ward doing many imitations, though it never goes to the level of a fictitious conversation with the subject whom Ward imitates. They use many sound effects, including bodily functions, to add emphasis. Miller calls her show a mix of "high-brow" and "low-brow", and sometimes "unibrow." According to her, it is "fart joke, Senator, fart joke, Senator." Miller is a self-proclaimed "Fox Blocker" ("She watches Fox News so you don't have to"), so material appearing on Fox News (especially comments by Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity) is a dominant topic of conversation.
The show takes occasional calls from listeners (1-800-STEPH-1-2) with the rule that "right-wing wackos go to the front of the line", but on-the-air, conservatives are called "right-wing love muffins". Miller does most of the talking with the listeners.
On occasion, Stephanie and Jim take the show on the road (Chris stays at the studio), where they perform in front of a live audience. During those shows, they do not take phone calls, and reserve the last half hour of the show for audience questions and answers.
On several occasions, when Miller, Ward, and Lavoie go on vacation, Elayne Boosler guest hosts the show. Miller calls Boosler the "substitute teacher" The Stephanie Miller Show Blog for the week June 30 - July 7, 2006.
Impersonations
Impersonations by Miller and Ward on the show make fun of both sides of the political aisle. Usually these impersonations exaggerate the voice of various pundits or political leaders.- Wolf Blitzer - These impersonations always depict Blitzer as extremely constipated based on a supposed diet of hard cheese and drywall, followed by an explosion sound effect, and are almalst always used in conjunction with that of Rita Cosby. Miller and Ward, in addition to impersonating both Cosby and Blitzer, often state that they would like to see the two engage in sexual relations, usually accompanied by an impersonation of the hypothetical scenario.
- Tom Brokaw - Ward's impersonations of the former NBC newsanchor features an exaggerated elongation of "L" sounds in words, and, subsequently, all the stories that "Tom Brokaw" reports have a liberal use of the letter L, such stories about Slobodan Milosevich, Jalalabad, and others.
- George W. Bush - These impersonations by Ward frequently exaggerate the long pauses and prolific use of "uh" or "er" throughout the impersonations, which has Bush many times returning to the Republican rhetoric made by the President, such as "Freedom's on the march" or "Smoke 'em out". Sometimes, during the impersonations, there would be a sound of a Bush riding a bicycle and ringing a bike bell. Another running gag is his usage of the phrase "I like toast," which has not received an adequate explanation to date. When President George W. Bush delivers a speech that is carried live on network television, the show will broadcast the speech with side comments by Miller and Ward and some sound effects in a style similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000. Ward's imitation of Bush is so accurate, that listeners have complained that they cannot distinguish which words are said by the president and which are said by Ward.
- Dick Cheney - These impersonations are done by Ward talking into a coffee cup and imitating Darth Vader. In the background, the Imperial March theme from Star Wars plays. Usually, the impersonations end with so-called "Dick Vader" suggesting those that do not like what he says, that "they can
themselves with" whatever random object in Star Wars canon, no matter how unreasonable. Examples ranged from lightsabers to the planet Hoth. The quote is in reference to a quote he told Senator Patrick Leahy in 2004. - Bill Clinton - These impersonations by Ward focuses on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Usually, they feature not-so-subtle sexual undertones, which usually ends with Hillary Clinton hitting Bill with a frying pan.
- Alan Colmes - These impersonations by Ward lambastes liberal pundit from Fox News' Hannity and Colmes, by making him sound like Milton Waddams from Office Space due to his timidity.
- Rita Cosby - These impersonations of the conservative pundit on MSNBC are performed by both Miller and Ward. Miller sometimes apologizes for these impersonations of Cosby, which exaggerates Cosby's husky voice, because Miller hopes that it's only temporary, and it "sounds like she was kicked in the neck by a horse", or alternatively, "hit in the throat by a dodgeball. The impersonation is often used in conjunction with those of Wolf Blitzer.
- Tom Cruise - Ward talks very fast to background sounds of springs being released, in reference to an incident where Tom Cruise jumped on the couch of the The Oprah Winfrey Show. Ward's impersonations of Cruise usually end with insane laughter accompanied by a Cuckoo clock. Scientology and Katie Holmes are a recurring theme.
- Bill Gates - Ward's impersonation of the technology mogul is a stereotypical computer geek. There are frequent references to Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Dungeons and Dragons, and others. The impersonations are nasal and lispy, and usually giggly.
- Newt Gingrich - Ward plays Newt with a decidedly "Kermit the Frog" cadence and flair. Stephanie has speculated that Newt is "paid by the 'frankly'".
- Alberto Gonzales - These impersonations by Ward are reminiscient of Mr. Rogers making blatant threats against the safety of those who listen to him. In the background, horror-themed sound effects play, like backwards music, screaming, chains clanking, and etc. Lavoie and Miller have stated that they are scared by this character.
- Sean Hannity - In reference to his claim that Ray Nagin left hundreds of buses behind during Hurricane Katrina, Ward impersonates Hannity making a heartfelt plea involving: "The buses... why?" This is always accompanied by a flute ballad that has become Hannity's leitmotif on the show. At times, Ward resorts to a "talking point frittata", where he randomly spouts Hannity's often-used talking points.
- Dennis Hastert/James Sensenbrenner - These appear to be the exact same character. Ward impersonates these to Congressmen with a heavy Midwestern accent, rife with references to meats. Their catchprase is "Oh God" pronounced "Oh Gadd!".
- Arianna Huffington - These impersonations of the progressive columnist and owner of The Huffington Post blog by Miller exaggerates her accent so what she says is unintelligible. These are usually done during a round table discussion between Huffington, Ozzy Osbourne, Keith Richards and Arnold Schwarzenegger, all of which are done in exaggerated accents which are nearly unintelligible.
- Kim Jong-Il - Ward impersonates the North Korean dictator with a stereotypically Korean accent, and depicts him as a parody of "Ghetto" street culture, using the appropriate slang ("K-to-the-J-to-the-Il in the Hizzouse!"), and an Elmer Fudd-like speech impediment (switching Ls with Rs and Ws with Ls). This impersonation is a point of exasperation for Lavoie, with him saying, "Oh no." when Miller urges Ward to "do Kim Jong-Il."
- Joe Lieberman - These impersonations of the centrist Democratic Senator are reminiscient of Willie Tanner of the 1980's sitcom ALF.
- Rush Limbaugh - These impersonations are usually done by Miller. The impersonation features a lot of loud breathing into the microphone, shaking of a pill canister, and shuffling of paper. Also, there is the use of "my friends" after almost every sentence.
- Chris Matthews - These impersonations are usually short, with Ward responding "Fair enough, hah!" in Matthews' voice due to his inability to challenge blatant lies told by guests.
- Ozzy Osbourne - These impersonations are usually unintelligble, featuring Ozzy's mumbling breathy voice.
- Bill O'Reilly - Ward's Bill O'Reilly impersonation tends to sway towards Bill's misadventures in telephone sex with subordinate employees. O'Reilly's endless source of hypocrisy is gleaned from "tape recording devices" which is then hilariously lampooned.
- Keith Richards - These impersonations, like Ozzy's and Arianna's, are also unintelligible mumblings.
- Geraldo Rivera - These impersonations usually crop up during the "Right Wing World" section of the show wherein Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo discuss blatantly out-of-context and, therefore, homosexual themes. Usually, it starts with a clip of Bill and Geraldo talking about something, then Ward continues the subject into blatantly homosexual territory, with a stereotypical homosexual lisp, with a Village People accompaniment of "In the Navy." During these impersonations, Ward sometimes delves into masochism with Rivera complaining that O'Reilly won't stop (accompanied by the sound of a whip cracking) even after Rivera shouts out the codeword (a word used to get the dominant to stop their actions), "Mizrahi!"
- Pat Robertson - When Jim Ward imitates Pat Robertson, he exaggerates Robertsons' chuckling, with frequent threats to various groups like liberals, feminists, homosexuals, and so on, of being "tossed into the lake of fire" and/or being subjected to various diseases, and as he does it, he gets more and more chuckly and giggly. The imitation is accompanied by organ music.
- Donald Rumsfeld - These impersonations exaggerate Rumsfeld's penchant for answering his own rhetorical questions, and usage of outdated slang such as "heavens to Betsy" or "my stars". Lately, these impersonations highlight that his voice is "getting higher and higher" whenever Rumsfeld fervently defends a position.
- Typical O'Reilly Factor Fan - These impersonations usually have a deep, stereotypicaly Southern accent. Usually, they reference "biscuits and mustard," and end with a back-and-forth between the Fan and O'Reilly, respectively, "A'right then." "All right." "A'right then." "All right." "A'right then." This impersonation is based on Billy Bob Thornton's Karl Childers character in the movie Sling Blade.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger - The most lucid and understandable of the "unintelligible" impersonations. These impersonations of the California governor/movie star feature an exaggerated Austrian accent and Ward ending Schwarzenegger's sentences or phrases with "...and these kinds of things". Miller sometimes asks "Exactly, what kinds of things?".
Self deprecating humor
Miller pokes fun at herself quite a bit.- When criticized by a listener that the show is "sophomoric", Miller actually took the comment as a compliment.
- Although she has no children, Stephanie Miller often refers to herself as "Mama", as do her listeners. She also has a soundbite "she's a slut" which Miller allows Producer Chris Lavoie to apply to her when talking about her future husbands. One time, when Chris called her a whore, she replied with a "thank you".
- She read on her show, as well as posted on her web site, a humorous, but true, biography written by a fan. While reading the biography on her show, she said that the only inaccuracy in the letter is that the "minor plastic surgery" should be replaced with "major plastic surgery".
- Claims that she started her career as a dancer at the "Itchy Kitty" in Reseda, California, and if it wasn't for her radio show, that would be the only thing she would be qualified to do. The Itchy Kitty story is probably false, based on the biography mentioned above.
- She publicized a very stinging hate e-mail she received.
- Uses a soundclip describing the show as "Ex-Catholic Girl Gone Wild". This is a parody on the Girls Gone Wild videos.
- Uses a soundclip "She puts the broad back in broadcasting".
- Uses a soundclip "She's the life of the Democratic Party. Ignore the lampshade."
- Miller sometimes makes fun of her childhood appearance, including her unibrow, afro, fangs, hammer toe, and gray teeth. Usually, Ward and Lavoie join in on bashing Miller's childhood appearance.
- Claims that she was "abandoned by wolves, and raised by Republicans". The "abandoned by wolves" phrase is her way of explaining the fangs.
- Jokes that because the producer of the show has taken out a life insurance policy on her life, that he wants her dead.
"Celebrity Hotline"
Although the show is humorous in nature, it uses its humor to educate its listeners about current events and politics. It is taken seriously enough, however, to occasionally include Washington and political insiders as phone guests, via the "Celebrity Hotline". These include John Conyers (nicknamed the "Patron Saint of The Stephanie Miller Show"), Barbara Boxer (nicknamed the "Matron Saint of The Stephanie Miller Show"), John Kerry, Rep. Linda Sanchez, as well as others. Out of respect for her "Celebrity Hotline" guest Howard Dean, Miller referred to him by "by all three of his titles", "Doctor Governor Chairman Howard Dean".
On many occasions, Miller has said that she was more impressed with the fact that elected officials agree to call the show a second time, than the fact that she is able to book elected officials on the show. One time, Melissa Etheridge spontaneously called the show, 10 minutes after Congresswoman Maxine Waters called the "Celebrity Hotline". Miller was far more impressed with Etheridge calling her show, than she was with a congresswoman calling the show.
When someone famous calls the "Celebrity Hotline", it is coordinated beforehand as to when they should call, and Miller prepares for the interview. The phone conversation begins with a ringing phone soundbite. However, Miller pretends as if the call is a surprise and she has no idea who is on the other end of the line, even though she sometimes foreshadows the call, and then says that she is a horrible actor. As noted above, when Melissa Etheridge spontaneously called the show, it was not referred to as a "Celebrity Hotline" call.
Representative Conyers coined the term "The Stephanie Miller Newscast", which continues to be a source of amusement for Stephanie, Jim and Chris.
Show features
Regular features are a staple of the show. The show begins with "Right Wing World" in the first hour, where Miller plays and lampoons various clips from right-wing figures across the media. Due to a plethora of right-wing clips, this segment often occupies the entire first hour.
The second hour begins with "Stand Up News" (AKA "News we don't want to lose"), where various news items are read, usually accompanied with some of the above-mentioned comedic impersonations by Jim Ward. Prior to reading the news, Miller declares that "when news breaks here, it stays broken".
The third hour begins with a similar feature called "Tinsel Talk", but focused exclusively on celebrity news. Many of these items come from tabloid sources Miller jokingly calls "The Paper" (i.e., The National Enquirer or The Star).
The show features imaginary game shows in which the game show titles are applied to certain situations. The "game shows" include
- "Republicans Eating Their Own"
- "Wheel of Right Wing Hypocrites"
- "Grasping for Straws"
- "Really Bad Analogies"
- "People Who Should be Thinned From the Herd"
- "You're Completely Wrong"
- "To tell the truth"
To parody claims by Bill O'Reilly (as well as some other pundits) that the left-wing media takes advantage of out-of-context quotes of right-wing figures, "Out-of-Context Theatre" was introduced. "Out-of-Context Theatre" features clips of O'Reilly with blatant misuses of context. Other than "Out-of-Context Theatre", quotes are usually in the form of original recordings, or transcripts when a recording is not available.
The Republican Party's selection of Ohio congressman John Boehner as House Majority Leader spawned the new feature "Boner Watch 2006", which tells stories of Boehner's links to Jack Abramoff and other lobbyists. The feature's name comes from the show's humorous pronunciation of Boehner's last name. According to Miller and Ward, "Boner" is the correct pronunciation.
While Jim Ward plays mostly a supporting role during the show, he takes the lead in the "Conspiracy Corner" feature, where he espouses his various conspiracy theories to the tune of Impossible. Jim has a prominent role in the "Guess the quote" section of the show, where Stephanie reads a quote (or sometimes plays the clip), and Jim is supposed to guess who said the quote. Although Jim usually knows the person making the quote, he purposely makes outlandish guesses of people who could not have possibly made the quote.
Vocabulary
Stephanie Miller often utilizes words and expressions that she invents.- Conspiracy Snausage: a tidbit of information that tempts Ward to begin espousing conspiracy theories. See "Conspiracy Corner" for more information.
- The Deliverance Wing of the Republican Party: the ultra-conservatives within the Republican Party. Usually accompanied by "Dueling Banjos".
- Extra Crispy Bucket of ...: used to indicate something extraordinary. Usually followed by the word Republicans to refer to the ultra conservative Republicans. The phrase is in reference to Kentucky Fried Chicken's menu, which has regular and extra crispy chicken, and is sold in cardboard buckets.
- Flavens: Friends and family. The term originated from a news article about the effects of "flavins," as in "riboflavin" (vitamin B2). An argument ensued on whether "flavin" is a real word, or something Jerry Lewis would say in a comedy routine whereby Lewis would begin to blurt out gibberish (for example, "Hooooyvenfllaaaaaaaven flaaaveny flaven!"). Even after listeners called in with the definition and examples of flavin, the word became a running joke on the show -- including being part of a list of side effects caused by listening to the show, ranging from benign ("cold sweats") to the outrageous ("Steinberg Flaven").
- Fox Question: A question that is so loaded, that the answer is biased. The term is used to indicate that the Fox News Channel utilizes that technique.
- Foxpert: A person who is not an expert, but is treated as an expert on the Fox News Channel.
- Frittata: A conglomeration of talking points into one kludgy mass of a talking point.
- Fun Facts: useless, but interesting, trivia.
- Hello, Ripley's: This is used when introducing a story that should be surprising or unexpected, but isn't.
- Jihad Boots: A ridicule that the only preparation that the Miami Seven did for their alleged plan to blow up the Sears Tower was to buy boots.
- Nambibia: Variation of Namibia. Sometimes, Miller would "screw up" (possibly on purpose) and say "NAMBLA" instead. Namibia is used in reference to the "Brangelina" baby, whose middle name according to Miller ("because she was named by the 'Governor' of Namibia") is a bunch of random clicks reminiscent of the Khoisan languages spoken in the country.
- Scooby-Doo Moment: When an observer realizes, upon second thought, that something being told (usually by right wing pundits) does not make sense, more commonly known as a "double-take". The observer would then likely say, "Huh?!" as Scooby-Doo.
- Snarf: To expel various liquids through nose, caused by laughing hard while drinking.
- Speculatate: Variation on the word "speculate." Includes "speculatation," "speculatated" and other variants.
Sound effects
Another staple of the show is the prolific usage of sound effects, including, but not limited to, quotes from movies, animal calls, and other sound effects. These include:Movies and TV
Single quote sources:- "Be quiet, you eediot!" - From Ren and Stimpy, this quote from Ren is played whenever Miller and company play a quote from a right-wing pundit saying something that they believe to be idiotic.
- "Ha ha ha ha, it's a little joke!" - From Arthur, this quote from Arthur is played when Miller and company say something that they and their audience know is blatantly wrong.
- "I am a lady. If you say I'm not, I'll bop you." - From The Brady Bunch, this quote from Cindy Brady is played when referring to Miller.
- "I just think I'm gonna barf!" - From Fargo, this quote from Marge is played whenever something disgusting is said or intimated.
- "Nice Beaver!" - From The Naked Gun, when Jane climbs a ladder and Frank remarks, "Nice Beaver!" Jane responds with, "Thank you, I just had it stuffed." Used when Miller relates her problem with the local wildlife, also to denote the double-entendre the movie quote provides.
- "No, no. Don't speak. Don't speak. Silence, silence. Don't speak!" - From Bullets Over Broadway, when Helen interrupts David and commands him to not speak. This is used when Miller doesn't want a topic to continue, among other reasons.
- Three Stooges - The Three Stooges fighting each other is sometimes used when people on the same side of the political spectrum disagree with each other.
- When Harry Met Sally... - The scene where Meg Ryan's character performs a fake orgasm (the one that ends with "I'll have what she's having."). This sound clip is sometimes played during times when someone vehemently espouses left-wing opinions... or when truckers or firefighters call in... or any time, actually.
- "What?" - From Heathers, when a stoner girl is asked asked high school survey question.
Multiple quote sources:
- Death Becomes Her
- "En garde, bitch!" - From Death Becomes Her, this quote from Helen, is played whenever Miller and a female guest or caller tries to take one of Miller's "Future Husbands" or similar.
- "You should learn not to compete with me. I always win! Hah!" - This quote from Madeline is played whenever someone is in a contest with Miller.
- Mommie Dearest
- Joan Crawford: "Why can't you give me the respect that I'm entitled to? Why can't you treat me like I would be treated by any stranger on the street?" Christina: "Because, I am NOT one of your FANS!" - Sometimes used when someone criticizes the show or Miller.
- "No...wire...hangers...EVER!"
- "Tina! Bring me the axe."
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- "Whaa-hoo! Nothin'." - Used in response to investigations that turn up nothing.
- "I'd like to be... a dentist!" - Used to possibly denote that those people who work on the show care more about other things than just the show.
- "We're a couple of misfits." - This song is sometimes used when liberals call or write in explaining their displeasure with something Miller said. Miller explains that she is too liberal for conservatives and too politically incorrect for liberals.
- Thump! Thump! Thump! - From the scene where the Abominable Snow Monster walks heavily into the Christmas Tree room to put the star on the top of the tree. The thumping sounds are used to denote a heavyset (or tall) person.
- "From now on, gang, we won't let Rudolph join in any of our reindeer games!" Used to parody politicians or right-wingers threatening to exclude someone for their beliefs.
- "Sunset Boulevard" Norma Desmond quotes are usually used when referring to Katherine Harris, although recently Miller claimed her friends called her Norma Desmond.
- "I am big. It's the pictures that got small."
- "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
- The Liar Cannon - The "Liar Cannon" is a collection of movie quotes wherein various people relate about people lying. These include:
- "Are you lying then or are you lying now? Or, are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!" by Sir Wilfrid Robarts from Witness for the Prosecution
- "Liar! Liar! Liiiiiarrrr!" by Valerie from The Princess Bride.
- "Liar, liar, pants on... whoa!" from the Beavis and Butthead
- "Look, you know how these people lie! It's born in them! I mean what the heck, I don't have to tell you. They don't know what the truth is!" by Juror #10 from 12 Angry Men.
- The ubiquitous "Lying Sack of Crap" jingle
Jingles
The show also uses short jingles to make a point.- The opening theme and beginning of the hour bumper is We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
- You're a Lying Sack of Crap: used whenever someone is caught in a lie
- Imagine: The intro to the song by John Lennon mixed with quotes by Bush administration officials saying that no one could imagine certain events.
- A jingle written to skewer Rush Limbaugh
- "Bill O'Reilly was a Man", a jingle written to the tune of the Daniel Boone theme, to skewer Bill O'Reilly
- "Sieg Heil": the tune that plays during particularly odious comments or far-right statements, Der Fuehrer's Face, played to indicate dictatorship and lack of human rights.
- Springtime for Hitler from The Producers is often used with the words "George Bush" inserted for "Hitler" and "Iraq" for "Germany."
Other media
- "Oh... my... God." - This quote, from the beginning of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" song, is used when there is a particularly odious or otherwise unbelievable is said, by the targets of Miller and company, or even Miller and company themselves.
Nicknames used on the show
The show frequently skewers right wing media and political personalities and institutions such as:
- Michael Brown: usually preceded by the title "noted Arabian Horse expert", but is sometimes preceded by the title "noted Arabian Horse's Ass" (in reference to the job he held prior to working at FEMA).
- Dick Cheney: nicknamed "Dick Vader" (usually in conjunction with Jim Ward making an impression of Darth Vader), and occasionally, "Creepy McCrookedmouth" in reference to his symptoms of Bell's palsy. Following Dick Cheney's hunting accident, Cheney has also been nicknamed "Blasty McBirdshot".
- Michael Chertoff: nickname "Skeletor" (in reference to his emaciated look that is similar to the cartoon character Skeletor). Sometimes used in reference to Alan Colmes for similar reasons.
- Ann Coulter: usually preceded by the title "noted transsexual plagiarist" (in reference to her visible adam's apple and her reported plagiarism). Miller is still looking for a different title to avoid offending transsexuals, so has sometimes used the titles "Junk-toting stick figure" and "noted female impersonator". Occasionally, the very mention of Coulter's name is followed by Mike Myers as Austin Powers saying "It's a MAN, baby!!".
- Suri Cruise (infant daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes): nicknamed "The Tomkitten", a combination of her parents' names.
- Tom DeLay: nicknamed "Drunky McPukeshoes" (in reference to a couple of speeches he has delivered where he sounds drunk). He is often "interviewed" at Barfy's Bar & Grill, where the sounds of clinking bar glasses and the song "Tequila" are heard in the background.
- Al Edwards: A Texas state representative, nicknamed "Representative Squeezy McFeelpants" (in reference to his support of banning "suggestive clothing" for cheerleaders). Interestingly, Edwards is the only Democrat to get a "nickname", and his actual name was never used on the show until March 6, 2006. When told of his name and political affiliation, Miller took pride in being an equal opportunity offender.
- An unidentified (male) person in the British Cheerleading Association has been named "Mashy McGrabbass", following the organization's ban on skimpy uniforms due to concerns that they may "encourage dangerous crash diets". "Mashy McGrabbass" is touted as the British equivalent of "Squeezy McFeelpants".
- Following a protest by nude bicyclists in Mexico City , Miller and Ward invented the character of a Mexican legislator who would want to ban nude bicycling, and named him "Squeezy a poca patalones" ,.
- Donald Thompson, a Former Oklahoma Judge who was convicted of using a penis pump while presiding over court cases, was nicknamed "Judge Penis Pump" and "Judge Squeezy McFeelpants" .
- Bill Frist: always preceded by the title "noted cat-killing video doctor" (in reference to his controversial use of cats while he was a medical student and his diagnosis of Terri Schiavo after viewing a video tape released by her parents). Since his response to Harry Reid's closed session of the Senate, "Frist" has become a synonym for uptightness (i.e. "Panties in a Frist").
- Jeff Gannon: always preceded by the title "Former male hooker and White House reporter" (in reference to the controversy in which Gannon worked as a male escort as well as a reporter at the White House who would ask planted questions). Often the Village People's "In the Navy" is played in the background.
- Newt Gingrich: nicknamed "Human Muppet" (named for his similarity in speaking style to Kermit the Frog)
- Alberto Gonzales: nicknamed "Torture Czar" or, at other times, Torquemada (in reference to his role in the torture memos)
- Katherine Harris: usually preceded by the title "Bat-* Crazy Congresswoman." Miller adopted the nickname "Looney McBoobjob", which was suggested by a listener. The second nickname is in reference to Harris' appearance on the Hannity & Colmes show, where she emphasized her chest.
- Dennis Hastert: nicknamed "Beefy McBratwurst" (in reference to him being a former wrestling coach and being physically large, in addition to Midwestern meat culture).
- Michael Hayden: nicknamed "General Spy" in reference him being a General in the United States Air Force and the head of the National Security Agency during the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.
- Brit Hume: preceded by the title "Human Shar Pei" (in reference to his droopy look).
- Joe Lieberman: referred to as Senator Droopy Dog.
- Rush Limbaugh preceded by the title "Drug-Addled Gas Bag" (in reference to his abuse of prescription drugs)
- Chris Matthews usually preceded by the title "Political Crazy Car" in reference to his tendency to be unpredictable with regards to his politics, sometimes "Coming to the light" (in reference to Matthews' siding with Democrats or liberals) and other times "Doddering into Right Wing World" (in reference to when Matthews sides with Republicans or conservatives).
- Scott McClellan: usually nicknamed "Puffy McMoonface" (in reference to his puffy cheeks), sometimes nicknamed "Chummy McSharkbait" (in reference to journalists taking him to task). When he was the Whitehouse spokesperson, his job title was referred to as "Presidential Spokesliar".
- Ken Mehlman: followed by the phrase "played by Hillary Swank".
- Harriet Miers: nicknamed "Frau Blücher" (in reference to her similar appearance to the Young Frankenstein character).
- Dick Morris: preceded by the title "prostitute toe sucking" (in reference to the story that lead to him being dismissed from the 1996 Clinton re-election campaign).
- Andrew Napolitano: nicknamed "Judge No Forehead".
- Robert Novak: nicknamed "Squealy McTraitorpants (in reference to his role in the Valerie Plame scandal).
- Bill O'Reilly: always preceded by the title "megalomaniacal phone-sex enthusiast" (in reference to the Andrea Mackris incident).
- Tony Perkins: Stories regarding the president of the Family Research Council are always preceded by the staccato screeching strings from the Psycho movie followed by quotes from the movie. This is in reference to the fact that Tony Perkins shares a name with the movie's actor, Anthony Perkins.
- Vladimir Putin: nicknamed "Pooty-Poot", a play on the pronunciation of his name.
- John Roberts: used to be called "The Manchurian Candidate" prior to his confirmation as Chief Justice of the United States by the Senate (the news of his confirmation broke while the show was broadcasting live, to which Miller commented "good, who needs all those rights anyway?").
- Jack Roberts (Roberts' young son): Nicknamed "Dancy McSaddleshoes" (in reference to his dancing during President Bush's White House introduction of his father)
- Pat Robertson: nicknamed "Evil Uncle Chuckles". When Jim Ward imitates Pat Robertson, he exaggerates Robertsons' chuckling.
- Karl Rove: nicknamed "Tubby McTreason" (in reference to his role in the Valerie Plame scandal).
- Rick Santorum: always preceded by the title "Senator Man-on-Dog" (in reference to a statement he made at an interview)
- Antonin Scalia: nicknamed "Anton flip the bird Scalia", in reference to an obscene gesture he made.
- Jean Schmidt: nicknamed "The Schmidthead from Ohio" or sometimes "Mean Jean Schmidt", after making inappropriate comments about Congressman John Murtha.
- Star Magazine and The National Enquirer: collectively nicknamed "The Paper" in the "Tinsel Talk" segment of the program. Because both publications share the nickname, this causes confusion for Ward and Lavoie, most likely on purpose.
- Tony Snow: After receiving suggested nicknames from listeners, Miller has settled on the nickname "Crony McSnowjob", as the new "Presidential Spokesliar". Other proposed nicknames included: "Snowy McFoxtrot", "Phony McSnowjob", "Foxy McHenhouse", and "Baloney McSnowjob"
- United Arab Emirates: Now referred to as "The Notorious U.A.E." as the issue of the control of American ports is addressed. This is a play on the name of the late hip hop artist, "The Notorious B.I.G."
- USA Today: Called "The McPaper", which is Miller's way to express her opinion that the newspaper is not very rigorous.
Future husbands
Being single, Miller has referred to some liberal men which she likes as "her future husbands". Miller admits that she is very fickle when it comes to future husbands, usually with a certain person "rocketing up to the top" of her list, depending on what they did recently. Mentions of her future husbands are usually done to the tunes of 'Going to the Chapel' or 'He's So Fine'. The future husbands list includes:- Jason Alexander - Actor, after he called the Celebrity Hotline.
- Jack Cafferty - the "Crusty Old CNN Coot."
- General Wesley Clark - Stephanie is clearly aware of Gen. Clark's wife, Gert, so he's not fully on the list.
- George Clooney - Actor. Stephanie claims that Clooney has a restraining order in place against her, as she once had to be peeled off the chainlink fence surrounding a basketball court where he was playing.
- Richard Dreyfuss - Actor, after he said George W. Bush should be impeached.
- Russ Feingold - Senator from Wisconsin
- Patrick Fitzgerald - The prosecutor investigating The Plame Scandal (even though he is not registered with any political party and refuses to "take sides" with either Dems or Republicans on the CIA Leak and Iraq war issues). Following the announcement that he will not indict Karl Rove, Miller crossed Fitzgerald off the list.
- David Gregory - NBC News Whitehouse correspondent who asks tough questions during Whitehouse press conferences.
- Paul Hackett - Iraqi War veteran and former Ohio Candidate for the US Senate. After meeting Hackett and his wife and children in person at an event in Los Angeles, Miller took Hackett off the list on the November 14, 2005 show.
- Dennis Kucinich - Dennis Kucinich works in the US House of Representatives, Ohio's 10th District. A caller described his Spock-like hair. Miller explained that Kucinich's politics mattered more to her than his looks.
- Bode Miller - an Olympic skier. Stephanie gave Bode an advantage over the other future husbands because with Bode, Stephanie would not have to change her last name. However, after his dismal performance in the 2006 Winter Olympics, Stephanie took him off the list.
- John Murtha - Congressman from Pennsylvania and a former Marine who criticized the War in Iraq, but because of his age, Miller is not sure whether he is a suitable "future husband".
- Gavin Newsom - Mayor of San Francisco, who moderated a debate in which Miller particpated.
- John Nichols - Editor for a local newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin, for writing an editorial titled "Miller vs. Satan" (in reference to Miller performing a live show in Madison, and Bill O'Reilly said that people in Madison worship Satan).
- Keith Olbermann - Host of "Countdown" on MSNBC
- Jeff Simon - A reporter for her former hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News, who wrote a positive review about the show.
- Charles Swift - The lead Navy Lawyer in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.
- Harry Taylor - a private citizen who criticized George W. Bush in a town hall meeting. Because Taylor presumably lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Stephanie Miller's mother lives, Miller contemplated what it would be like to bring Taylor home to meet her mother (who is a staunch conservative).
However, Miller's first love is for firefighters which she has stated "transcends the political divide". She also likes truck drivers. Miller asked one driver who called the show to honk his horn several times during the call. With each horn honking, Miller made sounds as if she is turned on.
Technology
The show's web site, stephaniemiller.com, is maintained by Crossroad Media Innovations and is updated daily. The web site offers a variety of content, including podfiles and mp3 files (called "StephCasts") of recent broadcast shows. Since November 11, 2005, audio file downloads of the complete show require paid subscription. Snippets of the show are still available for free at www.stephaniemiller.com/show/.
Marketing and distribution
The show is produced in Los Angeles and is distributed by the Jones Radio Network. As of November 28, 2005 the show is produced exclusively by WYD Media Management. Prior to that, the show was co-produced by Democracy Radio and WYD Media Management. The show was founded by radio executive Ron Hartenbaum.
Stations
Live broadcasts are aired 6AM-9AM Pacific Time (9AM-Noon Eastern Time) weekday mornings. Most stations carry the show live.
The table below is color coded according to the Red state vs. blue state divide (based on the 2004 U.S. presidential elections)
References
External links
"The Stephanie Miller Show"