Appearing on ‘The Daily Show,’ comedian Denis Leary insists his comments on autism have been taken out of context. (Video here.)

Leary’s new book, “Why We Suck,” includes a chapter called “Autism, Schmautism.” He says the chapter is a critique of parents who seek disability designations and special privileges for children who do not actually have autism.

Stewart, deadpan, thumbing through the book: “Most of this is gibberish, Denis.’

From the Boston Herald, an excerpt of Leary’s book includes the following:

“There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can’t compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don’t give a (expletive) what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.”

(Daily Show photo)

It’s the Lawrence Welk show all over again on Saturday Night Live (video here), but with a difference.

Kristin Wiig appears as a member of a singing group that looks a lot like the Lennon sisters, complete with big hair and voluminous chiffon skirts.

But when the camera comes in for a closeup, it reveals that Wiig’s “Judice” has physical deformities — an abnormally large forehead and tiny, doll-sized hands.

There’s also more than a suggestion of intellectual disabilities here. As her three sisters (led by Anne Hathaway) sing conventional lyrics about boyfriends and butterflies, Wiig’s character sings about chasing cars, eating a dead cat she found in the road, and finding love “with my by myself.”

Readers: Funny? Not funny?

(Photos from Saturday Night Live video)

From the [UK] Telegraph, Associated Press, Time Magazine, UK Times and elsewhere. Video from the [UK] Telegraph.

British comedian Russell Brand hosted the MTV Video Music Awards last night and received mixed reactions after encouraging the audience to vote for Barack Obama and calling President George Bush a “retarded cowboy.”

Here’s the exact quote, pulled from video of the broadcast (above):

“Some people, some people, I think they’re called racists, say America is not ready for a black president. But I know America to be a forward thinking country, right, because otherwise, you know, would you have let that retarded cowboy fella be president for eight years?”

The awards show had been hyped as a comeback appearance for Britney Spears, but the [UK] Times reported that she and Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus appeared “horrified” during Brand’s quip about Bush. Brand also joked about chastity vows taken by the Jonas Brothers, a hot young rock band.

Commenters to the MTV site criticized Brand’s insertion of political themes into an entertainment event, but few challenged his use of language. Comments can be seen here. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

See the original here.

Introducing “Tropic Thunder” are a series of comic shorts — a raunchy ad for a fictional drink called “Booty Sweat” and a couple of trailers for movies that don’t exist. Their purpose is to introduce the “Thunder” characters as actors by showing their previous work.

But something’s missing: the “Simple Jack” trailer.

In the screening I attended yesterday, there were trailers featuring Robert Downey Jr. as a gay monk, Jack Black playing several members of “America’s favorite obese family,” and Ben Stiller as an action hero who saved the world half a dozen times. But no Simple Jack.

Where’d he go?

The DreamWorks marketing site www.simplejackmovie, now taken down, referred to a trailer. The site featured lushly photographed footage of Stiller as Jack romping through fields of wheat hitting butterflies with a sledgehammer, and blowing the seeds off a dandelion. A woman’s voice was heard saying, “Chet, I’ll talk to any retard I like.” And an accompanying plot synopsis described the “Simple Jack” film this way: (Text from the now-removed DreamWorks marketing site)

Set in the depression era midwest, down on their luck farmers Chet Chetkinson and his wife Rebecca get dealt a winning hand when a traveling carnival leaves a “freak” behind.

The stitching on his shirt says “Simple Jack,” but Rebecca quickly learns that he is anything but simple when a ferocious junkyard dog lunges for her and Jack calms the growling beast with a few soft words and some hand gestures. Rebecca runs to tell Chet, who is hard pressed to believe her stories of an “idiot” that can “talk to animals.” Chet succumbs to Rebecca’s pleas, and they take Jack in.

Testing Jack’s “ability,” Chet makes him train and groom their wild, unbroken mustang, Nutmeg. Sure enough, after a few short weeks, Nutmeg is the pride of the Dust Bowl circuit. Things are looking up, but how will Chet deal with Rebecca’s growing platonic love for Jack?  Can he “simply” let it be?

Tugg Speedman stars in what one critic called “one of the most retarded performances in cinema history.”

All of this leads to the conclusion that there must have been a trailer.

Did the studio pull it? And if so, why?

Earlier post here: Disability rights group prepares for boycott, protests

A meeting yesterday between representatives of DreamWorks Pictures and those of national disability rights organizations ended on a positive note, with plans for advocates to screen “Tropic Thunder” and reconvene with studio executives by phone within the next few days.

“We all walked away feeling that it was a very productive meeting,” said Chip Sullivan, head of publicity for DreamWorks .

DreamWorks chief executive Stacey Snider was among those attending the meeting, which was convened in response to concerns from disability rights groups over the prominent use of the word “retard” in the film’s marketing materials and script. Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver also weighed in by telephone.

Participants reportedly discussed a wide range of possible actions that the studio might consider taking in response to those concerns, many of which were listed here.

Earlier this week, the studio pulled an elaborate marketing website called simplejackmovie.com, in what Variety described as a “preemptive” response to the criticism.

The R-rated film itself still reportedly includes many repetitions of the word “retard,” as well as a scene that ends with one actor character (Robert Downey Jr.) advising another (Ben Stiller) to “never go full retard.” Stiller’s character of Simple Jack in a movie within the movie (above, in a DreamWorks promotional image) was described in marketing materials as a “retard.”

Also earlier this week, national disability rights advocacy organization The Arc of the United States advised its state and chapter leaders to prepare for “massive” action, including boycotts and protests against the studio depending on the resolution of the dispute.

The film premieres next Monday, August 11, in Westwood, California, at the Village and Bruin theaters. Expected on the red carpet are actors Stiller, Downey, and Jack Black.

(DreamWorks promotional image)

More recent post here: Disability rights group prepares for boycott, protests

See also: Readers — What’s your opinion?

Chip Sullivan, head of publicity for DreamWorks Pictures, confirmed today that studio executives will meet next week with disability rights advocates to hear their concerns about the representation of a character with intellectual disabilities in the upcoming film “Tropic Thunder.” The exact date and time of the meeting have not yet been set.

Among the groups expected to send representatives to the meeting, he said, are the Special Olympics, The Arc of the United States, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, the National Down Syndrome Congress, the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, the Media Access Office of the state of California, and TASH.

Don’t miss earlier posts here, here and here.