October 4, 2012 4:55 pm

Episode Preview – Real Time with Bill Maher (Part 2) Sunday, 10-7-12 at 7:00 PM EST

If you’re a fan of feisty, never-shy-with-his-opinions Bill Maher, you might have thought the first part of Neil’s interview with him was… a little restrained. Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about with Part 2 of Real Time with Bill Maher, which will be posted this Sunday, October 7^th at 7:00 PM EST.

Bill is in fine form, proudly proclaiming to be “Pro-Death” and accusing the Tea Party of leading the Republican war on science. Throw in self-proclaimed “progressive lefty” co-host Dr. David Grinspoon and it’s no surprise that the conversation quickly turns to why the majority of scientists, academics, and comedians tend to be liberal.

What is a surprise is to hear “rabid leftist commentator” Bill Maher (Neil’s words, not mine!) actually say something nice about the Republican Party, and even more, that he really means it. (The fact that David Grinspoon agreed with Bill is just icing on the bipartisan cake!)

Having an astrophysicist host like Neil deGrasse Tyson and an astrobiologist co-host (Dr. Grinspoon holds the new Chair of Astrobiology at the Library of Congress) ensures that there will be plenty of discussion about scientific subjects like climate change and protecting Martian microbes from human contamination. But there’s also the usual suspects you’d expect from any interview with the host of Real Time with Bill Maher: legalizing marijuana, prostitution and gambling; the death penalty, abortion, and whether life is precious or just an impediment to rush hour on the freeway.

All in all, I loved this episode, and I think whatever side of the Bill Maher issue you come down on, you’ll find something to laugh at and even more to scream at.

That’s it for now. Enjoy the show this Sunday.

–Jeffrey Simons