Legally Insane - The Law is Funny

Latest Episodes:

Jussie Smollett Walks - Proving Celebrities are Above the Law– Ep 76 Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

Jussie Smollett recently had the 16 felony counts filed against him dropped. He walks with a $10,000 fine and some community service hours. None of this will appear on Smollett's record. There's mixed signals from Americans, some in support of Jussie, some outraged at the slap on the wrist he got. The verdict is controversial to say the least and you shouldn't be surprised if Jussie Smollett stays under scrutiny for a while. In this episode, Matt and Tony discuss the verdict and how fishy it seems. There's likely some collusion going on between Chicago government officials.

Highlights:

Pencil Neck Schiff
Smollett Walks Free
Obama aid collusion
Celebrity Privilege
Societal impact of falsifying hate crimes
Trump threatening Civil Suit

The Takeaway – Celebrities typically get away with crimes.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://www.ticketweb.com/event/legally-insane-matt-ritter-tony-hollywood-improv-the-lab-tickets/9194745?pl=hollyimprov&REFID=hollywoodWP&_ga=2.198349231.1879088864.1553536445-791494887.1553536445

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Bid For The White House – Ep 75 Mar 25, 2019

Show notes

Pete Buttigieg, a naval reservist, Afghanistan War Veteran and current Mayor of South Bend Indiana is running for President in 2020. While certainly an accomplished individual and someone who definitely has presidential qualities, Buttgieg is unlikely make it past the primaries. He's 37 years old, openly gay and far left leaning. While America could be ready for an openly gay president, he's still very young and in a lot of people's minds he doesn't have the life experience needed to make extremely tough decisions for the country. Otherwise, he's a picture perfect Harvard Graduate. Today, Matt and Tony discuss Buttigieg and whether or not they think he has a shot at President.

Highlights:

Scotch Eggs on a first date
The first, first man in the White House
2017 Loss for the DNC Chair
15 Supreme Court members
Is the country ready for a gay president?
Claiming to speak 7 languages
Being president in your 30's

The Takeaway – While a true scholar and accomplished individual, Buttgieg is a huge long shot.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://www.ticketweb.com/event/legally-insane-matt-ritter-tony-hollywood-improv-the-lab-tickets/9194745?pl=hollyimprov&REFID=hollywoodWP&_ga=2.198349231.1879088864.1553536445-791494887.1553536445

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

http://mattrittercomedy.com/

Operation Varsity Blues - Is San Diego worth $500k and Jail? – Ep 74 Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode the guys are covering the largest college cheating scandal ever. 33 wealthy parents, 9 coaches and 2 exam administrators colluded to admit a group of wealthy parents' kids into some of the nations top colleges. These kids were low performers academically and otherwise wouldn't have had a chance getting into these colleges. Matt and Tony examine the ethics behind what these parents did and the potential jail time that the parties involved are facing.

Highlights:

[02:48] – The Kushner Way
[07:55] – The Side Door
[09:34] – Posing as athletes
[12:55] – The celebrities that paid for their kids to get into college
[16:47] – Operation Varsity Blues
[22:32] – Honest Fraud Services
[31:12] – Kids for cash

The Takeaway – Don't try to buy your way into high society

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Are you Feeling the Bern - Examining The 2020 Frontrunner Bernie Sanders – Ep 73 Mar 06, 2019

Show notes

In today's episode the guys are examining Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential bid. Bernie has long been a favorite for young progressives in this country and might have a solid chance at solidifying the democratic nomination for the 2020 election. Though a little bit outrageous and easy to make fun of, Bernie has championed a lot of good causes throughout his career in politics. In this episode the guys are diving into some of Bernie's history, before politics and during his time as mayor and a senator.

Highlights:

[04:40] – Feeling the Bern
[07:24] – Honeymoon in Russia
[09:40] – Bernie's folk album and how he was desperate for fame
[13:13] – Willis Wagons
[18:00] – Bernie's Resume
[24:48] – Gun manufacturers immunity from class action suits
[27:30] – Bernie Sanders ice cream
[32:32] – King Of the Amendments

The Takeaway – Whether or not you like Bernie he has always fought for the underdog.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003445/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

The Smollett Hoax - America's Long History of Hate Crimes and Fake Hate Crimes - Ep 72 Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

The guys are back this week and they're talking about the Jussie Smollett case. If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, Jussie, an actor on the popular show Empire, allegedly faked an assault/hate crime against him because he is unhappy with his Empire salary of $65,000 an episode. In this episode Matt and Tony give their opinion on the story and discuss some of the loopholes in Smollett's testimony. Meanwhile, Empire has removed Jussie's character from the last two remaining episodes of this season.

Highlights:

[01:54] – Requirements to run for president
[04:48] – The Smollett Case
[10:52] – Awful execution of the attack
[13:15] – The first big race crime hoax in the USA in 1863
[13:45] – Miscegenation
[21:00] – Jessie Anderson's stabbing crime in 1992
[26:42] – Morton Downey Jr.

The Takeaway – If you're going to fake a crime, be smarter about it

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003445/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Can Beto O'Rourke Skateboard his way to the White House? - Ep 71 Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

Aaron Karo joins the guys on the podcast today. Aaron is a long time friend of Matt and he's here to give his opinions about potential presidential candidate Beto O' Rourke. The guys discuss whether or not Beto would be a good candidate while also brining up some of the skeletons in his closet. They also jump into a segment about the history of presidential drinking in our country. Turns out alcoholism and presidency go hand in hand.

Highlights:

[03:33] – Superfan question
[05:41] – Examining contenders or pretenders
[07:18] – Being aggressive in El Paso
[11:20] – Beto's skeletons
[19:32] – The history of Presidential drinking
[27:21] – Teddy Kennedy's drunk driving
[37:40] – Beto's voting record

The Takeaway – As a public figure it's best to come out and tell the truth about your past mistakes and run ins with the law.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003445/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Jeff Bezos vs. The Enquirer - The History of BlackMail- Ep 70 Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Nobodies' personal selfies are safe. Recently, the National Enquirer has threatened to leak nude photos of Jeff Bezos. Their tactic appears to have backfired as Bezos decided instead accuse the enquirer of trying to blackmail him. He paid for investigations to determine how his selfie fell into the hands of the tabloids. In this episode Matt and Tony cover the story and jump into a little bit of the history of blackmail and extortion.

Highlights:

[02:30] – Bezos dick pics
[04:35] – Bezos accuses the enquirer of blackmail
[06:18] – Blackmail in the bible
[08:49] – The first political sex scandal in the USA
[11:34] – Catch and Kill
[19:04] – Extortion for a public statement
[24:09] – Jeff BOZO

The Takeaway – Extortion doesn't have to be for money. It's illegal when its used for something of "value".

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003445/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

The Fyre Festival Fraud - Explaining False Advertising to Ja Rule - Ep 69 Feb 06, 2019

Show notes

On the heels of the Fyre Festival documentaries, Matt and Tony dive into the history of scams and "false advertising". They then transition into some interesting tidbits about current lawsuits directed toward the Fyre Festival and Billy McFarland. Stay tuned to find out the guys' opinions on Ja Rule, the Fyre Festival production staff and Fuck Jerry.

Highlights:

[07:28] – Samuel Hopkins Adams
[09:58] – Before 1958 you could pretty much say anything in advertisements
[11:55] – Fatty Arbuckle, the first endorser of cigarettes
[20:03] – The Cigarette Labeling Act
[21:46] – The Listerine lawsuit
[27:48] – 2009 - Bloggers must site who they're getting paid from
[30:54] – Herbalife's 220 million dollar law suit
[32:22] – Two Fyre Festival attendee's awarded 5 million dollars each
[34:50] – Ja Rule's involvement in Fyre Festival
[37:54] – Puffery

The Takeaway – Influencers and advertisers must be held accountable for their false claims.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003415/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Calexit - Ep 68 Jan 31, 2019

Show notes

Today's episode is about the Calexit movement. Calexit is the term used to describe breaking California up into different sections based on geography. While not a new movement, the idea of isolation has gotten stronger because of Trumps presidency. Some people supporting the movement want California to become it's own country, while others want to split it in half or even thirds. While CA does have the 5th largest economy in the world and a liberal free spirited attitude, splitting off from the US or getting chopped up into different states is not that simple. In this episode Matt and Tony discuss the movement, it's possibly outcomes and the legalities behind splitting up The Golden State.

Highlights:

[02:58] – Brexit but for California
[04:44] – 220 official proposals to divide CA
[07:23] – The compromise of 1850
[08:20] – Shasta, not the soda
[08:45] – Pushing out Al Franken
[10:30] – A three way split proposal in 1992
[14:45] – The worlds largest economies
[15:10] – Cascadia
[17:05] – Would have to amend the constitution

The Takeaway – Although it's possible to break up CA, it's unlikely and would take major adjustments to the constitution.

Hollywood Improv Ticket Link:

https://improv.com/hollywood/event/legally+insane+with+matt+ritter+and+tony+sam%21/9003415/

Twitter:

@mattritter1

@toekneesam

Website:

www.cascademedia.com

Kirsten Gillibrand Announces Her 2020 Presidential Bid - Ep 67 Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

On the heels of last weeks episode highlighting Kamala's Harris's presidential bid announcement, the guys decide to focus on another strong female candidate whose running in 2020, Kirsten Gillibrand. Kristen started her career in big law as a defense attorney for the cigarette giant Philip Morris. After her career in law she was eventually appointed as a Senator of New York. In this episode Matt and Tony break down her career moves, her ever changing political ideology and how she's a strong candidate for 2020.

Highlights: