'Best of TBH Politoons'
This Year's Nominations
The Skinnies 2005
Yes, it's that time of the year--the Skinnies Awards are now online at skinema.com
This year's honorees include Lindsay Lohan's freckles, Jamie Foxx' problem pores, and Nicole Kidman, who receives our first lifetime achievement award.
What skin secret do President Bush and Senator Kerry share?
The categories also feature beauty marks, broken noses, bald cartoon characters, male breasts, Botox backlash, and the vanishing face of movie albinism.
But Untrue
Strangely Believable
In his State of the Union address, President Bush stated that the single greatest cause of misery and poverty in the world is "the insatiable greed of obscenely wealthy patricians and the soulless power-mad politicians they own."
~Jeff Crook
Jeff Crook is the Ceci Connolly of the Left. ~ J. Howard Tuft
Strangely Believable but Untrue is now available online at the Untrue Fact of the Day web calendar. Help spread disinformation and misunderstanding by sharing this with your friends and enemies.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Robert Scheer: Now, U.S. Must Get Out of Iraq's Way (AlterNet)
More from Maher to his Big Gay Following (The Advocate)
David Kupfer: Terry Tempest Williams Interview (The Progressive)
Radioactivist: Betsy Rosenberg, green radio-show host, answers Grist's questions
Ecotalk on Air America
Envoronmental Working Group
Encyclopedia Mythica
Myth Quiz
Reader Correction
Re: Goldfinch
(Or 'Tit's Up')
Hi Marty
That is definitely not a European goldfinch -
this is:
Purple Gene Reviews
'Nevada'
Purple Genes' review of the movie "Nevada" (1997) Directed by Gary Tieche:
It's Wednesday night and I refuse to watch Our Lying Liar Leader give his "State of Dis- Union" Speech!!! I'd rather watch a movie about a mysterious woman wandering down a lonely desert highway wearing pumps and a pastel party dress…..water bottle in her hand and a shoulder bag marching down the road to NOWHERE….No actually she just reached a green sign that says "Silver City, Nevada….population 137 …on the weekends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're talking DESOLATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chrysty (Amy Brenneman "Pig in the Python" - "Heat" - "Fear" - "Judging Amy") just arrive at a mysterious and odd oasis of shacks, dripping spigots, dusty side streets and a BAR……she is on a mission to get somewhere…or maybe…to get away from somewhere! This town is just a pass through to her but….as she finishes washer face and keep on going…a little boy on a bike skids into her and screams for help…"It's my mom….there's blood" ! Well Chrysty gets let up a sand dune to a dilapidated sun porch where she finds June (Bridget Wilson "Saved by the Bell" - "Billy Madison" - "I Know What you Did Last Summer" - Mrs Pete Sampras") in a pool of blood about to give birth.
No phones, no husband around and no doctor….hhhmmmm how did this come to be? Well Chrysty delivers Junes' baby and then the movie goes SOUTH…..
Meet McGill….(Kirstey Alley "Cheers" - "Look Who's Talking" - "Fat Actress")…large woman with a Stetson and a shot gun and a deep loss from her past…..Meet Linny (Gabrielle Anwar "Scent of a Woman" - "The Ripper" - "For Love or Money")…She's losing her husband…..Meet Quinn (Saffron Burrows ("Miss Julie" - "Enigma" - "Frida") …She's losing her Mind….and Finally….meet Ruth (Kathy Nijimy "Sister Act" - "Hocus Pocus" - "Rat Race") and her Lesbian Bar keep partner Ruby (Dee Wallace Stone "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" "Critters" - "Alligator II - the Mutation") who are losing no sleep at all….Well this Chick Flick started to resemble the hill billy stepford wives….Where's all the men???? What is Chrysty running from ????
After an hour of the Women Whining, we find out that all the men of the town are gone working all week on a Damn project…leaving the women to themselves . We also find out that Chrysty has run away from her husband West (Angus Macfadyen "Two Golden Balls" - "The Rat Pack" - "Styx" - "The Cradle Will Rock") and her three kids…….But the BOYS are all coming back to town…including West and the Children……West is going to try to get Chrysty to come home…and the kids try too but Chrysty is a Naďve Hippie Chick and she needs to "Find herself" and "Do her thing" a little longer……So West and the kids go back home and Chrysty is gonna stay in NEVADA…a little longer!
Purple Gene gives "Nevada" 5 phony sunsets out of 10 for falling apart into babe blather and the stereotyping male maelstrom.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny & warm.
Went to watch the BBC news on KCET, as usual, tonight, but KCET was off the air.
It was a fairly major outage - got tired of checking after 20 minutes. The PBS station in the 2nd largest broadcasting market can't stay on the air?
West LA & Beverly Hills are under orders to boil all tap water because of contamination. It's even been recommended to use bottled water to brush your teeth.
I can remember when LA was a first world city. Sigh.
Adding Stations
Air America
Comedian and political provocateur Al Franken says the re-election of resident Bush was bad for the country but good for his fledgling liberal radio network, Air America, as it strives to rebound from a rocky start.
Much as conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh grew in popularity as he railed for eight years against Democrat Bill Clinton, Franken sees Bush as the perfect foil in his mission to amplify the voice of the political left on daytime talk radio.
With a new team of executives in charge and investors committing additional capital, Air America President Jon Sinton predicted the network could reach profitability by year's end.
"We are as far as I can determine the fastest-growing network in the history of this industry," Sinton said, adding that its cumulative national audience ranges from 2.5 million to 3 million listeners per week.
Ironically, some of the network's biggest successes have come on stations owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc. , the media giant seen by liberals as a tool of the right and whose subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks, syndicates Limbaugh's show.
Air America
As of yesterday, Air America is finally in LA(!) - 1150am - KTLK
Reporters' Notes to Be Displayed
Watergate
While the identity of "Deep Throat" is still a well-guarded secret, the first installment of notes and quotes scribbled by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein while covering the Watergate scandal are now available to the public.
"We told the story from our perspective as well as we could. Other people should have a look at the stuff," Bernstein said Thursday at the University of Texas' Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, which purchased the materials for $5 million in 2003.
Under a deal with the reporters, the Ransom Center is responsible for cataloguing and preparing the documents for public release. They will be made public for the first time Friday.
Watergate
Kids Need More Commercials!
FCC
Advertisers are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider rules that would cut down the number of commercial minutes allowed on TV broadcasts aimed at children.
In September, the agency adopted rules counting in-house promotions against limits on the amount of advertising on children's programing. The decision effectively reduces the 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12 minutes per hour weekdays that advertisers can use to hawk their products to kids. The rules also restrict the display of commercial Web site addresses during children's TV programing.
"The new FCC rules would impose a dramatic new squeeze on the amount of advertising time available during children's programing," said Dan Jaffe, executive vp at the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). "They would also place premature, speculative and unreasonable barriers on the interaction between TV and the Internet."
Joining the ANA in asking the FCC to reconsider the rules were the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Advertising Federation.
FCC
Yeah, there are way too few commercials on kid's TV. Not that anybody notices most kid's programs are usually nothing but a giant commercial. And, let us not dwell on the astounding variety of quality children's programs that are cluttering up the airwaves....Yes, kids need MORE commercials! We all do! < /sarcasm>
Activist Hospitalized
Doris 'Granny D' Haddock
Doris "Granny D" Haddock, who ran for the U.S. Senate last year and gained national attention by walking across the country to promote campaign finance reform, underwent surgery on her windpipe Thursday.
"She is strong and a full recovery is expected, but the long-term prospects of whether she would regain use of her well-known voice is uncertain," said family spokesman Dennis Burke.
The 95-year-old Democrat used her well-known New England-tinged voice last year to run against Republican Sen. Judd Gregg, who won 66 percent to 34 percent.
The great-grandmother of 16 also once walked 3,200 miles from California to Washington, D.C., in support of campaign finance reform.
Doris 'Granny D' Haddock
Wins Glenn Gould Prize
Andre Previn
Citing his "incredible versatility," a jury selected conductor, composer and pianist Andre Previn as the latest recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize on Thursday.
His posts have included conducting the Los Angeles Philarmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Vienna Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. He also has a longstanding history with jazz, having performed and recorded with the late Ray Brown.
Initiated in 1987, the Glenn Gould Prize is awarded every three years by a foundation named for the late pianist. A jury selects a living international luminary who it deems has made an exceptional contribution to the field of music.
Previn will receive a $50,000 cash prize. He'll also gets to name a protege. That honour comes with a $10,000 reward.
Andre Previn
To Appear On Missy Elliott Show
Madonna
Madonna will be making an appearance on the reality show the Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott February 16 on UPN. In the episode, the final five performers take a private jet to Los Angeles, where they move into a mansion and later are surprised when Madonna drops by for a visit. The diva takes time from her busy concert tour schedule to meet with them and share some valuable advice on the music business.
Madonna
Visited Disney World
Hugh Hefner
At first, the contrast was laughable: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, accompanied by a bevy of bunnies, visiting Walt Disney World. But Thursday afternoon, it was one American icon paying homage to another - Walt Disney.
The 78-year-old Hefner and his entourage - in Florida for Playboy's famed Super Bowl party the night before Sunday's game - said he and Disney have a lot in common. Both were Midwesterners who began their careers as cartoonists before founding their companies.
Hefner, accompanied by four blonde girlfriends, said he had another purpose for his visit to the park. It was a belated birthday gift to one of his companions, Holly Madison, who sported a small Mickey doll on her hip.
"All the girls are Disney fans," Hefner said. "But Holly is obsessed."
Hugh Hefner
Donates $1M to Charity
Dave Matthews
The $1 million that the Dave Matthews Band raised during a charity concert at Golden Gate Park will go toward a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses, building a playground at a San Francisco public housing project and the city's programs for the homeless.
The Sept. 12 concert was free, but the 60,000 fans who jammed the park were encouraged to make voluntary donations. Concession sales and VIP tickets provided more of the money that was distributed this week by the Charlottesville, Va.-based band.
Some $250,000 will be used to replace the run-down playground at the Sunnydale housing project, while $500,000 has been earmarked for homeless programs, Mayor Gavin Newsom said.
Dave Matthews
Wrong About Macbeth
Shakespeare
Macbeth was not the ambitious, cold-blooded murderer Shakespeare described in his play but a popular king who ruled over a peaceful land, a group of Scottish parliamentarians said Thursday.
They want to restore the reputation of the 11th century king of Scotland, who has been stained with villainy ever since Shakespeare's play was first performed 400 years ago.
"He (Macbeth) was perceived as a good king who stabilized the country and has since been maligned by Shakespeare's play," said Scottish Member of Parliament, Alex Johnstone.
He says Shakespeare wrote the play to appeal to the superstitious Scottish king James VI, who had just succeeded to the English throne.
Superstition still surrounds the work. Actors refer to it only as "the Scottish play," fearing bad luck if they call it by its real name.
Shakespeare
Releases First Video Game
Playboy
Wannabes finally have a chance to digitally mingle with celebrities and sexpots at the most infamous house in North America thanks to the release of Playboy's first video game, "Playboy: The Mansion."
In "The Sims"-like game, which hit stores Jan. 25, players don the pajamas of Playboy impresario Hugh Hefner and are tasked with building the Playboy empire by developing contacts, keeping the bunnies happy, furnishing the mansion and, of course, throwing lavish parties.
There's a whole cast of phony, made-for-the-game VIPs. But after players invest some time and energy in building a social circle, they'll discover dozens of real-life stars such as Carmen Electra, Tom Arnold, David Copperfield, Jose Canseco and about 140 Playboy playmates from the 1960s to the present.
Playboy
Sends Pinot Noir Sales Soaring
'Sideways'
The pinot noir repartee between Paul Giamatti's and Virginia Madsen's characters in the movie "Sideways" has helped spur dizzying sales of the red wine during a lingering U.S. glut, wine experts say.
U.S. consumers are salivating over the scene in which Giamatti's "Miles," a neurotic, failing author, evangelizes pinot's subtle delicacy to Madsen's "Maya" in an attempt to wow her with his wine knowledge.
As the Oscar-nominated film generated a buzz through the holidays, U.S. consumers bought 22 percent more pinot noir in the four weeks ending Jan. 15 than the year before, ACNielsen data show. The big winner is Constellation Brands Inc.'s Blackstone Pinot Noir from California, with year-over-year sales jumping 147 percent in the 12 weeks after the film hit theaters on Oct. 22.
'Sideways'
In Memory
John Vernon
John Vernon, a stage-trained character actor who played cunning villains in film and TV and made his comedy mark as Dean Wormer in "National Lampoon's Animal House," has died. He was 72.
Vernon died at home in his sleep Tuesday following complications from Jan. 16 heart surgery, his daughter, Kate Vernon, said Thursday.
Movie fans may know him best for his role in "Animal House" as Dean Wormer, who is bent on expelling the hard-partying Delta fraternity house. The movie, starring John Belushi and Tim Matheson, is one of the most popular comedies ever made.
Born in 1932 in Montreal, Vernon studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He did repertory work in England and was heard off-screen as the voice of Big Brother in the 1956 film "1984."
He returned to Canada to appear on stage and on television, including the starring role in the 1960s drama "Wojeck," in which he played a coroner.
After appearing on Broadway in "Royal Hunt of the Sun" he became a steady player in U.S. films, making his debut in director John Boorman's "Point Blank" (1967) as a turncoat tossed to his death by Lee Marvin.
Vernon went on to work with other celebrated filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock ("Topaz," 1969); Don Siegel ("Dirty Harry," 1971), and Clint Eastwood ("The Outlaw Josey Wales," 1976).
He reprised his role in "National Lampoon's Animal House" in the TV spinoff "Delta House" (1979). Other comedy roles followed, including the part of Mr. Big in the film "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" in 1988.
Vernon appeared in a DVD edition of "Animal House" as part of a satiric update on the characters. Wormer was portrayed as a curmudgeonly old man in a wheelchair.
John Vernon
