Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Rachel Maddow: Health Reform is Going to Pass (8-minute video; msnbc.msn.com)
Andrew Tobias writes: "I don't get it," she says. "Do they think they're so respected, so mainstream, that no one's going to fact check them?" She cites an Orrin Hatch op-ed in the 'Washington Post' "that has so many blatant outright laugh-out-loud falsehoods in it, that ..."
Garrison Keillor: An Early Whiff of Spring (Tribune Media Services)
We have a good guy in the White House, a smart man of judicious temperament and profound ideals, a man with a sweet private life, a man of dignity and good humor, whose enemies, waving their hairy arms and legs, woofing, yelling absurdities, only make him look taller.
Jonathan Jones: "Spencer Tunick: The shock of the nude" (guardian.co.uk)
For decades Spencer Tunick has been photographing mass nudes in various locations. And the pictures are as gripping as ever.
"The Unfinished Revolution: How a New Generation Is Reshaping Family, Work, and Gender in America" by Kathleen Gerson: A review by Ronnie Steinberg
Some half a century after Father Knows Best and I Love Lucy modeled traditional father-headed family life for the nation, Kathleen Gerson's Unfinished Revolution analyzes how today's ordinary women and men, ages 18 to 32, think about the kinds of families they came from and the kinds they expect to launch.
Michael Agger: The Best Microbrewer of Bitterness (slate.com)
Sam Lipsyte, the Wodehouse of our meritocratic world.
"Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker" by James McManus: A review by Aaron Mesh
Not long after graduating from college, I, like millions of other enthusiasts infected by the millennial poker craze, developed a slightly unhealthy interest in no-limit Texas hold 'em.
20 Questions: Holopaw (popmatters.com)
Holopaw's axe master Patrick Quinney reveals a secret love of Twin Peaks, a deep knowledge of all things Craig Biggio, and the 7" he'd love to argue with you about.
Jessica Cassyle Carr: The Spirit of the Boogie (alibi.com)
An interview with Kool of Kool & the Gang.
Richie Whitt: Dallas Cowboys Lineman Tries To Cast His Huge Shadow On The Music Industry (Dallas Observer)
At 6 feet 6 inches, 365 pounds and one of the strongest dudes to ever play in the National Football League, Dallas Cowboys' Pro Bowl offensive lineman Leonard "Bigg" Davis could crush me with his thumb. Instead, he's going to play me a lullaby.
Tom Danehy: When it comes to the Oscars, Tom is on team 'Hurt Locker' (tucsonweekly.com)
It's Oscar time, and you know what that means! OK, I don't know what that means, either, but I might actually tune in to the last 15 minutes, just to see if the gutless wonders who run Hollywood will reward The Hurt Locker and leave James Cameron to cry in his billion-dollar box-office take from Avatar.
Mo'Nique just won't play the Oscars game (guardian.co.uk)
Oscar hopeful Mo'Nique has her own ideas on how to handle the awards season - and good luck to her, says Kira Cochrane.
Maureen Ryan: Roger Ebert debuts his new voice on 'Oprah' (Chicago Tribune)
Four years ago, one of the most famous voices in the entertainment industry was silenced. On Tuesday's "Oprah Winfrey Show," film critic Roger Ebert's voice was finally heard...
David Bruce: Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice": A Discussion Guide (lulu.com)
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5 March, 1982
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The '1st Ever BadtotheboneBob Oscar Award Contest' Edition...
With a Prize! That's right, Poll-fans! A Prize! You like prizes, dontcha? I know I do!
I emptied my little change jar and I came up with $27.54 that I will gladly, gladly I say, donate to yer favorite charity. If that's you, OK, that's cool. If it's Marty and the page, so much the better, eh? All ya gotta do is correctly pick the winners of these Oscar categories... The closest one wins The Prize!... Ready? Set... Go !!!
Best Picture
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Directing
List of nominees
Oscar night is Sunday, March 7th. Cut off for entries will be 8PM EST Saturday March 6th and will be posted Sunday morning. The winner will be officially announced Tuesday, March 9th, along with a new question.
Oh, ties will be resolved in a scientific manner involving my toddler grand-daughter, 'Maddie Muffin' and will be explained with the posted predictions... Good Luck!
Send your response to
Here's BadtotheboneBob's list of nominees
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny but cool afternoon.
Ad Tops TiVo Viewing List
"Up in the Air"
If there were an Oscar for the best TV commercial for a best picture nominee, it would go to "Up in the Air." And it wouldn't even be close.
That's one conclusion you could draw from an effort by TiVo to figure out which movie ads are watched and which are skipped. For "Air," 83% of those who could have easily fast-forwarded through the ad chose instead to watch it.
TiVo studied the TV ads for all 10 best picture nominees going back six months, and then broke down the results into a dozen categories.
"Air" scored highest in 11 of them, losing to "Up" only in the category of cable TV in households with children ages 2-5. It's in the overall broadcast category that "Air" scored an 83% success rate. A distant second was "The Blind Side," whose commercials were watched 55% of the time.
"Up in the Air"
Woman With An Opinion
Sinead O'Connor
Irish singer Sinead O'Connor condemned as "evil" Thursday a bishop's call for parishioners to help pay compensation for victims of clerical sex abuse in Ireland.
Bishop Denis Brennan appealed for financial help this week saying settlements of 48 cases so far have cost 10.2 million euros (13.8 million dollars) and 13 legal actions are still pending.
"If Christ was here, he would be burning down the Vatican. And I for one would be helping him," the controversial singer said in a letter to Irish newspapers.
"How an organisation which has acted, decade after decade, only to protect its business interests above the interests of children can feel it has the right to dictate to us what Christians should do is beyond belief," she said.
Sinead O'Connor
Greedy For Swag
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) showed up at a celebrity gift suite with two daughters, her brother and a small entourage in tow and loaded up with free promotional cosmetic and fashion items being given away in connection with Oscar-week festivities.
Lorna Khoo of Cardstore.com and various other vendors exhibiting their wares at the Silver Spoon gift suite said the former vice presidential candidate visited the suite on Wednesday morning and snapped up organic soaps from Wembe, personalized stationery from Cardstore.com, leopard-print wedge sandals from Bandals, and a slinky robe from Jenna Leigh lingerie.
The 46-year-old politician, who was in town to perform a standup routine on Jay Leno's "Tonight" show, also picked up under-eye cream and a deep moisturizer from Bloom cosmetics, according to those present.
Gift suites spring up all over town during Hollywood's awards season, offering free merchandise to any celebrities who happen to drop by in exchange for the promotional value their star power brings.
Sarah Palin
Leaked Documents Reveal
GOP Plan
National GOP leaders are doing damage control after a Politico scoop lifted the curtain on the party's plan to tap voters' "fear" in the coming campaign season. The PR problem started when an absent-minded attendee at the Republican National Committee (RNC) confab on February 18 in Boca Grande, Florida, left a 72-page document from its 2010 strategizing session in a hotel room..
The presentation portrays the Obama administration as "The Evil Empire," including the now-infamous image of President Obama made over in the makeup Heath Ledger used in his performance as the Joker in the 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears as Cruella De Vil from "101 Dalmatians," and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is the witless cartoon dog Scooby-Doo. The memo candidly confirms that the aim of such caricature is to amp up "fear" among the GOP's conservative base. The memo also makes fun of major RNC donors, categorizing some as "ego-driven" and easily pacified with "tchochkes" (a Slavic word for toys).
The embrace of harsh rhetoric and the swipes at the large donor set seem to signal the GOP establishment's growing comfort with employing tactics associated with the activist Tea Party movement-and with plying Tea Party sympathizers for cash. Of course, it isn't unusual for parties out of power to court controversy and play with fire to rile up donors and grass-roots activists. The RNC has caught heat for fundraising tactics in the past, most recently when it was caught sending out fake census forms to raise money.
GOP Plan
Series In The Works
"Tron"
Disney Channel is developing a "Tron" animated series to follow the upcoming theatrical release of "Tron: Legacy."
The news was part of Disney's "upfront" presentation to media buyers and clients, which included a preview of the "Tron" series. Geared toward kids age 6-14, the plan is to precede "Tron" with another project, a 10-part "Tron" micro-series premiering in fall 2011 on Disney XD, its cable channel targeted at young boys.
Gary Marsh, entertainment president and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide, also offered a glimpse of "Legacy," which is at such an early juncture in the development process that only stills were available.
The "Tron" projects represent a CGI-refresh of Disney's 1982 theatrical, with "Legacy" expected to be released in December.
"Tron"
Gender-Neutral National Anthem
Canada
"O Canada," the country's national anthem, has included the line, "True patriot love in all thy sons' command," for nearly 100 years.
As part of a policy speech unveiled on Wednesday, the minority Conservative government said it would ask Parliament to look at the original lyrics to the anthem.
Michael Ignatieff, leader of the opposition Liberal party, said if the government was serious about boosting women's rights it could have done something more substantive.
One of the first things the Conservatives did after winning power in January 2006 was to cancel a deal the Liberals had struck to provide a national child-care system.
Canada
Swedish Rapper Gets 15-To-Life
David Moses Jassy
A Swedish hip-hop artist who ran down and killed a man at a Hollywood crosswalk has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
David Moses Jassy, who also uses the name Dave Monopoly, was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and other crimes.
Prosecutors say the 35-year-old rapper killed John Osnes in November 2008 after the pedestrian activist banged on the hood of his rented SUV when it stopped in a crosswalk.
Authorities say the rapper punched the 55-year-old Osnes in the face, kicked him in the head and ran him over him as he drove away.
Jassy testified that he never intended to hurt Osnes.
David Moses Jassy
$5 Million Judgment Reversed
Clive Cussler
A California appeals court has overturned a $5 million judgment against author Clive Cussler in a long-running lawsuit over the film "Sahara."
The ruling Wednesday by the California Second District Court of Appeal could restart the legal feud between Cussler and Crusader Entertainment that started in 2004.
In 2007, the best-selling author was ordered to pay the $5 million to Crusader, owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz, as the result of a contract dispute involving the film adaptation of "Sahara."
A pending determination by a Superior Court judge about who actually won the lengthy case will determine if either side can recoup its legal costs.
Clive Cussler
Gospel Accordng To Ponzi
Michael Winans Jr.
Michigan regulators say a member of the Winans gospel-music family led a fraudulent, multimillion-dollar investment program by promoting bogus Saudi Arabia oil bonds.
The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation issued a cease-and-desist order Thursday, although Commissioner Ken Ross says the alleged scheme probably stopped at the end of 2008.
Ross says Michael Winans Jr. told investors they could double their money in 60 days and police identified at least 180 investors.
Ross says the scheme was worth at least $2.6 million but could've been as high as $11 million. He says Winans used connections in churches to get investors.
Michael Winans Jr.
Court Orders Retrial
Egypt
An Egyptian appeals court on Thursday overturned the convictions of a leading ruling party member and a former policeman sentenced to death for the murder of a Lebanese pop diva.
The cassation court ordered a retrial for ruling party member Hisham Talaat Mustafa and Mohsen al-Sukkari, the ex-policeman, who had both been convicted by a lower court last May of singer Suzanne Tamim's murder and sentenced to hang.
Mustafa, a real estate magnate, was accused of paying Sukkari two million dollars to cut the throat of his one-time lover in July 2008 in a luxury Dubai apartment which she had bought months before the murder.
The case with its mix of wealth, show business and politics has gripped Egypt, where powerful businessmen are rarely seen to face justice.
Egypt
Victim Apologizes
Naomi Campbell
The driver who accused supermodel Naomi Campbell of assaulting him said Thursday through his lawyer that he "got angry and overreacted" and regrets involving the police.
Miodrag Mejdina told police Tuesday that Campbell hit him from behind and his head struck the steering wheel of the car, causing bruising under his right eye. He pulled over in midtown Manhattan and got out to speak to a traffic agent, who alerted police. Campbell was not at the scene when officers arrived, police said.
Police consulted with the Manhattan district attorney's office and issued a harassment report, which doesn't carry any penalty, because no officer witnessed what took place between the driver and Campbell. The 27-year-old Mejdina decided not to press charges.
Campbell, whose feisty temper has led to previous legal troubles, issued a statement saying she was pleased that Mejdina had apologized and that she wanted to move on.
Naomi Campbell
Keeps Gum Ban
Singapore
Singapore said it will maintain a ban on chewing gum sales, a policy that has helped shape the city-state's international image as a tightly controlled, squeaky-clean island.
The ban, first imposed in 1992, is necessary to reduce gum-related litter and vandalism, Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, parliamentary secretary of the national development ministry, told lawmakers Thursday.
Singapore has sought in recent years to cultivate a more cosmopolitan, more hip image in a bid to attract foreign investment and tourists. The nation of 5 million residents opened its first casino last month and began hosting Formula One races in 2008.
But the country maintains strict laws against public demonstrations and speech about religion and race. Punishment for minor crimes such as vandalism can include canings, and drug smugglers are often hanged.
Singapore
Found Again After 30 Years
'Extinct' Frog
A species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been found in rural Australian farmland, officials said Thursday.
The rediscovery of the yellow-spotted bell frog is a reminder of the need to protect natural habitats so "future generations can enjoy the noise and color of our native animals," said Frank Sartor, minister for environment and climate change.
A fisheries conservation officer stumbled across one of the frogs in October 2008 while researching an endangered fish species in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales state.
He returned in the same season in 2009 with experts who confirmed it was a colony of around 100 yellow-spotted bell frogs.
'Extinct' Frog
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