'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
He's Been Busy - Again!
The Worried Shrimp
an old toon reworked...
Here is a funny website:
from Alvin
FRIED FREEDOM
MIDI
FREEDOM FRIES
{Sung to 'Lost In Your Eyes' by Debbie Gibson}
{As Sung By pResident Bush}
From French to Freedom fries
Feeling patriotic inside
In the right frame of mind
Going to war without UN approval
Sliced into thin strips
Lunch time blow against the French
A delectable treat
Sometimes greasy, sometimes limp
I've got no patience to wait another month
Drop the mother of all bombs
We must show Jacques Chirac and his gang
As we stick it to Saddam
Veto threats by the French
Putin is acting strange
Worked the phones for votes
Tried to get crucial support
Seems I can't have my way
U.S. will accept delay
Chilling at the ranch
Enjoying my freedom fries
I've got no patience to wait another month
Drop the mother of all bombs
We must show Jacques Chirac and his gang
As we stick it to Saddam
Seems I can't have my way
U.S. will accept delay
Chilling at the ranch
Enjoying my ~ freedom fries!...
alvindover@hotmail.com (-.-)
Thanks, Alvin!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cloudy morning, sunny afternoon.
Running late again tonight. One of those evenings where running away from home sounded better than it should. ; ).
Tonight, Friday, CBS opens the evening with a FRESH 'Star Search', followed by a FRESH
'Hack', and then '48 Hours'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave, with guest host Megan Mullally, are Molly Shannon and Bonnie MacFarlane.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers is TBA.
NBC starts with a FRESH 'Mr. Sterling', followed by the Season Finale of 'Mr. Sterling', and then a
FRESH 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Ashton Kutcher and Simple Plan.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Horatio Sanz and the Ataris.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Mena Suvari, Russell Simmons & poets from The Def Poetry Jam, Russ Meneve, and Breaking Benjamin.
ABC pisses away 2 hours with 2 RERUN 'America's Funniest Home Videos', and then '20/20'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are R. Lee Ermey and Brooke Burke, with this week's guest host Jeff Ross.
The WB offers a RERUN 'What I Like About You', followed by a RERUN 'Sabrina', then a
FRESH 'Reba', followed by a FRESH 'Grounded For Life'.
Faux has a FRESH 'Fastlane', and then a FRESH 'John Doe'.
UPN has the movie 'STrictly Business'.
Check local PBS listings for 'NOW With Bill Moyers'. The show is on at 10:30pm in LA on KCET, which is better than last week, when the 'liberals' that run KCET pre-empted
the program altogether.
HBO has 'Real Time With Bill Maher'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Visitors Nam Hee Kim, left, and her mother Jae Lee, right, originally from Korea, walk on a path through a field of flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, Thursday, March, 13, 2003, in Lancaster, Calif. Wildflowers are blooming in much of Southern California after several dry and dusty months made last flower season one of the most colorless in memory.
Photo by Damian Dovarganes
Music Is Means to Push Politics
Clash
The Clash believes powerful messages are best delivered in a musical form.
Bassist Paul Simonon says it worked to their advantage to have a heavy message with a catchy tune. "Once you get a great tune playing in a disco or pub, the idea of people going home saying, 'Wow! That was a great tune. What was it about?' is powerful," he told AP Radio.
Simonon says that kind of communication still works, as heard in classics like "London Calling" and "Rock the Casbah."
Guitarist Mick Jones says they've all taken great solace in music in times of hardship. Jones believes no matter what's going on in the world, music makes it better.
Clash
Guest Narrator for Arkansas Symphony
Bill Clinton
Having established a role as a television commentator, former President Bill Clinton has found another show business front to conquer -- he will be a guest narrator for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Clinton will read from the speeches of a presidential predecessor, Abraham Lincoln, as part of the symphony's March 25 performance of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait."
In his debut performance with the symphony in Little Rock, Clinton will also read from the "I Have a Dream" speech of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the orchestra's performance of Alexander Miller's "Let Freedom Ring."
The one-night-only performance will benefit the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation.
Bill Clinton
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Cool Auction
Sid & Marty Krofft
Kids' TV legends Sid & Marty Krofft are cleaning out their closets.
This Sunday (Mar. 16), the "H.R. Pufnstuf" creators will sell around 150 puppets, drawings and other memorabilia from their warehouse -- which contains a thousand items, according to Marty.
He says the auction -- taking place at eBay and in Los Angeles at Bonhams & Butterfields -- came about because fans keep asking how they can buy memorabilia from shows like "Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos" and "Lidsville."
Included in the sale are illustrations from all those shows, as well as puppets in the likeness of Cher, Michael Jackson and Oprah from the 1980s satire "D.C. Follies."
Sid & Marty Krofft
Giant panda Gao Gao, from the People's Republic of China, makes his first public debut at the San Diego Zoo on March 13, 2003. Gao Gao replaced aging male giant panda Shi Shi, who was recently returned to China.
Photo by Fred Greaves
He Is NOT From Texas - He's From Connecticut
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are stirring up controversy with a recent negative comment about resident Bush while overseas promoting their current album, Home.
The trio performed a live show in London on Monday (March 10th) night, and Natalie Maines told the crowd, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the resident of the United States is from Texas."
That statement prompted all kinds of reactions from the American public, causing the group to further explain their stance on their official website. "We've been overseas for several weeks and have been reading and following the news accounts of our government's position," the group explains. "The anti-American sentiment that has unfolded here is astounding. While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost."
Maines also says, "I feel the resident is ignoring the opinions of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."
Dixie Chicks
On The Town
Fred Durst
He has nothing nice to say about Britney Spears, but it turns out Fred Durst is a big fan of Chelsea Clinton. The randy rocker dropped by Campagna on Tuesday night to meet Clinton, who was dining with a group that included their mutual
friend, Bumblebee tuna heir Evan Metropolous, "All My Children" star John Dauer, and MTV host-turned-actor Bryan McFayden. After exchanging pleasantries, Durst returned to the studio to put the finishing touches on the next Limp Bizkit
record. Chelsea's posse then headed to the Wet by Beefeater launch party at Eyebeam Atelier, which featured a sizzling strip tease by burlesque beauty Dita Von Tease.
Fred Durst
HBO Suspends Filming
'Sopranos'
HBO has suspended filming of "The Sopranos" due to a contract dispute with the show's star, James Gandolfini, newspapers said.
Network executives told cast members that work on the fifth season of the hit show about a New Jersey mob family has been postponed indefinitely, the Daily News and the New York Post reported in Thursday editions. Filming had been scheduled to begin on March 24.
Gandolfini, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, is reportedly seeking upward of $1 million an episode, while HBO has offered $800,000. Gandolfini currently earns about $400,000 an episode.
'Sopranos'
Quick translation: The entire cast & crew lost their paychecks until this is resolved.
Will Not Perform At The Oscars
Eminem
Rapper-actor Eminem will not perform his Oscar-nominated hit, "Lose Yourself," at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.
Dennis Dennehy of Interscope Records told USA Today, "He'll still be on vacation during the Academy Awards."
Oscar-show producer Gil Cates, who usually attempts to persuade all the artists nominated for best original song to perform, explained how he might work out the wrinkle. "There's no rule that the nominees have to sing or that you even have to include all of the numbers in the show," Cates says. "I could do a medley or no songs at all....It's a very fluid show with few constraints."
Eminem
Takes Out Peace Ads in U.S. Papers
Yoko Ono
Thirty-plus years after she and her late husband, John Lennon, made headlines with their "Bed-In" protesting the Vietnam War, Yoko Ono is once again calling on the world to give peace a chance.
Ono has taken out a series of full-page advertisements in major newspapers, most recently in Wednesday's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, with the simple message: "Imagine Peace ... Spring 2003."
The Chronicle said Ono, 70, spent $42,000 on its ad, which was similar to spots that appeared in last week's Los Angeles Times, the L.A. Weekly, and the Village Voice. Her publicist said another will run in the Washington Post this weekend.
In a column published by the Chronicle, Ono wrote that she first initiated a pro-peace ad campaign after the song "Imagine" was "censored by the Clear Channel people," referring to a list of songs the nation's biggest radio chain had suggested
that its stations might avoid playing a week after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Yoko Ono
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Doctors Operate On Diaphragm
Christopher Reeve
Doctors have implanted electrodes in Christopher Reeve's chest in an experimental procedure that could someday enable the paralyzed "Superman" star to breathe without a respirator.
After the electrodes were implanted in his diaphragm and the respirator was turned off, "All you could hear was me breathing through my nose — regular rhythmic breathing from my nose for the first time in nearly eight years," Reeve said Thursday.
So far he has been able to breathe for about 15 minutes without a respirator. Before the surgery, Reeve was able to use his neck muscles to breathe without a respirator for only a few minutes. With the stimulator in place, he can breathe more easily and more deeply, said Dr. Anthony DiMarco of University Hospitals of Cleveland.
The actor also has his sense of smell when the respirator is off. During one of those sessions, his medical team brought coffee, oranges and other test objects into his room.
"I actually woke up and smelled the coffee," he said.
Christopher Reeve
A line of elephants walk down from the hill to the fruit tables (foreground) during an elephant buffet at the Maesa elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Thursday, March 13, 2003. About 70 elephants have been brought to participate in the ceremony to mark the country's Elephant Day.
Photo by Apichart Weerawong
Standing By Their 'Savage' Weiner
MSNBC
Despite national sponsors bailing, MSNBC says it's sticking with right-wing radio ranter Michael Savage.
Procter & Gamble, Dell Computer Corp., Sharper Image, and three other national companies that sponsored Saturday's debut of Savage Nation have withdrawn from the show, MSNBC confirmed yesterday.
The advertisers left because Savage's rhetoric doesn't meet their standards and commitment to diversity, according to statements from companies quoted on the Web site for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Still, the struggling cable network is "very comfortable" with Savage, "and we expect it to air every Saturday," MSNBC rep Jeremy Gaines says.
Savage - whose real name is Michael Alan Weiner - is well known for his diatribes against gays, women, liberals and immigrants from "turd world nations."
MSNBC
$5.3 Million Jury Verdict
Michael Jackson
A German concert promoter who sued pop music star Michael Jackson over a series of canceled millennium concerts has been awarded $5.3 million by a central California jury, his attorney said on Thursday.
Attorney Skip Miller said the jury in the city of Santa Maria awarded Marcel Avram nearly all of the $5.9 million in lost profits he had been seeking after six-and-a-half days of deliberations.
Jackson's attorney, Zia Modabber, said the verdict was in a way a victory for the entertainer, since Avram had sued Jackson for more than $21 million.
Michael Jackson
McDonald's Newest Sandwich
McArabia
In a bid to salvage its business interest in the Middle East, McDonald's has introduced a new sandwich for the Arab consumer: McArabia.
The new sandwich, which continues MacDonald's tradition of catering to local markets, is made of Arab bread, grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and Arab sauce.
In 2002, Al-Watan newspaper reported that the sale of US food and consumer products was down a staggering 25 percent.
Ironically, the main ingredients that make up the new McArabia are of international origin. The Arab bread for the sandwich is imported from Britain. The chicken is currently being imported from Malaysia.
McArabia
Files Countersuit Against Britney Spears
Skechers
Skechers has filed a countersuit against Britney Spears, claiming fraud and breach of contract.
The footwear company alleges the pop singer delayed decisions relating to product designs and advertising for Britney 4 Wheelers roller skates and apparel.
The complaint says Spears fraudulently induced Skechers into sponsoring her tour as a condition of getting the merchandise license.
Spears filed her own suit against Skechers just before Christmas, claiming Skechers ran ads with her picture before her line of skates was available, which caused her to miss out on lucrative bonuses.
Skechers
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Wags Finger at Oscar Campaigns
Academy
Ric Robertson, executive administrator of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said Wednesday that the organization is "greatly concerned about several disturbing campaign tactics" in the current Oscar season.
While no studio has so far been penalized, Robertson hinted that this move is still a possibility: "We may withhold tickets this year -- or next year, for something that happened this season."
The executive gave no specifics, but cited several private parties held in honor of Oscar contenders that seemed to violate Academy rules. Robertson said there are several companies in question, but he declined to name them, since "that would be prejudicial at a time when the balloting is still going on. "
In the past, several studios have been docked tickets due to campaign violations. If campaigning gets too far out of hand, the ultimate punishment would be that a film is declared ineligible. So far, that has never happened.
Academy
Norway's Robert Sorlie crosses the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska, Thursday, March 13, 200, to take first place in the 1,125 mile Anchorage to Nome sled dog race. The 45-year-old fireman and father of two won the race in 9 days, 15 hours, 47 minutes and 36 seconds. Ramy Brooks of Healy, Alaska, finished second. Sorlie is a three-time champion of Norway's premier long-distance sled dog race, the 600-mile Finnmarkslopet. Last year he finished ninth in the Iditarod, to set a rookie record.
Photo by Al Grillo
More Disney Family Values
'Sieg Heil On Your Dial'
Few corporations in the world strive to project as sunny a public image as Walt Disney Co.
It promotes Disneyland as "The Happiest Place on Earth," christened its two luxury cruise ships the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder and opened its 2002 annual report with a letter from Chairman Michael Eisner reassuring investors that the company is still all about "family, fun and fantasy."
But one catchphrase you probably won't hear Disney repeating is the slogan widely applied to its San Francisco talk radio station, KSFO-AM, by critics in the local broadcasting community. They call it "Sieg Heil on your dial."
The phrase alludes to KSFO's relentlessly right-wing lineup, which includes Rush Limbaugh, Fox News Channel stalwart Sean Hannity, Laura Schlessinger and that shooting star of reactionary radio, Michael Savage.
ABC Radio spokeswoman Julie Hoover describes Savage as "just a conservative talk show host like many others, mainly confining himself to talking about politics." Savage himself might resent such a dignified description of what he does for a living, which is not discuss politics so much as emit a near-hysterical outpouring of paranoid bombast for several hours a day.
For the rest of good read, 'Sieg Heil On Your Dial'
Entering Baseball Hall of Fame
Bob Uecker
Finally, Bob Uecker will be in the front row for something — the Hall of Fame ceremony.
The popular Milwaukee Brewers' broadcaster was picked Thursday for the Ford C. Frick Award and will be inducted into the announcers' wing of the Hall on July 27.
"Bob Uecker is baseball's funniest man, which has made him a household name not only in Milwaukee, but across America," Hall president Dale Petroskey said.
The 68-year-old Uecker was a backup catcher who hit .200 in six seasons and played on the 1964 St. Louis team that won the World Series. But it was his humor that zoomed him to national prominence, and he turned his jokes into starring roles on television and the movies.
At Miller Park where the Brewers play, the team sells "Uecker Seats" — high in the upper deck and obstructed, they go for $1.
For more,
To Attempt New Altitude Record
Steve Fossett
Balloonist Steve Fossett, who made history last year by successfully completing the first solo, nonstop around-the-world balloon flight, will attempt to set a record for the highest altitude achieved in a glider, spokesmen said on Thursday.
Fossett and co-pilot Einar Enevoldson, a former NASA research pilot, will make their bid on Friday morning in California's Mojave Desert to take their glider "Perlan," Norwegian for "pearl," past the current record height for a non-powered flight of 49,009 feet.
Event organizers said that if Friday's flight proves successful, Fossett and Enevoldson would make an attempt this June or July in New Zealand to fly the glider as high as 62,000 feet.
Steve Fossett
700 Club Faithful Back Disney
DirecTV
Satellite broadcaster DirecTV on Thursday accused Walt Disney Co. of helping to stir up a massive protest by viewers of "The 700 Club," as Disney negotiated to get the satellite broadcaster to pay more for the ABC Family channel, which carries the Christian program.
DirecTV, a subsidiary of General Motors Corp. unit Hughes Electronics Corp., has said it will pull ABC Family by the end of the month if ABC does not back down in requesting a 35-percent price hike for the channel.
"The 700 Club" is carried on ABC Family, which was originally founded by "700 Club" host, Pat Robertson.
The televangelist lashed out on the air against DirecTV during a broadcast of his show, saying, "I don't like it and you shouldn't like it."
Robertson asked viewers to call a DirecTV official at a telephone number he gave out.
DirecTV
Basic Cable Networks
Rankings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of March 3-9. Each ratings point represents 1,067,000 households. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses.
1. "WWE Raw Zone" (Monday, 10 p.m.), TNN, 3.8, 4.04 million homes.
2. "residential News Conference Analysis" (Thursday, 8:51 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.7, 3.98 million homes.
3. residential News Conference (Thursday, 8 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.5, 3.72 million homes.
4. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNN, 3.5, 3.72 million homes.
5. Screen Actors Guild Awards (Sunday, 8 p.m.), TNT, 3.3, 3.54 million homes.
6. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.2, 3.38 million homes.
7. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.0, 3.23 million homes.
8. "The O'Reilly Factor" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.0, 3.17 million homes.
9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.0, 3.16 million homes.
10. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.9, 3.1 million homes.
11. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.9, 3.08 million homes.
12. Movie: "The Familiar Stranger" (Sunday, 4 p.m.), Lifetime, 2.8, 3.01 million homes.
13. "Trading Spaces" (Saturday, 9 p.m.), TLC, 2.8, 3 million homes.
14. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.8, 2.96 million homes.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.7, 2.86 million homes.
Rankings
In Memory
Lynne Thigpen
Lynne Thigpen, who co-starred in the CBS drama "The District" and won a Tony Award in 1997 for her portrayal of a black Jewish feminist in "An American Daughter," died Wednesday. She was 54.
Thigpen had been in good health and the cause of death was not immediately known, network spokeswoman Beth Haiken said Thursday.
Production was shut down on "The District," which stars Craig T. Nelson as Washington, D.C., police Chief Jack Mannion. Thigpen played Mannion's secretary, Ella Farmer.
Haiken said the 20th episode was in production this week; two more episodes were planned for the season. She said no decision had been made about how Thigpen's death would be dealt with on the show.
Thigpen, was born and raised in Joliet, Ill. and made her home in New York. She had a distinguished stage career and also worked steadily in films and television.
In 1997, she received the Tony Award for best supporting actress for her role as a black Jewish feminist in Wendy Wasserstein's play "An American Daughter."
She also was nominated for a Tony for her role in "Tintypes," and won Obie Awards for "Jar the Floor" and "Boesman and Lena."
On TV, she portrayed 'The Chief' in the PBS series "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" and "Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?"
Her film credits include "The Insider," "Shaft," "Random Hearts," "Lean on Me," "Tootsie" and the recently released "Anger Management."
Lynne Thigpen
In Memory
Howard Fast
Howard Fast, a best-selling author who specialized in class-conscious historical novels such as "Spartacus," "Citizen Tom Paine" and "Conceived in Liberty," has died. He was 88.
Fast died at his home of natural causes, his wife Wednesday, Mimi Fast, told the Greenwich Time newspaper.
In the 1940s, "Citizen Tom Paine" and "The American," a fictionalized biography of Illinois Gov. John Peter Altgeld, became best sellers — but brought him trouble from the House Un-American Activities Committee, which labeled them as communist propaganda. "Citizen Tom Paine" was banned in high school libraries in New York City.
In 1945, the congressional committee, which investigated communist activities, demanded he identify people who helped build a hospital in France for anti-fascist fighters. A member of the American Communist Party from 1944 to 1957, Fast refused and after years of legal battles was jailed for contempt.
He spent three months in prison, was blacklisted for years, and his books were taken off library shelves.
Prison only made him more radical. Out of this experience he wrote "Spartacus," his populist version of the slave revolt in ancient Rome.
The novel was rejected by several publishers, many of whom received visits from FBI agents, and Fast eventually released it himself. It became a success that led to an all-star film version — produced by Kirk Douglas and featuring Douglas, Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton — in 1960.
While Fast was the subject of an 1,100-page FBI file in the United States, he was a hero abroad: The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda dedicated verse to him and Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera also expressed their admiration.
In 1953 he became the only American besides Paul Robeson, a close friend of Fast, to win the Stalin International Peace Prize.
Many of his historical novels were set during the American Revolution. "Citizen Tom Paine" was a sympathetic look at the most militant of the Founding Fathers and "Conceived in Liberty" honored the rank and file at Valley Forge.
Besides dozens of novels, Fast wrote plays, essays and nonfiction works; his worldwide sales topped 80 million. He published thrillers under the pseudonym E.V. Cunningham and was a staff writer for the Communist Party newspaper, the Daily Worker.
But Fast wrote critically about Soviet leader Josef Stalin and left the party after the Soviet Union's crushing of an uprising in Hungary.
In the memoir "Being Red," published in 1990, Fast wrote: "In the party I found ambition, narrowness and hatred; I also found love and dedication and high courage and integrity — and some of the noblest human beings I have ever known."
Details on survivors and funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
Howard Fast
Hundreds of Monarch butterflies line a tree trunk on the Cerro del Campanario, in the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary on a mountain over 3000 meters above sea level (9000 feet) in the Mexican state of Michoacan, March 11, 2003. The Monarchs are the only migratory insects in their species, they make the over 4,000 kilometre (around 2,500 miles) journey between their summer home in Canada and their winter home in Mexico twice a year.
Photo by Andrew Winning
'The Osbournes'
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