Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: If Tom had a million dollars, he wouldn't buy your love, but there's still plenty on his wish list (Tucson Weekly)
The really bad movie Brewster's Millions was on the other night. In it, Richard Pryor plays a minor-league baseball player who stands to inherit $300 million from a long-lost relative, but there are strings attached. He must first blow through $30 million in 30 days. He has to receive services rendered for all financial outlays, but he cannot gain any tangible assets during the 30 days and he can't tell anybody why he's blowing the money.
C. Coville: 5 Hated Groups That Are Going Out of Their Way to Be Awesome (Cracked)
There are some people that we expect to go out of their way to help others: nuns, firemen, anyone being played by Morgan Freeman. Other groups, though, are viewed by society as a whole as shady and possibly even dangerous. So it's refreshing to know that even groups of people with bad reputations are capable of doing awesome things. For example …
Peter Bradshaw: The Lion King's old-school simplicity roars on (Guardian)
Two decades after it was released, the Disney classic endures. As a new spin-off TV movie and series is announced, Peter Bradshaw assesses its legacy.
Buzz Goodbody: the tin hut revolutionary (Guardian)
She was the wildcat feminist who stormed the RSC - launching stars and gripping critics. Andrew Dickson on the short, fast life of Buzz Goodbody, creator of Stratford's Other Place.
Nicholas Wroe: "Jangle unchained: in defence of C86" (Guardian)
Thirty years ago, Guardian journalist Nicholas Wroe played in a band called the Love Act, part of the indie scene documented by NME's C86 tape compilation. Now his contribution to pop history is finally being recognized.
Emily Kenway: Our fake book exposed Amazon's fatal flaw (Guardian)
The Living Wages campaign has shown that Amazon's perceived strengths - and Jeff Bezos's silence - can be used against it.
Maria Popova: Shonda Rhimes on Dreaming vs. Doing, the Tradeoffs of Success, and the Blinders of Entitlement (BrainPickings)
"You want to be a writer? A writer is someone who writes every day - so start writing."
Katherine Trendacosta: Why Can't We Have More B-TV? (io9)
We used to have a lot of lower-budget shows, usually syndicated, that were tons of fun to watch. We loved them, even if they weren't perfect in their executions. So where did all the Xenas and Herculeses go? And should we have them back?
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
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David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
wrote:
has retired.
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
David E Suggests
David
Thanks, Dave!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
The most active open discussion is on Bart's Facebook page.
( www.facebook.com/bartcop )
You can listen to Bart's theme song here
or here.
( www.bartcop.com/blizing-saddles.mp3 )
( youtu.be/MySGAaB0A9k )
We have opened up the radio show archives which are now free. Listen to
all you want.
( bartcop.com/members )
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and warm.
Did Meddling Democrats Help?
Eric Cantor
Former Rep. Ben Jones, a Georgia Democrat who played "Cooter" on the TV show "Dukes of Hazzard," claims he was instrumental in the stunning defeat of Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 Republican in the House.
The weekend before Tuesday's primary, Mr. Jones had written an open letter in Huffington Post urging Democrats in Virginia's Seventh Congressional District to vote for David Brat, the tea party-backed college professor who ended up winning. Virginia primaries are open to anyone of voting age. The letter went viral.
Jones had a personal reason to help defeat Congressman Cantor: In 2002, having moved to Virginia, he tried for a political comeback by running against Cantor, then a House freshman. Jones lost.
"He questioned my patriotism," Jones told the New York Daily News. "He made fun of me for the 'Dukes of Hazzard' and being a Southerner."
Eric Cantor
'Reading Rainbow' Reboot
LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton can do no wrong when it comes to the Internet, and the latest "Reading Rainbow" news is proof. After exceeding his Kickstarter campaign goal of $1 million in order to bring his children's TV series back in an online format, the kids show host is upping the ante, setting a new $5 million goal for the project that he hopes his former "Star Trek" co-stars can help him meet.
Burton is rounding up the old Enterprise crew for a series of live readings in Los Angeles and New York City in order to garner attention (and more funds) for the initiative. The guest list for the literary events includes "Orange Is the New Black" star Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner and the captains themselves, Patrick Stewart and William Shatner. For $1,200 you can attend one of the readings and for $500 more, you can take part in a meet and greet with the cast members.
In order to buy tickets, fans must visit the "Reading Rainbow" Kickstarter page and pledge monetary support. According to the campaign, $5 million will allow "Reading Rainbow" to broadcast free in over 7,000 classrooms and also allow the show expand to Android and mobile devices.
While this news should make Trekkies everywhere pretty happy, this isn't the first time Burton has used his intergalactic roots to bring some attention to the show. Anyone remember this gem from 1991?
LeVar Burton
Launches Virtual Map of Walt Disney's LA
Disney
Walt Disney moved from Kansas City to Hollywood in 1923. The rest is history - some of which has been forgotten until now.
Seeking to further educate the world about its founder, Disney's namesake studio's official fan club, D23, is launching an interactive map of Walt's Los Angeles, highlighting the places he lived and worked for over 40 years. The club's new map offers a "virtual walk in Walt Disney's footsteps through many of the old Hollywood haunts" - including Carthay Circle Theatre, The Prospect Studios, the Pan Pacific Auditorium, the Walt Disney Studios that once stood on Hyperion Avenue - and is available for all to see on their website.
When 21-year-old Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles in 1923, the budding animator from Marceline, Missouri had $40 in his pocket and a cardboard suitcase. But he also had big dreams.
"Just as Marceline, Missouri, affected Walt's early life, his environs in Los Angeles wielded great influence over him as he moved West and began his company," says Dave Smith, founder of the Walt Disney Archives, who retired as chief archivist in 2010. "It is always gratifying for me to take friends and Disney fans on a tour along paths to the sites where Walt lived, worked and played around Los Angeles; it helps them to understand him all the more and to appreciate how much his environment influenced everything he did in his life."
Disney
Injured On of 'Star Wars' Set
Harrison Ford
Actor Harrison Ford was injured on the set of "Star Wars: Episode VII" on Thursday and taken to a hospital for treatment, a Disney representative said.
Ford, 71, hurt his ankle while filming at Pinewood Studios, on the outskirts of London, Disney spokesman Paul Roeder said. Filming will continue on schedule while Ford recovers. The actor was taken to nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Thames Valley Police said on its official Twitter feed that police responded to an incident where "a 71-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening." A second tweet said the mishap "is believed to have involved a garage door."
Vanessa Davies, a unit publicist for the "Star Wars" film, said any reports that Ford suffered other injuries as well were untrue.
Harrison Ford
Political Polarization Increasing
U.S.
Americans are more divided along political lines than at any time in two decades, with about one in five defining themselves as consistently liberal or conservative, a poll showed on Thursday.
The hardening of ideological positions also means that more Americans are less likely to favor political compromise, the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press said.
Polarization has come into sharp focus this week with the primary election defeat of Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, by political novice David Brat, who had strong support from the conservative Tea Party movement.
The poll, the largest undertaken by Pew on U.S. political attitudes, showed that the share of Americans who express consistently liberal or consistently conservative views on political issues had doubled to 21 percent from 10 percent in 1994.
For 49 percent of Americans, the preferred outcome in battles between congressional Republicans and Democratic President Barack Obama is to split the difference, with each side getting half of what it wanted, the survey said.
U.S.
Wants To Modify Will
Smithsonian Institution
Carl J. Drake spent his life studying bugs, everything from aphids to water striders. When he died in 1965, the entomologist left his life savings and his vast insect collection to the Smithsonian. But now Drake's will has become something of a pest.
The Smithsonian Institution says that after nearly half a century, it's having a hard time carrying out Drake's wishes, including fulfilling the mission he gave the institution for his money: buy more bugs. So, the Smithsonian is asking a federal judge in Washington for permission to modify Drake's will.
The Smithsonian says it's only had to ask to modify a will once or twice in the last half century. But carrying out certain elements of Drake's will has "become impossible, impracticable, and wasteful," Department of Justice lawyers wrote on the Smithsonian's behalf in asking a judge in late April to approve the modifications it wants.
Lawyers wrote that over the years the Smithsonian has used Drake's dollars to purchase about a dozen insect collections, but now buying new bugs is tough. Lawyers wrote that's because of changes to an environmental law made in the 1980s. Those changes increased the red tape surrounding insect collecting, such as documents needed to prove the collections were made legally.
Smithsonian Institution
Hershey Lawsuit A Big Surprise
TinctureBelle
A Colorado maker of marijuana edibles says it was surprised to be sued by Hershey Co, which accused it of ripping off the design of the company's iconic chocolates and candies, because it changed its packaging six months ago.
Hershey sued TinctureBelle LLC in U.S. District Court in Denver last week, alleging trademark infringement. It also said there was a safety risk because consumers, especially children, might eat the pot products by mistake.
In a statement released late on Wednesday, TinctureBelle owner Char Mayes said the lawsuit came as a "huge" surprise.
"We changed our entire label line approximately six months ago, long before these allegations surfaced," Mayes said. "Our new packaging looks nothing like Hershey's or anyone else's."
TinctureBelle
Court Rules Against Coke
Pom Wonderful
Coca Cola's version of pomegranate juice is not quite the real thing, and a competitor has another chance to prove it in court.
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with juice maker Pom Wonderful in its long-running false advertising dispute with the Coca-Cola Co., a decision that could open the door to more litigation against food makers for deceptive labeling.
The justices ruled 8-0 that Pom can go forward with a lawsuit alleging the label on a "Pomegranate Blueberry" beverage offered by Coke's Minute Maid unit is misleading because 99 percent of the drink is apple and grape juice.
Lower courts had ruled in favor of Coke because the label conforms to the law and to Food and Drug Administration rules. But the Supreme Court reversed, finding that the juice label may technically comply with FDA rules but may still mislead consumers for different reasons.
Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the court's opinion, appeared to have telegraphed his position back in April when he said at oral argument that the label even misled him into thinking the drink was mostly pomegranate juice. His opinion Thursday focused on the juice's details, noting that the product contained only 0.3 percent pomegranate juice, 0.2 percent blueberry juice and 0.1 percent raspberry juice.
Pom Wonderful
Company Sued
The Onionhead Doctrine
A federal agency sued a New York customer service provider on Wednesday after allegations the company forced employees to pray, thank God for their jobs and say "I love you" to managers and colleagues at work, and fired those who protested.
The Long Island-based United Health Programs of America and its parent company, Cost Containment Group, required workers to practice a spiritual belief system called Onionhead while on the job, in violation of their civil and religious rights, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in the complaint.
The company fired several employees who refused to adhere to the Onionhead doctrine, which was created by the aunt of the company's owner, the complaint said.
In one case, an IT project and account manager was disciplined after she complained to management in 2010 that she was Catholic and did not want to participate in the spiritual activities, according to the complaint.
A month after she complained, the employee was removed from her office and relocated to an open customer service area, while a large statue of a Buddha was placed in her former office. She protested to the owner that the move amounted to a demotion and was fired, the complaint said.
The Onionhead Doctrine
Big Brewers Woes
Water
Some of the largest brewers in the U.S. are trying to reduce their water-to-beer ratio as drought and wildfire threaten the watersheds where they draw billions of gallons every year.
No independent group tracks beer-makers' water usage, but MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch both say they have made reductions. MillerCoors released a sustainability report Wednesday that shows it has cut its water use by 9.2 percent from 2012.
MillerCoors' water-saving effort - focused in Texas, California and Colorado - involves using sensors to release just enough water for irrigation, planting native grass to reduce erosion and runoff and keeping a close eye on leaky machinery in its breweries.
The number of brewers in the U.S. has expanded to its highest level since the 1870s, mostly because of an explosion of craft breweries. Without the technology or scale of big brewers, craft brewers use on average as much as twice the amount of water for every barrel of beer.
Water
Pulls 'Riot' & 'I Wanna Marry "Harry"' From Schedule
Fox
After several weeks of pretty dismal ratings, Fox is taking improv comedy Riot and reality series I Wanna Marry "Harry" off the schedule.
Beginning next week, repeats of Family Guy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl and The Mindy Project will air on Tuesday. All unaired episode of I Wanna Marry "Harry" will be made available on Fox.com, Fox On Demand, FOX NOW and Hulu, starting tomorrow afternoon. The arrangements were only made for that show because it is owned by Fox, while the rights of Riot are controlled by Shine. A rep for Fox said that the network is "currently discussing an appropriate place on our schedule for the unaired episodes" of both series, but if history is any indication, pulled network series rarely find their way back to the schedule, so any I Wanna Marry "Harry" fans would be wise to seek out the remainder of the series online.
In the last two weeks, Riot and I Wanna Marry "Harry" both drew a 0.4 rating in adults 18-49.
Fox
Don't Stay Cool Forever
'Cool Kids'
The "cool kids" in middle school may not be so cool when they grow up: A new study suggests these once-popular teens are at greater risk for relationship and drug problems in adulthood.
The study researchers followed 184 teens from when they were 13 (in seventh and eighth grade) until they were 23, and asked participants a number of questions about their lives, including whom their close friends were, which peers they thought were popular, and whether they'd used drugs or had a romantic relationship.
At age 13, kids who acted "old for their age" - by making out with other girls/boys, engaging in deviant behavior like sneaking into a movie, and also hanging out with attractive people - were deemed to be more popular by their friends compared with other kids. (People who are attractive, or who try to strive to be more attractive by wearing makeup, etc., may be perceived as more mature, the researchers said.) These cool kids also cared more about being popular than did other teens.
But by age 22, these behaviors were linked with declines in popularity, and the former cool kids were perceived as being less competent at managing their relationships or getting along with friends.
The cool kids were also at greater risk for criminal activity and substance use problems at age 21 to 23. In fact, acting old for your age in middle school was a better predictor of drug problems in adulthood than was drug use in middle school.
'Cool Kids'
Top 20
Concert Tours
The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
1. (1) George Strait; $1,898,760; $92.25.
2. (2) Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; $1,478,686; $97.32.
3. (3) Cher; $1,131,794; $90.48.
4. (New) Journey/Steve Miller Band; $803,514; $60.53.
5. (4) Cirque du Soleil - "Michael Jackson: The Immortal"; $684,904; $92.37.
6. (5) Kings Of Leon; $535,700; $54.45.
7. (6) Imagine Dragons; $491,100; $39.10.
8. (7) Lady Antebellum; $438,240; $60.32.
9. (9) Florida Georgia Line; $325,642; $41.36.
10. (10) Jeff Dunham; $256,696; $45.03.
11. (12) Brantley Gilbert; $219,966; $31.17.
12. (13) Jim Gaffigan; $203,616; $46.28.
13. (14) The Moody Blues; $190,333; $78.53.
14. (16) "Winter Jam"/Newsboys/Lecrae; $147,239; $13.87.
15. (17) Bryan Adams; $140,518; $55.97.
16. (18) John Legend; $128,115; $67.63.
17. (19) Justin Moore; $125,759; $33.44.
18. (22) Ron White; $120,593; $53.02.
19. (20) Third Day/Skillet; $120,445; $25.51.
20. (New) Casting Crowns; $120,234; $31.49.
Concert Tours
In Memory
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee, an acclaimed actor and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film, has died at age 91, according to her daughter.
Nora Davis Day told The Associated Press on Thursday that her mother died at home at New Rochelle, New York, on Wednesday night of "natural causes."
Dee, who frequently acted alongside her husband of 56 years, Ossie Davis, was surrounded by family and friends, she added.
Her long career brought her an Oscar nomination at age 83 for best supporting actress for her role in the 2007 film "American Gangster." She also won an Emmy and was nominated for several others. Age didn't slow her down.
Since meeting on Broadway in 1946, she and her late husband were frequent collaborators. Their partnership rivaled the achievements of other celebrated performing couples, such as Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.
But they were more than a performing couple. They were also activists who fought for civil rights, particularly for blacks.
"We used the arts as part of our struggle," she said at an appearance in Jackson, Miss., in 2006. "Ossie said he knew he had to conduct himself differently with skill and thought."
In 1998, the pair celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and an even longer association in show business with the publication of a dual autobiography, "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together."
Davis and Dee met in 1945 when she auditioned for the Broadway play "Jeb," starring Davis (both were cast in it). In December 1948, on a day off from rehearsals from another play, "The Smile of the World," Davis and Dee took a bus to New Jersey to get married. They already were so close that "it felt almost like an appointment we finally got around to keeping," Dee wrote in "In This Life Together."
They shared billing in 11 stage productions and five movies during long parallel careers. Dee's fifth film, "No Way Out" with Sidney Poitier in 1950, was her husband's first. Along with film, stage and television, their richly honored careers extended to a radio show, "The Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Story Hour," that featutred a mix of black themes. Davis directed one of their joint film appearances, "Countdown at Kusini" (1976).
Like her husband, Dee was active in civil rights issues and efforts to promote the cause of blacks in the entertainment industry. As young performers, they found themselves caught up the growing debate over social and racial justice in the United States. The couple's push for social justice was lifelong: In 1999, the couple was arrested while protesting the shooting death of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, by New York City police.
They were friends with baseball star Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel - Dee played her, opposite Robinson himself, in the 1950 movie, "The Jackie Robinson Story" - and with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. Dee and Davis served as masters of ceremonies for the historic 1963 March on Washington and she spoke at both the funerals for King and Malcom X.
Among her best-known films was "A Raisin in the Sun," in 1961, the classic play that explored racial discrimination and black frustration. On television, she was a leading cast member on the soap operas such in the 1950s and '60s, a rare sight for a black actress in the 1950s and 60s.
As she aged, her career did not ebb. Dee was the voice of wisdom and reason as Mother Sister in Spike Lee's 1989 film, "Do the Right Thing," alongside her husband. She won an Emmy as supporting actress in a miniseries or special for 1990's "Decoration Day."
She won a National Medal of the Arts in 1995 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000. In 2004, she and Davis received Kennedy Center Honors. Another honor came in 2007, after Davis' death, when the recording of their memoir won a Grammy for best spoken word album, a category that includes audio books.
The role that brought her an Oscar nomination at age 83 was as the mother of Denzel Washington's title character in Ridley Scott's crime drama "American Gangster."
Born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland to parents who soon split, Dee moved to Harlem as an infant with a brother and two sisters, living with relatives and neighbors. She graduated from highly competitive Hunter High School in 1939 and enrolled at Hunter College. "I wanted to be an actor but the chances for success did not look promising," she wrote in their joint autobiography.
But in 1940 she got a part in a Harlem production of a new play, "On Strivers Row," which she later called "one giant step" to becoming a person and a performer.
In 1965, she became the first black woman to play lead roles at the American Shakespeare Festival. She won an Obie Award for the title role in Athol Fugard's "Boesman and Lena" and a Drama Desk Award for her role in "Wedding Band."
Most recently, Dee performed her one-woman stage show, "My One Good Nerve: A Visit With Ruby Dee," in theaters across the country. The show was a compilation of some of the short stories, humor and poetry in her book of the same title.
She is survived by three children: Nora, Hasna and Guy, and seven grandchildren.
Ruby Dee
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