'Best of TBH Politoons'
TODAY
Erin Hart
Please join Erin Hart when she fills in for Jay Marvin on AM760 Progressive Talk,
Friday, July 6th, from 6am - 10am MDT (8am - 12noon EDT, 7am - 11am CDT, 5am - 9am PDT) as we talk politics with Christy Harvey of the Center for American Progress
and movies with Tom Tangney of 710 KIRO.
Celebrate our country's promise and reflect on our troubles in two live
events.
As the Seattle PI put it: Scooter Skates! How could Bush call himself
President and eradicate the 30 month sentence of Scooter Libby after he
helped out the identity of a CIA agent? Do we detect the dark hand of Dick
Cheney in all this?
And on Tuesday, July 10th, please attend LIVE, in person as we explore how we
think, feel and hope about America these strange days. The event is at the
Jewel Box Theater at the Rendezvous in Belltown, Seattle and there are a few
seats left. It is to be taped for a documentary
about the 2008 elections. Special guests are Senior Rabbi Daniel Weiner of
Temple de Hirsch Sinai and the Very Rev. Dean Robert Taylor of St.
Mark's Cathedral, and Gus Mansour, of Find Common Ground.
Ages 21 + only, please.
RSVP IS A MUST, please, due to space limitations, erin@erinhartshow.com.
For more information, visit The Erin Hart Show
Reader Comment
"D.H. IV" INFO
Dear Purple Gene
Some interesting added info per your review of "Live Free or Die Hard" :
That guy who plays John McClane's (Bruce Willis) computer geek sidekick Matt Farrel......
Justin Long:
He wanted to be a priest when he was young.
He played Britney Spears' love interest in "Crossroads" (2002).
He played Lindsay Lohan's love interest in "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005)
He played Jennifer Aniston's love interest in "The Break-Up" (2006)
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Begala: George W. Bush is One Tough Hombre (huffingtonpost.com)
Tough enough to execute Karla Fay Tucker -- and then laugh about it. Tough enough to sign a death warrant for a man whose lawyer slept through the trial -- and then snicker when asked about it in a debate. Even tough enough to execute a great-grandmother who murdered her husband -- after he abused her. A friend of mine at the time asked Bush to commute her sentence, telling him, "Betty Lou ain't a threat to no one she ain't married to." No dice.
Jim Hightower: BORK'S DAY IN COURT (jimhightower.com)
Remember Robert Bork ...? Bork is a lawyer whose career has been based on bashing lawyers - in particular, personal injury lawyers. He has railed long and loud against these plaintiff's attorneys, demonizing them as greedy conniving hucksters who file frivolous lawsuits and seek high-dollar punative damage awards. So, guess who took a tumble, rushed out to hire a personal injury lawyer, filed a million dollar lawsuit, and is seeking one of those high-dollar punitive damage awards? Our boy Bork, of course.
Simon de Bruxelles: Plastic duck armada is heading for Britain after 15-year global voyage (timesonline.co.uk)
A flotilla of plastic ducks is heading for Britain's beaches, according to an American oceanographer. For the past 15 years Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been tracking nearly 30,000 plastic bath toys that were released into the Pacific Ocean when a container was washed off a cargo ship.
Izzy Grinspan: Wedding Trashers: Why Brides Are Destroying Their Dresses (Salon; Posted on AlterNet.org)
In a kind of rebellion against America's wedding mania, an increasing number of brides are trashing their dresses and having photographers capture these moments of rage.
Best of British? (guardian.co.uk)
Banksy is the most exciting artist to come out of the UK for more than a decade - or so many people on both sides of the Atlantic will tell you. But is he really so much more than a prankster with a spray can? Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones gives his view.
Lauren Collins: Banksy Was Here (newyorker.com)
The invisible man of graffiti art.
Let's do the timewarp again (guardian.co.uk)
Comedian Catherine Tate is to reprise her role as Doctor Who's companion. In an extract from his Guardian blog, Ed Hagan debates her merits with readers.
Banksy: Graffiti Artist (banksy.co.uk)
Reader Suggestion
Kasuah the Goatwoman
Forget politics for a moment and watch a truly remarkable story about beautiful people. The central character is a once-in-a-lifetime gem. Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of our fallen soldiers, free of charge for their families.
Reader Comment
'Friends'
Marty-
Enjoyed the little news squib about Quaker weddings. I've been with my partner for 15 years, and one of the reasons we're not married is that his family and my parents will only attend a Catholic wedding, and I want to get married in my own (Friends) church. But secretly, I'm kind of glad that neither of us has pushed the issue, because I am REALLY scared about what our (small-f) friends might pop out with. In the old days, most people attending Quaker weddings were Quaker, and knew the protocol. Now, it's mostly non-Friends who think they're supposed to do witty reception toasts, only at the Meetinghouse.
I was at a wedding this Spring where a number of the speakers felt compelled to comment on the bride's partying habits. I could see the groom's dad, who is in AA, cringing each time.
Worse yet, I officiated (well, it's mostly just starting and ending it) at a Quaker funeral for a friend's husband, and one of her girlfriends stood, addressed the deceased's mom, and said "I know your son must have been really special, because Jane dated A LOT of men - and I do mean A LOT - before ending up with him." I immediately noticed that everyone who was good friends of the widow lowered their heads so that the congregation wouldn't see them laughing, since she did indeed date A LOT of men before getting knocked up by the deceased, who was not necessarily her choice of husband.....
I used to think letting our friends speak at these important times in our life was a good idea, but I'm having second thoughts!
And completely off the subject, if you haven't checked out Olbermann's latest rant, it's amazing. Gets the blood going.
Anyway, love the site, keep up the good work!
Pattie O
in PA
Thanks, Pattie!
Purple Gene Reviews
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Bit cooler, but still too hot.
Concert Gets Judge's OK
Rio Live Earth
A Brazilian judge ruled Thursday that South America's Live Earth concert could go ahead as planned after organizers convinced her there would be adequate security at the Copacabana Beach event.
The office of the prosecutor who had sought to cancel the concert confirmed Judge Maria Galhardo had reversed her earlier decision to nix the show.
Chances for the gig - featuring Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray and Pharrell Williams - got a boost from police who said they could guarantee security for the show expected to draw 700,000 people.
The Rio event is the only free concert for Live Earth, founded by Kevin Wall, an Emmy-winning concert producer. Proceeds from the other concerts will go toward the Alliance for Climate Protection, a nonprofit organization chaired by Gore.
Rio Live Earth
Leading All-Stars In Mandela Charity Game
Pele
Brazilian football legend Pele, retired for 30 years, will take to the field in an all-star charity match to honour Nelson Mandela, organisers announced Thursday.
The 67-year-old will join a host of other past and present international stars -- some three times younger than him -- that include French star Christian Karembeu, African player of the year Samuel Eto'o and former European player of the year Ruud Gullit in the "90 minutes for Mandela" match.
The clash between Africa XI and the Rest of the World XI in Cape Town takes place on Mandela's 89th birthday on July 18.
Proceeds of the game will go to football legacy projects in South Africa and to Mandela's 46664 HIV/Aids campaign project in sub-Sahara Africa.
Pele
Wants To Be Australian
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg has launched a campaign to gain Australian citizenship.
As previously reported, the rapper was banned from entering the country in April because of his criminal record and recent run-ins with the law.
MTV in Australia will now run a series of short films of Snoop attempting to becoming an Australian citizen, reports All Hip-Hop.
They will break the comedic 11-minute short into 19 spots which feature the rapper on various beaches, purchasing a home in Sydney's exclusive Vaucluse residential area, and urging everyone to "get the girls ready and put on the barbecue."
Snoop Dogg
Movie In The Works
`Sex and the City'
Are Carrie and Mr. Big still together? Did Charlotte adopt a baby from China? How is Miranda liking motherhood? Is Samantha still, uh, keeping things interesting?
Those questions, no doubt occupying the thoughts of many "Sex and the City" fans since the long-running HBO series ended in 2004, may finally be answered - in a much-talked-of but still unrealized feature film spun from the show.
New Line Cinema is close to inking a deal to finance and distribute the film in association with HBO, John Smith, a representative at New Line, confirmed Thursday. Daily Variety reported the news Wednesday. Smith said its report was accurate and did not provide further details.
The four principal actresses - Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon - will reprise their roles. Michael Patrick King, who executive-produced the series, is slated to direct.
`Sex and the City'
'70s Band Sues
Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne is being sued by two songwriters who claim that her hit "Girlfriend" sounds like a track their American power pop band recorded in the '70s.
Tommy Dunbar, the founder of the Rubinoos, filed the suit in California's Northern Federal District Court in San Francisco on July 2. The suit alleges that "Girlfriend" bears striking similarities to the Rubinoos' song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," co-written by Dunbar and former Rubinoos' road manager James Gangwer, and released by Beserkley Records in 1978.
Dunbar and Jon Rubin formed the Rubinoos as middle school students in Berkeley, Calif., in 1973. The band is best known for its 1977 remake of the Tommy James and the Shondells' hit, "I Think We're Alone Now," which reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Avril Lavigne
Portrait Sells For $37.2M
Raphael
A painting by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael that had not been seen publicly for more than 40 years was sold at auction Thursday for $37.2 million.
The portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, a member of Florence, Italy's ruling family, had been in the private collection of an American art dealer for nearly half a century.
Auctioneers at Christie's in London had expected the painting to sell for between $20 million and $30 million.
Completed in 1518, two years before Raphael's death, the painting features a finely dressed Lorenzo de' Medici in gold and red brocade with delicate fur trim in front of a dark green background.
Raphael
Draws Crowds In Germany
Zebrula
A zebrula -- a cross between a horse and a zebra -- has drawn curious onlookers to a zoo in Germany because of its unusual coat.
While zebrulas have been in existence since the 19th century, this one is particularly unique: its coat is sharply divided between horse and zebra, says Safaripark, a zoo near northern Guetersloh.
The animal, which is slightly more than a year old and is named Eclyse, has a zebra head, while the first half of the rest of its body is white and the second half is zebra-colored.
Zebrula
Portrait Sold
Royal Mistress
An anonymous private collector paid more than 1.5 million pounds on Thursday for a 17th century portrait by painter Peter Lely of a semi-naked English royal mistress.
Painted for Charles II in the hedonistic days of the English Restoration after years of Puritanical rule, the painting depicts a slim young woman lounging against pillows with only a sheet draped lightly across her thighs to preserve her modesty.
Hanging in the royal bedchamber behind a secret sliding panel to keep it from prying eyes, the painting was initially catalogued in 1688 as a portrait of famed royal mistress Nell Gwyn.
But there has always been some doubt that this was accurate, with many experts believing that it is in fact a portrait of Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castelmaine, an earlier favourite mistress of the king.
Royal Mistress
In Memory
Bill Pinkney
Bill Pinkney, the last survivor of the original members of the musical group The Drifters, died Wednesday. He was 81.
The Drifters, whose hits include "Under the Boardwalk," "Up on the Roof," and "Save the Last Dance For Me," still performed Wednesday night. An announcement about Pinkney's death was made after the show, said the group's publicist, Donnie Lowery.
Pinkney, born in Dalzell, S.C., wasn't with The Drifters when they recorded their biggest hits. He left in the band in 1958 because of an argument over cash. His distinctive bass voice can be heard on the group's version of the holiday classic "White Christmas."
Even though he left the group, Pinkney didn't let go of The Drifters' name. He fought for laws allowing performers or bands to claim an affiliation with a classic group like The Drifters or The Coasters only if at least one member recorded with the original group.
Pinkney was a World War II veteran and pitched for the New York Blue Sox of the Negro Baseball League in the late 1940s and early '50s.
Bill Pinkney
In Memory
Will Schaefer
Will H. Schaefer, a composer whose music accompanied hit television shows such as "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Flintstones," has died in California, a family friend said Wednesday. He was 78.
The Wisconsin-native wrote background music, which is different from theme songs, for such TV shows as "The Flying Nun," "Hogan's Heroes," "The AristoCats," "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.
He also composed and recorded music for more than 700 commercials, including ads for companies such as Ford, Chevrolet and Pillsbury. He also reworked the song "It's a Small World" for Disney to give it an international flavor corresponding to different rooms in the theme park ride.
His professional accolades included three Clio Awards for his work on commercials. He also was nominated for an Emmy Award for his score to the Walt Disney TV movie "The Skytrap," and for a Pulitzer Prize for his concert piece "The Sound of America," commissioned for the 1976 bicentennial celebration.
During the Korean War, Schaefer was the arranger and assistant conductor with The U.S. Fifth Army Band stationed at Fort Sheridan, Ill., where he wrote music for "Radio Free Europe" and "The Voice of America."
Schaefer was born in Kenosha, Wis., and had lived in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He divorced in 1984 after a 20-year marriage and did not have children.
Will Schaefer
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