~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
Fun Link
God-Fearing Underwear
From Peter S.
God-Fearing Underwear
Thanks, Peter!
Reader Comment
'Port Chicago Anniversary'
From Michelle
Re: Port Chicago Anniversary
Don't know if you forgot, or just not on the radar of what you deem important for the column.
Just a reminder, in case.
Michelle
Cripes, Michelle, my memory grows more Ementhaler-like each day. Reminding me is usually a good thing. ; )
Here are some links:
THE LOST AMERICAN AMMUNITION SHIPS
Heroes
Talking History:Aural History Productions
Fun Link
from Sharon
From Sharon
Crazy Christian Records
Reader Comment
Re: That Calico Cat-Fearing Man
From Ray
I can't believe I never noticed until today that the Lady Justice behind Asscroft appears to be throwing her hands up in despair!
~~ Ray
Once again, a good point, well taken. Thanks, again, Ray!
Reader Contribution
from Alvin
From Alvin
MIDILink
C O N D I
{Sung to 'Windy' by The Association}
{instrumental intro}
Who's lying that no one could have predicted
Slamming an airplane into WTC
Memo - Bush doesn't recall seeing anything
Everyone knows it's Condi
Who interceded in Brazil for the unelected fraud
Explaining it has the most number of blacks outside Africa
Who's reaching out to avoid an embarrassment
Everyone knows it's Condi
And Condi will double-speak
About warnings gone unheeded
And Condi has reverse logic
About 9-11... about 9-11
{instrumental break}
And Condi will double-speak
Dazzling display of euphemisms
And Condi has reverse logic
About 9-11... about 9-11
Who interceded in Brazil for the unelected fraud
Explaining it has the most number of blacks outside Africa
Who's reaching out to avoid an embarrassment
Everyone knows it's Condi...
~~ Alvin
Thanks, again, Alvin!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Really running late!
Tonight, Friday, CBS starts the night with '48 Hours', then the movie 'The President's Man: A Line In The Sand', with Chuck Norris.
Scheduled on a fresh Dave is Wendy Liebman.
Scheduled on a fresh Craiggers is geraldo rivera.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', then the series premiere of 'Firehouse', and wraps with a rerun 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
Scheduled on a fresh Jay is Outkast.
Scheduled on a fresh Conan is David Arquette.
ABC starts with yet again another rerun of 'America's Funniest Videos', then 2 reruns of 'Whose Line', and wraps with '20/20'.
The WB has reruns of 'Sabrina', 'Maybe It's Me', 'Reba', and 'Raising Dad'.
Faux has 2 episodes of 'Invasion Of The Hidden Cameras', then a rerun 'X-Files'.
UPN here has the San Francisco Giants visiting Rupert's Doggers.
AMC has 'Tarantula', where 'Leo G. Carroll was over a barrel, as Tarantula took to the hills...' Clint Eastwood made his debut in this film as one of the bomber pilots (hope 'Day Of The Triffids' shows up soon, just for the Janet Scott reference - cause the Triffids 'spit poison that kills'...).
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
The Short List
Emmy Nominations
Nominees in major Emmy categories announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:
Drama Series: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS; "Law & Order," NBC; "Six Feet Under," HBO; "24," Fox; "The West Wing," NBC.
Comedy Series: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS; "Friends," NBC; "Sex and the City," HBO; "Will & Grace," NBC.
Miniseries: "Band of Brothers," HBO; "Dinotopia," ABC; "The Mists of Avalon," TNT; "Shackleton," A&E.
Made-for-TV Movie: "Dinner With Friends," HBO; "The Gathering Storm," HBO; "James Dean," TNT; "The Laramie Project," HBO; "Path to War," HBO.
Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central; "Late Show With David Letterman," CBS; "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher," ABC; "Saturday Night Live," NBC; "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," NBC.
Variety, Music or Comedy Special: "The 74th Annual Academy Awards," ABC; "America: A Tribute to Heroes," various networks; "The Carol Burnett Show: Show Stoppers," CBS; "Cirque Du Soleil's Alegria," Bravo; "The Concert for New York City," VH1; "Opening Ceremony Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games," NBC.
Actor, Drama Series: Michael Chiklis, "The Shield," FX; Michael C. Hall, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Martin Sheen, "The West Wing," NBC; Kiefer Sutherland, "24," Fox.
Actress, Drama Series: Amy Brenneman, "Judging Amy," CBS; Frances Conroy, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Jennifer Garner, "Alias," ABC; Rachel Griffiths, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Allison Janney, "The West Wing," NBC.
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Victor Garber, "Alias," ABC; Dule Hill, "The West Wing," NBC; Freddy Rodriguez, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Richard Schiff, "The West Wing," NBC; John Spencer, "The West Wing," NBC; Bradley Whitford, "The West Wing," NBC.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Lauren Ambrose, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Stockard Channing, "The West Wing," NBC; Tyne Daly, "Judging Amy," CBS; Janel Moloney, "The West Wing," NBC; Mary-Louise Parker, "The West Wing," NBC.
Actor, Comedy Series: Kelsey Grammer, "Frasier," NBC; Matt LeBlanc, "Friends," NBC; Bernie Mac, "The Bernie Mac Show," Fox; Matthew Perry, "Friends," NBC; Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS.
Actress, Comedy Series: Jennifer Aniston, "Friends," NBC; Patricia Heaton, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS; Jane Kaczmarek, "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox; Debra Messing, "Will & Grace," NBC; Sarah Jessica Parker, "Sex and the City," HBO.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Peter Boyle, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS; Bryan Cranston, "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox; Brad Garrett, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS; Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace," NBC; David Hyde Pierce, "Frasier," NBC.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Kim Cattrall, "Sex and the City," HBO; Wendie Malick, "Just Shoot Me," NBC; Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace," NBC; Cynthia Nixon, "Sex and the City," HBO; Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS.
Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Kenneth Branagh, "Shackleton," A&E; Beau Bridges, "We Were the Mulvaneys," Lifetime; Albert Finney, "The Gathering Storm," HBO; James Franco, "James Dean," TNT; Michael Gambon, "Path to War," HBO.
Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Angela Bassett, "The Rosa Parks Story," CBS; Blythe Danner, "We Were The Mulvaneys," Lifetime; Laura Linney, "Wild Iris," Showtime; Vanessa Redgrave, "The Gathering Storm," HBO; Gena Rowlands, "Wild Iris," Showtime.
Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Alec Baldwin, "Path To War," HBO; Jim Broadbent, "The Gathering Storm," HBO; Don Cheadle, "Things Behind The Sun," Showtime; Michael Moriarty, "James Dean," TNT; Jon Voight, "Uprising," NBC.
Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Joan Allen, "The Mists of Avalon," TNT; Stockard Channing, "The Matthew Shepard Story," NBC; Anjelica Huston, "The Mists of Avalon," TNT; Diana Rigg, "Victoria and Albert," A&E; Sissy Spacek, "Last Call," Showtime.
Emmy Nominations
For the 'Big List of All Nominations,' Click Here
The Trouble With Tribbles (& Traficants)?
Time Tunnel Malfunction!
From Joe Bacon
Thanks, Joe!
Crop Circles Primer
¤ c i r c l e m a k e r s ¤
¤ c i r c l e m a k e r s ¤
Says Cancer Has Spread
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne's cancer has spread beyond her colon and the wife of the anarchic British rock star Ozzy Osbourne will start a three-month course of
chemotherapy at the end of July, she told People magazine in an interview released on Thursday.
Osbourne, 49, who has become a TV star with most of the rest of the family thanks to the hit MTV reality series "The Osbournes," said her prognosis
was "very, very good" but that Ozzy Osbourne was "hysterical" when first told the news.
But Osbourne told People that one of two nearby lymph nodes removed during the procedure had since tested positive for cancerous cells, indicating the
cancer had spread beyond her colon.
Osbourne said she would start three months of chemotherapy on July 29, and that she planned to allow MTV to film the treatment when shooting resumes for the
second season of "The Osbournes" -- the show that follows the chaotic daily exploits of the foul-mouthed family.
"People will see me having chemo. It'll be interesting," she said. "We need to get a different vibe going. I think I'll bring some music, introduce myself,
maybe we can sing some songs and cheer the place up."
Ozzy told People the couple planned to renew their marriage vows on Sharon's 50th birthday on October 9. "I've always had a plan that I'd get sick before
she did, that I'd die before she did. But my plan didn't work out....Life has a way of kicking you in the nuts," he said.
Their 16-year-old son Jack was also in the news on Thursday. He hurt his arm after a fall while climbing an empty building on Malibu's derelict pier to
prepare to dive into the ocean. A lifeguard who treated him at the scene said Jack suffered only minor injuries.
Sharon Osbourne
Files for Divorce
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie, who recently admitted that she has not spoken to husband Billy Bob Thornton in at least a month, has filed for divorce, citing irreconciable differences.
The divorce papers were filed by Jolie on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Oscar-winning couple, who have been married for two years, recently adopted an 11-month-old boy, Maddox, from Cambodia.
The papers were filed the same day Us Weekly's upcoming interview with Jolie was made public. In it, Jolie confirmed the couple was separated and was quoted as saying: "I'm angry. I'm sad. It's a
very difficult and sad time."
Jolie wed Thornton in Las Vegas after a whirlwind courtship. Thornton was dating actress Laura Dern when he became involved with Jolie. It was Thornton's fifth marriage and her second.
Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, has remained at home with 11-month-old Maddox after adopting him this spring. Jolie said her husband was more focused on his budding singing career;
he recently went on tour to support his album, released last September.
Angelina Jolie
From Alex
Traci Bingham
Former Baywatch star and Playboy model Traci Bingham stopped traffic in Berlin on Thursday by wearing a lettuce bikini to promote vegetarianism.
Bingham, who played the life-guard Jordan in the hit U.S. television series, spent more than half an hour posing for the cameras wiggling between a famous steak restaurant and Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm shopping street.
The protest was organized by the animal rights group PETA. Bingham's bikini of fake lettuce leaves carried a sign reading "Go Vegetarian!"
Baywatch Star in Lettuce Bikini
Name Generator Friday
What's Your Hobbit Name
What's Your Hobbit Name?
From Alex
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes proved once again Wednesday that the oldies are the goodies after beating stiff competition from a host of modern fictional sleuths in a poll to find Britain's most popular detective.
Holmes, the product of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's vivid imagination, was voted favorite by 27 percent of British readers, according to booksdirect.co.uk, who carried out the survey.
Agatha Christie's dapper Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot came in second with 16 percent, while Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse was third with 15 percent of the vote.
Only two women made it into the top 10: Christie's ever sharp Miss Marple and medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, the creation of American author Patricia Cornwell.
Most of the detectives in the top ten were British and from non-violent books.
Sherlock Holmes
Admits Changing E-Mail Text to Block Hackers
Yahoo
Yahoo! Inc. confirmed on Wednesday that its e-mail software has automatically changed certain words -- including evaluate -- in a bid to prevent hackers from spreading viruses.
Although the company declined to list the words its software had been changing, a report on the technology news Web site, News.com, reported that the program changes "mocha" to "espresso," and the phrase "eval" to "review."
"Evaluate," then, becomes, "reviewuate," and that job application doesn't look so polished anymore.
A spokeswoman for Yahoo said the word-changing program was just one of several practices the company takes to ensure the security of its e-mail.
The problem with words like mocha, she said, is that along with describing a flavor and a color, it is a special command in the JavaScript computer language, which hackers may intercept to launch malicious programs.
Aside from a general list of e-mail guidelines, which states that Yahoo will take measures to insure tight security, the company had not previously disclosed the word-changing practice to e-mail users.
Searches of such non-English words like "reviewuate" and "medireview" -- changed from "medieval -- produce thousands of results on the Internet search engine Google, offering some indication of how
often Yahoo's mail system has replaced words.
However, a test message Wednesday on Yahoo mail transmitted the words "mocha" and "evaluate" with no changes. Yahoo was not immediately available to say whether or when it had changed its practices.
Yahoo
Name Generator Friday
What's Your Jedi Name
What's Your Jedi Name?
Net Loses Appeal on Crowe Interview
Russell Crowe
A television station that aired an interview showing Russell Crowe smoking a cigarette lost its appeal Thursday against a ruling that it breached tobacco advertising laws.
Federal Court Judge Arthur Emmett upheld the Australian Broadcasting Authority's ruling against the Nine Network.
The station appealed after the authority said an October 2000 interview with Crowe on its "60 Minutes" current affairs show breached the Tobacco Advertisement Prohibition Act. The program
showed the Oscar-winning "Gladiator" star holding a packet of Marlboros as he lit up.
Part of the interview was replayed the following week after viewers criticized Crowe — who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand in
1999's "The Insider" — for his smoking habit.
The authority said that while the original footage was an "incidental accompaniment" allowed under the act, the repeat broadcast "recklessly" constituted a tobacco advertisement.
Russell Crowe
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Poached by National Security Administration
Disney 'Imagineer'
Entertainment giant The Walt Disney Co. has become an unlikely resource in the U.S. government's drive to beef up homeland security.
Just six months after a Disney transportation specialist was tapped for a U.S. airport security advisory group, the secretive National Security Administration has hired away another Disney
executive to lead its research and development efforts.
The latest government recruit from the land of Mickey Mouse, Disney Imagineering executive vice president of research and development Eric Haseltine, will go to Washington in August to
become the NSA's associate director for research.
In choosing Haseltine, the spy agency will get a high-tech expert with experience in virtual reality and special effects.
Before coming to Disney, Haseltine worked at Hughes Aircraft for 15 years, including a stint as an executive in the division that designed flight simulators.
Haseltine arrived at the entertainment giant 10 years ago, where he started working in virtual reality and other special effects projects.
His list of credits over the years includes the first virtual reality ride at Epcot in Walt Disney World, work on effects for Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris, and effects for the
new Mission: SPACE attraction set to open next year at Epcot. He also helped develop Disney's online multiplayer games.
Haseltine's departure for a new job in national security follows a similar invitation in January by the U.S. Department of Transportation to another Disney employee, Chris Billings.
In that instance, Billings, a Disney World transportation specialist, was invited to Washington to take part in an advisory group charged with tackling issues arising from
increased airport security.
Disney 'Imagineer'
Name Generator Friday
What's Your Ninja Name
What's Your Ninja Name?
Thanks to 'Moose & Squirrel' for this one!
Sheep Cells?
Adnan Khashoggi
Remember Adnan Khashoggi? Once billed as the richest man in the world, the 65-ish wheeler-dealer who collected billions in commissions from arms sales to Saudi Arabia resurfaced this
summer in a villa near Cannes. "Adnan has reinvented himself. He has a lovely new wife, Shapari, and seems to have repaired his rupture with King Fahd of Saudi Arabia," Richard Turley
reports from the Riviera in Ocean Drive magazine. "Khashoggi, who has not visibly aged, credits the annual injections of sheep glands he has been getting for 30 years."
Adnan Khashoggi
Puno, Peru
Bad Weather
Local villagers stand next to their dead alpacas after a snow storm in the southern Andean region of Puno, July 17, 2002. Peru appealed for international aid on July 17, as it scrambled to send food, medicine and blankets to southern regions where cold temperatures have killed 59 people
in what officials say is a harbinger of the devastating El Nino weather phenomenon. The cold spell has also put at risk the lives of a million lamas, alpacas and vicunas. officials said some 80,000 of the animals that live at altitudes of 13,000 feet to 16,000 feet (4,000 metres to 5,000
metres) have alredy died. Picture taken July 17.
Name Generator Friday
What's Your Pirate Name
What's Your Pirate Name?
In MTV's 'Making the Band II'
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs will star in a "reality" show on MTV this fall about the finding and making of a hip-hop band and will not focus on the entertainment impresario's private
life, he and the cable network announced on Wednesday.
Before Wednesday's announcement, there was speculation in the music industry that Combs would join the growing list of stars with shows similar to MTV's highly successful
one about the personal life of heavy metal rock star Ozzy Osbourne and his family.
Rather, Combs will star in 10 half-hour "Making the Band II" shows starting Oct. 12 on the cable network featuring candid scenes of his business, not personal, life.
"It gives me a chance to have it clear to people what I do. That I just don't throw white parties in the Hamptons every day. That I do work 20 hours a day and I am good at
what I do," Combs said at a news conference.
Combs sees himself as "this generation's starmaker," like Motown legend Barry Gordy for his generation.
"Making the Band" was originally an ABC production that followed a band, O-Town, from its beginnings to signing a record deal. Its debut album sold 1.5 million copies.
Re-runs of the series were broadcast on MTV.
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs
BartCop TV!
Asked to Write Greek Olympics Theme
George Michael
British pop singer George Michael is considering a request from the Athens Olympic Committee to write a theme song for the 2004 Games, a spokeswoman for the artist said on Thursday.
The 39-year-old's Greek heritage is obvious in his original name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, although he was born in north London.
"A request was made by the Athens Olympic Committee to write the theme song for the 2004 games," said the spokeswoman.
The Athens Olympics will be held in August 2004, and have been subject to their own controversy, with the organizing committee being accused of lagging dangerously behind
schedule. Greek government officials told Reuters last month that the games are on track, despite minor problems.
George Michael
Name Generator Friday
What's Your Superhero Name
What's Your Superhero Name?
Ankling William Morris
Arnold Schwarzenegger
After five years, Arnold Schwarzenegger is discharging the William Morris Agency. While Schwarzenegger is expected to deliver the bad news officially Thursday, there is no word on where the actor will land.
He is understood to be taking meetings around town in the next few weeks.
Schwarzenegger, despite being paid $30 million for reprising his role in the "Terminator" franchise, has seen his bankability outside of sequels diminish during his time at Willima Morris. His 1999
picture "End of Days" managed $209 million worldwide; 2000's "The 6th Day" slipped to $116 million worldwide, and his most recent outing, Warner Bros.' "Collateral Damage," eked out just more than
$81 million -- with a negative cost estimated at $85 million, according to Nielsen EDI figures.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!
Ren & Stimpy
Happy, happy, joy, joy! The Ren and Stimpy Show is coming back to TV!
TNN said Tuesday that it has tapped John Kricfalusi, creator of the early '90s animated cult classic, to produce all new adventures featuring the perpetually perturbed
asthmatic Chihuahua Ren and his gullible feline friend Stimpy.
The deranged duo will star in six original episodes that will air in prime-time as part of TNN's adult animation block that will also include Stan Lee's new series,
Striperella (featuring the, um, talents of Pamela Anderson), and Kelsey Grammer's Gary the Rat.
Kricfalusi, who provided the original raspy voice for Ren (including the catchphrase "You Eeee-diots!") during the 'toon's first season on Nickelodeon in 1991, will be handling
vocal chores for the new episodes, which will be produced by his company, Spumco. Several of the show's original writers and animators--including Jim Smith, Richard Pursel
and Vincent Walker--are also back for more.
In addition to the six new episodes, TNN will also air all 52 original episodes of The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Kricfalusi's non-Ren credits include The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, The New Jetsons and the Fox Kids series The Ripping Friends, as well as the
Rolling Stones "Harlem Shuffle" video. In 2000, he also signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Icebox.com to generate content for the online animation site.
The new Ren & Stimpy Show episodes will debut in 2003.
Ren & Stimpy
Snarky Gossip
Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel is making an honest woman out of his live-in love, Hillary Quinlan. After a seven-year romance, the couple have set their wedding date - Aug. 18 at the Breakers hotel
in Palm Beach, reports the National Enquirer. The marriage will be the first for Quinlan, 42, a former financial analyst for Goldman-Sachs in Chicago. Gumbel, 58, gave up half his
$20 million fortune to ex-wife June during their messy split last summer. His ex branded him a "serial adulterer," while Gumbel groused that he had been in a "loveless marriage for 27 years."
Bryant Gumbel
Name Generator Friday
What Is Your Tele-Evangelist Name
What Is Your Tele-Evangelist Name?
To Go To Auction
German Art Collection
A landmark private German art collection that includes a masterpiece once used to block a leaky roof, goes under the hammer later this year.
The Beck collection, the private passion of a father and son family central heating firm in Stuttgart, catalogs a half century of one of the most adventurous and fraught periods of German art.
Among the works collected by Helmut Beck and his son Paul who died aged 91 last year, is Halbakt (Half nude) painted in 1912 by Alexej von Jawlensky.
Another part of the sale involves works by local Stuttgart artist Adolf Holzel who handed Paul Beck a treasure trove of his own works in exchange for having a central heating system fitted in his house.
Pastels, oils and drawings by the likes of Wassily Kandinsky, Oskar Schlemmer, Alfred Kubin, Paul Klee, Willi Baumeister, Max Beckmann and August Macke also feature in a collection never before seen in public.
Father and son also went out of their way to secretly support many artists banned by Germany's Nazi rulers in the 1930s and 1940s.
The sale is taking place because the seven heirs of Paul Beck cannot agree on how to divide the collection among themselves.
German Art Collection
Snarky Gossip
'Sex and the City'
The women of "Sex and the City" dislike each other so much, each deserves an Emmy for acting friendly at Tuesday's season premiere at the Museum of Natural History. The main
problem is between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker. "Those two won't even be photographed together for magazines and, if they have to at events like tonight, they will
have Cynthia [Nixon] and Kristin [Davis] between them," our source predicted. Sure enough, when the quartet was photographed, Cattrall and Parker book-ended the group.
'Sex and the City'
Used To Be Called 'Pandering'
'Bachelorette'
Television network ABC, in a bid to retake its title as queen of the prime time dance, will make over its schedule next season with a female version of its breakout hit "reality" series "The Bachelor," network officials said on Wednesday.
In an unusual move for reality television, ABC said it will recycle the runner-up from the original hit series, bachelorette Trista Rehn, who was passed over by bachelor Alex Michel for the younger and bustier Amanda Marsh.
The new show -- aptly titled "The Bachelorette" -- will run in early 2003 in between two separate renditions of "The Bachelor," which is set to air at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesdays, according to Lloyd Braun, chairman
of ABC Entertainment Television Group.
At a meeting with reporters where ABC announced the new show, several question were raised about double standards and whether Trista might be perceived as promiscuous.
In keeping with its new image, ABC also announced it would scale back its in-your-face yellow-colored promotions, featuring black and white pictures on a bold, yellow background.
The original yellow will be replaced by a range of colors in new promotional material, said Mike Benson, senior vice president of marketing, advertising and promotion for the ABC Television Network.
'Bachelorette'
Basic Cable Networks
Rankings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of July 8-14. Each ratings point represents 1,055,000 households. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses.
1. "Home Run Derby" (Monday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 5.0, 5.27 million homes.
2. Movie: "Door to Door" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), TNT, 3.9, 4.13 million homes.
3. "Real World XI" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), MTV, 3.5, 3.73 million homes.
4. "WWE Raw Zone" (Monday, 10 p.m.), TNN, 3.2, 3.36 million homes.
5. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.9, 3.01 million homes.
6. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNN, 2.8, 2.95 million homes.
7. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 4 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.8, 2.92 million homes.
8. Major League Baseball Special (Monday, 10:41 p.m.), ESPN, 2.7, 2.844 million homes.
9. Movie: "Eraser" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 2.7, 2.838 million homes.
10. "Brandy: Special Delivery" (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m.), MTV, 2.7, 2.81 million homes.
11. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 5 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.795 million homes.
12. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 3:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.787 million homes.
13. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 4:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.70 million homes.
14. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 3 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.5, 2.61 million homes.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.4, 2.55 million homes.
Basic Cable Rankings
Reader Contribution
'Tales From The Treatment Center'
''Full Metal Jackass''
Chapter 3:
Who does this shit for a living anyway?
A friend of mine was in from out of state recently and we met for brunch at Margs, my favorite Tex-Mex hang out.
We had worked together on the same unit/campus...In fact, he hired me in '82 and was my supervisor first, then my friend. That friendship has endured despite time, location and extraordinary circumstances for 20 years.
At brunch we reminisced about the good old bad days...one incident in particular stood out, which I relate here.
In 1986-87 speed was the drug of choice for most of us...crank, the snortable variety. I was particularly enamored by it and did it-alot. I quickly went from a weekend warrior to a daily user. I always had a cup of coffee nearby to explain my jitters, and a bottle of Afrin to explain my "allergies".
I was using at work...a big no-no in our hypocrite creed. The common rationalization was "what I do in my off time is my business", which worked until it bled over into work time.
Speed does interesting things to people over time, in my case it created the following nightmare:
1. I thought I was doing a great job and my use only made me better.
2. I ruined my marriage and got involved with one of my employees who was also using.
3. I almost lost my job, and though I dodged that bullet, people who had once respected me resented my presence and weren't shy about for a year and a half.
It went down like this-I went in for supervision with my team leader as usual on a Monday, 5 minutes into our meeting another therapist came into the office and sat down, my supervisor told me he had asked this therapist to be a witness and then told me I could no longer be the manager of my unit because I was addicted to speed.
Now...I had been selling this "witness" pot for almost 2 years, and there he was acting all pious...I remember thinking I could sling his sorry ass, but didn't. I denied the accusation and when told the only way I could avoid termination was to agree to go to treatment, I refused and made it clear that I was filing a grievance. I marched over to human resources and did exactly that, and my supervisor went down to my unit and told held a group with the staff and patients telling them he had fired me because I had a drug problem...his mistake. After much pinwheeling and high level meetings, I was reinstated with back pay and apologies...I was reassigned to the crisis intervention team.
But the damage was done, the truth was, I had a problem and it had destroyed my personal life and was beginning its march into my professional one. It seemed everyone knew the truth and knew I had somehow beat the system and kept my job. My credibility was gone and they had put me in the one place where they figured I would throw up my hands in defeat in short order and leave. They were wrong.
Before it was over I would be one of the most recognized and valued soldiers on the intervention team.
I got my shit together and paid the price for my sins because what I was doing meant something to me.
One of the most important things that happened during this time was my friend (the one I'm having brunch with...remember?) told me at the time he wasn't sure he could be my friend anymore because of what I was doing. I was letting him down and that just underlined the basic foundation of why we were still there in the first place, loyalty and respect. How could he depend on me when I was so out of control?
My friend said he didn't think he would say that to me today, as his definition of what friendship meant went beyond the job. I reminded him that then, it WAS the job, and everything else was secondary. We were like cops in that respect...what we did defined every other aspect of our lives.
It's not like that now, but we remembered how we felt almost 20 years ago and smiled...we were still good friends.
NEXT WEEK: There's something wrong with these security room doors.....
*These are true accounts of 14 years of work in residential treatment
center....sometimes harrowing, sometimes heartwarming...presented to
enlighten you to the human condition, as much as to tell my story.....and
maybe understand how I ended up the way I am.
~~ Rob
Turtopia - Turtle rescue, rehab and rehoming
Buenos Aires Zoo
White Tigers
Three 35 days-old white tiger cubs are shown for first time at Buenos Aires Zoo Thursday, July 18, 2002 in Argentina.
Photo by Eduardo Di Baia
'The Osbournes'
Fairly freshly updated - 'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2 !
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
