Recommended Reading
from Bruce
20 QUESTIONS: Marshall Crenshaw (popmatters.com)
Marshall Crenshaw chats with PopMatters' 20 Questions about the cultural offerings, high and not so high, that he gets a kick out of -- from to Duke Ellington to Captain Beefheart.
Walter Tunis: "Going south in any direction: Jason Isbell's roots show everywhere he plays" (McClatchy Newspapers)
He is, in every sense of the shopworn rock 'n' roll term, a road warrior.
Roger Ebert: Apatow on how to learn nothing from a near-death experience
If there is a King of Comedy right now in Hollywood, that would be Judd Apatow. I have a list here of a dozen comedies he has produced and/or directed just in the last five years, and I left out the titles I didn't like. He has been writing since he was a kid, producing since he was 23, and then he directed "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (2005) and "Knocked Up" (2007) himself. He is only 41. I think he's hitting his stride.
Jevon Phillips: Joss Whedon and a 'Dollhouse' duo (latimes.com)
The show creator and his star Eliza Dushku drew a full house.
Steve Johnson: Behind the scenes at public radio's hit comedy show 'Wait Wait - Don't Tell Me!' (Chicago Tribune)
As green rooms go, the one backstage at Chicago's Chase Auditorium on the night of a "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" taping is not bad.
Grady Hendrix: Vampires Suck (slate.com)
Actually, they don't. And that's the problem.
Karla Casillas: Interview with John O'Hurley (thecelebritycafe.com)
John O'Hurley is widely recognized as J. Peterman on the hit show 'Seinfeld'? and as the host of 'Family Feud.' Those are two facets to his talent. He is currently playing King Arthur on Monty Python's 'Spamalot,' and working on an energy company he co-founded.
News Review interview: Barry Humphries (timesonline.co.uk)
As Dame Edna he is outrageous: a hilariously accurate judge of suburban pretension. Offstage, and at 75, he remains irresistible to women, including his novelist friend and neighbour.
Dominic Maxwell: Dame Edna Everage returns to Britain (timesonline.co.uk)
Flags are out for Barry Humphries as his alter ego, Dame Edna Everage, prepares to revive her Last Night of the Poms show.
Francesca Steele: "Janeane Garofalo: Edinburgh virgin" (timesonline.co.uk)
The American actress and stand-up is unfazed about performing at the Fringe, she tells Francesca Steele.
The new offenders of standup comedy (guardian.co.uk)
Political correctness used to rule comedy, but now comics routinely offend their audiences. How did things get so nasty, asks Brian Logan.
Grant Hatchimonji: An Interview with Mario Cantone (thecelebritycafe.com)
GH: What was it like working with Monty Hall?
MC: That was awesome. He's classic and so old school and smart. He knows his stuff. It was great talking to him in between shows about how he came to New York and how he was pounding the pavement trying to find a show. And this whole thing with "Let's Make a Deal," and how he created and owns it Š that's a life-fulfilling dream. It's very lucrative, too. Always own something. "It's always important to own something," he told me that. I learned a lot from him.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Resistance is Futile' Edition
Sunday, on Meet the Press, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of Iran..."We believe as a matter of policy it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons... So we are united in our continuing commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons... First, we're going to do everything we can to prevent you from ever getting a nuclear weapon. But your pursuit is futile, because we will never let Iran--nuclear-armed"...
Do you think Obama would use the military option to prevent a nuclear armed Iran?
Send your response to
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and close to pleasant.
More Chinese Films Pulled
Melbourne International Film Festival
Three more Chinese-language films have been pulled from an Australian film festival to protest the planned appearance of an exiled Uighur activist Beijing blames for inciting recent ethnic violence, organizers said Thursday.
Rebiya Kadeer's scheduled visit to the Melbourne International Film Festival on Aug. 8 has already prompted Venice Film Festival winner Jia Zhangke and Hong Kong director Emily Tang to withdraw their movies.
The makers of the short Chinese documentary "YB Box," the Hong Kong-Taiwan romance "Miao Miao," and the Hong Kong black comedy "The Moss" have also withdrawn their films, festival spokeswoman Louise Heseltine told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
The boycotting filmmakers are upset by Kadeer's visit and the screening of a documentary about her, Heseltine said.
Melbourne International Film Festival
More Changes
Emmy Awards
Emmy organizers say they will tape the presentation of some awards to help make the ceremony more appealing to viewers.
The Television Academy said Thursday the move is intended to create the most entertaining show possible.
The academy board approved the changes Wednesday night, providing for some awards to be given out before the broadcast. Edited clips of the winners accepting their trophies will be shown during the ceremony, which will air Sept. 20 on CBS.
Emmy Awards
Organist Gets Royalties - Finally
Procol Harum
He didn't skip the light fandango, but Procol Harum's former keyboardist said he was delighted Thursday after Britain's top court ruled he was entitled to a share of royalties from the band's hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale."
Judges in the House of Lords said Matthew Fisher, who played the track's distinctive Hammond organ intro, should get a portion of future royalties from the song.
"As one of those people who do remember the '60s, I am glad that the author of that memorable organ part has at last achieved the recognition he deserves," said Baroness Hale, one of five judges hearing the case.
Fisher, 62, now a computer programmer, left the British band in 1969, but 35 years later began a legal battle for a share in the song's copyright.
Procol Harum
50th Anniversary
Newport Folk Festival
Joan Baez was just 18 when she performed at the first Newport Folk Festival, a self-described neurotic and high-maintenance teenager who remembers trembling in her sandals as she waited her turn on stage.
She sang in her signature soprano that night, and her career quickly took off; she released an album on a major record label, landed on Time magazine's cover and made repeat appearances at the festival alongside on-off romantic partner Bob Dylan.
"I didn't faint; I sang, and that was the beginning of a very long career," Baez says about her 1959 festival appearance. "It's all very extraordinary that my career has been going on all that long time and so has Newport."
Baez returns to Newport this weekend as the heralded festival marks its 50th anniversary. She shares the bill with 90-year-old Pete Seeger, another of the festival's original performers and a towering folk icon, as well as Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins and more contemporary acts.
Newport Folk Festival
Idaho Auction
Dawn Wells
Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann on TV's "Gilligan's Island," plans to cast away the contents of her eastern Idaho home at an auction on Saturday.
The 71-year-old native Idahoan has kept a home in the Driggs area for about 15 years and now lives near Palm Springs, Calif.
Items up for bid include a Kenmore double-door refrigerator, antique Chinese rug, a picture frame cutter made in Denmark and memorabilia from the annual Spud Fest Family Film and Television Festival.
Wells served as executive director of the film festival in Driggs.
Dawn Wells
Hollywood Visitors
Havana
Hollywood came to Havana on Thursday as Cuban writers and artists gave an award to Benicio del Toro, star of the 2008 movie "Che," in a ceremony attended by fellow actors Bill Murray, Robert Duvall and James Caan.
Murray stole the show when he improvised a version of the song "As Time Goes By" then jokingly passed around a hat, asking for money.
Their presence lent a bit of Hollywood glitz to warming U.S.-Cuba relations, and may have been the precursor for the making of a film in Cuba.
Hollywood stars such as Robert Redford, Arnold $chwarzenegger and director Steven Spielberg have come to Cuba in the past but cultural exchanges slowed due to restrictions imposed by former U.S. resident George W. Bush.
Havana
Judge Rules Against
Rupert News Network
A U.S. judge on Thursday denied a bid by Fox News Network LLC seeking details from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve about the central bank's loans to companies affected by the financial crisis.
The owner of the Fox Business cable network made an initial request for documents in November last year under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) about the companies and funds they received between August 2007 and November 2008.
Both parties had filed motions with U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan federal court to rule in their favor after Fox filed its request to the court in January.
The Fed has been a critical player in financial rescue packages for companies. It also opened up its discount window to a wider range of entities in an attempt to provide more liquidity to the financial sector.
Fox News is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp
Rupert News Network
Arrested In Ohio
Police Chiefs
Two police chiefs suspected of snooping for tabloid fodder at the home of a surrogate mother for actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have been arrested on undisclosed charges.
A special prosecutor has been looking into whether the eastern Ohio chiefs illegally entered the woman's home in May, when she wasn't there, but it is unclear if the police chiefs' arrests relate to that investigation.
Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter and Bridgeport Police Chief Chad Dojack were booked Wednesday night and released, Belmont County jail personnel confirm. The jail would not release charges.
The special prosecutor in the case, Harrison County Prosecutor T. Shawn Hervey, was out of town Thursday and would not comment or release any information until Friday morning, said a woman answering the phone at his office. He has said he would take the case to a grand jury if he were to pursue charges.
Police Chiefs
Sued For Breach Of Contract
Annie Leibovitz
An art finance company that lent celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz $24 million against the value of her entire collection and her properties has sued her for violating the terms of the agreement.
In a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court on Wednesday, Art Capital Group Inc asked a judge to compel Leibovitz to cooperate with the person assigned to sell her copyrights and organize the sale of her properties, so Leibovitz can pay back the loan.
The lawsuit said Leibovitz, 59, who has photographed everyone from Michelle Obama to Britain's Queen Elizabeth and a very pregnant Demi Moore in the nude, approached Art Capital in June 2008 about her "dire financial condition."
She initially obtained a $22 million loan from American Photography, which is held by Art Capital Group. Later that amount was increased to $24 million.
Annie Leibovitz
Mom Exposes Abuses
Exchange Students
In a few weeks, thousands of foreign exchange students will arrive in the United States for what they hope will be a rewarding time of study and cultural enrichment. Shortly after that, Danielle Grijalva's phone will start ringing, and her e-mail inbox will begin filling up. It happens every year.
While most of the 30,000 exchange students who come to the U.S. each year have positive experiences, some find themselves stuck in bad homes with little prospect of getting out - especially if the agency that placed them doesn't take their concerns seriously or even blames them for the problems.
These are Grijalva's kids.
From her base in Oceanside, Calif., the 43-year-old stay-at-home mom has almost single-handedly taken on the foreign exchange industry, intervening in abuse cases, questioning placement agencies' marketing practices, and bashing the U.S. State Department for what she says is lax regulation.
Exchange Students
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of July 20-26. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. "The Closer" (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 4.84 million homes, 6.6 million viewers.
2. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), USA, 4.76 million homes, 6.8 million viewers.
3. Auto Racing: "NASCAR Sprint Cup" (Sunday, 2:15 p.m.), ESPN, 4.7 million homes, 6.48 million viewers.
4. "Royal Pains" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.44 million homes, 6.2 million viewers.
5. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.71 million homes, 4.63 million viewers.
6. "NCIS" (Monday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.69 million homes, 4.87 million viewers.
7. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.56 million homes, 5.27 million viewers.
8. "Nationwide Post Race Show" (Sunday, 5:16 p.m.), ESPN, 3.44 million homes, 4.86 million viewers.
9. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.38 million homes, 5.03 million viewers.
10. "Law & Order: SVU" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.33 million homes, 4.17 million viewers.
11. "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Friday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 3.32 million homes, 5.02 million viewers.
12. "In Plain Sight" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.26 million homes, 4.16 million viewers.
13. "Hannah Montana" (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.16 million homes, 4.79 million viewers.
14. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 12:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.04 million homes, 4.05 million viewers.
15. "Army Wives" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), Lifetime, 3.03 million homes, 3.8 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II
The minister known as Reverend Ike, who preached the gospel of material prosperity to millions nationwide, died Tuesday. He was 74.
Family spokesman Bishop E. Bernard Jordan told The New York Times that The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, who suffered a stroke in 2007 and never fully recovered, died in Los Angeles. He moved to the city two years ago, Jordan said.
Reverend Ike preached the power of what he called "positive self-image psychology" to his 5,000 parishioners at the United Church Science of Living Institute. The church was housed in a former movie theater in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood.
In the 1970s, Reverend Ike was one of the first evangelists to reach an audience of millions through television.
Reverend Ike stretched Christian tenets, relocating the idea of God to the interior of the self, with the power to bring the believer anything he or she desired in the way of health, wealth and peace of mind.
Reverend Ike was born on June 1, 1935, in Ridgeland, S.C., to an elementary school teacher and a Baptist minister from Dutch Indonesia.
He became an assistant pastor in his father's church at age 14. He attended the American Bible College in Chicago and spent two years in the Air Force as a chaplain. He founded his first church in Boston and moved to New York City two years later.
He is survived by his wife, Eula May Dent, and his son, Xavier F. Eikerenkoetter, who took over the ministry when his father retired.
Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II
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