Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Gender Equality (Imgur)
Real Men Have Real Curves.
Jacque Wilson: Fitness trainer gains and loses 70 pounds in 1 year -- on purpose (CNN)
The fitness trainer's journey had come to an end after successfully losing more than 70 pounds -- six months after he purposely gained the same amount. "Like it never happened," host George Stephanopoulos said.
Suzanne Moore: My advice for the Labour party (Guardian)
Ed Miliband could dismantle the Tory feelgood factor with some simple questions to voters. What he shouldn't do is bring back Peter Mandelson or Alastair Campbell.
Mark Morford: Who's Afraid of a Little Sodomy (SF Gate)
There is something a little sad, if not enormously disturbing, about people like Ken Cuccinelli, the intensely troubled AG of Virginia and one-man Tea Party sideshow who is currently running for governor and who, if he has his way, will hereby outlaw sodomy and oral sex. For everyone. Forevermore.
Rebecca Nicholson: "Breaking Bad is great TV, but with no real women, it can never be 'my' show" (Guardian)
It's often compulsive viewing, but without believable female characters, Breaking Bad can never win a part in TV's holy trinity alongside The Sopranos and The Wire.
Interview by Laura Barnett: "Philip Glass, composer - portrait of the artist" (Guardian)
In the 1970s, a paper ran the headline "Glass invents new sonic torture". I saved that one - I thought it was very funny.
Barbara Cartland: the novelist reaching out beyond the grave (Guardian)
The bestselling writer was responsible for 723 books of romantic fiction during her lifetime, and a further 160 are to be posthumously published. But nothing she wrote was quite as lurid as her own life.
Pleated-Jeans, "14 Ideas for a Slightly Better World" (YouTube)
"Jeff Wysaski calls them 'ideas for a slightly better world', but I think that he's underestimating the awesomeness of cats wearing hats. My favorite: require all telemarketers to talk like pirates while making phone calls." - John Farrier of Neatorama
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still a bit of a marine layer, still cooler than seasonal.
The Winningest Loser
Bill Maher
He's lost to Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Dennis Miller and the Tony Awards ... and for 10 years in a row, his show has lost to "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" as that series has fashioned a record winning streak in the Outstanding Variety Series category.
So while Susan Lucci parlayed 18 consecutive Daytime Emmy losses into the stuff of legend, prompting banner headlines when she finally took home the gold for "All My Children" in 1999, Lucci's not the Emmys' biggest loser by a longshot.
That title goes to Bill Maher, who has now been nominated 32 times without a win over the last 17 years.
Maher has competed in nine different categories over the years, missing the gold as a writer, a performer and a producer for "Real Time With Bill Maher," "Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher" and his standup specials.
To be fair, Maher has only lost 29 of those times - the last three are pending. But his three current chances to break the losing streak will more likely become three more times to break his own record for futility, since he's hardly the favorite in the Outstanding Variety Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series categories. ("Real Time With Bill Maher" was nominated in the first two categories, and the Maher-produced "Vice" in the third.)
Bill Maher
The George W. Bush Connection
Harry Potter
Why do some millennials hate George W. Bush?
A new book by a political science professor, based on a national survey of 1,100 college students conducted over a three-year period, suggests it could have something to do with Harry Potter.
According to Anthony Gierzynski's "Harry Potter and the Millennials: Research Methods and the Politics of the Muggle Generation," readers of J.K. Rowling's seven-book series - and viewers of the movie franchise based on them - tend to be "more open to diversity; politically tolerant; less authoritarian; less likely to support the use of deadly force or torture; more politically active; and are more likely to have a negative view of the Bush administration."
A staggering 83 percent of respondents who read all of the Harry Potter books said they viewed the Bush administration unfavorably. And roughly 60 percent said they voted for Barack Obama in 2008, the first year most of them were old enough to vote.
According to Gierzynski, who teaches at the University of Vermont, the majority of the 1,100 students who took his survey were the same age as the characters in the series - or about 11 - in 1997, when the first Harry Potter book was released.
Harry Potter
WWE Wrestler
Darren Young
The WWE's Darren Young has become the first active wrestler to publicly come out as gay.
Young, 29, was approached by a TMZ camera crew at an airport baggage claim and asked whether he thought a gay wrestler could be successful. His response? "Absolutely. Look at me. I'm a WWE Superstar and to be honest with you, I'll tell you right now, I'm gay and I'm happy. Very happy."
The WWE is standing behind Young. "WWE is proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality, and we will continue to support him as a WWE Superstar," the organization said in a statement. "Today, in fact, Darren will be participating in one of our Be A Star anti-bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Darren Young
Fan Expo Canada
Carrie Fisher
It's been 36 years since "Star Wars" came out, introducing the world to the iconic double-bun hairstyle of Princess Leia - but for Carrie Fisher, now 56, it's clear that the ardor hasn't faded.
And it's on full display at fan conventions - like Toronto's Fan Expo Canada, which runs from Aug. 22 to 25 - where she'll occasionally receive the oddest of requests.
"Generally, it's people having me sign their bodies so that they can have it tattooed," she marvelled from her home in Los Angeles. "That's happened a few times now. ... It wasn't in weird spots, it was just really going to hurt, like on the palm of their hand, or the crook of their arm."
But while some film icons might project preciousness or archness about being associated with such an important character, Fisher has rather gracefully pursued her own passion projects. She has settled into a life of scriptwriting, authoring memoirs and the occasional one-woman show; she also speaks out about mental health awareness, a cause close to her heart since she was diagnosed as bipolar when she was 28. Still, she maintains and enjoys her ties to the "Star Wars" world.
"I don't take any of this very seriously," she says. "It was a really fun movie to make - not all the time, but it was fun to make, being a girl in an all-boy fantasy. ... People just love it. It's like a fairy tale, it's part of their youth, so there's something really innocent. It's the best part of people that like it."
Carrie Fisher
Issues Apology
Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons is apologizing for a parody video of Harriet Tubman in a sex tape that appeared on his All Def Digital YouTube channel.
The clip features an actress portraying Tubman having sex with her white slave master as someone films it so the abolitionist can bribe her boss. The "Harriet Tubman Sex Tape" video was posted Wednesday.
The 55-year-old Simmons, founder of Def Jam Records, writes Thursday that he "can now understand why so many people are upset." He said he removed the video after a call from the NAACP.
Simmons adds that he doesn't condone violence against women and that he's "sincerely sorry" to those offended by the clip. Though Simmons removed the video, it still lives online.
Russell Simmons
Sons Face Battery Charges
John Mellencamp
Rocker John Mellencamp's two teenage sons are facing battery charges for allegedly punching and kicking a man during a fight that left the victim with serious facial injuries.
Monroe County prosecutors on Thursday charged 19-year-old Hud Mellencamp of Nashville, Ind., and 18-year-old Speck Mellencamp of Bloomington with one count each of battery resulting in serious bodily injury. Nineteen-year-old Ty A. Smith of Bloomington faces the same charge in the July 29 attack.
Court documents say Speck Mellencamp punched 19-year-old Alexander Bucy in the face on the porch of Bucy's Bloomington home because he thought Bucy had hit him earlier that evening.
Hud Mellencamp and Smith joined in and the trio allegedly "punched, kicked and stomped" on Bucy, who suffered facial fractures and stitches.
John Mellencamp
Hit-And-Run Charge Dismissed
Chris Brown
A Los Angeles judge has dismissed a hit-and-run driving charge against singer Chris Brown.
The judge said Brown had reached a civil compromise with the other driver and City News Service says the misdemeanor was dropped Thursday. Brown didn't attend the hearing.
Brown claims he traded insurance information with the woman after his Range Rover struck her Mercedes in Toluca Lake in May.
His attorney says he accidentally gave the woman the wrong insurance information. Mark Geragos also says insurance covered the $800 in damage to the Mercedes.
Chris Brown
Former Assistant Charged With Fraud
Jasper Johns
A former assistant to Jasper Johns has been charged with selling 22 works he allegedly stole from the pop artist's Connecticut studio.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office announced the indictment against James Meyer on Thursday. He's charged with interstate transportation of stolen property and wire fraud.
Meyer, of Salisbury, Conn., was Johns' studio assistant for more than 25 years. A phone number for his attorney couldn't immediately be located.
Prosecutors say Meyer removed the artworks from Johns' studio in Sharon, Conn., without his knowledge between 2006 and 2012. Meyer then allegedly took them to a Manhattan art gallery where he provided the owner with fictitious authentication papers.
Prosecutors say the gallery sold 22 of the works for $6.5 million; half the proceeds went to Meyer.
Jasper Johns
Dispute Over Gospel Song
"I'll Fly Away"
A long-running family dispute over a classic gospel song won't just fly away.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered more hearings in the fight over who owns the rights and royalties to Albert Brumley Sr.'s classic "I'll Fly Away."
Three of Brumley's children, four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law filed a lawsuit against one of Brumley's sons, arguing that they should be able to get a share of the royalties from the song. They asked the court to terminate the copyrights to the song, which was being held by a company owned by son Robert Brumley.
Judge Boyce Martin wrote that a trial judge erred in excluding two articles quoting Brumley about where he worked when the song was written and ordered further proceedings in the case.
"I'll Fly Away"
Viewers Flock In Record Numbers
'Duck Dynasty'
A&E says nearly 12 million birds of a feather caught Wednesday's season premiere of its hit unscripted series "Duck Dynasty."
The network said the episode took its place as the No. 1 non-fiction series telecast in cable history in total viewers as well as all key demographic groups.
The fourth-season premiere grew by more than one-third in total viewers over last season's debut.
Set in Louisiana bayou country, "Duck Dynasty" follows a brood of brothers who manufacture duck calls and love to go bird hunting.
'Duck Dynasty'
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) The Rolling Stones; $7,772,849; $345.49.
2. (New) Paul McCartney; $3,620,049; $131.27.
3. (2) Taylor Swift; $3,021,717; $86.51.
4. (3) Kenny Chesney; $2,246,701; $75.53.
5. (4) Fleetwood Mac; $1,427,403; $110.90.
6. (New) Phish; $1,391,413; $48.76.
7. (5) Justin Bieber; $1,267,409; $80.71.
8. (6) Dave Matthews Band; $1,134,333; $55.10.
9. (8) Bruno Mars; $1,029,608; $71.36.
10. (9) New Kids On The Block; $830,439; $65.06.
11. (New) Blake Shelton; $672,657; $32.24.
12. (10) Tim McGraw; $586,428; $38.25.
13. (11) Brad Paisley; $569,683; $36.13.
14. (New) Rascal Flatts; $567,025; $40.02.
15. (12) Carrie Underwood; $527,808; $70.00.
16. (14) Barry Manilow; $377,596; $67.98.
17. (13) Widespread Panic; $376,122; $47.11.
18. (16) Bad Company / Lynyrd Skynyrd; $311,304; $31.44.
19. (17) The Postal Service; $249,253; $41.27.
20. (18) Styx / REO Speedwagon / Ted Nugent; $225,939; $35.27.
Concert Tours
In Memory
Lisa Robin Kelly
"That '70s Show" actress Lisa Robin Kelly has died at age 43.
Manager Craig Wyckoff says Kelly died Wednesday at a Los Angeles addiction treatment facility she had entered early this week. No official cause of death was disclosed.
Kelly portrayed Laurie Forman, sister of Topher Grace's lead character Eric, on the Fox series. It concluded in 2006.
Unlike some of her co-stars - Grace, Ashton Kutcher and Laura Prepon - Kelly fell out of the spotlight after appearing on the sitcom until she started making headlines for personal troubles.
Lisa Robin Kelly
In Memory
Robert Wold
Robert N. Wold, who left a successful career as an advertising executive to become a pioneer in the use of satellite technology for broadcasting, died Saturday, Aug. 10, in Irvine, Calif. He was 87.
Wold's Los Angeles start-up company, The Robert Wold Co., later renamed Wold Communications, is credited with several "firsts" in the emerging use of satellite technology in the mid- 1970's, including the first use of a domestic communications satellite for a live television program (a baseball game, 1975), and the first worldwide business videoconference (1979).
While his company owned neither the satellites nor the programming it transmitted, Wold is often seen as creating a niche industry for value-added resellers and packagers that continues today. Forty years later, video broadcasting continues to be the largest segment of multi-billion-dollar geo-stationary satellite industry.
Robert Norman Wold was born Sept. 11, 1925, in Minneapolis. Following graduation from Minneapolis Southwest High School, Wold served in the US Navy from 1943 to 1946. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1950, majoring in journalism.
He worked for CBS Network, then Campbell Mithun in Chicago and Minneapolis before moving to California to join NW Ayer, later Ayer Jorgensen McDonald, in 1962. At Campbell Mithun, Wold was a key creative director behind the iconic 1950's "Land of Sky Blue Waters" sales campaign for The Hamm's Brewing Company.
Wold's jump to the technical world of satellites initially evolved from his efforts to find cost-effective means of distribution for his advertising clients who bought sports broadcasting rights for radio and television. Though his company's founding was coincidental to the emergence of new technologies, Wold found his market place niche came from his ability to introduce broadcasters to satellites and technically minded satellite providers to the world of entertainment production and distribution.
His company made headlines in May 1977 through the real-time satellite delivery of the four Frost- Nixon interviews to an independent network of 165 U.S. TV stations.
Wold Communications built and operated satellite ground stations and mobile uplinks, now commonplace tools of the industry. For example, to encourage the delivery of day-and-date syndicated television programming by satellite, the company gave reluctant TV stations their own ground stations with which to receive from the satellites. This move spurred the 1981 launch of such independent programs as Entertainment Tonight, The Merv Griffin Show and Star Search.
By the mid-1980's, the company had offices in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, and more than 150 employees. Wold sold the company in 1989 after which he consulted to broadcasters and technology companies. In 2001, Wold was inducted into the Society of Satellite Professionals International Hall of Fame.
More on his career can be found in his profile in Broadcasting magazine in 1977.
He is survived by his ex-wife Mary Wold of Brentwood, Calif.; son Peter Wold of Playa del Rey, Calif.; daughters Margaret Wold-Sackey of Laguna Niguel, Calif.; and Molly Seidel of Coto de Caza, Calif., as well as his six grandchildren - Sterling Sackey, Brooke Seidel, Erika Seidel, Vincent Sackey, Chase Seidel and Isabella Sackey. His first son, Robert John, died in 1981.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations in Wold's name to his alma mater, the University of Minnesota. Click here
Robert Wold
From 1983 to 1989 I was an employee of Wold Communications.
RN was a man of his word, which is rare enough, but unheard of in broadcasting.
He gave that first break to many, trusted his employees, and he really knew how to throw a party!
A damn good man who changed the world.
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