Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Did George Carlin change your life? And if yes, how? (amazon.com)
I only ask because so many fans have approached me to tell me about their life changing encounters with him and/or his words. I love hearing about it!-K. Carlin, George's daughter
Tom Danehy: A kid cycles his way out of near-homelessness toward a new goal (tucsonweekly.com)
Thomas Jondall left Tucson for the Continent over the weekend. He'll be in Europe for a month or so, competing as a member of the USA Junior cycling team in events in Belgium and Italy. It wasn't that long ago that he was basically homeless and parentless, sleeping in the park, not going to school, and riding around town on a beat-up bike, hoping that the sound of the blood racing through his system as he pushed himself ever-harder would drown out the pounding reality of a life no kid should ever have to lead.
Connie Schultz: You Never Will Be That Cover Girl (creators.com)
Any American who cares about women should know about Jessica Coen and wish her a long and fruitful life. She is fighting for our girls, one magazine cover at a time.
Susan Estrich: Leaving Home (creators.com)
For the past two weeks, I've been traveling across the country interviewing law students who have applied for jobs at my law firm. I talk to young people from New York who want to be in California, and to young people from California who want to be in New York. Some days, it seems like the only constant is that (almost) no one wants to be where they're from - and where their family is.
Go Topless Day - the march to equality (guardian.co.uk)
Julie Bindel on the bare-breasted demo as women in California campaign for right to reveal all.
Andrew Tobias: Surpluses As Far As The Eye Can See (andrewtobias.com)
I would never argue that Democrats are uniformly and always perfect on this issue (or any other), or that Republicans are uniformly and always wrong. But to suggest there are not huge differences between the parties - to tar them both with the same brush - is to miss some very deeply ingrained themes.
Randy Lewis: Rosanne Cash walks her own line (latimes.com)
Johnny Cash's daughter, a star in her own right, is revealing and honest without being salacious in her new memoir.
Patti Smith's memoir of a rock-poet (latimes.com)
'Just Kids,' a tale of scrambling toward relevancy as the '60s morphed into the '70s, makes a kid from the Reagan-Bush years yearn for the galvanizing turbulence of an era gone by.
Chris Barton: Iyer's jazz pulls from a grab bag (Los Angeles Times)
Critical acclaim can be a tricky thing. While no musician would reject it, when an album becomes an 800-pound gorilla on year-end best-of lists like Vijay Iyer's knotty yet inviting 2009 album, "Historicity," it's tempting to wonder if there's any downside. Does that kind of reaction go to a guy's head? Does it inspire a musician to venture further out and defy expectations? Or does it prompt a temptation to stick with what's worked in the past?
20 Questions: Marc Cohn (popmatters.co)
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn tells PopMatters 20 Questions how Ray Charles (channeled through his producer, Jerry Wexler) taught him almost everything he needed to know about singing. It's a (not so simple) trick involving a full cup of coffee. Read on.
'Airplane' at 30! The ride of their lives (guardian.com)
Is 'Airplane!' the funniest film ever? John Patterson talks to the three nobodies from Milwaukee whose movie sparked a comedy revolution
Interview by Laura Barnett: "Portrait of the artist: Ian McDiarmid, actor" (guardian.co.uk)
'If your reviews are good, you think, "Tonight I will go on repeating my brilliant performance." It's theatrical death.'
David Bruce: "250 Anecdotes About Religion"
A Kindle Book: $1.
The Weekly Poll
EMMY CONTEST
The First Ever BadtotheboneBob's Emmy Contest!™
Well then, Poll-fans, here are the 21 categories and nominations. I would suggest a cut and paste action and then adding yer predictions... Best of luck be upon ya!
Total correct predictions takes The Prize. Again, that would be a $50 VISA gift card mailed directly to you from 'yours truly'.
The 21 nominations/categories will run daily until August 28th.
Response cut-off time is 3pm EDT, tomorrow, Saturday, August 28th,
and will be posted for all to see August 29th (Emmy Day).
The winner will be the one with the most correct predictions and will be announced Tuesday August 31st.
Oh, and please make it easy on me and don't wait until, like, the last minute and flood me with your predictions, eh? Good luck be on ya, Poll-fans!
Drama
Drama Series
Breaking Bad • AMC
Dexter • Showtime
The Good Wife • CBS
Lost • ABC
Mad Men • AMC
True Blood • HBO
Lead Actor, Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad • AMC
Michael C. Hall, Dexter • Showtime
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights • NBC
Hugh Laurie, House • FOX
Matthew Fox, Lost • ABC
Jon Hamm, Mad Men • AMC
Lead Actress, Drama
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer • TNT
Glenn Close, Damages • FX Networks
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights • NBC
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife • CBS
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • NBC
January Jones, Mad Men • AMC
Supporting Actor, Drama
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad • AMC
Martin Short, Damages • FX Networks
Terry O'Quinn, Lost • ABC
Michael Emerson, Lost • ABC
John Slattery, Mad Men • AMC
Andre Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age • TNT
Supporting Actress, Drama
Sharon Gless, Burn Notice • USA
Rose Byrne, Damages • FX Networks
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife • CBS
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife • CBS
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men • AMC
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men • AMC
Comedy
Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO
Glee • FOX
Modern Family • ABC
Nurse Jackie • Showtime
The Office • NBC
30 Rock • NBC
Lead Actor, Comedy
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory • CBS
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO
Matthew Morrison, Glee • FOX
Tony Shalhoub, Monk • USA
Steve Carell, The Office • NBC
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock • NBC
Lead Actress, Comedy
Lea Michele, Glee • FOX
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine • CBS
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie • Showtime
Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation • NBC
Tina Fey, 30 Rock • NBC
Toni Collette, United States Of Tara • Showtime
Supporting Actor, Comedy
Chris Colfer, Glee • FOX
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother • CBS
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family • ABC
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family • ABC
Ty Burrell, Modern Family • ABC
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men • CBS
Supporting Actress, Comedy
Jane Lynch, Glee • FOX
Julie Bowen, Modern Family • ABC
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family • ABC
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live • NBC
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock • NBC
Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men • CBS
Miniseries or Movie
Miniseries
The Pacific • HBO
Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS
Made-for-TV Movie
Endgame (Masterpiece) • PBS
Georgia O'Keeffe • Lifetime
Moonshot • HISTORY
The Special Relationship • HBO
Temple Grandin • HBO
You Don't Know Jack • HBO
Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Jeff Bridges, A Dog Year • HBO
Ian McKellen, The Prisoner • AMC
Michael Sheen, The Special Relationship • HBO
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship • HBO
Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack • HBO
Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Maggie Smith, Capturing Mary • HBO
Joan Allen, Georgia O'Keeffe • Lifetime
Dame Judi Dench, Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship • HBO
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin • HBO
Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Michael Gambon, Emma (Masterpiece) • PBS
Patrick Stewart, Hamlet (Great Performances) • PBS
Jonathan Pryce, Return To Cranford (Masterpiece) • PBS
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin • HBO
John Goodman, You Don't Know Jack • HBO
Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Kathy Bates, Alice • Syfy
Julia Ormond, Temple Grandin • HBO
Catherine O'Hara, Temple Grandin • HBO
Brenda Vaccaro, You Don't Know Jack • HBO
Susan Sarandon, You Don't Know Jack • HBO
Reality and Variety, Music or Comedy
Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow • PBS
Dirty Jobs • Discovery Channel
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution • ABC
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List • Bravo
MythBusters • Discovery Channel
Undercover Boss • CBS
Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race • CBS
American Idol • FOX
Dancing With The Stars • ABC
Project Runway • Lifetime
Top Chef • Bravo
Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race • CBS
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol • FOX
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars • ABC
Heidi Klum, Project Runway • Lifetime
Jeff Probst, Survivor • CBS
Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report • Comedy Central
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central
Real Time With Bill Maher • HBO
Saturday Night Live • NBC
The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien • NBC
Variety, Music or Comedy Special
Bill Maher "...But I'm Not Wrong" • HBO
Hope For Haiti Now • Tenth Planet Productions and MTV
The Kennedy Center Honors • CBS
Robin Williams: Weapons Of Self Destruction • HBO
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert • HBO
Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me • HBO
Also, again, ties will be resolved in a scientific manner involving the ever fabulous, Maddie Muffin (Future Nobel AND Pulitzer Prize winner, President of the United States AND General Secretary of the UN amongst other notable achievements to numerous to mention)...
"My Grampa is The Best!"
Send your predictions to:
BadToTheBoneBob
Here's a complete list of all Emmy Nominations - 2010.
wrote:
responded:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, but a bit cooler.
If we lived in a perfect world, here is where I'd be this weekend - Johnsonburg Bicentennial Celebration.
Gong To Cable?
Emmys
When the Emmy Awards air Sunday, more is at stake than whether "30 Rock" wins its fourth consecutive best-series trophy, "Mad Men" its third or "Glee" its first.
A crucial tally will be the ratings - ammunition for either the big four networks or the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences as the two sides negotiate a new contract for the telecast.
The current agreement, reached in 2002 and expiring this year, created an annual network rotation that brought the ceremony to ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, and gave the TV academy a huge boost in its license fees.
Now the Emmy show has a chance to prove that it's riding a wave that has lifted other awards broadcasts this year, with viewership up for shows including the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the Grammys.
But what Emmy organizers also might covet is a counteroffer. Eight years ago, cable's HBO made a splash by bidding to wrest away the ceremony with a $10 million annual license fee when the networks were offering $3.3 million.
Emmys
Emmy Speech Legally Restricted
Conan O'Brien
Memo to Conan O'Brien: Watch your mouth at the Emmys.
If O'Brien wins Sunday night in the variety, music or comedy series category for his aborted "The Tonight Show" -- a distinct possibility given the strong Hollywood and populist sentiment behind him in his public separation from NBC -- the host is legally prohibited from saying whatever he wants about his former bosses during an acceptance speech.
That's because O'Brien's settlement deal with the network contains strict rules against making "disparaging" comments about NBC or NBC Studios, Jay Leno and NBC executives Jeff Zucker, Dick Ebersol, Jeff Gaspin and Marc Graboff.
Those limitations end September 1, but the Emmys, which air on NBC, take place three days before that deadline. The event marks one of the first times O'Brien and his former bosses will be together in the same room. A win for "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" would present a rare moment of high drama at the Emmys.
Conan O'Brien
Yoko To Mark 70th Birthday
John Lennon
Music legend John Lennon will be celebrated by his widow Yoko Ono with a series of events in Iceland to mark what would have been his 70th birthday.
The artist and peace campaigner will round off her activities with a performance by the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band on October 9.
She will also be presenting awards to figures chosen for their contribution to world peace with a biennial award created in 2002.
The Lennon Ono Grant for Peace - created to honour Lennon's dedication to peace and human rights will go to four recipients: Filmmaker Josh Fox wrote and directed the documentary feature film Gasland the years; Author Michael Pollan who has written bestselling books about the interaction of nature and society; Author and activist Alice Walker, most famous for her book The Color Purple, who travelled to Gaza last year to oppose the Israeli blockade and wrote about her experiences and Barbara Kowalcyk who has campaigned for food safety.
John Lennon
Leaving 'Saturday Night Live'
Will Forte
Will Forte is leaving "Saturday Night Live" after eight seasons.
Forte's publicist Lewis Kay said Thursday that Forte is moving on from "SNL" "to pursue other opportunities."
The 40-year-old Forte starred in and co-wrote the "SNL" spinoff film "MacGruber," which was released in May.
Will Forte
Fragile Comeback
Seiji Ozawa
Japan's most famous orchestral conductor, Seiji Ozawa, has concluded esophageal cancer treatment but will only conduct one piece in September concerts since his health remains frail, organizers said.
The 74-year-old Vienna State Opera musical director was diagnosed with cancer in January and has been under treatment for the first half of 2010, Japanese media said.
"Ozawa's treatment has been completed safely and the doctor said that the cancer didn't spread," the organizers of the concerts taking place in September as a part of a festival founded by the conductor, said in a statement on Thursday.
The mop-haired conductor was advised by doctors that conducting for many hours could hamper his recovery and decided to take on only one piece each in two concerts, leaving the rest to a friend, the organizers said.
Seiji Ozawa
Wedding News
Rijnsburger - Iglesias
Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias, 66, wed his long-time partner and former Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger, 45, in a private ceremony in Marbella, a statement from his entourage said Thursday.
The couple's five children, aged between three and 13, were at Tuesday's ceremony at the Virgen del Carmen parish in the southern Spanish city, the statement said.
The newly-weds were on their honeymoon and would settle in the village of Ojen, not far from Marbella, Iglesias' agent told AFP.
Rijnsburger - Iglesias
Government Appeals Ruling
Indecency Rule
Federal regulators are appealing a recent court decision that struck down a 2004 government policy that says broadcasters can be fined for allowing even a single curse word to be uttered on live television.
A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York threw out the Federal Communications Commission policy last month, saying it was unconstitutionally vague.
In a filing on Thursday, the FCC and the Justice Department asked the court to reconsider that decision, warning that the ruling appears to undermine the FCC's entire approach to regulating indecency on the airwaves. The agencies want the three-judge panel or the full court to reconsider the decision.
Indecency Rule
From King To Beck
Lincoln Memorial
Glenn Beck (R-Delusional) says it's just a coincidence his Restoring Honor rally on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial will take place on the anniversary and at the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. But he's hardly apologizing for the connection.
"This is going to be a moment that you'll never be able to paint people as haters, racists, none of it," he says. "This is a moment, quite honestly, that I think we reclaim the civil rights movement."
Beck, a popular figure among tea party activists and a polarizing Fox News Channel personality, is headlining the event, and Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and a potential 2012 president candidate, will be a featured speaker. But Beck says it's not about politics.
The event's website says the rally is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." It also is to promote the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships and services to family members of military members.
Lincoln Memorial
Guilty; No Jail Time
Nadja Benaissa
A German girl band singer broke down in tears Thursday as a court found her guilty of causing bodily harm to her ex-boyfriend by having unprotected sex with him despite knowing she was infected with HIV. She was not sentenced to jail time.
Nadja Benaissa, a member of No Angels, was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and 300 hours community service after she was convicted in a Darmstadt administrative court. She faced a possible ten years behind bars.
The court ruled that the 28-year-old had infected a former boyfriend with the virus that causes AIDS by having unprotected sex with him.
Benaissa helped her case during the trial, which began Aug. 16, by acknowledging she had unprotected sex despite knowing she was HIV-positive and saying it was a big mistake.
Nadja Benaissa
Shooting Lawsuit
Marion "Suge" Knight
A mediation session meant to resolve a lawsuit filed by rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight against hip-hop star Kanye West was not successful.
Knight's attorney, Marc Brumer, says the two sides did not reach an agreement during Thursday's meeting in Miami, which West attended by phone. The attorney says the case will likely go to trial.
Knight is seeking more than $1 million in damages from West and his companies. Knight was shot in the leg at a 2005 Miami Beach party hosted by West, whom Knight blames for lax security.
The shooter has never been identified, and the case is unsolved.
Marion "Suge" Knight
The X Factor
Autotuning
Simon Cowell has gone from "American Idol" judge to a potential headache for the show.
A furor over whether Cowell's British talent show "The X Factor" electronically altered contestant voices has prompted "American Idol" to make a pre-emptive strike.
"We have never, nor would we ever, use Auto-Tuning during the `American Idol' competition," producers of the Fox show said in a statement Thursday, referring to pitch-correcting technology.
Cowell left the judge's panel on the top-rated Fox series at the end of last season and is bringing "The X Factor," which he created in Britain and is hugely popular there, to the Fox network in 2011.
Fans of "The X Factor" have alleged online that pitch-correction software was used to alter some performances. The show's producers responded to the outcry by acknowledging that post-production was used to correct for the interplay of the various microphones used during filming.
Autotuning
Barred From Leaving Oz
Paul Hogan
Actor Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie trilogy, has been barred from leaving Australia until he pays a disputed tax bill, his lawyer said on Thursday.
The 70-year-old actor, who currently lives in Los Angeles and first gained a public profile in the United States with his cheerful offer to "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie" in Australian tourism TV ads in the mid 1980s, arrived in Sydney last week to attend the funeral of his mother Florence Hogan.
Hogan was served with an Australian Taxation Office order after landing last Friday that prevents him from leaving Australia until he settles a multimillion dollar tax bill, lawyer Andrew Robinson said.
The order was "absolutely devastating" for Hogan's wife, "Crocodile Dundee" co-star Linda Kozlowski, and their 12-year-old son Chance, both of whom remained in Los Angeles, Robinson said.
Australian tax and crime investigators have fought Hogan in a five-year legal wrangle in Australian and U.S. courts to investigate evidence that he used offshore bank accounts to conceal earnings since his low-budget "Crocodile Dundee" movie became an international hit in 1986.
Paul Hogan
AIDS Activists File Complaint
Larry Flynt
An AIDS activist group is bringing a complaint against Larry Flynt, accusing the porn king of compromising the safety of his adult film stars by not having them use condoms.
The AIDS Health Foundation said Thursday it delivered a complaint and 100 DVDs of hardcore Flynt films to the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health office.
Cal-OSHA officials did not return calls for comment. Larry Flynt Productions issued a statement saying fans of X-rated films don't want to watch people using condoms.
Earlier this year, the AIDS group brought similar complaints against nine talent agencies it says promote actors willing to have unprotected sex on camera. Cal-OSHA has said it is investigating those complaints.
Larry Flynt
Takes Back Apology
Levi Johnston
Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin's grandson, says he wishes he hadn't apologized for telling lies about the former Alaska governor because he's "never lied about anything."
Johnston says in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show" to air Friday that he wishes that he hadn't issued the apology to Palin. He acknowledged last month that he told lies last year about Palin and her family after splitting with Bristol Palin, Palin's daughter.
The apology came after the two became engaged for the second time. Shortly after the apology, the couple split again.
Johnston says the apology made him sound like a liar.
Levi Johnston
T-Shirt Explains
Philadelphia
For Mike Monteiro, a transplanted Philadelphian who now lives in California, his T-shirt says it all.
When he moved to San Francisco a decade ago he realized he needed to explain his direct language to Californians who seemed to have a different approach to communication.
After an exchange with an official who accused him of being rude and angry when he was just trying to make a point, he designed a T-shirt, not to get his feelings off his chest, but on it.
"I'm not angry. I'm from Philly," it said.
Philadelphia
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Aug. 16-22. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. "The Closer" (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 5.08 million homes, 6.81 million viewers.
2. "Rizzoli & Isles" (Monday, 10 p.m.), TNT, 4.86 million homes, 6.49 million viewers.
3. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10:30 p.m.), History, 4.41 million homes, 6.23 million viewers.
4. "Pawn Stars" (Monday, 10 p.m.), History, 4.23 million homes, 6.08 million viewers.
5. NFL Exhibition Football: N.Y. Giants vs. N.Y Jets (Monday, 8 p.m.), ESPN, 4.11 million homes, 5.61 million viewers.
6. "Jersey Shore 2" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), MTV, 4.04 million homes, 5.5 million viewers.
7. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.91 million homes, 5.5 million viewers.
8. "Covert Affairs" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.90 million homes, 5.36 million viewers.
9. "Royal Pains" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.87 million homes, 5.27 million viewers.
10. "American Pickers" (Monday, 9 p.m.), History, 3.65 million homes, 5.19 million viewers.
11. "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), E! Entertainment, 3.42 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.
12. "True Blood" (Sunday, 9:02 p.m.), HBO, 3.42 million homes, 5.39 million viewers.
13. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.31 million homes, 4.92 million viewers.
14. "White Collar" (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.25 million homes, 4.48 million viewers.
15. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.24 million homes, 4.61 million viewers.
Ratings
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