Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Eliot Spitzer: Predatory Lenders' Partner in Crime (Washington Post; Posted on Andrewtobias.com)
How the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers.
Mark Morford: 700 billion fluffy nothings (sfgate.com)
Staggering bailouts? Body counts? Global warming stats? They're just numbers, silly.
John Mark Eberhart; At 61, Stephen King keeps getting better (McClatchy Newspapers)
Scorn, admiration, disdain, esteem, condescension, respect.
These words all describe my attitude, at various times over the last quarter century, to Stephen King, who celebrated his 61st birthday on Sept. 21.
Kim Ode: Continuity means a lot to award-winning author Richard Russo (Star Tribune)
Earlier this year, Richard Russo bought an apartment in Boston. Flying to book events and to visit a daughter in London have made him a regular at Logan International, four hours from his rambling home overlooking Penobscot Bay. This way, he can catch a decent night's sleep before heading up the coast.
Paul Sexton: "Jackson Browne: Running on plenty" (timesonline.co.uk)
Jackson Browne isn't quite the last protest singer, but nor is he short of material.
Dan Deluca: Randy Newman pops up again with first new album in nine years (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Randy Newman and pop music weren't exactly made for each other.
"It's like I fell in love with a woman who wasn't my type," says the sardonic songwriter, whose caustic new album "Harps & Angels" is the latest addition to a musical oeuvre that gives voice to the characters of perverts, bigots, alcoholics, slave traders, and miscreants of all shapes and sizes.
Mario Tarradell: Kid-friendly versions of mom and dad's favorite jams are all the rage (The Dallas Morning News)
Kids' music is grownup business. We're not talking about teen sensations Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. This is about music for babies all the way to pre-teens - from lullabies to current pop hits refashioned by kid singers.
Will Harris: A Chat with Dan Murphy, Golden Smog guitarist (bullz-eye.com)
"(Golden Smog) is a bunch of guys who kind of like each other's bands and decided to form a buddy band. It's not as cognitive as, 'How are we going to conquer the music world, and how are we going to sustain this?'"
Walter Tunis: Randall Bramblett may be the best Southern musician who's not famous (McClatchy Newspapers)
As he discusses by phone the contrasts behind his newest songs, Randall Bramblett is looking out his basement window.
Robert Fulford: Always settle scores at noon, And other lessons learned at the movies (National Post)
The great thing about Paris is that you can always see the Eiffel Tower from your room, whether you're an artist in a tiny garret or a millionaire in a first-class hotel. Just look out the window and there it is. We who have spent much of our lives at the movies know this to be a fact, having seen it demonstrated on many occasions.
ROGER EBERT: Millions (4 stars; An Overlooked DVD)
"It isn't the money's fault it got stolen." That is the reasoning of Anthony Cunningham, who at 9 is more of a realist than his 7-year-old brother, Damian. Therefore it isn't their fault that a bag containing 265,000 British pounds bounced off a train and into Damian's playhouse and is currently stuffed under their bed.
PRESIDENTIAL TV ADS SINCE 1952
Reader Comment
Re: Yellow Garden Spider
As a kid in the middle of the last century I learned that, should the yellow garden spider write your name on her web, you DIE. It's true, so be very afraid. One nearly got me once, but she spelled my name wrong.
Wayne in Manchester,
an arachnophile.
Thanks, Wayne!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and warmer.
Day 2
Dave Letterman
"Late Show" host David Letterman kept up a verbal assault on John McCain Thursday, saying he felt like an "ugly date" because the GOP presidential candidate backed out of a scheduled appearance on his talk show.
The night before, Letterman had said McCain's decision to suspend his campaign to deal with the economic crisis "didn't smell right." Letterman substituted MSNBC's "Countdown" host - and critic of the Arizona senator - Keith Olbermann as a substitute when McCain called him to say he wouldn't appear Wednesday.
The comic was unhappy when McCain sat for an interview with Katie Couric instead of him Wednesday - and even more perturbed to learn that McCain didn't leave New York until Thursday.
Noting that McCain wanted to postpone Friday's first debate with Barack Obama, Letterman said running mate Sarah Palin wanted to put off her debate with Democrat Joe Biden until after Election Day. Letterman said McCain taking Palin to meet world leaders at the United Nations was like "take-your-daughter-to-work day."
Dave Letterman
Launched On The YouTubes
UN Poverty Campaign
Musicians Will.I.am and Angelique Kidjo, actress Kristin Davis and model Elle Macpherson helped launch a new campaign Thursday to cut global poverty in half by 2015.
Kidjo and Black Eyed Peas members Will.I.am and apl.de.ap performed a new song written for the Global Call to Action against Poverty called "in my name" outside the United Nations, where world leaders are gathered this week.
Celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Wyclef Jean and Fergie already have posted messages to the Web site.
UN Poverty Campaign
Promotes Tolerance
Ian McKellen
Actor Sir Ian McKellen is to visit schools, giving talks about gay tolerance.
The star, best known to youngsters as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, hopes to end bullying of gay pupils.
Sir Ian told the gay magazine Attitude he hopes his campaign will inspire other gay people to go back to their old schools to speak about homophobia.
"I think this campaign is right - any openly gay person should consider whether they have a duty of contacting their old school and saying: 'You may not know, but I am gay and I was when I was at school and what is your policy with regard to homophobic bullying?' There is a need to make it clear that there are gay kids in school."
Ian McKellen
Performs In Tel Aviv
Paul McCartney
After a 43-year wait, Paul McCartney performed his first concert in Israel on Thursday, kicking it off with the familiar Beatles' song "Hello, Goodbye" to the joy of tens of thousands of cheering fans.
McCartney billed the concert "Friendship First," saying he's on a mission of peace for Israel and the Palestinians.
Singing "Give Peace a Chance," he stopped and let the audience sing the chorus alone. "Here tonight you sang it, you want it," the 66-year-old rocker said. He dedicated the song to his fellow Beatle, John Lennon, who was killed in New York in 1980.
He greeted the crowd with a mixture of English and Hebrew, wishing them "shana tova," happy new year, ahead of next week's Jewish new year holiday. He added "Ramadan kareem" in Arabic, a greeting to Muslims, who are marking their holy month.
Paul McCartney
Studios & Theaters Announcing Deal Soon
Digital
Walt Disney, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal are soon expected to announce a long-sought $1.1 billion digital cinema deal that Hollywood hopes will boost attendance, cut costs and enable more 3-D viewing, sources close to the deal said on Thursday.
The studios declined to comment, but sources with knowledge of the talks said the deal to help co-finance the upgrade for a group of movie chains was virtually complete, with an announcement expected within days or weeks.
Long delayed by debate over who should pay for the system, digital cinema offers a potential solution to declining movie attendance at a lower ongoing cost.
Fox, a unit of News Corp was the first to sign the deal this summer, but its participation was contingent on other studios agreeing. Early this month, sources said General Electric Co's Universal and Walt Disney Co had come on board and that Viacom Inc's, Cinemark Holdings Inc and AMC Entertainment Inc, who operate 14,000 screens -- to reach a deal to help finance the theater upgrades.
Digital
Rare Footage Auctioned
Marilyn Monroe
Rare behind-the-scenes footage of Marilyn Monroe on the set of the 1959 hit "Some Like it Hot" sold for 17,500 dollars (14,630 US dollars) at an auction in Australia Thursday, the auctioneers said.
The two-and-a-half-minute film, featuring Monroe with co-stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, was taken by a US naval officer invited onto the set at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California, after the screen goddess visited his base.
The eight-millimetre film, still in its original box, was found among the sailor's possessions and brought to Australia by his daughter when she moved here.
The footage, which was bought by an unnamed private collector, had been expected to fetch between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars, according to the auction house.
Marilyn Monroe
Portrait In Porn
Paris Hilton
A well-known British artist who has made collage portraits of resident Bush and Paris Hilton out of porn magazine images is exhibiting the pictures at a gallery in New York.
A gallery spokeswoman says Jonathan Yeo's portrait of Hilton was bought by the artist Damien Hirst ahead of Thursday's opening.
She says the Hilton portrait is titled "Paris, 2008," and posters of it will be sold for $20 each at the gallery.
She says Yeo is offering Hilton proceeds from the sale of the posters because she never received any money from the notorious 2004 sex video that starred her and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon.
Paris Hilton
No Punitive Damages
'LOTR' Suit
A judge has barred the estate of "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien from seeking punitive damages against the studio that brought the trilogy to the big screen.
Tolkien's heirs claim New Line Cinema has failed to pay any royalties from the estimated $6 billion they say the movie has grossed worldwide. The lawsuit is seeking more than $150 million in compensatory damages based on breach of contract, fraud and other claims.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ann I. Jones also ruled this week that the estate and Tolkien heirs have established a legal basis for the fraud claim against New Line.
As part of that allegation, the lawsuit claims New Line sent millions of dollars to Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, improperly claiming they were for advertising expenses. The lawsuit also claims the studio built production offices and facilities in New Zealand and listed them as expenses for the "Lord of the Rings" films, although the heirs claim they are now being used for other New Line projects.
The charity's trustees, which include Tolkien's heirs, joined publisher HarperCollins to sue the studio in February. Besides damages, the lawsuit seeks a court order that would terminate New Line's rights to make a two-film prequel based on "The Hobbit."
'LOTR' Suit
Charge Dropped
Jose Cruz
A West Virginia man accused of passing gas and fanning it toward a police officer no longer faces a battery charge. The Kanawha County prosecutor's office requested that the charge be dropped against 34-year-old Jose Cruz.
According to a criminal complaint, Cruz passed gas and made a fanning motion toward patrolman T.E. Parsons after being taken to the police station for a breathalyzer test. Cruz denies fanning the gas and says his request to use a restroom when first arriving at the station was denied.
An assistant says Magistrate Jack Pauley signed a motion to dismiss the charge Thursday.
Cruz, who was arrested Tuesday, still faces driving under the influence and other charges.
Jose Cruz
Feds To Return Some Cash
Elvis Mitchell
A film critic who entered the United States without declaring thousands of dollars in a cigar box is getting some money back.
Federal prosecutors have agreed to return $5,880 to Elvis Mitchell, nearly half the $12,000 seized by border agents in April. A judge signed the deal this week.
Mitchell was entering Detroit in a cab from Canada when most of the money was discovered in a cigar box. Anyone carrying more than $10,000 into the U.S. must report it.
Mitchell said it was a mistake not to disclose the cash at the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. He claimed to have grabbed the wrong cigar box when he left New York for Toronto on the first leg of his trip.
Elvis Mitchell
Won't Be Charged In Crash
Shia LaBeouf
Shia LaBeouf won't face a drunken driving charge for his involvement in a July crash that left his hand mangled.
Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said Thursday there was "insufficient evidence" to charge LaBeouf with drunken driving.
Robison says prosecutors are mulling charges against two other people involved in the collision. She says she could not provide more details.
Shia LaBeouf
Fox News' Newest
Huckabee
Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee announced on his Web site that he has a new show debuting 8 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday on the Fox News Channel.
Fox News Channel spokesman Richard White said that Huckabee's new show would air on the channel but referred all questions about the show to Huckabee's agent.
Sarah Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor's daughter and head of his political action committee, said the same show will air both nights. She said his guest on the show will be Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative co-host of ABC's "The View."
Huckabee
Arrested In Probe
Tony Alamo
The FBI says evangelist Tony Alamo has been arrested in Arizona on suspicion of transporting minors across state lines for sexual purposes.
FBI spokesman Steve Frazier says Alamo was staying at a motel in Flagstaff when agents arrested him Thursday.
Authorities raided the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries compound in Arkansas last week and removed six girls.
Frazier says he did not believe children were with Alamo when he was arrested. He is scheduled for a federal court appearance Friday in Arizona.
Tony Alamo
Believes In Witchcraft
Palin
A grainy YouTube video surfaced Wednesday showing Sarah Palin being blessed in her hometown church three years ago by a Kenyan pastor who prayed for protection from "witchcraft" as she prepared to seek higher office.
The video shows Palin standing before Bishop Thomas Muthee in the pulpit of the Wasilla Assembly of God church, holding her hands open as he asked Jesus Christ to keep her safe from "every form of witchcraft."
Palin does not say anything on the video and keeps her head bowed throughout the blessing. The Republican vice presidential candidate was baptized at the church but stopped attending regularly in 2002.
Palin was baptized Roman Catholic as a newborn.
Palin
Battle Over?
Hemingway's Cats
The famed six-toed cats at Ernest Hemingway's island home aren't going anywhere.
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum announced Thursday it reached an agreement with the federal government that lets the 50 or so cats continue roaming the grounds, ending a five-year battle that could have resulted in them being removed or caged.
The cats descend from a cat named "Snowball" given to the novelist in 1935 and freely wander the grounds of the Spanish colonial house. All the cats carry the gene for six toes, but not all show the trait.
President and CEO of the museum Michael Morawski said the museum has spent more than $250,000 for lawyers and the fence and continues to question the need for the permit. The courts might have to settle that question.
Hemingway's Cats
Workspace Reveals All
Conservative or Liberal?
Your office or bedroom holds telltale signs of whether you are a conservative or a liberal, finds a new study. While political conservatives tend to keep a tidy, organized office, political liberals favor colorful, more stylish but cluttered spaces.
A person may hide their political ideology from others, including from pollsters, but the researchers were delighted to learn that a peek into subjects' living quarters or even workspaces could give that away.
Conservatives and liberals leave behind distinct "behavioral residue" that can be picked up by savvy scientists and possibly other observers, according to the study by New York University psychologist John Jost and his colleagues. The results are set for publication in a forthcoming issue of the journal Political Psychology.
The researchers took inventory of five office locations - a commercial real estate agency, an advertising agency, a business school, an architectural firm and a retail bank - all in a large U.S. city. They had observers check out the workspaces of 94 male and female employees. The subjects' average age was 37. The snoopers had no idea of the workers' political orientation.
Conservative or Liberal?
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