New TV Season Ending 2nd Week
Did anyone watch anything?
Any opinions?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
No Season Premieres at all tonight.
Fresh episodes of everything.
Still looking for opinions on any (or all)!
(Hint, Hint!)
E-Mail Marty
And, Thanks! to all who have responded.
More Reader Response
'Enterprise'
John L.
Even though the original "Star Trek" went on and then
off of it's initial run when I was very young, I have
always remained a purist. Picard had his moments, he
was dramatic like Kirk, but the Gorn would probably
kick Jean Luc's butt. "Deep Space..." was like a gas
station out in space and bored me out of the season 10
minutes into the first episode. Last but not least,
Janeway could never even yell at her crew, just
whisper loudly.
At any rate, I think Bakula does a
good job as the antsy, impatient Captain who just
wants to explore the universe dammit! Jolene Blalock
is his perfect Vulcan foil, so far, her logic has been
flawless, trying to get Archer to see the big picture.
I got tired of Data and his sniveling robotic ways
and that damn emotion chip.
Other than the theme song (which I find nauseating), I
am very impressed with the new show. And I'm not even
a hardcore Trek fan if you don't count the original.
Rock on,
~- John
More than agree on the theme song--worst theme song I've ever heard.
Period.
Where's Bill?
American Oceans Campaign
Actor Ted Danson and wife, actress Mary Steenburgen arrive for the eighth annual
American Oceans Campaign awards dinner October 2, 2001 in Los Angeles. Danson is
the founding president of the non-profit organization dedicated to preservation
of the oceans.
Former United States president Bill Clinton, who did not walk the press line,
was honored at the dinner for his environmental work.
Ted & Mary
Great Link
Listen & Watch George Carlin
www.laugh.com
This site offers Videos (in Real, QuickTime & WindowsMedia formats)...
MP3 audio files, too.
Also--on the left, look for the pull-down labeled 'our favorites'.
It spans the spectrum...from Lord Buckley to Lenny Bruce to Henny Youngman
to Jackie Martling to Seinfeld & John Valby & a whole lot more!...hours of fun!
(Thanks, quirk!)
'The Tonight Show'
Mavis Leno
Mavis Leno carried her four-year fight for women's rights in Afghanistan to a
big stage: husband Jay Leno's ``The Tonight Show.''
Introduced by Leno as ``the smartest person I've ever known in my life,'' Mavis
Leno used her appearance Wednesday to discuss the plight of Afghan women and her
hopes for their future.
``Everything that constitutes human rights, but life itself, has been swept away
from them by the Taliban,'' she said, referring to the ruling Afghan regime.
As part of the Los Angeles-based Feminist Majority Foundation, Leno has been an
outspoken critic of the Taliban and supporter of increased humanitarian aid to
Afghan women since 1997.
In her first ``Tonight'' appearance in two years, Leno said that until recently,
Afghanistan was a moderate country that granted women equal rights in education
and employment.
``We're just talking 1996, not talking about the 1920s,'' she said. Then the
Taliban ``took over at the point of a gun'' and put women in a situation she
said ``essentially amounts to house arrest.''
Mavis On Wednesday's Tonight Show
www.feminist.org
Per Favore
BASTA!
The emperors of the Columbus Day Parade are once again banning the cast of "The
Sopranos" from Monday's procession of Italian-American pride.
For a moment there yesterday, it looked as though peace might be at hand in the
feud between Tony Soprano's crew and the parade's organizers, who have denounced
the HBO series as offensive. In the morning, Paul Borghese, president of the
Guild of Italian American Actors, told us the Columbus Citizens Foundation had
given its blessing to James Gandolfini and anyone else from the mob show riding
on the Guild's float.
The foundation's parade chairman, Alfred Catalanotto, confirmed that the
"Sopranos" stars could ride on a float — so long as "they're riding as actors,
not as 'The Sopranos.'"
But a few hours later, Columbus Weekend chairman Max Di Fabio told us that the
"Sopranos" stars "are not welcome. It would be like an atheist preaching in a church."
Di Fabio said the Guild's application "made no mention these actors would be there."
"This year, the parade celebrates the heroes of Sept. 11," Di Fabio said.
Borghese noted that actor Al Sapienza hauled body bags and that many other
"Sopranos" cast members have helped serve food.
"This is an unnecessary bluff by the parade organizers," said Borghese. " I
don't think anybody who shows up would be removed from a float."
Would they? Said Di Fabio: "I don't think they're going to come. If they do,
we'll deal with it then."
Basta!
You know what's "Italian-Alzheimer's"?
Everything is forgotten but a grudge.
Bye-Bye 'Count Floyd'
'Later'
MTV maven Carson Daly's foray into the latenight talk wars, as host of NBC's
``Later,'' is moving ahead at full steam.
The show, set to bow in January, will feature a single-guest format, with about
half the guests likely to be musicians. It will be shot in front of a small
studio audience in New York, possibly in NBC's famed Studio 8H -- home to
``Saturday Night Live.''
``We want to do something in latenight that really isn't there right now,'' said
David Friedman, a ``Today'' show veteran newly tapped as executive producer and
showrunner with NBC Studios exec Lisa Leingang.
Daly won't do a monologue or comedy bits, but the show is expected to
incorporate some taped segments that ``capture the energy of New York City,''
Friedman said.
``We want to turn the show into an event situation while also maintaining an
under-the-radar, low-key vibe,'' Leingang said. ``We're going to be the fifth
talk show of the night. What's missing is a show that isn't a 100% plugfest.''
Maverick Records executive Guy Oseary -- also Daly's manager -- will serve as an
executive producer too. Between Daly and Oseary, ``Later'' could have a strong
leg up in landing big-name musical acts. The show hopes to lure rockers by
giving them the chance to sit down for an extended interview in addition to
their performance.
carson daly
Gee, another well-to-do, self-obsessed, elitist, east-coast white boy--boy-howdy, not
a lot of that on late-night--or any where else in 'our' media...(sarcasm alert)
New! Updated!
BartCop Astrology
Check it out at BC Astrology.
"Guitar Greats" is still on hiatus, but, this week, it's a look at 'The Birth of
Aviation', and a relevant USA horoscope courtesy of Marc Penfield.
Very interesting reading!
Cartoon TV
'King Of The Hill
Tensions behind the scenes at ``King of the Hill'' have led to the departure of
two of the showrunners on the Fox cartoon.
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger abdicated late Monday night, leaving co-creator
Greg Daniels to oversee the series solo for the immediate future. Daniels
created the show with Mike Judge (''Beavis and Butt-head'').
Production has been completed on season six of ``King,'' which is scheduled to
premiere Sunday, Nov. 4. Fox already has picked up a seventh season of ``King.''
Production on ``King's'' 2002-03 shows will begin shortly.
Daniels had remained deeply involved with ``King's'' production as one of the
show's executive producers. He served as showrunner for the show's first three
seasons, shared those duties in season four with Rich Appel, who took over as
sole showrunner in the fifth season.
Aibel and Berger, who joined ``King'' during its first season as executive story
editors, ascended to the top spot in season six. With production on season six
complete and post-production winding down, the duo now will focus on developing
new series as part of their deal at ``King'' producer 20th Century Fox TV.
KOTH
Remember 'Chuckles The Clown'?
Dark Humor Re-Emerges
It's a relief to laugh again.
At least, that's what everyone did Tuesday night at the Gotham Comedy Club, when
Jon Stewart, Lewis Black and other performers and writers from "The Daily
Show" on Comedy Central put on a show to benefit the New York State World
Trade Center Relief Fund.
Black, the single funniest standup comedian since Robin Williams, told me that
gauging audience taste since the Sept. 11 attacks "is a work in progress."
Black, who does topical comedy, is not changing his act because of the tragedy.
"What am I going to do? Start working with sock puppets? As long as idiots like
Jerry Falwell are out there, how tough is it? Hello? The world just blew up, and
the problem is gay marriage?"
Dark Humor Returns
And remember "Chuckles' Song"....
"A little song,
A little dance.
A little seltzer
Down our pants."
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Don't worry about the HTML, just send text, or rich text, or a Word document, photos, video, whatever you have, and Michele will take care of the rest. Don't hesitate to write with any questions you may have and bring on the recipes!
To check out 'Train Station Chicken', and more (like 'Cranberry Autumn Tea'),
In The Kitchen With BartCop
Comic Strips
Reactions
In the wake of the terrorist attacks, comic strip artists are rethinking what is
funny and grappling with whether even to acknowledge the tragedy.
Most syndicated artists work at least three weeks ahead of publication dates.
This week, readers began seeing comics created the week of Sept. 11.
Often, the make-believe lives of most characters are insulated from the real
world. But like almost everything else, that has changed.
``Given the immediacy of comic strips, they have a special place in our
culture,'' said Tom Batiuk, who often addresses issues such as alcoholism and
teen suicide in ``Funky Winkerbean.'' ``It's sort of the way we used to talk
over the back fence, this is our way of doing that.''
Greg Evans' characters in ``Luann'' will begin talking about the attacks and the
chance of Luann's older brother joining the military. ``If they didn't react to
this, it would seem so artificial, as if they're living in some comic-strip
cocoon,'' Evans said.
Followers of Aaron McGruder's ``Boondocks'' strip probably weren't surprised by
its take on America's reaction to terrorism. His main character, a black boy
living in white suburbia, began questioning last week what he sees as a ``blind,
unquestioning faith'' in America's leaders.
The Dallas Morning News pulled two of the strips last week and moved
``Boondocks'' indefinitely to another part of the features section. An editor's
note said the strip is exploring topics ``inappropriate for the comics pages.''
``Death is just not as funny as it used to be,'' said Scott Adams, creator of
the office cubicle dweller Dilbert.
Adams is taking slapstick out of his cartoons for now, along with characters
from the country of ``Elbonia,'' distinguished by their Arab-like beards.
``People just don't want to look at that right now,'' he said.
``It's a strong urge to address what is happening. I'm trying to resist
that,'' he said. ``It's a real act of willpower to think of anything else.''
Comic Strips React
German Theater
Diana: The Musical
Four years after Princess Diana's death, German producers and a troupe of
British actors are bringing the world's favorite royal back to life, this time
on stage as ``Lady Di - Diana - A Smile Charms the World.''
Calling the production a ``musical memorial'' to the princess, producer
Karl-Heinz Stracke told a news conference Tuesday the piece is meant to be a
modern-day fairy tale that recounts Diana's life in the spotlight and her search
for love and happiness.
The cast of characters also includes Prince Charles, his lover Camilla Parker
Bowles and Dodi Fayed, Diana's lover who was killed with her in the car crash in
Paris on Aug. 31, 1997.
``The piece is not black and white, but shows Diana, Camilla and Charles as
individuals searching for love,'' said scriptwriter Thomas Fuehrer. ``All three
characters develop more independence throughout the piece.''
The show, which has already cost $1 million to produce, will have its world
premiere Nov. 10 in the west German town of Saarbrueken. That should also
attract people from nearby France and the Benelux countries, said Stracke, who
was previously director of the Theater des Westens in Berlin.
Although the musical will be performed in German, Stracke said he chose
exclusively English actors and actresses to play the leading roles. An English
version is also being considered, he said.
Diana: The Musical
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' is now updating daily!
For an amazing variety of information on an astounding array of tv programs check out
BC TV!
Auction News
Lennon Letter
Heartfelt letters from Beatle John Lennon, including a rant he fired off to Paul
and Linda McCartney, are included in a five-decade collection of pop memorabilia
up for sale Thursday at auction house Christie's. The draft letter, littered
with spelling mistakes, deletions and expletives, swings between hurt and anger
and affection for McCartney, offering an insight into their strained
relationship at the time of the Beatles' breakup in the early 1970s.
Lennon Letter
Accentuating The Positive
More Bill Clinton
In this very stressful time, former President Bill Clinton is still a traveling man.
And he certainly sounded upbeat Tuesday in L.A., when he gave an extemporaneous
45-minute speech after receiving the American Oceans Campaign 2001 Partners
Award for protecting the oceans and coasts while in office.
Clinton talked about the positive aspects and technological and medical
breakthroughs in society today. But he admitted that he also was keenly aware
that people don't waltz through difficult periods thinking only positive
thoughts. "Every family has a designated worrier," he said. "In my family, it's
the senator from New York."
More Bill
Koresh--45 extemporaneous minutes, and he wasn't complimented on being able to
nearly have command of reading a teleprompter...
The Senator from NY as the 'designated worrier'--LOL.
Try as I might, I can't picture Pickles as a Senator, but, I'll bet she'd be a
mighty fine assistant librarian in Stepford, TX.
Book News
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton won't have to rely on the mists of memory while writing his $10
million memoirs: He has it all on tape.
From nearly Day One to the end of his second term, the former President recorded
his impressions, filling about 80 cassettes.
Presumably, there's no heavy breathing, or deleted expletives à la Richard
Nixon. Informed of the tapes, a former staffer for Independent Counsel Ken Starr
told The Washington Post's Lloyd Grove, "Are you [bleeping] me?" — adding that
they should have been turned over to Starr. In fact, a source close to Clinton
tells us they were — at least the "relevant" parts that concerned Monica
Lewinsky and Whitewater matters.
"The tapes were reviewed by the President's lawyers completely," said the
source. "Legal respect was shown on both sides." Starr did not return our calls,
and Clinton's spokeswoman refused to comment.
But our source characterized the "relevant" portion of the tapes as "not a large
amount," adding that they were "turned over in transcript form."
More Bill
Bet Kenny's panties pop a pup-tent over this one...ROFL
Auction Update
Lennon's Letter Unsold
An undated draft of an angry and revealing letter written by John Lennon to Paul
and Linda McCartney after the Beatles' 1970 split failed to sell at auction Thursday.
Christie's auction house set a minimum price of $96,000. The top bid was only $77,000.
The expletive-filled, six-page letter captures Lennon's bitterness during the
Fab Four's demise, and his anger at his bandmates' treatment of Yoko Ono. It was
not known if the letter was ever revised or sent to the McCartney's.
``I hope you realize what .... you and the rest of my kind and unselfish friends
laid on Yoko & me since we have been together,'' Lennon wrote.
He also predicted that the McCartney marriage would be over within two years,
and railed at the hype surrounding the Beatles' achievements.
``Do you really believe that most of today's art came about because of the
Beatles?'' he wrote. ``I don't believe you're that insane Paul ... Didn't we
always say we were part of the movement - not all of it? Get off your gold disk
and fly.''
Despite the vitriol, Lennon signed the letter, ``Inspite (sic) of it all, love
to you both, from us two.''
Christie's pop memorabilia expert, Sarah Hodson, expressed disappointment and
said the letter was ``very, very special.''
Lennon Letter Unsold
Broken Engagement
Driver - Brolin
It looks like actress Minnie Driver won't become Barbra Streisand's
step-daughter-in-law after all.
Driver, 31, the London-born star of last year's ``Beautiful'' and ``Return to
Me,'' has broken off her 5 1/2-month-old engagement to actor Josh Brolin, 33,
her publicist said Wednesday in a brief statement.
``Minnie Driver and Josh Brolin have decided to cancel their wedding plans.
Their decision is mutual and amicable,'' the statement said. No other details
were given.
Brolin became a stepson to Streisand in July 1998 when the veteran
singer-actress married his father, actor James Brolin.
Driver and the younger Brolin announced their plans to get married in mid-April,
but no date was ever set, her publicist said. They reportedly began their
romance in 1998 on the set of the film ``Slow Burn,'' which premiered on video
last fall.
Driver - Brolin
Weird Story, Con't.
Not A Message In A Bottle
The greatest body part-in-a-bottle story in recent memory has turned out to be false.
The Adams County coroner's office said Wednesday the penis a Commerce City man
found in a bottle of fruit punch is actually a mold - a very suggestively shaped
and colored mold.
And, as wide as the difference between the two may seem, Chief Deputy Coroner
Chris Robillard said the confusion was understandable.
"To look at it, you wouldn't even guess it to be anything other" than a penis,
Robillard said.
Juan Sanchez-Marchez, 41, found the item on Sept. 27 while drinking an Ora
Potency Fruit Punch. He had finished about half of the bottle of the red, opaque
liquid when he noticed the object floating in the drink. He fished out a 3-inch
long, pale flesh-colored object that everybody who looked at
it - Sanchez-Marchez's friends, the police and even the coroner - concurred was
likely a penis.
But it wasn't.
Sanchez-Marchez, who has hired a lawyer, said Wednesday night he had not yet
been told by anyone what was actually in the bottle.
Robillard said the coroner's office had doubts the object was a penis because of
its "consistency." Later tests showed that the object had no internal structure.
The Food and Drug Administration called earlier in the week to say it believed
the item was likely a mold that can grow in drinks like the fruit punch.
Slides of the object examined Wednesday confirmed it wasn't a penis.
Robillard said the mold likely developed after the metal lid on the fruit punch
bottle was tightened improperly, allowing air to seep through the cap. That air
and the high sugar content of the drink made for an ideal climate for mold,
which probably started growing from the underside of the lid.
Eventually the mold, which grew in an elongated fashion down into the bottle, detached.
Chris Terranova, the vice president of Vancol Inc., a Denver company that
distributed the drink, said he has seen mold grow in the drinks before due to
an improperly sealed lid, but said it was rare. On Tuesday, the company told
the FDA that it had found a similar, smaller mold in another of its bottles.
Robillard said his office sent the mold to the FDA for more tests.
Elongated Mold?
First Person Diary
Ray Berry
Ray has temporarily (I hope), suspended 'Bush-Toons'. In its place, he has put
his daily diary of life in Manhattan since Tuesday.
Ray has great observational abilities, and a wonderful way with words.
To visit & read, www.bush-toons.com
In Memory
Gregory Hemingway
Gregory Hemingway, youngest son of famed writer Ernest Hemingway, died of
natural causes at a Miami-Dade County jail, police said Wednesday.
Gregory Hemingway, 69, who often dressed as a woman and went by the name of
Gloria, was found dead in a private cell at the Miami-Dade Women's Detention
Center at 5:45 a.m. Monday, said Janelle Hall, a spokeswoman for the county's
corrections department.
Police had arrested Hemingway on Key Biscayne five days before on a charge of
indecent exposure and resisting arrest without violence.
Key Biscayne police officer Nelia Real made the arrest after a park ranger at
Bill Baggs State Park reported a naked pedestrian heading north on Crandon Boulevard.
``He was walking naked,'' Real said Wednesday. ``When I got there, he was
sitting on the curb in the median naked, and he was trying to put his underwear on.''
``He had no shoes, and he had a dress and high heels in his hands,'' Real said.
Hemingway appeared to be drunk or impaired during the arrest, Real said.
Gregory Hemingway, youngest of the author's three sons, was born in Kansas City,
Mo., on Nov. 12, 1931. He was once a physician. His license was issued in 1973
and later voided.
In 1951, after Hemingway's mother, Pauline, died from an adrenal gland tumor,
Ernest Hemingway accused Gregory of contributing to Pauline's death by leaving
for California. The accusation cut deep, and Gregory reportedly never recovered.
According to biographer Jeffrey Meyers in Hemingway: A Biography, Gregory drank
heavily, could not hold a job and had a troubled childhood. In 1941, Ernest
Hemingway told Pauline that Gregory had ``the biggest dark side in the family
except me.''
The younger Hemingway wrote angry letters to Ernest Hemingway, calling him ``an
ailing alcoholic'' and deriding The Old Man and the Sea as ``a sickly bucket of
sentimental slop.''
Later, Gregory began memoirs with ``I never got over a sense of responsibility
for my father's death.''
Gregory's memoirs recalled ``wonderful war games with Papa'' on the lawn of the
Key West house after his father came back from Spain in May 1937. The
``old man'' brought firecrackers, ``so we had imaginary armies moving into
battle against each other, complete with cannon fire and puffs of smoke.''
``He was a very knowledgeable, bright man. He was just a very pleasant, offbeat
guy,'' said Sterling ``Butch'' Warren, a bartender who knew him for about
15 years -- mostly from visits to the old Taurus Steak House and more recently
to the Tuscany Trattoria.
Warren said Hemingway was a doctor who hadn't practiced in years. One of his
lasting memories was giving advice to a friend on the steps of the Taurus who
was dealing with his last days as a cancer victim.
He recalls seeing Hemingway about five years ago after a one-man show on Ernest
Hemingway's life at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. It brought back painful memories.
``He was saddened by reliving that,'' Warren said. ``He was very distraught by it.''
Gregory Hemingway
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
