Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ted Rall: OBAMA'S REAL DEATH PANELS
NEW YORK--Shortly after 9/11, George W. Bush secretly signed two executive orders. Both violated basic constitutional protections as well as U.S. obligations under international treaties, yet both carried the force of law. They still do.
Garrison Keillor: When the tough should really get going
The former Marine officer Matthew Hoh, who resigned his Foreign Service post in Afghanistan because he feels the war is pointless and not worth dying for, deserves all the attention he's gotten and more.
John Stoehr: Philosopher Peter Singer Wants You to Give Away Your Money (New Haven Advocate)
The premise of 'The Life You Can Save' is simple: With so much conspicuous affluence in the world, especially in the U.S., there's no good reason for so much poverty to exist. Singer's solution? Give away a reasonable percentage of your money.
Joe Bageant: Our Economy Was a Scam and Now We're Dead Broke (JoeBageant.com; Posted on alternet.org )
America is broke. And the easy credit, phantom "growth" economy has been exposed for what it was: a credit scam.
Tom Danehy: Tom is a contender at the Bisbee 1000 Steps-a contender for last place (tucsonweekly.com)
I did the Bisbee 1000 Steps thing a couple of weeks ago. (See "Stairway to Heavin'," Oct. 15.) I can't really say that I ran it; that would be misleading, or, more correctly, hilarious. Neither can I say that I competed in it. "Competed" connotes that others were aware of my presence and had to put forth an effort to stay ahead of me. All I can say is that I did it.
PAUL TEREFENKO: "David Byrne: BICYCLE DIARIES" (nowtoronto.com)
I'm on 9th Avenue at 34th in Manhattan. That is, I'm trapped on 9th at 34th. The light has cycled three times, yet I haven't gained an inch. To my left, bikes zip by in a separated bike lane, unaffected by the crane that has effectively erased the next hour of my life.
Interview by Laura Barnett: "Portrait of the artist: Melanie Chisholm, singer" (guardian.co.uk)
'I recently saw the video for 'Say You'll Be There.' And I thought: Wow, we're good!'
Misha Berson: Stephen Sondheim talks about the future of theater and what he's working on next (The Seattle Times)
Stephen Sondheim does not give many interviews. Why should he? Now 79, Sondheim long ago cemented his reputation as Broadway's most esteemed living composer and lyricist, and one of the American musical theater's greatest visionaries.
Chris Jones: "Final take: Kenny Ortega was hesitant to take on 'This Is It' film" (Chicago Tribune)
"Michael Jackson's This Is It" was not supposed to be it.
Seth Stevenson: Walt Whitman Thinks You Need New Jeans (slate.com)
A stirring new ad campaign from Levi's.
Joe Flint: 'Whip It' didn't need to get whipped at box office (latimes.com)
My colleague Patrick Goldstein weighed in this morning on why Fox Searchlight's "Amelia" failed to catch on with viewers. Well, for starters, the length and the hideous reviews probably didn't help. I'm more curious about "Whip It," also from Fox Searchlight.
David Bruce: "Composition Project: Writing an Autobiographical Essay" (lulu.com)
Free download. This free pdf download describes a composition assignment that I have used successfully during my years of teaching at Ohio University. Feel free to make as many copies as you want to for educational purposes. Feel free to distribute this little pamphlet as a pdf file. Other teachers are welcome to download and read this pdf file and decide whether this assignment will work in their classes.
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'BCE Files' Edition...
Eenie Meenie, Chili Beanie, The Spirits are about to speak!
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny but brisk.
$16 Million To Family
KDND
A Sacramento jury awarded $16 million to the family of a woman who died during a 2007 radio station contest gone awry.
The Sacramento County Superior Court jury concluded that Entercom Sacramento, which operates KDND-FM (107.9) "The End," was negligent after ignoring several warnings that a morning show contest could have fatal consequences, according to KTXL-TV (Channel 40) in Sacramento.
Jennifer Strange, a mother of three from suburban Rancho Cordova, died of apparent water intoxication hours after a failed attempt to win a Nintendo Wii video game system for her children in a promotion dubbed "Hold Your Wee for a Wii."
A tape of the program, known as the "Morning Rave" on KDND, revealed that the potential fatal effects of drinking too much water were raised during the course of the contest, with one on-air host mentioning the 2005 death of a college student during a hazing ritual in Chico. A listener also called in to advise against the stunt.
KDND
Webcast Set Record
U2
YouTube's webcast of a U2 concert was watched by nearly 10 million people, the video site's largest streaming event ever.
The Google Inc.-owned site said that the concert was watched around the world. It was shown live from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Sunday.
The full 2 1/2-hour concert is available on YouTube. The rebroadcast video has been watched by more than 1.1 million viewers.
U2
TBS Talk Show
George Lopez
Comedian George Lopez is about to enter a world in turmoil by competing for American TV viewers against the likes of Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O'Brien with his own nightly talk show.
In recent months, O'Brien replaced Leno at "The Tonight Show," and Leno launched his own talk series in a 10 p.m. time slot normally reserved for hour-long dramas. Then Letterman made headlines when he was the victim of a blackmail attempt and admitted to having sexual affairs with women co-workers.
Now, Lopez is entering the fray, two years after his sitcom "George Lopez" was canceled. The hour-long "Lopez Tonight" will launch on November 9 on cable network TBS, and the comedian told Reuters the time is ripe for a talk show hosted by a Latino like himself:
George Lopez
Publisher Withholds E-Edition
Andre Agassi
If you're eager to read Andre Agassi's memoir, don't expect to download it any time soon.
Agassi's "Open" will not be available as an e-book when the hardcover comes out, Nov. 9, and publisher Alfred A. Knopf has not set a date for a digital version.
E-editions also have been withheld for Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue," Edward Kennedy's "True Compass" and Stephen King's "Under the Dome" as publishers worry that the growing e-market will take business from the more expensive hardcovers.
Andre Agassi
Cancel Mexico Show,Ccite Censorship
Tigres del Norte
The Mexican "norteno" band Los Tigres del Norte says it has canceled a planned appearance at an awards ceremony after organizers allegedly asked it not to play the biting political commentary song "La Granja."
The song's lyrics appear to lampoon former officials and also allude to the violence unleashed in the government's war on drug cartels.
The group's record label is Universal Music. The company said in a statement Wednesday that the National Auditorium had asked the Tigres not to play "La Granja" during a ceremony for the "Las Lunas" awards.
The management of the government-owned auditorium was not available to comment on the dispute.
Tigres del Norte
Trust Funds Threatened
'Slumdog' Kids
The two child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" are at risk of losing their monthly stipend and their trust fund if they don't attend school more regularly, a trustee for the fund said Thursday.
Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 11, and Rubina Ali, 10, shot to fame after starring in the Oscar-winning movie.
But these days, Azhar is only showing up at school 37 percent of the time, and Rubina has only a 27 percent attendance rate, the trustee said.
The children's parents said the absences were due to deaths in the family and other problems and promised to get them to school from now on.
'Slumdog' Kids
Target?
Lou Dobbs
Police in New Jersey are trying to determine who fired a bullet that struck CNN commentator Lou Dobbs' home as his wife stood nearby.
State police Sgt. Stephen Jones says Dobbs' wife and driver were outside the home Oct. 5 when they heard the gunshot. Jones says the bullet didn't penetrate the siding and fell to the ground outside.
The home is on a farm in Wantage, about 50 miles northwest of New York City.
It is small-game hunting season, but no hunters were seen in the area.
Lou Dobbs
New Santa Clarita Movie Facility
Disney
The Walt Disney Co. plans to build a 12-stage production facility at its Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley, northwest of Los Angeles, primarily to serve the production needs of ABC Studios.
Disney and ABC Studios have filed applications with Los Angeles County for Disney/ABC Studios at the Ranch, a high-tech soundstage and production facility. The facility, which would include six pairs of soundstages, would take up 56 acres in the western tip of the 890-acre Gold Oak Ranch.
The Walt Disney Co. purchased the Gold Oak Ranch in 1959 to use for outdoor filming. It originally was used primarily for Westerns, gradually expanding to a wide range of feature, TV and commercial productions.
Some of the films and series shot on the premises include "Old Yeller," "Pearl Harbor," "Independence Day" and the two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels as well as "Lassie," "Bonanza," "The X-Files," "CSI" and "Entourage."
Disney
Utah Teens Cited For Rap
McDonalds
A rap by four teenagers at a McDonald's has gotten them a bad rap in one Utah city. The teens were cited by American Fork police earlier this week for disorderly conduct after they rapped their order at a McDonald's drive-through.
The teens said they were imitating a popular video on YouTube. They rapped their order, which begins with, "I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce ..." once quickly before repeating it more slowly.
Spenser Dauwalder said employees at the restaurant told him and his friends they were holding up the line and needed to order or leave.
American Fork Police Sgt. Gregg Ludlow says a manager wrote down the car's license plate number and called police. The teens were later cited by officers at a high school parking lot outside a volleyball match.
McDonalds
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by the Nielsen Co. for the week of Oct. 19-25. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. NFL Football: Denver vs. San Diego (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 9.53 million homes, 13.47 million viewers.
2. National League Championship Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Philadelphia, Game 5 (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 5.71 million homes, 7.97 million viewers.
3. "White Collar" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.03 million homes, 5.4 million viewers.
4. National League Championship Series: L.A. Dodgers vs. Philadelphia, Game 4 (Monday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 3.94 million homes, 5.64 million viewers.
5. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.939 million homes, 5.14 million viewers.
6. College Football: Mississippi St. vs. Florida (Saturday, 7:27 p.m.), ESPN, 3.930 million homes, 5.66 million viewers.
7. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.81 million homes, 5.41 million viewers.
8. "Penguins of Madagascar" (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.62 million homes, 5.14 million viewers.
9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.61 million homes, 4.94 million viewers.
10. "The Jeff Dunham Show" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), Comedy Central, 3.5 million homes, 5.34 million viewers.
11. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.49 million homes, 5.43 million viewers.
12. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.45 million homes, 4.85 million viewers.
13. "Suite Life on Deck" (Friday, 8:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.41 million homes, 5.18 million viewers.
14. "NCIS" (Wednesday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.27 million homes, 4.04 million viewers.
15. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.22 million homes, 4.32 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Roy DeCarava
Roy DeCarava, a photographer whose black and white images captured Harlem's everyday life and the jazz greats who performed there, has died. He was 89.
DeCarava died in Manhattan of natural causes on Tuesday, said his daughter, Susan DeCarava. He had been teaching an advance photography course at Hunter College, where he joined the faculty in 1975.
Born in Harlem, DeCarava was considered to be among the first to give serious photographic attention to the black experience in America.
Trained as a painter, DeCarava relied on ambient light, infusing his images with shadows and shades of gray and black - a style that invited the viewer to look closer.
Using a 35 mm camera, he chronicled black Americans doing ordinary things: A family watching the Harlem River; a couple dancing in their kitchen; a girl standing on a desolate street in a white graduation dress.
DeCarava worked at a time of enormous creative energy in Harlem, whose many residents included prominent writers, artists and musicians. He spent years capturing candid shots of Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane and other jazz musicians - many taken in smoke-filled nightclubs.
In 1955, he collaborated with poet Langston Hughes on the best-selling pictorial narrative on 20th century African-American life titled "The Sweet Flypaper of Life."
Beside his wife and daughter Susan, he is also survived by daughters Wendy and Laura DeCarava.
Roy DeCarava
In Memory
August Coppola
Nicolas Cage's father, literature professor August Coppola, has died. He was 75.
Coppola is the brother of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and he taught literature and served as dean of creative arts at San Francisco State University.
Cage spokeswoman Annett Wolf said he died Tuesday after a heart attack.
Besides Cage, Coppola is survived by sons Christopher and Marc and three grandchildren.
August Coppola
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