Heather, Paul, George & Bill
Sadly, A Lesson In 'Media' - OR ?
Bill Clinton has reportedly said he is better trained to handle America's terrorism crisis than President Bush.
Heather Mills, the blond fiancée of Paul McCartney, said the former president made the revelation to her recently when she asked if he still wanted to be in the White House.
"I said to Clinton, 'Do you wish you were president now?' and he said, 'I feel I would be better trained for it, more prepared,' " Mills said, according to Ananova news service.
"It must be frustrating for him."
Clinton's spokeswoman, Julia Payne, could not be reached for comment last night.
But Mills also defended Bush: "I did not like Bush before this happened, but now I find him very human."
Heather, Paul, George & Bill
In The Chaos Household
Last Night's TV
Started out with the 'World Series' on the little TV, and 'Friends' on the bigger set.
A whole hour of 'Friends' is bit much, and I still wish 'Will & Grace' was 'Jack &
Karen'. Finally, it seems the Woody Harrelson arc is all played out.
The last 2 games of the 'World Series' have been unusual, to say the least.
Damn - looks like Michelle in Gilbert, AZ is gonna end up sending me that snake's head
in a jar after all...just what I need!
Tonight, CBS starts the evening with a rerun of 'King Of Queens', followed
by 'Ellen' (which hasn't been picked up for the rest of the season - yet).
NBC has fresh episodes of 'Providence', 'Dateline', & 'Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit'.
ABC has fresh episodes of 'Thieves' & 'Once And
Again', as well as a 'new' news magazine 'America 24/7', with Barbara Walters (sort of
her old Friday '20/20', but with a new title & earlier hour).
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
As Promised
Bonus Page Link
Here are some MP3 files from BC
Where's The Big Dog?
Bill Clinton At The Apollo
Former President Bill Clinton, right, talks to a group of business people following his
speech to the Association for a Better New York at the Apollo Theater Thursday, Nov. 1,
2001 in New York.
Photo by Mark Lennihan (AP)
Great American Playwright
Edward Albee
The cultural impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks remains unclear, but the attacks may
teach Americans to want more of the truth, says playwright Edward Albee.
Albee, 73, author of ``Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and ``Three Tall Women,'' said the
nation's reaction is unsettled.
``I don't think people have really figured out how they feel yet. It's too early to have a
coherent response to what happened, and it's too early for creative people to know how
it's going to affect their work.''
Albee, who was in town to appear in a lecture series Tuesday evening, told The Seattle Times
that he considers ``all my plays political, at least indirectly,'' and believes honesty
is at the heart of great art.
``Artists have a responsibility not to lie to people, not to kid them along,'' he said. ``We
must tell the truth, even if the truth hurts.
``You know, if anything good can come of this current crisis, perhaps it's that we Americans
will lose some of our insularity and our innocence and we'll want more of the truth.''
Edward Albee In Seattle
Long time ago, I saw the Pepperdine production of Albee's 'The American Dream'...it was
heavily censored...and the 'nastiest' words used in the work are 'damn', 'hell', and 'bastard'.
Koresh, that's less than 3 of Carlin's infamous "7"...
To read a bit more on Albee's 'The American Dream', visit by Ervin Beck (Professor of English Goshen College)
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
To check out 'Train Station Chicken', and more (like 'Cranberry Autumn Tea'),
In The Kitchen With BartCop
Sunday Night, Comedy Central
The Friars Roast Hefner
When comedians feel uncomfortable telling raunchy sexual jokes, the terrorists have won.
So ``The New York Friars Club Roast of Hugh M. Hefner'' went on as scheduled.
The New York Friars - a members-only group of entertainers who've poked fun at each other
at formal dinners for nearly a century - turned their barbs on Sept. 29 to the Playboy
magazine founder, who was an easy target for his libido and his luxurious lifestyle.
A severely edited version is scheduled to air at 10 p.m. EST Sunday on Comedy Central.
``Hugh Hefner is so old, his first condom was made out of bark,'' Gilbert Gottfried
screeched in his trademark voice.
``How does it work - you put, like, the dye in one big bathtub and stick your heads in?''
master of ceremonies Jimmy Kimmel asked them.
Hefner said he never thought of canceling the evening, but called the organizers a few
days after Sept. 11 to suggest rescheduling it. Ultimately, he left the decision up to them.
``Laughter is a great healer,'' Hefner said.
Comics were told they could joke about the attacks, Hilary said, but were asked not
to make an entire routine of the subject because they were there to roast Hefner.
But nearly all of them mentioned the terrorists in their routines. And The Friars
Foundation, Comedy Central and Hefner himself are donating a combined $550,000 to
World Trade Center relief efforts.
Deborah Harry began the evening by singing an a cappella version of ``God Bless America,''
with a surreal juxtaposition of images on the giant screens behind her: enormous, waving
American flags and little, white Playboy bunny symbols.
``New York is the greatest city in the world,'' Kimmel said during his introductions,
sparking cheers and applause. ``I'm glad to be here, and I think everyone here will
agree that right about now, we can all use a good laugh. Unfortunately, though, our
first roaster is Rob Schneider.''
Schneider said Hefner ``personifies why these terrorists hate us.''
``If it were up to them, women couldn't read, couldn't work, get fake (breasts), go
to school, pose nude to 'help their career,''' he said. ``Hugh Hefner believes women
should be able to do all those things - except read.''
Jeffrey Ross joked that 80-year-old actor-comedian Abe Vigoda, also a Friar, is doing
his part to help the country: ``Last week, Abe tried to enlist in Old Navy.''
Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory provided the most serious moment of
the night, saying he came to New York not only to honor Hefner but to support the city.
``I hear people talk about what a great nation this is today - like something happened
a couple of weeks ago and we just got great,'' he said. ``Fear and God do not occupy
the same space, understand that.''
``Someone forgot to tell Dick this was a roast,'' Kimmel said afterward, trying to
restore levity. ``Anyway, on with the profanity.''
Gottfried, the last comedian of the night, didn't hold back at all. In a joke that
was edited out of the show, he said, ``I have to fly to California but they said
I can't get a direct flight - we have to stop at the Empire State Building first.''
Hefner sat on stage in an oversized red chair and smiled throughout the ribbing, bursting
into laughter at particularly dirty jokes. At the end of the evening, he quipped, ``I
can't remember when I've had this much fun sitting up.''
The Friars Roast Hugh Hefner
More Big Dog Watch
Bill Clinton
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday Nov. 1, 2001, upheld Little Rock's method of
seizing land for the Clinton Presidential Library, eliminating the last legal
roadblock that stood in the way of construction.
Photo by Danny Johnston
Very Interesting Site
Electronic Frontier Foundation
" The right to free speech faces the strongest challenges during times of crisis. Whether or
not any of us agree about each particular decision made to prevent public access to sensitive
information, it is the Electronic Frontier Foundation's responsibility to chart any such efforts
so that we as a society are at least aware of what is no longer available to us.
This page attempts to convey the chilling effect that responses to the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, have had on information availability on the Internet as well as some sense
of the effect on people trying to provide this information.
Currently, this page tracks the following:
Websites Shut Down by US Government
Websites Shut Down by Other Governments
Websites Shut Down by Internet Service Provider
Websites Shut Down or Partially Removed by Website Owner
US Government Websites That Shut Down or Removed Information
US Government Requests to Remove Information
Media Professionals Terminated or Suspended
Other Employees Terminated or Suspended
Related Incidents
Related Links "
http://www.eff.org/
The Larry Walters Memorial International Invitational?
Ian Ashpole
Balloon pilot Ian Ashpole on his way to breaking the world record for the highest flight
attached to 600 toy balloons, near Chatteris, England, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2001. He
broke his own record of 10,000 feet by reaching 11,000 feet before cutting the ties and
parachuting to the ground.
(AP Photo/PA, Matthew Fearn)
The Larry Walters Memorial International Invitational?
For some (unknown) reason I can't 'save' this picture, but liked it anyway.
Visiting Ground Zero
Jack
The heroes working at Ground Zero got a surprise visit Tuesday from Jack Nicholson, who shook hands, posed for photos and signed autographs for three hours amid the rubble of the World Trade Center.
Nicholson, who'd arrived from L.A. the night before to see the World Series, went downtown unannounced, and used his famous smile to get past various checkpoints. Rescue workers were shocked he wasn't accompanied by a bodyguard. "They found four bodies that day, so morale was pretty low," a witness said. "But energy levels rose a thousand percent when they saw who it was."
The four-time Oscar-winner was taken up to the roof of a building overlooking the site for a better view of the devastation. "The sun was setting, and it was beautiful everywhere you looked except right in front of you," said our witness. "It's horrendous."
Nicholson, 64, who was provided with a hard hat, was briefly allowed to operate one of the cranes being used to dig out the layers of debris. He left after three hours, shaken by the experience, but glad he'd been able to show his support.
Jack Does NYC Up Proper
Snarky Gossip, The Tease
Madonna & Michael
Madonna has had her share of men, but she couldn't bag Michael Jackson. According to
Andrew Morton's new biography, "Madonna," excerpted in People magazine, the Material
Mom "told one of her lovers that she had tried to seduce [Jackson] shortly after the
1991 Oscars - but . . . failed to arouse his interest."
According to the lover, Madonna and Jackson were on the couch at his place when she
put the moves on him. When they touched he would start giggling like a little boy.
Nothing happened, he was giggling so much - making Jacko "the man Madonna couldn't conquer."
Madonna & Michael
'The Concert For NYC' Update
$30 Million, So Far
``The Concert for New York City'' has raised more than $30 million for World Trade Center
relief efforts, and donations are still being accepted.
The running total as of Thursday includes money raised from ticket sales for the Oct. 20
concert, corporate sponsorships, television rights, merchandise sales, and donations made
through a toll-free number and the Internet.
The all-star benefit is the highest-grossing event ever at Madison Square Garden, according
to the groups that organized the concert: VH1, Cablevision, Miramax Films, and America Online.
Additionally, Columbia Records is releasing a double compact disc from the six-hour concert,
which goes on sale Nov. 27, and eBay is auctioning items from the event through Saturday.
``The Concert for New York City,'' which aired live on VH1, featured performances from rock
stars including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, The Who, Billy Joel, and Elton
John, and comedy routines from ``Saturday Night Live'' cast members past and present.
Thousands of firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and their families were in the
audience, and some of them were on stage introducing the performers.
All proceeds from ``The Concert for New York City'' are going to the Robin Hood Relief Fund,
which the Robin Hood Foundation established. So far, the foundation has distributed $4.75
million to groups that are helping victims of the World Trade Center attacks.
Concert For NYC - Update
New! Updated!
BartCop Astrology
Check it out at BC Astrology.
This week, the official BartCop Astrologer has provided two charts.
One who's talent (and hearing, as well), is on loan from his god, and for contrast, an American visionary,
national treasure, and real-life role model, Helen Keller.
Very interesting reading!
The Curse Of 'Seinfeld'?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The new Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom, "23:12" - the third new comedy series from a former "Seinfeld"
star - is in trouble.
NBC has taken control of the show away from the people who developed it, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach,
according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The show, in which Louis-Dreyfus will play a lounge singer, is set to debut early next year.
The format of the show, produced by her husband, ex "Saturday Night Live" cast member Brad Hall,
is unusual in that it takes place in real time over 23 minutes, the actual running time of a
network sitcom, plus commercials.
Both the network and Carsey-Warner, producers of such big hits as "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne,"
declined to talk.
It is considered a sign of no confidence when a network takes production responsibility away
from the original producer.
Trade reports, however, characterized the dispute as financial and said Carsey-Warner would remain
on a "creative consultants."
A sitcom featuring ex-"Seinfeld" alum Michael Richards ("The Michael Richards Show") tanked on NBC last season, and "Bob Patterson" - starring Jason Alexander (ex-George Costanza) - has gotten off to a poor start on ABC.
The Curse Of 'Seinfeld'?
Latest SAG Election Tainted?
Results Due Today
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) national election could be headed down the Bush-Gore trail.
With the discovery that some 24,000 ballots sent to New York union members could be invalid,
leaders admitted that results in the hotly contested presidency race between frontrunners
Valerie Harper and Melissa Gilbert may be challenged even though officials have strongly
denied any impropriety. Results are set to be announced Friday.
At issue is the fact that ballots sent to New York failed to include any signature line or
instruction sign on the ballot envelope, unlike the other 74,000 envelopes, which say:
``Voter: Print and sign your name on the back of this envelope.''
But if the ballots do become an issue, it will amount to another in a series of embarrassments
for SAG. A Towers Perrin analysis last year described SAG as ``organizational chaos''; CEO-designate
John Cooke bailed out after 10 days earlier this year due to boardroom factionalism.
SAG contended Tuesday that the process of checking the label on the ballot envelope
provides sufficient protection. ``Upon receipt of the ballot, an independent election
service verifies that the ballot has been returned from an eligible voter based upon
a pre-printed member identity label affixed to the return envelope,'' it said.
SAG Elections Tainted?
On The Frontlines Of The Propaganda War
CNN
In an effort to balance reports of significant civilian casualties in Afghanistan, CNN
began emphasizing to viewers on Wednesday that the Taliban leadership is to blame for the situation.
An internal memo from the network's standards and practices department was issued to all CNN
staffers on Tuesday suggesting ``we must remain careful not to focus excessively on the casualties
and hardships in Afghanistan that will inevitably be a part of this war, or to forget that it is
the Taliban leadership that is responsible for the situation Afghanistan is now in.''
The memo -- which was circulated after CNN News Group chairman/CEO Walter Isaacson raised
the issue of editorial balance -- said that since it could be difficult for correspondents
inside dangerous areas in Afghanistan to make these points, anchors should be sure to follow
each of the reports with a comment.
Standards and practices suggested that while reporters should put the commentary in their
own words, they might want to note that ``these U.S. military actions are in response to
a terrorist attack that killed close to 5,000 innocent people in the U.S.''
On CNN's Web site, transcripts of reports from Nic Robertson in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Bill
Delaney in Islamabad, Pakistan, both had a new editor's note at the bottom, which read:
``The Pentagon has stressed that it is trying to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
The U.S.-led coalition launched its offensive on Oct. 7 after Afghanistan's ruling Taliban
refused to hand over members of the Al Qaeda terror network, which is suspected of orchestrating
attacks in the United States that killed close to 5,000 people.''
After Robertson's report was aired, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer instructed viewers that the
Taliban restricted Robertson's access.
A CNN spokeswoman noted that ``this is certainly something we were doing even before the memo,''
adding that the memo served as a reminder to staffers since Robertson was going to be in Kandahar
when the U.S. was likely going to increase collateral damage.
In recent days, U.S. newsies have begun to put increased pressure on the Bush administration
to explain civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan. The administration has, no doubt,
noted that worldwide support for the U.S.-led military action has been eroding as international
TV channels carry images of relentless bombing raids in Afghanistan.
One Capitol Hill insider says the Bush administration is especially skittish about CNN,
since journalists around the globe rely on the 24-hour channel as a source for breaking
news. CNN has been carrying footage provided by the Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera,
which is one of the few networks up and running in Afghanistan.
CNN On The Frontlines
Puberty & Harry Potter
Voice-Double Called In
Makers of the much-anticipated Harry Potter film called in a voice double after its star's
voice broke during filming, a British newspaper reported Thursday.
The Sun said London schoolboy Joe Sowerbutts was hired to dub two scenes for 12-year-old
star Daniel Radcliffe in ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' which is being released
in Britain under the title ``Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.''
A seasoned actor who has appeared in British Broadcasting Corp. productions, Sowerbutts
spent one day recording at Shepperton Studios, near London.
``It was a great honor for me,'' he told the newspaper.
Sowerbutts - who, like thousands of other children, auditioned for the Potter film - also
provides the boy wizard's voice on Nintendo and PlayStation Harry Potter games, the newspaper said.
The movie opens Nov. 16 in the United States.
Harry Potter & The Voice Double
Snarky Gossip, The Big Load
Madonna (The Unauthorized Biography)
John F. Kennedy Jr., Michael Jackson, Warren Beatty, rapper Vanilla Ice -- who hasn't superstar Madonna tried to bed?
A new unauthorized biography of the ``Material Girl'', to be published next week, portrays a woman desperately seeking love, often with men who were either too scared, too straight-laced or simply not aroused by the diva whose raunchy 1992 book ``Sex'' was a ``cause celebre.''
Excerpts of the biography written by British author Andrew Morton -- whose 1992 biography of Princess Diana exploded the myth of her fairy-tale marriage to Prince Charles -- were released Thursday in the new issue of People Magazine.
They depict Madonna as an insecure manipulator who two-timed most of her boyfriends but was more of a kitten than a tigress in the bedroom. A spokeswoman for Madonna dismissed the book as fiction.
``She's not about whips and chains,'' rapper Vanilla Ice told Morton of his brief 1991 affair with Madonna. ``She was very romantic.''
``Many of the men in her life have been arm-candy,'' Morton told People. ``She flirted with Michael Jackson and had a relationship with Warren Beatty, but many of the others like Carlos Leon (father of her daughter Lourdes) and Jim Albright (a former bodyguard) were not well known.
``She spent a long time looking for love in all the wrong places,'' said Morton. ``In the end, she is an old-fashioned Catholic girl who wants to be married.''
Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said that Madonna, who turned 43 in August and who married British movie director Guy Ritchie last December, had not seen the Morton book.
But Rosenberg added; ``There isn't one thing in it that is true. It is a lovely work of fiction, I am sure.''
Morton interviewed more than 70 of Madonna's associates, friends and relatives for ``Madonna'' (St Martin's Press, Nov 6).
He claims Madonna and the late John F. Kennedy Jr. were lovers for a brief period in 1987 -- while Madonna was still married to actor Sean Penn -- ``but he (JFK Jr.) was just too nervous for them to click sexually.'' She tried to seduce pop star Michael Jackson in 1991 but ''nothing happened because he was giggling so much;'' had a fling with actor Warren Beatty during the filming of the 1990 movie ''Dick Tracy'' mostly to boost her own publicity, and had two abortions in 1985 -- one of them first husband Sean Penn's baby and the other conceived with deejay boyfriend Jellybean Benitez, Morton wrote.
But her sexual adventures did not stop there, according to Morton. He claims Madonna slept with two women -- comedian Sandra Bernhard during the dying months of her marriage to Penn, and Ingrid Casares, daughter of a millionaire Cuban businessman, in 1991.
Albright, the bodyguard with whom Madonna had a secret three year romance beginning in 1991, told Morton he lost faith in her as he discovered her other secret relationships. ``She's never been faithful to one man -- period. She told me that. She is only loyal to herself,'' Morton quotes him as saying.
Morton says that Ritchie, who Madonna met at a dinner party in 1999, had ``unlocked the secret'' of the pop superstar but that he seemed initially reluctant to marry her even when she became pregnant with his child. The two finally wed in December 2000 in a remote Scottish castle.
``We have this image of a hard-boiled sassy New Yorker,'' Morton wrote in the People excerpt. ``But she is more of a decent person than that ... She has wanted to give love but when she receives it, she rejects it.''
More Than You Wanted To Know About Madonna
Another Mid-Life Crisis?
geraldo rivera
Geraldo Rivera is quitting his prime-time talk show on CNBC to become a war correspondent
for Fox News Channel, saying Thursday he couldn't bear to stay on the sidelines
during a big story.
Rivera's last CNBC show after seven years will be on Nov. 16. He said he'll be leaving
for Afghanistan the next day.
Rivera, who exercised an exit clause in his NBC contract, said he wanted to do more
reporting but it was difficult when he was committed to a talk show four nights a week.
He was particularly frustrated recently when he asked to do a special for NBC on why
Muslims hate America, and was told he couldn't leave the country, Rivera said.
It's a coup for Fox News Channel, which has struggled to keep up with CNN in international
coverage. Fox recently hired a former CNN correspondent, Steve Harrigan, to report from Afghanistan.
Fox News Channel chief Roger Ailes said Rivera ``never got the respect he deserved as
a newsman'' at NBC. ``He never was used in the way he should be.''
Ailes nearly hired Rivera in 1997, but at the last minute he decided to stay at NBC.
Rivera said his exit from NBC now was done in a ``gentlemanly' fashion.''
NBC News President Neal Shapiro said: ``We wish him all the best.''
Ailes said Rivera's contract provides flexibility to use him for other things, perhaps
as a talk show host again, but that's not imminent. ``Right now he's coming in as our
hot spot correspondent,'' he said.
Geraldo Joins The 'Dark Side'
Good News, Bad News At CBS
Buh-Bye 'Citizen Baines'
CBS has given full-season orders to rookie dramas ``The Agency'' and ``The Education
of Max Bickford,'' as well as to second-year hour ``That's Life.''
The news wasn't so good Wednesday for the network's Sunday-night newcomer ``Citizen
Baines'': the series has been canceled -- and in a twist, its producers asked for the ax.
Of CBS' five new dramas this season, three have received full orders (''Agency,''
``Bickford,'' ``The Guardian'') and two are on hiatus (''Baines,'' ``Wolf Lake'').
CBS has canceled first-year comedy ``Danny''; there's no word yet on a pickup for
``The Ellen Show,'' which is struggling on Fridays.
While none of the three dramas picked up Wednesday have been ratings powerhouses,
``Agency'' and ``Life'' have both shown encouraging signs.
After a strong debut, the Richard Dreyfuss starrer ``Max'' has slowly lost its Sunday
audience, but still wins its 8 p.m. slot in household ratings and averages 12.03 million
viewers. Compared with ``Touched by an Angel,'' which aired in the time slot last season,
``Max'' is down 20% in viewers and 29% in adults 18-49.
As for ``Baines,'' which stars James Cromwell as a former U.S. senator, the show's last
scheduled episode is set to air Nov. 10. The cancellation comes after a conference
call Tuesday among ``Baines'' producers John Wells and Lydia Woodward, Warner Bros. TV and
CBS. While its future already was shaky, Wells and Woodward decided they wanted to call it
quits. CBS obliged.
'Citizen Baines' Goes To The Back Of The TV Refrigerator
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' never seems to rest!
Every show on TV must be listed--days worth of reading there.
For an amazing variety of information on an awesome array of tv programs check out
BC TV!
November Sweeps Appearance On 'Friends'
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is about to fatten up NBC's November sweeps schedule. Literally.
Adding more heft to Hollywood's current fascination with chunky drawers, the A-list actor
donned a fat suit this week to tape a special guest appearance on Friends, set to air November
22 during the all-important sweeps period.
NBC confirms only that Pitt will appear alongside wife Jennifer Aniston and her Central
Perk pals on an upcoming episode of the revitalized Thursday comedy. The installment, titled
"The One with the Rumor," will feature Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) running into an old
high school pal (Pitt) who once was fatter than she was, but has since shed the pounds and
grown into a slim studmuffin.
She then invites him to Thanksgiving dinner, and as fate (or the writers) would have it,
Pitt's character isn't a fan of Rachel (Aniston).
A flashback scene forced Pitt to strap on a fat suit, making him just the latest star to
pack on the latex love handles for a role. Cox Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow (in her new Farrelly
Brothers flick Shallow Hal), Julia Roberts and Martin Short, among others, have all gone chubby for recent gigs.
As for Friends, the Pitt casting--along with an upcoming guest stint by Sean Penn--will no
doubt give NBC more weight to throw around as the number-one comedy heads into November sweeps
ahead of CBS' Survivor: Africa. Now in its eighth season, Friends has experienced a resurgence
thanks in part to the "Rachel-is-preggers" storyline. The series has averaged a whopping 28.4
million viewers, up significantly from last season.
Brad Pitt To Guest Star On 'Friends'
George Lucas & Litigation
'Jedi Porn' ?
Suddenly the terms "light saber" and "Ewok" have whole new meanings.
Wanting to make sure Star Wars fans know "Jedi porn" is not a Force Yoda and
Obi-Wan reckon with, George Lucas is suing the makers of an X-rated animé called Star Ballz.
Lucas and his company, Lucasfilm, filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco on Friday
claiming the X-rated Star Ballz movie shamelessly rips off his Star Wars copyrights.
The suit says Star Ballz is so similar to Star Wars that consumers could get the wrong
impression and think Lucas endorsed the skin flick.
The folks at Media Market Group insist they haven't gone over to the Dark Side. One of
the company's partners, Linda Wildblood (whose name sounds oddly Star Wars-esque), says
Star Ballz is simply a parody of several movies and pop-culture phenomena, not just
Lucas' space opus, and is therefore protected under the First Amendment.
"Just like Scary Movie is a spoof of horror movies, Star Ballz parodies many different
movies and themes," Wildblood tells the Associated Press. "No one in their right mind
could look at it and say this is Star Wars."
According to its Website, starballz.com, the movie's plot follows "Wank Solo," who
goes on a booty quest and comes to the rescue of a very horny princess being held
hostage by the evil Ass Star. Wank's sidekick is named "Chewhowie," described as
"a Wookiee version of Howard Stern," while Wank's enemy is Lord Limpbiscuit, touted
as a manly stud version of Darth Vader.
The site tells viewers to be on the lookout for "déjà-vu movie scenes" and "a lot of
sex," in addition to acknowledging that they also expect to get sued (gee, ya think?).
The suit also names eight other adult animé distributors as defendants.
Lucasfilm declined to comment on the case, pending possible litigation.
The ever-vigilant, ever-litigious Lucas is fiercely protective of all things Star Wars.
In July, he and his company blasted a medical-instruments maker who decided to name its
newest gizmo--a powerful energy beam-related surgical device--the Light Saber.
George Lucas, Star Ballz & Jedi Porn
Another Departure From CNN
Bobbie Battista
Bobbie Battista, a fixture at CNN for 20 years, is leaving the network and her job as
host of ``TalkBack Live.''
``You want to go out on top,'' she said Wednesday. ``I didn't want to make that mistake
where I stayed too long. I've seen anchors who did that.''
Battista, 49, was one of the original anchors on CNN Headline News. She later was an
anchorwoman on the CNN prime-time newscast and CNN International.
Battista said she plans to stay in Atlanta and work with her husband, John Brimelow, as a
media consultant for politicians, corporate executives, and broadcasters.
Bobbie Battista Departs CNN
'FunLove' Virus - The Powerpuff Girls
And Infected DVD's
Warner Bros. confirmed Wednesday that the latest Powerpuff Girls DVD has been recalled
because it spreads the "FunLove" computer virus.
The latest DVD featuring cartoon sensation the Powerpuff Girls may boast fun games for
young PC users, but three computer programs on the disc have also been infected by
the "FunLove" virus.
Warner Bros. confirmed Wednesday that "Meet the Beat Alls" disc, released a week ago by
Warner Home Video, has been recalled because the DVD spreads the "FunLove" computer
virus to any PC that installs the supplemental software.
Several customers who bought the disc reported the problem in an online forum, after
their antivirus software identified the stowaway program as FunLove. Three programs
on the disc are apparently infected, including the installer.
The virus was first discovered in November 1999 and is known for its ability to infect
Windows NT servers--in addition to computers running Windows 95, Window 98 and
Windows Me--by posing as a system program.
The virus also spreads automatically throughout a network via any hard drives shared with
the infected system. The program modifies systems and applications files and can cause instability. Major antivirus software has detected FunLove since November 1999.
Warner isn't the only company for which the virus has spoiled the fun.
Last April, Microsoft may have infected several of its Premiere and Gold customers when
FunLove spread to a key server for the support service.
Despite being almost two years old, the FunLove virus still seems to be alive and well.
Antivirus company Trend Micro lists the computer virus at No. 7 in its latest Top-10
list of infectious code.
The Warner spokesperson said that the virus had somehow infected the DVD's master at the
company that duplicates the discs but did not know how many discs had been affected and
whether other DVDs may be carrying the virus as well.
All copies of the disc have been destroyed, said a Warner Home Video spokesperson, and
copies sent out to press and retailers have been recalled.
The Powerpuff Girls disc includes several games, an exclusive cartoon, and various links
that all can be used if the DVD is played on a PC.
Powerpuff Girls & 'Fun Love' Virus
Rosebud, Tiger, Wolf & Headless - But, Where's Wolf, Jr?
Garcia's Guitars
The messy custody battle for Rosebud, Tiger, Wolf and Headless may finally be over.
A tentative agreement to divvy up four of rock icon Jerry Garcia's guitars has been
reached between Doug Irwin, the woodworker who made them, and Grateful Dead band members.
Under the agreement, disclosed in a Marin County courtroom on Tuesday, Irwin would
keep two of the guitars, nicknamed Wolf and Tiger, and Grateful Dead Productions
would retain the other two, Rosebud and Headless.
Grateful Dead Productions is the corporate entity that is all that remains of the
legendary rock group led by Garcia from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.
Though the band broke up after Garcia's death in 1995, sales of Grateful Dead-related
items and concerts by various band members still bring in about $70 million annually.
The guitars could be worth millions on the collectors' market.
Irwin had sued, claiming he owned the guitars because Garcia bequeathed them to him when
he died. But Grateful Dead Productions claimed it bought the instruments and they were
not Garcia's to give away.
Irwin built the instruments for Garcia from 1973 to 1990.
As yet unresolved is the fate of a fifth guitar, Wolf Jr. Doney said its whereabouts are unknown.
Jerry Garcia's Guitars
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Still Really Like This One....
"Boondocks" (9 Oct 01)
Gonna let it ride for awhile.
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
