'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
Richard Biggs
By Baron Dave Romm
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Richard Biggs died, suddenly, May 22nd, 2004. J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, posted an announcement on the moderated B5 site and for many days that was the only confirmation. Finally, on May 28th the LA Times printed an obituary. Until then we held out hope that it was a mistake or that someone had hacked into JMS's account or something. Unfortunately, the announcement was real.
I was Guest of Honor with Richard at Marscon 2004, just a few months ago. You can't get to know well someone who appears in your play and you sit next to for a couple of hours at an autographing table, but I'm happy for the brief time we had together.
Richard seemed to be having a good time. I think he was a bit surprised that we liked him, not just his characters. He knew the difference between soap opera fans and science fiction fans, and was full of bon homme and good cheer every time I saw him.
My friend Dennis had written a skit that I used in the Shockwave play right after Opening Ceremonies at the con. Dennis is not an sf fan by any means, but came up with this nifty bit about HAL 9000 being the waiter for Jack Nicholson in the movie Five Easy Pieces. With some stage experience under his belt, he wanted the part of HAL (and also Don Quixote), and so it was. After the play, Dennis and Richard went out to dinner together! I have no idea how that happened, but they both had a great time. Sometimes I feel my purpose in life is to make odd connections between people who might otherwise not have met, and I was pleased about this one. Dennis was shocked when he heard the news about Richard.
The recording of the Shockwave play, featuring Richard Biggs, will be out soon. Let me know if you want the CD. I also tapped Richard for a quick promo. Here is the 5 second Promo for Shockwave Radio by Richard Biggs, in mp3 format. To my knowledge, this is the last thing he ever recorded. (Though I don't know what he did in the 2+ months between recording for me and his untimely death.)
Our autographing stints overlapped, and we were at the same table. He had more (and more popular) stuff. He was always glad to autograph a publicity photo (if you bought it) or pose for a picture (even if you didn't). All the photos had a story, and he recounted the tales with earnest, as if he were remembering the event for the first time. Dr. Demento's autographing overlapped his, and I got a picture of the two of them together! They were both confused as to why I wanted that particular momento
Julie Caitlan Brown, fellow B5 cast member and Marscon 2003 Guest of Honor, assured us that Richard Biggs was a party animal and would be happy to be a Parties Judge. Richard was out partying every night and having a blast. Sometimes he was too sure of himself, and managed to get on the bad side of some of the Operations people because he wouldn't move out of the way when a group surrounded him and blocked the traffic flow. That got resolved and the group sat down to "a two hour game of Truth or Dare" (as was described by someone who had a great time playing the game with him).
Richard made his living in front of a camera, and pictures of him are not rare. Still, some have greater personal importance for those who met him at Marscon. I took pictures at Marscon 2004, including the three at the top of the column. (The one with me and Richard was taken by his liaison) Several others took Marscon photos as well. It was a great con, and Richard was a large part of what made it great.
I regret that I don't have the chance to meet Richard Biggs again, and I regret that I won't see him in new roles on tv. He was a great guy who lifted the spirits of all those around him. I'm glad for the short time we did have together, and glad I have a few unique minutes of him on tape.
Shockwave Rider Doug Friauf noted that, "the doctor is the first one to die" from the casts of both Star Trek and Babylon 5. And, of course, many of The Doctors Who have died. Coincidence? I dunno, but I'm just as happy that at Marscon I got to play doctor with Richard Biggs.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here.
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from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, breezy day, followed by a breezy, cool night.
Company's coming next weekend & need to puzzle out a menu.
A World War Two veteran wears a service cap decorated with medals as he tours the newly-opened World War II memorial in Washington, May 30, 2004. The dedication of the World War II memorial has drawn hundreds of thousands of veterans for what is likely the last major gathering of U.S. soldiers from that conflict, before their generation dies out. World War II veterans are today at least 76 years old and about 1,000 die every day, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs estimate.
Photo by Jason Reed
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Set to Open BookExpo America
Bill Clinton
The book world's annual national convention, BookExpo America, should mark the convergence of publishing, politics and star power.
Bill Clinton, former president and future best-selling memoirist, makes his first official stop on what his literary representative, attorney Robert Barnett, has billed "the mother and father of all roll outs." Clinton's memoir, "My Life," is scheduled for release on June 22 with a first printing of 1.5 million. His keynote speech Thursday at BookExpo is the convention's biggest event in recent memory.
BookExpo America, a three-day gathering to be held at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center, ends Sunday, June 6.
For more, Bill Clinton
Talk-show host David Letterman, right, one of the owners of Rahal-Letterman Racing, watches preparations for the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 30, 2004, in Indianapolis. Buddy Rice, one of the team's drivers, was on the pole for the race. Others in photo are unidentified.
Photo by Tom Strattman
Burbank Post Office Dedicated
Bob Hope
Burbank officials dedicated the downtown post office to Bob Hope on Saturday - what would have been his 101st birthday.
As part of the dedication ceremony, Hope's wife Dolores, now 95, sang two bars of the song, "I'm Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter."
The post office is also honoring the comedian by using the profile of his famous ski-jump nose for a cancellation stamp to mark used postage.
Bob Hope
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
NBC Defends Entertainment Shows
'Dateline'
Want to get an NBC executive's blood boiling? Just suggest that "Dateline NBC" may have besmirched its reputation with its series of shows about the network's entertainment fare.
In one month, NBC's signature newsmagazine devoted some five hours of programming to the season finale of "The Apprentice" and the series finales of "Friends" and "Frasier."
Yet the programming was evidence, to some, of skewed priorities. Competitor "60 Minutes II" provided a clear contrast last month by unearthing photos of alleged prisoner abuse by Americans in Iraq.
But NBC executives believe they are serving their audience, and their business.
For the rest, 'Dateline'
Toff Peabody, facing group, speaks with members of a loosely-knit coalition of white male University of California, Berkeley students who are calling for increased campus diversity on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, in Berkeley, Calif. Peabody, a molecular biology major, was so struck by the new Berkeley admission numbers that he joined the group this Spring.
Photo by Noah Berger
Benefit Show
Eric Clapton
The last time Eric Clapton hosted an all-star benefit concert for his addiction recovery center in the Caribbean it was 1999 at Madison Square Garden with about six musicians playing 3 1/2 hours.
Things tend to be a bit bigger in Texas.
The guitar virtuoso will host a three-day festival this weekend (June 4-6) at Dallas Fair Park and Cotton Bowl Stadium, featuring 60 guitarists, including B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Joe Walsh, J.J. Cale, Bo Diddley, James Taylor, Jimmie Vaughan and Vince Gill.
Proceeds go to Crossroads Centre, the nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Clapton founded on the Caribbean island of Antigua, where he maintains a residence.
Eric Clapton
Wedding News
Limp - Wolf
Actor Scott Wolf of the former Fox hit "Party of Five" has tied the knot with Kelly Limp, a former cast member of MTV's "The Real World."
The two exchanged vows in a traditional wedding ceremony Saturday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, Limp's hometown.
Limp - Wolf
Violence Forces Band To Flee Congo
Sum 41
Canadian rock band Sum 41 has been evacuated from the war-torn African nation of Congo where they were filming a documentary for War Child Canada.
Sum 41 was evacuated by the United Nations to Uganda.
War child's mission is to provide humanitarian assistance to war-affected children around the world. It works closely with the music industry to generate awareness and support.
Sum 41
CD Hits Platinum
Prince
Prince's new CD, "Musicology," has hit platinum based solely on his tour ticket sales, which include a copy of the album.
On May 20, the outing hit 1 million tickets sold, according to John Meglen, Concerts West co-CEO. Meglen is producing the tour with co-CEO Paul Gongaware. The tally includes shows that have already happened, plus sales for a number of upcoming dates.
Prince
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Pope to Beatify Gibson's Muse
Anne Catherine Emmerich
The 19th century German nun whose blood-soaked visions of Jesus's death inspired Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of The Christ" will soon be put on the path to sainthood, Catholic Church officials have said.
Anne Catherine Emmerich, a sickly mystic who lived from 1774 to 1824, has already reached near cult status among traditionalist Roman Catholics for her book that gave Gibson the grisly details the Gospels did not provide.
The Vatican suspended an earlier bid to beatify Emmerich in 1928 out of concern that Clemens Brentano, the German Romantic poet who wrote down her visions, had embellished her account with his own details.
Anne Catherine Emmerich
People pause at a grave with the Star of David amidst other graves as they attend the 60-year commemoration service ahead of Memorial Day at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, southern Netherlands, Sunday May 30, 2004. A total of 8,302 war veterans and war victims are buried at the cemetery.
Photo by Peter Dejong
School Celebrates 100 Years
Hollywood High
It wouldn't be a reunion at Hollywood High School without a few TV stars, and this week's bash celebrating the school's 100th anniversary was no exception.
Veteran actress Ruta Lee said her mother, a Lithuanian immigrant to Canada, helped launch her career by sending her to the school.
Others who picked up a pointer or two over the years at the school include Judy Garland, Fay Wray, Carole Lombard, Carol Burnet, Jason Robards, John Ritter, Julie London, Tuesday Weld, Linda Evans, Mike Farrell, Stefanie Powers and Robert Carradine.
Hollywood High
Bush Campaign Relies Heavily
Air Force One
Resident Bush is using Air Force One for re-election travel more heavily than any predecessor, wringing maximum political mileage from a perk of office paid for by taxpayers.
Even when the White House deems a trip as political, the cost to Bush's campaign is minimal. In such instances, the campaign must only pay the government the equivalent of a comparable first-class fare for each political traveler on each leg, Federal Election Commission guidelines say.
Bush has logged more than 68,000 miles this year on Air Force One, all within the continental United States except for a quick run to Mexico in January. With rare exceptions, he confines his travels to the more than a dozen states he and Kerry are fighting hardest for, and to places where he is raising campaign money.
Of those states, Bush has made five trips to Pennsylvania, four each to Missouri, Florida and Ohio, and three to Wisconsin. He also has flown to 24 fund-raisers for himself and the Republican Party.
But of the more than $203 million Bush has raised for his re-election, less than 1 percent has gone to reimbursing the government for travel costs this year.
For the rest, Air Force One
Jim Nabors sings his annual rendition of 'Back Home Again in Indiana' before the start of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 30, 2004, in Indianapolis.
Photo by Michael Conroy
Supplying The Military
Small Towns
Nearly half of the roughly 800 Americans who have died supporting U.S.-led operations in Iraq came from small towns, a newspaper reported Sunday.
After analyzing military records of 798 Americans killed in Iraq as of Wednesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said 46 percent of them were from communities of less than 40,000 residents at least 25 miles from a populated place of 100,000 or more. The figures include accidental and non-combat related deaths.
Such small towns make up only about 27 percent of the population, but they have claimed nearly as many war dead as the metropolitan areas that make up the other 73 percent.
Some argue the inequality in opportunities between small-town Americans and others has created an unfair, two-tiered system that is a de facto draft.
Small Towns
When I graduated from high school in the backwoods, more kids entered the military than went on to college, business school & beauty college, combined.
Exceeding Federal Land Limits
Oil Companies
A single New Mexico family and a dozen big oil companies, including one once headed by Commerce Secretary Don Evans, now control one-quarter of all federal lands leased for oil and gas development in the continental United States despite a law intended to prevent such concentration, federal records show.
Companies and individuals that dominate federal oil and gas leasing have been major financial supporters of Bush and the Republican Party. Since 1999, the top 25 owners of federal oil and gas leases have directed 86 percent of their $8.2 million in political donations to the GOP. ons to the GOP.
The top 25 of the more than 10,000 owners of oil and gas leases, for example, now control more than one-third of all leased acres and 37 percent of the acres in leases actually producing oil and gas, the AP analysis found.
Oil Companies
For a lot more, list of the top 100 federal land lease holders
Told to Pull Ads
Anheuser-Busch
In the latest round of their advertising dispute, a U.S. judge told Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc. to stop saying in ads that SABMiller Plc.'s Miller Brewing unit is "owned by South African Breweries," according to the companies.
The ruling follows a lawsuit, announced by Miller on Friday, claiming Anheuser-Busch made "false and misleading statements." Miller objected to ad references to "South African Breweries" as its owner saying no such company exists.
The judge ruled that Anheuser-Busch could say in its advertising that "Miller was purchased by South African Breweries" and that "Miller is South African owned," the company said.
Anheuser-Busch
Britain's Prince William holds a sheep to inspect its hooves during a visit to his father Prince Charles' Home Farm on Duchy land in Gloucestershire, Western England, May 29, 2004. The 21-year-old student said on Saturday he may follow family tradition when he finishes university and pursue a career in the armed forces.
Photo by Michael Crabtree
'The Osbournes'
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