Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Jen Doll: The perfect wedding doesn't exist. Stop spending so much and enjoy the party (Guardian)
When bad things happen to good nuptials, the wedding-industrial complex comes crashing down - possibly with the cake, but still.
Barbara Ellen: Angelina Jolie and William Hague - how odd political couples can work (Guardian)
It ill becomes us to mock the actress and the foreign secretary for their humanitarian work.
X.J. Selman: 4 Ways You Didn't Realize Online Stores Are Screwing You (Cracked)
If you had told us 20 years ago that there would come a day when we could buy stuff like movies, clothes, and shipping containers full of Kit Kat bars while sitting on our toilets and without having to talk to a single human being, we would have passed out and not woken up until this wondrous future had arrived. Such is the miracle of Internet shopping.
Miriam Krule: What You Need to Know About the Religions on Game of Throne (Slate)
It's easy to brush off the religions of Game of Thrones as nonessential, as something you needn't give any thought to. But you may want to reconsider. The books, not surprisingly, depict the religions in greater detail than the show goes into, but even those of us who are only watching the HBO version of the saga can comprehend the characters and storylines better by understanding this key aspect of life in its world.
Jessica Valenti: Why do women love The Walking Dead? It might be the lack of rape scenes (Guardian)
Game of Thrones may be the fanboy darling, but women prefer not to cringe through sexual violence amid zombie brains.
Lauren Davis: How To Train Your Dragon 2 Matured Into A Glorious Sequel (io9)
How to Train Your Dragon has grown up in more ways than one. The sequel to the original animated charmer takes place five years later, and it's filled with vast and stunning landscapes, even more endlessly inventive dragons, and a more mature story. Despite a few hiccups in its plot, it's a movie to make hearts soar.
Tim Parks: "Reading: The Struggle" (NY Review of Books)
The conditions in which we read today are not those of fifty or even thirty years ago, and the big question is how contemporary fiction will adapt to these changes, because in the end adapt it will. No art form exists independently of the conditions in which it is enjoyed.
Stephen Greenblatt on Shakespeare's debt to Montaigne (Telegraph)
One wrote essays to be read in private, the younger wrote plays for the public; both turned uncertainty into art.
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wrote:
took the day off.
has retired.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
The most active open discussion is on Bart's Facebook page.
( www.facebook.com/bartcop )
You can listen to Bart's theme song here
or here.
( www.bartcop.com/blizing-saddles.mp3 )
( youtu.be/MySGAaB0A9k )
We have opened up the radio show archives which are now free. Listen to
all you want.
( bartcop.com/members )
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and a bit on the humid side.
Recites 'Pulp Fiction' Speech by Memory
Samuel L. Jackson
It's been 20 years since "Pulp Fiction" hit theaters, but Samuel L. Jackson still remembers his role as hitman Jules Winnfield just like it was yesterday.
During an appearance on BBC One's "The Graham Norton Show" last week, the British presenter asked Jackson if he still knows his famous "Ezekiel 25:17" speech from the Quentin Tarantino film.
Turns out, Jackson remembered the words by heart or he did a little pre-show prep work.
The original NSFW "Pulp Fiction" clip.
Samuel L. Jackson
Message For Rock Hall
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker wants the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to know it's time to induct him into its exclusive club before it's too late.
"I don't want to get in there when I'm 85 years old. I'll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I'm still smiling," Checker said Thursday.
"Let's Twist Again' was the first rock 'n' roll song that received a Grammy (in 1962)," Checker said.
He added: "The Rolling Stones, they're in there. The Beastie Boys are in there, they're young. Hall and Oates were just in there and they're still making money."
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April, Daryl Hall mentioned that Hall and Oates was the first Philadelphia-based band to be inducted. And after mentioning Chubby Checker, he said: "Why isn't he in?"
Chubby Checker
Unscheduled Crowdsourced Show
Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters have agreed to play a show in Richmond, Virginia that was orchestrated and crowdfunded without their knowledge. After a months-long campaign by local fans to sell tickets to a show that didn't yet exist, the band announced their willingness to play the city late Friday evening with a Twitter message that read: "See ya soon…let's have a good time."
The Crowdhoster campaign was launched in March by Andrew Goldin, a freelance creative director and copywriter, who sought to bring the band back to his hometown for their first show in Richmond since 1998. Goldin and his fellow organizers set a goal of selling 1,400 tickets at $50 each to the hypothetical concert in order to convince the band to return. Donors' credit cards would only be charged if the show sold out, and the contributions would be returned if the band didn't agree to play.
As of Saturday, the campaign had raised $70,026, surpassing its goal of $70,000. Two local businesses, Brown's Volkswagon and Sugar Shack Donuts, each donated $5,000 to the campaign and plan to give away all their tickets.
"Rather than waiting, and waiting and waiting for our favorite band to come to us, we're making it happen," Goldin said in his mission statement. "We're selling tix to a Foo Fighters concert that the band doesn't have scheduled yet in the hopes that they'll come to our great city and play a show. Then if the band comes we all rock out. If they don't come, everyone gets their money back. Every cent. So buy your tix, spread the word, and let's make some rock-n-roll history."
Foo Fighters
'Teletubbies'
60 New Episodes
For a while in the late 1990s and early 2000s, "Teletubbies" was one of the most dominant pre-school properties, ruling the global airwaves and overwhelming parents with merchandising options. Now, the BBC is looking to revive the series with 60 new episodes ordered to continue the adventures of Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po.
The new series will be broadcast on a replica set, and enhanced by CGI to give it a more "contemporary look," according to the BBC. New episodes are set to air on the broadcaster's children's network, CBeebies, which is currently airing repeats of the original 365 installments produced between March 1997 and January 2001.
New episodes will be produced by Darrall McQueen, a UK production company also responsible for "Baby Jake" and "Topsy and Tim" for CBeebies.
There is no word yet on when new episodes might be expected to broadcast on CBeebies, nor have there been talks yet about distributing the series to the United States, or internationally. At its height of popularity, the original "Teletubbies" series was broadcast in more than 120 countries in 45 languages.
'Teletubbies'
Poachers Kill Famed Elephant
Kenya
One of Africa's largest elephants has died after being shot by poachers using poisoned arrows in Kenya, wildlife officials revealed as they mourned on Saturday the loss of an "old friend."
The elephant famed for his giant tusks, known as Satao and aged around 45, was wounded by poisoned arrows in May in Kenya's vast southeastern Tsavo national park.
The Tsavo Trust, which works to protect the wilderness and its animals, announced the death "with great sadness" for one of the "most iconic and well-loved tuskers."
Poachers had hacked off the elephant's face and stolen the tusks, but conservationists who had followed Satao for years identified the body from the ears and other signs. The carcass was found earlier this month.
Kenya
Vote Is Closer Than Ever
Scottish Independence
The campaign for Scottish independence continues to gain ground against its pro-union rival, two surveys showed on Sunday, as pollsters near consensus that the race is getting ever-tighter ahead of the September referendum.
A record 43 percent back the campaign for independence, according to the latest poll by Panelbase, up two points from May, with the percentage against dropping one point to 46 percent.
The Panelbase poll of 1060 voters, commissioned by the "Yes" campaign, found that once undecideds were excluded, support for secession grew to 48 percent, with 52 percent against.
Scotland votes on Sept. 18 on whether to end its 307-year union with England and leave the United Kingdom. Polls have consistently shown the pro-union "No" campaign in the lead, but five of the six major pollsters have found the gap between the two sides is narrowing.
Scottish Independence
Hits Highest Readership in 97-Year History
Forbes Magazine
Forbes magazine seems to be bucking the downward trend for print magazines, with the near-century-old publication hitting its highest readership level ever in the U.S. after an increase of more than a million readers in the past year, according to one media research company.
Forbes jumped in readership from about 5.1 million last spring to roughly 6.1 million this one - an increase of more than 20 percent, according to the German-based media research company GfK MRI. In doing so, it remains the most read business magazine in the U.S., besting its nearest competitor, Fortune, by 2.5 million readers.
Forbes has been trying to find a buyer since last November, when it hired Deutsche Bank to explore a sale of the venerable business magazine owned by the Forbes family. According to a Bloomberg report in April, the sale process has foundered as various international bidders have bowed out.
Like many publications, Forbes has been hit hard by the downturn in print advertising and the accelerated pace of digital news gathering and consumption. However, the magazine remains profitable, with earnings estimated to reach $33 million this year. Forbes projected revenue of $144.6 million for 2013 and $162.8 million for 2014, according to the pitch book obtained by Ken Doctor, a media analyst for Outsell Inc.
Forbes Magazine
Migrate By Truck
Salmon
In drought-stricken California, young Chinook salmon are hitting the road, not the river, to get to the Pacific Ocean.
Millions of six-month-old smolts are hitching rides in tanker trucks because California's historic drought has depleted rivers and streams, making the annual migration to the ocean too dangerous for juvenile salmon.
California has been trucking hatchery-raised salmon for years to bypass river dams and giant pumps that funnel water to Southern California and Central Valley farms.
But this year state and federal wildlife agencies are trucking nearly 27 million smolts, about 50 percent more than normal, because of the drought, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Salmon
Weekend Box Office
"22 Jump Street"
In a summertime battle of sequels, a pair of kooky cops beat out flying dragons for the top spot at the North American box office, but the dragons soared internationally.
The R-rated comedy "22 Jump Street" debuted in first place domestically with $60 million, followed by "How to Train Your Dragon 2" which opened with $50 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Internationally, though, "Dragon" dwarfed "Jump Street" with $24.8 million to $6.9 million respectively.
Disney's "Maleficent" claimed third place in its third week of release. Warner Bros.' Tom Cruise action romp "Edge of Tomorrow" took the fourth spot, followed by last week's top film, Fox's teen tear-jerker "The Fault in Our Stars."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. "22 Jump Street," $60 million ($6.9 million international).
2. "How to Train Your Dragon 2," $50 million ($24.8 million international).
3. "Maleficent," $19 million ($37.2 million international).
4. "Edge of Tomorrow," $16.2 million ($37.4 million international).
5. "The Fault in Our Stars," $15.7 million ($16.4 million international).
6. "X-Men: Days of Future Past," $9.5 million ($18.2 million international).
7. "Godzilla," $3.2 million ($38 million international).
8. "A Million Ways to Die in the West," $3.1 million ($4.2 million international).
9. "Neighbors," $2.5 million ($2 million international).
10. "Chef," $2.3 million ($150,000 international).
"22 Jump Street"
In Memory
Francis Matthews
Francis Matthews, who starred in such British horror films as The Revenge of Frankenstein and provided the voice of the indestructible Captain Scarlet in a memorable 1960s science-fiction puppet series, has died. He was 86.
A native of York, England, Matthews also starred as the title character in the 1969-71 BBC series Paul Temple, in which he played the famed gentleman novelist who solves crimes with the aid of his wife, Steve (Ros Drinkwater).
In the Hammer Films sequel Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Matthews portrayed Peter Cushing's blackmailing assistant and was Boris Karloff's son in Corridors of Blood (1958), also starring Christopher Lee.
Other horror films on his résumé included The Hellfire Club (1961) with Cushing and two more Lee starrers that were released in 1966 - Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Rasputin the Mad Monk.
For Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Matthews used a playful impression of Cary Grant to voice the title character who leads Spectrum, an international intelligence agency on Earth, in its fight against extra-terrestrial terrorists.
The ITC series was Gerry Anderson's follow-up puppet series to his more famous Thunderbirds.
Matthews also had regular roles on the British TV series Don't Forget to Write!, A Roof Over My Head, Middlemen and Trinity Tales.
Matthews made his film debut opposite Ava Gardner in George Cukor's Bhowani Junction (1956). He also appeared with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise in The Intelligence Men (1965) and That Riviera Touch (1966).
In 1962, he met actress Angela Browne on the set of the BBC's The Dark Island, and they married a year later. She died in 2001.
Survivors include his brother, actor Paul Shelley; sister Maura; and sons Paul, Dominic and Damien.
Francis Matthews
In Memory
Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem, the internationally famous radio host with the cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades, died Sunday. He was 82.
Danny Deraney, publicist for Kasem's daughter, Kerri, says Kasem died Sunday morning. A statement issued by the family says he died at 3:23 a.m. on Father's Day morning surrounded by family and friends at a Washington state hospital.
Kasem's "American Top 40" began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles. The No. 1 song on his list then was "Mama Told Me Not to Come," by Three Dog Night.
In his signoff, he would tell viewers: "And don't forget: keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."
In recent years, Kasem was trapped in a feud between his three adult children and his second wife, former actress Jean Kasem. In 2013, his children filed a legal petition to gain control of his health care, alleging that Kasem was suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease and that his wife was isolating him from friends and family members. Kasem also suffered from Lewy Body Disease, a form of dementia.
It was a sad, startling end for a man whose voice had entertained and informed music lovers worldwide.
Kasem's "American Top 40" expanded to hundreds of stations, including Armed Forces Radio, and continued in varying forms - and for varying syndicators - into the 21st century. He stepped down from "American Top 40" in 2004 and retired altogether in 2009, completing his musical journey with Shinedown's "Second Chance."
Kasem's legacy reached well beyond music. His voice was heard in TV cartoons such as "Scooby-Doo" (he was Shaggy) and in numerous commercials.
The son of Lebanese immigrants, Kasem was active in speaking out for greater understanding of Arab-Americans - both on political issues involving the Mideast and on arts and media issues.
Kasem was born Kemal Amin Kasem in 1932 in Detroit. He began his broadcasting career in the radio club at Detroit's Northwestern High School and was soon a disc jockey on WJBK radio in Detroit, initially calling himself Kemal Kasem.
Casey Kasem
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