John Ridley: The U.S. Goes Global With its Anti-Gayness (huffingtonpost.com)
On Thursday the U.N., which excels at issuing proclamations, circulated one seeking the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. The U.S. did not sign the declaration. You'd think in a country where presidential aspirants do song parodies about introducing rogue nations to the wonders of thermal nuclear diplomacy, the U.S. would have no trouble putting its John Hancock on something that would mock the backward nature of those "funny" little nations that aren't as forward thinking as we are. Problem is, we'd be mocking ourselves.
Froma Harrop: America Must Take the Cure (creators.com)
Al goes to the doctor. Al: "I'm still short of breath. I know you told me to quit smoking, and honestly, I've tried. But kicking the habit is really stressful. Doc, can you help me?" Doctor: "I understand. Let me find a way to help you continue smoking."
Ted Rall: LBO NO MO
Many of the wealthiest people in the world, it turned out, have zero or negative net worth. According to The New York Times, for example, one of Donald Trump's biggest sources of income was his job hosting the TV show "The Apprentice." Those buildings with his name on them? He leased his name to developers who liked his brand.
Susan Estrich: The Next Senator Kennedy (creators.com)
The news that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president and much-dubbed Princess of Camelot, is seeking to replace Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate has set many tongues to wagging. It's all about entitlement, some are saying: What has she done to deserve a seat in the Senate? What does she know? Who does she think she is?
Tom Engelhardt: The Axe, the Book, and the Ad
Worlds shudder and collapse all the time. There's no news in that. Just ask the Assyrians, the last emperor of the Han Dynasty, the final Romanoff, Napoleon, or that Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff. But when it seems to be happening to your world, well, that's a different kettle of fish. When you get the word, the call, the notice that you're a goner, or when your little world shudders, that's something else again.
Caroline Kennedy has expressed interest in replacing Hillary Clinton as the junior senator from New York. Is she qualified and is she the best person for the position?
A James Franco
B Emile Hirsch
C Victor Garber
D Sean Penn
E Gus Van Sant
Source
Jim from Ca was first, and correct, with:
Gus Van Sant...
Marian the Teacher responded:
Gus Van Sant
Charlie answered:
These are too easy, Sally and I are going to remain tied, I suspect.
I have been partial to brunettes, for some inexplicable reason, I should say, but hair color is not terribly important. My own, which I still have a full head of, is brown, but if I forget to shave, I find some gray these days, and I have a terrible time deciding the correct spelling of that last color word .
A member of Destroy all Blondes is non other than
E Gus Van Sant
Joe S wrote:
E Gus Van Sant
MAM responded:
Answer . . . E Gus Van Sant
Alan J replied:
E Gus Van Sant
Sally, still in snowy Northern NJ, said:
I am up early, caring for my two darling gks who are out of school on a, "snow day!" but, it's not even snowing here today! Apparently, the weight of the snow, from the storm which we had over the WE, collapsed a part of the roof of their school. The good news is that they were on the verge of their winter holiday, so there is time for repairs, the bad news is that they are left WO a care provider for the next few days (enter good old gamma) and are FULL OF SUGAR!
Okay, down to business while I am still standing!
"Morning Professor Charlie..." (Said while smirking, in a feeble attempt to fake him out...)
Trivia Question Dejour reply:
Gus Greene Van Sant, Junior (E) is a member of a band, Destroy All Blondes.
~ Tony in Philly answered:
E: Gus Van Sant
And, Adam in NoHo responded:
E Gus Van Sant
Four3 Two readers are tied with perfect scores for the current prize.
They are:
Charlie
Joe S Marian the Teacher
and, Sally P.
Here is tie-breaker question #7:
Fill in the blanks:
___?___ is considered the first human to make a witnessed ___4 words___ and is also credited with coining the term ___?___
Louis-Sébastien Lenormand (May 25, 1757 - December 1837) was a French physicist, inventor and pioneer in parachuting.
He is considered the first human to make a witnessed descent with a parachute and is also credited with coining the term parachute (from French parasol - "sun shield", and chute - "fall").
Source
And, Charlie was first, and correct, with:
Oh, the tie breaker is
Louis-Sébastien Lenormand is considered the first human to make a witnessed descent with a parachute and is also credited with coining the term parachute.
Neat question.
Joe S answered:
Louis-Sébastien Lenormand is considered the first human to make a witnessed descent with a parachute and is also credited with coining the term parachute.
And, Sally said:
Louis-Sébastien Lenormand is considered the first human to make a witnessed descent with a parachute and is also credited with coining the term Parachute.
No more tie-breaker questions unless they are needed at the conclusion of this giveaway.
Milk - In Limited Theaters Now - WIDE Release on December 12th
After moving to San Francisco, the middle-aged New Yorker, Harvey Milk, became a Gay Rights activist and city politician. On his third attempt, he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977, making him the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the USA. The following year, both he and the city's mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by former city supervisor, Dan White, who blamed his former colleagues for denying White's attempt to rescind his resignation from the board.
Mr. Milk had been the subject of several books and the Academy Award-winning documentary feature, The Times of Harvey Milk (1984); but Milk (2008) is the first fictional feature to explore private aspects of the man's personal life and career.
Milk was filmed on location in San Francisco. Many of Mr Milk's real-life surviving friends and former associates participated in the making of this film, several appearing on camera.
Prizes:
4 prizes in all - 3 first-prizes:
Levi's Canvas Tote Bag filled with:
o Hat
o T-shirt
o Soundtrack
o Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk
And, 1 grand prize:
Levi's Canvas Tote Bag filled with:
o Sweatshirt (made from recycled materials)
o Script Book
o Hat
o T-Shirt
o Soundtrack
o Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk
Went to upload everything Saturday night, but the ftp kept timing out, which was followed by a visit from the beloved Blue Screen O'Death.
Finally got Sunday's page up around 5pm (pst), using the laptop.
The ftp in the laptop wouldn't work (it's the same one), so had to download another, but it didn't work either.
Downloaded yet another one that eventually worked.
I say eventually because it took nearly an hour to upload just that one file - by then the sun had set, and the day was pretty much shot. Ack.
I hate this crappy dial-up. < /whine>
Tonight, Monday:
CBS opens the night with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'How I Met Your Mother', then a RERUN'2½ Men', followed by a RERUN'Worst Week', then a RERUN'CSI: The 2nd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Dustin Hoffman and Todd Rundgren.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig are Joel McHale and Matt Nathanson.
NBC begins the night with the FRESH'2008: Today Looks Back, A Holiday Special', followed by a FRESH'Momma's Boys'.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Robin Williams, Freida Pinto, and Johnny Mathis.
Scheduled on a FRESHConan are Carson Daly and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 9/29/08) are Kat Dennings and the Airbourne Toxic Event.
ABC starts the night with the recently aired and now RERUN'Shrek The Halls', followed by the movie 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJimmy Kimmel are Tom Cruise and Keane.
The CW offers a RERUN'Gossip Girl', followed by a RERUN'One Tree Hill'.
Faux has a RERUN'House', followed by the SEASON FINALE'Prison Break'.
MY fills the night with 'The Spirit Of Christmas'.
A&E has 'CSI: The 2nd One', 'Intervention', another 'Intervention', and 'Runaway Squad'.
AMC offers the movie 'Pearl Harbor', followed by the movie 'The Right Stuff'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9
[12:30 PM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 10
[1:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? US - Episode 7
[1:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 3
[2:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited - Ep 2 Momma Cherri's
[3:00 PM] Gordon Ramsay's F Word - Episode 6
[4:00 PM] How Clean Is Your House? US - Episode 7
[4:30 PM] How Clean Is Your House? - Episode 5
[5:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited - Ep 2 The Fenwick Arms
[6:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 4 Morgan's
[7:00 PM] BBC World News
[7:30 PM] My Family - Ep 1 Bliss for Idiots
[8:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[9:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[10:00 PM] BBC World News
[10:30 PM] Coupling - Ep 1 The Man With Two Legs
[11:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[12:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 2
[1:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 3
[2:00 AM] Top Gear - Episode 9
[3:00 AM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 11 Miriam Margolyes, Ashley Jensen and Mika
[4:00 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 9
[4:30 AM] You Are What You Eat - Episode 10
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Episode 2
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Episode 3
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'Ghostbusters II', followed by the movie 'The Princess Bride', then the movie 'The Princess Bride', again.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Scary Movie 2', followed by 'Futurama', another 'Futurama', still another 'Futurama', and yet another 'Futurama'.
Jon Stewart is pre-empted.
Colbert Report is pre-empted.
FX has the movie 'Click', followed by the movie 'Anger Management', then the movie 'Anger Management', again.
History has 'Batman Tech', followed by a FRESH'Modern Marvels', then a FRESH'Cities Of The Underworld', and 'Ancient Discoveries'.
IFC -
[6:15 AM] Our Song
[8:00 AM] Au Revoir, Les Enfants
[9:50 AM] IFC News Special
[10:00 AM] The Quiet American
[11:45 AM] Our Song
[1:30 PM] Au Revoir, Les Enfants
[3:20 PM] IFC in Theaters
[3:30 PM] The Quiet American
[5:15 PM] Short: Grace and the New Rules
[5:45 PM] Our Song
[7:25 PM] Strange Invaders
[9:00 PM] Darkness
[10:30 PM] Shopping
[12:15 AM] The IFC Media Project
[12:40 AM] IFC Shorts
[1:00 AM] Darkness
[2:30 AM] Shopping
[4:15 AM] Strange Invaders
[5:55 AM] Au Revoir, Les Enfants (ALL TIMES EST)
SciFi has the movie 'Hulk', followed by the movie 'Jeepers Creepers II'.
Sundance -
[04:00 AM] The Great Yokai War
[06:15 AM] Flower & Garnet
[08:00 AM] In Short: Festival 10
[09:00 AM] It's Not Easy Being Green Season 2: Episode 4
[09:30 AM] Big Girl's Blouse: Episode 4
[10:00 AM] Celebration
[11:00 AM] We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen
[12:35 PM] Romántico
[02:00 PM] Eco Documentaries - Season 2: The Nuclear Comeback
[03:00 PM] Let's Rock Again
[04:15 PM] Height of Sky
[05:30 PM] The Cruise
[07:00 PM] Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
[09:00 PM] Jesus in India
[11:00 PM] Cocalero
[12:45 AM] Spectacle: Bill Clinton
[02:00 AM] Seeing Other People
[03:35 AM] Eramos Pocos
[04:00 AM] Outrageous Wasters: Episode 4
[05:00 AM] Gone (ALL TIMES EST)
Singer Melissa Etheridge performs during the 8th Annual Convention of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach, California on Saturday Dec. 20th, 2008.
Photo by Hector Mata
MSNBC may find out soon whether "Hardball" host Chris Matthews returns to the invigorated channel.
Matthews, 63, is said to be considering an offer from NBC to remain as host of "Hardball," a job he's held for more than a decade, or to return to his native Pennsylvania to run for the U.S. Senate against GOP incumbent Arlen Specter.
There are indications that a decision could come soon, sometime before Inaugural Day on January 20. But MSNBC president Phil Griffin declined late last week to say whether that's true.
Matthews, who is believed to make roughly $5 million a year, declined an interview, according to a spokesman.
"This song is dedicated to Debbie Harry," flinty-eyed Lisa Hsuan purrs into a microphone on the red-lit stage of Hyperion Tavern. It's a cozy dive where patrons drink Coke and beer from bottles and a fading chandelier dangles overhead.
Her tribute is intentionally ludicrous: The 30-year-old veterinarian is about to belt out "Call Me," which Harry - fronting the group Blondie - released 28 years ago. Accompanied on fake guitars and drums by three Web programmers who drove in from the refinery-dotted coastal suburb of El Segundo, Hsuan launches in as a smoke machine puffs nearby.
They're playing the video game "Rock Band 2," which along with "Guitar Hero" is rocking bars and living rooms across the country. Many songs' sales have more than doubled after release in one of the games, and well-known bands have started lining up to provide new music direct to the game makers. Now record labels - noticing what they are missing, and struggling as compact disc sales tumble - are looking for a bigger piece of the action.
Although labels get some royalties from the play-along games' makers, they are often bypassed on image and likeness licensing deals, which the bands control and which account for a rising proportion of musicians' income. Meanwhile, the Recording Industry Association of America pegged its U.S. members' sales at $10.4 billion in 2007, down 11.8 percent from the year before, with a further drop expected for 2008. By comparison, sales of music video games more than doubled this year, hitting $1.9 billion in the past 12 months, according to NPD Group. And they're expected to keep growing.
Aerosmith made more money off the June release of "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" than either of its last two albums, according to Kai Huang, co-founder of RedOctane, which first developed "Guitar Hero."
The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police has eased his criticism of a return of cinema to the conservative Muslim country saying he saw no harm in it as long as what is shown complies with Islam.
Cinema made a low-key return in the Islamic kingdom after a three decade ban, but a sharp reaction by Ibrahim al-Ghaith, the religious police chief, showed efforts to relax tough religious laws face tough opposition.
But Ghaith, the kingdom's second-most influential cleric, changed his tone in favor of the moviegoing revival.
"We are not against having cinema if it shows the good and does not violate Islamic law," al-Hayat newspaper quoted him on Sunday as saying.
Down-and-outs and hard up pensioners in Milan will enjoy a rare Christmas treat this year: choice beluga caviar confiscated from traffickers.
Italian police seized over 40 kg (88 lb) of the delicacy, worth some 400,000 euros (373,000 pounds), from two men who last month smuggled it into the country from Poland for sale in the shops of Milan and the rest of the wealthy Lombardy region.
The head of the local forest police who carried out the raid kept the bounty in barrack fridges for several weeks, but realised it would soon go bad.
"Tests showed us the food was still perfectly OK to eat but it couldn't be stored much longer, so we decided to give it to the poor," Juri Mantegazza told Milan daily Corriere della Sera.
Banks that are getting taxpayer bailouts awarded their top executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses, and other benefits last year, an Associated Press analysis reveals.
The rewards came even at banks where poor results last year foretold the economic crisis that sent them to Washington for a government rescue. Some trimmed their executive compensation due to lagging bank performance, but still forked over multimillion-dollar executive pay packages.
Benefits included cash bonuses, stock options, personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, home security, country club memberships and professional money management, the AP review of federal securities documents found.
The total amount given to nearly 600 executives would cover bailout costs for many of the 116 banks that have so far accepted tax dollars to boost their bottom lines.
Drag queen Miss Wendy (C) dressed as the Virgin Mary holds a doll with other unidentified gay men in a take on the Nativity scene in Amsterdam December 21, 2008. The Nativity scene is part of Pink ChristmasAmsterdam, which is hosting its first "Pink Christmas". A gay Christmas market has also been set up, selling sex toys, underwear books and paintings.
Photo by Michael Kooren
Heaps of toxic mine waste rise like church steeples over this wind-swept desert town, threatening the health of residents and of thousands of off-road bikers.
Tests on dust samples have revealed some of the highest arsenic levels in the country - as much as 460,000 times the level deemed safe by the federal government.
But while the poison can cause cancer in people and harm wildlife, little has been done to remove the costly waste here or similar hazardous waste at thousands of other abandoned mines around the nation.
The dozens of old gold and silver mines in the sparsely populated area about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles are among the estimated 500,000 abandoned mines nationwide that have been largely ignored because of their remote locations.
A pig that survived 36 days buried in the rubble of May's massive Sichuan earthquake has been voted China's favourite animal, but the attention has made him fat, lazy and bad-tempered, state media said.
The hog, trapped in a sty after the 7.9 magnitude quake, was bought by a local businessman who was moved by its ordeal and named "Zhu Jianqiang," or "Strong Pig."
It survived by eating charcoal and drinking rainwater.
Other top animals included a dog that guarded its elderly owner when he was sick and accompanied him to hospital, and a cat that almost died of grief when its partner was run over by a car.
Movie audiences greeted Jim Carrey and Will Smith with a lukewarm "yes' as snowstorms undermined weekend debuts from both stars.
Carrey's comedy "Yes Man" opened at No. 1 with $18.2 million in ticket sales, while Smith's drama "Seven Pounds" came in second with $16 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
While winter came in with a bang, Hollywood's solid year was going out with a whimper. The overall box office plunged for the second straight weekend as this season's pre-holiday offerings continued to lag far behind the strong finish provided by such 2007 hits as Smith's "I Am Legend" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Yes Man," $18.2 million.
2. "Seven Pounds," $16 million.
3. "The Tale of Despereaux," $10.5 million.
4. "The Day the Earth Stood Still," $10.2 million.
5. "Four Christmases," $7.7 million.
6. "Twilight," $5.2 million.
7. "Bolt," $4.3 million.
8. "Slumdog Millionaire," $3.2 million.
9. "Australia," $2.3 million.
10. "Quantum of Solace," $2.2 million.
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
responded:
Joe S answered:
