Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Noam Chomsky: 'The Arab World Is on Fire' (In These Times)
"The Arab world is on fire," al-Jazeera reported on January 27, while throughout the region, Western allies "are quickly losing their influence."
Froma Harrop: Missing Moderate Republicans (Creators Syndicate)
One of the more disagreeable traits of many tea party "spokespeople," aside from their loose connection with facts, is their zest for threatening Republicans who don't leap when they say "jump."
Jim Hightower: Win the Future
Exciting news, folks. Obama and team say they're recalibrating, retooling and rebranding his presidency! And they've come up with a dandy new slogan to promote it. Ready? "Win the future."
Susan Estrich: The Lineup (Creators Syndicate)
I was talking to a friend who was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma- a young guy (by my lights), in his early 40s, if that; a jock, former varsity athlete, devoted husband and father. By all logic, of the three of us standing around talking, he should have been the most vital, the youngest, strongest and healthiest.
Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive (Wall Street Journal)
In "Never Say Die," Susan Jacoby challenges the myth that old age can be defied, offering a bracing critique of health gurus who claim that the "cure" for aging is just around the corner. Joseph Epstein reviews.
Myla Goldberg: Barbies Gone Wild (Slate)
Peggy Orenstein's new book on girl culture.
Steve Rose: The Fighter tells the story of the real-life Rocky (Guardian)
Small-town boxer Micky Ward was on a losing streak until clinching a world title. Now his troubled tale comes to life in a new hit film.
For whom the bell tolls: Boxing on film (Guardian)
There have been many great boxing movies over the years, but most of them are about white champs - and there aren't many of those in the real world, Joe Queenan points out.
Randy Lewis: White Stripes call it quits, but no hard feelings (Los Angeles Times)
The White Stripes are calling it a day.
20 Questions With Henry Rollins (Pinkmafia.ca)
Q: Blonde or Brunette?
A: Breathing is fine.
Henry Rollins: The Column! Is Here: Preview of the First Henry Rollins Column, Exclusive for the Print Edition of the LA Weekly
Last week I was at El Compadre, sitting across from my editor, one Gustavo Turner. He handed me an Amoeba Records bag and said the contents was a gift that he hoped I would like. I reached in and pulled out an LP by the Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. The LP, titled Suite Troileana, was one I had never heard before. I looked forward to the evening to get that platter spinning.
Amy Kaufman: 'Troubadours' looks at heyday of Laurel Canyon singer-songwriters (Los Angeles Times)
Ever since the 1970s, well-to-do hippies have flocked to Laurel Canyon, the tree-lined neighborhood perched high in the hills above Los Angeles. Aside from a country store, a cozy restaurant whose name means "peace" in Italian and a mass of post-and-beam houses, there isn't actually much to the area other than the omnipresent sense that something magical once took place there.
David Bruce has 40 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $40 you can buy 10,000 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
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Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still sunny and on the cool side.
Auctioning Artfully Doctored Portrait
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert is trying a new role: art dealer.
Comedy Central announced Friday that the host of "The Colbert Report" is putting one of his portraits up for auction. Colbert has repeatedly had himself painted in comically self-aggrandizing style. This one is referred to as "Portrait 5, Stephen(s)."
But it's potentially the most valuable: Artists Frank Stella, Shepard Fairey and Andres Serrano each added their touch to the work in December.
It will be sold March 8 by auction house Phillips de Pury & Company, with proceeds going to DonorsChoose.org, which helps classroom projects.
Another Colbert portrait was hung in Washington's National Portrait Gallery in 2008. Despite his conservative pundit's disregard for high culture, Colbert has increasingly embraced the art world. He recently claimed to be the elusive graffiti artist Banksy.
Stephen Colbert
Women's Cancer Research Fund Honors
Martin Short
Martin Short and his late wife, Nancy, are being recognized for their courage by the Women's Research Cancer Fund.
Organizers say Short will accept the Courage Award on behalf of his wife, who lost her three-year battle with cancer last year, at the annual Unforgettable Evening fundraising event next week.
Annette Bening is also being honored at the private star-studded dinner, where Conan O'Brien is serving as host and Rihanna is set to perform.
The Women's Cancer Research Fund is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that supports research and education toward early diagnosis and innovative cures for women's cancers.
Martin Short
Baltimore Cuts Off Funding
Poe House
Baltimore has cut off funding for the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, one of the strongest links between the literary icon and the city that claims him as its own.
Curator Jeff Jerome says he's been told that the Poe House must become self-sustaining by mid-2012, or it will close. The city hasn't been funding the museum since last summer, but Jerome is keeping it open with money he's raised over the years.
The Poe House had been funded at $80,000 a year, which includes Jerome's salary, a security system, utilities and supplies. Jerome has been the curator and sole employee since the city took control of the building in 1979.
Poe lived in the tiny west Baltimore rowhouse with his aunt and cousins during some lean years in the 1830s, before he became famous.
Poe House
Hospital News
Ilya Salkind
A health official in Mexico says the producer of the Superman films of the 1970s and '80s is recovering at a hospital after being admitted in a state of disorientation and suffering facial and head injuries.
Ilya Salkind had been staying at a home near Mexico City and his friends reported him missing earlier this week.
Arturo Torres of the Morelos state medical office said Friday that the 63-year-old Salkind didn't have identification when he was admitted Sunday at a hospital in Cuernavaca.
Morelos Attorney General Luis Benitez Pedro Velez says Salkind was hurt while in Tepoztlan, a town about 55 miles south of Mexico City. It was unclear how he was injured.
Ilya Salkind
BBC Defends Racist Humor
"Top Gear"
The BBC apologized to Mexico's London ambassador on Friday after presenters on the popular motoring show "Top Gear" said he would be too sleepy to protest as they described Mexicans as lazy and feckless.
But it defended the original remarks, saying jokes centered on national stereotypes were part of the humor both of the show and of Britain in general.
The publicly funded broadcaster said the show's executive producer had written to Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora and apologized for the comments made about him.
The BBC said its guidelines allowed comedy based on national stereotypes in shows like Top Gear where the audience would be expecting it.
"Top Gear"
Settles Lawsuit
Former Missouri Senate candidate Robin Carnahan has settled a lawsuit with the Fox News Network alleging copyright infringement by one of her campaign ads.
Fox Rupert News
The Democrat's campaign and the TV network issued a joint statement Friday announcing the settlement, which includes no payment of money.
At issue was an ad showing a clip from a January 2006 interview of Republican Roy Blunt in which Fox News journalist Christopher Wallace cited some of Blunt's past actions and questioned whether he was the right person to clean up ethical issues in the U.S. House. The ad did not show Blunt's response.
In the settlement, Carnahan's campaign acknowledged its use of Fox News footage exceeded what was permitted but said it had believed it was allowable.
Fox Rupert News
Trademark Application Refused
Palin
Sarah Palin's (R-Quitter) bid to trademark her name and that of her daughter, Bristol, ran into trouble at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because the application forms were unsigned, government records show.
Applications to trademark the names Sarah Palin (R-Jumped The Shark) and Bristol Palin (R-Opportunist), both for "motivational speaking services," were filed on November 5 by the Palins' longtime family attorney, Thomas Van Flein, but were quickly slapped down by a trademark examiner.
"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, SARAH PALIN, consists of a name identifying a particular living individual whose consent to register the mark is not of record," the patent agency said in an office action.
The office also said Palin's application failed to show that her name had been used in commerce, which could also be grounds for rejection.
Palin
Porn Topped Comcast
Hijacked Super Bowl
An Arizona man has been arrested on charges that he used a computer to interrupt a local telecast of the 2009 Super Bowl with a 37-second pornography clip.
The FBI and Marana police took Frank Tanori Gonzalez into custody Friday on suspicion of fraud and computer tampering.
Authorities say someone cut into the Comcast cable broadcast of the game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers that went to viewers in the Tucson area.
Comcast ended up offering a $10 credit to all of its 80,000 subscribers, whether they saw the brief X-rated clip or not, and the investigation was turned over to the FBI.
Hijacked Super Bowl
Pleads Not Guilty
Jaime Pressly
Jaime Pressly has pleaded not guilty to drunken driving charges in Los Angeles. Court records show former "My Name is Earl" co-star entered the plea through her attorney Friday.
Prosecutors in the city of Santa Monica charged Pressly with driving under the influence and having a blood alcohol content of more .20 on Wednesday.
Pressly was arrested Jan. 5 after police say she was stopped for a traffic violation. She was released after posting $15,000 bail.
Records show a judge also ordered the 33-year-old model-actress to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at least twice a week.
Jaime Pressly
Under Fire For End Credit
"The King's Speech"
"The King's Speech" may have a new speech impediment on its path to the Academy Awards.
The American Humane Association has contacted producers of the film and is threatening legal action over the use of phrase, "No animals were harmed," in the end credits.
The public advocacy group has a trademark on this phrase and over the years, has leveraged its rights so as to be involved in film productions and certify that no "animal actors" get harmed or killed in studio films.
The organization typically demands advanced copies of scripts and daily call sheets to review and also requires on-set access whenever animals are used.
The AHA says it was never invited to monitor "The King's Speech," however, and so it demands that The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the highly-praised film, remove the assurance to movie-goers that no animals were harmed during the production.
"The King's Speech"
Slaughter On Hold
Bison
Officials halted plans Friday to ship bison to slaughter from Yellowstone National Park after saying they first had to review a court challenge filed by wildlife advocates.
Almost 400 of the animals were being held in corrals inside the park for testing to see if they have been exposed to the disease brucellosis.
But environmental and American Indian groups are seeking a restraining order from a federal judge in Helena to block the shipments. No shipments are expected while the legal challenge is reviewed by the Park Service, Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said.
Brucellosis can cause wildlife and livestock to prematurely abort their young. About half the park's bison carry the disease, although no bison-to-cattle transmissions have been recorded.
Bison
In Memory
Joyce Sloane
A woman known as the "den mother" to alumni of Chicago's famed The Second City comedy club including John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray has died.
Joyce Sloane's daughter says her mother died "absolutely peacefully" in bed late Thursday as she got ready to watch Jim Belushi on television. She was 80.
During her 50 years with the improv theater, Sloane served as executive producer, founded its national touring company and co-founded the Toronto branch of The Second City.
Sloane is credited with discovering the Belushi brothers and Nia Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" fame. Other alumni include Steve Carell, Mike Myers and Tina Fey.
Joyce Sloane
In Memory
Lena Nyman
Swedish actress Lena Nyman, who gained international fame for her role in the 1967 sexually explicit film "I Am Curious (Yellow)," died on Friday after a long illness. She was 66.
Nyman was born in Stockholm and enjoyed a long career in film and television in her home country, including starring in Ingmar Bergman's 1978 movie, "Autumn Sonata."
She had already appeared in half a dozen productions when, at age 23, she starred in the 1967 movie "I Am Curious (Yellow)," playing an intellectually curious young woman, who explores sex, politics, nonviolent activism and meditation.
The movie, directed by Vilgot Sjoman, came to define a changing landscape for Swedish movies in the 1960s with its unconventional structure and film elements.
It also caused a stir with its nudity and sexuality. Copies were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, but a federal Appeals Court later allowed its U.S. release.
Sjoman and Nyman followed up with the 1968 sequel "I Am Curious (Blue)." The yellow and blue in the titles of the two films were a reference to the Swedish flag.
Nyman also played Ronja Roevardotter's mother Lovis in the 1984 adaptation of Sweden's beloved Astrid Lindgren novel by the same name.
Lena Nyman
In Memory
LeRoy Grannis
American photographer LeRoy Grannis, whose images of California surfers in the 1960s popularized the sport and culture, has died at the age of 93, his son told the Los Angeles Times.
Grannis, considered "the godfather" of surf photography, died Thursday of natural causes at a nursing facility in Torrance, 20 miles south of Los Angeles, John Grannis said.
LeRoy Grannis, with his splendid black and white images, helped popularize the sport and the laid-back style of living in southern California in the 1960s and 70s.
Journalist Steve Barilotti wrote in the introduction of a 2006 book of Grannis's work that his photographs "caught surfing at a critical juncture between cult and culture."
Grannis was "documenting surfing's rapid evolution into an iconic lifestyle," Barilotti wrote. "His photos captured the real thing, providing a bridge between the world of Beach Boy lyrics and the reality of the Southern California beach scene."
Born in 1917 in a suburb of Los Angeles, Grannis climbed on a surfboard for the first time at at 14, and was a lifelong surfer, mainly in California and Hawaii.
He was employed by the telephone company Pacific Bell for many years and turned to photography as a way to relax.
LeRoy Grannis
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