'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Suggestions
Re: t-shirt slogans
Good slogans, but the best I have heard lately is
"Frodo has failed... Bush has the ring!"
Wish someone would make that available on a bumper sticker.
In case you haven't seen the evidence:
Frodo Has Failed!
Ben in Florida
Thanks, Ben!
More than a few readers have been kind enough to forward copies of that picture, and I really liked it, but....the copy I keep receiving is H-U-G-E, and I lack the graphic skills to whittle it down.
I 'have' to watch the size of graphics because they eat up my allotment of bandwidth (it ain't free) much faster than words.
A 'reasonable' size is +/- 50KB [and while nothing is written in stone, in this case, smaller is better]. ; )
Cool Link
from Tim of TBH
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, breezy day.
If it's Friday, we have fresh crickts from Reptiles Unlimited, and Jo the (remaining) lizard has a full belly.
On the way home, I was tired & a bit cranky, so, while drving through junk-food row, asked the kid if he'd like to stop at Carl's Jr (the school fundraiser thing, again). He said no way.
Asked him why, he said the last time we ate there his poop smelled like Windex and kerosene.
Watched 'Bill Maher's "Real Time"' on HBO. Rather enjoyed his interview with my new rep, Dana Rohrabacher. Chris Rock was brilliant. And, Sarah Silverman is willing to go where no man
has gone before, and that's wonderful. Shame she doesn't have her own 'special' or series. Sort of like Janeane Garofalo. Are smart, funny women that intimidating?
Tonight, Saturday, CBS opens the evening with a FRESH 'Touched By An Angle', followed by a
FRESH 'The District', and then a FRESH 'The Agency'.
NBC starts with a half-hour version of 'Fear Factor', then the movie 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark'. Even though the last 2 'SNL''s, were vile, Christopher Walken is hosting a FRESH one
tonight, with music by Foo Fighters.
ABC begins with the movie 'Forces Of Nature', and follows with a FRESH 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here'.
The WB here has basketball - Hawks visit the Clips.
Faux starts the night with a FRESH 'Cops', follows with a RERUN 'Cops', and then the weekly
'America's Most Wanted'.
UPN has the movie 'The Bodyguard'.
TCM has 2 of my favorite funny films tonight - first,
Woody Allen's
What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) (Woody Allen bought a Japanese spy movie, removed the voice track, and replaced it with one of his own - a tribute to egg salad, in a way).
Then, it's Blazing Saddles (1974), starring
Cleavon Little, as Bart, Sheriff of Rock Ridge;
Gene Wilder, as Jim, The Waco Kid;
Madeline Kahn, as Lili Von Shtupp;
Slim Pickens, as Taggart;
Harvey Korman, as Hedley Lamarr, State Procurer/Attorney;
And, written, directed by & starring
Mel Brooks, as Gov. William J. LePetomane/Indian Chief/World War I aviator in badmen lineup. (Note: 'Le Petomane' is a fun 'google').
Before anyone writes, yes, Richard Pryor
WAS a contributing writer of this film -
Full Cast and Crew for Blazing Saddles (1974)
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Giant icicles hang from the roof of a house in Ricken, Switzerland, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2003 as a result of a mix of high-pressure conditions and subzero temperatures which dominate the weather in Switzerland these days.
Photo by Hans Ueli Bloechliger
Dodger Great Smeared, Holds Rupert Responsible
Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax, one of baseball's greatest pitchers, has cut ties with the team for which he starred, the Dodgers, over comments published in a New York newspaper owned by News Corp. Ltd., the same media conglomerate
that owns the Los Angeles team, it was reported on Friday.
The Los Angeles Times said Koufax, who starred for the Dodgers from 1955 to 1966, told the team he would no longer attend its spring practices, visit its stadium or participate in other Dodgers activities because
of a report in the News Corp.-owned New York Post that apparently intimated that he is a homosexual.
Citing "officials familiar with the situation," the paper said Koufax was angered by an unsourced item published in the Post on Dec. 19, which asked: "Which Hall of Fame baseball hero cooperated with a best-selling
biography because the author promised to keep it secret that he is gay? The author kept her word but big mouths at the publishing house can't keep from flapping."
A biography of Koufax, "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy," was published last September by Harper Collins to wide praise. The book's author, Jane Leavy, told the Times she assumed the Post item was about her book.
But Leavy also told the Times the report was "thoroughly erroneous on all counts," also characterizing it as "blatantly unfair, scandalous and contemptible."
Dodgers spokesman Derrick Hall, who has acted as a spokesman for the pitcher, told the Times that Koufax would not comment. Then speaking for team officials, Hall said the Post story was "irresponsible and inappropriate."
Hall said Koufax told him that it did not make sense for him to promote any of the companies controlled by News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch, the Times said.
Sandy Koufax
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
No Fairness Doctrine, No Air Time
Ben and Jerry
"Take it from a couple of old ice cream guys," Jerry Greenfield says in a recent TV ad arguing against war in Iraq. "Demonstrate. Act."
On the screen below Greenfield and his partner Ben Cohen, a disclaimer makes clear that their former ice cream company and Unilever, the conglomerate that bought it from the hippie capitalists three years ago, aren't involved in the campaign.
The ad is one of six made recently for a coalition of peace groups including Cohen and Greenfield's, TrueMajority. Others appearing in the ads are a retired rear admiral, a Methodist bishop, and entertainers including Susan Sarandon and Mos Def.
But the ads have been rejected by the major TV networks, and had a mixed reception among local cable operators.
Cohen and Greenfield say their message would counter the air time devoted to Bush administration pronouncements about the likely need for war.
"We're not able to get fair coverage editorially," Cohen said. "If we can't get it editorially, then we'll have to buy time to get our message across. Now even if you buy time, they're refusing to let us get our message across."
Cohen also said opponents of a war in Iraq are wearing blue ribbons, the United Nations' color.
Ben and Jerry
www.truemajority.org
The New Albus Dumbledore
Michael Gambon
"Harry Potter" has a new schoolmaster: Michael Gambon.
The Irish-born actor is replacing Richard Harris, who died last year, as Albus Dumbledore in the third installment of the "Harry Potter" series, Warner Bros. announced Friday.
"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is filming in England, and Gambon's casting had been a closely guarded secret. Others mentioned as possible candidates for the role included Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen and Peter O'Toole, who had a longtime friendship with Harris.
Gambon, 62, is best known for his roles as the wealthy murder victim in 2001's "Gosford Park" and the sinister landowner in 1999's "Sleepy Hollow." He also starred as President Lyndon Johnson in the 2002 TV movie "Path to War."
Warner Bros. also announced that Gary Oldman would play the "Prisoner" of the title, a mysterious character named Sirius Black who escapes from the magical prison of Azkaban and seems to be stalking Potter and his friends.
Michael Gambon
Amateur astronomer Dr. Leon Stuart stands next to his telescope in Oklahoma in 1953. Early on Nov. 15, 1953, Stuart photographed what appeared to be a massive, white-hot fireball rising from
the center of the Moon's face. Nearly 50 years later scientists have identified a crater likely left by the collision, now known as 'Stuart's Event.' Stuart was the first, and so far only
witness to document the impact of an asteroid-sized body impacting the Moon's scarred exterior.
Photo Courtesy Jerry Stuart
Dislikes Grammy Trophy
Ian Anderson
Considering how many jaws dropped when Jethro Tull won the first Heavy Metal Grammy in 1988, frontman Ian Anderson doesn't take all that good care of it.
Anderson said it's nice to win a Grammy. "It's great that 6,000 people who vote in the Grammy system, will vote for their peers. It's nice to be recognized in that way," Anderson told AP Radio.
But Anderson said the actual trophy is tacky. "It's a little gold plasticky-looking thing," Anderson said. He said it's just not something you want to put on display for the neighbors to see.
"Such dreary things. They are horrible," he said.
Anderson admits he doesn't even know where the award is. His said his wife mentioned their son may have taken it to keep pencils in, or to impress girls.
Ian Anderson
Judge Upholds Misdemeanor Charge
Paul Reubens
A Los Angeles judge on Friday rejected a motion by attorneys for "Pee-wee Herman" star Paul Reubens to dismiss the misdemeanor child pornography charge against him.
Defense attorney Blair Berk argued that prosecutors have not proven that the 50-year-old Reubens knew that he had the images among his huge erotica collection, or that the people portrayed in the alleged child porn were actually under 18.
On Friday, Berk showed Superior Court Judge C.H. Rehm examples of sexually explicit magazine photos of young adults who appeared to be minors to try to prove that prosecutors have no way, other than the testimony of
experts, to prove that the 30- to 100-year-old photos and films are illegal.
But Deputy City Attorney Richard Kraft said the law makes no exceptions for possessing the so-called "vintage erotica" in Reubens collection that includes "nude children, variously involved in sexual acts."
Reubens was charged with the single misdemeanor count a day after his friend, actor Jeffrey Jones, best known for his role as the principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," was charged with allegedly taking
sexually explicit photos of the 14-year-old boy who has made accusations against Reubens.
Paul Reubens
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Motorcycle Crash
The Hasselhoff's
David Hasselhoff and his wife suffered broken bones when the actor lost control of the motorcycle they were riding and hit a sidewalk curb, police said.
Strong gusty winds were blamed for the crash Thursday afternoon on a busy street on the city's West Side, police said.
The crash threw Hasselhoff against a light pole, while his wife, actress Pamela Bach, fell onto the shoulder of the road. Police said both were wearing helmets.
They were taken to UCLA Medical Center, where Hasselhoff, 50, was treated for possible lower back fractures, a broken rib and cuts and bruises, according to police. Bach, 39, was treated for a fractured ankle and broken wrist.
"They're in stable condition," said Warren Cowan, a publicist for Hasselhoff.
Cowan said Hasselhoff has canceled trips and interviews to promote the upcoming Fox movie "Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding."
The Hasselhoff's
Patty Duke, left, and Skye McCole Bartusiak pose for a photo at a rehearsal studio in New York Friday Feb 21, 2003. Bartusiak will be playing the part of 'Helen Keller' in a new Broadway production of
William Gibson's 'The Miracle Worker', the role Duke played over 40 years ago.
Photo by Tina Fineberg
Michael Richards Says
Cosmo Kramer
Kramer is dead.
That's the word from Michael Richards, the loose-limbed actor who immortalized the character on "Seinfeld."
Richards, 53, now says he doesn't want anything to do with his famed alter-ego.
"I don't want to be Kramer anymore!" Richards declared in an interview with The Guardian newspaper of London. "He was nice for 10 years, but now I'm running away from him."
Richards last week made his London stage debut starring in a revival of "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Strand Theatre.
The wire-haired actor formerly known as Cosmo is playing the role of Jonathan Brewster, the character played by Raymond Massey in director Frank Capra's famed 1944 movie starring Cary Grant.
He doesn't miss "Seinfeld" at all, but values his fame from the show for the acting jobs it gets him today.
"Do I miss 'Seinfeld'? No!" he said. "It had a good run. And the popularity to me is only useful to the extent that it gets me work."
Cosmo Kramer
Opening In Denmark
Princess Diana Ballet
Turning the life of Princess Diana into a ballet was not an easy project for Peter Schaufuss.
Schaufuss, a former international ballet star who has created dances based on Elvis Presley and the Beatles, said Friday that it would have been easier to do a ballet about Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish author of fairy tales.
"We all believe we know him, we have read about him and that allows us to add some more to his character," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"With Diana it was a different situation. I knew both persons — Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and the person behind that. Knowing her made it more difficult to make the show."
Schaufuss spent a year creating the two-hour work, "Diana — The Princess," which opens Feb. 27, in Holstebro, 190 miles northwest of Copenhagen.
British ballerina Zara Deakin, a member of Schaufuss' troupe, will play Diana, who was killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris. Sean Ganley, also of Britain, will play Prince Charles.
Other characters include Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and members of Britain's royal family. One dancer will play Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles' constant companion.
The music is by British composer Edward Elgar, the rock band The Cure and two Danish composers. Schaufuss chose The Cure because they were "big names in the 1980s" when the wedding took place.
The ballet, which will eventually tour Denmark, is not a biography, Schaufuss said, it's a tribute.
Princess Diana Ballet
Fourth Season Greenlit
'Big Brother'
CBS has given the go-ahead to a fourth season of the voyeuristic reality TV hit "Big Brother," inking a deal with Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner to stay on as executive producers and show runners.
Casting on "Big Brother 4" will begin in mid-March, though producers already have received roughly 2000 videotapes from potential contestants.
The series, co-produced by Endemol USA, will air this summer. CBS is still mulling how many times per week the show will air and when it will debut.
The deal with Shapiro and Grodner locks them in for two more seasons, though the second year is contingent on the series getting renewed for summer 2004. "Early Show" co-anchor Julie Chen is expected to return as host.
While this summer promises to be the most competitive warm-weather season ever for broadcast TV -- with dozens of new and returning reality formats set to bow --- Grodner believes "BB4" will be able to compete.
'Big Brother'
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
'Wiped Out' by Negative Press
Heather Mills
The wife of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney says she is totally "wiped out" by the negative press she has received since the start of their relationship.
Heather Mills, a charity fundraiser and former model, told BBC presenter Michael Parkinson that her life had hit its lowest ebb when the media "turned on her" following the start of their relationship.
In a television interview to be broadcast on Saturday, Mills, talking for the first time since the couple's lavish wedding in Ireland in June, said: "It's all just 'She's the bird of Paul McCartney' and it's just knock, knock, knock."
"He is a fantastic, fantastic man, but the stuff that comes with it is very hard to deal with."
"My mother left and my father abused me, then my father went to prison and I think you just slowly get chip, chipped away. In the end you're put down for constantly overcoming that and they come for you more and more."
Mills denied press reports of a feud between herself and McCartney's children Mary, James and fashion designer Stella.
"There's always problems between stepmothers -- think of Cinderella, there's the wicked stepmother...it's just very easy to make up," she said. "I don't think the public are that stupid to believe everything they read."
And she also dismissed speculation about a pregnancy.
"They said I'd been pregnant, which is really hurtful knowing that I've had cancer of the uterus and two ectopic pregnancies," she said.
Heather Mills
Actor/comedian Drew Carey touches his new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 21, 2003. Carey, who received the 2,216th star on the Walk of Fame, will celebrate the 200th episode
of television's 'The Drew Carey Show' on March 7.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
Machines Target Art-Lovers Starting Small
Art-o-Mat
Pull a knob on the vintage cigarette machine and you may pick up a new habit — buying art.
The Art-o-Mat offers miniature paintings, sculpture and other tiny trinkets for not much more than a pack of Parliaments. The concept has hooked accidental art investors with refurbished vending machines in art galleries, coffee shops and grocery stores nationwide.
"We're wanting to reach quality investors who haven't taken art seriously before, and to support artists trying to make a living," said founding artist Clark Whittington.
He sold his own artwork in the first Art-o-Mat in 1997 in a Winston-Salem, N.C., gallery. The project now includes more than 40 rehabilitated cigarette machines, including prime spots in the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Whitney Museum of American Art in
New York City, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. About 300 artists worldwide contribute to the project.
In a Philadelphia Whole Foods grocery store, an Art-o-Mat decorated with a blue celestial-themed painting by Whittington stands just inside the front door between boxes of honeydew melons and shopping carts. Customers can select pocket-sized paintings, magnets,
glassware, African bronze sculptures and something labeled "goat milk soap" created by 20 artists whose work is stocked in the machine.
Each Art-o-Mat selection costs $5; half goes directly to the artist, $1.50 to the host and $1 to Whittington for machine maintenance.
Whittington, 36, said he hopes the machines inspire people to make the leap from Art-o-Mat's kitschy-cool to serious art collecting.
While some buyers have commissioned larger works from artists whose work they found through Art-o-Mat, the majority simply want more of the miniature pieces. One North Carolina woman has collected more than 200 works featuring faces, Whittington said.
Art-o-Mat
Art-o-Mat
Fire Ranks as Rock's Worst Tragedy
Great White
From rampaging bikers at the Rolling Stones' infamous Altamont show in 1969 to deadly stampedes by fans of the Who and Pearl Jam, the most notorious rock concert tragedies have generally been linked to the biggest names in the business.
That is, until Great White took the stage of a tiny Rhode Island nightclub Thursday night.
The heavy metal "hair" band, which reached the brief apex of its career in the 1980s, will now be forever remembered for a devastating fire that stands in a class by itself as the deadliest episode in the annals of rock 'n' roll mayhem.
"This is far and away the biggest tragedy in rock history," said Billboard magazine senior editor Ray Waddell, who has covered rock tours for 17 years. "It transcends rock and roll to become just an American tragedy, a human tragedy."
He added: "Great White will no doubt live in infamy. So will this tiny club."
Industry observers said rock concerts, on the whole, remain relatively safe given their frequency and the size of the crowds they draw. And loss of life is very rare.
One of the most notorious incidents occurred during a free concert by the Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway near San Francisco in December 1969.
One fan was stabbed to death and many others were beaten with pool cues by members of the Hells Angels biker club who were put in charge of security for the event. The violence was captured on film for the documentary "Gimme Shelter."
A decade later in 1979, 11 people were killed before a Who concert at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati when a crowd surged forward to grab the best seats. Until this week, that tragedy had stood as the deadliest in rock history.
Similarly, nine fans were crushed to death during an open-air Pearl Jam concert at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark on June 30, 2000, as fans charged the stage.
The original Woodstock in 1969, in contrast, prided itself for being an entirely peaceful event -- "three days of peace and music."
Great White
Bandit, a California sea lion, pokes his head up between floating chunks of ice in his pool at the Bronx Zoo in New York, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003. Bright sunshine and mid-day temperatures in
the mid 40s provided a sharp contrast to the cold and wind-driven snow that covered the city earlier in the week.
Photo by D. DeMello
'The Osbournes'
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