Miss USA, 2002
Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Hinton, Miss District of Columbia 2002, waves to the crowd after being crowned Miss USA 2002, March 1, 2002 in Gary, Indiana.
Hinton, 23, is only the second Miss District of Columbia to win the Miss USA pageant.
'The 2 Dicks'
Arianna
(snip)
'' As part of his Out of the Cave and into the Limelight Tour, Vice President Cheney paid a visit last week to the Richard Nixon Library.
I wonder if he took the time to commune with the spirit of the man of the house? Can't you see the two Dicks now, wandering the halls,
commiserating about pesky, do-gooding Congressional snoops and discussing the finer points of stonewalling, cover-ups, doublespeak,
and the privileges of the executive branch? ''
For the rest, Arianna Huffington - 27 Feb.
Big Dog Watch
Bill Clinton
Ex-President Bill Clinton makes no secret of his belief that if he'd been able to run for a third term he'd have trounced George
W. Bush. Now Bubba and Dubya are going to get to slug it out in public through their proxies. Bush has just made clear he is going
to campaign vigorously for the GOP's Libby Dole, who is seeking to win the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Jesse Helms.
Clinton has promised to campaign just as hard for the Democratic contender, his former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
Bill Clinton
From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Watched the NAACP Image Awards, which was taped a week ago, just til Aaron McGruder received his award. Third & last
time I'll ask....anyone want to see how nice Condi looked for her 'Presidential Award'?
Also watched part of 'Batman Forever' on UPN....why? Well, it was the last Batman before 'nipples', for one...
On '20/20' on ABC, John Stossel told of the inequalities of SAG...duh, John.
Even remembered to watch Dennis Miller on HBO. Jeez, he must have been the runt of his litter. Starting the show by
trying resurrect Gary Condit, and follow it with a dinosaur joke that relies on misogyny...at least he had religion to fall back
on....must admit the line 'I'm in show business. My soul took the red-eye out of here years ago' seemed pretty accurate.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS mixes it up...'Touched By An Angle' is fresh. It is followed by 'The Agency', which
is a rerun. After that, it's 'The District', which is fresh.
NBC has a movie, 'U.S. Marshals', and 'SNL' should be fresh, but I have nothing to document it...
The weekly 'James Bond' movie on ABC is 'Diamonds Are Forever', which, of course, is in a 3-hour block, but the TRT of
the film is 119 minutes...that's 1 minute less than 2 hours....so, look for some chopping...the formula is 22 min. per hour of program...do the math.
The WB has a movie, 'Tombstone'.
Faux offers up a fresh 'Cops', followed by a rerun of the same. After that it's a fresh 'America's Most Wanted'.
The UPN has a movie, 'Hidden Assassin', with Dolph Lundgren, whose major accomplishment in life seems to be having survived Grace Jones.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Mr. Hewson Goes To Washington
Bono
Fresh from the Grammy awards, U2 singer Bono pressed his case for African debt relief with U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza
Rice on Friday, and said "she sees the linkage" between fighting poverty and the war on terrorism.
Bono told Reuters he had lunch with Rice at the White House as part of his effort to fight third world debt and poverty. He is due to
visit Africa next month on a fact-finding tour.
"She spoke very passionately herself about the subjects and knows an extraordinary amount about them for somebody so busy with the war
against terrorism, and oddly enough, she sees the linkage," he said.
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, was in Washington on Friday to meet African-American leaders, religious groups and debt-relief campaigners
to rally support for his cause.
Bono said that with White House encouragement, he was seeking to enlist the "faith-based" community in the debt relief campaign. "Our movement
is an unusual combination of church and street," he said.
Bono
To Debut At ShoWest
'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones'
Twentieth Century Fox will premiere its much-anticipated trailer for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" on Tuesday
at the annual ShoWest convention of movie theater owners in Las Vegas.
Fox executives declined comment. But it's now known the trailer will be premiered during McCallum's dinner presentation on the show's
first day. ShoWest, set for Las Vegas' Paris and Bally's hotels, concludes Thursday with an awards gala to be emceed by comedian Dana Carvey.
Fox will offer the first public showing of the 2-1/2-minute "Clones" trailer on March 10 at 9 p.m. over the Fox network, between
episodes of "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The X-Files." The studio then will attach the trailer to theatrical showings of its
upcoming feature toon "Ice Age."
'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones'
Entertaining Link
S.N.I.T.C.H. Report
S.N.I.T.C.H. Report
Looking To Jump Ship - Part 1
David Letterman
ABC's efforts to persuade David Letterman to switch networks could set up a classic struggle over whether entertainment or journalism
is more important at a financially struggling company.
The network has made a pitch for the talk-show host, whose contract with CBS expires this summer. CBS is also trying to keep Letterman,
according to sources close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity. Letterman moved to CBS from NBC in 1993.
If the Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC is successful, it would oust "Nightline" and host Ted Koppel from the 11:35 p.m. time slot that show
has held for more than two decades.
The news hit like a bomb at ABC News, where "Nightline" has been considered a flagship.
Neither Koppel, who was returning from a vacation Friday, nor ABC News President David Westin knew about the Letterman talks until late
Thursday, according to a network executive.
"If Disney replaces `Nightline' with more entertainment programming, it will be strong evidence of the threat to journalism represented by
TV networks that have been taken over by entertainment conglomerates," said Peter Hart, an analyst for the liberal advocacy group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting.
ABC executives are reportedly trying to find other places for "Nightline," perhaps as a less regular series on the prime-time schedule.
There's some question about whether CBS misread its contractual ability to have exclusive negotiations with Letterman. There is also a dispute
over whether ABC still has the ability to keep talking to Letterman.
David Letterman
Looking To Jump Ship - Part 2
More David Letterman
David Letterman has been in talks to take his late-night television talk show from CBS to ABC, a move which could replace ABC's stalwart
news program "Nightline" with a show that attracts a younger audience and richer advertising revenues, sources said on Friday.
"We are currently in negotiations with the CBS Television Network. It would be inappropriate at this time to discuss any inquiries we may
have received from other networks," Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Letterman's WorldWide Pants, Inc. production company, said in a statement.
A source familiar with the negotiations said talks with ABC began after that network "reached out" to Letterman. He said exploring leaving
CBS was not an issue of money but rather other concerns he declined to detail.
Published reports on Friday said Letterman, who reportedly will pull down $20 million in the final year of a contract he signed with CBS
in 1993 that ends this summer, is unhappy with the weak lead-ins he gets from local CBS newscasts, which has effectively prevented him
from beating out "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno for the No. 1 spot in late night talk.
Letterman's concerns about inadequate promotion and a strained relationship with CBS Television president Les Moonves were also cited.
Talks with ABC began in January after the expiration of a period during which CBS had exclusive negotiating rights, the source confirmed.
The source said Letterman is adamant that ABC make an independent assessment of the 22-year old "Nightline" and not take the show
off the air just to make room for him.
Another source familiar with ABC's side of the talks said the network saw Letterman as an opportunity not just to boost ratings in
the slot occupied by "Nightline" but as an important lead-in to the network's morning newscast, "Good Morning America".
If Letterman does jump ship to ABC, he will accomplish a major network late-night triple play, having hosted NBC's "Late Night" in the
12:30 to 1:30 a.m. slot from 1982 to 1993.
In the 20 years and one month since Letterman took to the late night airwaves, his "Stupid Pet Tricks" and "Top 10 List" segments have
been fan favorites, with clips from the latter often shown the following morning on national news broadcasts.
Keyboardist Paul Shaffer has also been a Letterman staple for the whole ride, fronting the house band "The World's Most Dangerous Band"
during the NBC days as well as the current "CBS Orchestra" at "Late Show".
More David Letterman
Favorite Fun Link
The Worried Shrimp
The Worried Shrimp
'Free Speech' Example - OR - Whopper Alert?
''Independent'' ?
A prosecutor who investigated the Clintons says there was nothing improper about his brief speech at a Republican dinner in New Jersey
and that a Democratic congressman is wrong to suggest otherwise.
Independent Counsel Robert Ray, whose reports on the former first couple are to be released shortly, acknowledges he is considering
seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J.
In his Feb. 10 remarks at a Lincoln Day dinner, Ray said: "If President George Bush can restore honor and dignity to the Oval Office,
then we can have - and deserve - principled, ethical and trustworthy leadership for New Jersey in the United States Senate."
The Hatch Act, which governs federal employees, "expressly permits attendance at political events, including fund-raisers and permits
me to speak at such events," Ray wrote Conyers. "To the extent that the payment for two tickets to the event was, in part, a political
contribution, I am expressly permitted to have done so."
Regarding his remarks about ethical leadership, "I assume that no one, including you, would disagree with that sentiment," Ray added.
For the rest, ''Independent'' ?
Bet his authorities on 'ethics' are Machiavelli and Lee Atwater.
In A Talkative Mood
More Bono
For a guy born in Ireland, Bono sure was feeling like a patriotic American Wednesday night.
"We've always liked coming here. But this year, I've rediscovered my love of America — the great idea, as opposed to just the great
country," the U2 singer told reporters backstage at the Grammys.
"It is a great idea. It's worth defending. It's also worth taking this idea around the world. Our deepest desire is that this will be
the year where the United States is really looking outwards at what's going on in the rest of the world. The shock of 9/11 wasn't
just watching the twin towers turn to dust. It was the aftershock of watching people jumping up and down in Pakistan, celebrating.
"You think, 'How did this happen? What is going on that the country that liberated
Europe should be seen like this?' I don't believe that's a deserved position, but the United States is really [bad] at public relations.
I think the United States has a role to play in the world that is not just as a police force.
"It seems like the idea of America has gone away in the last while. [Now] it's just a great country, a success, a great military might.
I actually believe in the idea of America. I'm really encouraged that that idea might catch on in the wake of this tragedy. That would
be a fitting memorial for the people who lost their lives on Sept. 11 — that people will discover what America is about."
Bono, who did not pontificate onstage when the band accepted two Grammys, couldn't resist a little speechifying before the press.
"Equality means equality for people living in Africa who can't afford AIDS" medicines, he added. "To have the resources to save 8 million
lives for $35 per head and not use it. That's not the America I believe in.
"Sorry to be going on like this. You know those little bottles of water [we were drinking onstage]? They were vodka. Sorry about the lecture.
You win a few Grammys, you think you're very interesting."
More Bono
Saturday & Sunday Night, 9pm - 1am (pst)
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
Regulation hours this weekend (2 & 3 March), 9pm - 1am (pst).
Saturday, March 16th at 10pm PST, Greg Palast visits with 710 KIRO-Seattle talk show host Erin Hart,
and discusses his new book on globalization, ''The Best Democracy Money Can Buy''.
Listener calls at 1-877-710-KIRO
Live streaming audio available at
www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com.
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's fan page (courtesy of 14Dem), http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com.
Or drop me a note at one of the addy's below....after all, I am Erin's 'LA Producer'.
No Nudes Is Good Nudes?
Who's 'Aesthetics'?
Some were mortified, others tickled, when a bare-chested statue of George Washington sat on Capitol Hill long ago, one arm outstretched, the other raised.
People joked that he was lunging for his clothes, on display at the Patent Office several blocks away.
Like that man of stone, some people at the Justice Department think no nudes is good nudes.
So they drew blue drapes over two scantily clad statues in the department's Great Hall. Now, Attorney General John Ashcroft can speak
there without risk of a breast showing behind him on TV or in photos.
That cover-up has not done much to change the flesh tone in Washington, however. This is a city of many exposed rear ends, bare breasts,
what's-the-point fig leaves and even no fig leaves at all.
From barely wrapped bronze ladies by the Memorial Bridge to the revealing discus thrower outside the State Department in Foggy Bottom,
north to writhing nudes on the National Cathedral and east to the starkly immodest fountain figures outside the Library of
Congress, the capital is quite the tease.
There's more. Outside the White House Cabinet Room, paces from the Oval Office, there is full frontal male nudity in the painting "A Flathead Chief and His Family."
In the august chamber of the Supreme Court, reflective justices look upon the figure of a topless woman holding a mirror in one hand
and a rose in the other. A robe is wrapped around her waist.
She represents Truth.
Even the U.S. Capitol, where art tends toward the tame, has an eye-popper or two.
A woman in nothing but a gown dropped to her waist looks out languidly from a wall of the committee room where House members carve up the budget.
This painting is called Good Government.
The George Washington statue was moved to the Smithsonian in 1908 and can be seen now in its American history museum. The museum says people
objected to the partial nudity when the statue resided at Congress.
There was no such outcry over the 12-foot, 6-inch aluminum Great Hall statues at the Justice Department - public art the public rarely got to see.
Still, drapes that had been occasionally rented for $2,000 per use were bought outright for $8,000 and have been left hanging.
Now the female Spirit of Justice and male Majesty of Law are under indefinite wraps, her arms still raised in exultation, his left hand raised in
tribute to the authority of God, now all in prim privacy.
Justice officials are so sensitive about the matter they stopped talking about it. They also denied permission for The Associated Press to film
or photograph the public art in the building.
Earlier, a spokesman said the curtains make a nice TV backdrop and were hung "for aesthetics."
No Nudes Is Good Nudes?
Neighbors Upset
Disneyland
Responding to residents' complaints that fireworks shows at the Disneyland Resort are polluting their neighborhood, a regional
agency will test air particles to collect any residue.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District will place glass plates in neighborhoods upwind and downwind from the resort
later this month to determine whether ash and other products such as aluminum and magnesium are being left behind.
Disney has increased the number of fireworks shows over the past two years. Park officials said they support the testing to ensure
compliance with state regulations.
People who live near the resort believe long-term exposure to the fireworks residue may be harmful.
"I think there needs to be some follow up for people who have been exposed to this for a long time," Anaheim resident Amy Davis
said. "Nobody is tracking the health issues."
Disneyland
Memories
End Of An Era
Clinton: The End of an Era 11/10/2000
Thanks, Pancho
Back To Work
Alicia Keys
After her big Grammy night, it was back to work for Alicia Keys.
The soul singer spent Thursday evening performing for fans at the Wiltern Theatre, a night after winning five Grammy Awards, including
song of the year for "Fallin'," and best new artist.
Her wins tied Lauryn Hill's five trophies in 1999, the most Grammys ever for a female artist in one night.
Keys' tour wraps up next week in Las Vegas.
Alicia Keys
Looking For A Permanent Home
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Rock 'n' roll, country, jazz and gospel music all have halls of fame to honor and remember their greats. Now a group in Honolulu wants
to build a Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum to showcase and preserve the islands' music.
Established in 1994 but with no permanent home, the project exists as a "virtual" Hall of Fame on a Web site and in traveling exhibits.
So far it has honored more than two dozen musicians and groups.
Traditional Hawaiian music began with chants, which were set to music after Western contact, said Harry Soria, a music archivist and member
of the Hall of Fame's advisory board.
The inductees, selected by an advisory board of musicians, include performers, composers and music historians.
They represent three historic periods in Hawaiian music: the chant, or oli, which was the basic form of musical expression before the arrival of Europeans
in 1778; the monarchy period, from 1810-1893; and the post-monarchy period.
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum.org
Program Popular With Funeral Directors
''Six Feet Under''
Undertakers were skeptical that "Six Feet Under," the TV drama set around a funeral home, would portray them as grim stereotypes, or play for cheap laughs. But
America's funeral directors now are actually praising the show, not burying it.
Unlike lawyers who lambaste court dramas, and cops who cringe at crime dramas, some death-care industry professionals think the highly-rated AOL Time Warner Inc.'s
Home Box Office drama might even help the image of their business.
The view of the industry's human side is helpful at a time when the business is in flux, with an increasingly corporate funeral industry trying to hold onto
its traditional personal style.
In "Six Feet Under," the fictional Fisher & Sons funeral home in Los Angeles is run by two brothers, one gay, one straight. Their widowed mother is
re-discovering her youth and their sister is an angst-ridden teen. Son David's gay lover is a black cop, and Nathaniel's girlfriend has a mentally disturbed brother.
HBO spokeswoman Mara Mikialian said the show was the channel's highest rated series in a first season -- better than "The Sopranos" even, or "Sex and
the City." This season it will feature its first Buddhist and first Jewish funerals.
''Six Feet Under''
Rupert Goes To Beijing
''Joyful Youth''
Media giant News Corp is hoping a Chinese-made version of the hit U.S. sitcom "Friends" will win fans when it launches a long-coveted local-language channel in China in the next few weeks.
Called "Joyful Youth," the newly filmed program will be among a host of locally produced talk shows, dramas and game shows that News Corp's Hong Kong-based unit Star Group
will offer one million cable TV viewers in the southern China province of Guangdong.
The new channel, called Xingkong Weishi, or Star Satellite TV, marks News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch's biggest victory to date in his long and sometimes tumultuous courtship
of China and its massive but tightly restricted media market.
Late last year, China gave permission for cable distribution in Guangdong to three foreign media companies -- Xingkong, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite TV, which is also
38 percent owned by News Corp., and AOL Time Warner's China Entertainment TV (CETV).
The move marked the first time foreign channels gained legal access to ordinary Chinese homes. News Corp and other foreign broadcasters have been restricted for decades to
hotels above three stars and residence compounds approved for foreigners.
Xingkong Weishi will be limited at first to airing in the Pearl River Delta region. The agreement also requires News Corp to carry an English channel of
state broadcaster China Central Television on its cable systems in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Rupert Goes To Beijing
From Kane, PA
Amy Rudolph
Amy Rudolph, (97) wins the women's 3000 meter race with a time of 8:58:18, ahead of teamates Cheri Kenah, center, and Carrie
Tollefson Friday, March 1, 2002 at the USA Indoor Championships at New York's Armory Track and Field Center.
Photo by Stephen Chernin
Amy Rudolph
Amy Rudolph Bio
Amy Rudolph in 'Runners World'
Amy grew up in my little corner of the backwoods. : )
Chief Executive Steps Down
Miss America Organization
The Miss America Organization announced the resignation of its maverick chief executive, Robert Renneisen, on Friday, two weeks after
a public flap over the treatment of reigning Miss America Katie Harman and her parents.
Renneisen, 55, a former casino executive, is the second Miss America president and CEO in a row to step down after clashing with the pageant
hierarchy in the process of seeking to reform the 81-year-old beauty contest.
He attributed his resignation in a brief statement to differing philosophies with the 16-member Miss America board of directors, which met
with him last week.
Renneisen joined the Miss America Organization in 2000, several months his predecessor, Robert Beck, had resigned from the helm amid a storm of
protest over a proposal to open the pageant to women who have been divorced or pregnant.
Miss America Organization
Faux Tries To Milk Nostalgia
Retro Reunions
"Hot Lips" Houlihan and Jack Tripper could soon be coming to Fox.
The network is looking to put together reunion specials featuring the casts of classic comedies "MASH" and "Three's Company" -- even
though neither show ever actually aired on 15-year-old Fox. If deals can be finalized in time, both specials would be on the air for May sweeps.
In the case of "MASH," the show has "aired basically on Fox-owned stations for the past 20 years, and now on FX," one insider close
to the reunion project said. "The audience that watches this network doesn't perceive it as a CBS show anymore."
"MASH" executive producer-scribe Larry Gelbart is on board with the planning of the special, which is expected to be two hours
long and feature a healthy dose of classic clips. Fox has just started talking to cast members about their participation.
As for the "Three's Company" reunion, Fox is lining up an OK for a deal to clip rights from producer Don Tafner, whose company
syndicates the series. The hour-long special would be lighter in tone and feature the cast talking about their show-related experiences.
The network hopes to land all living original cast members, including John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt.
Faux Tries To Milk Nostalgia
Another Challenge
Linda Tripp
Linda Tripp, a key figure in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal that engulfed the Clinton White House, is suffering from breast
cancer, her attorneys said on Friday.
"Mrs. Tripp is being treated for breast cancer at this time," attorney Stephen Kohn told reporters but gave no details about
her condition. "She's facing a very difficult challenge."
Linda Tripp
Open Mouth, Insert Foot
Prince Philip
Britain's Prince Philip, famous for his gaffes, stumbled on Friday during Queen Elizabeth's tour of Australia when he asked an Aborigine
whether tribes still threw spears at each other.
"When he came to my dad, dad was the elder representing the Djabugay elders... he asked dad if he still threw spears at them (the
other tribes)," park founder William Brim told reporters after the royal visit.
Australia's Aborigines are nomadic people and not renowned for tribal wars, but those few that continue to live a traditional life in the outback
continue to use spears to inflict tribal punishment.
Brim said he and his father were not offended by Prince Philip's remark, and his father joked back to the Duke of Edinburgh that yes, Aborigines did throw spears.
Over the years, Prince Philip has offended a range of nationalities and ethnic groups with his off the cuff remarks.
Prince Philip
Republican Bong Maker
Florida, Where Else?
A businessman indicted for making pipes commonly used by marijuana smokers won an award from the National Republican Congressional
Committee and was in the running Republican of the Year.
Chris Hill, 30, of Sarasota, was named one of the 500 businessmen of 2001 last week, making him a candidate for the party's top honor.
He was also an honorary member of the committee's business advisory council, which made him a candidate for the Businessman of the Year award.
Hill said the party had been courting him since Inc Magazine listed his as one of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in 1999.
More than 5,000 stores nationwide sell pipes like the ones Hill made under the brand-name Chills. The pipes are illegal only if the vendors
know customers will use them for drugs.
"It's a complete misunderstanding," Hill said. "I'm not going to make pipes again. I'm embarrassed that my government has put me in
this position: They've lumped me in with some liberal longhaired dopers. That's not the kind of crowd I run with."
Republican Businessman 2001
It Was A Pit Stop?
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky, the young woman at the center of a sex scandal that almost brought down the Clinton presidency, said on Thursday she decided to tell her
side of the story in a documentary to counter "one-sided" accounts on the subject.
Lewinsky answers questions from a college audience in the documentary "Monica in Black and White," which premieres on the HBO cable channel on Sunday night.
Lewinsky said one of the biggest misconceptions about her was that she had gone to Washington with an agenda to seduce the president
and to seek fame by exposing the relationship.
"That is the farthest thing from the truth," she said. "I had really gone to Washington as a short pit stop on my way to graduate school."
Monica Lewinsky
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BETTY BOWERS Cooks!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
'Bob Woodward vs. John Belushi and Me'
Michael Dare - 'The Life and Death of Captain Preemo'
BartCop TV!
Watergate v$ Enron!
From BartCop
The Bush Rap (Sheet)
Special Bonus From BartCop
Miss USA, 2002
Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Hinton, Miss District of Columbia 2002, waves to the crowd after being crowned Miss USA 2002, March 1, 2002 in Gary, Indiana.
Hinton, 23, is only the second Miss District of Columbia to win the Miss USA pageant.
'The 2 Dicks'
Arianna
(snip)
'' As part of his Out of the Cave and into the Limelight Tour, Vice President Cheney paid a visit last week to the Richard Nixon Library.
I wonder if he took the time to commune with the spirit of the man of the house? Can't you see the two Dicks now, wandering the halls,
commiserating about pesky, do-gooding Congressional snoops and discussing the finer points of stonewalling, cover-ups, doublespeak,
and the privileges of the executive branch? ''
For the rest, Arianna Huffington - 27 Feb.
Big Dog Watch
Bill Clinton
Ex-President Bill Clinton makes no secret of his belief that if he'd been able to run for a third term he'd have trounced George
W. Bush. Now Bubba and Dubya are going to get to slug it out in public through their proxies. Bush has just made clear he is going
to campaign vigorously for the GOP's Libby Dole, who is seeking to win the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Jesse Helms.
Clinton has promised to campaign just as hard for the Democratic contender, his former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
Bill Clinton
From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Watched the NAACP Image Awards, which was taped a week ago, just til Aaron McGruder received his award. Third & last
time I'll ask....anyone want to see how nice Condi looked for her 'Presidential Award'?
Also watched part of 'Batman Forever' on UPN....why? Well, it was the last Batman before 'nipples', for one...
On '20/20' on ABC, John Stossel told of the inequalities of SAG...duh, John.
Even remembered to watch Dennis Miller on HBO. Jeez, he must have been the runt of his litter. Starting the show by
trying resurrect Gary Condit, and follow it with a dinosaur joke that relies on misogyny...at least he had religion to fall back
on....must admit the line 'I'm in show business. My soul took the red-eye out of here years ago' seemed pretty accurate.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS mixes it up...'Touched By An Angle' is fresh. It is followed by 'The Agency', which
is a rerun. After that, it's 'The District', which is fresh.
NBC has a movie, 'U.S. Marshals', and 'SNL' should be fresh, but I have nothing to document it...
The weekly 'James Bond' movie on ABC is 'Diamonds Are Forever', which, of course, is in a 3-hour block, but the TRT of
the film is 119 minutes...that's 1 minute less than 2 hours....so, look for some chopping...the formula is 22 min. per hour of program...do the math.
The WB has a movie, 'Tombstone'.
Faux offers up a fresh 'Cops', followed by a rerun of the same. After that it's a fresh 'America's Most Wanted'.
The UPN has a movie, 'Hidden Assassin', with Dolph Lundgren, whose major accomplishment in life seems to be having survived Grace Jones.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Mr. Hewson Goes To Washington
Bono
Fresh from the Grammy awards, U2 singer Bono pressed his case for African debt relief with U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza
Rice on Friday, and said "she sees the linkage" between fighting poverty and the war on terrorism.
Bono told Reuters he had lunch with Rice at the White House as part of his effort to fight third world debt and poverty. He is due to
visit Africa next month on a fact-finding tour.
"She spoke very passionately herself about the subjects and knows an extraordinary amount about them for somebody so busy with the war
against terrorism, and oddly enough, she sees the linkage," he said.
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, was in Washington on Friday to meet African-American leaders, religious groups and debt-relief campaigners
to rally support for his cause.
Bono said that with White House encouragement, he was seeking to enlist the "faith-based" community in the debt relief campaign. "Our movement
is an unusual combination of church and street," he said.
Bono
To Debut At ShoWest
'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones'
Twentieth Century Fox will premiere its much-anticipated trailer for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" on Tuesday
at the annual ShoWest convention of movie theater owners in Las Vegas.
Fox executives declined comment. But it's now known the trailer will be premiered during McCallum's dinner presentation on the show's
first day. ShoWest, set for Las Vegas' Paris and Bally's hotels, concludes Thursday with an awards gala to be emceed by comedian Dana Carvey.
Fox will offer the first public showing of the 2-1/2-minute "Clones" trailer on March 10 at 9 p.m. over the Fox network, between
episodes of "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The X-Files." The studio then will attach the trailer to theatrical showings of its
upcoming feature toon "Ice Age."
'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones'
Entertaining Link
S.N.I.T.C.H. Report
S.N.I.T.C.H. Report
Looking To Jump Ship - Part 1
David Letterman
ABC's efforts to persuade David Letterman to switch networks could set up a classic struggle over whether entertainment or journalism
is more important at a financially struggling company.
The network has made a pitch for the talk-show host, whose contract with CBS expires this summer. CBS is also trying to keep Letterman,
according to sources close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity. Letterman moved to CBS from NBC in 1993.
If the Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC is successful, it would oust "Nightline" and host Ted Koppel from the 11:35 p.m. time slot that show
has held for more than two decades.
The news hit like a bomb at ABC News, where "Nightline" has been considered a flagship.
Neither Koppel, who was returning from a vacation Friday, nor ABC News President David Westin knew about the Letterman talks until late
Thursday, according to a network executive.
"If Disney replaces `Nightline' with more entertainment programming, it will be strong evidence of the threat to journalism represented by
TV networks that have been taken over by entertainment conglomerates," said Peter Hart, an analyst for the liberal advocacy group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting.
ABC executives are reportedly trying to find other places for "Nightline," perhaps as a less regular series on the prime-time schedule.
There's some question about whether CBS misread its contractual ability to have exclusive negotiations with Letterman. There is also a dispute
over whether ABC still has the ability to keep talking to Letterman.
David Letterman
Looking To Jump Ship - Part 2
More David Letterman
David Letterman has been in talks to take his late-night television talk show from CBS to ABC, a move which could replace ABC's stalwart
news program "Nightline" with a show that attracts a younger audience and richer advertising revenues, sources said on Friday.
"We are currently in negotiations with the CBS Television Network. It would be inappropriate at this time to discuss any inquiries we may
have received from other networks," Rob Burnett, president and CEO of Letterman's WorldWide Pants, Inc. production company, said in a statement.
A source familiar with the negotiations said talks with ABC began after that network "reached out" to Letterman. He said exploring leaving
CBS was not an issue of money but rather other concerns he declined to detail.
Published reports on Friday said Letterman, who reportedly will pull down $20 million in the final year of a contract he signed with CBS
in 1993 that ends this summer, is unhappy with the weak lead-ins he gets from local CBS newscasts, which has effectively prevented him
from beating out "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno for the No. 1 spot in late night talk.
Letterman's concerns about inadequate promotion and a strained relationship with CBS Television president Les Moonves were also cited.
Talks with ABC began in January after the expiration of a period during which CBS had exclusive negotiating rights, the source confirmed.
The source said Letterman is adamant that ABC make an independent assessment of the 22-year old "Nightline" and not take the show
off the air just to make room for him.
Another source familiar with ABC's side of the talks said the network saw Letterman as an opportunity not just to boost ratings in
the slot occupied by "Nightline" but as an important lead-in to the network's morning newscast, "Good Morning America".
If Letterman does jump ship to ABC, he will accomplish a major network late-night triple play, having hosted NBC's "Late Night" in the
12:30 to 1:30 a.m. slot from 1982 to 1993.
In the 20 years and one month since Letterman took to the late night airwaves, his "Stupid Pet Tricks" and "Top 10 List" segments have
been fan favorites, with clips from the latter often shown the following morning on national news broadcasts.
Keyboardist Paul Shaffer has also been a Letterman staple for the whole ride, fronting the house band "The World's Most Dangerous Band"
during the NBC days as well as the current "CBS Orchestra" at "Late Show".
More David Letterman
Favorite Fun Link
The Worried Shrimp
The Worried Shrimp
'Free Speech' Example - OR - Whopper Alert?
''Independent'' ?
A prosecutor who investigated the Clintons says there was nothing improper about his brief speech at a Republican dinner in New Jersey
and that a Democratic congressman is wrong to suggest otherwise.
Independent Counsel Robert Ray, whose reports on the former first couple are to be released shortly, acknowledges he is considering
seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J.
In his Feb. 10 remarks at a Lincoln Day dinner, Ray said: "If President George Bush can restore honor and dignity to the Oval Office,
then we can have - and deserve - principled, ethical and trustworthy leadership for New Jersey in the United States Senate."
The Hatch Act, which governs federal employees, "expressly permits attendance at political events, including fund-raisers and permits
me to speak at such events," Ray wrote Conyers. "To the extent that the payment for two tickets to the event was, in part, a political
contribution, I am expressly permitted to have done so."
Regarding his remarks about ethical leadership, "I assume that no one, including you, would disagree with that sentiment," Ray added.
For the rest, ''Independent'' ?
Bet his authorities on 'ethics' are Machiavelli and Lee Atwater.
In A Talkative Mood
More Bono
For a guy born in Ireland, Bono sure was feeling like a patriotic American Wednesday night.
"We've always liked coming here. But this year, I've rediscovered my love of America — the great idea, as opposed to just the great
country," the U2 singer told reporters backstage at the Grammys.
"It is a great idea. It's worth defending. It's also worth taking this idea around the world. Our deepest desire is that this will be
the year where the United States is really looking outwards at what's going on in the rest of the world. The shock of 9/11 wasn't
just watching the twin towers turn to dust. It was the aftershock of watching people jumping up and down in Pakistan, celebrating.
"You think, 'How did this happen? What is going on that the country that liberated
Europe should be seen like this?' I don't believe that's a deserved position, but the United States is really [bad] at public relations.
I think the United States has a role to play in the world that is not just as a police force.
"It seems like the idea of America has gone away in the last while. [Now] it's just a great country, a success, a great military might.
I actually believe in the idea of America. I'm really encouraged that that idea might catch on in the wake of this tragedy. That would
be a fitting memorial for the people who lost their lives on Sept. 11 — that people will discover what America is about."
Bono, who did not pontificate onstage when the band accepted two Grammys, couldn't resist a little speechifying before the press.
"Equality means equality for people living in Africa who can't afford AIDS" medicines, he added. "To have the resources to save 8 million
lives for $35 per head and not use it. That's not the America I believe in.
"Sorry to be going on like this. You know those little bottles of water [we were drinking onstage]? They were vodka. Sorry about the lecture.
You win a few Grammys, you think you're very interesting."
More Bono
Saturday & Sunday Night, 9pm - 1am (pst)
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
Regulation hours this weekend (2 & 3 March), 9pm - 1am (pst).
Saturday, March 16th at 10pm PST, Greg Palast visits with 710 KIRO-Seattle talk show host Erin Hart,
and discusses his new book on globalization, ''The Best Democracy Money Can Buy''.
Listener calls at 1-877-710-KIRO
Live streaming audio available at
www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com.
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's fan page (courtesy of 14Dem), http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com.
Or drop me a note at one of the addy's below....after all, I am Erin's 'LA Producer'.
No Nudes Is Good Nudes?
Who's 'Aesthetics'?
Some were mortified, others tickled, when a bare-chested statue of George Washington sat on Capitol Hill long ago, one arm outstretched, the other raised.
People joked that he was lunging for his clothes, on display at the Patent Office several blocks away.
Like that man of stone, some people at the Justice Department think no nudes is good nudes.
So they drew blue drapes over two scantily clad statues in the department's Great Hall. Now, Attorney General John Ashcroft can speak
there without risk of a breast showing behind him on TV or in photos.
That cover-up has not done much to change the flesh tone in Washington, however. This is a city of many exposed rear ends, bare breasts,
what's-the-point fig leaves and even no fig leaves at all.
From barely wrapped bronze ladies by the Memorial Bridge to the revealing discus thrower outside the State Department in Foggy Bottom,
north to writhing nudes on the National Cathedral and east to the starkly immodest fountain figures outside the Library of
Congress, the capital is quite the tease.
There's more. Outside the White House Cabinet Room, paces from the Oval Office, there is full frontal male nudity in the painting "A Flathead Chief and His Family."
In the august chamber of the Supreme Court, reflective justices look upon the figure of a topless woman holding a mirror in one hand
and a rose in the other. A robe is wrapped around her waist.
She represents Truth.
Even the U.S. Capitol, where art tends toward the tame, has an eye-popper or two.
A woman in nothing but a gown dropped to her waist looks out languidly from a wall of the committee room where House members carve up the budget.
This painting is called Good Government.
The George Washington statue was moved to the Smithsonian in 1908 and can be seen now in its American history museum. The museum says people
objected to the partial nudity when the statue resided at Congress.
There was no such outcry over the 12-foot, 6-inch aluminum Great Hall statues at the Justice Department - public art the public rarely got to see.
Still, drapes that had been occasionally rented for $2,000 per use were bought outright for $8,000 and have been left hanging.
Now the female Spirit of Justice and male Majesty of Law are under indefinite wraps, her arms still raised in exultation, his left hand raised in
tribute to the authority of God, now all in prim privacy.
Justice officials are so sensitive about the matter they stopped talking about it. They also denied permission for The Associated Press to film
or photograph the public art in the building.
Earlier, a spokesman said the curtains make a nice TV backdrop and were hung "for aesthetics."
No Nudes Is Good Nudes?
Neighbors Upset
Disneyland
Responding to residents' complaints that fireworks shows at the Disneyland Resort are polluting their neighborhood, a regional
agency will test air particles to collect any residue.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District will place glass plates in neighborhoods upwind and downwind from the resort
later this month to determine whether ash and other products such as aluminum and magnesium are being left behind.
Disney has increased the number of fireworks shows over the past two years. Park officials said they support the testing to ensure
compliance with state regulations.
People who live near the resort believe long-term exposure to the fireworks residue may be harmful.
"I think there needs to be some follow up for people who have been exposed to this for a long time," Anaheim resident Amy Davis
said. "Nobody is tracking the health issues."
Disneyland
Memories
End Of An Era
Clinton: The End of an Era 11/10/2000
Thanks, Pancho
Back To Work
Alicia Keys
After her big Grammy night, it was back to work for Alicia Keys.
The soul singer spent Thursday evening performing for fans at the Wiltern Theatre, a night after winning five Grammy Awards, including
song of the year for "Fallin'," and best new artist.
Her wins tied Lauryn Hill's five trophies in 1999, the most Grammys ever for a female artist in one night.
Keys' tour wraps up next week in Las Vegas.
Alicia Keys
Looking For A Permanent Home
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Rock 'n' roll, country, jazz and gospel music all have halls of fame to honor and remember their greats. Now a group in Honolulu wants
to build a Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum to showcase and preserve the islands' music.
Established in 1994 but with no permanent home, the project exists as a "virtual" Hall of Fame on a Web site and in traveling exhibits.
So far it has honored more than two dozen musicians and groups.
Traditional Hawaiian music began with chants, which were set to music after Western contact, said Harry Soria, a music archivist and member
of the Hall of Fame's advisory board.
The inductees, selected by an advisory board of musicians, include performers, composers and music historians.
They represent three historic periods in Hawaiian music: the chant, or oli, which was the basic form of musical expression before the arrival of Europeans
in 1778; the monarchy period, from 1810-1893; and the post-monarchy period.
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and Museum.org
Program Popular With Funeral Directors
''Six Feet Under''
Undertakers were skeptical that "Six Feet Under," the TV drama set around a funeral home, would portray them as grim stereotypes, or play for cheap laughs. But
America's funeral directors now are actually praising the show, not burying it.
Unlike lawyers who lambaste court dramas, and cops who cringe at crime dramas, some death-care industry professionals think the highly-rated AOL Time Warner Inc.'s
Home Box Office drama might even help the image of their business.
The view of the industry's human side is helpful at a time when the business is in flux, with an increasingly corporate funeral industry trying to hold onto
its traditional personal style.
In "Six Feet Under," the fictional Fisher & Sons funeral home in Los Angeles is run by two brothers, one gay, one straight. Their widowed mother is
re-discovering her youth and their sister is an angst-ridden teen. Son David's gay lover is a black cop, and Nathaniel's girlfriend has a mentally disturbed brother.
HBO spokeswoman Mara Mikialian said the show was the channel's highest rated series in a first season -- better than "The Sopranos" even, or "Sex and
the City." This season it will feature its first Buddhist and first Jewish funerals.
''Six Feet Under''
Rupert Goes To Beijing
''Joyful Youth''
Media giant News Corp is hoping a Chinese-made version of the hit U.S. sitcom "Friends" will win fans when it launches a long-coveted local-language channel in China in the next few weeks.
Called "Joyful Youth," the newly filmed program will be among a host of locally produced talk shows, dramas and game shows that News Corp's Hong Kong-based unit Star Group
will offer one million cable TV viewers in the southern China province of Guangdong.
The new channel, called Xingkong Weishi, or Star Satellite TV, marks News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch's biggest victory to date in his long and sometimes tumultuous courtship
of China and its massive but tightly restricted media market.
Late last year, China gave permission for cable distribution in Guangdong to three foreign media companies -- Xingkong, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite TV, which is also
38 percent owned by News Corp., and AOL Time Warner's China Entertainment TV (CETV).
The move marked the first time foreign channels gained legal access to ordinary Chinese homes. News Corp and other foreign broadcasters have been restricted for decades to
hotels above three stars and residence compounds approved for foreigners.
Xingkong Weishi will be limited at first to airing in the Pearl River Delta region. The agreement also requires News Corp to carry an English channel of
state broadcaster China Central Television on its cable systems in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Rupert Goes To Beijing
From Kane, PA
Amy Rudolph
Amy Rudolph, (97) wins the women's 3000 meter race with a time of 8:58:18, ahead of teamates Cheri Kenah, center, and Carrie
Tollefson Friday, March 1, 2002 at the USA Indoor Championships at New York's Armory Track and Field Center.
Photo by Stephen Chernin
Amy Rudolph
Amy Rudolph Bio
Amy Rudolph in 'Runners World'
Amy grew up in my little corner of the backwoods. : )
Chief Executive Steps Down
Miss America Organization
The Miss America Organization announced the resignation of its maverick chief executive, Robert Renneisen, on Friday, two weeks after
a public flap over the treatment of reigning Miss America Katie Harman and her parents.
Renneisen, 55, a former casino executive, is the second Miss America president and CEO in a row to step down after clashing with the pageant
hierarchy in the process of seeking to reform the 81-year-old beauty contest.
He attributed his resignation in a brief statement to differing philosophies with the 16-member Miss America board of directors, which met
with him last week.
Renneisen joined the Miss America Organization in 2000, several months his predecessor, Robert Beck, had resigned from the helm amid a storm of
protest over a proposal to open the pageant to women who have been divorced or pregnant.
Miss America Organization
Faux Tries To Milk Nostalgia
Retro Reunions
"Hot Lips" Houlihan and Jack Tripper could soon be coming to Fox.
The network is looking to put together reunion specials featuring the casts of classic comedies "MASH" and "Three's Company" -- even
though neither show ever actually aired on 15-year-old Fox. If deals can be finalized in time, both specials would be on the air for May sweeps.
In the case of "MASH," the show has "aired basically on Fox-owned stations for the past 20 years, and now on FX," one insider close
to the reunion project said. "The audience that watches this network doesn't perceive it as a CBS show anymore."
"MASH" executive producer-scribe Larry Gelbart is on board with the planning of the special, which is expected to be two hours
long and feature a healthy dose of classic clips. Fox has just started talking to cast members about their participation.
As for the "Three's Company" reunion, Fox is lining up an OK for a deal to clip rights from producer Don Tafner, whose company
syndicates the series. The hour-long special would be lighter in tone and feature the cast talking about their show-related experiences.
The network hopes to land all living original cast members, including John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt.
Faux Tries To Milk Nostalgia
Another Challenge
Linda Tripp
Linda Tripp, a key figure in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal that engulfed the Clinton White House, is suffering from breast
cancer, her attorneys said on Friday.
"Mrs. Tripp is being treated for breast cancer at this time," attorney Stephen Kohn told reporters but gave no details about
her condition. "She's facing a very difficult challenge."
Linda Tripp
Open Mouth, Insert Foot
Prince Philip
Britain's Prince Philip, famous for his gaffes, stumbled on Friday during Queen Elizabeth's tour of Australia when he asked an Aborigine
whether tribes still threw spears at each other.
"When he came to my dad, dad was the elder representing the Djabugay elders... he asked dad if he still threw spears at them (the
other tribes)," park founder William Brim told reporters after the royal visit.
Australia's Aborigines are nomadic people and not renowned for tribal wars, but those few that continue to live a traditional life in the outback
continue to use spears to inflict tribal punishment.
Brim said he and his father were not offended by Prince Philip's remark, and his father joked back to the Duke of Edinburgh that yes, Aborigines did throw spears.
Over the years, Prince Philip has offended a range of nationalities and ethnic groups with his off the cuff remarks.
Prince Philip
Republican Bong Maker
Florida, Where Else?
A businessman indicted for making pipes commonly used by marijuana smokers won an award from the National Republican Congressional
Committee and was in the running Republican of the Year.
Chris Hill, 30, of Sarasota, was named one of the 500 businessmen of 2001 last week, making him a candidate for the party's top honor.
He was also an honorary member of the committee's business advisory council, which made him a candidate for the Businessman of the Year award.
Hill said the party had been courting him since Inc Magazine listed his as one of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in 1999.
More than 5,000 stores nationwide sell pipes like the ones Hill made under the brand-name Chills. The pipes are illegal only if the vendors
know customers will use them for drugs.
"It's a complete misunderstanding," Hill said. "I'm not going to make pipes again. I'm embarrassed that my government has put me in
this position: They've lumped me in with some liberal longhaired dopers. That's not the kind of crowd I run with."
Republican Businessman 2001
It Was A Pit Stop?
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky, the young woman at the center of a sex scandal that almost brought down the Clinton presidency, said on Thursday she decided to tell her
side of the story in a documentary to counter "one-sided" accounts on the subject.
Lewinsky answers questions from a college audience in the documentary "Monica in Black and White," which premieres on the HBO cable channel on Sunday night.
Lewinsky said one of the biggest misconceptions about her was that she had gone to Washington with an agenda to seduce the president
and to seek fame by exposing the relationship.
"That is the farthest thing from the truth," she said. "I had really gone to Washington as a short pit stop on my way to graduate school."
Monica Lewinsky
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BETTY BOWERS Cooks!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
'Bob Woodward vs. John Belushi and Me'
Michael Dare - 'The Life and Death of Captain Preemo'
BartCop TV!
Watergate v$ Enron!
From BartCop
The Bush Rap (Sheet)
Special Bonus From BartCop
