'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Suggestion
'Playstation for Peace'
Don't know if you look at USA's "Hot Sites", but this was there day before yesterday. It's a website that raised money to buy Dubya a Playstation so
he could fulfill his militaristic fantasies in a non-destructive way. I thought you might get a kick out of it. It's called "Playstation for Peace."
~~ Tiera H.
'Post Halloween'
from Rob
I don't know about where you live, but Halloween in Austin, Texas, is
apparently becoming a sin, if you listen to the people calling in to local
AM radio morning shows. I made a pie graph to represent the level of god-induced
retardation...numbers are arbitrary, but not far off the mark.
Austin used to be such a cool town, now we're infected by the
intolerant...sigh.
~~ R
Turtle rescue, rehab and rehoming
Thanks, Rob. I live in Long Beach, CA, and Halloween has become a sore point at the local grade school.
When the kid was in kindergarten & the 1st grade, the school had a 'parade', right after school dismissed for the day, with kids in costumes, through the schoolyard.
The PTA provided snackage, lot's of parental involvement with the planning and logistics.
Our neighborhood is wonderfully diverse. In kindergarten, less than half the class spoke English as a first language. The teachers & staff at the (public)
school have done a more than amazing job - on 'school night' (in the old days it was called 'open house') close to 95% of the kids have an adult showing up!
Anyway, by the time the kid hit 2nd grade, we were no longer permitted the Halloween parade.
Home-grown religious (fundamentalist christian) fanatics projected their version of what the holiday 'stands' for, and there are no more parades.
The kids just want to dress up, and if they're lucky, shake down their neighbors for candy after dark. It crossed all cultures, and gave us a meeting point. And now it's gone.
(Stepping off soap box)
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
A very pretty day. Got fresh crickets for Jo (the remaining lizard). Really like the sounds of 'fresh cricket' day.
While watching too much tv tonight, was finally struck by a piece of inadvertent irony by bill simon - his ad said 'If you want change..."
Effing A! He smirks through his ads, and can't even read the lines believably. He's as much a dinosaur as sperm thurmond, only with more hours at the gyn & better tailored suits.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS opens with a fresh 'Touched By An Angle', then a fresh 'The District' and a fresh 'The Agency'.
NBC has the movie 'The Bone Collector', and a half-hour episode of 'Forensic Files'. 'Saturday Night Live' is fresh, with Eric McCormack hosting, and Jay-Z as the musical guest.
ABC starts the night with a RERUN of 'World's Greatest Classic Bloopers', and follows with the conclusion of the movie 'Gladiator'.
The WB has the movie 'Ghost'.
Faux has a fresh 'Cops', then a RERUN 'Cops', followed by a fresh 'America's Most Wanted'.
UPN the movie 'RoboCop 3'.
TCM seems to be celebrating John Wayne.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Big Dog Watch Continues - Part 1
Bill Clinton In Detroit
Former President Bill Clinton addresses a get-out-the-vote rally Nov. 1, 2002, for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Granholm, right, and other Democrats on the state ticket.
Hundreds turned out for the rally at St. John's CME Church. It is the second time Clinton has visited Detroit in as many months. In September, Clinton attended a rally at the Fox Theatre
during which he praised Granholm.
Photo by Carlos Osorio
Here He Comes To Save The Day
Mighty Mouse
Paramount Pictures has given a go to a computer-animated version of "Mighty Mouse" for its Nickelodeon Films banner to produce. The project has been described as an action-comedy-adventure.
Mighty Mouse made his first appearance in 1942 as a defender of mice from feline villains, using the flying skills and strength of Superman, and went on to become the studio's
most valuable property. The cartoons began to distinguish themselves in 1945 by using an operatic style, with dialogue sung rather than spoken; the hero's trademark line was "Here I come to save the day."
No director or writers are yet attached. Chang said no decision has been made on using operatic style.
Since rights to the original Terrytoons cartoon series that starred Mighty Mouse are owned by Viacom -- parent of Paramount and Nick -- the picture could be the start
of a franchise. Nick's top animated performers have been "The Rugrats Movie" and "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," which posted domestic grosses of $101 million and $81 million, respectively.
Mighty Mouse
HBO Documentary
'Journeys With George'
HBO's campaign chronicler "Journeys With George" may portray then-Gov. George W. Bush as a beguiling charmer, but the so-called liberal media elite who showed up for a screening at the Paris Theater Tuesday weren't fooled.
"It does show how practiced his shtick is," said London Times columnist and Clinton supporter Tina Brown at a follow-up Brasserie 8-1/2 party. "I do find him very manipulative."
At the event also attended by Brown's husband Harry Evans, Mike Wallace as well as rival cable news chieftains Walter Isaacson and Erik Sorenson, many were more flattering about the Alexandra Pelosi
movie than they were about the Man.
"I never doubted that he was affable," said actress-comedienne Janeane Garofalo, who added that she was a Green Party supporter, "but the movie makes you really feel just how unintelligent and unexamined he is."
'Journeys With George'
Big Dog Watch Continues - Part 2
Bill Clinton In Maryland
Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and former President Bill Clinton are joined by, from left, Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-7th, at a campaign rally at the Jericho City of Praise in Landover, Md. Friday, Nov. 1, 2002.
Townsend is the Democratic candidate for governor in the general election next Tuesday and Van Hollen is running against incumbent Republican Rep. Constance A. Morella in the 8th District.
Photo by Roberto Borea
Some More Of That 'LA Justice'
Paula Poundstone
Comedian Paula Poundstone would have regained custody of her children if her attorney hadn't challenged the court's jurisdiction in child custody matters and stalled
proceedings, a judge said Friday.
Her lawyer, Rich Pfeiffer, said he will withdraw his appeal.
Superior Court Judge Bernard Kamins said at a hearing that Poundstone has been complying with probation requirements and that he would have returned custody of the
three adopted children to her, Pfeiffer said.
But an appeals court this week halted all proceedings in the custody case while the panel reviews an August court challenge. Pfeiffer had alleged the criminal court
overstepped its jurisdiction when it decided on the children's visitation and custody rights.
Friday's hearing concerned Poundstone's probation requirements and is considered separate from the custody case.
Paula Poundstone
Man With An Opinion
Michael Moore
Documentarian Michael Moore, who came under fire for beating up on Alzheimer's-stricken NRA president Charlton Heston in "Bowling for Columbine," is at it again. Moore just fired off an angry
letter to Heston about the actor's appearance at a pro-gun rally in Tuscon just days after a student at the University of Arizona went on a kill-crazy rampage. Calling Heston a "bully" and a "coward,"
Moore sneers, "To you, The Gun is supreme, and wherever it is used to kill multiple people [preferably at a school], there shall we find you gloating about some misbegotten right you think you have to
own a device that is designed to eliminate human life."
Michael Moore
Cast Set For John Holmes Pic
'Wonderland'
Carrie Fisher, Dylan McDermott, Eric Bogosian, Tim Blake Nelson and Ted Levine have joined the ensemble cast of "Wonderland," in which Val Kilmer plays late porn king John Holmes.
The Lions Gate film is based on the true tale of the 1981 involvement of Holmes and his teenage lover in a quadruple homicide on Wonderland Avenue in Los Angeles.
Fisher plays Sallie Hansen, who befriends Bosworth's character. Blake Nelson replaces Kevin Pollak as Billy Devereux; Levine plays detective Sam Nico.
Josh Lucas, Kate Bosworth and Lisa Kudrow co-star with Christina Applegate. Shooting started this week with James Cox at the helm.
'Wonderland'
Lawsuit Filed
Blondie
A record producer has sued Blondie, claiming the band and its record company have cheated him out of more than $130,000.
Craig Leon, who helped produce 1999's "No Exit" album, filed suit Thursday in Manhattan federal court charging that Blondie and California-based
Left Bank Records had failed to pay royalties due him.
The papers charge an audit of Left Bank's books showed "the sum of $130,357.06 was due" for sales up to the end of 2000.
Blondie
Blondie Web site
Garden Unveiled
Linda McCartney
The family of Linda McCartney, late wife of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, paid tribute Friday to the Scottish community that was their second home, as residents unveiled a memorial garden and statue in her memory.
Stella and Mary McCartney said the town of Campbeltown in Kintyre had been an inspiration to their mother, who died of breast cancer in 1998.
"Scotland was one of mum's favorite places and it is wonderful to have a permanent statue to remind us of the great times we spent with her there," the sisters said in a statement.
None of the family attended the unveiling Friday. Sir Paul and his son James are traveling in the United States while daughters Stella, Mary and Heather, cited work commitments.
Local lawmaker Baroness Ray Michie opened the memorial garden in the center of the town. The bronze statue of Linda sitting on a rock holding a lamb is the centerpiece of the garden. The statue
was commissioned two years ago by Sir Paul.
Linda McCartney
Actors Set To Dub Film
Benigni's 'Pinocchio'
Miramax has enlisted a clutch of U.S. thesps, including Cheech Marin, Eddie Griffin and Queen Latifah, to record voice parts for the English-language version of Italian
funnyman Roberto Benigni's rendition of "Pinocchio."
Marin, who has lent his voice to such animated pictures as "The Lion King" and "Oliver & Company," will voice the Fox in the live-action retelling of Carlo Collodi's classic
fairy tale, set to bow Stateside on Christmas Day.
Griffin ("Undercover Brother") will dub the Cat, while Queen Latifah will voice the Dove and Kevin James ("King of Queens") the Fire Eater. Taking on the role of Pinocchio's
father Geppetto will be David Suchet, and the puppet's best friend Lucignolo will be voiced by Topher Grace ("That '70s Show").
Benigni, who has the title role, will do his own English dubs for the U.S. version -- as will his co-star, Nicoletta Braschi, who plays the Blue Fairy. The picture opened in
Italy on Oct. 11 and grossed $20 million in its first two weeks.
Benigni's 'Pinocchio'
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Takes His Films To Cuba
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg will attend the Cuban premiere of his latest film "Minority Report" here next week, opening a festival of his work on the Communist-run island, his office and
Cuban officials said on Thursday.
The director of "E.T." and "Jaws" will meet Cuban filmmakers, speak to students at an international film school founded by Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez and visit
Havana's main synagogue to meet Cuba's Jewish community.
Eight of his films, including "Schindler's List, "Saving Private Ryan," and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," previously exhibited in Cuba, will be shown at four Havana theaters.
Spielberg, who will arrive in Havana on Wednesday accompanied by his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, will meet U.S. diplomats stationed in Havana and visit the city's largest synagogue.
Cuba's Jewish community has dwindled to 1,500 members from 15,000 before Castro's revolution.
Steven Spielberg
2002 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards
'The Guess Who'
Members of the Canadian rock band 'The Guess Who' are presented with the 2002 Governor General's Performing Arts awards at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, November 1, 2002.
They are (L-R) Garry Peterson, Bill Wallace, Donnie McDougall, Burton Cummings, and Randy Bachman.
Photo by Jim Young
Tacky Question In Toronto
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones was speechless after a heckler mocked the age of her husband, Michael Douglas, at a fragrance launch. Zeta-Jones, 33, was promoting Ardenbeauty at a
Toronto press conference when a wiseacre in the audience shouted, "Whose diapers do you prefer to change? Your baby's or your husband's?" Us Weekly reports that the moderator
was "appalled and called an end to the Q&A" although Zeta-Jones "didn't seem bothered" by the crack about her 58-year-old spouse.
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Soon To Be A Motion Picture
More 'Journeys with George'
Alexandra Pelosi's award-winning documentary "Journeys With George," an HBO film that goes behind the scenes during George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, is being turned into a feature movie.
Sid Ganis' Out of the Blue Entertainment has optioned feature rights to the film, which premieres next Tuesday, election night.
The daughter of House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi and the granddaughter of a five-term Democratic congressman, Pelosi made the film while covering Bush's presidential campaign for NBC News.
Her documentary follows Bush's campaign from its first day through his inauguration, chronicling the strange and unpredictable events that make up campaign life.
The "Journeys With George" feature will tell the fictional story of a savvy young journalist assigned to travel with the campaign of a presidential candidate who represents everything to which
she is politically opposed. The film will explore the unusual rapport between the candidate and his press corps; the complicated relationships that develop between reporters competing for the story;
the measures advisers take to mislead the public; and the backstage drama and comedy inherent in a presidential campaign.
Ganis company has access to some 60 hours of Pelosi's additional footage. Pelosi will serve as a consultant on the project.
More 'Journeys with George'
Resurrects Teen 'Classics'
Howard Stern
Radio humorist Howard Stern is developing modern-day remakes of the classic teen pictures "Porky's" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School."
The titles will be presented under the banner "Howard Stern Presents...," with the New York-based shock-jock serving as executive producer on both.
Released by 20th Century Fox in 1981, "Porky's" grossed more than $105 million on a $4 million budget, and the raunchy sex comedy paved the way for dozens of imitators.
"Rock 'n' Roll High School," a 1979 high school comedy produced by b-movie king Roger Corman, is best remembered for the musical appearance of the Ramones, a punk band beloved by Stern.
Stern is partnered on both projects with Arclight Films, a new firm set up by former Dimension Films executive Dan Gross. They intend to produce more features under
the "Howard Stern Presents..." banner.
Howard Stern
Former Pop Idols
'Second Chance'
Memo to Deborah Gibson, Gerardo and any former New Kid on the Block not named Donnie: Call your agents -- now.
Fox is developing a summer reality series that would give washed-up pop idols a chance to kick-start their careers. The show, tentatively titled "Second Chance," would mix the
retro appeal of VH1's "Behind the Music" with the talent show and audience interaction elements of Fox's supersmash "American Idol."
Fox reality programming chief Mike Darnell said he came up with the idea while in Las Vegas taping an "Idol" concert special.
Details of the project are still being worked out, but the ex-stars would have to subject themselves to singing before judges and accepting the verdict of viewers. "Idol's" Simon Fuller
and his 19 Entertainment will produce the skein.
'Second Chance'
Baby News
James Wilke Broderick
"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and her actor-husband, Matthew Broderick, have named their newborn son in memory of Broderick's father.
The 6-pound, 8-ounce boy, who was born Monday at a Manhattan hospital, has been given the name James Wilke Broderick, in honor of actor James Broderick,
Parker's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, said Friday.
James Broderick, who died in the early 1980s, starred in the '70s TV series "Family."
James Wilke Broderick
BartCop TV!
Butler Didn't Do It
Paul Burrell
Princess Diana's butler was acquitted Friday of stealing her belongings after revelations from Queen Elizabeth undermined the prosecution's case.
Paul Burrell, whom Diana once called "my rock," sobbed with relief as Justice Ann Rafferty ruled he was not guilty on all three theft charges.
Prosecution lawyer William Boyce said the Queen, Diana's mother-in-law, remembered she had had a conversation with Burrell, in which he told her he was keeping some of Diana's belongings for safekeeping.
The prosecution decided "there would no longer be a realistic prospect of conviction in this case," he said as the trial ended abruptly.
Rosa Monckton, one of Diana's closest confidantes, told Britain's Sky News television: "It's absolutely a case that should never have been brought. There was bungled police
evidence, and it should never have been happened. It has caused Paul and his family two years of intolerable strain."
Paul Burrell
Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
Barrilete
People try to raise a 'barrilete,' or a kite, in the Santiago Sacatepequez Cemetery, 35 kilometers west from Guatemala City, during the celebration of Day of the Dead, Friday, Nov. 1, 2002.
The town celebrates this day with a barrilete contest.
Photo by Jaime Puebla
Snarky Gossip
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett likes to work in the nude. Fawcett, 55, once covered her naked body in paint and rolled around on canvas for Playboy. Now she's posed nude for New York-based sculptor
Keith Edmier, 35. And she made a nude sculpture of him in return. Edmier - who admits he has been "interested" in Fawcett since grade school - told Art Talk magazine, "She was the muse
for me, I hopefully became one for her." The works can be seen by the public Nov. 21 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Farrah Fawcett
Promotional Stunt
Got Milk?, California
In a nation where Minute Maid spends $100 million to name a Houston ballpark, NASCAR hosts a Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 and people seeking $1 million willingly expose their inner flaws
on TV's "Survivor," what's so wrong about becoming Got Milk? Calif.?
That's the question bedeviling 24 tiny California towns swept up in the milk industry's newest promotional stunt.
All are being offered cash, fame and possible hordes of tourists to change names like Sand City, Dorris, Etna or Biggs to Got Milk? Calif.
Credit the California Milk Processor Board. As it struggles to stabilize declining and flat milk sales in the nation's leading dairy state, it hopes one brave town will dare to be different
for the sake of a possible Got Milk? museum, free school computers, a library expansion or new playground.
The first town to accept the invitation to change its name will become Got Milk? Calif., the centerpiece for a national publicity campaign celebrating 10 years of "Got Milk?" advertising.
In 2000, Halfway, Ore., renamed itself for one year to Half.com to promote an e-commerce Internet startup later absorbed into ebay.com. Halfway, population 360, got
$73,000 and several computers, and another $20,000 in 2001, says Steve Backstrom, publisher of the weekly Hells Canyon Journal.
Got Milk?, California
www.gotmilk.com
Election Day Release
'Left Behind II'
For all those Hollywood movie moguls praying for profits, Canada's Cloud Ten Pictures thinks it has an answer: A film series with wars, plagues, seven years of tribulation and a final
battle between Christ and the Anti-Christ.
In recent weeks, ahead of Tuesday's video release of "Left Behind II: Tribulation Force," Cloud Ten co-founder Peter Lalonde has trolled the major studios fishing for investors.
The series -- the 10th of which "The Remnant" debuted on shelves this past summer -- has sold 50 million copies including special editions and kids versions. The ninth, "Desecration,"
was 2001's biggest selling book.
"Tribulation Force" picks up where "Left Behind" ended, with former TV star Kirk Cameron (news) playing journalist Buck Williams who, after God has called Earth's angels to
heaven, forms a team to oppose the Anti-Christ, who is looking to rule the world.
This past weekend, its pre-sales reached the No. 1 spot at online retailer Amazon.com, topping, if only for a brief time, pre-sales for "Spider-Man."
Like "Left Behind," the sequel will be shown in theaters starting Dec. 31, after its video run. Lalonde said the strategy allows core fans to buy first, then uses
theater box offices to show Hollywood there is an afterlife for the film.
'Left Behind II'
Seeks Justice Department Intervention
Cat Litter Battle
The Justice Department is being asked to take sides in a battle pitching the world's largest manufacturer of cat litter against tribal leaders, local officials and citizens in Nevada.
At issue is whether Chicago-based Oil-Dri Corp. has the right to dig a clay mine on federally-owned land less than 10 miles from downtown Reno. Opponents say the project would
create air and noise pollution, threaten groundwater quality and increase truck traffic in area neighborhoods.
Bob Abbey, state director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for Nevada, cited an 1872 mining law that he says supersedes local opposition to the project.
"The Department of Interior, at my request, has asked the Department of Justice to file such a friend-of-the-court brief," he said Thursday.
Arlan Melendez, chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, told Interior Secretary Gale Norton last week that Norton has a responsibility - as trustee of U.S. tribal lands - "to
safeguard our lands and protect our small tribe" by at least staying neutral in the battle.
Cat Litter Battle
Exhibit Showcases Mongol Art
'The Legacy of Genghis Khan'
Gorgeous textiles, ornate tiles and elaborate books are all traced back to a gang of invading warriors.
The items are part of an exhibit opening Tuesday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256-1353."
The show examines the artwork and traditions that emerged after the Mongol invaders won the battles that created a diverse empire that stretched from China to Hungary, from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea.
It was a well-run empire, with the Mongols establishing themselves as rulers of various regions but quickly tapping local residents to serve under them in the bureaucracy. They also set up an efficient
system of communicating across the vast territory with Pony Express-like stations of well-rested horses.
And instead of carrying papers to prove identification, envoys wore metal "passports" around their necks or on their clothing. One on display is made of cast-iron and silver-inlaid metal and has an
inscription that reads, "By the strength of eternal heaven, an edict of the Emperor. He who has no respect shall be guilty."
For a lot more, 'The Legacy of Genghis Khan'
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Life Imitates Part
Wallace Langham
He wasn't a writer, he just played one on TV -- until now.
Actor Wallace Langham ("Veronica's Closet") had been so often mistaken for a writer after portraying a scribe on the oh-too-real HBO comedy "The Larry Sanders Show," he finally
decided to go ahead and give writing a shot.
Langham sat down with his friend, screenwriter Kenneth Funk, co-wrote an untitled half-hour pilot script and sold it to DreamWorks Television.
The concept, which is being shopped to networks, follows a recently divorced game show producer, his ex-wife, his son and his single best buddy.
Wallace Langham
Kandahar, Afghanistan
Farmer
An Afghan farmer shows marijuana plants which are almost ready to harvest at a marijuana field on the outskirts of Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002.
Photo by Apichart Weerawong
Reader Alert
'COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY'
from tim h
In the face of the controversial decision by the PBS network to refuse to
transmit the investigative report, the nation's top PBS stations will independently
broadcast COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY.
Directed by Emmy-award winner Danny Schechter, the 57-minute
documentary follows BBC television reporter Greg Palast as he discovers how Katherine
Harris removed up to 57,000 legal voters from registries - mostly black - five months before
the 2000 election. While the public broadcast network chiefs refused to schedule
this important report, dozens of local stations are insisting on showing the expose
before the mid-term elections.
11/3 (1 pm) WLRN --- Miami, FL
11/3 (2 pm) WHUT --- Washington, DC
11/3 (5 pm) WNED --- Buffalo, NY
11/3 (10 pm) WUFM --- Missoula, MT
11/3 (10 pm) WUSM --- Butte - Bozeman, MT
11/4 (Midnight) WNET --- New York, NY
11/5 (10 pm) KCET --- Los Angeles, CA
11/6 (8 pm) WHUT --- Washington, DC
11/24 (1 am) KPBS --- San Diego, CA
For more information - www.globalvision.org/program/fla/fla.html
'The Osbournes'
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