'TBH Politoons'*
Thanks, again, Tim!
* Darrow at 'accidental president'
pointed out to Tim that he had given Reagan credit for one of Bush Sr.'s bankruptcies.
This is the corrected version. : )
Reader Answers Question
Re: Shelob
In answer to your question, Shelob does not appear in
this movie. Like I said, they never even get to Morgul
Vale. Shelob is in the pass above Minas Morgul, so she
should come fairly early in Return of the King.
~~ Jeff Crook
Thanks, Jeff!
Fun Link
from Alex
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Rained most of the night, but the day was sunny, clear & crisp.
My favorite catalog came in the mail today - Nichols Garden Nursery, from Albany, OR. Not only a wonderful selection of seeds & plants, but really nice people to deal with, too.
One of the regular readers wondered how to help his sister (who is HOT) break into modeling. Any suggestions?
The kid is thrilled that there's no school for over 2 weeks!
Still working on Christmas cards - argh. The eyetalian aunts each expect a letter - all 11 of them! And since they all keep in touch I can't cheat & just send 1 letter, or variations on a theme.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS opens the evening with a fresh 'Touched By An Angle', then a RERUN 'The District', followed by a RERUN 'The Agency'.
NBC starts the night with 'Fat Albert Christmas', then a claymation 'special' - 'The Freezerburnt Christmas', followed by a RERUN 'Faith Hill: When The Lights Go Down', and then a 'Snowboarding' 'special' - The US Grand Prix. Don't know who's on SNL. Probably a RERUN or compilation.
ABC rolls out the movie 'Saturday Night Fever', again.
The WB is pre-empted here for the Nuggets to visit the Clips.
Faux opens the night with 2 RERUNs of 'Cops', which are followed by 'America's Most Wanted'.
UPN has the movie 'White Christmas'.
2 reruns of 'The Osbournes' at 11pm (est) on MTV
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
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First Annual Tabloid Choice Awards
Bill & Hillary Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, are the top celebrities in the nation's First Annual Tabloid Choice Awards, sponsored by the nation's
top celebrity tabloids, National Enquirer, Star and Globe.
Latina celebrity Jennifer Lopez was second in the Awards. The Enquirer said that J.Lo's "rocky love life put the tabloid spotlight" on her and asked, "Is she happy with new love Ben Affleck?"
Songbird Britney Spears came in third, the Star noting that while "she supposedly was a good girl saving herself for marriage," revelations "about her romance with Ben Affleck" show that "Britney
has left her innocent past behind."
Former Michigan Girl Madonna came in fourth, the Enquirer noting that while "the Material Girl has a new baby, a new man in her life and a new home in Britain ... what she doesn't have is a hit movie."
Comedian Rosie O'Donnell came in fifth, the Star awarding her a Tabby " ... for the star who could fit Lara Flynn Boyle and Debra Messing in her sweatpants ... and enjoy it."
Honorable mentions in the Awards went to runners-up Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Affleck (purported boyfriend of No. 2 winner J.Lo and No. 3 Britney Spears), Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow,
Jennifer Aniston, Eminem, Michael Jackson and Calista Flockhart.
Bill & Hillary Clinton
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Ron Mueck
A visitor to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney December 20, 2002 strikes an unusual pose while viewing a life-like sculpture by artist Ron Mueck.
The sculpture, made from a fibre-glass resin, is a self-portrait of the artist sleeping and is part of Mueck's first Australian exhibition of his 'hyper-real'
figures, which will be exhibited in London early next year.
Photo by David Gray
Had Monkeys In His Pants
LAX Smuggler
Californian Robert Cusack has been sentenced to 57 days in jail for trying to smuggle a pair of monkeys, a total of four exotic birds and 50 rare orchids into Los
Angeles Airport after a trip to Thailand, customs officials said on Thursday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Johns said Cusack had been undergoing a routine inspection when he arrived last June until an official opened his suitcase.
"It became non-routine when they opened his luggage and a bird of paradise took off flying in the terminal," Johns said.
Johns said the agents found three more birds in his bag, tucked into nylon stockings, along with 50 orchids of a threatened species.
Asked by agents if he had anything else to tell them, Cusack responded: "Yes, I've got monkeys in my pants."
LAX Smuggler
Contract Extended 2 Years
Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil McGraw, star of the freshman syndicated series "Dr. Phil," has extended his contract on the show for two more years.
The deal means McGraw is committed to doing the series through the 2005-06 TV season.
"Dr. Phil," which was created by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Prods., is broadcast on 185 local television stations covering 97% of the country. The show was sold
in a two-year deal to stations, so the current contracts run through the end of the 2003-04 TV season.
Dr. Phil
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Organizes AIDS Fund-Raiser in India
Richard Gere
Richard Gere hosted a carnival filled with actors from India's popular film industry, including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Manisha Koirala, who
ran game stalls and posed for photographs with fans.
The carnival, organized by the Gere Foundation India Trust and Godrej, a top Indian industrial house, aimed at raising awareness and funds to help prevent
mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"In America, by focusing on children, we got under the radar of prejudices, American prejudices ... We can remove the stigma surrounding the disease here (in India)
here by changing the face of the disease," Gere, 53, told reporters.
Money raised at the carnival will go to two organizations focusing on HIV-positive women and children in India, the United States-based Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric
AIDS Foundation and Bombay-based Naz Foundation.
Richard Gere
'Hot' Couple
Dave & J.Lo
Here's the hilarious photo everyone's talking about - late-night funnyman David Letterman with his new "bride," Jennifer Lopez.
It's all a joke, of course, one of Dave's patented loony holiday cards that was mailed to friends this week - including Regis Philbin,
who joked about the card on "Live with Regis & Kelly" with co-host Kelly Ripa.
"It's been a special year," reads the inside of the card. "Happy Holidays from your friends at the Late Show." J.Lo, now engaged to
heartthrob Ben Affleck, has been a frequent target of Dave's monologues. Dave even alluded to marrying the movie/music star earlier
this month when she appeared on "The Late Show" to hype her new movie, "Maid in Manhattan."
"I was talking to Jennifer Lopez backstage before the show," Letterman said. "And guess what - we're engaged!" But J.Lo isn't the first
woman who's caught Dave's eye. In the past, Dave has zeroed in on "Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts, busty actress Drew Barrymore and sultry British newscaster Daljit Dhaliwal.
Dave & J.Lo
Teachers Not Allowed To Answer Questions
Sex Education
Teachers in a Texas school district want to be able to answer students' questions about the risks of oral and anal sex but they dare not speak the words in the classroom because of parental objections.
Educators in Texas' Leander Independent School District became concerned after students submitted anonymous questions to their health teachers asking if oral and anal intercourse
is considered sex, and if there are any health risks from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
But the teachers are tongue-tied because the school's sex education curriculum does not allow them to answer such questions.
The problem is that some members of a curriculum advisory panel that includes educators, counselors, parents and ministers objected to the use of the words "oral" and "anal."
The panel and school administrators have asked teachers to come up with a way to answer the questions without using the words in question.
Sex Education
Helps School Raise Funds
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi took a break from his international tour to help a high school group raise $36,500 for a local medical clinic.
Bon Jovi, whose band played shows in Australia earlier this week, performed 10 songs during his appearance Thursday at Rumson-Fair Haven High School. The show was benefit
performance for the Parker Family Health Center, a Red Bank-based free clinic that counts the singer and his family among its benefactors.
Bon Jovi performed some of his best-known hits, a few numbers from his new CD, "Bounce," and his version of the Elvis Presley song "That's All Right, Mama." Bon Jovi,
who lives in nearby Middletown Township, was backed by a five-piece band that included two musicians — keyboardist Dave Bryan and bassist Hugh McDonald — who regularly perform with his group.
"We're here to make a difference," Bon Jovi told the crowd that packed into the Monmouth County school's 750-seat auditorium. The $35 tickets for the event, sponsored
by the school's Spanish Honor Society, were sold mostly to students, although some parents and faculty also came out.
"Thirty percent of Americans don't have health insurance," the singer said. "There's an astronomical need for places like this."
Jon Bon Jovi
Reported In The U.K.
J.Lo's Called It Off
Jennifer Lopez has called off her wedding to Ben Affleck - after a row with his best man. The Latino singer was furious when Ben's best
friend Matt Damon tried to talk him out of it, claiming she was a "serial bride".J.Lo, who cancelled plans to tie the knot on St Valentine's
Day, reportedly warned Affleck: "It's me or him."
She told friends: "It feels like there has been three of us in this relationship."
The row flared when Damon reminded Affleck that J.Lo had already been married twice. Both marriages quickly collapsed.
A source told the Daily Star: "This feud with Matt caused such bad feelings that Ben and Jennifer have decided not to go ahead with the wedding.
"Jennifer is terrified Matt will poison Ben's love for her."
J.Lo's Called It Off
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
'Dr' Laura Caught Ignoring 4th Commandment
Yolanda Schlessinger
The badly decomposed body of a murdered woman, identified as the mother of popular radio talk-show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger, has been found at
a Beverly Hills home, police said on Friday.
Though police said they had not yet confirmed that the elderly woman found on Monday was Yolanda Schlessinger, the talk-show host issued a statement
addressing the death of her mother and alluding to their bitter estrangement.
The body of Yolanda Schlessinger was found by police after concerned neighbors said they had not seen her in several weeks. An autopsy revealed that
she had been murdered, said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Gary Gilmond.
Although the body was found in Yolanda Schlessinger's home, it was so badly decomposed that identification was not yet possible, he said. Gilmond
said the state of the body and home suggested that the woman had been dead for a "substantial period of time," possibly several months.
The former Yolanda Ceccovini was an Italian war bride who was divorced from her husband, Monty, who died in 1990. Their other daughter, Cyndi,
was also estranged from Laura, according to Vanity Fair.
Yolanda Schlessinger
Napa Valley
Howell Mountain
A vineyard on Howell Mountain is covered in snow with the Napa Valley in the background near Angwin, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002. An Alaskan storm brought snow to higher
elevations and more rain to Northern California.
Photo by Eric Risberg
Online Shopping For Sick Canadians
Oh, Canada!
Canadian activists for the medicinal use of marijuana celebrated a court victory on Thursday by launching an Internet site offering home delivery of cannabis for seriously ill people.
Saying it would even offer tax deductions for orders, the Marijuana Party Foundation took the unprecedented step after Quebec Superior Court Judge Gilles Cadieux stopped the
drug-trafficking trial of two volunteers from Compassion Club of Montreal, a group that provides marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In his long-awaited decision, Judge Cadieux agreed that the pair, Marc-Boris St-Maurice, 33, and Alexandre Neron, 22, had planned to sell marijuana when they were arrested almost
three years ago. But the judge noted that it was unconstitutional to deny patients access to the drug.
Earlier this month, a parliamentary committee urged the Canadian government to relax its laws on possession of marijuana. The committee on the nonmedical use of drugs said
marijuana should be decriminalized, but not legalized, an idea U.S. drug control officials quickly condemned.
Elated by Judge Cadieux's decision, St-Maurice hailed it as both a moral and legal victory. The Marijuana Party Foundation, operated by the federally chartered Marijuana Party,
reacted to the ruling by immediately launching a Web Site offering to dispense therapeutic cannabis.
The Web Site, www.marijuanahomedelivery.ca, offers two formats of "highest quality therapeutic cannabis" with a THC content of 8 percent or more. A two-gram package sells
for C$30 ($19) while Internet surfers can order a 10 gram shipment for C$120.
Oh, Canada!
And, it's 28.35 grams to the ounce, if I remember correctly. ; )
Lawsuit Filed
'Culture Shock'
The CBS pilot "Culture Shock" has become the latest reality entry to land in potentially hot water.
A couple who served as contestants on "Shock" have sued CBS and producer Rocket Science Laboratories for allegedly injuring one of them -- which they claim then
ultimately cost them the game. CBS picked up a pilot for the "Fear Factor"-style show last August.
Jill Mouser and Marcus Russell claim they were misled into believing that a final contest between them and one other couple would not be dangerous or painful.
According to the suit, the female member of each couple was hoisted into a "harness of pain" to be held by her male partner, supposedly mirroring an American Indian rite of passage.
After the plaintiffs objected to the test, Mouser was allowed to test one of the harnesses. It didn't really hurt, the couple maintain in their suit.
But once filming began, the plaintiffs lost a coin toss and their opponents picked the harness Mouser tested. The couple claimed the second harness was very painful
and that film and safety crew members at the scene allegedly refused to adjust it.
According to the suit, Mouser was finally lowered after screaming in pain, injected with morphine and driven to a hospital more than an hour away.
'Culture Shock'
Returned to London's Tate Gallery
Stolen Turners
Two Turner masterpieces stolen from a German exhibition eight years ago have been returned to Tate Britain, the London gallery announced Friday.
The two paintings, that had been insured for a total $38.5 million, were found intact but without their original frames.
The two Turners were stolen along with a painting by German artist Caspar David Friedrich while on loan to the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt.
One of the Turner paintings -- "Shade and Darkness" -- was actually recovered in July 2000. But the discovery was kept secret while investigations continued.
The second -- "Light and Color" -- was recovered Monday. Both were returned to Britain Wednesday.
Stolen Turners
New Syndicated Reality Show
'Starting Over'
"Starting Over," a reality series following the exploits of six women, will launch in syndication next fall.
The show will air on the NBC-owned stations in such key markets as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco, as well as those owned by the Hearst-Argyle group.
Combined, these outlets reach nearly 50% of the country. The NBC Enterprises show comes from Bunim/Murray Prods., the company behind MTV reality hit "The Real World."
"Starting Over" will be shot on location in a city to be announced. It will follow six women, each of whom has a reason to start her life over. The cast will come from different
parts of the country and live together. As each woman reaches her goal and exits the house, a new person will replace her.
'Starting Over'
In Memory
Sidney Glazier
Sidney Glazier, the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker who produced the 1968 cult comedy film
"The Producers" with
Mel Brooks, has died. He was 86.
Glazier died of natural causes Dec. 14.
Glazier was also executive producer of Brooks' 1970 comedy,
"The Twelve Chairs,"
and
Woody Allen's 1969 comedy,
"Take the Money and Run."
Glazier, the son of Russian-Polish immigrants, was the former executive director of the Eleanor Roosevelt Cancer Foundation in New York City. He won an Academy Award as the producer of the 1965 documentary feature,
"The Eleanor Roosevelt Story."
No one was interested in Brooks' "Producers" story. It was a show business satire about a manic, unscrupulous Broadway producer who, joined by his mousy accountant, comes up with a scheme to defraud their wealthy investors and make a fortune by over-financing a Broadway show that is guaranteed to be a flop: a tasteless musical called "Springtime for Hitler."
In 1997, "The Producers," which starred Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, was entered into the National Film Registry as a "culturally, historically, and aesthetically" significant film.
Sidney Glazier
New Delhi
Lion
Ausgiebig gähnt dieser asiatische Löwe am Donnerstag im Zoo der indischen Hauptstadt Neu Delhi.
Photo by B Mathur
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
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'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
