'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Enlightening Link
Courtesy David Dvorkin
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Selected Saturday Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Beautiful, clear, cold day.
Jo, the (remaining) lizard, was able to resume his afternoon lounge in the backyard sun.
Today the cats decided the Christmas tree would be fun to climb, and falling ornaments were a special bonus.
Tonight, Saturday, CBS rolls out the movie 'The Wild, Wild West', followed by a RERUN 'The District'.
NBC, with little fanfare, offers a FRESH 'Boomtown', followed by another FRESH 'Boomtown', then
yet another FRESH 'Boomtown'.
Have no idea who is on 'Saturday Night Live', but it's a RERUN.
ABC rolls out the movie 'The Sound of Music'.
The WB here has sold out to an evening of nothing but 'paid programs' - the bastards! Stations wonder where the viewers went, while driving them away.
Faux has the traditional 'Cops', 'Cops', and 'America's Most Wanted'.
UPN has the movie 'Scrooged'.
A&E has 'City Confidential', 'American Justice', 'Cold Case Files', and 'American Justice'.
AMC offers the movie 'Shane', followed by the movie 'High Plains Drifter', then the movie 'Joe Kidd'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 7;
[6:40pm] 'My Hero' - Pregnant;
[7:20pm] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 8;
[8pm] 'Red Cap' - H-Hour;
[9pm] 'Rebel Heart' - Part Three;
[10pm] 'Cambridge Spies' - Episode 5;
[11pm] 'Dead Ringers' - Episode 2;
[11:30pm] 'Dead Ringers' - Episode 1;
[12am] 'Red Cap' - H-Hour;
[1am] 'Rebel Heart' - Part Three;
[2am] 'Cambridge Spies' - Episode 5;
[3am] 'Dead Ringers' - Episode 2;
[3:30am] 'Dead Ringers' - Episode 1;
[5am] 'Rebel Heart' - Part Three; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EST)
Bravo has 'Queer Eye', followed by the movie 'Q & A', then the movie 'Mulholland Falls'.
Comedy Central has 'Saturday Night Live' all day, followed by the movie 'Caddyshack'.
History has 'Day They Died', 'Battlefield Detectives', and the movie 'Young Guns'.
SciFi has the movie 'Death Machine', followed by the movie 'Heatseeker', then the movie 'Millennium Man'.
TCM celebrates the ever-debonair
David Niven all night.
[6am] 'Captains Courageous' (1937);
[8am] 'The Lady From Shanghai' (1948);
[9:30am] 'Festival of Shorts #13' (1998);
[10am] 'The Kentuckian' (1955);
[12pm] 'Sweet Smell Of Success' (1957);
[2pm] 'White Heat' (1949);
[4pm] 'Dodge City' (1939);
[6pm] 'The Outlaw' (1943);
[8pm] 'The Pink Panther' (1964);
[10pm] 'Murder by Death' (1976);
[12am] 'Casino Royale' (1967);
[2:15am] 'Soldiers Three' (1951);
[4am] 'Immortal Battalion' (1944) [AKA: The Way Ahead ]. (ALL TIMES EST)
U.S. actor Gary Sinise (R) makes a surprise visit today to Mission: SPACE, the newest thrill ride at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, December 26, 2003. He is seen visiting with (L-R) Rick Rottier, Andrew Rottier, 8, and Michael Rottier, 10 from Plainville, Connecticut. Sinise stars on the Epcot attraction as the Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) that guides guests on their pulse-racing journey to Mars. Here, Sinise autographs a scale model of the X-2 rocket that guests board in the ride. Sinise is appearing at Epcot this week as the celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Processional, a re-telling of the Christmas story accompanied by a massed choir and 50-piece orchestra. Sinise will narrate the special event through Dec. 30.
Photo by Gene Duncan
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Unfazed by 'Rings' Phenomenon
Sir Ian McKellen
With a five-day domestic haul of $125 million, the last installment of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is guaranteed to grab more than just a few headlines for its record-setting box office.
But don't count on trilogy star Sir Ian McKellen to pick up a newspaper to pore over stories about the film's performance. He says that it's not because he doesn't care; he's just convinced that he had nothing to do with it.
"I have no personal financial interest in the outcome, so I think it would be a masochistic act to read the returns. I didn't do any publicity for the second movie because I was shooting 'Emile,' so I couldn't join in, and I noticed that the takings for the second movie were considerably more than the first, which I had helped publicize, so what the hell do they need me for," McKellen said by telephone from London on Thursday.
"As we've been going around the world -- (the actors who comprise) the "Fellowship" -- we've been saying to ourselves, this is all very well, with wonderful things to remember for the rest of our lives, but actually do any of us need to do this? Would it make any difference if we all just stayed at home?"
Sir Ian McKellen
A float in the Valley Boys Junkanoo group marches up Bay Street Friday, Dec. 26, 2003 in the annual Bahamian cultural festival in Nassau, Bahamas. The 2,000 member strong Valley Boys group who chose the Roman Empire as their theme, were announced winners in the Boxing Day parade that draws thousands of spectators to the streets of downtown Nassau.
Photo by Felipe Major
Ex-Hostage Seeking Senate Seat
Terry Anderson
Terry Anderson, a former Associated Press correspondent who was held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years, said Friday he will run for the Ohio Senate next year.
Anderson, a 56-year-old Democrat, will seek the seat held by Republican Jim Carnes, who is leaving for a job with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The district has been held by a Republican for more than 20 years.
Anderson was the chief Middle East correspondent for the AP when he was kidnapped in 1985. His captors were pro-Iranian Shiite Muslims with a clear, though unsuccessful, agenda: to obtain the release of terrorists who bombed U.S. and French embassies in Kuwait. He was released in 1991.
He retired two years ago as director of Ohio University's Institute for International Journalism. He runs a horse ranch and owns restaurants in the Athens area.
Terry Anderson
It's OK to Sleep With Children
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, arrested Nov. 20 on suspicion of child molestation, denied the charges against him during an interview with Ed Bradley conducted Christmas night and set to air Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes".
Jackson, 45, is charged with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent. He remains free on $3 million bail.
Asked by Bradley if it was still OK to sleep with children given the charges against him, Jackson answered, "Of course."
"Why not?" he said. "If you're going to be a pedophile, if you're going to be Jack the Ripper, if you're going to be a murderer, it's not a good idea. That I am not."
"Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists," Jackson also said.
If you need more, Michael Jackson
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Learned Basic Farsi
Ben Kingsley
British actor Ben Kingsley stunned his colleagues on the set of "House of Sand and Fog" with how quickly he mastered basic Farsi.
Kingsley, who plays a former Iranian Air Force colonel living in the United States, learned Farsi on the set with help from a Farsi dialect coach as the cameras were rolling.
Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who plays Kingsley's wife in the film, says she was surprised by his ability to learn the language. "He's really good at it," says Aghdashloo, who was born and raised in Iran but now lives in Los Angeles. "He's a great actor."
Ben Kingsley
New Zealand maxi Zana manouvers in front of the Sydney Opera House minutes before the start of the Sydney-Hobart race on December 26, 2003. The 57-strong fleet of competitors in the 59th annual ocean race will sail 630 nautical miles down the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Hobart, Tasmania.
Photo by Tim Wimborne
Baby News
Joe Mendes
Actress Kate Winslet and her husband, director Sam Mendes, are the parents of a baby boy.
Joe Mendes was born on Dec. 22 in New York. He weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, Winslet publicist Jennifer Allen said Friday. No other details were released.
It is the first child for the couple, who were married in May.
Joe Mendes
Coping With Loss
Joanne Rogers
Joanne Rogers, the Mrs. to the famed and beloved Mister Rogers, still finds herself speaking in the present tense about the children's television host nearly a year after his death.
Last month, Rogers spoke at a ceremony inducting Fred Rogers into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in New York, but was unsettled by a film clip of her husband. She forgot whom to thank at PBS and Family Communications Inc., which ran the show.
On New Year's Day at 9:30 EST, PBS is scheduled to air "Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor," a documentary that details Rogers' early years in Latrobe, Pa., his start in television with NBC in New York and his work in founding WQED in Pittsburgh, the first community-owned TV station.
On that day, Rogers said she may continue a tradition her husband began decades ago — a call to Bob Keeshan, better known as "Captain Kangaroo."
Joanne Rogers
Mister Rogers Neighborhood
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Shoots Heckler
Reputed Mobster
Police said Broadway chanteuse Rena Strober was singing "Don't Rain on My Parade" at Rao's, an East Harlem restaurant, Monday night when a patron, Albert Circelli, criticized her performance.
Reputed Luchese crime family associate Louis Barone told him to watch his mouth but when Circelli swore in response, Barone pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot him in the back, police said.
A second shot fired by Barone hit another diner, Al Petraglia, 57, in the foot, police said. Barone dropped the revolver, walked out of the restaurant and was arrested by police officers.
Circelli, 37, died of his wounds and Petraglia was treated in the hospital, police said.
Reputed Mobster
CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology is celebrating its 40th anniversary by revealing a few of its secrets like the robot catfish 'Charlie' built in 2000, seen on display at the museum located at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003. Charlie is a a remarkably realistic swimming robot, and the agency still won't disclose much about its mission. The spy museum is accessible only to CIA employees, and guests admitted to those closed quarters.
Photo by Ted Bridis
Women On The Chrysanthemum Throne?
Japan
Japan is likely to change the 1948 imperial law next year to allow a woman to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne, the head of a parliamentary study group said in an interview.
The imperial law is not part of Japan's constitution, but the post-World War II constitution defines the emperor as "the symbol of the States and of the unity of the people."
The debate on whether Japan should revise the male-only succession law resurfaced after Crown Princess Masako gave birth to Princess Aiko in December 2001.
Under current laws, Aiko cannot succeed her father, Crown Prince Naruhito, 43, heir to the Japanese throne.
Naruhito's younger and only brother Prince Akishino was the last male to have been born into the royal family, in 1965. He and his wife, Princess Kiko, have two daughters.
If no boys are born to Masako or Kiko, the imperial succession would be in crisis under current laws.
The last Japanese empress was Go-Sakuramachi who reigned from 1762 to 1771.
Japan
Trademark Police OR The Grinch Who Stole the Christmas Toy Trains
Union Pacific Railroad
Model trains have hauled replicas of real-life railroad logos around their tiny tracks for decades.
The miniature duplicates - exact right down to the paint shades and box car numbers - were created by model manufacturers who paid no licensing fees for use of the logos.
Until now.
Union Pacific Railroad has started licensing and charging manufacturers for use of its logo or the logos of railroads it has purchased over the years. The railroad's brand-awareness program aims to land the logos on a wider range of merchandise, from clothing and lunchboxes to mugs and plates, resulting in significant revenue.
That means model makers must pay, too.
For the rest, Union Pacific Railroad
Thanks, Fred!
Top 15 TV Shows
Basic Cable
Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Dec. 15-21. Each ratings point represents 1,084,000 households. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses.
1. NFL Football: Denver vs. Indianapolis (Sunday, 8:28 p.m.), ESPN, 7.1, 7.69 million homes.
2. NFL Football: New England vs. N.Y. Jets (Saturday, 8:28 p.m.), ESPN, 4.1, 4.48 million homes.
3. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.3, 3.57 million homes.
4. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.1, 3.36 million homes.
5. "NFL Prime Time" (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), ESPN, 3.1, 3.32 million homes.
6. "WWE Raw Zone" (Monday, 10 p.m.), Spike, 3.0, 3.22 million homes.
7. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.8, 3.08 million homes.
8. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Thursday, 5 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.8, 3.05 million homes.
9. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.8, 2.99 million homes.
10. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Sunday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.7, 2.98 million homes.
11. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.7, 2.93 million homes.
12. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), Spike, 2.7, 2.91 million homes.
13. "Fairly Odd Parents" (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.86 million homes.
14. "Sportscenter" (Sunday, 11:32 p.m.), ESPN, 2.5, 2.75 million homes.
15. "Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius" (Saturday, 11 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.5, 2.7 million homes.
Basic Cable
An Indian man walks near a sand sculpture of captured Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, at a beach in Puri, in the eastern Indian city of Orissa, December 26, 2003.
Photo by Sanjib Mukherjee
'The Osbournes'
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