Reader Review
'That 80's Show'
Rader Response
Re: Absence Of Music
Your recent posting about the absence of folk/rock/alternative music in any activist manner, as happened in the past,
(other than flag-waving), reminded me of these lyrics from Buffalo Springfield:
There's something happening here.
What it is ain't exactly clear.
There's a man with a gun over there,
Telling me, I got to beware.
I think it's time we stop, children,
What's that sound?
Everybody look what's going round!
~~ Larry
Reader Response
Star Trek Enterprise
I just wanted to add my comments about Wednesday's Enterprise episode. This
was the first one I actually liked. Some of the others have had good ideas,
good fights, etc., and I enjoy the interaction among the characters, but
thereıs too much that contradicts the ³bible² from the original series (such
as NCC-1701 was the first starship named Enterprise, the first captain ever
of a starship named Enterprise was Robert T. April, etc., not to mention the
episode where the human from the future comes back and violates the Prime
Directive by showing Archer future technology and letting some of it fall
into their hands).
The overall theme of creating the Prime Directive was very good. It reminded
me of one of the early ST:TNG episodes in which Picard, against the wishes
of his crew, refused to save a society that was composed of drug addicts
because doing so would violate the Prime Directive. It was a horrible
decision but the only one that did not violate the Prime Directive. Kirk, of
course, would have saved them without a thought; the Prime Directive barely
applied to him.
But my comment was intended for the Vulcan costume of Subcommander TıPal. In
the original series, Lieutenant Commander (later promoted to Commander)
Spock is the first Vulcan who graduates from Starfleet Academy and thus the
first to wear the ugly Starfleet uniform (which was OK in the original
series but pretty ugly in all the movies and most of the other series).
TıPal is a last-second add-on to the crew, from a group of Vulcans that is
supposed to be watching the humans on Earth. She is wearing traditional
Vulcan robes (which, incidentally, reduce the effect of Jolene Blalockıs
enormous breasts), and acts as a relatively immature Vulcan scientist who
originally expected to be an overseer, yet is now an associate and
second-in-command, to humans would. I believe the inter-species interactions
are realistic, and one of the reasons I keep watching despite my inability
to accept Scott Bakula as a starship captain.
~~ Russell K
'Bob Woodward vs. John Belushi and Me'
Michael Dare
Michael Dare - 'The Life and Death of Captain Preemo'
More From 'The Worried Shrimp'
The Enron Deal...
The Enron Deal...
~~ The Worried Shrimp
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Decided to watch 'Dr. No' on ABC. Well, I tried. If the audio sounded so over-driven on
my cheesy mono-set, it must have been hell for a real TV. And then there were the Jim Belushi inserts.
What a waste of a file-server.
On the other hand, seeing Sir Sean at his prime took me back to my favorite Sean Connery movie -
ZARDOZ!
For a great review, some pictures, sounds & video clips, of ZARDOZ, visit
www.badmovies.org/movies/zardoz/index.html
Quoting:
''Where can you find Sean Connery running around in a loincloth, worshipping a HUGE FLYING STONE HEAD, being hounded by naked
women, and battling immortals? The seventies baby, the seventies... ''
Besides, Sean Connery looks pretty good in a wedding dress...
Also watched the rerun of SNL, with Gwyneth Paltrow hosting. At the open, she pulled one of the regulars, Maya Rudolph
forward as a childhood pal. Maya is the daughter of the late, great Minnie Ripperton!
Tonight, Sunday, CBS has '60 Minutes', a fresh 'Max Bickford', with the always-fabulous
Eli Wallach as Max's dad with cancer. Of course, it's really all about Max. It's followed by Kathy Bates' turn
to portray a mentally fragile character in a TV-movie, 'My Sister's Keeper'.
NBC has a fresh 'Dateline', 'Weakest Link' (Olympic winners edition), 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent',
and a rerun 'Third Watch'.
ABC starts the evening with the movie 'Mouse Hunt', followed by the made-for-TV 'Rose Red'.
Faux has fresh 'The Simpsons', 'Malcolm In The Middle' & 'X-Files'.
The WB has an all fresh night, with 'Jamie Kennedy', 'Nikki', 'Off Centre', and 'For Your Love'.
UPN repeats 'Enterprise'
On 'Biography' on A & E is George Lucas: Creating An Empire.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Quote Of The Day
Pete Says
I'm so old I remember when there were some Republicans who weren't drooling fascists.
~~ Pete Hisey
The official BartCop Astrologer, Geneva, always has something interesting to read!
Launching New Tour
Robert Schimmel
Comic Robert Schimmel is dead serious when it comes to cancer. Schimmel, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma
in 2000, had to scrap his Fox sitcom and put his successful stand-up career on hold to undergo rigorous treatments. But
now that the disease is in remission, Schimmel has launched a new tour - complete with 25 minutes of cancer jokes - and
is using his Web site to educate his fans. "My message to people is, knowledge is power," Schimmel says. "And you have
to be informed to fight your disease."
Robert Schimmel
Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee
Paul & Mick, Together
Former Beatle Paul McCartney and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger will perform together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's
Golden Jubilee, marking her 50-year reign, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.
The paper said they will create the one of the world's greatest supergroups with former Genesis drummer Phil Collins
in a one-off concert on June 3. The queen came to the throne 50 years ago next Wednesday on the death of her father, King George VI.
Soul legends Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder will be among the others performing before all senior members of the
Royal Family and 12,000 people, the Telegraph reported.
It said it would be the first time Jagger and McCartney have performed together on stage after 40 years of
rivalry in the music business.
The event is thought to be the brainchild of legendary former Beatles producer Sir George Martin, who will be working with
the American producer Phil Ramone. No venue was given.
The BBC is expected to broadcast the event live.
Paul & Mick, Together
Still Working Steady At 85
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine, who turned 85 on Thursday, refuses to slow down.
``He's still indefatigable. He acts about 16,'' Borgnine's spokesman, Harry Flynn, said of the burly actor
who won an Oscar for the 1955 film ``Marty.''
``Don't call and say, `Happy birthday.' Call and say you've got a job'' to offer is Borgnine's attitude, Flynn said.
Ernest Borgnine
BC Entertainment Favorite Link
Not A Parody
Draping History
By Beverley Lumpkin
''About three weeks ago, I received a tip. The attorney general was fed up with having his picture taken during
events in the Great Hall in front of semi-nude statues.
He had ordered massive draperies to conceal the offending figures. But initially not only could the story not
be confirmed it was strongly denied.
....The draperies have in fact been ordered. Minnie Lou and
her mate now can only be imagined. The draperies installed last week at a cost of just over $8,000.
So now it appears that rather than making an occasional appearance, the draperies are here to stay unless and until
someone has the temerity to request an event without them.''
To read the whole story, john & Minnie Lou
Can we say 'Repressed', Dr. Freud?
Working On Saturday
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference with New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial Saturday,
Jan. 26, 2002, in New York. The U.S. Conference of Mayors ended its session Saturday with a tour of the World
Trade Center disaster site, followed by a luncheon with Sen. Clinton.
Photo by Stephen Cherin
Old Favorite
Fun Link
www.rayberry.com/toons/index.html
Liberal Radio !
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
This weekend, taxes and American Taliban on Erin Hart on 710 KIRO, Jan. 19th & 20th, 9 p to 1 a PST
Special Guest on the Sunday show! Join 710 KIRO film critic Tom Tangney and Erin Hart as we take on the Golden Globes!
On the National Front looks like we will talk about John Walker's charges--no treason but conspiring to kill U.S.
Soldiers and support terrorists; the latest on Enron and Arthur Andersen--why won't the White House report
what calls concerned Enron recently?
Erin Hart at regulation time (9 pm to 1 am [pst] Sat & Sun ) on www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com (It's
a browser thing).
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's homepage, http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com
'An Attractive Target'?
Leona Helmsley
A Manhattan man says in a $5 million lawsuit that "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley fired him on his first day working
for her because he is gay.
Michael Ward was dismissed from his management job at the Helmsley Hotel on Aug. 20, after Helmsley somehow discovered
his sexual orientation, said his lawyer, Catherine Paszkowska.
Ward, who'd quit his job at the Mayflower Hotel to work for Helmsley, says the firing came after he met with Helmsley
and told his supervisor he was gay.
The supervisor - who is also gay - was also fired that day, the lawsuit says. But Helmsley lawyer Robert Costello
said the supervisor was eventually hired back.
Helmsley, 81, is fighting three other bias-related suits. "She's an attractive target for nuisance suits," Costello said.
Leona Helmsley
'Part Minnesotan, Part West Coast
Kristi Yamaguchi
Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi will have a homecoming of sorts when ``Target Stars on Ice'' glides into town Tuesday.
For part of the year, the figure skater lives in central Minnesota, near the resort town of Brainerd.
``It's a world away from the busyness of California,'' said Yamaguchi, who also has a condo in San Francisco.
``When I'm at the lake during the summer, I start getting that Minnesota accent down. I guess I'm part
Minnesotan, part West Coast.''
Kristi Yamaguchi
Like, Wow
Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling is getting serious.
The actress best known for spending a decade in high school on "Beverly Hills 90210," produced by her dad, Aaron
Spelling, is starring in "Maybe Baby, It's You," a play about the agony and the ecstasy of searching for a soul
mate that features 11 separate skits.
"I was like, wow, how could any actor pass this up?" Spelling said.
Tori Spelling
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
''In the Bedroom''
Dominick Dunne
The movie "In the Bedroom" struck a chord with Dominick Dunne, whose daughter was killed in a similar manner as Sissy
Spacek's son in the film. The Vanity Fair diarist had a special screening Thursday night. Spacek's character eventually
kills her son's murderer. "We considered doing the same thing," Dunne told Roger Friedman of Foxnews.com. "But of course
we didn't do it." Dunne said the movie depicted the family's frustration and rage with the criminal justice system "exactly right."
''In the Bedroom''
``Shoot or Be Shot''
Bill & Harry
William Shatner and Harry Hamlin found that making an independent film is a piece of cake.
Promoting it is the challenge.
The two actors were in the Twin Cities Friday for the premiere of the farce ``Shoot or Be Shot,'' a parody of Hollywood.
Their day started around 6 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. The schedule included a series of radio, TV and newspaper
interviews and public appearances, delayed repeatedly by fans.
``This is not a big-budget movie,'' said Hamlin. ``We're doing it because we love the story, and we love the
characters. We love the movie.''
``Shoot or Be Shot''
A Very Special Bonus
From BartCop
Special Bonus From BartCop
New New Mexico Film Commission?
Shirley & Marsha
Shirley MacLaine and Marsha Mason, neighbors in northern New Mexico, are costarring in a lobbying effort to boost
their state's film industry.
Oscar winner MacLaine, and Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Mason, live outside the small community of Abiquiu.
So what's so special about New Mexico?
``I think it's got to do with the altitude. I think it's got to do with the extraordinary environment. I think it's
got to do with the crystals in the ground, to tell you the truth,'' said MacLaine, who wrote about her beliefs in
spiritualism and reincarnation in the book ``Out on a Limb'' in 1983.
Shirley & Marsha
Updated (Nearly) Daily!
BartCop TV!
``Stone Soup''
Jan Eliot
Val Stone has been entertaining a lot of funny guests lately.
The character from the syndicated comic strip ``Stone Soup'' hosted a women's book club this week. Guests included
Elly of ``For Better of For Worse,'' Rose of ``Rose is Rose,'' Alice of ``Dilbert,'' and Jeremy's mom, Connie
Duncan, from the strip ``Zits.''
``Stone Soup'' creator Jan Eliot said she began including the familiar faces from other comic strips to emphasize
strong female characters.
Eliot said the idea came when ``Zits'' author Jerry Scott told her his strip was more widely syndicated because
it's about a teen-age boy, ``and most editors are men and find strips about boys more interesting.''
``What he was saying, in a way, is if you have more male interest in your strip, you get more attention. But I
wanted to do the opposite, and go for the female,'' she said.
Jan Eliot
U.S. Conference of Mayors
Bev In NYC
Long Beach California Police Chief Jerome Lance (L) points to damaged building surrounding the World Trade Center
site with Long Beach Mayor Beverly O' Neil, January 26, 2002, as members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors tour
the site of the September 11 attacks in New York.
Photo by Stephen Cherin
Screen Actors Guild, Version 2.0
Gilbert vs Harper
Version 2.0 of the Screen Actors Guild's election campaign has launched with a role reversal: Valerie Harper is challenging
incumbent president Melissa Gilbert to a debate.
Harper had refused Gilbert's challenge during the campaign that led up to the Nov. 2 poll, contending that debating
would create negative publicity for the union. Gilbert then hammered Harper, who spent much of the campaign performing
on Broadway, over the refusal and won the election by nearly 1,600 votes (45.3 percent of the nearly 28,000 ballots
cast vs 39.4 percent for Harper).
Harper, in a letter to Gilbert, cited the bitter tone of the campaign and the bungling of the election in explaining the debate query.
When Harper refused to debate last summer, Gilbert said in response, ``It would be inappropriate for us as candidates
to expect the membership to make an informed decision about who to vote for, for the office of president of the Screen
Actors Guild without giving them the opportunity to hear the candidates debate and discuss the issues in a setting that
is more conducive to free-flowing discussion.''
Gilbert vs Harper
New Energy Source?
Jasker Power System
It has been a pipe-dream of inventors since Leonardo da Vinci, but has the secret of free energy now been found in Ireland?
A cold stone house on a wind-swept Irish hillside may seem an unlikely setting for the birthplace of such an epoch-making
discovery, but it is here that an Irish inventor says he has developed a machine that will do no less than change the world.
In a demonstration for Reuters, a prototype -- roughly the size of a dishwasher -- was run for around 10 minutes using four
12-volt car batteries as an initial power source.
Emitting a steady motorized hum, the machine powered three 100-watt light bulbs for the duration.
A multimeter reading of the batteries' voltage before the device started up showed a total of 48.9 volts. When it was switched
off, a second reading showed 51.2 volts, indicating that, somehow, they had been reimbursed.
The machine went on to run for around two hours while photographs were taken, with no diminution in the brightness of the
light bulbs, which remained lit during a short power cut.
If the Jasker men really are onto something, it could be the most important Irish invention since Guinness.
Jasker Power System
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