DAVID SHUMWAY: Where Have All the Rock Stars Gone? (chronicle.com)
James Brown's death last December was a much more pointed, and poignant, marker of the changing role of popular music in American culture than the current exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love. (chronicle.com)
Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Making up time for doing nothing (jewishworldreview.com)
Q: I work for a consulting company. Most of the time I have nothing to do. Since our main client is the government, we have to fill out time sheets. I am allowed to make up time if I have to. My question is: how do I make up time for doing nothing? If I leave an hour early one day, do I have to stay longer the next day doing nothing?
From the opening scene the "Guy" (Glen Hansard from the band the "Frames") is playing guitar and singing on a street corner for coins when a whacked out dude steals his guitar case and the Guy has to chase him down, get his money back and then give the sot a couple of coins to boot. The Guy is an Irish working class busker who helps his dad repair vacuum cleaners. One day a young "Girl" (Markéta Irglová) who sells roses on the street stops to listen to one of his songs then throws 10 cents into his case…she asks him if he wrote the song…was it about his girlfriend…did she leave him…is he upset…YES he says.
Well the "Guy" and the "Girl" have an innocent cup of tea and talk…she's 17 and from the Czech Republic…and used to play piano…and writes a little….
So the Guy takes the Girl to a little music store with a piano and when the two sit down and spontaneously sing a song together…here is where you will fall in love with these characters…the innocent simplicity of singing and harmonizing is so refreshing…you almost feel that you are seeing a genuine encounter in a music store in Dublin. The story only gets better and more poignant as we find out that The Guy really does miss the sweetheart he broke up with and the Girl left a husband in the Czech Republic and brought her 2 year old daughter to Dublin with her own mom…..and here for a moment, these two people get to share the healing power of music as they practice and play and write and sing together and finally get a chance to record.
I can't tell you how this lovely little film ends because it is so worth the joyful journey that takes you to the life embracing conclusion…suffice is to say, that if you miss this magical movie, it will be your great loss !
Purple Gene gives "Once" 10 totally tearful tissues out of 10 for being a beautiful breath of fresh air filled with sweet songs. (Rotten Tomatoes gave "Once" 97 %).
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a RERUN'Without A Trace', then a RERUN'Cold Case', followed by a RERUN'Without A Trace'.
NBC opens the night with a 2-hour 'Dateline', followed by a RERUN'Friday Night Lights', then a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
ABC begins the night with a FRESH'Fast Cars & Superstars', followed by a RERUN'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then a RERUN'Desperate Housewives', followed by a RERUN'Brothers & Sisters'.
The CW offers an old 'Reba', followed by another old 'Reba', then a RERUN'7th Heaven', followed by a RERUN'Supernatural'.
Faux has a RERUN'King Of The Hill', followed by a FRESH'The Loop', then a RERUN'Simpsons', followed by another FRESH'The Loop', then a RERUN'Family Guy', followed by yet another FRESH'The Loop'.
MY has has the movie 'Switching Channels', followed by the movie 'Love Thy Neighbor'.
A&E has 'Dallas SWAT', 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', 'Gene Simmons', another 'Gene Simmons', still another 'Gene Simmons', and yet another 'Gene Simmons'.
AMC offers the movie 'Braveheart', followed by the movie 'Dante's Peak', then the movie 'Volcano'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 3 Who Shot the Sheriff?;
[1:00 PM] The Gil Mayo Mysteries - Episode 4;
[2:00 PM] The Graham Norton Show - Ep 4 Louis Walsh and Jenny Eclair;
[3:00 PM] MI-5 - Ep 2 Looking After Our Own;
[4:00 PM] MI-5 - Ep 3 One Last Dance;
[5:00 PM] MI-5 - Ep 4 Traitor's Gate;
[6:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 3 Who Shot the Sheriff?;
[7:00 PM] Robin Hood - Ep 4 Parent Hood;
[8:00 PM] Four Weddings and a Funeral - Four Weddings and a Funeral;
[10:00 PM] Love Me, Love My Doll - Love Me, Love My Doll;
[11:00 PM] Four Weddings and a Funeral - Four Weddings and a Funeral;
[1:00 AM] Love Me, Love My Doll - Love Me, Love My Doll;
[2:00 AM] Robin Hood - Ep 4 Parent Hood;
[3:00 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 7 St. Leonards-On-Sea;
[3:30 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep. 8 Hull;
[4:00 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 7 Detling;
[4:30 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 8 Shepton Mallet;
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 23 Farrier;
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 24 Sharples;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News - BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has all 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' all night.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Zoolander', followed by the movie 'Not Another Teen Movie', then 'Mind Of Mencia', and 'South Park'.
FX has the movie 'The Green Mile', followed by 'Rescue Me'.
History has 'Ice Road Truckers', 'Modern Marvels', 'Gangland: Aryan Brotherhood', and a FRESH'Ice Road Truckers'.
IFC -
[06:25 AM] Primer;
[07:50 AM] Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie;
[09:45 AM] Man of the Century;
[11:10 AM] Bend It Like Beckham;
[01:05 PM] Primer;
[02:35 PM] Media Lab Results;
[02:45 PM] Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie;
[04:40 PM] IFC News Special;
[04:50 PM] Man of the Century;
[06:15 PM] Primer;
[07:45 PM] Reefer Madness;
[09:00 PM] Intermission;
[10:45 PM] Quiet Cool;
[12:15 AM] The Million Dollar Hotel;
[02:20 AM] Media Lab Results;
[02:30 AM] Intermission;
[04:20 AM] Quiet Cool;
[05:45 AM] Reefer Madness. (ALL TIMES EDT)
SciFi has the movie 'From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter', followed by the movie 'End Of Days'.
Sundance -
[05:00 AM] Slut;
[06:00 AM] The Best of Secter & the Rest of Secter;
[07:00 AM] It's All Gone Pete Tong;
[08:00 AM] A Man's Gotta Do;
[10:00 AM] Open City;
[12:00 PM] Bad Behaviour;
[01:00 PM] The Best of Secter & the Rest of Secter;
[02:00 PM] Mercy;
[03:00 PM] Paper or Plastic?;
[03:00 PM] Dead in the Water;
[04:00 PM] Paper or Plastic?;
[05:00 PM] Koenig's Sphere;
[06:00 PM] Girls Town;
[07:00 PM] Janice Beard: 45 Words Per Minute;
[09:00 PM] John Mayer, Norah Jones & Richard Ashcroft;
[10:00 PM] High Art;
[11:00 PM] Stronger;
[12:00 AM] Vital;
[01:00 AM] Before the Rain;
[03:00 AM] Mercy;
[03:00 AM] Walker;
[05:00 AM] Dark Water. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Actor and singer Henry Rollins, left and actress Janeane Garofalo arrive at the premiere of 'Ratatouille,' Friday, June 22, 2007, in Hollywood area of Los Angeles.
Photo by Gus Ruelas
To writer Laura Albert, her alter ego was a psychological necessity, but to jurors, the fictitious male prostitute JT LeRoy was a fraud. A Manhattan jury decided Friday that Albert had defrauded a production company that bought the movie rights to an autobiographical novel marketed as being based on LeRoy's life.
The federal jury, after a short deliberation, awarded $116,500 to Antidote International Films Inc.
The San Francisco author, who went to strange lengths to hide her identity behind the nonexistent LeRoy, condemned the jury's decision, saying it had ominous implications for artists.
Actors Billy Crystal, left, and Robin Williams watch as the New York Yankees play the San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain in a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, June 22, 2007.
Photo by Jeff Chiu
Actress Cameron Diaz appears to have committed a major fashion faux pas in Peru. The voice of Princess Fiona in the animated "Shrek" films may have inadvertently offended Peruvians who suffered decades of violence from a Maoist guerrilla insurgency by touring here Friday with a bag emblazoned with one of Mao Zedong's favorite political slogans.
While explored the Inca city of Machu Picchu high in Peru's Andes, Diaz wore over her shoulder an olive green messenger bag emblazoned with a red star and the words "Serve the People" printed in Chinese on the flap, perhaps Chinese Communist leader Mao's most famous political slogan.
While the bags are marketed as trendy fashion accessories in some world capitals, the phrase has particular resonance in Peru, where the Maoist Shining Path insurgency brought Peru to edge of chaos in the 1980s and early 1990s with a campaign of massacres, assassinations and bombings.
Producers on Fox's "24" are contemplating a female president on the show next season, a decision that could foreshadow real-life events if Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic presidential nod.
The real-time thriller has been popular among Washington's elite, including former president Bill Clinton. He recently said it was one of his favorite shows "even though an uber-right-wing guy writes it." He was referring to "24" co-creator Joel Surnow, an outspoken Republican.
Sources stressed that no final decision has been made on the role of the president next season and that the "24" creative team ultimately might opt to go in another direction.
Fade to black? Not a chance for fans of "The Sopranos." Almost two weeks after the series finale, the addiction to the show seems stronger than ever, with legions of fans making a journey to Jersey to see real-life remnants of the hit TV mob drama.
For many, their obsession starts at the place where the series ended: Business is booming at the diner where lead character Tony Soprano sat with his family in the controversial series finale.
Fans not only want to eat at Holsten's (actually an ice cream parlor in Bloomfield), they want to sit in the same booth where Tony, the fictional New Jersey mob boss, played the Journey song, "Don't Stop Believin'."
Some fans are flocking to a "Sopranos"-themed bus tour. With 47 sites, it's one way fans can still connect with the show. The cost is $42 per person, which includes a cannoli (a nod to "The Godfather"). Afternoon tours for the next two weekends are already sold out.
US singer Liza Minnelli holds the Mangueira flag as she visits the Mangueira samba school during her tour of Rio de Janeiro, Friday, June 22, 2007.
Photo by Ricardo Moraes
Marion "Suge" Knight's seven-bedroom, 9 1/2-bath home has been placed on the market for $6.2 million, part of the rap music mogul's financial overhaul under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The 8,272-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion was built in 2001 and is located on a 6.79-acre lot in the hills above the Pacific Ocean. It has access to two beaches and is being sold with an additional 2.11 acres of land.
The gated property, which includes a pool and tennis courts, was listed earlier this month by Coldwell Banker.
An Internet listing notes that the home is being sold "as is," and its sale is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court.
The $25,000 a month in child support and household expenses that rapper 50 Cent pays to the mother of his 10-year-old son is not enough, says the boy's mother, Shaniqua Tompkins.
The parents of young Marquise Jackson are wrangling over the issue in family court in this Long Island community, where 50 Cent arrived Friday in an armored SUV equipped with a satellite dish.
Closed-door hearings on the child-support case are scheduled to continue this coming week.
American jazz and fusion guitarist Al Di Meola speaks to his fans before autographing his new record in Budapest, Saturday, 23 June 2007. The world-famous musician will give a concert Saturday night.
Photo by Peter Kollanyi
Paris Hilton plans to appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday night, a day after she's scheduled to be released from jail, a spokeswoman for King said Saturday. "We do have Paris on Wednesday," said the show's spokeswoman, Bridget Leininger. "She'll do the whole hour."
CNN's announcement followed competition for the interview between ABC and NBC that ended Friday with both networks saying they were no longer interested. Both networks were embarrassed by reports that they were willing to pay the Hilton family for materials related to an interview. CBS said it has never pursued the interview.
Iggy Pop performs with his band the Stooges on the second day of the three-day-long Glastonbury music festival in Glastonbury, England, Saturday, June 23, 2007.
Photo by Jon Super
Ronald Leung thought he would never see his beloved 1956 Ford Thunderbird again after it was stolen from his auto-repair shop in downtown Palo Alto in 1976. But the 59-year-old car aficionado will soon be reunited with the classic car he treasured as a young man after police called Thursday and told him the T-bird had been found in Southern California.
"I was very shocked," said Leung, a retired sheriff's deputy who runs a car-rental business in Milpitas. "After 31 years, I thought that car was long-gone history, like the Roman Empire."
The California Highway Patrol recovered the collectible - still in excellent condition - after a Ventura County woman tried to register it after buying the car on eBay from an Ohio seller. She contacted the CHP because the vehicle identification number listed on the car's title didn't exist in the California Department of Motor Vehicles registry.
More than 800 of them have lost an arm, a leg, fingers or toes. More than 100 are blind. Dozens need tubes and machines to keep them alive. Hundreds are disfigured by burns, and thousands have brain injuries and mangled minds.
These are America's war wounded, a toll that has received less attention than the 3,500 troops killed in Iraq. Depending on how you count them, they number between 35,000 and 53,000.
More of them are coming home, with injuries of a scope and magnitude the government did not predict and is now struggling to treat.
"If we left Iraq tomorrow, we would have the legacy of all these people for many years to come," said Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and an adviser to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "The military simply wasn't prepared for its own success" at keeping severely wounded soldiers alive, he said.
The woman with long, dark hair looks yearningly at the gold necklace in the window of a jewelry store. She fixates on the bling. There's some kind of disruption in the atmosphere. And then, the necklace is draped around her neck.
The scenes unfold in "The Secret," a 90-minute-long DVD advocating the power of positive thinking that has sold 2 million copies. More than 5.2 million copies of the book of the same name are in print.
While "The Secret" has become a pop culture phenomenon, it also has drawn critics who are not quiet about labeling the movement a fad, embarrassingly materialistic or the latest example of an American propensity of wanting something for nothing.
Some medical professionals suggest it could even lead to a blame-the-victim mentality and actually be dangerous to those suffering from serious illness or mental disorders.
Hank Medress, whose vocals with the doo wop group the Tokens helped propel their irrepressible single "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to the top of the charts and who produced hits with other groups, has died of lung cancer. He was 68.
He was a teenager at Brooklyn's Lincoln High School when he launched his vocal quartet in 1955 with Neil Sedaka, performing as the Linc-Tones. When Sedaka departed for a successful solo career, lead singer Jay Siegel joined brothers Mitch and Phil Margo and Medress to become the Tokens.
The band had other minor Top 40 hits, including "I Hear the Trumpets Blow" in 1966 and "Portrait of My Love" in 1967 - but never recaptured the success of its enduring single.
After splitting with the Tokens in the 1970s, Medress worked with a record company executive named Tony Orlando, persuading him to handle vocals on "Knock Three Times" - a move that catapulted the song into pop history. Medress and production partner Dave Appell also produced the Orlando and Dawn hit "Candida."
In the 1980s, Medress helped former New York Dolls lead singer David Johansen reinvent himself as lounge lizard hipster Buster Poindexter, producing his debut album and the single "Hot, Hot, Hot."
From 1990-92, he served as president of EMI Music Publishing Canada. More recently, he worked as a consultant to Sound Exchange, a nonprofit group helping musicians collect royalties.
He was survived by four children and two grandchildren.
Fireworks explode over Tian Tan Buddha, Asia's largest bronze seated Buddha, at Po Lin Monastery on Hong Kong's Lantau island June 23, 2007. The event is part of the celebrations for the upcoming 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to China.
Photo by Bobby Yip
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