Steve Knopper: Dave Matthews Band had to deal with a tragic loss (Newsday)
Last August, just before the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Dave Matthews opened a rally for then-Sen. Barack Obama at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The packed crowd was in a celebratory mood, and Tim Kaine, Democratic governor of Matthews' home state, Virginia, promised the veteran rock star would "keep climbing with us!"
roger ebert's journal: The light in the tunnel
This is the best of times and the worst of times for the kinds of films we here in this blog find ourselves seeking. I'm talking about good independent films--which usually means films financed, released and marketed outside the big distribution channels. That's a vague category which might also include foreign films, documentaries and classic revivals. These are the films where the future of film as an art form resides.
Roger Ebert: Orphan (Rated R, 3 1/2 stars)
After seeing "Orphan," I now realize that Damien of "The Omen" was a model child. The Demon Seed was a bumper crop. Rosemary would have been happy to have this baby. Here is a shamelessly effective horror film based on the most diabolical of movie malefactors, a child.
Newspapers are in major trouble. Some notable dailies such as The Rocky Mountain News, Cincinnati Post and Baltimore Examiner have folded completely. Others such as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and my home town paper, The Bay City Times, among others, have adopted a hybrid on-line only and/or partial printing scheme trying to survive. All papers are losing money hand over fist, laying off workers and renegotiating labor contracts. (newspaperdeathwatch.com)
Everyone blames the Internet and 24/7 cable news availability.
Do you subscribe to or otherwise pay for and read hard copy newspapers?
Electronic television was first successfully demonstrated in San Francisco on Sept. 7, 1927. The system was designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a 21-year-old inventor who had lived in a house without electricity until he was 14. While still in high school, Farnsworth had begun to conceive of a system that could capture moving images in a form that could be coded onto radio waves and then transformed back into a picture on a screen. Boris Rosing in Russia had conducted some crude experiments in transmitting images 16 years before Farnsworth's first success. Also, a mechanical television system, which scanned images using a rotating disk with holes arranged in a spiral pattern, had been demonstrated by John Logie Baird in England and Charles Francis Jenkins in the United States earlier in the 1920s. However, Farnsworth's invention, which scanned images with a beam of electrons, is the direct ancestor of modern television. The first image he transmitted on it was a simple line. Soon he aimed his primitive camera at a dollar sign because an investor had asked, "When are we going to see some dollars in this thing, Farnsworth?"
Source
Marian the Teacher was first, correct, and provided a wonderful link with:
The First Picture
Leo wrote:
According to Wikipedia, "On September 7, 1927, Philo Farnsworth's Image Dissector camera tube transmitted its first image, a simple straight line, at his laboratory at 202 Green Street in San Francisco."
Charlie said:
I would think this is a debatable subject, but if we credit Mr. Farnsworth, in 1927 he transmitted a simple straight line. This was probably more interesting than most of the stuff on today.
Alan J answered:
Herbert Hoover
Sally said:
I will tell you the story my father used to tell me about early TV. The man he credited as the inventor of the, "Television System" was Philo Farnsworth, a very young man (like 20 years old). By coincidence, we always had a "Philco" radio in our home (it received 'short-wave' too) and my father was convinced that it was named after Farnsworth. But anyhow, my dad said people were awestruck when they learned that he had sent his first image over the, "newfangled television" - the first image he transmitted on it was a simple line! Rumor had it, soon after he aimed his primitive camera at a huge dollar sign because an investor had asked, "When are we going to see some dollars in this thing, Farnsworth?"
My father always held the invention of the television as one of the great inventions of all time. Less than 100 years ago, how amazingly unsophisticated people were...
I don't know how true is this story, I had forgotten all about it until your question today...
PS: Now I have to work on a good, Snarky reply for B2BB's "Poll" question - I think it's a great one this week!!
MAM answered:
In the United States, the first image ever to appear on TV was a horizontal line in 1927. The following year, Philo T. Farnsworth, showed the image of a black triangle. His investors asked him when they would see some dollars from his project, so in his demonstration to them, he broadcast a slide of a dollar sign.
And, Joe S replied:
This is the best I can come up with. From Wikipedia-
In parallel, Herbert E. Ives of Bell Labs gave another dramatic demonstration of low-frame-rate television on April 7, 1927, when he field tested reflected-light television systems using small-scale (2 by 2.5 inches) and large-scale (24 by 30 inches) viewing screens over a wire link from Washington to New York City, and over-the-air broadcast from Whippany, New Jersey. The subjects, who included Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, were illuminated by a flying-spot scanner beam that was scanned by a 50-aperture disk at a rate of 16 pictures per minute (about one picture every 4 seconds).
Sunday will be your 730th Blogoversrary! What an accomplishment. I remember when you made your trip to PA and BC Entertainment went dark for several days. My granddaughter from Washington State was visiting at the time, and I haven't seen her since!
Happy Blogoversary
MAM
Thanks, Marianne!
Didn't know if anyone would notice.
"New research suggests that higher temperatures can have a damaging effect on the economies of poor countries. The study, by economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that in years with higher temperatures, poor countries experienced significantly slower economic growth."
No surprises there, heat destroys, cold preserves. If you want to keep something fresh, do you put it in the oven, or the refrigerator? People in the temperate zones, where its hot most of the time, are overthrowing their governments, all of the time. People, when they are in warm climates, are, for the most part, unhappy, because their brains are cooking. When was the last time you have heard of Eskimos overthrowing a government? Never, I'd say. More good ideas and concepts come out of the colder climates, in my opinion.
Living in a walk-in cooler, until summers over,
Uncle Sky
Thanks, Uncle Sky!
Long time ago, my truck had a flat tire about an hour outside Tok, AK, and that's when I discovered Cal Worthington's Anchorage lot put a jack for a Toyota in my
3/4 ton Ford.
There wasn't much traffic, and finally an older woman pulled over and surveyed the situation. She then mussed up her hair, pulled her clothes awry, and moved to the edge of the road.
When a vehicle approached she feigned a heart attack, and they stopped.
Thankfully, it was a large truck with a functioning jack, and all was made well.
When we were getting ready to leave, I thanked her and asked where she learned that trick.
She explained "This is Alaska, and we stop to help, just thought I'd add a little insurance. We all know it might be me next time. Besides, with our weather, we don't worry much about Charlie Manson."
CBS starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Big Brother 11', then a RERUN'Cold Case', then a RERUN'Without A Trace'.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', followed by a FRESH'Merlin', then the FRESH made-for-TV-movie 'The Storm'.
ABC begins the night with a RERUN'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a RERUN'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition', then a RERUN'Desperate Housewives'.
The CW offers a FRESH'Easy Money', followed by the movie 'The Cutting Edge 3: Changing The Dream'.
Faux has a RERUN'Til Death', followed by a RERUN'American Dad', then the movie 'Zorro'.
MY has an old 'Raymond', followed by an old 'House', then another old 'House'.
A&E has 'Gene Simmons', another 'Gene Simmons', still another 'Gene Simmons', yet another 'Gene Simmons', still another 'Gene Simmons', followed by a FRESH'Hammertime', then another FRESH'Hammertime'.
AMC offers the movie 'Dances With Wolves', followed by the movie 'For Love Of The Game', then the movie 'For The Love Of The Game', again.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Primeval - Episode 10
[1:00 PM] Torchwood: Inside the Hub
[1:45 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth (75) - Episode 1
[3:00 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth (75) - Episode 2
[4:15 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth (75) - Episode 3
[5:30 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth - Episode 4
[6:45 PM] Torchwood: Children of Earth) - Episode 5
[8:00 PM] Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead - Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead
[9:15 PM] Being Human - Episode 1
[10:30 PM] Being Human Unearthed - Being Human Unearthed
[11:00 PM] Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead - Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead
[12:15 AM] Being Human - Episode 1
[1:30 AM] Being Human Unearthed - Being Human Unearthed
[2:00 AM] Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead - Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead
[3:15 AM] Being Human - Episode 1
[4:30 AM] Being Human Unearthed - Being Human Unearthed
[5:00 AM] BBC World News
[6:00 AM] BBC World News (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', another 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', 'Kathy Griffin: Everybody Can Suck It', and 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Van Wilder 2: The Rise Of Taj', followed by 'South Park Imaginationland: The Trilogy'.
FX has the movie 'Rocky Balboa', followed by the movie 'The Departed'.
History has 'Ice Road Truckers', another 'Ice Road Truckers', followed by a FRESH'Ice Road Truckers', then a FRESH'Pawn Stars', followed by another FRESH'Pawn Stars'.
IFC -
[6:05 AM] Trauma
[7:45 AM] At the End of the Sentence
[8:00 AM] Miller's Crossing
[10:00 AM] Ghajini
[1:05 PM] The Fighting Cholitas
[1:30 PM] Let Him Have It
[3:30 PM] Miller's Crossing
[5:30 PM] The Secret Agent
[7:05 PM] Assassination Tango
[9:00 PM] Platoon
[11:00 PM] Z Rock
[11:30 PM] Ideal
[12:00 AM] Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
[1:45 AM] The Whitest Kids U'Know
[2:00 AM] Z Rock
[2:30 AM] Ideal
[3:00 AM] Platoon
[5:00 AM] The Secret Agent (ALL TIMES EDT)
SyFy has the movie 'Saw', followed by the movie 'Saw II', then the movie 'Route 666'.
Sundance -
[04:30 AM] Paris Je T'aime
[07:35 AM] The World
[10:00 AM] The Lazy Environmentalist: Episode 6
[10:30 AM] Eco Trip: Episode 1
[12:20 PM] Tragic Story With A Happy Ending
[12:30 PM] Iconoclasts - Season 4: Archbishop Desmond Tutu + Sir Richard Branson
[01:30 PM] Noise (2007)
[03:20 PM] Binta and the Great Idea
[04:00 PM] My Winnipeg
[05:30 PM] Comedy Of Power
[07:20 PM] Tragic Story With A Happy Ending
[07:30 PM] Shotgun Stories
[09:00 PM] Spectacle: Tony Bennett
[10:00 PM] Volver
[11:00 PM] Garbage! The Revolution Starts At Home
[12:00 AM] J.S.A. - Joint Security Area
[02:00 AM] I Really Hate My Job
[03:30 AM] 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
[05:30 AM] My Winnipeg (ALL TIMES EDT)
(L-R) Actors Richard Benjamin, Leslie Ann Warren, Mel Brooks, Leonard Maltin, Teri Garr, Sid Ganis and Tracey Ullman attend an Academy Tribute to Mel Brooks at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California July 24, 2009.
Photo by Phil McCarten
U.S. rules governing television programing for children are to be reviewed in light of the proliferation of online videos and other technological changes.
U.S. lawmakers are also looking into whether the Children's Television Act, which requires broadcasters to air at least three hours per week of educational and informational programing for children, needs to be overhauled to reflect the current digital media market.
"The three-hour rule is only applied to broadcasters," Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller said at a hearing on Wednesday questioning the adequacy of the 1990 law. "Does this limitation make sense today?"
Gary Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop, said that, since 1990, consolidation in the industry has resulted in three companies -- Viacom Inc's Nickelodeon, Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc's Cartoon Network -- dominating programing for children ages 6 to 11.
"Consolidation has made it quite challenging for independent producers to emerge and prosper as the three maintain effective 'control' of the means of content and means of distribution," Knell said.
Filmmaker Spike Lee championed a free press Friday during a visit to Venezuela, where broadcasters are under pressure to avoid criticizing President Hugo Chavez's leftist government.
The director didn't directly refer to the dispute in Venezuela, but he said there are "no circumstances" under which news media should be silenced.
Visiting to screen his 1989 film "Do The Right Thing" and met with fans to discuss race relations, his career and the late Michael Jackson, Lee said he is "a firm believer in freedom of speech."
"It's my opinion that there are no circumstances where the media should be shut down," he said to loud applause. "I'm not talking about any country specifically, but globally."
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he was forced to give up on the social networking phenomenon Facebook after too many people wanted to be his friend.
Gates, the billionaire computer geek-turned-philanthropist who was honoured Saturday by India for his charity work, told an audience in New Delhi he had tried out Facebook but ended up with "10,000 people wanting to be my friends".
Gates, who remains Microsoft chairman, said he had trouble figuring out whether he "knew this person, did I not know this person".
"It was just way too much trouble so I gave it up," Gates told the business forum.
Katharina Wagner and her sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier (R) pose for the media before the opening of the Bayreuth Wagner opera festival outside the so-called Gruener Huegel (Green Hill) opera house in Bayreuth July 25, 2009.
Photo by Michael Dalder
"American Idol" executive producer/showrunner Ken Warwick has signed a three-year deal with the show's co-producer, FremantleMedia North America, to remain at the helm of television's top-rated series.
The pact, said to be well into the eight-figure range, is believed the richest for a reality-show showrunner.
It comes on the heels of another three-year deal -- a $45 million agreement inked recently by host Ryan Seacrest with "Idol" co-producer 19 Entertainment -- that broke a money record for a reality host.
Warwick has been on Fox's "Idol," created by Simon Fuller, since the show's first episode in 2000. He was co-showrunner for the first seven seasons alongside Nigel Lythgoe and became sole showrunner when Lythgoe left last summer.
The New York Post on Thursday defended its publication of photos from an illicitly filmed Internet video showing ESPN reporter Erin Andrews naked in a hotel room by accusing the sports network of having outed her.
ESPN on Wednesday said it was banning Post reporters from appearing on the company's programs because the newspaper published three photos from the video.
A newspaper spokeswoman declined to comment on the ban. She referred The Associated Press to an item on the Post's gossip page published Thursday that takes ESPN to task for allegedly outing Andrews.
"No one would have known that a sick voyeur had secretly videotaped ESPN reporter Erin Andrews nude in her hotel room, if the Mickey Mouse sports network hadn't sent a letter to an obscure Web site demanding that it take down its link to a fuzzy video of an unidentified blonde," the Post said in its popular "Page 6" column.
Prosecutors say a Hollywood executive bribed sheriff's officials and a jail worker with money and gifts that included a Cartier watch and Oakland Raiders tickets in exchange for preferential treatment for "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis while he was locked up last year.
Aaron Weinstein, a Hollywood video and marketing executive who is listed as an executive producer on some of Francis' projects, was charged with three bribery counts in a grand jury indictment made public in Reno on Friday.
He is accused of bribing two former Washoe County sheriff's officials and a jail worker with more than $12,000 and gifts - including Oakland Raiders tickets - in exchange for the favourable treatment of Francis while at the jail in 2007.
Weinstein, 45, of Woodland Hills, California, was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday.
"Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer is expected to attend the parole hearing for a man convicted of killing Grammer's sister in 1975.
Eighteen-year-old Karen Grammer was abducted on July 1, 1975, outside a Red Lobster restaurant after an attempted robbery. She was raped and stabbed in the throat and back.
Fifty-two-year-old Freddie Glenn, who is serving a life sentence in Karen Grammer's slaying, is eligible for parole.
A Department of Corrections spokeswoman says Grammer plans to attend Monday's hearing at the Limon Correctional Facility in Limon, about 90 miles southeast of Denver.
A dog demonstrates the use of the DoggieLoverDoll, a new sex doll for dogs presented for the first time in Brazil at the Pet South America fair, in Sao Paulo July 24, 2009. The doll's body, which comes in three sizes, includes a tube of K-9 lubricant.
Photo by Alex Almeida
Can Wal-Mart work its magic for yet another '70s rock act?
The retail giant's exclusive September 29 release of Foreigner's "Can't Slow Down" will be its first major exclusive since AC/DC's "Black Ice" in October. The album (Foreigner's first since 1995's "Mr. Moonlight") has much in common with Journey's 2008 Wal-Mart-only release, "Revelation." Like its predecessor, "Can't Slow Down" will be a three-disc set that features a CD of new material, a concert DVD and a best-of collection. But whereas "Revelation" included a CD of rerecorded Journey favorites, Foreigner remixed the band's original master recordings to make its hits sound more contemporary.
Perhaps most noticeable to longtime fans of both bands, each release features a replacement lead singer -- in Foreigner's case, Kelly Hansen, who takes the place of original frontman Lou Gramm.
Despite the absence of original Journey lead singer Steve Perry, "Revelation" sold 633,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In its debut week that ended June 8, 2008, it sold nearly 105,000 copies, good enough to reach No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart. "Black Ice" sold 2.1 million U.S. copies, including 784,000 in its debut week that ended October 26, 2008.
TV billionaire Jerry Seinfeld was so impressed bank bosses in Australia had the guts to ask him to appear in their new TV ads, he agreed to take part for a tiny fee.
The comic turns down dozens of TV and advertising requests, but agreed to appear in the new Greater Building Society Ltd commercial, after bank bigwigs approached him directly.
CEO Don Magin was stunned when Seinfeld, who earned £1.2 billion from writing and starring in his own longrunning sitcom, said yes.
Magin adds, "He was wonderful. He gave us enough material for two dozen ads, along with his OK to use it all. Jerry doesn't need the money. He did it because he thought it was fun.
A ruby-throated hummingbird is silhouetted against the afternoon light as it comes in for a landing on a feeder, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in Tallahassee, FLa.
Photo by Phil Coale
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
Do you have something to say?
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
answered:
