'Best of TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Patt Morrison: Bottled water suckers! (latimes.com)
You've been paying a huge premium for the same stuff that comes out of your faucet.
Gabe Kaplan: You'll let me do what? (latimes.com)
The Postmaster General's office, for instance, thought I was serious when I suggested I should be the first living person to grace a U.S. postage stamp. A reputable book publisher, who had published books on the edge of the sexual revolution, agreed to publish my claims to have slept with more than 20,000 women, thereby breaking Wilt Chamberlain's legendary record. Harlequin would consider using my picture for the cover of a novel about a May-December romance. And Sioux City, Iowa, would definitely throw a 60th birthday parade for me featuring floats and plenty of hoopla.
Robert Sandall: Off the Record (prospect-magazine.co.uk)
August 2007 | 137 » Cover story » Off the record
In recent years, the economics of pop music have been upended. The market for CDs has collapsed, and not even the rise of legal downloading can offset the damage to record companies. Meanwhile, demand for live performances has rocketed
Roger Ebert: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (PG-13; 3 1/2 stars)
Run, Jason, run. The Bourne films have taken chases beyond a storytelling technique and made them into the story. Jason Bourne's search for the secret of his identity doesn't involve me in pulsating empathy for his dilemma, but as a MacGuffin, it's a doozy. Some guy finds himself with a fake identity, wants to know who he really is and spends three movies finding out at breakneck speed. And if the ending of "The Bourne Ultimatum" means anything at all, he may need another movie to clear up the loose ends.
Bourne to be wilder (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk)
The Bourne Ultimatum is a bone-crunchingly brilliant finale to the trilogy, and a standard-bearer for the reinvigorated action movie.
Roger Ebert: Becoming Jane (PG; 3 stars)
Jane Austen wrote six of the most beloved novels in the English language, we are informed at the end of "Becoming Jane," and so she did. The key word is "beloved." Her admirers do not analyze her books so much as they just plain love them to pieces. When I was very sick last year there was a time when I lost all interest in reading. When I began to feel a little better, perhaps strong enough to pick up a book, it was Austen's Persuasion. What else? And I entered again the world of that firm, fine intelligence, finding the humors and ironies of human existence in quiet domestic circles two centuries ago.
The rise of Richard Gere (telegraph.co.uk)
Richard Gere talks to John Hiscock about Hollywood, succes and his latest film, The Hoax.
Filmmakers on film: David Heyman (telegraph.co.uk)
Harry Potter producer David Heyman tells Sheila Johnston why he loves Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).
A darker, more desperate housewife (guardian.co.uk)
Mary-Louise Parker, star of the hit US drama Weeds, may not be a household name just yet, but she's quietly making her mark with her award-winning portrayal of a suburban, dope-dealing widow. Gareth McLean meets her.
Let's remember the real Elvis (timesonline.co.uk)
Opening our special to mark the 30th anniversary of the King's death, Bob Stanley remembers what made Elvis a legend. But did he realise his potential?
John Maher: Dons of a New Era (usfdons.cstv.com)
K.C. Jones and teammates set marks on and off the court.
Clifton Brown: True Trail Blazers (hoopedia.nba.com)
It was 47 years ago and a time when African-Americans could not take simple privileges -- like staying at certain hotels or eating in certain restaurants -- for granted. For Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper, and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, it was a time to make history.
Hoopedia: The Basketball Wiki
Purple Gene's
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Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Humidity is high, and while it's still cooler than seasonal, may start getting cranky.
Here's the first draft of the PA Trip Report.
Meets Chavez In Venezuela
Sean Penn
Sean Penn applauded President Hugo Chavez as the Venezuelan leader lambasted the Bush administration and demanded an end to war in Iraq.
Chavez met privately with the 46-year-old actor for two hours, praising him as being "brave" for urging Americans to impeach resident Bush.
"In the name of the peoples of the world, resident Bush, withdraw the troops from Iraq. Enough already with so much genocide," Chavez said before an auditorium packed with his red-clad supporters.
Penn sat near the front, at times applauding and nodding in agreement. He is the latest in a series of celebrities who have visited Caracas, including Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte.
Sean Penn
To Serenade Olivia Passengers
k.d. lang
Olivia, the lifestyle community for lesbians, which offers luxury travel and social networking, celebrates its 35th anniversary next year. To help with the festivities, singer k.d. lang will perform at the launch of Olivia's first Caribbean cruise of 2008.
The performance is exclusive to those boarding the ship, which sets sail January 26.
According to Olivia general manager Lisa Henderson, the company is discussing similar deals with other marquee entertainers for upcoming cruises.
k.d. lang
'Full Metal Jacket' Mementos Damaged
R. Lee Ermey
A retired Marine who played a drill sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket" lost his movie memorabilia and other items when his home caught fire on Friday.
R. Lee Ermey was out of town at the time of the blaze, but his wife and children were inside the house in the 4500 block of West Avenue N-4 when the fire started around 4 p.m.
A memorabilia room filled of uniforms, props and other items from the movie sustained moderate damage, but the house was saved, Los Angeles County firefighters said.
R. Lee Ermey
2 More Children Identified
James Brown
DNA testing on about a dozen people who claim James Brown was their father has found that at least two of them are telling the truth, a longtime adviser to the late soul singer said Friday.
Several tests have come back negative, while others are pending, said Buddy Dallas, who did not have exact numbers Friday night.
Dallas refused to identify the two people whose DNA showed they were Brown's children, but The Augusta Chronicle reported that LaRhonda Petitt, a 45-year-old retired flight attendant and teacher in Houston, showed the newspaper a report that says there is a 99.99 percent probability she is Brown's daughter.
She would be the oldest of Brown's children.
James Brown
Ex-Bandmate Sues
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson's former keyboardist has sued the shock rocker, claiming he kept millions of dollars meant to be shared and bought items including a handbag owned by Hitler's girlfriend and a skeleton in a wheelchair.
Stephen Bier - whose stage name was Madonna Wayne Gacy - says he, Manson and other band members signed a partnership agreement in 1993 to share profits.
From 2004 to 2006, the suit claims, Manson used band money to buy a $2 million home, collect Nazi paraphernalia and to give his fiancee at the time a handbag once owned by Eva Braun. Manson also bought "African masks made of human skin, the full skeleton of a 4-year-old Chinese girl, and the full skeleton of a 17th-century male in a wheelchair," the suit claims.
In addition, the suit claims Manson spent band money on personal drug treatment, a low-budget movie production, a Los Angeles gallery to display his artwork and about $450,000 for an engagement ring and his wedding to burlesque performer Dita Von Teese. She has since filed for divorce.
Marilyn Manson
Police I.D. Victim
Jacob Adams
Authorities Saturday released the name of a man who was mauled at actor Ving Rhames' Brentwood home.
Jacob Adams, 40, was found about 7:15 a.m. Friday at Rhames' home on San Vicente Boulevard, said Los Angeles police Officer Sandra Gonzalez and the coroner's office. He had been a caretaker at the residence for about two years.
Adams "appears to have suffered a number of injuries as a result of the dog mauling," Lombardo said. The man had numerous dog bites all over his body, but the exact cause of death had not yet been determined by the coroner's office.
The caretaker lived on the property and was one of the persons responsible for taking care of the dogs -- three bull mastiffs and one English bulldog. Authorities believe that two of the bull mastiffs, which weigh about 200 pounds each, were involved in the attack, police said.
Jacob Adams
Tightens Voting Machine Standards
California
California's top elections official placed rigorous security conditions on voting equipment used in dozens of counties and limited the use of two of the most widely used machines statewide.
Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced the measures minutes before midnight Friday, making good on a promise to tell counties at least six months before California's Feb. 5 presidential primary if their voting equipment would be decertified.
University of California computer experts found that voting machines sold by three companies - Diebold Election Systems, Hart InterCivic and Sequoia Voting Systems - were vulnerable to hackers and that voting results could be altered.
Bowen said she had decertified the machines, then recertified them on the condition they meet her new security standards. She also limited the Diebold and Sequoia machines to one per polling place. That will force some counties to find replacement equipment on a tight schedule.
California
Another Record Poppy Crop
Afghanistan
Afghanistan will produce another record poppy harvest this year that cements its status as the world's near-sole supplier of the heroin source, yet a furious debate over how to reverse the trend is stalling proposals to cut the crop, U.S. officials say.
As resident Bush prepares for weekend talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, divisions within the U.S. administration and among NATO allies have delayed release of a $475 million counternarcotics program for Afghanistan, where intelligence officials see growing links between drugs and the Taliban, the officials said.
U.N. figures to be released in September are expected to show that Afghanistan's poppy production has risen up to 15 percent since 2006 and that the country now accounts for 95 percent of the world's crop, 3 percentage points more than last year, officials familiar with preliminary statistics told The Associated Press.
"Afghanistan is providing close to 95 percent of the world's heroin," the State Department's top counternarcotics official, Tom Schweich, said at a recent conference. "That makes it almost a sole-source supplier" and presents a situation "unique in world history."
Afghanistan
32,000 Lost In Wisconsin
Quarters
Imagine the ringing noise of 32,000 quarters hitting the pavement.
An armored car company reported losing $8,000 in quarters along highways in two Wisconsin counties last month. About half has been returned.
Loomis Fargo officials told authorities that a truck headed for Madison carrying boxes of quarters broke down in the Pewaukee area, so they sent another one. The load was transferred, but someone forgot to secure the door.
Quarters
In Memory
Art Davis
Art Davis, the renowned double bassist who played with John Coltrane and other jazz greats, has died. He was 73.
Davis died of a heart attack Sunday at his home in Long Beach, his son Kimaili Davis told the Los Angeles Times for a story in Saturday's editions.
Davis was blacklisted in the 1970s for speaking up about racism in the music industry, then later earned a doctorate in clinical psychology and balanced performance dates with appointments to see patients.
Known for his stunning and complete mastery of the instrument, Davis was able to jump between genres. He played classical music with the New York Philharmonic, was a member of the NBC, Westinghouse and CBS orchestras, and played for Broadway shows.
The most enriching experience of his career was collaborating with John Coltrane. Described by jazz critic Nat Hentoff as Coltrane's favorite bassist, Davis performed on the saxophonist's albums including "Ascension," Volumes 1 and 2 of "The Africa/Brass Sessions" and "Ole Coltrane."
He played with a long and varied list of artists: Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, John Denver, the trio Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan.
Davis began studying piano at age 5 in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was born in 1933. By sixth grade Davis studied the tuba in school because it was the only instrument available, he said.
By 1951 he decided to make music his career. He chose the double bass, believing it would allow more opportunities to make a living. At age 17 he studied with the principal double bassist at the Philadelphia Orchestra. But when he auditioned for his hometown's symphony, the audition committee was so unduly harsh and demanding that the conductor Edwin MacArthur questioned their objectivity.
"The answer was, 'Well, he's colored,' and there was silence," Davis recalled in a 2002 article in Double Bassist magazine. "Finally MacArthur burst out, 'If you don't want him, then you don't want me.' So they quickly got together and accepted me."
In the 1970s, his fortunes waned after he filed an unsuccessful discrimination lawsuit against the New York Philharmonic. Like other black musicians who challenged job hiring practices, he lost work and industry connections.
With less work coming his way, Davis returned to school and in 1981 earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University. For many years he was a practicing psychologist while also working as a musician.
As a result of his lawsuit and protest, Davis played a key role in the increased use of the so-called blind audition, in which musicians are heard but not seen by those evaluating them.
Besides his son Kimaili, Davis is survived by another son and a daughter.
Art Davis
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