Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Roger Ebert: "John Hughes: In Memory"
Few directors have left a more distinctive or influential body of work than John Hughes. The creator of the modern American teenager film, who died Thursday in New York, made a group of films that are still watched and quoted today.
Dana Stevens: John Hughes (slate.com)
He reinvented the teen movie for an entire generation.
JEREMY GRIFFIN: "'And Now Your Moment of Zen': The Cultural Significance of The Daily Show" (popmatters.com)
The Daily Show is an intellectual respite from the self-aggrandizing sensationalism of traditional news sources, and as such, one can't help but cringe a little at the idea that it, too, may have begun to take itself a bit too seriously.
Nora Ephron: In Defense of Ryan O'Neal (huffingtonpost.com)
O'Neal has confessed that he recently failed to recognize his own daughter and accidentally made a pass at her. Everyone is very judgmental about this, but I just want to say that I sympathize.
How to do a great love scene ... (guardian.co.uk)
How do you make passion look convincing with an entire film crew watching? Simon Callow describes the tricky art of the love scene.
Interview by Laura Barnett: Paul McGann, actor (guardian.co.uk)
"Why is 'Withnail and I' such a classic? Because we've all lived like that, if only briefly."
Shaun Huston: Review of "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" (popmatters.com)
Godard conveys that virtually all people are cajoled and channeled into various forms of prostitution so as to achieve a level of petit bourgeoise comfort.
Wendy Ide: Coco Before Chanel (timesonline.co.uk)
Audrey Tautou dons the role of Chanel in the more substantial of the biopics out at present - and it's a perfect fit.
Stephanie Pappas: Interview with Melora Hardin (thecelebritycafe.com)
Melora Hardin is taking a break from her recent comedy-based expeditions to show the more serious and real side of life. Casting her family, friends and loved ones to perform in her drama 'You,' the actress takes her audience along for the heart-warming ride of love and loss.
Michael Curtis Nelson: Review of "The Class (Entre Les Murs)"
Finally, a film that portrays teaching truthfully-as a chaotic, frustrating, and rewarding collaboration between teacher and student, prey to as many reversals as advances, and subject to institutional, social, and political forces in and outside the classroom. The Class, 2008 Palme d'Or winner at Cannes, follows one teacher's French language and literature class at a racially and ethnically diverse Parisian high school over the course of the school year.
Roger Ebert: Julie & Julia (PG-13; 2 stars)
Did you ever want to take a three-day bus trip sitting next to Julia Child? Just asking. In 30-minute programs on TV, she was priceless. But to live with her, I suspect, must have taken the patience of a saint. Her husband Paul in "Julie & Julia" is portrayed as a saint, so that explains her marriage.
Roger Ebert: A PERFECT GETAWAY (R; 3 stars)
Man, am I glad I knew nothing about "A Perfect Getaway" going in. There are two things Hollywood can't resist in making a trailer: showing the best jokes in a comedy and revealing the secrets of thrillers. Oops, did I say "thriller"? If you see ads on TV, I suppose you already knew that, but I didn't, and on the basis of the film's opening minutes, I thought this was a comedy. Honest.
Roger Ebert: MALLS R US (NO MPAA RATING; 3 stars)
Is a shopping mall a sacred place? Not a question often asked. The provocative documentary "Malls R Us" seriously argues that malls serve similar functions today that cathedrals, temples, parliaments, arenas and town squares did in earlier times. Then the film slowly works its way around to the possibility that they may be a plague upon the Earth.
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Contributor Comment
Kid Rock
Kid Rock philanthropy
HARRISON, Ohio -- Kid Rock is helping an Ohio pizza delivery driver critically injured during a robbery. Spokesman Nick Stern says the rock star sent the delivery driver a $1,500 check after reading about the attack in The Cincinnati Enquirer while in town last month for a concert... Spokesman Nick Stern says the musician likes to quietly help people in need.
Ohio Attack Victim Surprised With Kid Rock Check - Entertainment News Story - WNEM Saginaw
I'm not a fan of is music, but I gotta say, "What a guy!"
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Think things are settling down.
May Violate Constitution
Piracy Verdicts
It's been a good summer for the major labels' litigators in their battle against individuals charged with copyright infringement.
In June, a Minnesota jury awarded the four majors $1.9 million in damages, finding that single mom Jammie Thomas-Rasset had used the peer-to-peer file-sharing network Kazaa to illegally download and share 24 songs.
And at the end of July, a federal jury in Boston ordered college student Joel Tenenbaum to pay the majors $675,000 for sharing 30 songs, after hearing evidence that he used at least six different P2P networks for nearly a decade, continuing to infringe even after receiving multiple warnings.
But with the defendants challenging the damage awards and likely appealing the verdicts, these cases are far from over. And the courts will now have to confront a difficult and unresolved question in copyright law: Can awards in cases like this be so big that they violate the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of due process?
Piracy Verdicts
Beatles Fans Swarm
Abbey Road
Beatles fans mobbed London's Abbey Road on the 40th anniversary of the famous photo that turned this ordinary London street into a musical pilgrimage site.
Abbey Road cuts through the swish north London neighborhood of St. John's Wood and is where the Fab Four recorded much of their work.
It became a part of music history after the Beatles were featured on the cover of the eponymous album walking on the street's crosswalk.
Tourists flock to the site every day to recreate the iconic scene, much to the annoyance of locals.
Abbey Road
Broke Shoulder
Steven Tyler
Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has a broken shoulder and stitches in his head after falling from the stage during a South Dakota concert, but apparently did not suffer any internal injuries, guitarist Joe Perry said Friday.
Perry told The Associated Press after a stop at a Chicago radio station that Tyler has been flown to Boston and was meeting with his own doctor. Meanwhile, the band was planning a conference call to discuss the fate of its tour.
Tyler, 61, fell several feet while dancing around as the sound crew replaced a fuse that blew during the song "Love in an Elevator" at the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the Wednesday night concert during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota. An amateur video showed him spinning around before falling off the stage.
Perry said Friday that his back was turned when Tyler fell, so he didn't see the lead singer go down. Perry said he hadn't had a chance to talk with Tyler yet and wasn't sure what made him lose his balance.
Steven Tyler
Baby News
Finley Rae Martineau Baldwin
Hollywood actor Daniel Baldwin is a new dad - his wife Joanne gave birth to a baby girl on Friday morning.
The couple welcomed little Finley Rae Martineau Baldwin at 9.35am (local time) at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The tot, which weighed in at seven pounds, 10 ounces, is a sister for their 19-month-old daughter Avis Ann.
Baldwin, 48, also has three other children from previous relationships: daughter Kahlea, who was born in 1984, during his first marriage to Cheryl Baldwin; Alexandra, who was born in 1994 to his second wife Elizabeth, and 13-year-old son Atticus from his romance with actress Isabella Hofmann.
Finley Rae Martineau Baldwin
What Ethics?
Ben Stein
Monotone TV personality Ben Stein has been stripped of his Sunday New York Times business column because of his work as a pitchman for a credit monitoring company.
New York Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis released a statement Friday that said the newspaper decided it would not be appropriate for Stein to pitch for FreeScore.com
An e-mail requesting comment from the former host of Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money" quiz show was not immediately returned.
Earlier this year, Stein withdrew as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker over complaints about his critical views of evolution in favor of intelligent design.
Ben Stein
Rupert Fingers As Sperm Donor
Mark Lester
A British tabloid reported Saturday that the godfather of Michael Jackson's three children claims to be the father of the singer's daughter Paris.
The News of the World quotes Jackson's longtime friend Mark Lester as saying that he "gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids - and I believe Paris is my daughter."
The newspaper also quotes Lester, is a 51-year-old former child star known for his lead role in the 1968 movie version of the state show "Oliver!" as saying he's willing to take a paternity test.
In a video interview with Lester broadcast on the News of the World Web site, Lester said he donated his sperm at a London clinic. He said Jackson was married to Debbie Rowe at the time.
Mark Lester
Birthplace Found
Emperor Vespasian
Archaeologists have unearthed a sprawling country villa believed to be the birthplace of Vespasian, the Roman emperor who built the Colosseum, they said Friday. The 2,000-year-old ruins were found about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Rome, near Cittareale, lead archaeologist Filippo Coarelli said.
The 150,000-square-feet (14,000-square-meter) complex was at the center of an ancient village called Falacrine, Vespasian's hometown.
Even though there are no inscriptions to attribute it for sure, the villa's location and luxury make it likely it was Vespasian's birthplace, Coarelli said.
The 1st-century residence featured "a well-preserved huge floor, decorated with luxurious marble coming from the whole Mediterranean area," he said.
Emperor Vespasian
Not Human Or Animal
'Finger'
Authorities say a human finger wasn't dropped on a deck at the Jersey shore after all. A forensic anthropologist has determined the object, which resembled a decaying finger with an acrylic french-manicured nail, is neither human nor animal.
Brielle police were called July 30 after a homeowner made the discovery. Officials suspected it may have been dropped by a bird.
State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones says a forensic anthropologist X-rayed it and determined it was made of an unidentified substance.
'Finger'
Takes On Hollywood Movie
Rokaya Sadat
The daughter of Egypt's former president Anwar Sadat has filed a complaint against the makers of "I Love You Man," a 2009 Dreamworks film, for naming a dog after her father, her lawyer said Saturday.
Egypt's prosecutor will look into the complaint, but it is unclear what sort of action Egyptian courts could take against the Hollywood movie company.
In the movie, actor Jason Segel's character has a dog named Anwar Sadat. When asked if it's because he likes the former president's policies, the character replies it is due to the dog's resemblance to the Egyptian leader.
The name of the dog also appears in the credits as Anwar Sadat, playing himself, the dog.
Sadat's daughter has been a fierce defender of her father's reputation and recently won a libel lawsuit against the daughter of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had said Sadat had plotted the murder of Nasser.
Rokaya Sadat
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