'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Question
Re: Steve Thomas
Why isn't Steve Thomas still hosting 'This Old House'?
Regards,
Wil B
Hey Wil - Found the answer!
According to 'Zap2it', after 14 years, Thomas wanted to move on to other projects - reportedly including something for the DIY Network. He left under
amicable terms & will continue to be seen in reruns.
Selected Sunday Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
from Mark
Hail To The 'Chief'
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
One of those spectacular sunny, breezy autumn days.
The grocery checkers strike started. Management wants the employees to pick up 50% of health insurance, total loss of dental & vision coverage, and no raises for 2 years. They say it's necessary to compete against 'big box' stores like
Wal-Mart.
But then Wal-Mart expects taxpayers to subsidize their employees with food stamps.
SNL had a good opening for a change - Tweety Matthews (Darrell Hammond) with Ann Coulter ('I can smell your soul rotting from here'), Karl Rove, and Gary Coleman. AFT.
Tonight, Sunday, CBS, as usual, starts the night with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH 'Cold Case', then a FRESH
made-for-tv movie 'Footsteps'.
NBC opens the night with 'Dateline', followed by a FRESH 'American Dreams', then a FRESH 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', followed by
a FRESH 'Lyons' Den'.
ABC begins the evening with a FRESH 'America's Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH '10-8', then a FRESH
'Alias', followed by a FRESH 'The Practice'.
The WB offers a RERUN 'Smallville', followed by a FRESH 'Charmed', then a FRESH 'Tarzan'.
Faux has more 'MLB Baseball', so the left coast luxuriates in 'Simpsons', 'King Of Queens', 'King Of The Hill', and 'Drew Carey' RERUNs during prime time.
UPN has the weekly RERUN 'Enterprise', followed by 'Stargate SG-1'.
A&E has 'Biography' (2-hours on Barbara Walters), followed by 'Meet The Royals'.
AMC offers the movie 'Ghost', followed by the movie 'Scent Of A Woman', then the movie 'Ghost', again.
BBC -
[6pm] 'Monarch of the Glen' - Episode 7;
[7pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Ealing;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Maidstone;
[8pm] 'Faking It' - Alex the Animal;
[9pm] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[9:40pm] 'Coupling' - Sex, Death and Nudity;
[10:20pm] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[11pm] 'Faking It' - Alex the Animal;
[12am] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[12:40am] 'Coupling' - Sex, Death and Nudity;
[1:20am] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[2am] 'Changing Rooms' - Ealing;
[2:30am] 'Changing Rooms' - Maidstone;
[3am] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[3:40am] 'Coupling' - Sex, Death and Nudity;
[4:20am] 'The Office' - Episode 1;
[5am] 'Faking It' - Alex the Animal; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
History has 'The SS', 'Conquest Of Hawaii', 'Mail Call', and 'Extreme History'.
SciFi has 'Taken' (part 2 of 10) and 'Taken' (part 3 of 10).
TCM -
[6am] 'The Great Waltz' (1938);
[8am] 'Lost Angel' (1943);
[10am] 'Bitter Sweet' (1940);
[12pm] 'Marty' (1955);
[2pm] 'Lilies of the Field' (1963);
[4pm] 'Hour Of The Gun' (1967);
[6pm] 'Stagecoach' (1939);
[8pm] 'Horror of Dracula' (1958);
[9:30pm] 'Dracula, Prince of Darkness' (1966);
[11pm] 'Mark Of The Vampire' (1935);
[12:15am] 'Nosferatu' (1922);
[2am] 'Dracula' (1931);
[3:30am] 'House Of Dark Shadows' (1970); and
[5:30am] 'Festival of Shorts #25' (2000). (ALL TIMES EDT)
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (L) poses with her mother and co-star Blythe Danner at a screening of their upcoming film 'Sylvia' in New York, October 10, 2003. The film will be released on October 17, 2003.
Photo by Marion Curtis
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Wants US Citizenship
Salma Hayek
Mexican actress Salma Hayek lamented that Latinos carried little weight in California's recall vote and she wants to remedy that, local media reported.
"What's a little bit sad is that although there are many of us (Latinos in California), we cannot exercise our power," Hayek said.
"So now I'm seeking dual citizenship in order to get representation up there, as well," the star of "Frida" and "Traffic" said.
Salma Hayek
Does 'Top Ten' on Letterman
Gray Davis
Gov. Gray Davis got a chance to reshape his staid public image with a cameo appearance Friday on David Letterman's "Late Show."
The second governor in U.S. history to be recalled from office, Davis has never been known for his sense of humor. Nevertheless, the Democrat jumped at the chance Thursday to tape the popular "Top Ten" countdown for Letterman, offering bits of advice to his Republican successor, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
10. "When you realize you don't know what you're doing, give me a call."
9. "Baby oil will stain the mansion's Italian silk sofa."
8. "Listen to your constituents — except Michael Jackson."
7. (Sorry, joke No. 7 was recalled).
6. "To improve your approval rating, go on Leno; when you get kicked out, go on Letterman."
5. "Study the master — George W. Bush." (Laughs) "Ah, I'm just kidding."
4. "You could solve the deficit problem by donating your salary from 'Terminator
3.'" 3. "If things are bad, just yell, 'Save us, Superman!'"
2. "While giving a speech, never say, 'Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara ... same thing.'"
1. "It's pronounced 'California.'"
Gray Davis
The tall ship RV Heraclitus sails under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco, Saturday morning, Oct. 11, 2003. The research vessel was returning home for the first time since it was built and launched in Oakland, Calif., in 1975. The ship, chartered by the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation, has voyaged over 200,000 sea miles documenting the health of coral reefs from the Amazon to Antarctica.
Photo by Paul Sakuma
Performs at Benefit
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby topped the bill at inauguration festivities for Bennett College president Johnnetta Cole that helped raise more than $2.7 million for the school.
The comedian took the stage for 40 minutes at a black-tie, $250-a-person gala attended by nearly 800 people, including Maya Angelou and Coretta Scott King.
Cole said the generous donations showed that the historically black women's college in Greensboro "could not only survive but thrive."
Bill Cosby
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Rocks for Cancer Funds
Anastacia
When international pop star Anastacia signed on to perform at the Women Rock! Songs From the Movies concert to raise awareness for breast cancer, it was for a cause that hit very close to home.
Last year Anastacia was diagnosed with the disease. Thanks to early treatment, she counts herself a cancer survivor.
The annual Women Rock! concert, now in its fourth year, has been televised on female-oriented cable network Lifetime. This year's concert was filmed Sept. 30 at the Kodak Theater Los Angeles. Lifetime premieres the two-hour special Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET.
Lifetime also has named Anastacia the spokesperson for the network's Stop Breast Cancer for Life public-awareness campaign.
This year's concert lineup included host Mandy Moore, Kenny Loggins, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss + Union Station, Mya, Bonnie Raitt, Debbie Reynolds and Ann Wilson of Heart.
For the rest, Anastacia
Don Seib and his wife Kristen run through the water hazard while competing in the fourth annual North American Wife Carrying Championships at Sunday River Ski Area Saturday in Newry, Maine, October 11, 2003.
Photo by Herb Swanson
Writing Book on Omaha Magician
Teller
Teller, the single-named silent partner of the Penn & Teller magic act, is writing a book about a long-dead amateur magician who once drew the most famous practitioners of the craft to Omaha.
David P. Abbott, who died in 1934, delighted guests with magic at his home in the early 1900s and investigated spiritual mediums and other magicians, writing about their techniques.
"People like Houdini would stop by to see what tricks Abbott knew," Teller told the Omaha World-Herald.
Teller was in Omaha last week to see Walter Graham, a retired businessman who also performs magic. Teller credited Graham with collecting Abbott's manuscripts.
Teller
Historic Week for Black Music
Billboard's Top Ten
R&B/hip-hop's mainstream popularity was further validated the week of Oct. 11, when the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 were all by black artists for the first time in the chart's history.
Some may call that feat an anomaly. After all, this week's Hot 100 chart finds 3 Doors Down altering the mix, moving from No. 13 to No. 8.
But don't forget to factor in a few other things. First, 50 Cent and R. Kelly have logged two of this year's top-selling albums, and R&B/hip-hop albums have resided at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 14 of the past 17 weeks. And second, in a once-unheard-of role reversal, top 40 mainstream radio is playing a heavy dose of R&B/hip-hop these days.
In addition to hip-hop's ongoing global influence, 2003 has ushered in growing acceptance for two black music offshoots, dancehall reggae and crunk.
For more, Billboard's Top Ten
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Finally Get Respect
Siegfried and Roy
Comedians, radio shock jocks and fellow magicians loved to poke fun at the eccentric "Siegfried and Roy" show, where the stars dressed in glittery, futuristic outfits and pranced around with white tigers.
But since a 600-pound Royal White tiger nearly killed Roy Horn during a sold-out Oct. 3 performance at The Mirage hotel-casino, many of the jabs have lost their appeal, and the legendary animal trainer seems to have earned new respect.
Frank Marino, the star of "An Evening at La Cage" at the Riviera hotel-casino, removed Siegfried and Roy jokes from his monologue after the attack.
Fellow Las Vegas magician Penn Jillette and partner Teller billed themselves as the anti-Siegfried and Roy, but removed all references to the duo in their nightly show, and also stopped running anti-Siegfried and Roy advertisements.
"Every magician in Vegas had to rewrite their show," Jillette said.
Radio personality Howard Stern, one of the duo's harshest lampooners, shared a new perspective this week during his radio show.
"They finally get our respect," he said.
Two days before the tiger assault, The Onion, an online satirical weekly, ran a story supposedly written by "Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn." The spoof took gentle aim at the outrageousness of the animal-magic act that includes everything from dragons to codpieces.
"Did you enjoy the white tigers? Most people love the white lions and the white tigers. Siegfried and I often fight over which of us should get the spotlight, but in the end, the star of the show is always the cats," the magazine wrote, not missing the mark by much.
Carol Kolb, Onion editor-in-chief, said her writers were feeling contrite after the attack. They wish the exotic cat gurus no ill will.
Siegfried and Roy
A view of the new Malaysia's landmark, Putrajaya Convention Centre, located in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, 35 km (22 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur, early October 12, 2003. The $171 million convention centre has its design based on the traditional diamond-shaped silver royal belt buckle. Putrajaya Convention Centre is the venue for the 10th session of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference summit.
Photo by Bazuki Muhammad
Deaths of Edith Piaf, Jean Cocteau
40th Anniversary
France commemorated the 40th anniversary of the deaths of two of its leading cultural icons of the century: singer Edith Piaf and artistic all-rounder Jean Cocteau.
The anniversary Saturday has sparked a string of cultural events throughout France, including a free exhibition of Piaf's life at the Paris town hall until January 31, 2004, and a similar exhibition of Cocteau's multi-faceted life at the Pompidou Centre.
Cocteau the artist, designer, filmmaker, novelist, poet and playwright died aged 74, while Piaf was 47 when she passed away from a liver condition that began during her destitute youth.
40th Anniversary
A woman looks at illustrations by Irish rock star Bono for a new book of the children's tale 'Peter and the Wolf' at Christie's auction house in London, October 6, 2003. The book will be accompanied by a new version of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's score to the tale by Irish composers Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer. The original illustrations will go under the hammer in New York on November 21 to raise money for the Irish Hospice Foundation.
Photo by Toby Melville
Introducing Four New Colors
Crayola Crayons
You won't find magic mint or blizzard blue in that Crayola crayon box anymore. Mulberry and teal blue are gone, too.
Taking their places: jazzberry jam, mango tango, inchworm and wild blue yonder.
Crayola officials had selected five colors to be removed from their collection that they considered redundant or unattractive, but allowed one to be spared through an online vote.
Burnt sienna, one of the five, earned the most votes of the 60,000 cast, avoiding retirement.
Crayola Crayons
In Memory
Carolyn Heilbrun
Carolyn Heilbrun, a feminist scholar of English literature who also wrote detective novels under a pseudonym, has died. She was 77.
Heilbrun, who had written that living after the age of 70 should be a choice, apparently committed suicide at her home in Manhattan.
Heilbrun, a retired professor at Columbia University, specialized in modern British literature.
She was the author of such works as "Toward a Recognition of Androgyny," "Reinventing Womanhood" and "Writing a Woman's Life," and wrote numerous academic articles.
Heilbrun was briefly an instructor at Brooklyn College before joining the faculty of Columbia University in 1960 as an instructor of English and comparative literature.
She became a full professor with tenure in 1972, was named the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities in 1985. She was the first director of the university's Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
For years, Heilbrun — fearing she would not get tenure at Columbia — hid her mystery novels from her colleagues, publishing them under the pseudonym Amanda Cross. The heroine of the books, Kate Fansler, was, like Heilbrun, a feminist professor of literature.
Heilbrun also served briefly as a visiting professor at Yale, Princeton, Swarthmore and other colleges.
She retired from Columbia in 1992, but continued to write books and articles, including essays for Hers, a former column in The New York Times.
Carolyn Heilbrun
Scientist Sebatian Apesteguia shows the jawbone of a new type of sphenodontian, an ancient lizard-like reptile, as they announce the discoveryThursday, Oct. 9, 2003 in Buenos Aires. The sphenodontian, that has been dicovered in a fossil quarry in the Argentina's Patagonia in 1999, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) south of Buenos Aires, lived 90 millions years ago and help to bridge the fossil gap that separates these animals from their living relatives.
Photo by Natacha Pisarenko
'The Osbournes'
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