Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Annalee Newitz and Rachel Mitchell: 7 Signs That Humans Are Domestic Animals (io9)
Tens of thousands of years ago, humans were wild animals. Our ancestors roamed the land in search of food by day, and huddled together for safety by night. But then something changed. We domesticated ourselves, and this process didn't just change us profoundly - it changed a lot of other life forms around us, too.
Mark Morford: Something like meat but not meat (SF Gate)
Did you feel that? That visceral, whole-body shudder? That weird, painful spasm in the national colon?
Robert Evans, Anonymous, J.F. Sargent: 6 Unexpected Things I Learned From Being a Drug Dealer (Cracked)
#6. Drug Dealers Don't Look Like Drug Dealers
Leo Benedictus: Marvel's Dr Strange movie - have we reached peak superhero? (Guardian)
The publisher says that it has film releases lined up until 2021, but is this scraping the bottom of the comic-book barrel?
Bidisha: Sleeve tattoos are now a hipster habit - and the permanence of mine pains me (Guardian)
Tattoos used to represent rites of passage, tribal identification and more, but they've been reduced to casual decoration.
Sue Miller: When did mass shootings become so frighteningly mundane in America? (Guardian)
Isla Vista. Seattle. Las Vegas. Now Troutdale. The summer of 2014 has killing everywhere - and we've yet to reach the equinox.
Joel Stice: "Pop Quiz, Hotshot: How Many Of These 'Speed' Facts Do You Know On Its 20th Anniversary?" (Uproxx)
1. Sandra Bullock can always fall back on being a bus driver. Considering that Sandra Bullock's recent Oscars prominence - and even more recently honored for a decade of hotness - I doubt she'll have to start driving for Greyhound anytime soon. But Bullock did have to learn to drive a bus for her role, and passed the bus driving course with flying colors.
Mark Strauss: That Time When People Thought Playing Chess Would Make You Violent (io9)
Although chess has been played for centuries, it wasn't until the 19th century that the game really took off in Europe and the U.S. Yet not everyone had a favorable view of this crazy new fad. Several critics decried chess as a source of intellectual laziness and anti-social behavior that could even provoke violence.
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"Doug's Most Shared Facebook Post" Today
wrote:
has retired.
took the day off.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, chica.
David E Suggests
David
Thanks, Dave!
Reader Comment
ARRRGH!
I had totally tuned out that commercial that has the Chicken Fat song in it until you featured it on Trivia. Now it's like "It's A Small World!" The commercial runs several times each day, I pay attention to it now, and that song runs through my mind constantly. You've created an ear worm! Don't you feel ashamed of yourself? Shouldn't you have to do some sort of penance?
Linda >^..^<
We're all only temporarily able bodied.
Thanks, Linda!
That commercial inspired the question.
Heh - earworm. That starts with 'E', which rhymes with 'P', and that stands for pool.
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Team Coco
CONAN
from Marc Perkel
BartCop
Hello Bartcop fans,
As you all know the untimely passing of Terry was unexpected, even by
him. We all knew he had cancer but we all thought he had some years
left. So some of us who have worked closely with him over the years are
scrambling around trying to figure out what to do. My job, among other
things, is to establish communications with the Bartcop community and
provide email lists and groups for those who might put something
together. Those who want to play an active roll in something coming from
this, or if you are one of Bart's pillars, should send an email to
active@bartcop.com.
The most active open discussion is on Bart's Facebook page.
( www.facebook.com/bartcop )
You can listen to Bart's theme song here
or here.
( www.bartcop.com/blizing-saddles.mp3 )
( youtu.be/MySGAaB0A9k )
We have opened up the radio show archives which are now free. Listen to
all you want.
( bartcop.com/members )
Bart's final wish was to pay off the house mortgage for Mrs. Bart who is
overwhelmed and so very grateful for the support she has received.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can click on this the yellow donate
button on bartcop.com
But - I need you all to help keep this going. This note
isn't going to directly reach all of Bart's fans. So if you can repost
it on blogs and discussion boards so people can sign up then when we
figure out what's next we can let more people know. This list is just
over 600 but like to get it up to at least 10,000 pretty quick. So
here's the signup link for this email list.
( mailman.bartcop.com/listinfo/bartnews )
Marc Perkel
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Not much of a marine layer burned off early.
The kid is between semesters (for a 8 whole days!), so this afternoon he decided to take his old Schwinn out on the bike trail, over by the river. The bike trail is part of a well-linked paved path, over 200 miles in length, covering most of the greater and lesser LA-area.
After about 6 miles, he pulled over at a rest area, when a cop car approached. Officer got out and asked him 3 questions:
Are you from around here?
(He said yes, he's from Long Beach.)
Have you ever been arrested?
(He said no, because he hasn't.)
Are you on probation?
(Again, he answered no, because he's not.)
The (white) cop then got back in his car and drove off, down the bike trail.
WTF?
My kid looks like a young republican - straight enough to be mistaken for a mormon on a mission. He's not, but that's beside the point.
The worst trouble he's ever been in was getting detention, once, in middle school.
He was on the bike trail, with a bike. How suspicious.
Makes me feel like I grew up on another planet.
But I'm starting to get why he rolls his eyes at me so often. Sigh.
Says He's Just 7 Years Late For Work
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle says he never quit his Comedy Central show. He's just seven years late to work.
Chappelle appeared on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Tuesday night, his first late-night appearance in more than six years. Chappelle has kept a mostly low-profile since abruptly exiting "Chappelle's Show" in 2005.
"Technically, I never quit. I'm seven years late for work," said Chappelle, who actually departed the show nine years ago.
The comedian acknowledged he sometimes misses the lucrative payoff of his Comedy Central contract.
He says "the only difference between having $10 million and $50 million is an astounding $40 million."
Dave Chappelle
Meets With Lawmakers
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand appealed Wednesday to U.S. lawmakers for more funding and research devoted to women and heart disease, calling it the No. 1 killer of women even as most research into the disease focuses on men.
"A woman's heart is different from a man's, yet women's hearts are under-researched, go untreated and are misdiagnosed," Streisand said in a statement. "Together, we can change that."
The Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner, wearing all black and a long gold necklace, and two cardiologists spoke during a closed meeting with the House Bipartisan Women's Caucus. People packed the meeting room and applauded during the session. She also met with the Senate women's caucus and with other lawmakers.
In 2012, Streisand founded the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles to help research the disease that kills more women than all forms of cancer combined.
Barbra Streisand
Hospital News
Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem's daughter has the authority to withhold food and fluids from her ailing father, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy reversed a ruling from Monday that stated that Kasem should receive food, fluids and certain medications until after a court-appointed attorney met with the former radio host and his doctors.
Murphy reviewed additional medical records on Wednesday and concluded that Kasem would endure more pain if he was given food or fluids, attorney Troy Martin said. Martin, who represents Kasem's daughter Kerri, presented the updated information to Murphy during an emergency hearing.
He also presented the judge with documents in which Kasem stated he did not want his life prolonged by food or fluids if he was mentally incapacitated.
Kasem's wife of 34 years pleaded with the judge to restore food and fluids to her husband, who has a form of dementia. Jean Kasem stormed out of the courtroom after Murphy issued his ruling, according to the New York Daily News, which first reported the decision.
Murphy upheld Kerri Kasem's authority and ruled that Jean Kasem had not acted in her husband's best interests when she removed him from a California medical facility and took him to a friend's home in Washington state last month, Martin said.
Casey Kasem
Bronze Statue Unveiled
Farley Mowat
Famed Canadian author Farley Mowat has been immortalized in Saskatoon with the unveiling of a bronze statue depicting him and his beloved dog, Chester.
Mowat, who wrote such classic books as "Never Cry Wolf" and "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float," was born in Belleville, Ont., but spent his teenage years in Saskatoon.
Heather Magotiaux, a vice-president at the University of Saskatchewan, says she hopes students who pass the statue every day on the university campus will be inspired by the author.
The sculpture was created by George Boileau, who was on hand for the unveiling Wednesday along with Mowat's widow, Claire, and a class of Grade 2 students from a Saskatoon elementary school.
Farley Mowat
Likely Done With Broadway Musicals
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane, the two-time Tony Award-winning toast of Broadway, says he doesn't expect to be doing much in the way of musical theatre in the future.
Lane is attending the Banff World Media Festival where he received the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for comedy.
The man best known for his roles as Mendy in "The Lisbon Traviata," Albert in "The Birdcage," Max Bialystock in the musical "The Producers," Ernie Smuntz in "MouseHunt" and Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls" said except for an occasional indulgence he's out of musicals.
"I've enjoyed it, but I feel like my time in musicals has come to a close," Lane said in an interview with The Canadian Press Wednesday.
"I feel like musicals are a young man's game and I'm sort of done."
Nathan Lane
Cancels Rest Of US Tour
Morrissey
Morrissey has cancelled the rest of his U.S. tour to recover from a respiratory infection that has worsened.
His representative said in a statement Tuesday the 55-year-old singer wants to make a full recovery and has to withdraw from the shows.
Morrissey kicked off his tour last month. The English singer played several dates before he contracted a respiratory infection in Miami. He was expected to wrap up the tour on June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Morrissey cancelled a North American tour last year after suffering from double pneumonia, a bleeding ulcer and a gastrointestinal problem called Barrett's esophagus.
Morrissey
Settles Suit With AT&T
Al Jazeera America
Al-Jazeera America and AT&T settled a lawsuit filed last year by the broadcaster after its US cable channel was dropped from the telecom giant's lineup, court documents show.
Documents in Delaware Chancery Court, where the lawsuit was filed, said a settlement had been reached, but no details were disclosed.
The Qatar-based broadcaster sued last August claiming AT&T breached its contractual obligations by dropping the English-language channel when it launched in the United States.
AT&T at the time said the operator's U-Verse television systems were not required to carry Al-Jazeera, despite previously carrying Current TV, which was bought out by the Qatari group.
Neither company commented on the news of the settlement.
Al Jazeera America
Ad Airing During NBA Finals
That Washington Team
An American Indian tribe that believes the Washington Redskins' nickname is racist and should be changed has purchased a 60-second ad to air during halftime of Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The ad was slotted for the Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington markets Tuesday night. It aired in Miami during Game 2 of the series.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation of northern California purchased the time for the airing of a 60-second version of the National Congress of American Indians' ''Proud To Be'' ad. A longer version is available online.
''Native Americans call themselves many things,'' a man's voice says on the commercial. ''The one thing they don't ... ''
The voice then tails off, and an image of the Redskins' helmet on the ground next to a football appears, followed by a mention of the web site ChangeTheMascot.org.
That Washington Team
Cuban Defectors Appear In Miami
Ballet
Six dancers who defected over the weekend from the famed National Ballet of Cuba appeared in Miami on Tuesday and said they planned to pursue careers in the United States.
It was the second major defection of Cuban ballet dancers in the United States in a little more than 12 months, though none are principals or soloists.
Cuba is one of the world's top producers of ballet talent but dancers are restricted from working abroad and some leave the island frustrated by lack of opportunity, and high paying salaries.
At a press conference in Miami on Tuesday, the six dancers, aged between 21 and 24, said they had considered defecting for some time and had discussed the idea with friends and family.
Ballet
Donates 1 Million Sterling
JK Rowling
JK Rowling, Britain's best-selling author and creator of teenage wizard Harry Potter, has donated 1 million pounds ($1.68 million) to the campaign against Scottish independence, saying on Wednesday she believed Scotland was better off staying in the United Kingdom.
Rowling lives in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh where she wrote the first of the Potter series in a local cafe and will be among about four million Scottish residents to decide on Sept. 18 whether to end the 307-year tie to England.
Other celebrities publicly to oppose independence include singer David Bowie who appealed to Scotland to stay with the United Kingdom at an awards ceremony in February and Scottish comedian Billy Connolly who said it was a time to stay together.
But other big Scottish names are backing independence including James Bond actor Sean Connery, a long-term nationalist who said independence was too good an opportunity to miss.
JK Rowling
The Year in Playback
DVRs
The final tallies for broadcast TV's 2013-14 season are in, and The Big Bang Theory enjoyed the biggest gains from Live+7 DVR playback - aka Nielsen family members who watched recorded programs within a week of broadcast.
Elsewhere, that Modern Family grew and grew while freshman fare such as The Blacklist and Sleepy Hollow locked in Season 2 renewals with significant surges - though no amount of DVR lovin' could save Dracula or the Chance clan.
In terms of absolute ratings gains, the Top 5 rank as follows:
1 | The Big Bang Theory (+2.5 points to average a 7.5 demo rating)
2 | Modern Family (+2.1 to average a 5.6)
3 | The Blacklist (+2.0 to average a 4.9)
4 | Grey's Anatomy (+1.8 to average a 4.5)
4 (tie) | Sleepy Hollow (+1.8 to average a 4.4)
5 | Scandal (+1.6 to average a 4.6)
5 (tie) | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (+1.6 to average a 4.0)
And who enjoyed the least DVR love? Among scripted fare, ABC's Back in the Game struck out (and thus hit the showers early) with a mere 11 percent gain in the demo. Rounding out that "Bottom 5? are Fox's The Simpsons (up 13 percent), CBS' We Are Men (up 16 percent), and CBS' The Millers and ABC's Suburgatory (up 19 percent).
DVRs
In Memory
Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer, an Oscar-nominated actress who starred alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart, and later gained notoriety for her extravagant lifestyle, has died.
Hyer passed away May 31 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Raymond Lucero of Rivera Funeral Home told The Associated Press. She was 89.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, the easygoing actress began her movie career with a small role in the 1946 movie "The Locket," but she got her big break in the 1954 comedy "Sabrina," starring Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. In that movie, she played the fiancée of a character played by William Holden. Hyer would later write in her memoir that Bogart was helpful in scenes with her.
In 1951, Hyer married director C. Ray Stahl, who directed "The Scarlet Spear," which starred Hyer. The marriage ended in divorce three years later.
She was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actress for her role in the 1958 "Some Came Running," starring Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. The movie was based on a James Jones novel and brought her critical acclaim for her role as a schoolteacher being wooed by writer and war veteran, played by Sinatra. Hyer lost the Oscar to Wendy Hiller for her role in "Separate Tables."
Hyer would later say that loss devastated her.
After the Oscar nod, Hyer would star in a number of American and foreign films that garnered little attention. But she gain notice for her expensive taste thanks to a 1959 Life magazine photo feature highlighting her Pissarro painting and showing her getting a massage dressed only in a towel. By the 1980s, Hyer found herself millions of dollars in debt to loan sharks.
In 1966, she married film producer Hal Wallis, who took her to New Mexico for the first time during the filming of "Red Sky at Morning." Hyer remained married to him until his death in 1986 and moved to Santa Fe shortly after.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that in her later years Hyer became reclusive, preferring to paint and hike.
Martha Hyer
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