'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Recommendation
The Heroic Author of Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand, the woman who wrote the best selling novel about a maverick winning horse during the Depression has an interesting story to tell about the illness that defines her life.
"We were in Linc's car, an aging yellow Mercedes sedan, big and steady, with slippery blond scats and a deep, strumming idle. Lincoln called it Dr. Diesel. It was a Sunday night, March 22, 1987, nine-thirty. Rural Ohio was a smooth continuity of silence and darkness, except for a faintly golden seam where land met sky ahead, promising light and people and sound just beyond the tree line.
We were on our way back to Kenyon College after spring break. Linc, my best friend, was driving, his arm easy over the wheel. My boyfriend, Borden, sat behind him. I rode shotgun, a rose from Borden on my lap. Slung over my arm was a nineteen-forties taffeta ball gown I had bought for twenty dollars at a thirft shop. I was nineteen.
The conversation had dropped off. I was making plans for the dress and for my coming junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh. My eyes strayed along the right shoulder of the road: a white mailbox, the timid glint of an abandoned pickup's tail-light. The pavement racing under the car was gunmetal gray. We were doing fifty or so. A balled-up bag from a drive-through burger joint bumped against my ankle.
For the rest of a great read....
Thanks, Nancy!
Reader Comment
Re: Out Of Whack
Hey Marty,
You've probably heard about Poindexter's latest fit of insanity ...
Here's another of the Dubya administration's brain farts ...
As if we didn't have enough signs that the administration's priorities on
the war on terrorism are seriously out of whack, now this.
The same day we hear of a renewed threat of 9/11-style hijackings, we also
find out that our new air marshal program is being scaled back because of
tight budgets at the Department of Homeland Security.
The number of screeners is being cut too
-Mark
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Was raining so hard it woke me up.
The hunter-orange porta-potty was finally taken away.
Tonight, Thursday, CBS starts the night with a FRESH 'Amazing Race 4', folllowed by a RERUN 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', then a
RERUN 'Without A Trace'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Melanie Griffith and winner of the 2003 Badwater Ultramarathon Pam Reed.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers is Heart.
NBC begins the evening with a RERUN 'Friends', followed by a RERUN 'Scrubs', then a RERUN 'Will & Grace', followed by another
RERUN 'Scrubs' (or if they're thinking, maybe another episode of 'Queer Eye' like last Thursday night), and then a RERUN 'ER'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Colin Farrell, B.B. King, and Jeff Beck.
On a RERUN Conan are Dana Carvey, John Ritter, and Ted Nugent.
RERUNCarson Daly are Kelsey Grammer, Stephen Lynch, and Cave In.
ABC opens the night with the RERUN made-for-tv-movie 'Mary & Rhoda', followed by 'PrimeTime Thursday'.
RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 6/20/03), are William H. Macy and Jane's Addiction, with guest co-host Perry Farrell.
The WB offers the movie 'Gossip'.
Faux has a FRESH 'National Geographic Special: Bug Attack!' (oh, the kid is so there), followed by the charmingly titled '101 Things Removed From The Human Body'.
UPN fills the night with 'WWE Smackdown!'.
A&E has 'Biography' (Whoraldo), then 'Columbo And The Murder Of A Rock Star'.
AMC offers a mini-marathon of Bob Hope.
[1:20am] 'Earthquake';
[4:20am] 'Celeb Vs. Celeb';
[5:20am] 'Cinderfella';
[7:10am] 'Bob Hope: The Road to the Top';
[8:10am] 'How to Commit Marriage';
[10:05am] 'Paris Holiday';
[12:15pm] 'Road to Bali';
[2:10pm] 'The Seven Little Foys';
[4:05pm] 'Son of Paleface';
[6:05pm] 'The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell';
[8:00pm] 'The Quiet Man'; and
[10:25pm] 'Donovan's Reef'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
BBC -
[7pm] 'Ground Force' - Isle of Sheppey;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Devon & New Zealand;
[8pm] 'House Invaders' - Oxford;
[8:30pm] 'House Invaders' - Rhyl;
[9pm] 'Faking It' - Cellist Turns DJ;
[10pm] 'Faking It' - Show Girl to Show Jumper;
[11pm] 'So Graham Norton' - Dirk Benedict;
[11:30pm] 'So Graham Norton' - David Hasselhoff;
[12am] 'Faking It' - Cellist Turns DJ;
[1am] 'Faking It' - Show Girl to Show Jumper;
[2am] 'House Invaders' - Oxford;
[2:30am] 'House Invaders' - Rhyl;
[3am] 'So Graham Norton' - Dirk Benedict; and
[3:30am] 'So Graham Norton' - David Hasselhoff. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'Light It Up' followed by an hour of 'Queer Eye'.
No idea at all who is on Jon Stewart.
History - 'Modern Marvels', 'Making A Buck', and 'Modern Marvels'.
SciFi has the movie 'Alien', followed by the movie 'Alien Resurrection', then the movie 'Screamers'.
TCM celebrates Humphrey Bogart very early in the morning,
followed by a mini-marathon of Bob Hope, then a tribute to teens.
[6am] 'The Amazing Doctor Clitterhouse' (1938);
[7:30am] 'High Sierra' (1941);
[9:30am] 'Tokyo Joe' (1949);
[11am] 'The Road To Hong Kong' (1962);
[1pm] 'A Global Affair' (1964);
[2:30pm] 'Call Me Bwana' (1963);
[4:15pm] 'I'll Take Sweden' (1965);
[6pm] 'Bachelor In Paradise' (1961);
[8pm] 'A Little Romance' (1979);
[10pm] 'Grease' (1978);
[12am] 'Where The Boys Are' (1960);
[2am] 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955); and
[4am] 'Love Finds Andy Hardy' (1938). (ALL TIMES EDT)
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
A fan holds a Canadian flag with SARSTOCK written on it at the concert for SARS relief at Downsview Park in Toronto, Canada Wednesday, July 30, 2003. The Rolling Stones along with more than 15 other acts are expected to draw more than 400,000 people .
Photo by Kevin Frayer
Clinton Cards Return
Trading Cards
Presses rolled Tuesday to produce a set of 100,000 trading cards depicting former President Clinton and his chocolate Labrador retriever, Buddy.
Clinton agreed to let the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission print the card, which shows Clinton hugging Buddy on the South Lawn of the White House on April 6, 1999. The 4-year-old dog was killed by a car on Jan. 2, 2002, outside the Clinton home in Chappaqua, N.Y.
"We wanted to use the photo of him with Buddy when we put out the first six trading cards two years ago, but Buddy's death was still too painful for him," said Paul Johnson, spokesman for the commission.
As in the past, the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau will give away the cards. Three-card sets will become available Aug. 19.
Trading Cards
Does Radio Spots For Kucinich
Willie Nelson
Country music singer Willie Nelson is taking his support for Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich to the radio waves this week.
The ads, paid for by Kucinich for President, are running this week at several Iowa radio stations to promote a benefit concert that Nelson is playing for Kucinich in Des Moines on Labor Day.
Nelson also will be playing benefit concerts for Kucinich in Cleveland and Madison, Wis.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson on Kucinich
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Clear Channel & Infinity/Viacom
Comedy Tour
Clear Channel Communications Inc and all-comedy network Comedy Central on Wednesday said they were launching a nationwide comedy tour of 50 cities, beginning September 10 in Dallas.
The tour, featuring Lewis Black and Dave Attell, brings together Clear Channel and Comedy Central, a unit of Viacom Inc, which also owns Clear Channel competitor Infinity radio broadcasting company.
In addition to being the nation's leading radio broadcaster, with over 1,200 radio stations, Clear Channel is the leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events, operating more than 100 live entertainment venues nationwide.
Comedy Tour
Set Fall Premieres
ABC, WB Network
ABC will launch most of its new season during premiere week -- Sept. 22-28 -- while the WB network as usual opted to roll out the bulk of its series outside of that week.
The network will give a one-week head start to the new drama "Threat Matrix" and the debut of "Extreme Makeover" as a regular series, which are given the tough assignment of facing the competition on Thursdays at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. Both premiere Sept. 18.
Because of supersized season premieres of such series as "George Lopez," "My Wife and Kids" "According to Jim" and "The Bachelor," three new shows -- "It's All Relative," "Married to the Kellys" and "Karen Sisco" -- as well as the sophomore comedy "Less Than Perfect" will debut during the second week of the fall season.
The WB has spread out its fall premiere dates between Sept. 5 and Oct. 5.
Returning comedy "Grounded for Life" will be the first out of the gate, on Sept. 5. The debuts of the WB's new Thursday and Friday lineups, including a one-hour series premiere of the new Thursday half-hour "Steve Harvey's Big Time" and one-hour season premiere of the Friday hit comedy "Reba," are slated for Sept. 11 and 12.
"JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment" and the new comedy "Life Family" will join the Thursday and Friday schedules, respectively, on Sept. 18 and 19. The Monday dramas "7th Heaven" and "Everwood" are returning Sept. 15.
The buzzworthy new drama "Tarzan" will be the WB's last fall series to premiere, on Oct. 5.
ABC, WB Network
US rock legend Patti Smith poses in front of a poster of writer Hermann Hesse at the entrance of the Hermann Hesse Museum in the Swiss village of Montagnola, Wednesday, July 30, 2003. Smith and guitar player Oliver Ray were to give a concert later at the school in Montagnola to pay homage to Nobel Prize writer (1877-1962) who spent his last years in Montagnola.
Photo by Karl Mathis
Heads to 'Sex and the City'
Mikhail Baryshnikov
He's Mr. Big in the dance world. Now Mikhail Baryshnikov is ready to take on Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City."
The dance legend has signed on to play Sarah Jessica Parker's love interest in the comedy, HBO announced Wednesday.
Baryshnikov, who has some acting experience in films, will play the popular international artist Alexander Petrovsky, who meets and falls in love with Bradshaw, the star character portrayed by Parker.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Up for Auction
'Addams Family' Thing
A California-based auction company wants to offer movie fans a hand — the silicone, robotic hand known as Thing in "The Addams Family," to be exact.
Profiles in History expects to get $2,000 to $3,000 for the animatronic extremity, used in the scenes where Thing massages the heads of Gomez and Uncle Fester.
Other movie props up for auction include the Riddler costume Jim Carrey wore in "Batman Forever," as well as Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face suit. The company estimates the Riddler costume will fetch $8,000 to $10,000 and the Two-Face suit will sell for $6,000 to $8,000.
Another big-ticket item going on the virtual auction block is the pointy-shouldered black dress Sean Young wore in the "Blade Runner" poster and movie. The company expects it to sell for $30,000 to $50,000.
'Addams Family' Thing
Profiles in History
eBay Live Auctions
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Seeking More Acreage in Hawaii
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey, already the owner of 100 shorefront acres in Hana, reportedly is shopping for more Maui real estate.
Winfrey and Bob Greene, her friend and former personal trainer, have made offers on several properties in Kula, the Maui News reported Wednesday.
One sale reportedly underway is of the 31-acre Thompson Ranch. Jerry Thompson, whose father started the ranch in 1901, said Tuesday he "had mixed feelings" about the sale.
Oprah Winfrey
NBA Coach Eyes TV Career
Phil Jackson
Looking to an off-court career in television, Phil Jackson, the coach with the best winning percentage in NBA history, has signed for representation by the William Morris Agency and manager Marty Adelstein of Original Entertainment.
Among the projects Jackson is eyeing is a weekly talk-to-the-coach TV show to run locally during basketball season with the possibility of expanding in syndication down the road.
It's understood that representatives for Jackson, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002, are already talking to L.A. TV stations about the project.
Beyond the sports realm, WMA and Original intend to fan out in the world of commercials, licensing, sponsorship, publishing, film and television to raise Jackson's public profile. His basketball-related endeavors will continue to be handled by Todd Musburger Ltd.
Phil Jackson
Austrian parachuter Felix Baumgartner prepares to jump from the arm of the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro in this file photo. Freefalling at 124 mph, Baumgartner will attempt to create history on Thursday by flying across the Channel wearing a special wing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Album Contains More Hits
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley's estate has set up a new Web site to support the upcoming Elvis collection "Elvis 2nd to None."
The site includes a jukebox that previews the tracks that did not make it on last year's "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits."
Users can create an Elvis video, hear sound bites of Elvis being inducted into the Army or even order the new compilation a full three months in advance.
Elvis Presley
www.elvissecondtonone.com
Announces New Face
Maytag Repairman
Actor Hardy Rawls will take over the part of Ol' Lonely in Maytag advertisements from Gordon Jump, who's retiring from the role, the company said Tuesday.
Rawls has appeared in television shows including "Ed," "Law and Order" and "Judging Amy" and is known for his role as the father on Nickelodeon's "The Adventures of Pete and Pete." He also has appeared in movies, the theater and more than 300 commercials.
The 71-year-old Jump has portrayed Ol' Lonely, one of the most famous advertising characters ever created, since 1988. The late Jesse White originated the role in 1967.
Maytag Repairman
Postpones Sold-Out Concert
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn has postponed her sold-out concert scheduled for Saturday at the Paramount Arts Center in eastern Kentucky.
Lynn, who was recently released from the hospital, became ill again during a performance, said Tyson Compton, marketing director for the Paramount.
Lynn's concert was part of the Kentucky Music Trail Series weekly concerts, which has been a huge tourist drawing for the art center and the city.
Loretta Lynn
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Major Razzie ™ Contender
'Gigli'
The romance between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez has captivated the American public, but their first movie together is already being called a low point of cinema history.
If early reviews are anything to go by, the pairing of the real-life love birds in the movie "Gigli" looks set to bomb when it opens at the U.S. box office Friday.
Among its biggest problems is a love scene in which Lopez spreads her legs and tells a smoldering Affleck, "It's turkey time. Gobble, gobble."
Much of the movie features Affleck's efforts to change Lopez' character from being a lesbian into a straight woman. Needless to say, by the time she's saying, "Gobble, gobble," she's changed sides.
'Gigli'
Rain Doesn't Dampen Pony Swim
Chincoteague
About 150 short, stocky ponies entered the water at Assateague Island, a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean, at 10:03 a.m., just as showers were letting up.
They crossed a channel to Chincoteague Memorial Park in about 10 minutes, and the rain began again, said Evelyn Shotwell, who stood in muck at the park to watch the famous annual pony swim with her husband and some friends.
Each year during the swim - made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague" - an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people descend upon the island of about 3,500 residents.
Yearlings and younger will be auctioned Thursday to thin the herd and raise money for the island's volunteer fire department, which cares for the ponies.
Ponies that aren't sold, as well as those that are donated back to the fire department, will swim back Friday to roam free for another year on a national wildlife refuge on Assateague.
Chincoteague
Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce
Clobbered Networks in July
Basic Cable
Backed by a bevy of strong series premieres, basic cable grabbed its all-time highest aggregate share of viewers in July versus the seven broadcast networks.
The ad-supported cable channels scored a 55 share versus a 36 share for broadcast, which dropped a share point from a year earlier. In June, the broadcasters managed to boost their share by two points from the same period the previous year to 39 on the strength of their own gaggle of new reality series; cable stayed flat that month at 54.
Cable's latest offerings have ranged from an espionage drama (A&E's "MI-5") to a police spoof (Comedy Central's "Reno 911!"). But the most successful of the new entries in July was "Nip/Tuck," FX's plastic-surgery drama, which attracted 3.7 million viewers.
"Nip" was far from July's only strong premiere. Bravo's makeover series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" averaged 1.6 million viewers on Tuesdays from 10-10:30 p.m., earning it a well-received run on NBC in prime time. "MI-5" did even better than "Queer" in its debut, drawing 1.8 million viewers.
Topping them both was Comedy Central's "Reno," which arrested 2.1 million viewers. July, however, wasn't all laughs for the cable channel, as reality series "I'm With Busey" flatlined with just over 700,000 viewers after a modest start in June.
USA's detective series "Monk" has been holding up well after the June premiere of its second season, which snared 5.4 million viewers. Its July average has maintained a respectable 3.2 million viewers. USA's other current drama, "The Dead Zone," has shown a little more wear and tear since launching a new batch of episodes in July, averaging 2.6 million viewers for the month.
In late-night, the anchor of TNN's adult animation block, "Stripperella," has cooled off since collecting 2 million viewers for its June 29 bow, averaging a little more than 1 million viewers after four airings.
Original series aren't everything, however. Without a single one in primetime, TNT led all basic cable networks in total viewers and the 18-49 demographic in July.
Basic Cable
Multimedia Branding Deal
'The Snake Plissken Chronicles'
The character made famous by Kurt Russell in "Escape From New York" is set to become a franchise in all media under the brand "The Snake Plissken Chronicles."
Plissken has already been the pivotal presence in two films: the 1981 favorite and its 1996 sequel, "Escape From L.A."
A series of deals by Russell, director John Carpenter and producer Debra Hill, -- who, as the company Snake World, jointly own the character rights -- has added video games, an anime movie, comic books, action figures and novelization tie-ins to the ways Plissken's story is being told.
Namco Hometek Inc. has secured the rights to develop and publish "The Snake Plissken Chronicles" video games, the company is expected to officially announce Wednesday. The title character will have Russell's likeness, and the actor will provide the voice.
For more, 'The Snake Plissken Chronicles'
Berlin State Library
Beethoven Collection
A priceless collection of manuscripts by Ludwig van Beethoven will be available for public viewing next year for the first time when the Berlin State Library commits them to microfiche, the library said.
Some 100 works by the German composer featuring 14,600 pages of fragile hand-written scores to major symphonies and 1,800 pages of notes will be filmed and published as "The Beethoven Collection" by Munich-based publisher K.G. Saur Verlag.
The Berlin State Library/Prussian Cultural Heritage owns nearly all the original scores of Beethoven's great works including the Fourth, Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, the Missa Solemnis mass and his only opera, Fidelio.
Beyond the Berlin collection, some 1,800 Beethoven manuscripts that were put in storage for protection at Krakow's Jagiellonian Library during World War II will be published separately on microfiche by K.G. Saur.
Beethoven Collection
Boxed Set Celebrates 'Stages'
Neil Diamond
Columbia/Legacy will shine a spotlight on the live performance aspect of Neil Diamond's career with the Sept. 30 release of a six-disc boxed set, Billboard.com has learned.
"Stages: Performances 1972-2002" will include five audio discs and a DVD. All but one of the 83 tracks spread across the set are previously unreleased. Diamond penned the liner notes for "Stages," which will be augmented with a 52-page color booklet.
Diamond's 2001-2002 tour was a worldwide success, grossing $80 million, according to Billboard Box Score.
Neil Diamond
Dawn Funeral
Bob Hope
Bob Hope was buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery Wednesday following a private funeral Mass.
The service — attended by about 100 family members and close friends — at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, a few blocks west of the Hope Toluca Lake estate, was held at 6:30 a.m., police Sgt. Tony Carranza said. There were no details about the Mass, which was a closely guarded family secret.
Police then led a 25-car procession to the cemetery in Mission Hills, a northern San Fernando Valley neighborhood about 12 miles from the Hope estate, Carranza said. There was a half-hour burial ceremony.
The 86-acre cemetery is next to the historic San Fernando Mission Rey de Espana, founded on Sept. 8, 1797.
Rresident Bush decreed in a special proclamation that flags be flown at half-staff Wednesday. The family also plans an Aug. 27 invitation-only Mass at St. Charles Borromeo and a public memorial that afternoon at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood.
Bob Hope
In Memory
Freeman (Steve) Newhall
AKA: 'ShadowCatcher'
Freeman (Steve) Newhall passed away at 3:10 p.m. July 26, 2003.
Thanks, Paul (Steve's Grandson)
Steve introduced himself Saturday, 28 July, 2001, with the first positive mail this site generated.
He was quite an interesting character.
His first missive is here.
Old page archive - scroll down, he's listed as 'ShadowCatcher'.
There's only about a month's worth, but, it's wonderful writing and a fun read.
m.
Joan Storey, of Guilderland, N.Y., protests outside of a private fund-raiser for President Bush's campaign in Albany, N.Y., Tuesday, July 29, 2003. More than 100 protesters participated in the demonstration.
Photo by Tim Roske)
'Ark of Darkness'
"The Ark of Darkness", a Political/Science-Fiction work, in tidy, weekly installments (and updated every Friday).
Our explorers try a dangerous shortcut as Lilith and Nathaniel battle at the edge of doom.
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 5
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
