The Best Book Review Money Can Buy (Neatorama)
"Five Star!" the book review gushes, but deep down, you wonder whether it's real. Welcome to the world of fake book review service, where enthusiastic reviews are bought and sold like any other two-bit market commodity.
Sandi Toksvig: 'I don't understand boredom' (Guardian)
Comedian, playwright, novelist, TV personality: Sandi Toksvig is a one-woman cottage industry. She talks to Emine Saner about coming out, panel shows and why she's turned her back on the Lib-Dems.
Mikey Rox: "25 Frugal Ways to 'Pay It Forward'" (Wise Bread)
3. Donate Goods to Charity. Whether you're donating your closet clutter to the Goodwill or handing over warm coats and blankets during a drive, your surplus may be someone else's saving grace.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo, mascot and recently, spokes-peanut of Planters, an American snack-food company and division of Kraft Foods. He consists of a drawing of an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell dressed in the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman: a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats, tights and a cane.
Planters Peanuts was founded in 1906, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania by Amedeo Obici. In 1916 the company held a contest to create a company logo. A fourteen year-old schoolboy named Antonio Gentile won the contest with his drawing of a Peanut Man and an artist later added spats, a top hat, a monocle, and a cane to the drawing, and Mr. Peanut, or as Antonio called him, Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe, was born.
Source
Alan J was first, and correct, with:
Mr. Peanut
Charlie wrote:
Mr. Peanut.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, replied:
Mr. Peanut
Adam answered:
Mr. Peanut.
Marian responded:
Mr. Peanu
Sally said:
Mr. Peanut man's real name is Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe.
Here's the "Mr Peanut" evolution.
PS: I did have the answer to yesterday's quiz, and thought I had sent it - apparently not. My router is acting up, it keeps dropping my Internet connection in the middle of that which I am doing - as it did yesterday in the middle of BCE.
I am just have some bad Internet luck since the passing of Mr Laptop... (RIP dear friend.)
Dale of Diamond Springs (Even had a cool breeze last night!!) answered:
Planters Peanuts was founded in 1906, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania by Amedeo Obici. In 1916 the company held a contest to create a company logo. A fourteen year-old schoolboy named Antonio Gentile won the contest with his drawing of a Peanut Man and an artist later added spats, a top hat, a monocle, and a cane to the drawing, and Mr. Peanut, or as Antonio called him, Bartholomew Richard Fitzgerald-Smythe, was born. From one of my past lives (as a Service Engineer at a food processing machinery manufacturer) we built machinery to weigh and package peanuts for planters. I even know how they get the whoosh when you open up a can or jar of peanuts!!! Does anyone else Know?
For Der Mittenstein
BttbBob replied:
The Viscount Legume, Earl of Goobershire...
MAM wrote:
Mr. Peanut ~ He was named and created in 1916 by the winner of a contest to create the company logo for 'Planters'. He was a 14 year old boy named Antonio Gentlie, who submitted a drawing of a Peanut man along with the elaborate and classy name. Later on, an artist added on a monocle, top hat, cane, and spats to the drawing.
And, Joe S responded:
The answer is Mr. Peanut, and I smell a conspiracy against BttbBob here. Let's all gang up on him. He can take it.
I didn't really take the day off yesterday, I was laid low. I turned over to MSNBC last night to see Rachel and the damned republican convention was on. I immediately got a headache right behind my right eye. The pain started moving down the back of my head to my spine. I had one of those migrating headaches. It moved down my spine to the very end. That's right folks, republicans give me a pain in the ass.
And speaking of republicans, have you noticed how much Reince Priebus looks like Vinzzini from Princess Bride? Check it out.
PASADENA, Calif. - The NASA rover Curiosity beamed to Earth Will.i.am's new song "Reach for the Stars" today in the first music broadcast from another planet, to the delight of students who gathered at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to listen. The song had been uploaded to the rover, which landed near the equator of Mars, and played it back - a journey of some 700 million miles...
Will.i.am premieres his new single - from Mars | Music | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
I don't know if you are familiar with Baratunde Thurston or not, but he is really a funny guy. He is often on NPR as an interview, or doing field reporting AWA having written a good book, "How To Be Black."
I
heard him last night, standing in front of the Republican convention, "Counting the Negroes going inside." Really, that was the exact title of his interview. He had been there all afternoon, and was up to, "22 faces of color, but that includes a few cab drivers and porters."
He is not a comedian like Eddie Murphy or Chris Rock, but he is seriously funny. I am sending you a link to give him a promo - interesting guy!!
CBS opens the night on the East Coast with a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', followed by a RERUN'2½ Men', then a FRESH'Big Brother', followed by 'Goppers Tonight'.
CBS opens the night early on the Left Coast with 'Goppers Tonight', followed by a RERUN'Big Bang Theory', then a RERUN'2½ Men', followed by a FRESH'Big Brother', then an hour of local crap.
Scheduled on a FRESHDave are Bruce Willis, Brian Regan, and the Heavy.
Scheduled on a FRESHCraig is Lisa Kudrow.
NBC begins the night on the East Coast with a RERUN'The Office', followed by a RERUN'Parks & Recreation', then a FRESH'Raising Hope', followed by 'Goppers Tonight'.
NBC begins the night early on the Left Coast with 'Goppers Tonight', followed by a RERUN'The Office', then a RERUN'Parks & Recreation', followed by a FRESH'Raising Hope', then an hour of local crap.
Scheduled on a FRESHLeno are Savannah Guthrie, Dolph Lundgren, and Hoobastank.
On a RERUNJimmy Fallon (from 7/26/12) are Bill Cosby, Fred Willard, and No Doubt.
On a RERUNCarson 'The Scab' Daly (from 4/23/12) are Tavis Smiley, Allen Stone, and Band of Skulls.
ABC opens the night on the East Coast with a FRESH'Wipeout', followed by a FRESH'Rookie Blue', then 'Goppers Tonight'.
ABC opens the night early on the Left Coast with 'Goppers Tonight', followed by an hour of local crap, then a FRESH'Wipeout', followed by a FRESH'Rookie Blue'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 8/14/12) are Joseph Gordon Levitt, Rebel Wilson, and Good Old War.
The CW fills the night with LIVE'NFL Preseason Football'.
Faux has a RERUN'Raising Hope', followed by a RERUN'New Girl', then a RERUN'Glee'.
MY recycles an old 'Without A Trace', followed by another old 'Without A Trace'.
A&E has 'The First 48', another 'The First 48', still another 'The First 48', followed by a FRESH'The First 48'.
AMC offers 'CSI: The 2nd One', followed by the movie 'Pretty Woman', then the movie 'Pretty Woman' (yeah, just like last night).
BBC -
[6:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[7:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS
[8:00AM] THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW - Season 9 - Ep 10 - Cameron Diaz, Kathy Griffin, Bear Grylls, Friendly Fires
[9:00AM] THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW - Season 7 - Ep 2 - Toni Collette, Billie Piper, Shappi Khorsandi, Scouting for Girls
[10:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 2 - Ep 8 - The Impossible Planet
[11:00AM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 2 - Ep 9 - The Satan Pit
[12:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES REVISITED UK - Season 2 - Ep 1 - La Riviera
[1:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 1 - Ep 10 - Dillon's
[2:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES UK - Season 5 - Ep 2 - The Dovecote
[3:00PM] RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES US - Season 3 - Ep 6 - Mama Rita's
[4:00PM] DOCTOR WHO - Season 5 - Ep 13 - The Big Bang
[5:00PM] BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - Season 4 - Ep 17 - No Exit
[6:00PM] STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - Season 5 - Ep 6 - The Game
[7:00PM] TOP GEAR - Season 14 - Episode 7
[8:00PM] JURASSIC PARK
[11:00PM] JURASSIC PARK
[2:00AM] TOP GEAR - Season 2 - Episode 2
[3:00AM] RICHARD HAMMOND'S CRASH COURSE - Season 1 - Ep 6 - Salvage Yard
[4:00AM] RICHARD HAMMOND'S CRASH COURSE - Season 1 - Ep 5 - Demolition
[5:00AM] BBC WORLD NEWS (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'Ocean's Eleven', followed by the movie 'Ocean's Eleven', again.
Comedy Central has an old 'Colbert Report', an old 'Jon Stewart', 'Chappelle's Show', another 'Chappelle's Show', 'South Park', another 'South Park', still another 'South Park', and 'Tosh.0'.
Scheduled on a FRESHJon Stewart is Michael Steele.
Scheduled on a FRESHColbert Report is Jon Huntsman.
FX has the movie 'Step Brothers', followed by the movie 'Date Night', then a FRESH'Wilfred', followed by a FRESH'Louie', then a FRESH'Totally Biased With Kamau Bell'.
History has 'Great Lakes Warriors', 'Pawn Stars', another 'Pawn Stars', still another 'Pawn Stars', yet another 'Pawn Stars', 'Counting Cars', and another 'Counting Cars'.
IFC -
[6:00AM] Whitest Kids U'Know
[6:15AM] Imagine Me & You
[8:15AM] Cherish
[10:30AM] Medicine for Melancholy
[12:30PM] Imagine Me & You
[2:30PM] Cherish
[4:45PM] The Three Stooges-From Nurse to Worse
[5:10PM] The Three Stooges-Gem of a Jam
[5:35PM] The Three Stooges-The Ghost Talks
[6:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Standee
[6:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Pearl Harbor
[7:00PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Kitty's Back
[7:30PM] Malcolm in the Middle-Hal's Christmas Gift
[8:00PM] The Exorcist
[10:45PM] The Exorcist
[1:30AM] The Eye
[3:30AM] Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)-Finally! The Last Episode (Ever) (For Now ...)
[4:45AM] Whitest Kids U'Know (ALL TIMES EDT)
Sundance -
[6:00A] ICONOCLASTS - Paul Simon + Lorne Michaels (Episode 5, Season 2)
[7:00A] Garbage! The Revolution Starts At Home
[8:20A] Trolls
[8:30A] Treeless Mountain
[10:00A] Blind Date
[11:25A] Garbage! The Revolution Starts At Home
[12:45P] Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream of Trains
[2:15P] Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death ...& Insects
[3:10P] Treeless Mountain
[4:40P] Blind Date
[6:00P] Love Lust & The Paranormal
[7:00P] FREAKS AND GEEKS - Carded and Discarded (Episode 7, Season 1)
[8:00P] The Banger Sisters
[9:40P] Teleglobal Dreamin'
[10:00P] The Beach
[12:00A] Vampires
[1:35A] Runaway (animated)
[1:45A] FREAKS AND GEEKS - Carded and Discarded (Episode 7, Season 1)
[4:10A] Red Riding: 1974 (ALL TIMES EDT)
British physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking speaks during the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Paralympics in London, Wednesday Aug. 29, 2012.
Photo by Matt Dunham
Seth MacFarlane will host the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" as it begins its 38th season September 15, while Frank Ocean will be the musical guest.
The choices reflect the success of MacFarlane's summer hit "Ted" and the buzz around Ocean's coming out over the summer. MacFarlane's slate of Fox shows, including "The Family Guy," return this fall.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt returns on September 22 for his second time as host, with Mumford & Sons as musical guests.
Daniel Craig will host October 6 to promote the new James Bond film November 9. Muse will be the musical guests.
An 1877 Steinway grand piano used by many Motown greats has been restored, thanks to a little help from its friend, Paul McCartney.
The former Beatle told Motown Museum officials following a concert last summer in Detroit that he wanted to assist with the restoration of the piano after learning the historic instrument could no longer be played.
Robin Terry, chair of the museum's Board of Trustees, announced late Wednesday that the restoration had been completed.
Terry says the nine-foot piano will make its debut at a charitable event Sept. 18 at Steinway Hall in New York City, where McCartney and Motown founder Berry Gordy will play it for the first time following its restoration.
The piano then will go back on display at the Motown Museum's famed Studio A.
Sean Lennon speaks as his mother Yoko Ono looks on during a news conference launching Artists Against Fracking in New York, August 29, 2012. Ono, Lennon and actor Mark Ruffalo on Wednesday announced the formation of Artists Against Fracking, a coalition of artists, musicians and filmmakers against the hydraulic fracturing process known as fracking in New York state.
Photo by Brendan McDermid
"Modern Family" co-creator Steve Levitan says he'd love to have Ann Romney officiate a same-sex marriage on "Modern Family."
After the prospective first lady called the ABC hit her favorite show, Levitan tweeted that she would be welcome as a guest - with a catch.
"Thrilled Ann Romney says ModFam is her favorite show," Levitan tweeted. "We'll offer her the role of officiant at Mitch & Cam's wedding. As soon as it's legal."
Ann Romney's husband, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, opposes same-sex marriage. But perhaps that will change now that his wife has an incentive to legalize it nationwide.
Tourists and shoppers in London's bustling Covent Garden fell silent and grappled for their cameras as one man sang lines from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and a flash mob of wig-wearing actors boogied to pop songs before melting into the crowd.
Over in minutes, the "Shakespeare pop-up" is one of a series taking place on London's streets this week, as actors ambush the public, giving personalized one-to-one performances of some of the Bard's most famous passages to mark the start of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday.
Classic characters such as Puck, Hamlet, Cleopatra and Juliet, along with more modern flash mob stunts, will be played by a cast of 50 performers that includes deaf and disabled actors.
Shakespeare, Britain's greatest cultural export, featured prominently in the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympic Games and the city has now shifted its focus to the Paralympics.
The FX channel says it has ordered 90 more episodes of the Charlie Sheen sitcom "Anger Management."
The unusually large order reflects the original agreement that FX made for the sitcom, which marked Sheen's quick return to TV after he was fired from "Two and a Half Men."
As part of the deal, FX set a ratings target for eight of the first 10 episodes of "Anger Management." The show reached the threshold, earning an automatic 90-episode order.
FX says "Anger Management" is cable's highest-rated new comedy series this year, averaging 4.5 million viewers.
U.S. director Jonathan Demme (R) and Italian singer Enzo Avitabile pose during a photocall for the movie "Enzo Avitabile Music Life" at the 69th Venice Film Festival in Venice August 29, 2012.
Photo by Tony Gentile
Prosthetics can change the life of an amputee. But when an old limb no longer fits or just gets worn out, it can be hard to part ways with an item that offered the liberating chance to jump, dance or simply walk.
Priscilla Sutton has a solution: turn these "pre-loved" limbs into artwork. The Australian curator came up with "Spare Parts London," an exhibition of altered prosthetics that has opened in time for the Paralympics, which start Wednesday.
"I was cleaning my home and I found two old legs in my cupboard," said Sutton, a below-the-knee amputee. "I thought it was a bit crazy to keep hoarding my legs."
The exhibition, which includes works by artists from Britain, Australia, the United States and Japan, comes as people are paying new attention to the devices.
Public awareness of prosthetics has been heightened by the popularity of double amputee Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, the South African known as the "Blade Runner." The exhibition will showcase the "Cheetah" - the carbon fiber running leg Pistorius uses that has a flex foot designed to replicate the hind leg of the fastest animal on land.
Yahoo News has fired its Washington bureau chief after he was caught on a microphone saying Mitt Romney and his wife were "happy to have a party with black people drowning."
Company spokeswoman Anne Espiritu said Wednesday that David Chalian's remark was inappropriate and does not represent Yahoo's views. She says Yahoo is apologizing to the Republican presidential candidate and his supporters, and has reached out to the campaign to convey the message.
Chalian made the remark during a "hot mic" moment before Yahoo began its live coverage of the GOP convention on Tuesday evening. Yahoo is streaming coverage in association with ABC News.
The remark is an apparent reference to the GOP convention happening as Hurricane Isaac hits the Louisiana coast.
Two male protestors kiss next to a member of the Westboro Baptist Church outside the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida August 28, 2012.
Photo by Philip Andrews
Four years ago, she was the star of the Republican National Convention. Now Sarah Palin (R-Quitter) is upset about getting the hook from the television network where she is working.
The former vice presidential candidate posted on her Facebook page Wednesday that she's "sorry Fox (News Channel) canceled all my scheduled interviews" for the evening. She said she wanted to honor John McCain, who selected her as his running mate in 2008.
Fox executive Bill Shine said the network's plans changed because the Republicans had to condense their schedule of speeches from four nights to three because of Hurricane Isaac. He said Fox looks forward to having Palin back soon.
The former Alaska half-term governor is a paid Fox contributor. She was on the network Monday and Tuesday nights.
Supporters of Planned Parenthood attend a rally near the Republican National Convention in downtown Tampa, Florida, August 29, 2012.
Photo by Steve Nesius
Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign toasted its top donors Wednesday aboard a 150-foot yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands.
The floating party, hosted by a Florida developer on his yacht "Cracker Bay," was one of a dozen exclusive events meant to nurture those who have raised more than $1 million for Romney's bid.
"I think it's ironic they do this aboard a yacht that doesn't even pay its taxes," said a woman who lives aboard a much smaller boat moored at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina.
The event, attended by no more than 50 people, along with Romney relatives, including older brother Scott, appeared on no public calendars. ABC News obtained a schedule of the Romney campaign's "Victory Council" and waited dockside to speak with members.
Greenpeace activists are in a boat in front of energy giant Gazprom's Arctic oil platform Prirazlomnaya in the Pechora Sea on Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Greenpeace activists have stormed a floating oil rig in Russia's Pechora Sea, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the nearest port, to protest oil drilling in the Arctic, the environmental organization said Friday.
Photo by Denis Sinyakov
The embalmed body of actor Sherman Hemsley, who became famous for his role as television's George Jefferson, will be kept in refrigeration at an El Paso funeral home until a local court rules on the validity of his will.
In the will Hemsley signed six weeks before dying of lung cancer July 24 he named Flora Enchinton, 56, whom he called a "beloved partner," as sole beneficiary of his estate, which is estimated in court documents to be more than $50,000.
The will is being contested by Richard Thornton, of Philadelphia, who claims to be Hemsley's brother and says the will might not have been made by the actor.
Enchinton told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she had been friends with Hemsley and had been his manager for more than 20 years. Over the time she, Hemsley and Hemsley's friend Kenny Johnston, 76, lived together, she said he never mentioned any relatives.
Ruth Kidd explores the art piece "Ego" before sunrise during the Burning Man 2012 "Fertility 2.0" arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, August 29, 2012. More than 60,000 people from all over the world have gathered at the sold out festival, which is celebrating its 26th year, to spend a week in the remote desert cut off from much of the outside world to experience art, music and the unique community that develops.
Photo by Jim Urquhart
A foundation set up by Julia Child is locked in a legal battle with the manufacturer of Thermador ovens for touting the late chef's use of the company's high-end appliances.
The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts claims BSH Home Appliances Corp. is using Child's name and image without permission. The Irvine, Calif.-based manufacturer says it is simply making a factual reference to Child's use of its appliances.
BSH filed a lawsuit in Boston against the foundation last week, asking a federal judge to determine the rights of both sides. The foundation countered by filing two lawsuits this week against BHS, one in state court in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the foundation is based, and the other in federal court in Los Angeles. The lawsuits ask for an injunction to stop BHS from using Child's name and seek unspecified monetary damages.
Child, who died in 2004, had a Thermador oven in her Cambridge kitchen, which is now displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington. She also used Thermador products on the set of her popular television show, "The French Chef."
In its complaint, BSH said the foundation sent the company a letter last month in which it said it has exclusive ownership and control of Child's name, image, likeness and celebrity identity, as well as trademarks and copyrights related to her. BSH said the foundation alleged that BSH's use of Child's name and image constitutes copyright infringement, trademark infringement and "a post-mortem violation of Julia Child's right of publicity."
Cellar master Francois Lasportes inspects an oak barrel of Armagnac in a cellar at the Chateau de Laubade in Sorbets, Southwestern France, August 24, 2012. Armagnac is a distinctive style of French brandy (grape distillate) produced in the Gascony region. Unlike cognac and whisky, Armagnac producers in the South-West of France bet on vintage bottles, often offered as a gift , to continue their traditional production on one of the smallest vineyards in the world.
Photo by Bruno Martin
Kim Kardashian has settled a lawsuit against Old Navy claiming the clothing retailer violated her publicity rights by using a lookalike in an ad.
Kardashian sued over the spot in July 2011, claiming the company's use of a model who looked like her might confuse consumers about her actual endorsements, which include a clothing store and shoe line.
The lawsuit was over the commercial titled "Super C-U-T-E." The ad began airing in February 2011 and was still being used in some of the company's promotions months later, Kardashian's lawsuit stated.
It featured Canadian singer-model Melissa Molinaro, who an attorney for Old Navy said at a January hearing was famous in her own right. Her appearance in the ad wasn't intended to draw similarities to Kardashian, the retailer maintained.
Italian actress and stylist Marina Ripa di Meana arrives for the red carpet of the movie "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" at the 69th Venice Film Festival August 29, 2012.
Photo by Max Rossi
Warning: This is a story about online cat videos. If you're among the seemingly tiny minority of the general population not interested in watching a 1-minute clip of a cat in a T-shirt pounding on a keyboard, then move along.
For everyone else, a new measure of respectability is looming for an Internet pleasure that is both massively popular and, for some people, a bit embarrassing. The Walker Art Center, a well-regarded museum of modern art in Minneapolis, on Thursday is presenting its first "Internet Cat Video Film Festival" to showcase the best in filmed feline hijinks.
With about 70 videos over 60 minutes, the Walker is mounting a social experiment as much as a film festival. At issue is whether cat video lovers used to gorging on the clips in the privacy of their homes will do so in public - an online community of fellow aficionados interacting face to face for the first time.
Walker programmers got about 10,000 submissions for the festival after initially expecting several hundred. They whittled that down to the 70 videos to be shown on an outdoor screen on the museum's grounds.
"Study For Improvisation 8," painted in 1909 in Murnau, by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), oil on cardboard laid down on canvas, 38 5/8 x 27 ½ in. (98 x 70 cm.), is seen in this handout photo from Christie's Auction House
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
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Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican hypocrites?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
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