'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Reading Suggestion
'Save the tapes!'
Hi Marty,
Just in case you haven't seen it, Keith Olbermann at MSNBC is gleefully trying to outbid Bill O'Reilly for the "O'Reilly Tapes". Its for the sake of history. No, really.
Reader Recommendations
Movie & Game
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Reader Suggestions
More Bumper Stickers
Pentagon: Planning To Add 20,000 More Troops In Iraq
George W. Bush: Planning To Ask For $70 Billion For The Iraq War A Week After The Election
George W. Bush: Such A Bust That He Ought To Have Boobs (And I'm Not Talking About Cheney And Rice)
George W. Bush: The "My Pet Goat" President
George W. Bush: Bubble Boy
Another Clueless Person for George W. Bush
Another Scientist for John Kerry
Bush/Cheney: Still Lying The Country Into War
Vote 2004: Choose Or Lose
Vote 2004: The Most Important Election Of Your Or Any Other Lifetime
Thanks, Bruce!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Rainy and somewhat dreary.
Yesterday, when I was carrying the kid's cake to the table, it shifted on the plate, so I slapped the top of it with my right to stop the fall, which not only splattered icing (the stove, the counter, the cannisters & my clothes), it also divided the cake into 3 chunks - nothing hit the floor, but it wasn't pretty anymore.
Guess that's one way to avoid leftovers.
Got a letter from DISH® last week - seems we have an original receiver & they wanted to upgrade us - for free!
Ramon the tech came by today (when they said he would) & we joined the 21st century, DISH®-wise. The new receiver is also a recorder - like TiVo. Woo hoo - new toy to play with tonight!
Hits A Nerve With Colin
Howard Stern
Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday dismissed as "nonsense" shock jock Howard Stern's suggestion that he was responsible for his son, Michael Powell, becoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
Stern questioned Michael Powell's credentials in a telephone call Tuesday to KGO-AM radio in San Francisco during an interview with the FCC chairman.
Secretary Powell said Wednesday that his son got the job long before he became secretary of state.
Not exactly.
While Michael Powell did become a member of the commission in November 1997, when President Clinton appointed him to a Republican seat on the panel, he was elevated to FCC chairman by resident Bush on Jan. 22, 2001. That was two days after Bush's inauguration, which was also the day his father became secretary of state.
Howard Stern
To listen to the interiew with the Windows Media Player
To listen to the interview with the Real Player
Launches Political Party Plane
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs
At first glance, it appears presidential: A private jet bound for swing states days before the election. A campaign staff. Hungry media. An omnipresent slogan, "Vote or Die."
But there's no candidate - just Sean "P. Diddy" Combs in all his hip-hop, hype-loving glory, putting in work for his nonpartisan organization Citizen Change.
The mastermind behind those "Vote or Die!" T-shirts is flying from New York to Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Miami on a three-day tour to inform young people and minorities that voting is important and, well, "sexy."
For a lot more, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs
Lists Pet Peeves
Stephen King
Stephen King has compiled his list of Pet Peeves of 2004, with "annoyance levels" that range from minor headache to head-splitting migraine.
King writes in his Entertainment Weekly column that although pop culture is full of pleasures, it also has its share of annoyances. "For every pretty, talented Elisha Cuthbert there is a Paris Hilton (and her little dog, too)."
By exposing his own annoyances - "in all their triviality" - he hopes to encourage readers to speak of their own pet peeves, King writes in the magazine's Oct. 29 issue.
The list includes pop star Britney Spears, who rates a minor headache; real estate mogul and "The Apprentice" star Donald Trump, a moderate to severe headache (due to unavoidable comb-over); and ads before theatrical movies, a head-splitting migraine.
Stephen King
Make Bush 'Movie Villain of the Year'
Film Fans
Resident Bush may see himself as defender of democracy and compassionate conservatism but British film fans have voted him "Movie Villain of the Year."
The American "Axis of Evil" fighter is wooing voters with security pledges ahead of the presidential election next week, but it was Bush's role in Michael Moore's anti-war film "Fahrenheit 9/11" that won him the villainous title.
In a poll for Total Film magazine, the U.S. leader fought off competition from such well-known baddies as atomic scientist Doctor Octopus from "Spider-Man 2" and fellow Texan Leatherface from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
Film Fans
Coming to an End
Hollywood Hell House
Hollywood's version of life in hell closes on Halloween, ending one of the most popular plays in town -- a show where stars vied to play Satan and theatergoers reeled from graphic scenes of rape, abortion, suicide, cannibalism and loud heavy metal music.
Called "Hollywood Hell House," the show is a revival of a deadly earnest morality play, written by a Colorado preacher, the Rev. Keenan Roberts, for Christian fundamentalists.
It is played as parody in Los Angeles -- with, miracle of miracles, not a single word change.
With a rotating cast of celebrities, including Bill Maher, Penn Gillette and Richard Belzer playing Satan, "Hollywood Hell House" has become the hottest show in town since it opened in August.
Hollywood Hell House
Describes Horrors After Darfur Visit
Angelina Jolie
Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie on Wednesday described the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region as "unbelievably horrible" after a three-day visit to region.
Jolie, a good will ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, has visited refugees in many conflict-torn countries but said Darfur struck her as the worst she had seen because the rights abuses and violence continued and nowhere was safe.
She said the Darfur conflict was complex and difficult to understand, but it was clear there was no place in the vast region that was 100 percent safe.
Angelina Jolie
Signs Deal for 'Kojak' Series
Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames has signed with USA Network to a weekly series of "Kojak," debuting in March, Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network and the Sci Fi Channel, said Tuesday. Filming begins in Toronto in January.
Production wrapped in August on a two-hour original movie, which will now serve as the premiere episode for the nine-week original series, the network said.
Ving Rhames
Long-Lost Final Film Rediscovered
Ed Wood
Considered the worst film maker of all time, Ed Wood won a cult following after his death and now fans can see his long-lost last film "Necromania," a work some say shows he was so bad that he was brilliant.
But it's not for the faint-hearted. The 1971 movie is a porn film documenting the sexual enlightenment of a young couple at the hands of a coven of witches.
"Necromania" -- the last film Wood directed -- was filmed over two or three days with a budget of no more than $7,000 and the only copies went missing soon after it was made. The movie tells the story of Danny and Shirley, a young couple who visit the mysterious Madame Heles for help with their flagging sex life. The lessons they are taught involve skulls, spells and sex in a coffin.
For more details, Ed Wood
Trys Comedy - Denies Fox Bias
Rupert Murdoch
News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch denies his Fox News Channel is biased towards US resident George W. Bush but says his newspapers will continue to back Republican foreign policy.
"We're not in the least bit biased, we're a fair and balanced company, our slogan is fair and balanced," he told reporters at News Corp's annual general meeting in the Australian city of Adelaide.
Murdoch said Fox News was redressing the imbalance of coverage by other US networks.
Earlier this month, Fox's chief political correspondent Carl Cameron was disciplined by the channel for posting a fake news item on its website featuring Kerry purportedly gushing over his "metrosexual" appearance.
Rupert Murdoch
Fourth Film
'Indiana Jones'
Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have reportedly hired a high-profile movie writer to pen a new script for a fourth instalment of the "Indiana Jones" adventure series.
According to the trade magazine Variety, Spielberg and Lucas, who directed and produced the successful movies, agreed a decade ago with star Harrison Ford that all three would have to agree on a script for the next movie about the adventurous archaeologist.
After working unsuccesfully with several writers the trio settled on Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the script of "Catch Me If You Can" starring Leonardo di Caprio, and co-scripted the Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal," both directed by Spielberg.
Nathanson also penned the script for the successful Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker "Rush Hour" action comedies.
'Indiana Jones'
Baby News
Oliver Ragland Stills
Musician Stephen Stills of the legendary band Crosby, Stills & Nash and his wife Kristen are the proud parents of a baby boy.
Oliver Ragland Stills was born Monday just before 4 p.m. in Los Angeles, weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces, Stills' publicist Elliot Mintz said. By late night, the family had returned to their Beverly Hills home. "Mommy and baby are doing absolutely fine, and the daddy is elated of course," Mintz told The Associated Press. "Who could ask for a better Thanksgiving gift?"
Oliver Ragland was named in honour of Stills' frequent bandmate Neil Young, born Neil Percival Kenneth Ragland Young.
Oliver Ragland Stills
Reruns Replacing 'Capital Report'
Conan O'Brien
CNBC announced Wednesday it will begin airing episodes of NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" at 7 p.m. ET a day after they first run on the Peacock.
"Late Night" will replace the Washington newscast "Capital Report," which goes off the air Nov. 12.
Decision to enlist O'Brien's show is part of an aggressive campaign to turn CNBC's after-dark lineup into an entertainment destination. Earlier this year, net bowed "Dennis Miller" at 9 p.m. ET and "McEnroe" at 10 p.m., both original shows and both male-centric.
Conan O'Brien
Seeks Next 'Network Star'
Food Network
The Food Network is beginning a nationwide talent search for "The Next Food Network Star." The hunt will be documented on a series of specials slated to air next year.
The winner, who will be determined by Food Network's viewers, will host a six-episode show that will premiere in September, as part of the network's weekend "In the Kitchen" programming block.
Both professionals and amateurs may apply. Applicants must submit a three-minute audition tape. Tapes will be accepted until Nov. 30. Contest rules are posted on the Food Network's Web site.
Food Network
'Gone With the Wind' Maker Gets Star
David O. Selznick
Even though he produced "Gone with the Wind" and other movie classics, David O. Selznick never had his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
That oversight was corrected Tuesday when the Producers Guild sponsored the late producer's star on Hollywood Boulevard, a half-block from Grauman's Chinese theater where many of his films played.
Daniel Selznick, who unveiled the star, admitted that "my father's feelings were hurt that he wasn't included."
David O. Selznick
'Donates' $325,000 to GOP
Pappas Telecasting
One of the state's biggest broadcasters has given 13 Republican county committees $325,000 worth of free air time to promote candidates on its radio and television stations throughout California.
Pappas Telecasting Cos., which calls itself the largest privately held broadcast firm in the nation, made the donations earlier this month. Democrats complain the offer unfairly benefits GOP candidates in violation of federal law.
A spokesman for Pappas said the Federal Communications Commission has reviewed the donations and determined that they do not trigger provisions of federal law that require broadcasters to give all candidates equal broadcast time.
Pappas Telecasting
Up Approval Ratings
Terror Warnings
When the government issues a terror warning, the president's approval rating increases an average of nearly three points, a Cornell University sociologist says.
"The social theories predict it, and anecdotally we know it to be true. Now we have statistical science to confirm it," said Robb Willer, assistant director of Cornell's Sociology and Small Groups Laboratory.
On average, a terror warning prompted a 2.75 point increase in resident George Bush's approval rating the following week, said Willer, who published his study in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed online journal.
Terror Warnings
Blocking Access To Off Shore Viewing
Campaign Site
U.S. resident George W. Bush's official campaign Web site has blocked access to foreign Web surfers since Monday, an Internet monitoring company said Wednesday.
Netcraft, based in Bath in western England, said the site, www.georgewbush.com, "appears to be rejecting visitors from most points outside the United States, while allowing access from U.S. locations."
"Since Monday morning, requests to GeorgeWBush.com from stations in London, Amsterdam and Sydney, Australia have failed, while the four U.S. monitoring stations show no performance problems. Web users in Canada report they are able to visit the site," Netcraft said.
Campaign Site
A Dirty Word in U.S. Campaign
'French'
For centuries the very mention of France has conjured up images of elegance and sophistication but in an increasingly heated U.S. presidential campaign, "French" has become a dirty word.
Capitalizing on anti-French sentiment among some Americans following France's decision not to back the war in Iraq, some Republicans have repeatedly accused Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry of "looking French."
The conservative press has jumped on the bandwagon, spurred by an anonymous Bush adviser making the comparison to The New York Times. Wall Street Journal commentator James Taranto, for example, has many times referred to Kerry as a "haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat."
The attacks against France during the campaign prompted the French ambassador to Washington, Jean-David Levitte, to protest to U.S. authorities this month.
'French'
Ordered to Stand Trial
Courtney Love
Singer Courtney Love was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon despite her attorney's claim that the case had been "grossly overcharged."
Superior Court Commissioner Sanjay Kumar listened to testimony from the alleged victim, Kristin King, and a neighbor at the location of the alleged attack before ruling.
Love was ordered to appear for arraignment on Nov. 10. She remained free on $150,000 bail.
Courtney Love
Former CEO Black Trades Barbs
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert dueled with Conrad Black, the ousted CEO of the paper's parent company, in a series of sharply worded letters published Wednesday in the newspaper's commentary section.
Ebert said he felt betrayed by reports that the Canadian newspaper mogul used Hollinger profits for personal expenses while the Sun-Times building sat in disrepair and union employees threatened to strike over wages and benefits. Black scoffed at what he called Ebert's "ingratitude," citing the critic's $500,000 salary.
The exchange began earlier this month when Ebert, co-host of "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies," wrote in an open letter to publisher John Cruickshank during contract negotiations that he would not cross a picket line if the paper's staffers went on strike. He complained about reports of "millions of dollars winging away to the (former chief operating officer David) Radler and Black billfolds while we worked in a building where even basic maintenance was ignored."
Black was ousted as CEO of Hollinger International Inc. amid an internal investigation that accused him, Radler and others of systematically looting the newspaper publishing company of more than $400 million - nearly all its profits from 1997 through 2003.
Roger Ebert
New Species of Hobbit-Sized Human
Homo floresiensis
Scientists in Australia have found a new species of hobbit-sized humans who lived about 18,000 years ago on an Indonesian island in a discovery that adds another piece to the complex puzzle of human evolution.
The partial skeleton of Homo floresiensis, found in a cave on the island of Flores, is of an adult female that was a meter (3 feet) tall, had a chimpanzee-sized brain and was substantially different from modern humans.
It shared the isolated island to the east of Java with miniature elephants and Komodo dragons. The creature walked upright, probably evolved into its dwarf size because of environmental conditions and coexisted with modern humans in the region for thousands of years.
Homo floresiensis
Newspaper Endorsements
Daily Tally
Resident Bush is running out of time if he wants to catch Sen. John Kerry -- in newspaper endorsements, at least. Kerry picked up seven new papers on our list today with Bush gaining just three, bringing the tally to 149 to 126 with just six days until Election Day. However, things could change when many procrastinating papers make their picks on Sunday.
But there's no way the president will catch the senator in circulation total of supporting papers, which now stands at 17.7 to 11.6 million, in Kerry's favor.
JOHN KERRY
149 newspapers total
17,667,149 daily circulation
GEORGE W. BUSH
126 newspapers total
11,602,120 daily circulation
For the rest & a list of the newspapers, by state - Daily Tally
