How Original - Trading Cards
Here's Condi
Wow! What a creative, innovative, original idea these cards are...
NOT!
Got this set in August, and they were FREE!.
Do You Have A 'Realplayer'?
Hotline Scoop's
Mike B.
The Hotline Scoop's play of the Day ususally has all
the good jokes from the night before, in Realplayer
form.
http://hotlinescoop.com/studio/potd.htm
The P.M. version of the scoop has a couple of good
ones every day.
Cheers,
~~Mike B.
Thanks, Mike!
Heard It On Letterman
Tuesday Night
David M.
Did you hear that Mullah Mohammed Omar challenged President Bush to a duel?
Bush said okay as long as it can be in Florida.
Thanks, David!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night's TV
Started out with 'Enterprise', on UPN, and the series is starting to grow on
me. But, still hate the theme song.
Watched part of 'Drew Carey' on ABC, and what a wonderful supporting cast!
What a vile script this week (it had to do with his mother's lack of orgasm) - oh, that
Disney-owned ABC sure knows family entertainment. Maybe they'll do an
episode on tampons, too.
'Bob Patterson' didn't even get a chance to empty what was in the can - I'd rather
have a fresh episode of a bad show, than a rerun of a so-so one - so, of course, I was
let down when the powers that be at ABC opted for a rerun of Drew Carey's 'Who's Line
Is It Anyway?'.
Also watched '20/20' for Barbara Walter's interview with Vladimir Putin, but,
again I was disappointed - she didn't try to 'peer into his soul' once!
Tonight, is the debut of The Tick on Faux, and it has had some of the best buzz of the
new season. It may even break the 'Seinfeld Curse'.
NBC has a hole to fill, so they're tossing us a rerun of last year's 'Will & Grace'
Thanksgiving show, before a fresh episode, where, of course Grace is bummed.
Opposite the 'Will & Grace' rerun, the wiz kids at ABC have programmed a rerun of
'Who's Line Is It Anyway?'.
CBS has 'Survivor', where #5 goes 'buh-bye', then 'CSI', and 'The Agency'.
At least all the shows are fresh.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Are Your 'Live' Sports Really 'Live'?
KDKA & The Time Machine
KDKA-TV, the CBS owned-and-operated TV station in Pittsburgh, has been caught compressing a recent live NFL
game in order to insert an extra local 30-second commercial into the broadcast. The NFL said the action
was in violation of CBS's NFL contract.
Data from Taylor Nelson Sofres' CMR and network logs indicate that KDKA also may have been squeezing some
of its daily prime-time network feed to add extra local commercials.
Furthermore, network logs indicate that at least one other CBS owned-and-operated station may have engaged
in this practice during prime time.
The implications are spellbinding: It's the specter of a network's own local stations bowing to the
financial pressures of their parent company -- a publicly traded media behemoth -- by increasing revenues
in ways that are off limits to the network's affiliates. Additionally, such she-nanigans might violate
agreements with program owners and anger national marketers.
KDKA was able to add the extra commercial during the Pittsburgh Steelers-Kansas City Chiefs football game
on Oct. 25 by using Prime Image's Time Machine, which makes it easy to take a live program, delay it to
extend the commercial break and then micro-edit or reduce the remaining portion of the program to have it
end on time. Local 30-second spots during the game are worth $6,000 to $10,000, according to competing
TV executives in the market.
The station was caught when Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Dimitri Vassilaros noticed that the game
on KDKA was running about 30 seconds behind the live radio broadcast of the game he was listening to on
WDVE-FM. Preferring the announcers on WDVE, he had decided to listen to the game on radio while watching
the action on TV. But he was surprised to find that he would hear a play on the radio long before he saw it on KDKA.
The NFL was not happy when it heard what KDKA had done.....
and --
Baltimore too?
and --
"That's a minute or two a night, plus some," said Mr. Howell. "It's the kind of thing I could lose my affiliation
for. You can't shrink a program and put a spot in accidentally."
For the rest of this exceptional article, and it's ramifications, KDKA And The 'Time Machine'
Clear Channel Communications At It Again
'Boobies Like Britney'
No one ever accused radio of having an overabundance of good taste. But in this case, even the bosses of WKSC-FM (103.5) admit they crossed the line.
In conjunction with the release this week of Britney Spears' new album, "Britney," the contemporary-hit station known as "Kiss FM" launched a contest offering its young female listeners a chance to win "Boobies Like Britney."
"Wanna be like Britney?" the Clear Channel Communications station teased in on-air promos and on its Web site. "You first met her on 'The Mickey Mouse Club.' You've watched her GROW into every guy's fantasy slave. Now you want what she's got! Enter to win 'Boobies Like Britney' and the $5,000 grand prize!"
In order to win the grand prize (presumably enough to finance breast augmentation surgery) as well as tickets to Spears' Nov. 28 concert in Chicago, contestants were invited to submit their photos along with essays of 50 words or less on why they should win "Boobies Like Britney."
"Kiss FM" listeners would then be encouraged to go online to vote for their choice to win a "Britneyesque transformation."
It might surprise you to know that the vice president and general manager of "Kiss FM" and the station's marketing and promotions director are women. In fact, they are sophisticated and intelligent professionals. So how they both could have signed off on such a sexist, insulting and irresponsible promotion is utterly baffling.
Not surprisingly, complaints began pouring in almost as soon as the contest was announced.
On Tuesday, station boss Kathy Stinehour went on the air with something that sounded close to an apology.
"Some have indicated that the title of the promotion sends the wrong message to young women in Chicago. I agree," Stinehour told listeners. "In the interests of making the promotion exciting, our programmers crossed the line. We will immediately change the direction of the Britney promotion and ask you to keep listening and keep giving us feedback."
So how did "Kiss FM" change the direction of the contest? By simply altering the name of it to "Body Like Britney" and recasting it as a chance to win $5,000 for a makeover to look like the singer.
"This was never about a boob job, although I know it appears that way," Stinehour later said in an interview. "We were not giving away breast augmentation in any way, shape or form. We're giving away $5,000 in cash for whatever the person chooses to do with it.
"Britney's breasts are really only one part of her whole package anyway. There are lots of moving parts to her--her clothes, her hair, her makeup, all that stuff.
"The intent was that this would get a lot of talk and attention and discussion for the radio station. That's just what it's doing."
'Boobies Like Britney
Don't worry, Clear Channel Communications only owns (over) 1200 radio stations nationwide, and the FCC is looking out for you, too.
(It's only a cold sore......The check is in the mail.....)
Day 2
Clooney Vs. O'Reilly
George Clooney is going after talkmeister Bill O'Reilly.
Yesterday, Clooney fired off a letter to the Fox News Channel host who claimed last week that Clooney and other celebrity "phonies" were afraid to come on "The O'Reilly Factor" to discuss where the millions of dollars they raised for Sept. 11 victims are going.
"People are coming up to me and asking if it's true that the telethon was a fraud," Clooney wrote O'Reilly. "Because of your unsubstantiated, untrue statement about the September 11 Fund, you, Mr. O'Reilly, will be taking money away from people who need it."
Insisting that the fund is being handled "responsibly," Clooney compared O'Reilly with witch-hunting Sen. Joseph McCarthy and accused him of peddling "a lie" to boost his ratings during a "sweeps" month.
Clooney went on to admit he and other stars lied about being too busy to come on his show.
"We weren't too busy," wrote Clooney. "If you were Peter Jennings, or Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw ... or pretty much anybody else, we would have dropped everything and explained what we know. You see, Bill, these are journalists. ... We were just trying to not hurt your feelings."
Go Get Him, George, And Keep Writing!
New! Updated!
(6 Nov, 2001)
The official BartCop Astrologer, Geneva, has provided another eye-opening set of charts!
A brief excerpt: " "The influence of the opposition across the 3rd/9th axis may indicate
we have more to fear from domestic terrorism than a foreign entity. Sagittarius on the cusp
of the foreign 9th house, with ruler Jupiter in Cancer, the sign most closely associated with
home and country, in the home 4th, shows the source of anthrax and other bio-chemical threats
are more likely from within our own borders; by a home grown group of domestic terrorists. The
recent wave of breast beating, chest thumping, and flag waving can be attributed to the most
excessive planet (Jupiter) transiting the most exorbitantly patriotic and jingoistic sign (Cancer).
Jupiter also has jurisdiction over religion, so the source of these dreadful bio-terrorist attacks
could very well be a group with a strongly opinionated religious axe to grind. "
Very interesting reading!
Big Dog Watch Continues
Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton gestures during an address on the impact of terrorism on
globalization, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 at Georgetown University in Washington.
Photo by Terry Ashe
Bill Clinton At Georgetown
Nothing Wrong With His Eyes
Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman is known for playing the powerful, conservative J.R. Ewing on ``Dallas.''
But in real life, the actor talks openly about the hallucinations he experienced the first time he dropped acid.
``This cave door opened up right in front of me - I mean it was really real - and there were octopuses guarding the gates and a lion with feathers and it could fly. It was very, very scary,'' Hagman told AP Radio.
``And I looked up to my left and my grandmother who'd been dead for, like, 25 years was sitting up and she kind of levitated in the sky above me and she says, 'Don't worry about it - go with the flow.'''
The 70-year-old actor recently had another vision: He saw Linda Gray, who played his wife Sue Ellen on ``Dallas,'' do her nude scene in the London production of ``The Graduate'' in which she plays Mrs. Robinson.
``She looks absolutely stunning,'' Hagman said. ``It's done with proper lighting and everything but you can see just about everything. She's a beautiful woman and she takes care of her body. She's 61 now and she looks absolutely sensational.''
More Larry Hagman
'X-Files' Movie Sequel
Chris Carter
Show mastermind Chris Carter confirms to E! Online that he is in talks with 20th Century
Fox to do a sequel to 1998's X-Files movie, complete with original series stars David
Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
"They've both expressed interest in doing the movie so it's really just negotiations. I've
spoken to them both personally," Carter said in a phone interview.
Duchovny's return to the paranormal sci-fi franchise that launched career would definitely
raise eyebrows. The actor waged a well-publicized legal battle against the series that
eventually led to his departure at the end of last season.
While he's through with the television version, Duchovny has stated he'd be willing
to reprise the role of Fox "Spooky" Mulder for X-Files movies.
Same goes for the 33-year-old Anderson, who has said she she intends to exit the show at
the end of the upcoming season to spend more time with her daughter, Piper.
Carter also says that while it's still too early, he could see some of the X-Files most
recent additions, such as actor Robert Patrick (who joined the cast last season as
hard-headed Agent John Doggett) and Annabeth Gish (Special Agent Monica Reyes), possibly
popping up in a future film. Carter has said he sees The X-Files as a potential film
franchise, à la Star Trek.
Of course, work on the sequel can't begin until the studio green-lights the project--and
that all depends on the script. Carter is expected to hatch the latest X-File with series
vet (and cowriter of the first film) Frank Spotnitz over the next several months. If all
goes as planned, production on the sequel could get started in late 2002 for a targeted
release in December 2003, according to Variety. No word yet whether director Rob Bowman
will be back behind the camera.
A sequel would seem like a no-brainer for Fox. The original film grossed a solid $84 million
domestically and did well on video. Overall, The X-Files has earned the studio more than $1 billion.
But until Mulder and Scully reunite on celluloid, X-Philes will have to make do with a new
crop of recruits, including Cary Elwes as FBI Assistant Director Brad Follmer and ex-Xena
Lucy Lawless, who turns up on the season premiere in what could become a recurring role as
a mysterious woman from Doggett's past.
The ninth season of The X-Files kicks off Sunday on Fox. For those fans feeling nostalgic,
Fox is also releasing a box set of the show's fourth season (seasons one-three are already
available) next Tuesday.
X-Files Film Sequel
Pheasants & Ducks, So Far
What, No Skeet?
So what was the top-secret mission Dick Cheney was on last weekend? Turns out that the veep,
whose whereabouts are the subject of much official hugger-mugger, spent Sunday and Monday
pheasant-hunting in South Dakota. It was an "annual buddy thing," an aide tells The Washington
Post. Cheney blew his cover by giving away postcards to children at the airport when he flew in
from his home in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The weekend before, he was blowing away ducks in upstate New York. ...
Hey, Wait - I Thought He Lived In Texas
'The Emasculation of Max Bickford'
'Touched By A Professor'?
Could the new CBS college drama ''The Education of Max Bickford,'' starring Oscar winner Richard
Dreyfuss as a curmudgeonly academic, end up being renamed ''Touched by a Professor?''
That's the joke among supporters of the series' original creators, who left the show last week
after CBS demanded that they make Bickford a nicer person, the Los Angeles Times said Wednesday.
The rueful reference is to CBS' inspirational religion-themed drama ``Touched by an Angel.''
CBS executives eager to boost ratings for ``Max Bickford'' want Dreyfuss to play his grouchy
title character -- a widowed professor going through a mid-life crisis -- as a kinder, gentler
soul, and they have installed a new lead producer to give the show a warmer tone, the Times said.
The show, which airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m., following ``60 Minutes,'' stars Dreyfuss
as a cranky history professor at an all-women's college who is coming to terms with all
the doubts and dreads of middle age.
As conceived by original producers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, the show focuses
on Max's conflicts with various students, colleagues, family and himself.
Much centers on his changing relationships with women -- a rebellious daughter, a best
friend who has undergone a sex-change operation and a one-time protege and lover turned
academic rival (played by Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden). On top of all that, he is a
recovering alcoholic and a single father.
Insiders at 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the show in association with CBS
Productions, confirmed that Yorkin and Prestwich left the show last week over creative
differences with the network.
One source acknowledged that Fox, which has a development deal with Yorkin and Prestwich,
would have preferred to see them stay with ``Bickford'' and for CBS to give the series
more time to build an audience before revamping the show.
There is also concern that ``Bickford'' was conceived more as a 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. show
and may be too ambitious for the family-oriented 8 o'clock hour.
One change that Fox agreed with was CBS' desire to narrow the focus of the show to just
two storylines per episode, rather than five or six, the source said.
Opponents of the changes believe CBS suits are meddling too much in creative areas at the
risk of watering down a series lauded by critics for its complex, conflicted characters.
But CBS executives, faced with declining ratings early in the show's run, were anxious to
attract a larger audience and were especially concerned that Max was too negative and
acerbic, the Times said.
``He was continually confused and downtrodden, and we wanted him to be able to work through
his problems instead of wringing his hands,'' said one CBS executive who spoke to the Times
on condition of anonymity.
At the network's insistence, the supervising producer put in charge of the show, Joe Cacaci,
is instituting a number of changes that include a character adjustment for Max to portray
him in a more upbeat manner, the Times said.
'The Emasculation Of Max Bickford' Or 'Too Many Suits Spoil The Plotline'
'The Amazing Race'
Renewed
CBS said Tuesday it will produce a second helping of ``The Amazing Race,'' the low-rated reality
series that pits competitors in a mad dash around the globe.
``Amazing Race 2,'' targeted for midseason or summer 2002, will follow 12 teams over 30 to 40 days.
That's up from 11 teams this season. As in the original, which launched this fall, the winning team
will snag $1 million.
Producers actually started casting the new ``Race'' last summer, and preproduction began a few
weeks ago. CBS, however, declined to confirm the show had been picked up for a second season
until Tuesday afternoon.
CBS had planned to air the first ``Race'' in the summer, but after viewing the show's first
episode, decided to take a shot on launching it in the fall. While critics generally praised
the series, viewers appear to be losing their appetite for reality shows.
Still, CBS executives apparently believe the show has proven to be effective counterprogramming
opposite NBC's ``The West Wing.''
``Race'' will wrap up its first season next month.
'Amazing Race 2'
Updated!
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' never seems to rest - and doesn't let little things like laundry or
housekeeping get in the way!
Damn near every show on TV must is listed - days & days worth of great reading.
For an amazing variety of information on an awesome array of tv programs check out
BC TV!
Hey, Cassie In Seattle
Transgendered TV
Producers of ``The Education of Max Bickford'' anticipated a fuss after casting the role
of Erica, a college professor who used a sabbatical for a sex change operation. Never
before had such a character been a regular in prime-time television.
The conservative American Family Association alerted its members, and CBS got a handful of
protest letters. But no advertisers expressed concern, and moral watchdogs have been quiet.
``I think the lack of comment is an indication that there is an acceptance,'' said Nicole Yorkin,
a creator of the drama. ``It's not something they see as so shocking or horrifying that it requires
a great deal of discussion.''
Television story lines that probably would have provoked morality debates only a few years ago
have passed by unnoticed, either because the public has become used to them or the country is
preoccupied with more important news.
Four years after Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom coming-out party was front-page news, a doctor played
by Laura Innes on ``ER'' is quietly coming to terms with being a lesbian. The story began last
spring and is continuing this fall.
And less than a decade after former Vice President Dan Quayle complained about Murphy
Brown delivering a baby out of wedlock, an unmarried character on ``Friends'' - television's
most popular show - is pregnant. Her friends even turned the idea of marriage into a joke.
Erica's acceptance is even more remarkable considering it airs on one of television's
busiest nights, Sunday, on CBS, the network that generally has the oldest, most
conservative audience. It starts at 8 p.m., during what used to be known as the family hour.
Dawn Prestwich, co-creator of the series with Yorkin, said she was a little nervous
presenting the character to CBS. To her surprise, network executives not only approved
it, but encouraged the producers to make Erica more prominent.
A woman, Helen Shaver, was cast as Erica. ``Bickford'' creators said they didn't
seek an actor who had been through a sex change because there weren't many to choose from.
Shaver took the role, she said, because it was well-written and offered the chance
to work regularly with star Richard Dreyfuss. She researched the part by reading
books and talking to people who had undergone a sex change.
Any indications that her character had once been a man are very subtle: Shaver will
make certain movements with her hands, or slightly alter her walk or voice.
``The narrow view is that a transgender woman looks like a man in a dress,'' she said,
``but that's not true. Yes, there are some transgender women who look like men in dresses,
but that's just a tiny, tiny part of the whole community.''
Dreyfuss' character has a hard time accepting Erica. He pouts that his old drinking
buddy, with whom he used to ogle women, is now a woman. Bickford thought it ridiculous
when Erica got a new birth certificate, and angrily told her.
``Erica is wonderfully flawed and human,'' said Scott Seomin, entertainment media
director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. ``Helen Shaver and the
writers are really doing this character well. She has integrity, she doesn't make
an apology for who she is, she's living her life openly and honestly. It's very
reflective of how it can be for people who transition into a different gender.''
Previous depictions of such characters were used for temporary shock value, he said.
They were crime victims, objects to be pitied or shown trying to fool others about
their sexuality, he said. GLAAD considers Erica's casting a breakthrough that can
help people struggling with their sexuality.
GLAAD sent a glossary to journalists with suggestions on how to address Erica. It
prefers the term ``transgender,'' and also advises that Erica be referred to as ``she,'' never ``he.''
The character has attracted little attention because it's not really a controversy in
society, said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television
at Syracuse University. Murphy Brown and Ellen became issues, but by the time they went
on the air, many in American society had come to grips with single motherhood and homosexuality, he said.
``Television never pushes envelopes,'' he said. ``It licks envelopes.''
Thompson said ``culture war'' attacks on Hollywood aren't likely to resonate post-Sept. 11
because they echo the criticism Islamic fundamentalists have of American society - and domestic
critics don't want to be associated with the enemy.
Transgendered Goes Primetime & No One Cares
Guess they never watched 'Twin Peak's, and saw David Duchovny's character, Denise.
The Former Mr. Helen Hunt
Hank Azaria
Production on actor Hank Azaria's upcoming NBC sitcom has been shut down since last
week, as network and studio executives search for a new showrunner.
Former ``Friends'' writer/producer Seth Kurland exited as executive producer on the
midseason project because of ''creative differences,'' insiders said.
Azaria and Kurland originally developed the project, now titled ``The Hank Azaria Show,''
together. As a result, Sony's Columbia TriStar, where Azaria sealed a development deal
last year, and Disney's Touchstone, where Kurland has an overall deal, wound up forging
a co-production. The project was first pitched to ABC before eventually moving to NBC,
which committed to 13 episodes; five have already been produced.
'The Hank Azaria Show'
Wearing His Kilt 'Scottish Style'
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson likes to wear his kilt ``Scottish style'' - without underpants - he said
at the world premiere of ``The 51st State.''
Decked out in the distinctive Scottish garment and a wool sweater at the West End opening,
Jackson said Tuesday that only cold weather and certain camera angles forced him to break
with local tradition during filming.
``The kilt is extremely comfortable and quite warm as the material is thick and there's lots
of pleats,'' the 52-year-old actor said. ``I have been wearing it Scottish style, though sometimes
it's too cold or risky for the camera shot.''
``The 51st State,'' a comedy-action movie about an American who braves British crime rings
in a bid to introduce a new designer drug to the country, was filmed mostly on location
in Liverpool, England.
Jackson's character, Elmo McElroy, dons a kilt for parts of the movie.
Samuel L. Jackson
Cantankerous Or Curmudgeonly?
Richard Harris
Richard Harris, who plays the headmaster in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , lashes out
against self-promotional actors who "go to the opening of an envelope." He even called Tom
Cruise a "midget."
Don't confuse cantankerous Irish actor Richard Harris with the kind school headmaster he plays
in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or the wise emperor he played in Gladiator.
While in London for the premiere of the much-anticipated first Potter film, in which he plays
Dumbledore, the 71-year-old actor lashed out at the celebrities who usually attend such events.
Harris is quoted in Showbiz Ireland as saying such stars are "spoilt" and that "they'd go to
the opening of an envelope — any big occasion, they're always there. Anything for exposure.
We can do without them. What I hate about our business today is the elitism. So-called stars
ride in private jets and have bodyguards and dietitians and beauticians."
The actor, whose heyday included roles in Camelot , Hawaii and A Man Called Horse , then got
personal: "Tom Cruise is a midget, and he has eight bodyguards, all 6' 10", which makes him
even more diminutive. It's an absolute joke. Actors are unimportant."
He also dissed Madonna, who spends much of her time in London with British hubby Guy Ritchie,
saying she hadn't shown up at the premiere because she would not be able to understand the film.
Harris says he only agreed to join the Harry Potter franchise after his granddaughter Ella
threatened never to speak to him again if he didn't — although at contract time he was also
reported to have held out — and received — a share of the film's massive merchandising profits.
Richard Harris, A Real Actor
Apples And Oranges
LOTR vs. Harry Potter
``Lord of the Rings'' movie maker Peter Jackson on Wednesday dismissed talk that the
first movie of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy is in head-to-head competition
with the first ``Harry Potter'' movie.
``Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' had its debut to rave reviews in London
on Sunday while the first Lord of the Rings movie in New Zealander Jackson's US$300
million series -- ``The Fellowship of the Ring'' -- premieres in London on December 10.
AOL Time Warner will be a winner both ways -- its New Line Cinema studio is producing
the Lord of the Rings series while another of its units, Warner Bros., is making the
Harry Potter series.
Over the past half century, Tolkien's classic fantasy about hobbits, trolls, elves and
wizards has sold as estimated 100 million copies worldwide -- enchanting readers with
the tale of Frodo the hobbit (played by Elijah Wood) who sets out to destroy the magic
ring that would make the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee) all-powerful.
While the media is sure to compare the box office receipts of the two movies, Jackson
suggested fantasy fans would watch both, rather than follow one movie series over the other.
The Harry Potter movie -- entitled ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' for U.S.
audiences -- goes on general release on November 16 while the first Lord of the Rings
movie will be in theaters on December 19.
Lord Of The Rings/Harry Potter
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
To check out 'Train Station Chicken', and more (like 'Cranberry Autumn Tea'),
In The Kitchen With BartCop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Why Have Just One'
Polygamy Porter
It's usually the more women the merrier in beer ads, so marketing Polygamy Porter ("Why have just one!") should be a breeze.
Actually, the ads haven't even come out yet and some Mormons are already grumbling. But Wasatch Beers in Park City, Utah, has been down this road before -- it marketed its Superior Ale as "The other local religion" -- and founder Greg Schirf barely bats an eye in explaining himself.
"The objective is to have fun, not be offensive and sell beer, all at the same time," he says. "Polygamy is part of the heritage here. We thought it was fair game."
Regan Outdoor, an area billboard company, disagreed and won't take the ads. But Schirf isn't worried. He admits to being "a little rambunctious," but says it's all in good fun. As evidence, he points to earlier ads for Wasatch's St. Provo Girl-a St. Pauli Girl spoof-that poked fun at Mormons' reluctance to curse. The headline: "If you just said 'Oh my heck,' it's probably not for you."
Paul Kirwin, CEO of Wasatch's ad agency, Kirwin Communications in Park City, says his shop loves enabling Schirf's mischief.
"We knew we had to walk a fine line between having fun with the culture and making fun of the religion," he says. "This culture needs to learn to laugh at itself a little and not be so provincial."
Polygamy Porter of Park City
In Van Nuys Court
C. Thomas Howell
As a member of the lowly Greasers in The Outsiders, C. Thomas Howell couldn't catch
a break, much less justice. Yesterday, the Brat Pack-era star caught a bit of both.
Jurors in Van Nuys, California, found the 34-year-old actor innocent of charges he
hit a skateboarder with his pickup truck, then threatened the dude with a hammer.
Overall, Howell faced five misdemeanor counts, and more than four years in jail, if convicted.
Howell's hassles began last December 9 when he had a run-in (although not literally, jurors
decided) with 20-year-old Shawn C. Burgess. According to reports, Burgess claimed Howell
struck him with his Ford pickup, drove away and then returned toting a toolbox favorite.
Howell said he never struck Burgess, and only resorted to the hammer in self-defense when
Burgess brandished his skateboard.
Howell told the Los Angeles Times he rejected a plea-bargain deal that would have averted
a jury trial, thereby risking jail time, in order to air his side. Said Howell: "If I was
a gardener, this would not be happening."
Howell, of course, is not a gardener. And although he hasn't been on the big screen since
1993's Gettysburg, the guy's got one of the lengthier credit lists on the Internet Movie
Database. Look it up: Hot Boyz, Hitman's Run, The Prince and the Surfer--and those are
just three of the nine movies he crammed into 1999.
Before becoming a prolific, direct-to-video star, Howell was an adjunct member of the Brat
Pack, most notably in 1983's The Outsiders, where he played greaser Ponyboy Curtis alongside
the likes of Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Patrick
Swayze. Other key credits from his days as a teen star in the 1980s: E.T. (1982), Red Dawn
(1984) and perennial TBS favorite Soul Man (1986).
Howell is currently at work on Gods and Generals, a prequel to Gettsyburg that should mark
his return to theaters. (It's due out in 2002.)
C. Thomas Howell
Audio Files From BC
Bonus Page Link
Here are some MP3 files from BC
'My VH1 Music Awards'
Wayne Brady
Comic performer Wayne Brady will host the DIY awards show ``My VH1 Music Awards '01,''
which will be televised live Dec. 2 on VH1.
VH1 instituted the annual interactive kudocast last year. It allows viewers to suggest
categories, pick finalists and vote for winners up to the last minute.
Mick Jagger, Creed, Sting, Nelly Furtado, Lenny Kravitz, Destiny's Child and No Doubt
are among the acts scheduled to perform at the Shrine Auditorium event.
Wayne Brady & VH1
Another 'Clones' Trailer
'Harry Potter'
As if audiences needed any more enticement to line up for ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone,'' George Lucas' production company said Tuesday it would ship theaters a new trailer
for ``Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones'' to show before ``Harry'' on Nov. 16.
The move follows last Friday's bow of the first 60-second ``Clones'' teaser, titled
``Breathing,'' which preceded the Disney/Pixar toon ``Monsters, Inc.'' before launching
on the Internet.
Six months before its opening next spring, ``Clones'' has aligned itself with two of
the biggest 2001 titles -- a more high-profile approach than that taken in 1998, when
trailers for ``Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace'' played before the likes of
domestic dud ``Meet Joe Black.''
The second teaser wave also gives Lucasfilm another chance to win over audiences who
were left confused or unimpressed with the first teaser. Picking up where ``Breathing''
left off, the new trailer is more than 2 minutes long and features new footage and
dialogue, Lucasfilm said.
Warners is plotting a record-setting launch for ``Harry Potter'' on well beyond 3,500
engagements, which would represent at least 7,000 screens. A top distribution executive
dismissed widespread industry talk of 8,000 screens, but said the number made final
next week ``will definitely set records for engagements.''
Separately, Lucasfilm also announced it will attempt to boost sales of its already successful
``Phantom Menace'' DVD by making the sequel's first trailer available for viewing at
http://dvd.starwars.com this Friday. Only owners of the DVD will be able to access the
trailer, which can be unlocked by the computer with an encoded key. It features footage
that doesn't appear in the first teaser now in theaters.
The ``Phantom Menace'' DVD sold 2.2 million units in its first week of release, making it
one of the biggest sellers on the DVD format, second only to Nov. 2 release ``Shrek,''
which sold 2.5 million units in its first three days.
Send In The Clones
'Living The Writing Life'
Michael Dare
Michael Dare
It started out as one of those standard e-mails you get: Hi, I'm Mark Robert Waldman, I'm doing
a book called "The Spirit of Writing," I'd like to include something by you, we can't afford to
pay but we'll send you copies, blah blah blah, heard it all before. The book sounded cool though,
an anthology of "Classic and Contemporary Essays Celebrating the Writing Life." Us struggling
artists are supposed to hold out for the big bucks. We're supposed to say no to these sort of
things. I looked around at all the other offers I had to re-publish an obscure piece of mine
from a five-year-old WGA magazine. I said yes.
My two copies just arrived. Not obscure at all. A beautiful book published by Tarcher/Putnam on
the New Consciousness Reader label, edited by Mark Robert Waldman who did an amazing job.
From the back cover: "Renowned authors reflect on the joys and frustrations of the writing life.
A rare glimpse into the inner world of the writer. Here is a wealth of insight on matters both
practical and emotional. Mark Robert Waldman has gathered sixty essays that reveal the daily
struggles--and rewards-- that novelists, journalists, poets, and other writers face. These
elegant meditations offer comfort and inspiration for the countless people for whom writing is a way of life."
Open to the table of contents and you'll find "How to Write Like Tom Robbins" listed as story
number nine in a long list. It's an interesting list to see yourself on: Annie Dillard, Stephen
King, Henry Miller, Joseph Conrad, Sylvia Plath, Octavio Paz, Robert Pinsky, Erica Jong, Mark
Twain, O. Henry, Anais Nin, and Michael Dare.
There are raves from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal up at Amazon.
Order one at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1585421278/darenet-20
and I might actually get paid.
Thanks,
MD
Holy Canoli! Michael sure is hanging with the A-List writers!
Buy this book - KORESH! - just look at the names - lots of great reading, and you'll be able to say
'I remember when....', too.
Here's a link to Michael Dare's site - http://home.earthlink.net/~dare2b -
(Remember to keep your arms & legs inside while the ride is moving). : )
More Disney News
A Big Happy 'Family' Channel
Layoffs likely are in the offing as early as this week at Disney's newly acquired Fox Family
Worldwide, whose flagship Fox Family cable network changes its on-air name to ABC Family on Saturday.
Pink slips are expected soon where overlaps exist between Fox Family and Disney operations,
which might include sales, marketing and merchandising.
Insiders have speculated that extensive staff reductions would occur once Disney closed last
month on its acquisition of Fox Family Worldwide for $2.9 billion cash plus $2.3 billion
in debt assumption.
Major programming and scheduling changes on the cable network will not accompany the logo
changes this weekend.
ABC Family is expected a scheduling revamp to unveil in the new year, likely including a
healthy dose of repurposed ABC programming.
The logo that will go up this weekend is an interim design, a modification of the existing
Fox Family logo, which replaces the word Fox with the ABC logo.
'ABC Family' Channel
In Memory
Roy Boulting
Roy Boulting, who with his twin brother produced some of postwar Britain's most enduring
films, died Monday after being ill with cancer. He was 87.
Boulting and his brother John set out to make hard-hitting movies. They created social-issues
melodramas in their early career and satirical comedies later. They first gained attention with
"Pastor Hall" (1940), based on the story of Martin Neimuller, a German clergyman killed by the Nazis.
After turning out several military documentaries during World War II - including "Tunisian
Victory" with American director Frank Capra - the brothers produced several postwar thrillers.
Among the most memorable are "Brighton Rock" (1947), an adaptation of Graham Greene's gangster
novel, and "Seven Days to Noon" (1950), about a threatened nuclear attack on London.
The Boultings lightened up with later comedies such as "I'm All Right, Jack," a 1959
satire of trade unions starring Peter Sellers.
Roy directed and John produced most of the pair's films, though they occasionally swapped
roles. John Boulting died in 1985.
Boulting was married five times, including to actress Hayley Mills, 33 years his junior.
Their son is Crispian Mills, former singer of the band Kula Shaker. Boulting claimed to
have lost count of the children he had fathered.
Roy Boulting
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Still Really Like This One....
"Boondocks" (9 Oct 01)
Gonna let it ride for awhile.
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
