'TBH Politoons'
Jazz From Hills
Trimmed Bush and Hedges
Recommended Reading
Howard Zinn
An Excerpt:
"History, looked at under the surface, in the streets and on the farms, in GI barracks and trailer camps, in factories and offices, tells a different story. Whenever injustices have been remedied, wars halted, women and blacks and Native Americans given their due, it has been because 'unimportant' people spoke up, organized, protested, and brought democracy alive."
Purple Gene Reviews
'Dark Victory' (1939)
Purple Genes' review of "Dark Victory" (1939), directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Bette Davis:
If you've ever heard Kim Carnes' raspy voice howling, "She's got Bette Davis EYES"! or Bob Dylan growling, "She puts her hands in her back pockets - Bette Davis STYLE" - then you must see the movie "Dark Victory" starring Bette Davis herself. Ms. Davis has completely consumed so many movie characters in her acting career....Charlotte Vale in "Now Voyager", Mildred Rogers in "Of Human Bondage", Gabby Maple in "Petrified Forest", Eve, Jezabel, Baby Jane and Apple Annie. But my personal favorite after Charlotte Vale is her portrayal of Judith Traherne in the movie "Dark Victory".
Today, my mother in law, Mary Beth, is undergoing an operation for a brain tumor....as my thoughts are with her, I recalled the plot to "Dark Victory"......Champagne soaked socialite (Judith Traherne) starts blacking out and having problems with her vision....she goes to a specialist - Dr.Frederick Steele (George Brent) who diagnoses her with a brain tumor and performs surgery...but Judith falls in love with Dr. Steele and he cant bear to tell her that the tumor WILL return and kill her...so he hides the truth from her wanting her to live out her last days with him in a false bliss....well she accidently finds out the truth by digging into some medical files and gets a "large dose of prognosis negative"......depressed and desperate she decides to be brave and live out her final days in peace........
There are so many other supporting characters....Humphrey Bogart as the Irish horse trainer - Michael O'Leary, Ronald Reagan as the perrenially plastered pal Alec Hamm, Henry Travers as the venerable Doc Parsons (He's known Judith since birth) and Geraldine Fitzgerald as her closest friend and confidant Ann King. But....there is a character that is often overlooked in these kind of dramitic movies where the main character dies at the end........THE MUSIC.....in the case of "Dark Victory" we have the amazing Max Steiner - the king of the over-amped sound track! We also have Bette Davis - known for her strong minded and maybe even meddlesome involvement...well....the end of the movie has Judith loosing her sight while she is planting bulbs with Ann....this loss of vision is the sign that she will die in a short space of time.......she bravely and blindly says goodbye to Dr Steele (he's off to receive an award) not letting on that the end is near......and Ann helps her inside so she can go upstairs to her bedroom and peacefully pass......but she stops at the bottom of the stairs and tells Ann that she wants to walk up the stairs by herself...........now according to my inside sources, while rehearsing this scene, Bette Davis says to the director "Either I'm going up those stairs or Max Steiner is going up those stairs (refering to his often overwhelming and over dramatic musical accompaniment) - but we're not going up together"!!!!!
Well - Bette won the Brouhaha and she slowly and painstakingly climbed the stairs with very little musical bravado........crawled in bed and won her "Dark Victory"!
Purple Gene gives "Dark Victory" 10 Bette Davis Eye winks out of ten for always making me appreciate how powerful a performer she was.
Purple Gene
Recommended Reading
Keith Knight
An Excerpt:
GM: Do you have any idea what GW Bush's appeal is?
KK: Dubya is the kind of guy a lot of folks could sit down and have a beer with. I wouldn't want to, but I think a lot of folks would.
I also think it's the name. I'm sure a lot of folks thought the country would save a lot of money by reusing all the stationery left over from the first Bush administration.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still sunny & warm.
Today I found out that the kid's math class has 1 book for every 4 students! Effing A! Even in the backwoods we had books.
Here in Ahnold's state, books may not be much of a priority, but by god they have phys. ed. every freaking day.
Leave no child behind, my ass.
'Like a Rolling Stone'
No. 1 Song
Rolling Stone magazine has named the top 500 songs of all time in its new issue, and, well, the No. 1 song isn't exactly a complete unknown.
Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" tops the list, compiled from votes by 172 critics and musicians that included Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and others - in a special issue that hits newsstands Friday.
Following Dylan is the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," John Lennon's "Imagine," Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and "Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
Rounding out the top ten are "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys, "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry, the Beatles' "Hey Jude," Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and Ray Charles' "What'd I Say."
No. 1 Song
Launching Radio Series
Garrison Keillor
Humorist Garrison Keillor is launching a five-show radio series next year on Minnesota Public Radio called "Literary Friendships."
Each show at the Fitzgerald Theater will feature two noted writers who also are close friends, discussing their craft and their relationship.
The shows will be taped between January and June. Keillor's Prairie Home Productions is staging the series, which will air locally next summer. They also will be offered nationally by MPR's distribution arm, American Public Media.
Participants will include poets Robert Bly and Donald Hall; Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon and his wife, mystery writer Ayelet Waldman; poets Dana Gioia and Kay Ryan; author Sandra Cisneros and poet Joy Harjo; and Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Cunningham and poet Marie Howe.
Garrison Keillor
Sings With Arkansas Orchestra
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin sang with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, performing her hits including "Respect" and "Chain of Fools," in advance of the opening of former President Clinton's library.
The full house that turned out at Robinson Auditorium applauded enthusiastically Tuesday night for Franklin, who told The Associated Press that she was fond of Clinton for his humanitarian work.
Franklin also said she's thankful that Clinton gave her the National Medal of Arts while he was president.
"It's unquestionably one of the highest points of my career," she said. "And so I'm most thankful as an artist."
www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org
Aretha Franklin
Faux Planning U.S. Version
'EastEnders'
Fox Broadcasting has ordered six scripts for an American version of the BBC soap "EastEnders."
"EastEnders" has run on BBC1 since 1985.
The American version, said to chronicle the lives of blue-collar families in Chicago, hails from Fuller and "EastEnder's" head writer and story consultant Tony Jordan.
'EastEnders'
Works Out With Trojans
Snoop Dogg
Rap artist Snoop Dogg donned football gloves and a red Southern California sweat suit to run through drills with the top-ranked Trojans football team.
Snoop participated in a few football drills, knocking down dummies and running over obstacles.
The rap artist has coached his son's youth football team and is a former player himself.
Snoop Dogg
AFI Takes On New List
Movie Quotes
Humphrey Bogart, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jack Nicholson are competing in a war of words. The American Film Institute is surveying Hollywood types for the top 100 quotes from U.S. movies, with contenders including Bogart's "Here's looking at you, kid" from "Casablanca," Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back" from "The Terminator" and Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth!" from "A Few Good Men."
Chosen from 400 classic lines of dialogue, the winners will be revealed in the CBS special "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes" in June.
The top 100 will be chosen through ballots sent to 1,500 directors, screenwriters, actors, critics and others in the film business.
Movie Quotes
Visit Troops
Tony Soprano & Paulie Walnuts
Even TV mobsters have a soft spot for U.S. troops serving abroad. James Gandolfini and Tony Sirico of HBO's "The Sopranos" are on a USO-Armed Forces Entertainment tour in the Persian Gulf, the USO said Wednesday.
Gandolfini, who stars as mob boss Tony Soprano, and Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts, are signing autographs, posing for pictures and watching movies with the troops, the organization said.
It was not clear whether the actors visited Iraq. For security purposes, details about the trip were being withheld, including specific locations they were visiting and how long they were in the region, USO spokeswoman Donna St. John said.
Tony Soprano & Paulie Walnuts
To Receive Lifetime Award
Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Stockholm International Film Festival, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this week.
Starting Thursday, the festival will showcase 170 movies from more than 40 countries, most made by young independent filmmakers.
More than 50,000 visitors and 500 journalists are expected for the event, which will run through Nov. 28.
Oliver Stone
Back in Hospital
Vincent D'Onofrio
Vincent D'Onofrio, star of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," was back in a hospital Tuesday after fainting for the second time in a week.
D'Onofrio was hospitalized for two days last week when he fainted after rehearsing a strenuous scene that included climbing for the New York-based NBC drama. He had been expected to return to work Tuesday.
But he fainted again late Monday at his New York home and returned to the hospital for further observation and testing, series spokeswoman Pam Ruben Golum said.
Vincent D'Onofrio
Tapes 9,000th Episode
'All My Children'
The cast and crew of ABC's "All My Children" celebrated the taping of the daytime soap opera's 9,000th episode Wednesday - with cake.
Although the history of the soap includes a prison break, ghosts, dozens of marriages and a bear attack, the anniversary celebration was low-key. The cast gathered for a group picture, each holding a sign with the number of episodes aired since they first appeared on the show.
The card of Susan Lucci, 54, who plays diva Erica Kane, read 9,000. Yes, she's been on the show since its 1970 debut when her character was a teenager in high school.
The 9,000th episode, set to air Dec. 16, deals with the ongoing baby switch saga concerning Kane's daughter, Bianca Montgomery, played by Eden Riegel, and her believed-to-be-missing baby Miranda.
'All My Children'
Jailed for Bathroom Beauty 'Clinic'
Diane Richie
Musical legend Lionel Richie's estranged wife has been arrested for allegedly allowing her boyfriend to turn her bathroom into an illegal cosmetic surgery clinic, officials said.
Diane Richie was charged with aiding and abetting Daniel Tomas Fuente Serrano by allowing him to inject patients with anti-wrinkle drugs, which were not approved by US drug regulators, in her Beverly Hills bathroom.
Authorities allege that Serrano, who went by the name of Dr. Daniel, was licensed to practise medicine in Argentina but not in California, although he is registered here as a nurse.
Diane Richie
Will No Longer Skip Past Advertisers
TiVo
When it debuted in 1999, TiVo revolutionized the TV experience by wresting control of screen time from advertisers, allowing viewers to record shows and skip commercials. TiVo's slogan said it all: "TV your way."
Behind the scenes, though, TiVo was courting advertisers, selling inroads to a universe most customers saw as commercial-free. The result is a groundbreaking new business strategy, developed with more than 30 of the nation's largest advertisers, that in key ways circumvents the very technology that made TiVo famous.
By March, TiVo viewers will see "billboards," or small logos, popping up over TV commercials as they fast-forward through them, offering contest entries, giveaways or links to other ads. If a viewer "opts in" to the ad, their contact information will be downloaded to that advertiser - exclusively and by permission only - so even more direct marketing can take place.
By late 2005, TiVo expects to roll out "couch commerce," a system that enables viewers to purchase products and participate in surveys using their remote controls.
Perhaps even more significant is TiVo's new role in market research. As viewers watch, TiVo records their collective habits - second by second - and sells that information to advertisers and networks. (It was TiVo that quantified the effect of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," reporting a 180% increase in the number of replays reported by viewers.)
TiVo
Jewels Net $1.87 Million at Auction
Maria Callas
Jewels which belonged to the late Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas fetched 2.19 million Swiss francs ($1.87 million) at auction, triple the pre-sale estimate, Sotheby's said on Wednesday.
There was hectic bidding for the 11 pieces, which the auction house said were put up for sale by an unnamed heir who had held onto the collection since the legendary soprano's death in 1977.
"... the collection sold at roughly three times the low end of the pre-sale estimate," David Bennett, executive director of Sotheby's international jewelry department, told reporters after conducting the sale in Geneva.
Maria Callas
Melting Threatening Everest
Glaciers
Melting glaciers caused by climate change pose an urgent threat to Mount Everest's unique environment, activists said Wednesday, launching a campaign to protect the Himalayan mountain range and the world's highest peak.
Lakes have swollen from runoff, and unless urgent action is taken, many lakes could burst, threatening the lives of thousands of people and destroying the environment, said the campaigners - a collection of mountaineers, Nepalese climbers and the Friends of the Earth, an environmental lobbying organization.
The group will present a petition Thursday asking in Paris asking UNESCO, the United Nation's cultural agency, to place Nepal's Everest National Park on its World Heritage in Danger List.
Glaciers
Rose Bowl Parade
Mickey Mouse
Come New Year's Day, the world's most famous mouse will lead one of its best-known parades.
Declaring him "a friend to families around the world," the Tournament of Roses named Mickey Mouse (a nameless, height-challenged man in a costume) as grand marshal of the 116th parade, which will have the theme "Celebrate Family."
Although he routinely appears on Disneyland floats in the parade, the cartoon character has only ridden at the head of the procession once before. He accompanied his creator when Walt Disney was grand marshal in 1966.
Mickey Mouse
Urges UK Lords to Let Him Sue Via Video
Roman Polanski
Lawyers for film director Roman Polanski urged England's highest court on Wednesday to allow him to sue for libel via video link in order to avoid the risk of being extradited to the United States for child sex offences.
Polanski, 71, who lives in Paris, wants to sue U.S. magazine Vanity Fair for defamation.
Polanski, who fled America in 1977 after admitting having sex with a child, wants to sue the magazine over an article he says defamed him by accusing him of seducing a woman who was with another man.
Roman Polanski
In Memory
Dayton Allen
Dayton Allen, a comedian and actor best known for his work as the voice of the cartoon character Deputy Dawg and the grumpy mayor Phineas T Bluster on The Howdy Doody Show, has died in Hendersonville, North Carolina, after suffering a stroke. He was 85.
His most notable voice work came from his long-time association with the cartoon studio Terrytoons.
He provided most of the voices for The Deputy Dawg Show, a syndicated series first broadcast in 1960.
He was also the voice of cartoon magpies Heckle and Jeckle, and many other characters.
Dayton Allen gained fame as one of the "men in the street" on the old "Tonight Show" hosted by Steve Allen. His catch phrase was "Why not?" (pronounced "whooooyyy not!" -- his voice a cross between Ed Wynn fool and Steve Martinesque "excuuuuuse me" wiseguy.
Dayton Allen
In Memory
Samuel Billison
Samuel Billison, a member of a group of Navajo Marines who invented a military code based on the tribal language to confound the Japanese during World War II, died Wednesday of a heart problem, according to the Navajo Nation. His age was not immediately known.
The Navajos - called the Code Talkers - used the code and their native language to communicate troop movements and orders, developing a secret vocabulary that renamed military armaments and equipment using rough equivalents in Navajo.
Airplanes became birds, ships became fish and weapons were named after various items. For example, the word "bomb" was replaced by the Navajo word for "egg."
Billison was a longtime president of the Code Talker Association, and also served on the Navajo Nation Council.
Billison joined the Marines after high school in 1943. He said he was sent to test as a code talker when he completed boot camp and the Marines realized he was fluent in Navajo and English.
Samuel Billison