Recommended Reading
from Bruce
KAY S. HYMOWITZ: Love in the Time of Darwinism (city-journal.org)
A report from the chaotic postfeminist dating scene, where only the strong survive.
Nathan Glazer: Review of "Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy is Making Where You Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life" By Richard Florida (tnr.com)
"And move next to some gay people." Richard Florida argues it is not weather that maketh a city, but arts and culture and good restaurants...
Phil Rosenthal: Sirius, XM hear a lot of static for merging their lineups (Chicago Tribune)
A lot of people who subscribe to satellite radio received something of a shock when they tuned in on Wednesday, and not because of faulty wiring.
Walter Tunis: Al Green is always touching up his work (McClatchy Newspapers)
"Man, I wish the Derby was going on while I was there," said the Rev. Al Green of his upcoming performance in Kentucky. "We could go out and put some money on those horses. But seeing as I'm a preacher, I'd have to keep my bets to $2.50."
Jon Bream: After finishing his long-lost 'Smile,' Beach Boys guru returns with a tribute to Los Angeles (Star Tribune)
Smiling liberated Brian Wilson.
Len Righi: Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti finds a big catharsis in Little Joy (The Morning Call)
One of the oldest jokes in rock 'n' roll goes like this: "What's the last thing a band wants to hear the drummer say? "'Hey guys, why don't we try one of my songs?'"
Where Duran Duran can still count on the star treatment (guardian.co.uk)
The band has arrived in Colombia to a heroes' welcome says Rory Carroll.
Chris Riemenschneider: A rock 'n' roll two-fer: Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers hit the road together (Star Tribune)
Of all the storytelling rock 'n' roll frontmen out there, Craig Finn and Patterson Hood probably spend more time than anyone singing and talking about the bands they love.
Will Harris: A Chat with Robin Tunney, Co-star of "The Mentalist" (bullz-eye.com)
('The Mentalist') is a lot of funŠand I think that's what's really refreshing about this show. With the things in the state of the world right now, I think people want to turn on the television and be entertained.
Cynthia Fuchs: Review of "We Are Wizards" (popmatters.com)
Josh Koury's documentary about hardcore Harry Potter fans, meandering and amiable, reveals that resistance to consumer culture is pretty much futile.
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
Barack Obama - The Movie Edition
If you were to cast the lead for a movie about Obama's life, campaign and election who would have in the role?
A. Will Smith
B. Denzel Washington
C. Eddie Murphy
D. Samuel L. Jackson
E. Forest Whitaker
F. Other
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to BadToTheBoneBob ( BCEpoll 'at' aol.com )
Charlie replied:
~ Tony In Philly replied:
answered:
Reader Comment
Re: "Hiroshima: The Lost Pictures"
Marty
I agree with Sally P that this is a must read for all. I have forwarded the article to friends old enough to be interested. One person responded that they had been to Hiroshima during the American Occupation of Japan after WW II when her father had been serving in Japan.
She says:
"I have a few pictures of Hiroshima I took in 1948. At that time, very little rebuilding had been done in Hiroshima, and there are miles of devastation, with a few buildings standing....just two or three big ones, with the eaves of their roofs drooping...........
I also have two pieces of twisted building material that came out of the famous building considered to be at the center of the atomic blast."
I remember well . . . I was 13 in August of 1945. I have always felt the horror of the bombing itself. But I also feel that if we had not bombed, millions of American servicemen would probably have been killed with the invasion of Japan as well as millions of Japanese. Was it the best option? I don't know.
I spent a long time with the article "Hiroshima: The Lost Pictures". The comments were many and fascinating. One person, Andrew, has posted on flickr, photos that his grandfather took during WW II. Among them are a number of pictures taken at Nagasaki and the bomb damage there.
< snippage >
These photos represent a visual legacy for all of us to prevent any war from happening.
A World War I soldier once said 'War is a complete and total waste of time, money, and life and accomplishes nothing. Not having a war is the way to truly win a war.'"
MAM
Thanks, Marianne!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and a bit cooler.
YouTube Channel
Monty Python
Saying they were tired of YouTubers "ripping us off," British comedy troupe Monty Python have struck back, launching their own channel on the video-sharing site.
"For three years you YouTubers have been ripping us off, taking tens of thousands of our videos and putting them on YouTube," the surviving Monty Python members said in a message and video at youtube.com/MontyPython.
"Being the extraordinarily nice chaps we are, we've figured a better way to get our own back: We've launched our own Monty Python channel on YouTube," they said.
The comedians said the clips from their popular television show and movies would be high-quality and free.
Monty Python
People's `Sexiest Man Alive'
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman says wife Deborra-Lee Furness teased him after finding out he'd been named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive."
Recalling Furness' reaction, Jackman says: "God bless her, she said, `I could've told them that years ago! And then she said, `Obviously Brad (Pitt) wasn't available this year.' And I said, `That was a joke, right?'"
The magazine's executive editor, Jess Cagle, said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show that Jackman is a "surprising choice," but he'd been on the editors' minds "for a long time and it seemed like this was the year to do him."
Hugh Jackman
Christmas Special
Stephen Colbert
The permanently suit-clad Stephen Colbert has traded in his pinstripes for a cardigan sweater, red turtleneck and furry boots.
Following the tradition of Andy Williams and Bing Crosby, Colbert hosts his own holiday special in "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All." The hour-long special airs Sunday at 10 p.m. EST on Comedy Central, and will on Tuesday be released as a DVD, complete with a Yule log of burning books.
Clearly in the Christmas spirit, at the first mention of old holiday specials, Colbert launches into renditions of Williams' "Little Altar Boy" and Crosby and David Bowie's "Little Drummer Boy."
The latter was the inspiration for a duet between Colbert and Willie Nelson, who appears - in one of the more bizarre numbers - as a tiny wise man in a miniature nativity scene.
Stephen Colbert
Spilling Secrets
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri likes to email with fellow music legends but complains that Bob Dylan is a poor cyber-penpal in a German magazine interview published Wednesday.
The 74-year-old Greek star said she and Leonard Cohen fire quick little notes at each other constantly from their computers and complimented Quincy Jones as another loyal electronic correspondent.
"I love emails," she told Bunte magazine. "But it is pretty tough with Bob Dylan, he writes so rarely" although he once described her as his favourite female singer.
"The same goes for Harry Belafonte," with whom she recorded a number of songs and went on a world tour in the 1960s.
Nana Mouskouri
Postage Stamp Planned
Bob Hope
The post office is telling Bob Hope: thanks for the memories.
The beloved entertainer will be honored on a U.S. postage stamp next spring.
The stamp design will be unveiled Monday at a ceremony on New York's Ellis Island, the entry spot for thousands of immigrants like Hope.
Though never a member of the armed forces, Hope dedicated much of his time traveling the globe to entertain men and women in uniform, beginning in World War II and continuing through Operation Desert Storm.
Bob Hope
Tops`Hottest Tots' List
Suri Cruise
The 2-year-old daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes tops Forbes.com's second annual list of "Hollywood's 10 Hottest Tots."
Forbes.com, which ranked celebrity children 5 years old and younger based on media attention and their parents' popularity, said Suri - known for her stylish outfits and haircut - popped up in more news articles and blogs than her peers.
Three of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six children made the list: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, 2, is in second place after coming in first last year; Zahara Jolie-Pitt, 3, is in third place; and Pax Jolie-Pitt, 4, is fourth on the list.
Rounding out the top 10: Sam Alexis Woods, daughter of Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin; Cruz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham; Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of Michelle Williams and the late Heath Ledger; David Banda, son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie; Sean Preston Federline, son of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline; and Sam Sheen, daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen.
Suri Cruise
Taking Up Gay Marriage
California Supreme Court
California's highest court agreed Wednesday to hear several legal challenges to the state's new ban on same-sex marriage but refused to allow gay couples to resume marrying before it rules.
The California Supreme Court accepted three lawsuits seeking to nullify Proposition 8, a voter-approved constitutional amendment that overruled the court's decision in May that legalized gay marriage.
All three cases claim the measure abridges the civil rights of a vulnerable minority group. They argue that voters alone did not have the authority to enact such a significant constitutional change.
As is its custom when it takes up cases, the court elaborated little. However, the justices did say they want to address what effect, if any, a ruling upholding the amendment would have on the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages that were sanctioned in California before election day.
California Supreme Court
Counter Suit Filed
"Project Runway"
The Lifetime cable TV network has counter-sued NBC Universal, Bravo and The Weinstein Company over the rights to the TV program "Project Runway" in the latest legal action that has left the hit show in limbo.
The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan late on Tuesday, seeks exclusive rights over the fashion design contest starring model Heidi Klum that had been scheduled to jump to the Lifetime Network from its cable TV rival Bravo.
It follows similar legal action filed in New York State Supreme Court by NBC Universal, the media wing of General Electric Co and the owner of Bravo, against the producer of the series, The Weinstein Co. NBC sought to keep the show on one of its channels.
In September a state court ruling temporarily halted plans by The Weinstein Co to take its fashion program to Lifetime and prevented Lifetime from marketing or broadcasting the series until the case was decided. Lifetime now seeks to have the case permanently moved to federal court.
"Project Runway"
Family Tombs Unearthed
King Herod
An Israeli archaeologist said on Wednesday he had unearthed what he believed were the 2,000-year-old remains of two tombs which had held a wife and daughter-in-law of the biblical King Herod.
Other findings announced by Ehud Netzer of Jerusalem's Hebrew University provided new evidence of the lavish lifestyle of the Roman-era monarch also known as the "King of the Jews."
Herod, a Roman-anointed king who ruled Judea from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC, has a special place in biblical history. Herod rebuilt the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, making him a focus of study in the Jewish state.
Netzer, an authority on Herodian excavations, showed reporters portions of two limestone sarcophagi he says had contained remains of one of Herod's wives, Malthace, and a daughter-in-law.
King Herod
Relaxing The Rules
Endangered Species
Animals and plants in danger of becoming extinct could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams, highways and other projects don't pose a threat, under regulations the Bush administration is set to put in place before President-elect Obama can reverse them.
The rules must be published Friday to take effect before Obama is sworn in Jan. 20. Otherwise, he can undo them with the stroke of a pen.
The Interior Department rushed to complete the rules in three months over the objections of lawmakers and environmentalists who argued that they would weaken how a landmark conservation law is applied.
The rules eliminate the input of federal wildlife scientists in some endangered species cases, allowing the federal agency in charge of building, authorizing or funding a project to determine for itself if it is likely to harm endangered wildlife and plants.
Endangered Species
Arraignment Set
Willacy County, Texas
A Texas judge has set a Friday arraignment for Vice President Dick 'Go Fuck Yourselk' Cheney, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and others named in indictments accusing them of responsibility for prisoner abuse in a federal detention center.
Cheney, Gonzales and the others will not be arrested, and do not need to appear in person at the arraignment, Presiding Judge Manuel Banales said.
In the latest bizarre development in the case, the lame-duck prosecutor who won the indictments was a no-show in court Wednesday. The judge ordered Texas Rangers to go to Willacy County District Attorney Juan Guerra's house, check on his well-being and order him to court on Friday.
Half of the eight high-profile indictments returned Monday by a Willacy County grand jury are tied to privately run federal detention centers in the sparsely populated South Texas county. The other half target judges and special prosecutors who played a role in an earlier investigation of Guerra.
Willacy County, Texas
In Memory
Irving Brecher
Irving Brecher, who wrote vaudeville one-liners for Milton Berle and scripted Marx Brothers movies, the TV and radio hit "The Life of Riley" and the Oscar-nominated musical "Meet Me in St. Louis," has died. He was 94.
At 19, he and a friend began a comedy-writing service for entertainers, promising jokes so bad even notorious gag-stealer Milton Berle wouldn't use them.
Berle was their first customer, then took Brecher along when he moved into radio and the movies and went to Hollywood, where Brecher got a contract with Mervyn LeRoy, head of production at MGM.
He was an uncredited script doctor on "The Wizard of Oz" and wrote screenplays for the Marx Brothers movies "At the Circus" and "Go West."
Brecher created the long-running radio series "The Life of Riley," about a common man whose missteps cause endless trouble. Chester Riley, voiced by William Bendix, frequently used the tag line "What a revoltin' development this is!"
He made a video in 2007 during the writers' strike, urging the union not to settle, The New York Times noted.
"Since 1938, when I joined what was then the Radio Writers Guild, I have been waiting for the writers to get a fair deal; I'm still waiting," he said in the video. "As Chester A. Riley would have said: 'What a revoltin' development this is.' But he only said it because I wrote it."
Brecher created, wrote, directed or produced several other movies, including the 1941 feature "Shadow of the Thin Man" and 1963's "Bye Bye Birdie."
In addition to his wife, Norma, Brecher is survived by three stepchildren and eight grandchildren.
Irving Brecher
In Memory
Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes, longtime theatre and dance critic for the New York Post, has died. He was 81.
The London-born Barnes had a long run as a critic covering the arts scene in New York and abroad. He arrived in 1965 from England to write for The New York Times, where he was its dance critic until 1977. He was also the paper's daily drama critic for 10 years.
Barnes then moved to the Post where he was the paper's chief theatre and dance critic for more than three decades.
Barnes was a prodigious, prolific writer on the culture scene, often out four, five or more times a week, attending theatre, ballet and opera, which he also reviewed for the Post.
Barnes was married four times. He is survived by his fourth wife, Valerie Taylor, a former soloist with the Royal Ballet, and two children, Christopher, and Maya, from a previous marriage.
Clive Barnes
In Memory
Guy Peellaert
Belgian pop artist Guy Peellaert, whose work includes album covers for the Rolling Stones and David Bowie and posters for films such as "Taxi Driver," has died, his agent said Wednesday. He was 74.
He designed album covers for several rock stars, including "Diamond Dogs" for David Bowie and "It's Only Rock and Roll" for the Rolling Stones.
He also created the posters for the Wim Wender films "The Wings of Desire" and "Paris, Texas," for Martin Scorcese's "Taxi Driver" and for Robert Altman's "Short Cuts".
The Brussels-born artist, whose work has been featured in major exhibitions in various cities across the world, was one of the first cartoonists to embrace the Pop Art movement that began in the late 1950s.
In 1972, he provided the surreal pictures for the book "Rock Dreams," written by Nik Cohn, a fantasy tribute to the greats of rock and roll music.
Guy Peellaert
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