'Best of TBH Politoons'
Jazz From Hills
Trimmed Bush and Hedges
Reader Recommendations
from Bruce
The birth of the baby Jesus is a time when Americans pause to practice their religion: shopping. Picking the perfect gift has never been easy (just ask my hubby). For example, look at the so-called Wise Men. One was crass enough to give gold -- the Biblical equivalent of a "gift certificate." The other unimaginative gift-givers showed up with frankincense and myrrh, proving once again that when men have no idea what you want they give you fragrance. At least baby Jesus didn't have to feign delight unwrapping lingerie two sizes too small in shrill, slutty shades of red.
Purple Gene Reviews
'Hotel Rwanda'
Purple Genes' review of the movie "Hotel Rwanda" (2004):
I have a friend who is a documentary movie producer and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures. Every year she gets advanced CD copies of all the movies that will be voted on for Academy Awards. My wife Sharon and I look forward to December because Our friend starts bringing us CDs (10 at a time) to view. We just got our first batch and I decided I had to watch the movie "Hotel Rwanda" (directed by Terry George) .........
I love Don Cheadle (Buck in "Boogie Nights" - Basher in "Oceans 11" - Sammy Davis Jr. in "The Rat Pack"). I have been waiting for him to land a leading role. But I have to admit that I forgot about the story of what happened in Rwanda in 1994 - I think the whole world wasn't really interested at all. So we have Don playing the real life Schindler like Rwandan Hutu named Paul Rusesabagina who was a manager at the Milles Collines Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.
(I remember reading about Kigali way back when Dian Fossey wrote "Gorillas in the Mist").
The rebel Tutsis have sabotaged the UN peace deal by blowing up the plane (1994) with the Hutu president of Rwanda on it. Now the Rwandan army (and whoever can get a machete) are going to teach the Tutsi "Cockroaches" a lesson. The trouble is, like in any Mass murder or killing spree, so many innocents get destroyed in the ravage. Joaquin Phoenix plays a network photographer who has captured some frightening film footage of the initial systematic and brutal murders of whole families - he realizes that even if this could get played for people in the West - no one would care! Nick Nolte plays the beleagered UN General trying desperately to keep order and avoid letting an impending bloodbath occur - He gets all the white westerners out of the Hotel and out of the Country. But he says to Paul (who now is in charge of the Hotel) "You're Dirt - You're Dung (in the Eyes of the world) - You're not even a nigger! You're an African"!!!!!! Everyone abandons them.......and the unthinkable starts happening.
Paul, who has been a very efficient assistant in managing the Hotel, now is in full control of what is becoming a haven for Rwandans trying to avoid being murdered. In the midst of the savage terror and unbelievable violence, Paul always wears a fresh suit, speaks with calm and reserve and before you know it, he has over 1260 people under his responsibility...hiding under beds, on the roof, in the boiler room everywhere - his wife (who is a Tutsi) and kids are there as well.......To appreciate Don Cheadles' amazing performance (better than Liam Neeson in "Schindlers List"!) - you must understand the nightmarish situation his character was in......his wits and connections and tenacity affected the lives of everyone there........Just when the general heading the troops surrounding the Hotel was preparing to give orders to start killing everyone in the Hotel....Paul calls the President of the Sabena Corporation which owns the Hotel chain in Brussels (played very effectively by an uncredited Jean Reno ("The Professionals")) and tells him that they are all about to die!!!! He puts Paul on HOLD...well...First he calls the Belgian Prime Minister...who calls the head of the UN ...who calls the General in charge of the Rwandan Army..who calls the General at the Hotel.......who says to Paul "Who did you just call?".......then the General and his troops leave and all the people in the Hotel get saved and there is a happy Hollywood ending to a Tragedy that still stays in my memory!!!! Nearly 1 million men, women and children were literally cut to pieces in Rwanda in 1994!!!!!
This was a tough movie to watch (Sharon had to leave). But as a film work, it doesn't quite work for me...It is cought in the uncomfortable box between a Documentary and a Hollywood Adventure.
Purple Gene gives "Hotel Rwanda" 7 out of 10.( I think that Don Cheadle should recieve an Oscar nomination for his performance.)
Now I think I'll go watch "Spiderman II" !!
Purple Gene
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still overcast and cold.
Air America Radio Signs For 2 More Years
Al Franken
Air America Radio, a startup radio network that offers liberal talk and commentary, has signed a new contract with comedian Al Franken to stay on as its lead personality for at least two more years, the company announced Wednesday.
The network can now be heard on 40 stations around the U.S. as well as on the satellite radio services offered by Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.
Air America also signed a new contract with Randi Rhodes, another popular radio personality, for three years. Its contract with Franken is for two years, with an option to extend for another year. The company did not disclose how much it was paying the personalities. Air America also said it had new commitments of $13 million from investors.
Al Franken
No More Rent
Rosa Parks
Financially troubled US civil rights icon, Rosa Parks, will no longer have to worry about her rent bills.
The real estate company that owns the Detroit apartment where the 91-year-old lives, have told Parks she can live there rent-free for the rest of her natural life.
Rosa Parks
Lloyd Groves Says...
'Simpsons'
If you want to make Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes go ballistic - and I wouldn't advise it - just suggest that his broadcast journalists are shills for President Bush and the Republicans.
Ailes, who in a past life was a media strategist for Richard Nixon and George Bush the elder, has transformed his formerly brass-knuckled, partisan persona into that of a "fair and balanced" cable-news czar.
So he couldn't have been happy Sunday night when another member of the Fox television family - "The Simpsons" - featured a Fox News satellite truck sporting a huge Bush-Cheney bumper sticker while the rock group Queen's classic "We Are the Champions" blared over the soundtrack.
But my pal Tom Shales, the esteemed television critic of The Washington Post, E-mailed that the wicked sendup was "pretty ballsy since 'The Simpsons' plays on the Fox network, but it also shows how firm is the image of Fox News as Bush whores."
'Simpsons'
To Guest Edit BBC News Program
Sarah Ferguson & Bono
Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and U2 frontman Bono are to be guest editors of the British Broadcasting Corp.'s flagship radio news program, the corporation said Wednesday.
The BBC said the pair would be among five guest editors of Today over the Christmas period. The celebrity guests will choose some of the stories to be tackled by Today, a daily current affairs program that draws six million listeners. Ferguson, who is divorced from Queen Elizabeth's second son, Prince Andrew, has chosen to focus on motor neuron disease, while Bono said he would highlight the global fight against poverty.
Entrepreneur Richard Branson, filmmaker Anthony Minghella and Baroness Onora O'Neill, principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, also will edit programs between Dec. 27 and Dec. 31.
Sarah Ferguson & Bono
Gets Political
Peter Garrett
Rocker-turned-lawmaker Peter Garrett used his first speech to parliament Wednesday to call on the government to help Australia's indigenous people and fight global warming.
The baldheaded former lead singer described his band Midnight Oil's 1987 tour of Outback Aboriginal communities to promote their album "Diesel and Dust" as "one of the most profound personal experiences I have had."
He said the government should make amends for taking Aborigines' land and leaving them marginalized and with poor health since Europeans settled in 1788.
In a wide-ranging 20 minute speech, Garrett also called for Australia to sever its constitutional ties with the British monarchy and condemned Australia's involvement in the Iraq war without parliamentary debate.
Peter Garrett
Tableau Outrages Churches
'Beckham Nativity'
Church leaders condemned on Wednesday a Christmas nativity tableau depicting English soccer star David Beckham as Joseph and his pop singer wife Victoria as the Virgin Mary.
British and U.S. leaders Tony Blair and George W. Bush also starred as two of The Three Wise Men at the birth of Christ.
The shepherds are played by Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson, UK actor Hugh Grant and camp Irish comic Graham Norton.
Anglicans, Catholics and Presbyterians united in calling the exhibit -- at Madame Tussaud's waxwork museum in London -- a new low in the cult of celebrity worship.
'Beckham Nativity'
Stars Come Out to Shine
Concert For Darfur
A galaxy of stars sang on Wednesday to aid Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region where thousand of people have been killed and nearly two million forced to flee in internecine fighting.
"The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate," said renowned soprano and long-standing U.N. goodwill ambassador Barbara Hendricks. "This is a man-made disaster."
Singers ranging from Simply Red's Mick Hucknall to Pretender Chrissie Hynde, baritone Willard White, jazz legend Alison Moyet and disco diva Jocelyn Brown interpreted songs of Cole Porter.
Concert For Darfur
To Host Homemaking Show
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart will host an hour-long, daily syndicated show with a live audience when she gets out of prison, her multimedia and home fashions company said Wednesday.
Audience members and special guests will "participate and interact with Martha" during the tapings, and topics will include cooking, entertaining, decorating and home renovating, according to a statement released by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.
The show is to be launched in the fall of 2005. Stewart gets out of prison in March, and is to complete her house arrest the following August.
Martha Stewart
Returning to TV
'Current Affair'
"A Current Affair," the syndicated newsmagazine that featured Maury Povich as its first host back in 1986, will relaunch next year on Fox television stations, distributor Twentieth Television said Tuesday.
The show's format is still being worked out, but it will feature a "wide array of captivating entertainment, gossip and crime stories," a studio official said, much like the original.
'Current Affair'
Hospital News
Dick Clark
Longtime "American Bandstand" host and pop music producer Dick Clark, 75, has been hospitalized in the Los Angeles area after suffering a stroke, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
"He did have a minor stroke and he's in the hospital for that reason but he'll be fine," spokeswoman Amy Streibel told Reuters.
Dick Clark
New Face of Louis Vuitton
Uma Thurman
US actress Uma Thurman will follow in the footsteps of pop singer Jennifer Lopez as the new face of France's luxury leather goods maker Louis Vuitton, the company said.
The first advert due to go out throughout the world in February 2005 will show the "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" star carrying the brand's new Manhattan bag.
Uma Thurman
Named President of Def Jam Records
Jay-Z
Jay-Z, who's professed retirement from his rap career, now has a new job to occupy his time - president of the Def Jam record label.
The appointment, rumored for months, was announced Wednesday by Antonio "L.A." Reid, the chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group.
The multi-platinum rapper - whose "The Black Album" was nominated for three Grammys on Tuesday - will take the helm on Jan. 3. He will also continue to run Roc-A-Fella records, which he co-founded with Damon Dash in 1995.
Jay-Z
Back on Red Carpet
Joan & Melissa Rivers
There's just no keeping Joan and Melissa Rivers off Hollywood's red carpets.
The mother-daughter tandem, shut out of this year's Emmy Awards because of a contractual tangle, will return starting with next month's Golden Globe Awards.
Joan Rivers said she expects to be on hand for all the Hollywood awards in 2005. An agreement for the Emmys has been reached, the two said, although they were unfamiliar with the details.
Joan & Melissa Rivers
Uh-Oh
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Even after death, wildman rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard is full of surprises - the Wu-Tang Clan founding member died with a white powdery substance hidden in his body, a law-enforcement source said yesterday.
During an autopsy of the 35-year-old rapper, a doubled plastic bag containing a white powder was discovered in his stomach, said the source.
The cause of his death remains a mystery as the Medical Examiner's Office awaits the result of toxicology tests.
But a source said the white powder leaked from its plastic container and seeped into the rapper's body.
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Handling of Estate Questioned
Isaac Stern
After the violinist Isaac Stern died, pieces of his legacy, including autographed photographs, a music collection and violins and bows, were auctioned off.
But Stern's three children say that never should have happened and are suing the former executor of their father's estate for more than $2 million. They say he improperly calculated the estate's value and left it unable to pay off the musician's debts, while paying himself thousands of dollars in personal expenses.
Stern, who died in 2001 at age 81, was among the most recorded classical musicians in history. He fought to save Carnegie Hall from a demolition plan in the 1950s and helped promote the careers of such musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Yo-Yo Ma.
Isaac Stern
'The Kermesse of St. George'
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
A riotously profane picture of a village fete by Pieter Brueghel the Younger that has not been seen in public for 70 years sold for over three and a half million pounds in London on Wednesday.
"The Kermesse of St. George," described by Sotheby's as the finest work by the 17th century Flemish artist still in private hands, was sold to an anonymous bidder for 3.7 million pounds ($7.15 million).
It shows inebriated villagers drinking, fighting, kissing, urinating, dancing, vomiting and defecating with complete abandon.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
Iran Lays Claim
Oldest Backgammon Set
Archaelogists in Iran have said they have uncovered what they believe is the world's oldest backgammon set, which could make the country the cradle of board games.
According to the Internet site of Iran's Cultural Heritage organisation, the game, complete with 60 pieces, was found in the ruins of the so-called Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan province the far southeast of the Islamic republic.
Located near Zabol and the Afghan border, the Burnt City is believed to have been built 3200 BC and flourished until it was destroyed by fire in 2100 BC.
Oldest Backgammon Set
Bad Speller
Napoleon
Two hundred years after he crowned himself emperor of France, a handwritten draft of Napoleon Bonaparte's memoirs -- littered with spelling mistakes -- have fetched a record price at auction in Paris.
Thirteen pages in Napoleon's own hand, describing the triumphs and defeats -- military and political -- of the diminutive military genius at the dawn of the 19th century, went to a Swiss collector for 250,000 euros (172,000 pounds) on Tuesday.
The memoirs reveal what numerous corrections and a vivacious writing style could not disguise -- that the commander of Grande Armee that subdued most of continental Europe had a less than total command of the French language.
Napoleon
Inks Tourism Deal with History Channel
New York
New York on Wednesday entered into a co-branding deal with cable TV's History Channel, aimed at boosting the Big Apple as a tourist destination.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the $19.5 million deal will see the city gain $15 million in free ads on The History Channel, $3.5 million toward the creation of an official New York History Center and for historic preservation, and $1 million in free programing.
In return, the History Channel -- which is owned by A&E Television Networks, a joint venture of the Hearst Corporation, ABC and NBC -- will gain free use of ad space on city bus shelters, street pole banners and phone kiosks among other things during the 3-1/2-year deal.
New York
2004 Billboard Music Awards
Winners
The 2004 Billboard Music Awards winners, announced in Las Vegas on Wednesday:
Artist of the Year: Usher
Female Artist of the Year: Alicia Keys
Duo/Group Artist of the Year: OutKast
Male New Artist of the Year: Kanye West
Female New Artist of the Year: Ashlee Simpson
Billboard 200 Album of the Year: Usher, "Confessions"
Billboard 200 Artist of the Year: Usher
Billboard 200 Duo/Group Artist of the Year: OutKast
Hot 100 Artist of the Year: Usher
Hot 100 Songwriter of the Year: Alicia Keys
Hot 100 Duo/Group of the Year: OutKast
Hot 100 Single of the Year: Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris, "Yeah!"
Hot 100 Airplay Single of the Year: Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris, "Yeah!"
Hot 100 Producer of the Year: Lil Jon
Hot Dance Sales Single of the Year: Britney Spears featuring Madonna, "Me Against the Music"
Female Hot 100 Artist of the Year: Alicia Keys
Top-Selling Single of the Year: Fantasia, "I Believe"
Top-Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year: Fantasia, "I Believe"
R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Usher
R&B/Hip-Hop Duo/Group of the Year: OutKast
R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year: Usher, "Confessions"
R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year: Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"
R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year: Kanye West
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year: Usher
R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Single of the Year: Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"
Female R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Alicia Keys
New R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year: Kanye West
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Artist of the Year: Alicia Keys
Rap Artist of the Year: Kanye West
Female Country Artist of the Year: Gretchen Wilson
New Country Artist of the Year: Gretchen Wilson
New Country Duo/Group Artist of the Year: Big & Rich
Mainstream Top 40 Artist of the Year: Usher
Mainstream Top 40 Single of the Year: Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris, "Yeah!"
Digital Artist of the Year: Maroon 5
Digital Track of the Year: OutKast, "Hey Ya!"
Ringtone of the Year: 50 Cent, "In Da Club"
Independent Album Artist of the Year: Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz
Independent Album of the Year: Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, "Kings of Crunk"
Artist Achievement Award: Destiny's Child
Century Award for Creative Achievement: Stevie Wonder
Other awards will be announced in Billboard Magazine's year-end issue, scheduled for publication Dec. 17.
Winners
