'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Cold, clear, sunny day. Next storm is supposed to be here sometime Thursday. There's a ring around the house from the last strom. Didn't realize the little pebbly-rocks on the new roof would
flake with the first rain (but, it does make sense). At first I thought it had hailed.
Kid had a horrible day at school. First, he farted. It wasn't bad enough he was thoroughly embarrassed, but the teacher made a big deal, and pushed it (to my way of thinking) to the point of humiliation. Later in the day, the teacher
stressed to the class what a bad president/bad man Jimmy Carter was/is. The kid didn't offer up that the Carters have been fishing guests of his Grandpa Sam, or that his parents might disagree. Tomorrow is the class Christmas party & like an old Motown tune,
I'll be there. ; )
Braved the Lakewood Mall. The parking lot was full, but didn't have to stand in a line at any store.
David sent me a review of 'Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers', but, had trouble with the file. Please - if you send a review, just write it in an e-mail. Don't send wordpad or html files.
Tonight, Thursday, CBS devotes the entire evening to 'Survivor: Thailand', first with a 2-hour 'special' announcing the 'winner', followed by an hour-long 'reunion'.
Scheduled on a fresh Dave are Tom Hanks, Phish, and a Top Ten List with all 16 participants from "Survivor: Thailand".
Scheduled on a fresh Craiggers are William Shatner and Tori Amos.
NBC has nothing fresh - first up, a RERUN 'Friends' followed by a RERUN 'Scrubs', then a RERUN
'Will & Grace', followed by a RERUN 'Good Morning, Miami', and caps the night with a RERUN 'ER'.
Scheduled on a fresh Jay are Sandra Bullock, Sean Astin, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Scheduled on a fresh Conan are John Cusack, Jamie Kennedy, and John Mayer.
Scheduled on a fresh Carson Daly are Stanley Tucci and Sum 41.
ABC has a fresh (and the next-to-the-last episode of) Dinotopia', followed by the throw-away RERUN 'Instant Classic Bloopers', and then 'PrimeTime Thursday'.
The WB offers nothing fresh - first a RERUN 'Family Affair', then a RERUN 'Do Over', followed by 2 RERUNs of 'Jamie Kennedy'.
Faux has the movie 'Down To You'.
UPN kills the night with 'WWE Smackdown!'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Harbin, China
Ice Palace
Visitors look at a building carved in ice, the highest of its kind exhibited at the 29th Harbin ice lantern art exhibition, in Harbin, capital of northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002. Divided into 10 parts, the exposition shows 2003 fine ice carving works.
Photo by Li Yong
'Best Site for Partisan Warfare'
Vote Early, Vote Often
Plans to Honor Zevon Annually
Jesse Ventura
Gov. Jesse Ventura says he and his friends will toast terminally ill singer-songwriter Warren Zevon every year, "whether he's there or not."
Ventura says he's talked to Zevon since the 55-year-old singer announced in September that he has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.
Ventura said he's been a fan of Zevon, whose quirky songs include "Excitable Boy," for 25 years. Zevon performed at Ventura's inaugural bash in 1999, and the new
governor climbed onstage for a duet on Zevon's 1978 hit "Werewolves of London."
"It's going to be a tragic loss when Warren goes, because we're going to lose a tremendous talent and somewhat of a conscience," Ventura said.
Jesse Ventura
Warren Zevon Web site
Drug Charges Dismissed
Aaron Sorkin
"West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin, who was arrested last year for possession of cocaine, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms, won a dismissal of the charges on Wednesday
after completing drug rehabilitation.
Superior Court Commissioner Kirkland R. Nyby dismissed the case against Sorkin on the recommendation of probation officials during a brief hearing that the acclaimed writer
and producer did not attend.
Sorkin made news again in February when he blasted resident Bush in an interview with The New Yorker magazine, saying that the entire country was "pretending" that
Bush was competent and brave because of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Aaron Sorkin
Montreal Biodome
Gentoo Penguins
An adult gentoo penguin tends to his two 20-day-old offspring at the Montreal Biodome, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002. The sixth gentoo and two macaroni newborn penguins,
South Pole natives, will be fed by their parents for the first thirty days.
Photo by Paul Chiasson
Boosts BET's Ratings
trent lott
U.S. Sen. Trent Lott's (R-Racist) mea culpa Monday on Black Entertainment Television may not have bolstered his career, but it did boost the cable channels ratings.
The Senate majority leader's interview with Ed Gordon yielded an average of 830,000 viewers, up 84% in the 8 p.m. time slot, in which the channel otherwise
would have shown a movie. Gordon's 11:30 p.m. show, recently canceled, drew between a 0.3 and 0.4 rating in households, according to Nielsen Media Research.
It wasn't Lott's idea to appear on the channel.
"We had been after him for a while," said Michael Lewellen, BET's VP of corporate communications.
He said BET's news team had approached Lott's handlers right after the senator made his remarks at a party celebrating Thurmond's 100th birthday on Dec. 5, but were
turned down several times. "We reached out to him. They didn't reach out to us."
trent lott
Senate TV Channel
Pornography!
A Senate recording studio worker who broke the rules by dubbing a pornographic movie at work compounded his sin by inadvertently showing the film on an internal Senate television station, an official says.
The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office said Tuesday the employee was placed on administrative leave for the Dec. 6 event, in which an unidentified pornographic film was put on a
closed circuit channel available in Senate offices.
Because it was about 7 a.m. on Friday when the Senate was in recess, relatively few people saw the movie, which was interrupted when some Capitol police noticed it.
Pornography!
Signs For New ABC Sitcom
Kristen Johnston
Emmy-winning actress Kristen Johnston ("3rd Rock From the Sun") plans to make a return to television next fall, signing to star in a sitcom for ABC.
The untitled ensemble sitcom will be produced in New York. Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire ("Wonder of the World," "Fuddy Meers") is onboard to write the pilot.
Besides Lindsay-Abaire, talk maven David Letterman and Rob Burnett will executive produce via their Worldwide Pants shingle. Johnston is also expected to get a producing credit.
Kristen Johnston
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
'Rescues' Another Bette Davis Oscar
Steven Spielberg
Movie director Steven Spielberg has once again rescued an old Oscar from the auction block.
The filmmaker has purchased the Oscar statuette won by Bette Davis for the 1935 film "Dangerous" and plans to return it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a spokeswoman for the group said on Wednesday.
The spokeswoman said she did not know how much the statuette sold for at Sotheby's auction house, but Army Archerd, senior columnist for Daily Variety, reported the director paid $207,500 for it.
Spielberg's winning bid for the trophy marks the third time in recent years that he has "rescued" a vintage Oscar at auction for the purpose of giving it back to the Academy to protect it from commercial exploitation.
Spielberg, who won Oscars for the films "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List," paid $578,000 last year to buy Davis' second Oscar, which she won for the 1938 film "Jezebel." In December
1996, he paid $607,500 at auction for Clark Gable's best-actor Oscar for "It Happened One Night."
Steven Spielberg
Christies Auctioneers
Marilyn Monroe's Shoes
Caitlin Hazel, from Christies auctioneers London, places lot 94, a pair of dove-grey suede stiletto shoes which belonged to Marilyn Monroe among a display of Monroe memorabillia at
a sales preview, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002. The shoes were bought by an American buyer for $8m353 at the Film and Entertainment sale to that took place at Christies Dec. 17, other
lots included a late 19th century-style bodice, worn by Monroe during a photo session in 1956,seen in small photo left; and a black and white portrait, circa 1949, and signed 'To
John I love you, my Dearest, Marilyn, which sold for $22,200.
Photo by Richard Lewis
Defending Trekkies
'Star Trek' Cast
The crew of the Starship Enterprise has sprung to the defense of Trekkies -- No, they are not obsessive weirdoes who need to get a life.
The message from Data and Captain Jean-Luc Picard was the same: stop being mean to "Star Trek" fans.
Stewart, in London for the premiere of "Star Trek Nemesis" and the launch of a new "Star Trek" exhibition, did concede: "There are a tiny percentage of "Star Trek" fans who
might be categorized as obsessive."
"I know fans who would not dream of missing an episode who are vice chancellors of universities, internationally famous classical musicians, opera singers, celebrities,
members of resident Bush's cabinet, high-ranking members of the military," he told reporters.
American actor Brent Spiner, who has portrayed the android Data for all seven seasons of the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation," is equally loyal.
"At a 'Star Trek' convention, there are 2,000 to 3,000 people and maybe about 25 who have uniforms and make-up on. The rest are just people who watch 'Star Trek' and enjoy it.
They are not anywhere so peculiar as football fans. Nobody ever gets hurt at a Star Trek convention."
For the rest, 'Star Trek' Cast
''Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death''
Jamie Doran
Scottish filmmaker Jamie Doran said on Wednesday he hoped his documentary about an alleged massacre of Taliban prisoners of war last year would lead U.S. authorities
to investigate any involvement of American soldiers.
In his film "Afghan Massacre: The Convoy of Death," which was broadcast on Germany's ARD television network, Doran quotes witnesses who saw U.S. special forces stand
by and watch as Northern Alliance allies murdered Taliban POWs.
Doran, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who covered the Afghan war for Japanese television, said in an interview with Reuters in Berlin up to 3,000 Taliban POWs
were killed late last year after surrendering at Kunduz in northern Afghanistan.
Doran, 46, said witnesses from different ethnic groups in Afghanistan told him during his investigation into the suspected war crimes they saw Taliban POWs herded into
unventilated shipping containers, where many died of suffocation, thirst, or starvation.
One witness said about 600 Taliban POWs who survived the shipment of the containers to the Shiberghan prison 75 miles away were taken to a spot in the desert at
Dasht-e-Leili and executed -- in the presence of about 30 to 40 U.S. special forces soldiers.
Doran's 55-minute film also includes allegations from witnesses who say they saw U.S. soldiers taking part in the torture of Taliban POWs at the Shiberghan prison.
Doran said he spent six weeks trying unsuccessfully to obtain comment from the Pentagon in Washington for his film.
Jamie Doran
Hailed as New Zealand Hero
Peter Jackson
New Zealand's capital hailed director Peter Jackson as a hometown hero Wednesday, as fans celebrated the premiere of the "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" in Wellington.
Thousands cheered as Jackson, clad in his trademark purple shirt, sauntered along a 200-yard red carpet to a movie theater decorated like a cave and topped with a large gold ring.
Many had waited hours to catch a glimpse of the film's stars. Fans waved banners proclaiming love for Hobbits and urging a clutch of Oscars for Jackson.
The government appointed a Minister for Lord of the Rings and tourism bodies have been selling the country as the home of Middle Earth, the mythical land where the film is set.
Peter Jackson
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Divorce Finalized
Gandolfini v. Gandolfini
A Manhattan judge on Wednesday finalized the divorce of "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini.
State Supreme Court Justice Judith Gische granted the actor and wife, Marcella, a divorce after they settled disputed issues without a trial. They married three years ago and have a 3-year-old son.
The judge, who said she was granting the divorce in favor of the wife, did not state the grounds, but they appeared to be abandonment; Gandolfini walked out of the
Greenwich Village home he shared with his wife in February 2001.
Lawyers would not divulge terms of the settlement, but Gandolfini's attorney, Robert Stephan Cohen, said the divorce "was one of the friendliest I've ever seen. And it was done in almost record time."
Gandolfini v. Gandolfini
Washington, D.C.
Santa Says
A protester dressed as Santa holds a sign during an anti-war march in Washington, December 10, 2002. Several hundred people turned out and called on the Bush administration to find a peaceful solution to the situation with Iraq.
Photo by William Philpott
New Host For New 'Star Search'
Arsenio Hall
CBS' "Star Search" has found its star, as Arsenio Hall returns to television to host the network's new incarnation of the long-running talent show.
After a somewhat lengthy search, CBS and producers 2929 Prods. managed to ink a deal with Hall, who is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning syndicated talk show "The Arsenio Hall Show" for six seasons.
Ed McMahon, who hosted "Star Search" in its original 1982-1995 run, is not involved in the new edition.
With Hall at the helm, CBS will air "Star Search" twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 8 and 9. The nine live telecasts culminate with the
series finale on Thursday, Feb. 6. Celebrity judges and at-home viewers will determine the winners.
Arsenio Hall
Pleads Innocent
Paul Reubens
Actor Paul Reubens, best known for playing Pee-wee Herman, pleaded innocent Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge of possessing child pornography.
Reubens, 50, who is free on $20,000 bail, entered the plea through his attorney, Blair Berk.
Berk said she would seek to have the charge thrown out at a Jan. 3 pretrial hearing. She also complained to court Commissioner Kristi Lousteau that the city
attorney's office had not turned over its evidence to the defense.
The misdemeanor charge of possessing materials depicting children engaged in sexual conduct stems from a search of the actor's home in November 2001. It carries
a maximum penalty of one year in county jail and a $2,500 fine.
Paul Reubens
Pepsi Endorsement Deal
Beyonce Knowles
Singer and actress Beyonce Knowles has signed on to endorse Pepsi cola, joining a long line of pop stars that includes Michael Jackson, Madonna, and most recently Britney Spears.
The deal will include at least two television commercials and a potential tour sponsored by Pepsi, along with radio and Internet ads. Terms were not disclosed.
Beyonce Knowles
Arrested
Adam Rich
One-time child actor Adam Rich, who starred in the 1970s TV show "Eight Is Enough," was arrested early Wednesday after he drove onto a closed highway lane and nearly struck a
California Highway Patrol car, authorities said.
Rich, 34, who played Nicholas on the series, was booked for investigation of driving under the influence, CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said.
Rich was driving on Interstate 10 when he almost struck a CHP patrol car parked in a lane that was closed for maintenance, authorities said.
Adam Rich
Next Up: 'Deuce Bigalow: Electric Gigolo'
Rob Schneider
Deuces are wild once again for Rob Schneider, who will return for another outing as the luckless "Deuce Bigalow. "
Disney has given a flashing greenlight to a sequel -- which will be called "Deuce Bigalow: Electric Gigolo."
In an interview with Daily Variety, Schneider said the sequel may involve his character attending a Hogwarts-like academy for gigolos.
Rob Schneider
Seaworld, Gold Coast, Australia
Sunnie & Mokey
A four-week-old female bottlenose dolphin named 'Sunnie', on top, swims with its mother 'Mokey' at Seaworld on the Gold Coast, Australia, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002. Arriving in time for
Christmas, the baby is the latest addition to the marine park's dolphin family.
Photo by Steve Holland
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
#4
