Bartcop Entertainment News - Thursday, 23 August, 2001

(Bartcop Entertainment)

Thursday

23 August, 2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Bartcop Parable:

Bartcop--

   The story of a man and his dog walking down the road and *almost* taking the 
wrong gate into Hell was actually an episode of "The Twilight Zone" called "The 
Hunt".  Written by Earl Hamner Jr., it originally aired on January 26, 1962.




   Rod Serling's opening narration:




  "An old man and a hound dog named Rip, off for an evening's pleasure in quest 
of raccoon.  Usually these evenings end with one tired old man, one battle-scarred 
hound dog, and one or more extremely dead raccoons, but as you may suspect, that 
won't be the case tonight.  These hunters won't be coming home from the hill.  
They're headed for the back woods of... the Twilight Zone."




   In the episode, Old Man Simpson (Arthur Hunnicut), a simple country hillbilly, & 
his dog, Rip, are hunting raccoons, when both drown (when the dog dives in a pond 
after a 'coon, the Man dives in after the dog... and only the raccoon emerges).  
Returning home, Simpson learns that nobody in his family can see or hear him, so 
he figures out he's dead, and decides to walk to the local cemetery for his 
eternal rest.  En route, he discovers a road he's never seen before, and decides 
to follow it.  Coming to a gate, he's told by the gatekeeper (Robert Foulk) that
it's the entrance to heaven and he's welcome... but his dog isn't.  Simpson 
angrilly walks away, and continues down the road.  Soon, he's met by a messenger 
(Dexter DuPont) who tells him he's been sent to bring Simpson to Heaven.  When 
asked about the earlier gate, the messenger tells him it was really the gate to 
Hell... his dog wasn't allowed inside because he would have smelled the brimstone 
and warned his master.  The three arrive at the *true* gate to heaven... where 
the dog is more than welcome.




It closed with this advice from Serling:




   "Travellers to unknown regions would be well-advised to take along the family 
dog.  He could just save you from entering the wrong gate.  At least, it happened 
that way once... in a mountainous area of the Twilight Zone."




   The author, Earl Hamner Jr., would later go on to create a series about similar 
simple country mountain folk -- "The Waltons".  Hamner claimed that Old Man 
Simpson was the inspiration -- an earlier incarnation, if you will -- for Grandpa 
Walton.


   -Kronos





   "You see, Mr. Simpson... a man, well, he'll walk right into Hell with both eyes 
open... but even the Devil can't fool a dog!"

  -The Messenger

Alex's Entertainment News, Part 1

Richard Hatch of "Suvivor" fame was arrested Tuesday in a domestic dispute with 
his boyfriend.  He will be in court on September 7th to face misdemeanor charges 
of assault.


John Cusack has patched up his relationship with girlfriend Neve Campbell at a 
secret hideaway in the South Pacific. Cusack split with Campbell just months ago, 
but the pair have repaired their relationship over the last two weeks while 
secluded in a secret hideaway on a luxury island.




Tony Danza has been named to host this year's 81st annual Miss America 
pageant, set for Sept. 22 in Atlantic City, NJ.  I have no clue why!

 ~Alex

Visit Alex's site at Alex's Place

Bill Clinton Keeps Another Promise

Army Archerd of 'Variety' reported today ...."President Clinton's scheduled visit 
Tuesday night at the Mirage to catch the Siegfried & Roy spectacular was the 
result of a promise he made in July 1998 when he was in Vegas but unable to see 
'em. During that short stay he told the duo he'd like to see one of their rare 
pure white tiger cubs in his hotel room, after a speech and prior to his 
departure.

Unfortunately a cub wasn't available, but Siegfried & Roy brought him an 
800-pound snow white adult tiger instead. When the Security Special Service saw 
the full-grown animal and not a cub in the small room, they tried to nix the 
meeting.

S&R assured 'em all was OK, and the president patted the tiger repeatedly for a 
photo op, which he insisted on for his archrival footage. Tuesday night's date 
followed his skedded DNC stint in Vegas, where he's hosted by Brian Greenspun.

To read the rest of Army Archerd, Army Archerd - 2nd Story

To see the picture in it's proper perspective, Siegfried, Chelsea, Bill & Roy 
 

NEW!

Check it out at BC Astrology.

Have you ever checked out Robert Johnson's or Andres Segovia's horoscope?

Pretty cool stuff!


(And, to read Buzzcook's riff, see bcEntertainment (7/31/01)).

Cutting to the chase, here is Buzzcook's list of guitar gods:

Chick Webb

Robert Johnson

Albert King

John Lee Hooker
Hell if you don't already know John Lee, no link will save ya.

Joe Pass

Django Reinhardt

Andres Segovia

Mr. Guitar

Alex's Entertainment News, Part 2

He's prime time television's top elected official and now he wants a second term.

NBC, which airs the critically acclaimed ``The West Wing,'' said on Tuesday that 
President Josiah Bartlet -- played by Martin Sheen -- will open the show's third 
season by announcing he will run for a second term.

Viewers will recall that last season's finale ended with Sheen getting ready to 
address a crowd, presumably to declare whether or not he would run.

The premier is set to air on Sept. 19.

The show's premiere will come just three days after the 53rd Annual Emmy Awards 
show, for which ``West Wing'' received 18 nominations -- second only to 22 for 
the HBO mafia series ``The Sopranos.''

NBC is a unit of General Electric Co. . 

To read the whole story, President Bartlet

BartCop TV Is Here!

Visit the site at BC TV

The 'Vidiot', has updated, again!

There is even more to check!

The Vidiot.

An amazing amount of information, on an amazing variety of TV shows, thanks 
to our Vidiot.

Jackson Family Story Du Jour

Randy Jackson of the Jackson 5 admitted he committed bankruptcy fraud by failing 
to list a sport utility vehicle when filing his claim, authorities said. 

In an agreement filed Tuesday, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of making a 
false statement, said Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Klein. 

The 39-year-old brother of Michael Jackson is scheduled to appear in federal 
court on Sept. 24. He could be sentenced to as many as five years in prison but 
prosecutors are recommending that he receive probation and pay $21,100, the value 
of the SUV. 

Jackson filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 17, 1996. In a subsequent filing, which 
required him to list all the vehicles he owned, authorities said he mentioned his 
1989 LaForza but not his 1995 Chevrolet Suburban. 

The Jackson 5 is scheduled to perform at concerts honoring Michael Jackson on 
Sept. 7 and 10 at New York City's Madison Square Garden. 

To read the whole story, Randy Jackson

 


What do you want to bet that there's a Jackson Family story in the news every 
day until 7 September?

 ~M.

 

Music News

When Earl Scruggs waxes fondly about the old days, he doesn't dwell long on his 
role in inventing bluegrass with Bill Monroe, or his long and successful 
partnership with Lester Flatt. 

Sitting in his spacious contemporary home - a former residence of George Jones 
and Tammy Wynette - the 77-year-old Scruggs weaves tales from his days in the 
1970s as patriarch of The Earl Scruggs Revue. The country-rock outfit was popular 
on college campuses, but is generally considered a footnote in Scruggs' career. 

Three of his sons - Randy, Gary and Steve - played in the band. 

``I remember we would open with a tune called `Nashville Skyline Rag,''' said 
Scruggs, grinning at the memory. ``Randy did the first verse with acoustic guitar, 
but the real energy kicked in when he went to the electric. 

``It was powerhouse. That was the kind of energy I was feeling with the group.'' 

The group played on bills with rock acts like Steppenwolf and folkies like James 
Taylor. Sometimes they played festivals before 40,000 people. 

His new CD, ``Earl Scruggs and Friends,'' is his first album in a decade. It's an 
extension of The Earl Scruggs Revue. Over 12 songs, he collaborates with an 
impressive stable of admirers. 

Elton John, Dwight Yoakam, Travis Tritt, Sting, Melissa Etheridge, Leon Russell, 
Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, John Fogerty, Don Henley, Johnny Cash and actor Steve 
Martin (on banjo) are all featured. 

It wasn't difficult to nab the collaborators. 

``Getting to play `Foggy Mountain Breakdown' with Earl Scruggs was such a thrill,'' 
said David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer. ``It was like getting to meet 
Beethoven and jamming with him on `The Fifth.''' 

Martin called his invitation ``a dream for me beyond comprehension.'' 

Russell said Scruggs ``is not only a great player, but an inventor of music, with 
a quiet power inside his humility that is not unlike the Zen masters of the East.'' 

Scruggs sees things from a different perspective. 

``I don't know what sets it off, but I just get wanting to pick once in a while.'' 

To read the whole story, Earl Scruggs Jams

www.earlscruggs.com

TV News

Former television talk show host Rolonda Watts, who starred on ``The Rolonda 
Show'' during the late 1990s, was arrested early Wednesday on a Hollywood street 
on suspicion of drunken driving.

Watts, 42, was arrested about 1 a.m. PDT (4 a.m. EDT) after police noticed she 
ran a red light in a 1998 Lincoln Navigator and ignored their efforts to pull her 
over. Once stopped, Watts failed field sobriety tests, Los Angeles Police 
Department spokeswoman Officer LaDonna Cissell said.

She was taken to LAPD's Hollywood station, where breath tests showed that she had 
a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit of .08 percent, Cissell said.

Watts was booked on drunken driving charges and released on bail, Cissell said.

To read the rest of the story, Rolanda 

The Crossword Puzzle That Won't Die

The Houston Chronicle faced something of a quandary as it put together the 
August 16 issue of its Preview section. The weekly section includes the Sunday 
crossword puzzle from The New York Times; hard as it may be to believe, the Times 
crossword that was due to be published by the Chron had actually generated some 
controversy. 

No, the controversy wasn't over whether eery is an acceptable "variable" spelling 
of eerie. (It isn't, dammit, no matter how often they try to squeeze it in.) 

The Times' crossword that week was titled "Homonames." Among the key answers were 
homonyms for such folks as Jim Nabors (i.e., "Gym Neighbors"), Rex Reed and Bette 
Midler. Other clues offered included "Add more lubricant" and "Scratched-up 
leather straps." 

Some Times staffers who saw an early edition of their weekly magazine with the 
puzzle complained, so the paper published an Editor's Note that Sunday saying 
they had investigated and determined there were no intentional references to 
anyone's sexual orientation. (Other names in the puzzle were such out-of-the-closet 
heterosexuals as Kurt Russell.) 

Papers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer and the Des 
Moines Register refused to run the "Homonames" puzzle that week, substituting 
older Times crosswords and offering editor's notes explaining their decisions. 

The Chronicle? They ran "Homonames" but changed the title. Calling it "Homonym 
Names" apparently addressed any questions anyone might have had. 

To read the whole story, "Homonym Names"

To read the original story (it's still posted), at "Homonames"

To read the bcEnt 'forever' version, "Homonames",
 
or the first mention of it here at bcEnt, August 15th

In Memory

Lester Pine, prolific TV writer and half of the husband-wife team that wrote such 
films as ``A Man Called Adam,'' died Aug. 11 of prostate cancer in Los Angeles. 
He was 84.

The Chicago native started as a standup comic in the late 1940s but quickly 
established himself as a prodigious writer during the 1950s, working on TV series 
such as ``Mr. Lucky,'' ``The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' and ``Ben Casey.''

With his wife, Tina, Pine wrote the 1966 film ``A Man Called Adam,'' which 
starred Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong and Mel Torme.

The couple also penned ``Popi'' (1969), which was turned into a TV series 
featuring Hector Elizondo during the '70s. Pine also served as head writer on the 
controversial TV series ``Turn On.''

The duo also wrote ``Claudine,'' which earned its star, Diahann Carroll, an Oscar 
nom in 1974.

After his wife died in 1998, Pine continued writing screenplays, plays and novels.

He is survived by two sons and two grandsons.

For more details, see Lester Pine 

Still MISSING




Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"

Welcome !
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.

The idea is to have fun.

Do you have something to say?  
Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better, 
amused or entertained?
Use your words to inform the rest of us.

Do you have a great album no one's heard? 
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?  
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off (Britny and 'N Sync don't count, 
they piss off EVERYONE)? 
A box set the whole world should own? 
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors? 
A picture of yourself clad only in panties and sitting on Woody Allen's lap? 
This is your place.

Send it to Marty

Don't send it to BC....

Or send it to this Marty

Please, don't send it to BC!

Or send it to this Marty


Please, Do NOT send it to BC!


Thank you

Previous Issue




BartCop Entertainment Archive




Home




Return to BartCop