'Best of TBH Politoons'
Race Report
Long Beach Grand Prix
Hi Marty!
I just got back from the Long Beach Grand Prix-I love
that race and have attended every year for 32 years in
a row. I can see why you'd say it was "quiet" because
the field was only 18 cars but it will be larger next
year. There will be all new chassis and several new
teams.
One of the reasons I love going to races like that is
the people. You hang around with 200,000 people who
are passionate about racing and are well informed. I
remember waiting in line for a hot dog once and
talking to a guy who had traveled all over the world
and shared his experiences in Monaco and at the
Nurburgring. By the time I got to the front of the
line to get my food I was sad because I enjoyed the
travelogue so much.
People who say we go to auto races because we want to
see wrecks are crazy. The sights. the sounds, and the
people are the reason. The intense competition and the
strategies-it is like a chess game with dozens of
players at 200 mph.
The races last weekend weren't very good-too many
wrecks, too many caution flags, and all the favorites
won by a mile. No surprises and no suspense. But it
was a glorious weekend in the sunshine for some of us
who have been cooped up too long.
We were sitting next to a few people who were not like
the usual Champ Car fans. The yelled "Boogity boogity
boogity" when the race started-bad news because they
got that from NASCAR. As the race progressed they
showed their true ignorance. They bagged on Katherine
Legge for having the temerity to be a woman. She is
the first woman to win a major open wheel race (Danica
Patrick is great but she hasn't won a race-Katherine
won in Atlantics three times last year.) She has guts
and is an extremely aggressive driver and is fun to
watch. These yahoos were yelling, "why don't you make
a pitstop to put on your MAKEUP?"
When Sebastien Bourdais won with a huge lead they
yelled, "You suck. Go back to France! This is an
American sport. Why are you sponsored by McDonald's?"
They yelled "You rock" at Justin Wilson because they
thought he was American. He's not. Let me set you guys
straight-it is called the Champ Car WORLD SERIES
because the drivers and teams are from all over the
world. They race in the US, Mexico, Canada, Australia,
and Korea. McDonald's is a multinational corporation.
You are a bunch of bigoted fools.
It got me thinking about the nature of sexism, racism,
and "super-patroitism" (ethnocentricism). These "isms"
are all related. They are a combination of ignorance
about the outside world combined with the absolute
certainty that whatever group you belong to by being a
member of the Lucky Sperm Club is innately superior to
the rest of the world. As I watched this stupidity I
wondered about their wives who sat there and said
nothing as they put down women. WTF?? Do they have
such low self-esteem that they approve of that?
You go, Katherine. It will be fun to watch you wipe
the smirk off these morons' faces. What do you bet
that these NASCAR guys voted for Smirk??
Teacher Ed
Thanks, Ed!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Michael Pollan: 'The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals' (Book Review by Patric Kuh; calendarlive.com)
What we eat is made of corn: the steak, pork chop, turkey and lamb, catfish and even salmon. Eggs are made of corn, cheese and yogurt too...
ROGER EBERT: Ripley's Game (2002; A Great Movie)
That's OK. I didn't expect thanks. -- Tom Ripley, wiping spit from his face.
Iyari Limon on Buffy, Bisexuality, and Adventures in Cooking (afterellen.com)
The newly-out bisexual actress talks about her culinary ambitions, her new film, auditioning for The L Word, and how playing gay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer impacted her own coming-out process.
MICHAEL SVOBODA: Crossing borders with international pop star Anastacia (frontierspublishing.com)
"I am so excited to go sing for the gays at the White Party!" she says, laughing. "My whole career I've wanted to do a special gay event, but I have always been booked."
Bryan Curtis: The Truth About Marley (slate.com)
Should you read the Times' best-selling dog book?
Jodi Helmer: Heading to Hong Kong (curvemag.com)
Hong Kong is a city alive with contradictions: Vendors sell dim sum from street carts while talking on cell phones, and businessmen practice tai chi in the park before heading to work in the modern skyscrapers that dot the horizon. The unique blend of Eastern tradition and Western culture draws travelers from all over the world who want to sample the ages-old glamour of Asia. Here are my tips for making the most of a trip to Hong Kong.
On Easter
Avery Ant
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Some sun, some clouds.
The Dish® crapped out. Kept turning itself off & then re-booting.
After hours on the phone with a couple of techs, it was decided the box has gone bad.
So, gotta shell out some $ for a replacement.
The kid is really upset.
It's bad enough there'll be nothing but over-the-air-TV til the replacement box gets here, but the DVR was his baby. He had it filled with old movies & shows no-longer on, and they're all gone.
Only time he ever looked more bummed was when Ginger disappeared.
No new flags.
3 More Years Of '24'
Kiefer Sutherland
"24" star Kiefer Sutherland has inked a multifaceted deal with 20th Century Fox Television.
The rich pact, which is set to begin in June, calls for the actor to continue on the hit Fox drama for three more years and includes a two-year development deal for Sutherland's soon-to-be-launched production banner.
Details on the deal were sketchy, but sources pegged the acting portion alone at more than $40 million for the three seasons, which could make Sutherland the highest-paid actor in drama series.
Under the pact, Sutherland also will be elevated from a co-executive producer to executive producer on "24" next season alongside Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Howard Gordon and Evan Katz.
Kiefer Sutherland
Cleans Closet for Charity
Elton John
Elton John is selling thousands of pieces of his personal wardrobe to raise money for his AIDS charity. The sale, which runs Tuesday through Saturday, included 10,000 coats, sweaters, suits and other garments worn by John and his partner, David Furnish.
A temporary shop, Elton's Closet, was set up in the concourse of Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan for the sale. Proceeds benefit The Elton John Aids Foundation.
This wasn't the first time John had cleaned his closet to raise money for his foundation. Sales have been held in London and in Atlanta, where John and Furnish have a home.
Elton John
Chimp Enjoys Golden Years
Cheeta
Cheeta the chimp, star of a dozen "Tarzan" movies in the 1930s and 1940s, celebrated his 74th birthday with sugar-free cake.
Cheeta has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest chimp . Chimps rarely live past the age of 40 in the wild, but can reach 60 in captivity.
The graying, 150-pound Cheeta, one of six primates at the desert sanctuary 110 miles east of Los Angeles, is very active and "he still has every tooth in his head," keeper Dan Westfall said Monday.
Westfall adopted Cheeta in 1992 from his uncle Tony Gentry, an animal trainer who worked in Hollywood and obtained Cheeta from Africa in the 1930s.
Cheeta
Admits Paying for Pedophile Sting
NBC
NBC acknowledged Monday that it had paid an organization to set up a pedophile sting operation in Ohio for a "Dateline NBC" story, saying it was performing a public service.
Seventeen men were arrested in March as part of the sting. They were accused of looking for sex with minors after communicating with people posing as juveniles on the Internet, and caught when they came to a home in rural western Ohio.
NBC arranged the operation, the fourth in its ongoing "To Catch a Predator" series on "Dateline NBC," with an organization called Perverted Justice that tries to ensnare pedophiles. NBC wouldn't comment on how much it paid, although the Washington Post reported it was at least $100,000. The arrangement was first reported in the Dayton Daily News.
NBC
NBC Pulls
'Heist'
NBC's midseason dramedy "Heist," which never got off the ground in the ratings, is looking at a very short future on the schedule.
The caper is not expected to air beyond the upcoming fourth episode next week, sources said.
'Heist'
Denies Brangelina-Bashing Quotes
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas says he was misquoted in a GQ article last month in which he slammed "good friend" Brad Pitt and girlfriend Angelina Jolie regarding Pitt's divorce from Jennifer Aniston.
In the GQ story, written by Jeanne Marie Laskas, Douglas is quoted as saying: "I don't know about Brad Pitt, leaving that beautiful wife to go hold orphans for Angelina.
However, in an interview that was to air Monday, Douglas tells TV's "Extra" he denies having said it.
"It was a lengthy article," he says. "(It) must've been 20 hours of tape recording, so I asked to hear the tape recording and the reporter said, 'Well, I turned the tape recorder off.' And I said, 'Well, you had it on for the whole time, so I didn't say it.'"
Michael Douglas
Wedding News
Landry - Monteverde
Actress and former Miss USA Ali Landry wed in Mexico over the weekend, her manager said Monday.
Landry married director Alejandro Monteverde in San Miguel de Allende on Saturday, according to her manager Elissa Leeds. No other details were released.
Her brief marriage in 2004 to Saved by the Bell star Mario Lopez was annulled.
Landry - Monteverde
Baby News
Moses Martin
It's a boy for actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin.
Moses Martin, the couple's second child, was born during the weekend in New York City, the office of Paltrow publicist Stephen Huvane said Monday. No other information was being released.
Moses Martin
Blames China for Sudan War
Bob Geldof
Anti-poverty campaigner and Live 8 organizer Sir Bob Geldof accused China on Monday of being responsible for the continuing civil war in Sudan's Darfur region.
The Irish rock star, nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for organizing last year's Live 8 benefit concerts, said China was protecting the Sudanese government because it provides 6 percent of China's oil.
"I was in Darfur 20 years ago and people were killing each other then. It's an ancient battle between nomadic people and settled people, between Arab Africans and black Africans, between Islam and Christians ... The reason why it has not been resolved is because of China," Geldof said.
"The Chinese protect the Khartoum government, who are killers, and they will not allow a vote in the Security Council ... so 250,000 people die in Darfur," he said.
Bob Geldof
French Court Delays Lawsuit
'Syriana'
A French court has delayed a hearing on a lawsuit filed by a screenwriter who alleges the complex global thriller "Syriana" was largely plagiarized from her script.
A preliminary hearing on the lawsuit filed by Stephanie Vergniault that had been set for Monday was rescheduled to May 29 for procedural reasons, officials said.
The lawsuit targets George Clooney's production company, Section Eight, which he formed with director Steven Soderbergh; Warner Bros.; and "Syriana" writer-director Stephen Gaghan.
'Syriana'
Criticizes Pirates
Michael Keaton
Despite being an invited guest of the ballclub, Batman didn't hesitate to take a few swings at the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Pirates' home opener Monday, actor Michael Keaton criticized the team's owners for not spending enough money to field a competitive team.
Keaton also tweaked the Pirates with his apparel. Rather than wearing a Pirates cap to the ballpark, he wore a No. 86 hat in honor of Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward of the Steelers.
Michael Keaton
Bollywood Star Gets 5 Years
Salman Khan
Salman Khan was found guilty Monday of poaching a rare buck in a desert wildlife preserve and sentenced to five years in prison, his lawyer said.
Under Indian wildlife preservation laws, any sentence over three years means the convicted person will be taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
Khan has been a heartthrob in scores of Hindi-language films for his portrayal of macho, yet romantic, characters who fight for love.
Salman Khan
Four Shows Online for Free
ABC
ABC will offer four prime-time shows including "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" on its Web site for free for two months beginning in May as it continues to expand the ways consumers can watch TV online.
The shows will include advertising that cannot be skipped over during viewing. ABC, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., already offers ad-free episodes for $1.99 each on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store.
The offerings on the ABC.com Web site will also include current episodes of "Commander in Chief," as well as the entire season of "Alias," and will be available through June. New episodes will be available online the day after they run on ABC.
ABC
Fire Ravages Dickens Home
Bleak House
Firefighters in the southeast of England were trying to establish the cause of a fire that tore through Bleak House, the one-time home of the Victorian author Charles Dickens.
Bleak House, named for one of Dicken's novels, once housed a museum dedicated to the writer, but is now privately owned.
Dickens wrote "David Copperfield" at Bleak House, which was originally called Fort House.
Bleak House
Gossip Reporter Claims He Was Set Up
Jared Paul Stern
New York Post gossip writer Jared Paul Stern, who's accused of trying to extort $200,000 from billionaire Ron Burkle in exchange for positive coverage, says he was set up by the businessman and is being smeared.
Stern said Burkle initiated discussions about the payment, offering money for the writer's clothing line called Skull & Bones.
"He set it up through a middle man," Stern, a freelancer for the newspaper's Page Six gossip column, said in a telephone interview Sunday. "He initiated discussions in a potential investment in my clothing company. That's where the whole money issue originated. He was the first one to bring up any question of payment for press coverage."
Jared Paul Stern
14 Spotted in Chicago Park
Whooping Cranes
More than a dozen whooping cranes took temporary refuge at a DuPage County forest preserve, sparking hope among local officials that one of North America's most endangered birds will make the park a regular stop on an annual migratory flight between Wisconsin and Florida.
The 14 whooping cranes, which hatched last year from captive parents, stopped for two nights at the East Branch Forest Preserve near Glendale Heights, west of Chicago, park officials said.
The birds, which U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workers have tracked with radio transmitters since leaving Florida's Gulf Coast on March 28, are likely to follow the same migration routes every year, scientists said. They arrived Thursday back at their summer home in Wisconsin's Necedah National Wildlife Refuge.
Only about 350 whooping cranes are thought to live in the wild. The large, white cranes stand about 5 feet tall and have a 7 1/2-foot wing span.
Whooping Cranes
Tribute Paid
Dana Reeve
Barbara Walters, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre were among the celebrities paying tribute to Dana Reeve at the singer-actress' memorial service Monday.
CNN anchor Paula Zahn, a longtime friend, said before the service that Reeve "had so many cruel blows yet never gave in to pity."
Others who attended included Robert Kennedy Jr., Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong and Matthew Broderick, who said the service was "very emotional."
Dana Reeve
In Memory
Vilgot Sjoman
Swedish director and screenwriter Vilgot Sjoman, whose provocative and sexually explicit films stirred controversy in the 1960s, has died, an organization representing artists said Monday. He was 81.
Many of Sjoman's films were socially critical and sexually explicit, such as the 1967 I Am Curious (Yellow), which was banned in the U.S. for two years, and its sequel, I Am Curious (Blue).
He made his debut as a director with The Mistress and directed 15 films. His last film was Alfred in 1995, about the life of Alfred Nobel, founder of the prestigious Nobel prizes. Sjoman also wrote more than 20 books.
In his final years, Sjoman was embroiled in a legal battle against a TV station in Sweden. He sued the TV4 channel saying it violated his artistic integrity by interrupting his movies with commercial breaks.
Sjoman is survived by his wife, Lotta, two daughters and a son. Funeral plans were not immediately announced.
Vilgot Sjoman
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