The universe revealed itself in a mighty cosmic bang, and then there was Margo. Gravity coalesced all matter, dividing what was from what wasn't, and then there was Margo. The oceans pounded on a thousand distant shores, the clouds tumbled past the sun, shadow and light, birth and rebirth, and then there was Margo. Oxygen levels rose, carbon dioxide levels fell, the plants fed the animals, the animals fed the plants, and then there was Margo. Ever turning, ever concealing and revealing, reality awash with starlight and splendor, and then there was Margo. This thing evolved into that thing, a world of possibilities, some successful, some blind alleys, ever changing, ever illuminating, and then there was Margo. Fiercely improving yet resistant to change, expanding and morphing, needing and fulfilling, and then there was Margo. Homo sapiens, the intelligent ape, crawled from the muck and took control of the planet, declaring himself dominant and possessive, the ruler of all, and then there was Margo. The intelligent ape realized what he saw in the world was but a small fraction of the big picture, so he invented Gods greater than himself to worship, and then there was Margo. Excellence was achieved, monuments to nobility and craftsmanship, the elements harnessed and the crops harvested, and then there was Margo. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and then there was Margo. Lot's wife looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and then there was Margo. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, stood at the gates of Troy with an army behind him because Paris stole his brother Menelaus's wife, and then there was Margo. Temuchin changed his name to Genghis Khan and united the Mongols by providing them with a common enemy, and then there was Margo. Jesus walked on water, and then there was Margo. One culture became dominant, absorbing and destroying all other cultures, and then there was Margo. Man kept killing each other while women kept giving birth, and then there was Margo. Many people tried to rule the earth but failed miserably, and then there was Margo. The intelligent ape learned to destroy on a monumental level, becoming a God himself, the God of destruction, and then there was Margo. Gandhi stopped eating, Martin Luther King was shot, and then there was Margo. The Roman Empire crumbled, the Third Reich crumbled, the British empire crumbled, the Soviet Empire crumbled, and then there was Margo. Philip D'Tank was an Exxon executive doing surveillance in the Yucatan when he was introduced to Heidi Pachacamac, who's name meant "animated world" in quechua, the language of the Inca. He was taken by her beauty yet not ashamed to take advantage of her naiveté. He got her to show him secret places on the Mexican peninsula where he would subsequently make his bosses rich by exploiting her people. Philip and Heidi did it once, beautifully, after a picnic of fresh corn tortillas, avocados, imported Danish cheese and fine California wine, on an exquisite Indian rug, in a clearing in a lush forest he would eventually napalm. For the next nine months, Heidi Pachacamac carried Philip's child while he continued on his third world escapades as an economic hit man. She worked her way up Mexico to the United States border where she paid a coyote to smuggle her into Los Angeles where she was eventually wheeled into the delivery room of St. Vincent's hospital. The fully formed fetus broke forth from its watery world and plunged headlong into the birth canal, a cry, a first breath, and then there was Margo. You loved her the second you laid eyes on her, and then there was Margo. Her face, her hands, her legs, those breasts, those eyes, and then there was Margo. You had to have her, whatever it took, you couldn't believe the world had bestowed upon you such a gift, and then there was Margo. With her by your side, there was nothing you couldn't accomplish, every oyster would contain a pearl, no more clouds, just silver linings, and then there was Margo. How cruel, how insensitive, to label her a nympho when all she wanted was to be loved, a long time, by as many people as possible, and then there was Margo. You want her with every atom, every molecule, every cell, every organ of your being, and then there was Margo. You'll never know what love is, and then there was Margo.
Gwen Shaffer: Rick Shtick (philadelphiaweekly.com)
The winning skit portrayed Santorum--played by a suited-up Kelly Feighan--squaring off against Jesus Christ on the game show Jeopardy! The tongue-in-cheek categories included "WOMEN IN POWER" and "NOTABLE HYPOCRITES." The Alex Trebek character, portrayed by Daniel Brook, read questions like this one from the "GREAT INVENTIONS" category: "This modern invention allowed women to control their fertility." Santorum beat JC to the buzzer and called out, "What is the chastity belt?"
BOB HERBERT: Working for a Pittance (The New York Times)
"The reality," said Senator Clinton, "is that a full time job that pays the minimum wage just doesn't provide enough money to support a family today. We have to acknowledge that fact and do something about it. As a country, we cannot accept that a single mother with two children who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year earns $10,700 a year -- let me say this again: $10,700 a year. That is almost $6,000 below the federal poverty line for a family of three."
Don't get groped -- get even (guardian.co.uk)
After years of sexual harassment on trains, women are fighting back - posting pictures of their aggressors on the web. Is it the end of the line for flashers, asks Kira Cochrane.
Bob Smith: Why I Still Love Gay Pride (out.com)
In small town prides waving a rainbow flag isn't a cliché, it's a sign that you refuse to wave the white flag of surrender. It still takes guts to attend a gay pride in a small town, let alone organize a gay pride in a small town.
Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name - On TV (out.com)
In his new book, Allen Neuwirth explores the most daring queer moments in TV comedy. In this exclusive article he delves deeper into the early era of gays on TV, as told by the people who were there.
Susan Calhoun: Bible Thumpin' Beats (curvemag.com)
Much to my surprise, not only is the 53-year-old Stevens - a self-described "Jesus-loving, Bible-believing, God-fearing lesbian Christian" - not a novice, but she's also the founder of a ministry and a record label. Described by Christian Century magazine as "a nightmare for conservative Christians," Stevens' music has been banned from many churches, and some pastors have gone a step further by having her songs ripped from the hymnals.
Margaret Coble: Catching Up With Ellis (curvemag.com)
The last time I saw Minneapolis-based, Texas-born singer-songwriter and dyke heartthrob Ellis, she was sitting in the corner of the Media Tent at the 2005 Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, patiently giving a one-on-one critique to a young festie-goer who was attending her songwriting workshop.
SUPERMAN! SUPERMAN! SUPERMAN! 200 GAZILLION DOLLARS AND HERE'S WHAT YOU GET. Superman Returns TALK ABOUT CONCEIT.
LIKE WE SENT HIM A TELEGRAM TO COME BACK AND SAVE THE WORLD. DOES HE BITCH SLAP THE CHIMP? NAH. DOES HE TAKE AWAY PIGBOY MEDS SO HE CAN'T GET A HARDON AND FUCK THE WORLD WITH HIS NAZI SHIT? NAH. DOES HE CATCH OSAMA AND GIVE HIM 72, 72 YEAR OLD VIRGINS? NAH. DOES HE GIVE KARL ROVE PIGBOY MEDS SO HE CAN FUCK ANN COULTER WITHOUT SAYING "I'M SORRY?" NAH.
BUT FOR 200 GAZILLION YOU GET A PRETTY GOOD RIDE. FOR POPCORN EATING, MIND NUMBING IT DOESN'T MEASURE UP TO District B13 WHICH KICKS MAJOR BUTT.
Superman Returns IS THE HUMMER OF MOVIES. IT'S BIGGER! IT'S BETTER AND IT SUCKS MORE GAS AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM. WHILE I LIKED A LOT OF IT I DIDN'T LIKE OVER TWO FUCKING HOURS OF IT. HERE'S MY QUESTION: DOES HOLLYWOOD EMPLOY FILM EDITORS ANY MORE?
MAYBE IT'S ME BUT I'M REALLY TIRED OF DIRECTORS EDITING THESE FILMS. I THINK THAT CONGRESS SHOULD PASS A LAW THAT ALL FLAG BURNING, HOMO LOVING, ALIEN FUCKING DIRECTORS BE BANNED FROM EDITING THEIR FILMS. NOT! BUT I THINK THAT THESE PUMPKIN HEADS SHOULD BACK OFF AND LISTEN TO SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES THEIR OWN EGO.
IF YOU WANT A FILM ABOUT A SUPERHERO THAT KICKS BUTT AND STILL HAS A CONSCIENCE THEN SKIP SUPERMAN AND CHECK OUT THIS BABE: Lady Vengeance THANK YOU PARK FOR STILL KNOWING HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE.
We celebrate our country's birth with fireworks supplied by the newest
Americans among us. New citizens are particularly invited to participate.
Joining us will be Minister Jamal Rahman, who recently became a citizen
after living and working in Seattle for several years. Find out what July
4th means to him as a Muslim, as a progressive, as a new citizen.
That and so much more-please check out
erinhartshow.com for further details (or drop
marty a note).
Adventure is everywhere. . .
There's a chance I'll be a guest around 8am (pdt) today.
As June Allyson would say, 'Depends.'
CBS begins the night with a FRESH'A Hero's Welcome', followed by a RERUN'NCIS', then the FRESH'Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular'.
On a RERUNDave (from 6/9/06) are Michael Keaton and Wolfmother.
On a RERUNCraig are Brooks & Dunn and Pauley Perrette.
NBC starts the night with a RERUN'Most Outrageous TV Moments', followed by another RERUN'Most Outrageous TV Moments', then the FRESH'Macy's 4th Of July Fireworks Spectacular', followed by a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
On a RERUNLeno (from 5/16/06) are Ellen DeGeneres, Scott McClellan, and the Goo Goo Dolls.
On a RERUNConan (from 1/24/06) are Anthony Hopkins, Piper Perabo, and Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives.
On a RERUNCarson Daly (from 4/13/06) are Seth Green and Mike O'Connell.
ABC opens the night with a RERUN'Jim', followed by another RERUN'Jim', then still another RERUN'Jim', followed by yet another RERUN'Jim', then the FRESH'An American Celebration At Ford's Theatre: The July 4th Special'.
On a RERUNJimmy Kimmel (from 6/27/06) are Tommy Lee, 98-year-old high school student Josephine Belasco, Greg Fitzsimmons, and the Fixx.
The WB offers a RERUN'Gilmore Girls', followed by the SERIES FINALE'Pepper Dennis'.
Faux has a RERUN'House', followed by another RERUN'House'.
UPN has a RERUN'America's Next Top Model', followed by another RERUN'Veronica Mars'.
Check local PBS listings for the FRESH'A Capitol Fourth'.
A&E has 'The First 48', another 'The First 48', 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', another 'Dog The Bounty Hunter', and 'Look, Up In The Sky! The Story Of Superman'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Man From Snowy River', followed by the movie 'Open Range', then the movie 'The Comancheros'.
BBC -
[2:00 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 5;
[2:30 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 3;
[3:00 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 1;
[3:30 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 10;
[4:00 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 8;
[4:30 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 6;
[5:00 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 4;
[5:30 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 2;
[6:00 pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30 pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Episode 2;
[7:00 pm] 'The Benny Hill Show' - Episode 53;
[8:00 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 7;
[8:30 pm] 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' - Episode 10;
[10:30 pm] 'Unsolved' - Episode 5;
[11:00 pm] 'Absolutely Fabulous' - Happy New Year;
[11:40 pm] 'Coupling' - The Girl with Two Breasts;
[12:20 am] 'The Catherine Tate Show' - Episode 2;
[2:30 am] 'Unsolved' - Episode 5;
[3:00 am] 'Cold Feet' - Episode 1;
[4:00 am] 'Cold Feet' - Episode 2;
[5:00 am] 'Cold Feet' - Episode 3;
[6:00 am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'Project Runway', another 'Project Runway', 'Kathy Griffin: D-List', and 'Queer Eye'.
Comedy Central has 'Bill Engvall: Here's Your Sign', followed by the movie 'Trading Places', 'Chappelle's Show', and another 'Chappelle's Show'.
Jon Stewart is pre-empted.
Colbert Report is pre-empted.
History has 'Washington The WArrior', 'Flight 93', and 'I Missed Flight 93'.
IFC -
[07:45 AM] Media Lab Uploaded;
[08:15 AM] The Empty Mirror;
[10:15 AM] Home Movie;
[11:30 AM] Slasher;
[01:15 PM] At The IFC Center #15;
[01:45 PM] July: IFC Short Film Collection I;
[03:45 PM] IFC In Theaters;
[04:00 PM] Pauline & Paulette;
[05:15 PM] Punk: Attitude;
[07:00 PM] Paper Chasers;
[08:30 PM] At The IFC Center #15;
[09:00 PM] The Flower of Evil;
[11:00 PM] Boys Don't Cry;
[01:05 AM] The Flower of Evil;
[03:00 AM] Boys Don't Cry;
[05:00 AM] At The IFC Center #15;
[05:30 AM] Shirts & Skins. (ALL TIMES EDT)
SciFi wraps up Day 3 of the their 3-Day 'Twilight Zone' marathon.
Sundance -
[06:05 AM] The Take;
[07:35 AM] Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia;
[09:30 AM] Wall;
[11:05 AM] The Talent Given Us;
[12:45 PM] Particles of Truth;
[02:30 PM] Time Bandits;
[04:30 PM] Bright Young Things;
[06:30 PM] Clara et Moi;
[08:00 PM] The Talent Given Us;
[09:45 PM] Resonance;
[10:00 PM] Southern Belles;
[11:30 PM] Love, Ludlow;
[01:00 AM] Police Beat;
[02:30 AM] Interesting Times: This Happy Life;
[03:30 AM] House of Boateng: Episode 2;
[04:00 AM] Office Killer;
[05:30 AM] Southern Belles. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Johnny Depp poses for photographs as he arrives for the European premiere of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' at Leicester Square, central London, July 3, 2006.
Photo by Phil Noble/Reuters
Jason Alexander is taking a break from his theatre directing debut in Los Angeles to host the patriotic music extravaganza A Capitol Fourth in Washington on Tuesday.
The play he's directing, which opened June 30, "has a lot to say that is not positive about the current policies that seem to be going down," Alexander said.
In the play, Sam Shepard's The God of Hell, a totalitarian government puts patriotism and loyalty above everything else, intruding into the lives and freedoms of ordinary folks. There are torture scenes, one of which recalls the hooded prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
Alexander said he didn't think twice about accepting the offer to host the red, white and blue tribute to America that airs each year on PBS.
Cindy Sheehan, center, and Daniel Ellsberg, right, join others in a march called the 'Granny Peace Brigade', Monday, July 3, 2006, in Washington. Sheehan lost her son to the war in Iraq and Ellsberg released the 'Pentagon Papers' during the Vietnam War.
Photo by Lawrence Jackson
One of America's most venerable and best-known city orchestras, the Boston Pops, is letting its hair down.
Famous for light classical music and family pop tunes from decades past, the orchestra will perform with Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry at Boston's annual Independence Day concert on Tuesday.
The free outdoor show is part of the 121-year-old orchestra's move to add more rock to its repertoire.
Elvis Costello set the tone as guest artist at the opening of this year's Pops season with an acoustic set in May, featuring his hit "Alison," and a 15-minute piece from his 2004 score to Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Lil' Kim celebrated U.S. Independence Day a day early with her release from a federal detention centre Monday after nearly 10 months behind bars.
The rapper, who was sent to prison for lying about a shootout outside a New York radio station, walked out of the jail looking glamorous in sunglasses and an all-white, cleavage-baring outfit.
The 4-foot-11 entertainer, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, began serving her time in the detention centre Sept. 19. She was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, but was released early for good behaviour.
Members of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, center, Nick Mason, right, and Rick Wright, left, arrive for the screening of the group's new DVD at a cinema in central London's Leicester Square, Monday July 3, 2006. The 'Pulse' DVD of their 1994 concert, released on July 10, features the first ever audiovisual live performance of 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' album.
Photo by Lefteris Pitarakis
Michael Douglas has settled his lawsuit against two Florida companies that he alleged improperly used his name and image to promote their own products and services.
The sealed settlement was agreed to last month, and the case was formally closed June 27, according to federal court records.
The lawsuit claimed footage the actor shot for educational purposes was instead used for commercial gain by Boca Raton-based companies, Family Television Studios, Inc. and Paradigm Media Group, L.L.C.
Douglas sought to have the companies stop using his likeness and name. The lawsuit also sought any profits made from the segments and compensation of more than $75,000, plus lawyer's fees and others costs.
A former assistant to Marlon Brando has sued the executors of the late actor's estate for more than $2 million claiming she was cheated out of a home she says Brando promised to give to her.
The suit, filed on behalf of Angela Borlaza late in Los Angeles Superior Court late on Friday, alleges she was evicted from the house by executors Mike Medavoy and Larry Dressler who isolated Brando while he was still alive to gain control of his estate after he died.
Borlaza, who began working for the actor in 1995 and became his executive assistant, claims in her suit that as his health worsened, the two verbally agreed that before he died he would buy her a home.
She moved into the house in 2002 and he bought it through a corporate entity he controlled, but the title was never transferred to Borlaza, according to the lawsuit.
U.S. saxophon player Ornette Coleman on stage during the special event 'Hommage to Nesuhi Ertegun' of the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival at the Stravinski hall in Montreux, Switzerland, late Sunday, July 2, 2006. Nesuhi Ertegun, joining his brother Ahmet in the 50s at Atlantic Records, has contracted and produced many artists which have pushed Atlantic to one of the most important jazz labels worldwide. Nesuhi Ertegun supported the Montreux Jazz Festival from the beginning until his death in 1989.
Photo by Martial Trezzini
Bobby Brown, who left New Edition in the 1980s for a solo career, reunited with the band Sunday night for two songs at the Essence Music Festival.
As the other five members moved to slick choreography Sunday, Brown ran around the stage wildly and performed raunchy dance moves.
Brown followed with a solo set that started with Don't Be Cruel, then quickly turned to more raunchy dancing and talk about his sex life with wife Whitney Houston.
By the time he finished with My Prerogative, Brown was shirtless and many in the audience were screaming for him to get off the stage.
Actor Haley Joel Osment, right, arrives with Annie Vaughn at the premiere of the film 'Little Miss Sunshine' on the closing night of the Los Angeles Film Festival in Los Angeles, Sunday, July 2, 2006.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
"The Fantasticks," the world's longest running musical, returns to New York this summer, opening Aug. 16 at the new Snapple Theater Center, located at the corner of Broadway and 50th Street.
The original production of the show, which has book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, ran at the tiny Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village from May 3, 1960-Jan. 13, 2002.
The new cast includes Santino Fontana and Sara Jean Ford as the young lovers and James Moye as the seductive El Gallo. The fathers of the girl and boy will be played by Leo Burmester and Martin Vidnovic. Jones will direct. Preview performances begin July 29.
Anna Lee Aldred, the first woman in the United States to receive a jockey's license and a member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, has died. She was 85.
She received her professional jockey's license in 1939, when she was 18, from California's Agua Caliente Racetrack. The license, a small wooden badge, is now on display at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.
She retired from racing by 1945 and opened a riding school in California. She then spent five years performing as a rodeo trick rider, sometimes standing atop the saddle or hanging by her foot from the side of a running horse.
Aldred continued to ride until she was 80, appearing in rodeo ceremonies and working as a "pony boy," trotting horses onto the track of the Montrose fairgrounds for jockeys before races.
Jan Murray, one of the fabled generation of comics who rose from the Catskills to prime time TV, tickling fans of the 1950s game show "Treasure Hunt," has died. He was 89.
Born Murray Janofsky on Oct. 4, 1916, in New York, Murray honed his craft by watching vaudeville shows and performing at Catskills resorts that catered to the crowds of Jewish vacationers.
In addition to son Howard, Murray is survived by his wife, Toni; son Warren; daughters, Diane and Celia; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, left, and director Gore Verbinski pose for a portrait in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Thursday, June 22, 2006. If making a movie is a gamble, making two films at once doubles the ante. That's what Bruckheimer and Verbinski did when they signed on to make two 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies at the same time.
Photo by Matt Sayles
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