Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: The Conservative Onion (New York Times)
I really don't think there's been anything like this in American political history: a presidential campaign, with a pretty good chance of winning, that is based entirely on cynical lies about what the sitting president has said. No, Obama hasn't apologized for America; no, he hasn't denigrated achievement. Yet take away those claims, and there's nothing left in Romney's rhetoric.
Susan Estrich: Video Gamer Dies (Creators Syndicate)
It's the sort of headline that temporarily takes my breath away. I'm the mother of a world-class gamer. He's spending the summer working for a major gaming company. I know (and try to think less about) what a dangerous place the world is. I understand that many people are concerned about the influence of violence in every form of media, including video games. But how could someone die just by playing a video game?
Eddie Deezen: The Legend and Legacy of 'American Pie'
"American Pie," written and recorded by Don McLean, is the longest song to ever reach #1 on the charts. At 8 minutes and 38 seconds, it topped the charts on January 15, 1972 and remained there for four weeks.
Laura Barton: "Amy Winehouse: only now can we glimpse her legacy" (Guardian)
Like many other dead artists, it's easy to remember the late singer as a tragic caricature. But that betrays her real musical worth.
Henry Rollins: Miles Davis, Cool on a Postage Stamp (LA Weekly)
Jazz music is as American as it gets and so is the U.S. Postal Service. A Miles Davis stamp is a perfect marriage of two great American institutions. A Miles stamp is great but is only the start. A few years from now, perhaps we can unveil a cool new addition on Mount Rushmore.
The 14 Openly Gay Athletes Of The 2012 Olympics (Buzzfeed)
5. Lisa Raymond - Tennis - USA
Carmen Gray: "Susan Sarandon: 'I've done everything wrong'" (Guardian)
The actor and producer talks about her family life, her faith and why it's much more fun to play a bad girl.
70 Best Vampire Movies
1. Let the Right One In
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Michelle is taking the day off.
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Day 15
Gulf Fritillary
Came across some of Gulf Fritillary larva
on the back fence, so it looks like we'll have a third year of raising butterflies. : )
Click on any picture for a larger version.
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Marine layer burned off early afternoon.
Dumps Chick-Fil-A
Muppets
The Muppets are ending their relationship with fast food restaurant chain Chick-Fil-A in a show of support for gay marriage, the creators of the puppet troupe said on Monday.
"The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors," the company said in a statement posted on their official Facebook page.
The Henson company, named after the creator of lovable characters like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, supplied their Creature Shop Muppet toys to Chick-Fil-A for children's meal packages but decided to sever ties after recent statements by the fast-food chain's Chief Executive Dan Cathy.
The Henson company, whose Muppet characters are hugely popular, said its Chief Executive Lisa Henson is a "strong supporter of gay marriage and has directed us to donate the payment we received from Chick-Fil-A to GLAAD," the company said in their statement.
Muppets
Joins 'American Idol'
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey will join "American Idol" as a judge next season, Fox announced Monday, bringing her star power to the show that remains a ratings leader but has seen its viewership and pop culture status diminish.
"I am so excited to be joining 'Idol,'" said Carey, addressing the Television Critics Association via Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly's cell phone, which he put on speaker for the hotel ballroom meeting.
She couldn't be on hand with the group because "this kind of all just happened really quickly," Carey said in her brief remarks. "I can't wait to get started in the fall. .... and I will see you in January."
The show, which saw judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez exit at the end of last season, will be back on the air for season 12 in January.
Mariah Carey
Jumps Into Assault Weapon Debate
Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander of "Seinfeld" fame has weighed in on the conversation surrounding gun control laws in light of the shooting in Aurora, Colo., last Friday. The debate over gun control has flared up following the tragic Aurora theater shooting on July 20, in which suspect James Holmes allegedly killed 12 and injured 58 when he opened fire on a crowded movie theater with several weapons, including an assault rifle.
Alexander released a long "tweet' using TwitLonger, which allows users far more than the allotted 140 characters, to share his thoughts on gun control following the massacre. His treatise in the world of Twitter has divided users, some backing his argument and some launching into attacks on the actor, one user calling him "dumber than George Constanza," his famously dense "Seinfeld" character.
On July 21, Alexander, an actor and outspoken liberal, tweeted the following:
@IJasonAlexander:I cannot understand support for legality of the kind of weapon in this massacre. It's a military weapon.why should it be in non- mil hands?
Jason Alexander
DreamWorks Buys For $155 Million
Classic Media
"Shrek" movie studio DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. said Monday that it is buying Classic Media, custodian of a library of movies and TV series that includes "Casper the Friendly Ghost," ''Lassie," ''Rocky & Bullwinkle," and "The Lone Ranger."
DreamWorks Animation is paying $155 million in cash to Classic Media's owner, Boomerang Media Holdings. Boomerang was formed by private-equity firm GTCR and Eric Ellenbogen and John Engelman, who founded Classic Media in 2000.
The move immediately makes DreamWorks' December 2013 movie "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" more profitable because it was based on "Rocky & Bullwinkle" characters that DreamWorks had agreed to license from the Classic Media roster. It also makes DreamWorks a beneficiary of "The Lone Ranger" movie starring Johnny Depp, which The Walt Disney Co. is releasing next July.
Classic Media owns 450 movies and 6,100 episodes of TV shows, both animated and live action. They include Christmas classics "Frosty the Snowman," ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."
It also owns a comic-book archive and the media rights to the "Golden Books" series of children's books.
Classic Media
Putin Won't Testify
Pussy Riot
A court on Monday rejected a request to call President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church to testify in the trial of three female punk rockers who derided Putin in a protest in the country's main cathedral, their lawyer said.
Three members of the band Pussy Riot, all in their 20s, have been held in jail on hooliganism charges since storming the altar of Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February to stage a "punk prayer" to the Virgin Mary to "Throw Putin Out!"
At a preliminary hearing on Monday, the court ruled that the trial will start in a week, on July 30, and will be broadcast on the court's website.
Rights groups and defense lawyers for Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, who face up to seven years in prison if convicted, say the case against them is politically motivated.
The case has drawn criticism from human rights groups and opposition activists. U.S. rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' frontman Anthony Kiedis performed in a T-shirt with a "Pussy Riot" inscription at concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow last week.
Pussy Riot
Allies Await Hacking Charges
Rupert
Rupert Murdoch's former British newspaper boss and Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-media chief could find out on Tuesday whether they will be prosecuted in a phone-hacking inquiry that has shaken the British establishment.
Rebekah Brooks, who ran Murdoch's UK papers and was courted by successive British leaders, is the most high profile figure to be arrested during an investigation into allegations newspapers listened to the private messages of royals, celebrities and even a teenage murder victim.
The scandal has rocked Murdoch's News Corp, put the notoriously aggressive press under the spotlight and embarrassed senior politicians, including Cameron, over their often cozy ties with the Australian-born businessman.
Cameron's former communications chief Andy Coulson, who also edited Murdoch's now defunct News of the World, is among about a dozen of the paper's former staff awaiting an update on their cases from prosecutors at 0600 EDT on Tuesday.
Britain's Crown Prosecution Service will give details of any criminal charges in the hacking inquiry, although a final decision on every case may not be announced.
Rupert
Moving The Pieces
Rupert
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp said it had promoted Peter Rice to chairman and chief executive of its Fox Networks Group in the first step of an expected executive shake-up ahead of the company's split into two separate entertainment and news companies next year.
It also announced on Monday that long-time Fox Sports CEO David Hill has been moved to a wider role of senior executive vice president for News Corp focusing on programming and digital initiatives globally.
The double move means Rice will now also oversee sports, one of the most lucrative sectors of the TV business, in addition to Fox Broadcasting, international and cable networks. He will oversee all of News Corp's TV business outside of Fox News which is overseen by Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes.
Rice is seen within the business as one of Murdoch's favorite executives. The British-born Rice was previously chairman of entertainment for Fox. Before that he was president of the studio Fox Searchlight where he had huge success with "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Wrestler" and "Juno".
Earlier on Monday, News Corp unveiled the brand for its education business as Amplify, headed by former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. After the company splits in two Amplify will sit within News Corp's newspaper and publishing company.
Rupert
Conservatives Bill Sparks Outcry
Ukraine
If a group of Ukrainian lawmakers succeeds in its mission, TV shows and movies sympathetically portraying homosexuals such as "Brokeback Mountain" will be banned. So will gay pride parades.
The recently introduced bill, supported by the president's representative in parliament, would impose prison terms of up to five years and unspecified fines for spreading "propaganda of homosexuality" - defined as positive public depiction of gays in public.
It has sparked an outcry from rights organizations in Ukraine and beyond, who condemn the bill as a throwback to Soviet times when homosexuality was a criminal offense. They also warn that harassing the gay community could lead to a spike in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine, one of Europe's most severe, by driving gays further underground.
Although homosexuality was decriminalized in Ukraine and neighboring Russia after the fall of communism, animosity toward gays remains high across the former Soviet sphere. St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city and regarded as one of the country's most sophisticated, this year passed a law mandating fines of up to $33,000 for promoting homosexuality among minors. A gay pride parade in the Georgian capital ended in a scuffle with opponents in March.
The Ukrainian bill comes in the wake of organizers' decision to cancel the country's first gay-pride parade in May, which they made after hearing that hundreds of potentially violent opponents of gay rights had come to the capital.
Ukraine
TV Depiction Upsets Conservatives
"Omar"
A television series depicting a revered Islamic figure has caused a stir in the Arab world with thousands saying the show must be stopped because they believe such depictions are forbidden by Islam.
The historical drama, "Omar", tells the story of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, a close companion of Prophet Mohammed and influential ruler who oversaw the radical expansion of the Islamic empire in the 7th century.
The show has been at the centre of a controversy pitting Islamic conservatives against reformists.
The series is being aired during the holy month of Ramadan, when television viewing in the region peaks and advertisers pour large chunks of their budget into the small screen's high season.
Saudi producers, the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), say it is the largest ever Arabic production, with 30,000 actors and a technical team from 10 different countries who toiled 300 days to make the 31-part series.
"Omar"
Creates Law Enforcement Battalions
Marine Corps
The Marine Corps has created its first law enforcement battalions - a lean, specialized force ofmilitary police officers that it hopes can quickly deploy worldwide to help investigate crimes from terrorism to drug trafficking and train fledgling security forces in allied nations.
The Corps activated three such battalions last month. Each is made up of roughly 500 military police officers and dozens of dogs. The Marine Corps has had police battalions off and on since World War II but they were primarily focused on providing security, such as accompanying fuel convoys or guarding generals on visits to dangerous areas, said Maj. Jan Durham, commander of the 1st Law Enforcement Battalion at Camp Pendleton.
The idea behind the law enforcement battalions is to consolidate the military police and capitalize on their investigative skills and police training, he said. The new additions come as every branch in the military is trying to show its flexibility and resourcefulness amid defense cuts.
Marines have been increasingly taking on the role of a street cop along with their combat duties over the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have been in charge of training both countries' security forces. Those skills now can be used as a permanent part of the Marine Corps, Durham said.
They also have changed their approach, realizing that marching into towns to show force alienates communities. Instead, they are being taught to fan out with interpreters to strike up conversations with truck drivers, money exchangers, cellphone sellers and others. The rapport building can net valuable information that could even alert troops about potential attacks.
Marine Corps
Weekend Box Office
"The Dark Knight Rises"
"The Dark Knight Rises" earned a sizeable $160.9 million over the weekend, making it the biggest 2-D opening ever, but falling slightly below expectations following the mass shooting at a Colorado screening of the Batman film.
The debut makes "The Dark Knight Rises" the biggest 2-D opening ever ahead of its 2008 predecessor, "The Dark Knight." It also gives the movie the third-largest opening after the 3-D films "The Avengers" with $207.4 million and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" with $169.2 million.
Following behind "Dark Knight Rises" in the No. 2 spot was "Ice Age: Continental Drift," the animated Fox film which dropped 56 percent in its second weekend to $20.4 million, and the Sony superhero reboot "The Amazing Spider-Man," which earned $10.9 million during its third weekend at the box office, in the No. 3 position.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:
1. "The Dark Knight Rises," Warner Bros., $160,887,295, 4,404 locations, $36,532 average, $160,887,295, one week.
2. "Ice Age: Continental Drift," Fox, $20,416,978, 3,886 locations, $5,254 average, $88,840,284, two weeks.
3. "The Amazing Spider-Man," Sony, $10,887,111, 3,753 locations, $2,901 average, $228,611,425, three weeks.
4. "Ted," Universal, $10,011,310, 3,214 locations, $3,115 average, $180,431,425, four weeks.
5. "Brave," Disney, $6,024,987, 2,899 locations, $2,078 average, $208,774,173, five weeks.
6. "Magic Mike," Warner Bros., $4,291,432, 2,606 locations, $1,647 average, $101,966,459, four weeks.
7. "Savages," Universal, $3,398,880, 2,336 locations, $1,455 average, $40,055,075, three weeks.
8. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection," Lionsgate, $2,253,074, 1,540 locations, $1,463 average, $60,289,622, four weeks.
9. "Moonrise Kingdom," Focus Features, $1,831,471, 895 locations, $2,046 average, $36,087,959, nine weeks.
10. "To Rome With Love," Sony, $1,420,891, 552 locations, $2,574 average, $11,107,993, five weeks.
11. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," Paramount, $1,350,946, 1,261 locations, $1,071 average, $207,626,201, seven weeks.
12. "Katy Perry: Part of Me," Paramount, $1,148,494, 1,123 locations, $1,023 average, $22,612,706, three weeks.
13. "Beasts of the Southern Wild," Fox Searchlight, $763,443, 129 locations, $5,918 average, $2,855,142, four weeks.
14. "The Avengers," Disney, $620,411, 495 locations, $1,253 average, $615,058,425, 12 weeks.
15. "Snow White & the Huntsman," Universal, $427,405, 409 locations, $1,045 average, $152,589,315, eight weeks.
16. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," Fox Searchlight, $416,791, 288 locations, $1,447 average, $43,852,771, 12 weeks.
17. "The Intouchables," Weinstein Co., $313,547, 91 locations, $3,446 average, $7,072,702, nine weeks.
18. "Prometheus," Fox, $310,395, 312 locations, $995 average, $125,113,489, seven weeks.
19. "Rock of Ages," Warner Bros., $282,945, 322 locations, $879 average, $37,966,435, six weeks.
20. "Men in Black 3," Sony, $260,264, 266 locations, $978 average, $175,476,727, nine weeks.
"The Dark Knight Rises"
In Memory
Ginny Tyler
Former Disney head Mouseketeer and voice actress Ginny Tyler has died in Washington state at age 86.
Her son Ty Fenton tells the Los Angeles Times that Tyler died of natural causes July 13 at a nursing home in Issaquah, Wash.
When episodes of television's "The Mickey Mouse Club" were repackaged for syndication in 1963, Tyler became the head Mouseketeer who hosted new segments of the TV show that were woven around the old.
Tyler was the voice on the records "Bambi" and "Babes in Toyland."
She also was the voice of Polynesia the Parrot, who helped teach Rex Harrison to talk to the animals in the movie "Dr. Dolittle." And she sang the parts of barnyard animals in "Mary Poppins."
Ginny Tyler
In Memory
Sally Ride
Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman to travel into space and an advocate for science education, died on Monday after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to her organization, Sally Ride Science. She was 61.
Ride broke new ground for American women in 1983 when at the age of 32 she and four male crewmates blasted off aboard space shuttle Challenger.
Ride was not the first woman in space. That distinction fell to the Soviet Union's Valentina Tereshkova, who blasted off aboard a Vostok 6 rocket on June 16, 1963.
But over the years only two other Russian women followed Tereshkova into orbit.
By the time Ride returned for a second flight in 1984, not only had another female astronaut, Judith Resnik, flown on the shuttle, but Ride had a female crewmate, Kathryn Sullivan.
Since then, more than 45 women from the United States and other countries have flown in space, including two as shuttle commander.
Ride grew up in Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where she earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English and master's and doctorate degrees in physics. She joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1978.
She was assigned to a third shuttle flight, but training for the mission was cut off after the fatal 1986 Challenger accident that claimed the lives of six colleagues and a schoolteacher.
Ride served as a member of the presidential commission that investigated the accident, and then assisted the agency's chief with long-range and strategic planning.
She left NASA in 1987 and joined a Stanford University security research institute. In 1989, she joined the physics department at the University of California-San Diego and directed the California Space Institute.
Ride's interest in education extended to younger students, whom she targeted with her science education startup Sally Ride Science in San Diego.
Ride also authored five science books for children and served on dozens of NASA, space and technology advisory panels, including the board that investigated the second fatal space shuttleaccident in 2003.
Ride is survived by her mother; her partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy; a sister; a niece and a nephew.
Sally Ride
In Memory
Frank Pierson
The Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Cool Hand Luke" has died.
Frank Pierson's family says he died of natural causes Monday in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 87.
He won an Oscar for writing 1975's "Dog Day Afternoon" and was nominated for his screenplays for "Cool Hand Luke" and "Cat Ballou." He wrote and directed 1976's "A Star is Born."
He most recently worked as a writer and consulting producer on TV's "Mad Men" and "The Good Wife."
Pierson served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which released the news of his death Monday, from 2001 to 2005 and served as governor of its writers branch for 17 years. He is survived by his wife, two children and five grandchildren.
Frank Pierson
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