Reader Music/TV Review
U2 - A Reinvigorated Fan
This past weekend, my wife and I watched the U2 concert Live on VH1.
We recorded it the week before and just got around to watching it.
(There was nothing else on to watch, since ''Thieves'' wasn't on.) I
recorded the ''Legends'' show and the ''pre-show'' that was aired before the
concert started. We watched those segments, and they served well to get us
all psyched-up for the concert. When Bono said ''I think I'm going to
be sick'', we know how he felt.
Man! I was impressed by the style of the band, the quality of the music
and the atmosphere of the concert venue in that Boston coliseum. The
crowd was going wild as the band walked on with the ''Ooooo O O '' line
from ''Elevation'' in the back ground. My wife really loves ''It's A
Beautiful Day''. I really liked the song "Kite" (I think that's the name).
Great composition!
I've been listening to U2 since ''War'', and I have fond memories of
listening to ''Joshua Tree''. Most people may not hold the same opinion, but
I think one of the best songs they ever wrote was ''One Tree Hill''. The
drum line in that song is great! Larry Mullen Jr. is really showing
off.
I pulled out my old vinyl records and queued up a few old U2 tunes just
for old-time sake. I'm hooked again. Got to buy ''Elevation''.
~~David G.
Thanks, Dave....great review!
Hate to say, but 'Thieves' has been cancelled.
Cool Website
From ''Buzzcook''
www.actforchange.com/liberty/flash.html
Buzz finds the best stuff (and he don't write too badly, either)!
Reader Concern With Accuracy
''S'' Words
Subject: Meaning of Squaw and What Happens in Outerspace
~~Matthew Dowd
A couple of corrections to the Dec. 3, BartcopE:
From http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000317.html
" It is as certain as any historical fact can be that the word squaw that the English settlers in
Massachusetts used for 'Indian woman' in the early 1600s was adopted by them from the word squa that
their Massachusett-speaking neighbors used in their own language to mean 'female, younger woman,' and not
from Mohawk ojiskwa', 'vagina,' which has the wrong shape [sound], the wrong meaning, and was used by
people with whom they then had no contact. The resemblance that might be perceived between squaw and
the last syllable of the Mohawk word is coincidental."
This comes to us from Ives Goddard, a specialist in linguistics and curator at the Smithsonian
Institution, writing in News From Indian Country, mid-April 1997.
And from http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.html
HOW LONG CAN A HUMAN LIVE UNPROTECTED IN SPACE
If you *don't* try to hold your breath, exposure to space for half a minute or so is unlikely to
produce permanent injury. Holding your breath is likely to damage your lungs, something scuba divers
have to watch out for when ascending, and you'll have eardrum trouble if your Eustachian tubes are badly
plugged up, but theory predicts -- and animal experiments confirm -- that otherwise, exposure to
vacuum causes no immediate injury. You do not explode.
Your blood does not boil. You do not freeze. You do not instantly lose consciousness.
Various minor problems (sunburn, possibly "the bends", certainly some [mild, reversible, painless]
swelling of skin and underlying tissue) start after ten seconds or so. At some point you lose
consciousness from lack of oxygen. Injuries accumulate. After perhaps one or two minutes, you're
dying. The limits are not really known.
~~Matthew Dowd
Thanks for the input, Matthew.
If you'd read the next (4th) paragraph in your link from http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970603.html
you would see:
'' At NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (now renamed Johnson Space Center) we had a test subject accidentally
exposed to a near vacuum (less than 1 psi) in an incident involving a leaking space suit in a vacuum
chamber back in '65. He remained concious for about 14 seconds, which is about the time it takes for O2
deprived blood to go from the lungs to the brain. The suit probably did not reach a hard vacuum, and we
began repressurizing the chamber within 15 seconds. The subject regained conciousness at around 15,000
feet equivalent altitude. The subject later reported that he could feel and hear the air leaking out,
and his last concious memory was of the water on his tongue beginning to boil. ''
Seeing as how space is (somewhere in the neighborhood of) -235degrees (F), skin exposed to such low temperatures, isn't going to be
able to hold its cells together very long...
So, between the temperature & 14 seconds til losing consciousness, I'm not about to volunteer.
Then, since you quoted Cecil Adams, I looked into his reference bin...
'' Dear Cecil:
After considerable debate and several fistfights in which I have been left friendless there remains a
great "void" in my mind. What would happen if a person were thrown into the vacuum of space without
protective clothing? Some bozos (e.g., my ex-friends) think you (the person thrown into space) would
blow up. I however disagree. Please settle this festering wound. --Juan D. Montoya, Dallas
Cecil replies:
You sound like a man with a problem, Juan. Maybe a lot of problems. But this time the facts are on your
side. There is such a thing as "explosive decompression," but that merely refers to the sudden loss of
pressure in an air- or spacecraft, not the effect on the occupants. Though your chances of surviving
such an experience are slim, your body would not explode (although see below). In fact, if you were
able to scramble to safety quickly enough (as the helmetless astronaut did in the famous scene from
2001: A Space Odyssey), you might emerge virtually unscathed.
To be sure, there are a few troublemakers who will give Cecil an argument on this. Some flight surgeons
at NASA, for instance, say death in a vacuum would be almost instantaneous. They offer the following
Technicolor scenario: your blood would boil, your eyeballs would explode, and your lungs would turn to red slush.
But the medical literature suggests this view is exaggerated. For one thing, I have never seen anything
indicating your eyeballs would explode (although your eardrumms might burst). It's true that in the
absence of ambient pressure your blood and other bodily fluids would boil, in the sense that they would
turn to vapor. But that's not as drastic as it sounds. Your soft tissues would swell markedly, but they'd
return to normal if you were recompressed within a short time.
It's conceivable your lungs might rupture, since in a vacuum the air in them would greatly expand. But
experience suggests this is rare even if decompression is extremely rapid. The chances are much greater
if your windpipe is closed, making it impossible for the expanding air to escape.
Death would not be instantaneous. It's believed you'd have 10-15 seconds of "useful consciousness" and it'd
be several minutes before you'd die. If you were rescued within that time there's a decent chance you'd survive.
Research with chimps and monkeys suggests that if you were exposed to a virtual vacuum for less than 90-120
seconds you might not suffer any permanent damage.
That said, there are circumstances involving explosive decompression in which your body might be torn to bits.
This would result not from the exposure to a vacuum per se but from injuries caused by the accompanying air blast.
I have here a medical journal article about a case of explosive decompression that killed four divers. (They went
from high pressure to normal rather than normal to vacuum, but same idea.)
The bodies of three of the dead men were outwardly normal. The fourth man, however, was forced through a narrow
hatch by the rush of escaping air and his body, to be blunt, was reduced to pot roast. Naturally, the authors of
the article felt obliged to include pictures, including a close-up of what was left of the face. You might show
them to your bozo friends next time they're chattering about blown up bodies.
MORE ON EXPLOSIVE DECOMPRESSION
Dear Cecil:
One of your recent columns dealt with the issue of explosive decompression. Although your information was
good, you should have mentioned the case history of near rapid decompression that killed three astronauts
in 1971. Below is an excerpt from my 1990 book, Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight.
"At 1:35 AM, June 30, the crew fired the Soyuz retro rockets to deorbit and twelve minutes later separated
from the orbital and service modules. At this time, the orbital module was normally separated by 12 pyrotechnic
devices which were supposed to fire sequentially, but they incorrectly fired simultaneously, and this caused a
ball joint in the capsule's pressure equalization valve to unseat, allowing air to escape. The valve normally
opens at low altitude to equalize cabin air pressure to the outside air pressure. This caused the cabin to lose
all its atmosphere in about 30 seconds while still at a height of 168 km. In seconds, Patsayev realized the problem
and unstrapped from his seat to try and cover the valve inlet and shut off the valve but there was little time left.
It would take 60 seconds to shut off the valve manually and Patsayev managed to half close it before passing out.
Dobrovolsky and Volkov were virtually powerless to help since they were strapped in their seats, with little room
to move in the small capsule and no real way to assist Patsayev. The men died shortly after passing out. Fifteen
and a half minutes after retrofire, the pressure reached zero in the capsule and remained that way for eleven and
a half minutes, at which point the cabin started to fill with air from the upper atmosphere. The rest of the descent
was normal and the capsule landed at 2:17 AM. The recovery forces located the capsule and opened the hatch only to
find the cosmonauts motionless in their seats. On first glance they appeared to be asleep, but closer examination
showed why there was no normal communication from the capsule during descent.
"The Soviets had to give a detailed report on the accident to NASA in preparation for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project,
during which they said that the amount of tissue damage to the cosmonauts' bodies caused by the boiling of their blood
during the 11.5 minutes of exposure to vacuum could at first have been misinterpreted as being the result of a catastrophic
and instantantaneous decompression. The cause of death was pulmonary embolism."
There has yet to be released any substantial data on the damage to their bodies, but from the descriptions commonly
published the damage was not immediately recognizable. --Dennis Newkirk, Fairfax, Virginia
--CECIL ADAMS ''
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_147.html
Now, onto ''Squaw''...
First, I offer:
'' Some Indian scholars, like Abenaki anthropologist Marge Bruhac, argue that esqua, ochqueu, iskew, skwa, esquao, skwe and other
variants of "squaw" come from the Algonquin family of languages where the root means "the totality of being female."
But that definition was lost a long time ago, according to leaders in the American Indian Movement and many other Indian
activists. They argue persuasively that European invaders misunderstood "squaw" as a word for female genitalia.
In large part because the pioneers needed to dehumanize their land-grab victims, the contemptuous connotation was extended
far beyond the Algonquin tribes to all Indian women from Maine to San Francisco. And then, with the passage of time, the
secondary meaning was also blurred and forgotten. What remains are relatively bland definitions like that in Webster's New
World Dictionary: "A North American Indian woman or wife; this term is now considered offensive."
If the word offends most Native Americans, simple courtesy says it's time to dump it in the same linguistic trash can as
other racial, ethnic and gender slanders.
http://www.setaim.com/squaw.html
AND
'' It would be a different story if it was called 'Whore Valley'
The word "squaw" litters place names across Idaho and the West but until January no one thought of doing anything about
it. The Idaho state legislature took an admirable stand to erase this offensive term from Idaho maps despite the cost, at
least the Senate did.Many people in Idaho - Caucasian and Native American - were ignorant of the meaning of "squaw." Most
would answer that "squaw" was a generic Native American word for woman, much like "papoose" is understood to mean baby.
However, "squaw" means something much worse.According to the Lewiston Morning Tribune, "squaw" is an obscene reference
to Indian women. It also is a word for female sex organs or a synonym to the word "whore." I had learned the true definition
of "squaw" several years ago. Even though I learned it while in my teens, I was still taken-back at the number of people
who had no idea what "squaw" meant and therefore saw no reason to change it on maps.I am an Idaho native. I grew up on
the Nez Perce reservation in North Central Idaho....... ''
http://www.argonaut.uidaho.edu/archives/030201/opinstory3.html
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Skipped and skimmed TV tonight. Started out with MNF since it starts so early on the
West Coast. Liked the overtime....make Dennis Miller earn his keep!
Really got a kick out of 'Regis/Millionaire'. Literally, ''6 Degrees Of Kevin Bacon'',
and, Kevin Bacon was present.
Dave is in reruns this week.
Tonight, Tuesday, Faux is carrying 'The 2001 Billboard Music Awards'.
CBS has the Henson-son's revisionist version of 'Jack & The Beanstalk' with Matthew
Modine, part 2. In the hour leading into this momentous occasion is a Christmas Special featuring
Martha Stewart.
NBC has a Martha Stewart-ish Special, followed by reruns of 'Frasier' and 'Scrubs'.
The 'Jane Pauley Show' follows.
ABC has a fresh'Dharma & Greg', then a rerun of 'Spin City'. After that, it's
a fresh'NYPD Blue' and a 'Philly'.
UPN has a rerun of 'Buffy', but a fresh episode of 'Roswell'.
Both 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Smallville' on the WB are reruns.
AMC is running 'Psycho' again tonight.
And TCM has 'The Long, Long Trailer', which is notable for being Lucy & Desi's only attempt
together on the big screen, and directed by Liza's dad, Vincente Minnelli.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Tomorrow, 5 December, 2001
Walt's Centennial
Walt Disney is pictured in this undated file photograph. The centennial of Disney's birth will be
celebrated December 5, 2001 with ceremonies at Disneyland in California and at Walt Disney World in
Florida. Disney, the pioneering animator, theme park creator and studio founder died in Burbank,
California December 16, 1966.
Updated!
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' never seems to rest - and doesn't let little things like laundry or
housekeeping get in the way!
Damn near every show on TV must is listed - days & days worth of great reading.
If you have any questions about nearly any tv program, check out
BC TV!
Sometimes Paranoia Is Justified
Brad & George
Well-known prankster George Clooney messed with Brad Pitt's head while they were shooting ``Ocean's
Eleven,'' and he didn't have to do a thing to accomplish it.
During filming on the casino-heist flick in Las Vegas, Pitt had loaned a copy of his hotel room key
to some of his co-stars so friends could use his room while he was out of town. Then Pitt couldn't
get his key back and figured Clooney was using it to set up a practical joke.
``I had to go through this 45-minute ritual every night looking for bugs, cameras,'' Pitt told The
Associated Press. ``I was convinced they were taking me down.''
It turns out the key simply got lost, and Clooney never pulled off a gag on Pitt.
``He'll go for years on pulling off a prank,'' Pitt said of Clooney. ``His genius in that one was not
pulling a prank on me.''
Sometimes Paranoia Is Justified
New Sci Fi Channel Miniseries
''Children Of Dune''
The sequel to the first ``Dune'' miniseries, which aired on the Sci Fi Channel last December, is scheduled to begin
shooting next April in Prague.
``Children of Dune'' covers the second and third books of Frank Herbert's six-part series. The newly renovated and
reopened Prague Studios will host the 16-week shoot.
''Children Of Dune'' On The Sci Fi Channel
Toni Braxton's Baby
Denim Cole Braxton Lewis
Award-winning rhythm and blues singer Toni Braxton gave birth to 5-pound, 12-ounce boy at an Atlanta-area
hospital, her spokesman said.
The baby born Sunday was named Denim Cole Braxton Lewis and is the first child for Braxton and her
husband Keri Lewis, of the Minneapolis-based band, Mint Condition.
``Mom and baby are doing fine,'' David Brokaw said.
Braxton, 33, who won her sixth Grammy Award this year, met her husband, a 28-year-old keyboard player,
four years ago. Mint Condition served as her accompaniment when she opened for contemporary jazz saxophonist
Kenny G on a nationwide tour.
Toni Braxton's Baby
First Syndication Casualties Of The Season
''Talk Or Walk''
Rookie talk show ``Talk or Walk,'' and sophomore legal series ``Power of Attorney'' were canceled Friday,
the first syndication casualties of the TV season.
``Talk or Walk'' will continue airing in broadcast syndication until Jan. 25. While ``Power's'' production
wrapped Friday, it will air until Jan. 4.
Season-to-date through the week ended Nov. 18, ``Talk or Walk'' earned a tiny 0.7 national household rating,
according to Nielsen. ``Power of Attorney'' averaged a 1.8, down 25% from the show's season average last year.
First Syndication Casualties Of The Season
Marky Mark Another Mike Tyson?
Mark Wahlberg
Actor and ex-rapper Mark Wahlberg is being sued for $2 million by his former bodyguard who alleges
he was assaulted and beaten by him outside a lower Manhattan restaurant, a lawyer said Monday.
Wahlberg, who has appeared in such movies as ``Planet of the Apes'' and ``The Perfect Storm'' since
trading in his hip-hop Marky Mark persona for the silver screen, allegedly bit his bodyguard,
Leonard Taylor, on the arm.
The complaint was filed by the lawyer representing Taylor in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday.
The suit said the alleged incident occurred outside the Serafina restaurant in Soho on Nov. 16.
The civil lawsuit alleges that Wahlberg ``maliciously and intentionally, and without just cause
or provocation assaulted, beat and bit'' Taylor, causing him ``severe, painful personal injuries''
that ``prevented him from attending to his usual duties and occupation.''
Taylor is seeking $1 million in damages to cover the cost of the medical care he allegedly needed
because of the assault and another $1 million in punitive damages for the ``willful'' and ``malicious'' act.
Marky Mark Another Mike Tyson?
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Fundraiser In Asbury Park, New Jersey
Bruce & Clarence
Bruce Springsteen sings as Clarence Clemons of the E Street band sneaks up behind him during the first
of five benefit concerts at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, N.J., Monday, Dec. 3, 2001. Proceeds
will benefit more than a dozen charities in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Photo by Mike Derer
Looking To Relocate?
America Media, Inc.
American Media Inc.'s chief said Monday he may move the tabloid empire out of Florida because of lack of
support from county and business leaders following his building's anthrax contamination.
It was the first time since anthrax showed up at AMI's Boca Raton headquarters two months ago that Chief
Executive Officer David Pecker suggested his company may take its $40 million in annual revenues elsewhere.
The company publishes six supermarket tabloids including The National Enquirer, Globe and Weekly World News.
"If we're not being treated like a good corporate citizen, I think we should seriously consider moving,"
said Pecker, as he held a newspaper article in which local business leaders criticized the Palm Beach County
Commission's decision last month to give AMI $390,000 as incentive to stay.
Pecker also criticized what he said was the county's failure to rally behind AMI and show compassion
after a photo editor died from breathing anthrax spores in a tainted letter.
Since the anthrax attack, the circulation of AMI tabloids has been down 10 percent. The company
has spent $10 million to hire cleanup experts, buy new equipment and rent facilities, and its 300
employees are working out of cramped temporary offices in Delray Beach and Miami, Pecker said.
He said the company already had looked for space in Palm Beach and Broward counties, and may even
expand the search to other states.
American Media Looking To Relocate?
Settling The Estate
George Harrison
Generous George Harrison has left his massive fortune - valued at just under $300 million - to
his family, to his religion and to his favorite charities.
The will of the "quiet Beatle," who died Thursday at 58 after a courageous, four-year battle
against cancer, calls for most of his estate to be inherited by his wife, Olivia, and
their 24-year-old son, Dhani, sources told The Post.
Another part of Harrison's estate - believed to be as much as 10 percent - will be given
to the Hare Krishna religious sect, which the famed musician embraced in the late '60s.
And "several million" dollars will be donated to various international and British-based
charities, including several that aid children in poor African nations, the sources said.
Harrison's wishes in his last will and testament come as no surprise to his intimates.
Harrison's practice of sharing the wealth is not new. In 1971, his "Concert for Bangladesh"
raised tens of millions for the starved, war-torn nation.
Among Harrison's holdings are several catalogs of songs and ongoing residuals from the hit
movies he produced, including "Monty Python's Life of Brian," which made $120 million on a $12 million investment.
The estate also includes his 120-room, Gothic mansion outside London, worth $35 million.
He also owned property on posh Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and a
sweeping oceanfront estate in Maui, Hawaii.
Harrison's estate was boosted by nearly 25 percent over the past 12 months, thanks to the worldwide
success of the Beatles' greatest-hits compilation, "1."
It is not known whether Harrison's bequest to the Krishnas will take the form of cash, property or
business interests.
Settling The Harrison Estate
Final 'Elevation' Tour Review
U2
Irish rockers U2 ended their hugely successful ``Elevation'' tour Sunday night in the same
neighborhood as they started but with a show that poignantly reflected the events that have
shaken the world since the band set out nine months ago.
At the outset of the trek, the band had said they wanted the concerts to focus on the songs after
the theatrical extravaganzas of their previous few tours. Following the Sept. 11 attacks on the
United States and the launching of U.S.-led war against terrorism, many of those songs have taken on a new resonance.
Several times during the concert at Miami's American Airlines Arena, lead singer Bono, often
a fervent critic of U.S. government policy, declared the band's affection and sympathy for the United States.
``I'd like to say how much we love this country and we wish you safety and prosperity,'' he told the crowd at one point.
U2 have always been a politically and socially involved band -- usually as a champion of the underdog.
Songs such as the vintage ``Sunday Bloody Sunday'' about the troubles in Northern Ireland,
with its chorus of ``how long must we sing this song,'' were delivered with new fire and
relevance in light of the conflicts raging in the world today.
During the song, Bono picked an Irish tricolor and a U.S. flag from fans in the crowd, tied them
together, then buried his face in them. The gesture was greeted with whoops of appreciation.
The show moved to an emotional climax with the encore ''One,'' a plea for peace and harmony, as a
screen behind them scrolled the names of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, Bono by then wearing
a New York Fire Department T-shirt.
More than 2 million fans in North America and Europe have seen the 109 shows the band has played
this year. The tour has reaffirmed U2's claim to be the greatest rock and roll band in the world - and,
according the latest figures by Pollstar grossed $69 million by mid-year, the biggest earning of the year.
Sunday night's tour closer, like the others, featured songs from throughout the band's two-decade
career, from the 1980s classics that seemed to delight the crowd most to the strong performances
of their Grammy award-winning 2000 album ``All That You Can't Leave Behind.'' Not a few people in
the crowd were parents with their children.
``So we began in Miami and we finish in Miami,'' Bono said. ''Something special is going on
with our band and our crowd -- it's like a church.''
Among the notable moments:
-- Bono and guitarist the Edge, playing an acoustic guitar, singing ``Please,'' a song, Bono
explained, originally written about ``religious nuts and political fanatics'' in their native
Ireland and now directed at Osama bin Laden.
-- During the anthem ``Bad'', Bono plucked a fan from the crowd and danced with him on stage -- the
fellow had tattooed on his back all the U2 concerts he had attended.
-- In a ringing version of ``Pride (in the Name of Love)'', screens showed a video of Martin
Luther King, the song's subject, then King's words were broadcast and melded into the song.
The encores, packing a heavy emotional punch, began with a scorching ``Bullet the Blue Sky'' - a
song about air raids on civilians in Central America, then Marvin Gaye's ``What's Going On,''
about America's confusion in the Vietnam era.
Then the elegy ``New York,'' from the new album, when silk screens emblazoned with skyscrapers
were lowered from the rafters. ``Even Miami Loves New York,' ad-libbed Bono, the significance being lost on no one.
``One,'' with the Sept. 11 roll call, followed, then a few choruses of ``My Sweet Lord'' in
tribute to late Beatle George Harrison. Then with a poignant ``Walk On,'' with its call to
struggle through adversity, U2 closed this chapter of their career.
Final 'Elevation' Tour Review
''Jeannie'' Makes A Guest Appearance On ''Sabrina''
Barbara Eden
After a 20-year hiatus from prime-time, Barbara Eden, who levitated to fame in the 1960s sitcom
``I Dream of Jeannie,'' will return to television in a guest spot on the modern-day witch sitcom
``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.''
In the new episode, the 67-year-old actress will play Great Aunt Irma, matriarch of Sabrina's Spellman
clan, from the Other Realm. The show's teenage followers will also be excited to learn that Oklahoma
pop trio Hanson will debut its new single ''Strong Enough to Break'' on the show.
In ``I Dream of Jeannie,'' which ran from 1965 to 1970 on NBC, Eden played a mischievous genie whose
master was played by Larry Hagman, future star of ``Dallas.''
Barbara Eden (& Hanson) Guests On ''Sabrina''
``For the Troops: An MTV/USO Special''
J-Lo & More
The United Service Organizations is getting the MTV treatment - the network is producing a holiday
concert for troops featuring Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock and Ja Rule.
The show will be taped at an overseas military base; MTV did not reveal the site or the date of the
concert, citing security concerns.
``For the Troops: An MTV/USO Special'' will air on New Year's Day, with MTV's ``TRL'' host Carson Daly.
MTV News crews will follow the entertainers as they mingle with soldiers, and servicemen and women
will be interviewed.
``For more than 60 years, the USO has proudly presented quality celebrity entertainment to our men and
women in uniform and their families overseas,'' said retired Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., president and
chief executive officer of the USO. ``This USO/MTV tour will bring even more cheer to those in harm's
way, far from home and away from their loved ones, during the holidays.''
``For the Troops: An MTV/USO Special''
USO LA-Style
''Just Shoot Me''
The cast of the NBC comedy series "Just Shoot Me," Laura San Giacomo, Enrico Colantoni, George Segal,
Wendie Malick and David Spade (L-R) pose upon arriving a benefit luncheon for the United Service Organizations
(USO) in Beverly Hills, California December 3, 2001. All proceeds from the event will go to the USO in their
efforts to entertain our troops.
Photo by Jim Ruymen
Laying Off 9% Of Staff
MSNBC's Web Site
MSNBC's Web site laid off 9 percent of its staff – about 18 people – Monday, citing a downturn
in advertising revenues. The cable television news channel wasn't affected.
Cherylynne Crowther, a spokeswoman for MSNBC.com, declined to disclose an exact number of layoffs
but said they were equivalent to 9 percent of the company's staff of approximately 200.
MSNBC.com is based in Redmond, Wash. The Web site, like the cable news channel MSNBC, is half-owned
by Microsoft Corp., which is also based in Redmond, and half by General Electric Co.'s NBC.
Layoffs At MSNBC Online
Audio Files From BC
Bonus Page Link
Looking for some 'Garbage'?
Here are some MP3 files from BC
Aw, come on....isn't anyone curious?
Poor Liz Hurley
Steve Bing
Millionaire film producer Steve Bing said Monday he is not sure if he is the father of the baby
expected by British actress Elizabeth Hurley, as she has claimed, but insisted he would be a ``responsible
parent'' if the child proves to be his.
Bing issued the unusual statement through his publicist after the Daily Mail newspaper in London
reported he had ended his relationship with Hurley because he was seeing another woman, and that
the actress faces a court battle with Bing to obtain child support.
``Ms. Hurley and I were not in an exclusive relationship when she became pregnant,'' Bing said in his
statement. ``It is her choice to be a single mother. The insinuation that I would not care about the
well-being of another human being has been very hurtful to both myself and my family.
Bing, the millionaire grandson of New York real estate magnate Leo Bing and a producer of such films
as ``Get Carter,'' reportedly began dating Hurley in the fall of 2000. Prior to that, Hurley had dated
British actor Hugh Grant for 13 years.
Hurley, 36, the former face of Estee Lauder cosmetics who starred in the films ``Bedazzled'' and
``Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,'' announced last month that she was expecting a baby
with Bing in April. But Bing had been silent about Hurley's pregnancy until now.
Poor Liz Hurley
She Who Brings Honor To The Name Martha
Lt. Col. Martha McSally
The Air Force's highest-ranking female fighter pilot sued on Monday to try to overturn a policy requiring
servicewomen to wear restrictive Muslim clothing when off base in Saudi Arabia.
Female military personnel in Saudi Arabia must wear black head-to-foot robes called abayas and ride in
the back seat when off base. They can only leave base if they are accompanied by a man.
Lt. Col. Martha McSally says the policy is unconstitutional. It discriminates against women and violates
their religious freedom, forcing them to wear clothing and follow customs mandated by a religion other than
their own, her lawsuit says.
McSally said the regulations undermine her authority as an officer and require her to send the false message
that she believes women are subservient to men.
Servicewomen are the only federal employees based in Saudi Arabia to face such requirements, the lawsuit says.
The U.S. Central Command has defended it. Following local custom makes servicewomen less likely to face
harassment or attack or become the subject of cultural controversy, it says.
McSally, 35, was one of the first seven female Air Force fighter pilots. In the mid-1990s in Kuwait,
she became the first woman in U.S. military history to fly a fighter jet in combat.
Lt. Col. Martha McSally
The next to the last paragraph got my attention....looks like she's already gotten a crapperload of
harassment, attacks, and become the subject of cultural controversy from her own side.
Guess 'Be All You Can Be' only applies if one is born with testes, which is no guarantee of
testosterone, cojones, stones, or just plain balls.
Always thought an officer is an officer is an officer. Didn't realize it was only applicable in
certain time zones.
ABC Network News Dumps Spanish SAP
``World News Tonight''
ABC has dropped the Spanish-language version of ``World News Tonight,'' calling it an experiment that
failed to attract viewers.
The translation for audiences in 33 major cities was available through the Secondary Audio Program channel,
or SAP, a feature available on most stereo television sets.
It started in October 2000 and was abandoned Nov. 21, according to Jeffrey Schneider, ABC News vice president.
Viewership for the translated newscast was difficult to measure; ABC relied on ``anecdotal evidence,''
Schneider said. He was unaware of any viewer complaints after it was dropped.
No staff jobs will be affected by the change; four free-lancers had worked on the translated newscast
with anchorman Peter Jennings.
Neither NBC nor CBS offer Spanish-language versions of their nightly newscasts. CBS does offer
``60 Minutes'' in Spanish and is considering a translated version of ``CBS Evening News.''
ABC Network News Dumps Spanish SAP
HBO Series Renewed For Another Season
''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' & ''Arliss''
HBO, which last month ordered scripts for a new season of ``Arliss,'' has officially picked up a 10-episode
seventh season of the show.
In addition, the pay cable network made official the pickup of the 10-episode third season of ``Curb
Your Enthusiasm.'' ``Curb,'' which creator, executive producer and star Larry David mounts from an outline
rather than a script, was picked up several weeks ago.
The ``Arliss'' script order last month surprised some, as the show does not reap nearly the level of
viewership or press attention that many other HBO original series draw. In fact, at the time it ordered
the ``Arliss'' scripts, HBO original programming president Chris Albrecht said the ``jury's still out''
on ``Arliss'' and ``Mind of the Married Man.'' ``Man'' earned a script order on a second season then as well.
The ``Arliss'' production order will bring the number of produced episodes to 79 -- enough episodes to
fuel a potential syndication or self-syndication run of the show. Based on past practice, HBO would be
unlikely to sell reruns to another network, but rather would be expected to use the episodes on its many multiplex networks.
HBO Picks Up ''Arliss'' & ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''
More Family Feuding
The Tolkien's
According to a report in London's Independent, one of the late author's three surviving sons, Christopher
Tolkien, has apparently disowned his eldest son, Simon, because the latter supported Peter Jackson's movie.
Christopher Tolkien, 77, is the literary custodian of the Tolkien estate and is known to vehemently protect his
father's legacy. He reportedly rejected producers' overtures to participate in the project, because he was so
dissatisfied with previous attempts to bring his father's classic saga to the big screen.
But when Simon, a 42-year-old lawyer, opted to help the filmmakers against his dad's wishes, the elder Tolkien
barred him from the family business and has since refused to see or talk to him.
Of course, based on previous efforts to translate the Tolkein epic to the big screen have bombed. Christopher
Tolkien--who helped complete his father's final novel, The Silmarillion, and has been the primary caretaker
of the Tolkien legacy--notoriously blasted the 1978 LOTR 'toon by Ralph Bakshi, and has since swore off other
attempts to bring Frodo's quest to the big screen.
There wasn't much he could do, however, to stop the filming of the new version, since J.R.R. Tolkien sold
the film rights in 1968, apparently to pay an overdue tax bill. Oscar-winning producer Saul Zaentz (The
English Patient) picked up the rights and, after a pitstop at Miramax, New Line snapped up the rights and,
in an unprecedented deal, signed Jackson to shoot the entire $270 million trilogy concurrently in New Zealand.
The film, which has already garnered rave reviews from exhibitors and critics after some advanced screenings
(Rolling Stone's Peter Travers ranked it his top film of the year and, in a glowing review, Newsweek's David
Ansen writes "it has real passion, real emotion, real terror"), hits theaters in the U.S. on December 19.
More On The Tolkien Family Rift
Sting On Larry King
King & Sting
Award winning singer-songwriter Sting, right, poses with talk show host Larry King following Sting's
performance of his new song "Fragile," during an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live," Monday, Dec. 3,
2001, in Los Angeles.
Photo by Rose M. Prouser
New! Updated!
(20 Nov, 2001)
The official BartCop Astrologer, Geneva, has provided another eye-opening set of charts!
A brief excerpt: " In January 2002, New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani will intimately know an experience and feeling that more and more of us are reluctantly facing: He'll join the ranks of the unemployed. Due to term limits Giuliani has not been able to seek re-election, after 8 years as one of New York's more popular mayors.
The question on most New Yorker's minds and lips is "What is Rudy going to do NOW?" Well, maybe The Stars can give us some clues.
"
Very interesting reading!
Sad Trip Of The Harrison Family
Varanasi, India
The family of Beatle guitarist George Harrison was due to arrive in India very early on Tuesday
to immerse his ashes in the sacred Ganges River, an official of the Hare Krishna movement said.
Arajit Das, an official of the Hare Krishna movement in the holy city of Varanasi in northern
India, told Reuters the musician's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, would arrive on a chartered
plane around 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday (6 p.m. EST Monday).
They would first immerse Harrison's ashes in the Ganges at Varanasi, a bustling town also
known as Benares and, as one of the holiest places in Hinduism, a popular site for cremations.
His family would then take another urn to the town of Allahabad, scene of the huge Kumbh Mela
Hindu festival in January and February, the official said.
There they were to immerse his ashes in the Sangam, a holy confluence where the Ganges meets the
Yamuna River and the mythical Saraswati River.
Harrison, 58, was cremated in a cardboard coffin hours after his death, in keeping with his Eastern faith.
Varanasi has at least 80 ``ghats'' -- steps leading to the river where the devout take dips aimed
at cleansing sins, make sacred offerings or cremate bodies and immerse the ashes.
Relatives normally sprinkle ashes on the river's surface before lowering the urn gently into the water.
Harrison, who believed in reincarnation, was a faithful member of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness, popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement.
He spent his last moments chanting ``Hare Krishna'' with his family next to him and pictures of the
Hindu gods Rama and Krishna near his bed, British newspapers said.
Sad Trip For The Harrison's
No 'Dubious Awards' In Esquire This January
''What I've Learned''
When the editors decided not to run this year's Dubious Achievement Awards in Esquire for January,
they had to come up with something else. They're printing some positive thoughts by the famous titled
"What I've Learned; 1,000 years of wisdom and wild foolishness from 17 extraordinary lives."
Favorites? Onetime Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara: "When President Kennedy asked if I'd serve . . . I
told him I wasn't qualified. He said, 'I don't believe there's any school for presidents, either.' "
Barbara Walters: "I had a sister who was mildly retarded. She stuttered and other kids made fun of her. My
sister broke my heart. She taught me how cruel people could be. She also taught me compassion. When my
daughter was much younger, I walked into her room while she was watching 'Saturday Night Live.' Gilda Radner
was doing the Baba Wawa skit. I said, 'Isn't that awful?!' She said, 'Mother, lighten up!' And I did."
Carrie Fisher: "There's no way to prepare for seeing yourself rendered as a 12-inch doll."
Larry King: "I love bums. Bums in New York are literate. Bums in New York could run a grocery chain in Des Moines."
No 'Dubious Awards' In Esquire This January
Liberal Radio !
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
Saturday and Sunday 9 p. to 1 a. Pacific Standard at www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com (It's
a browser thing).
Also, Wednesday, 5 December, if you're in the Seattle area, Erin will be emceeing a
fundraiser for Democrats from local districts for the 2002 campaign season.
As a special treat, they will feature a Deep Fried Turkey cooked by Washington State Representative
John Lovick (and, as featured on KIRO's Dori Monson show).
For more details, visit Erin's homepage, http://www.erinistas.com/.
Say 'Hi' to Brian, the Webmaster, too.
And, while you're there, check out Brian's computer tips!
Downsizing Tall NYC Buildings
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, who earlier this year claimed his Trump World Tower near the UN was 90 stories
tall because the ceilings were so high, now gives the accurate floor count to buyers: 70.
Trump's other properties have also come down to reality. Trump Tower, once touted as 68
stories high, is now miraculously shorter at 58. Trump Plaza claimed to be 39 stories high
when it has only 36 floor buttons on its elevators, according to NYMetro.com.
All this, after Trump told us in October that he'd build his Chicago building "shorter and
fatter" rather than scraping the sky. "There won't be [any built] like that for a long time
to come," said a source close to Trump.
Downsizing With The Donald
One Of Her Birthday Parties
Britney Spears
Britney Spears kissed her teenage years goodbye as she celebrated her 20th birthday in New York City
yesterday - and her mom and kid sister were on hand to help her blow out the candles.
Britney is in the Big Apple for two concerts - one last night at the Continental Airlines Arena in
New Jersey, and the other on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
While her mom and sister haven't been on every leg of Britney's cross-country tour, they made sure
the birthday girl wouldn't be alone as she celebrated the big 2-0.
One Of Britney's Birthday Parties
BC Entertainment Favorite Link
Moose & Squirrel Information One-Stop
http://geocities.com/mooseandsquirrel1
What a great site! Information and reference materials of the first order!
Between 'Moose & Squirrel' and 'Google', who needs 'refdesk'!
The Ever-Fearless Liz Smith Is Reporting...
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor says she will make a special appearance at the Dec. 12 Elton John AIDS
Foundation and Project L.A. event at the Universal Amphitheater. Madame will narrate a
video about "20 Years With AIDS" and announce the contributions and money raised. Miz
Liz is currently quite bicoastal. Her fabulous face has been appearing 10 times a day
in Times Square as she hypes her new Brilliant White Diamonds perfume. Let's not forget,
Elizabeth is the only star to ever make her scent pay off in a big way.
Liz Smith On Elizabeth Taylor
The Ever-Fabulous Cindy Adams Is Reporting...
Regis
You read Disney is weighing whether to air millionaire Regis and his "Millionaire" show again next
season? See, they themselves ruined it. Overdid it. It's only been on two years, but the network
addicts of instant gratification so oversaturated the thing that the program actually lived the
equivalent of six years. Thus, this onetime monster hit now needs a pooper scooper to gather ratings.
So, the story's been put out that ABC-TV wizards are, even as we speak, deciding "Millionaire's" fate,
right? B.S. The decision's already made. It'll play once a week for sure, with a maybe backup second
shot taped, just in case something else fails midseason and needs to be replaced.
The Ever-Fabulous Cindy Adams Is Reporting...
Ironing Out Religious Differences
Cruz & Cruise
Penelope Cruz's parents have given their blessing to her romance with Tom Cruise.
Reports out of Spain claim that Cruz's Catholic parents have frowned upon the relationship
because Cruise is member of the Church of Scientology. But reps for the couple say Cruise
recently met her folks, that everyone got along famously, and that none of Penelope's kinfolk
have a problem with Tom's beliefs.
Perhaps Cruz's embrace of an Eastern religion might have softened them.
"Penelope is a Buddhist," her rep tells us. "She is not thinking of converting to Scientology,
but she respects it as a religion, as do her parents."
Cruz y Cruise
South Korean Radio Interview With...
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot angrily hung up the phone during an interview with a South Korean radio station while
discussing the country's dog-eating culture.
The French actress and animal rights activist was a guest invited to discuss South Korea's dog-eating
culture in an interview with MBC, a major radio-television network in Seoul, on Friday. The prerecorded
interview, done in French and translated into Korean, was broadcast on Monday.
In the interview, Bardot said she can never condone the South Korean habit of eating dogs, the best friend of humans.
``I accept differences of cultures in all countries. But unfortunately, cows are grown to be eaten,
dogs are not. I accept that many people eat beef, but a cultured country does not allow its people
to eat dogs,'' she said.
Bardot was exasperated and hung up the phone when the radio station's anchor, Sohn Suk-hee, asked
whether she knew that some Westerners, including French, Americans and Germans, have talked fondly
about their experience of eating dog meat during their visit to South Korea.
``French people, German people and Americans never eat dogs. If they did (in South Korea), it
is most likely that South Koreans served them dog meat, saying it was either pork or beef,'' the
67-year-old said, raising her voice.
She hung up afterward, saying angrily: ``I no longer want to continue this interview because I
can't talk with liars.''
Brigitte Bardot & The Korean Interview
Allowing The Peasants A Glimpse At Their Tax Dollars At Work
The Really White House
Whatever Mother Nature decides, first lady Laura Bush ensured a white Christmas for the White
House by blanketing the mansion's State Floor with 800 pounds of artificial snow.
With crystal snowflakes and silvery icicles covering 49 live fir trees throughout the Grand Foyer,
East Room and State Dining Room, the president's home is decorated in monochromatic white this year,
a look that Mrs. Bush said she chose for its elegance.
``I love the simplicity of it,'' she said Monday as she led reporters on a tour designed to give
the general public - through newspapers and television - its only look at the elaborate holiday
decorations. The Bushes, under advice from the Secret Service, canceled the popular public tours
after the September terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.
``I am sorry about that. I think our responsibility - the president's and mine, as the current
residents - is to err on the side of safety and caution for everyone who goes to the White House,'' Mrs. Bush said.
``You can really help us by letting people who can't come to the White House this year see
what the decorations are like.''
Keeping with her ``Home for the Holidays'' decorating theme, replicas of former presidents'
homesteads - from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to James Buchanan's Wheatland - stand on
mantelpieces and tabletops throughout the White House. For ornaments on the centerpiece
18-foot Christmas tree in the Blue Room, artists from each of the 50 states and the District
of Columbia were invited to contribute all-white replicas of historic houses in their own states.
In the private living quarters upstairs, staffers decorated the family Christmas tree on
Sunday with ornaments from the Bush family collection, including those made by twin daughters
Jenna and Barbara when they were children.
``We did not decorate it ourselves this year,'' Mrs. Bush confessed.
Invited guests to the Bushes' 22 parties (starting Monday with a soiree for decorators
and the congressional ball) will not go hungry, but will feast on salmon and fresh fruit
laid out on a table watched over by dolls dressed as carolers.
White House Full Of Fake Snow For Christmas
Gee, an all white theme and fake snow on the floor - sounds like Christmas at K-Mart.
22 parties! Wonder what level of donors get in? Wonder if Ron Lay from Enron will
be attending - over $2 million in donations should be good for something.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Boondocks" (9 Oct 01)
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
