'TBH Politoons'
Cory!! Strode On Graphic Novels
The Basil Wolverton Reader
Monthly Link
Modern Mirth
Featuring:
Santa Writes Back, Ann Coulter Cold-Cocks Phyliss Schlafly,
A :30 Bible, Religions A to J, Amish Gone Wild.....
ALSO
Y****H Sings, Jesus Wrecks Havoc,
Original Synergy, A Fresh Gift Idea,
Jackie Moses! Live! From Pharoah's Palace!,
another journey to Jenniferville,
the very personal blog of Jennifer Myers.....
PLUS
a special Bill Hicks book excerpt......
AND, of course, more!
Free and Adfree
Reader Recommendations
from Bruce
Kevin Drum: SOCIAL SECURITY DOOM MONGERING
...even though ten years have passed, doomsday is now farther away than it was in 1994. As every year goes by, the doomsday schedule moves out another year too. Why? Because the doomsday predictions are extremely sensitive to the economic assumptions behind them, and if those assumptions are off by a little bit, so are the predictions.
Reader Suggestion
Cats!
Weekly Link
Sick Of This Crap!
Oh my goodness, how the weekend got away from me. I was so busy buying the American Flag House Wrap for all my loved ones, that I barely had time to file suits against a town in Idaho that's providing space for a nativity scene on town property.
This week's issue includes:
* Rummy on "the Army You Have"
* Bernie Kerik, Zoe Baird, Lani Guineire and oh yeah, THE MOB!!
* The vocabulary of the Enemyization
Join us won't you join us? We're just a click away....
Purple Gene Reviews
'A Love Song for Bobby Long'
Purple Genes' Review of the movie "A Love Song for Bobby Long" (2004):
So my wife Sharon got to watch this movie first and she kinda had a little tear-up in her eyes when she brought me the CD. I said, "Did somebody DIE?" She wouldn't say....so I had to watch the whole damn movie to see if I would Tear-up!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't quite buy into the title "A Love Song for Bobby Long" (directed by Shainee Gabel - her first hollywood movie).......It is adapted from a book called "Off Magazine Street".....and my guess would be that the book is more about the character Pursy Will (Scarlett Johansson - "Lost in Translation" - "The Girl with the Pearl Earing") than it is about Bobby Long (John Travolta - "Grease" - "Perfect" - "Swordfish" - "Battlefield Earth" "Pulp Fiction") ! Let me explain.......
Bobby Long is a limping, gimping, grey haired vodka swilling former professor living in a blue hovel with his loyal former student wanna be writer orange juice juking - try to finish a novel nice guy named Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht "The Recruit" - "Behind Enemy Lines") on the outskirts of New Orleans.....Persy Will is living like trailer trash in Alabama with a bum named Lee (Clayne Crawford)....well Lee don't have a job and Persy is eating peanut butter and watching daytime TV and goin' NOWHERE!!!! Lee gives her a letter (A week late) saying her mom Lorraine had died and there was a funeral in New Orleans....So she takes a taxi to New "O" and goes to the hovel where Bobby and Lawson live - or rather "drink".......
Here's the skinny in a NUT.........Turns out that Bobby and Lawson are actually Squaters living in the house that Persy inherited when her mom died....but this is a good drinkin' hole so they tell Persy that she is only 1/3 owner hoping she'll be disgusted by them and go away....But NOOOOOOO....Persy (Scarlett was sorely miscast) is a spunky 18 year old and she moves right in and starts asking questions about her mom and befriends Lawson and tries to straighten Bobby out......and has to listen to the grizzled and gross Bobby continually quote famous authors (while Lawson continually mouths the origin of the quote).....Now remember, someone has to die!!!! And it ain't gonna be Persy or Lawson........so we find out that Bobby the SOT has a venereal disease and his foot is turning blue and he can't seem to stop boozing....meanwhile Persy is trying to find more out about her mother ...who was a singer and a junky and gave her up to grandma at 5 and Persy doesn't know who her dad is and she's all fucked up she also want to get her GED and finish high school and go to college...Wow
Well since this first time Director had John Travolta in the movie, he carries the show...but this movie is really about Persy finding out about her past.....So Persys' old boyfriend Lee shows up at her doorstep with another belated letter (hoping to get back in her pants) ...but this letter is from a lawyer saying that her mother gave her the sole ownership of the house.....well Bobby and Lawson get booted out by Persy.....here comes the TWIST.....Persy finds some old letters that her mother never sent her.....Hey Persy....WHO'S YOUR DADDY??????? YUP it's Bobby!!!!!!! Well they get a chance to catch up and Bobby says "Your mom really loved you...and so do I" and Bobby dies and gets buried and Lawson finishes his novel (It's called "The Love Song of Bobby Long") and Persy goes off to college to be a Lab Tech and look at X-Rays....This movie would have been better if Persy had shown her tits at least once and if Bobby hadn't tried to sing and play guitar!!!!
Purple Gene gives "The Love Song for Bobby Long" 6 Louisiana Bull Frogs out of 10 for croaking at the end (I tried to tear-up but I couldn't).
Purple Gene
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny but cool day.
The old rose bush is blooming.
Enjoyed the decorating of the Christmas tree on Letterman. Also made me think about pizza. Good pizza. NYC pizza.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2005 Inductees
U2, the Pretenders, Buddy Guy, Percy Sledge, and the O'Jays will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its 20th annual induction ceremony, to be held March 14 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.
Additionally, non-performers set for induction are Sire Records chairman Seymour Stein and Premier Talent Agency founder and president Frank Barsalona.
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first album. Last year's nominees included Prince, the late George Harrison, Traffic, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Jackson Browne.
2005 Inductees
What He Didn't Know About Disney - Sez Faux
Michael Moore
You may recall the bruising public fight last spring between Disney's Michael Eisner and Miramax's Harvey Weinstein over releasing Michael Moore's controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11."
Eisner asserted that he didn't want to release the film because he didn't want his company to appear partisan. The Disney board, which was busy demoting Eisner and giving half of his job to former Sen. George Mitchell, seemed to back that position.
Some said at the time that Eisner didn't want to release the film for fear of offending Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose family is severely mocked and criticized in the movie. Bush, it was thought, might exact revenge on Disney's theme parks in his state by denying them tax breaks.
But it turns out that Eisner may have had more than tax breaks on his mind.
The embattled Disney chief had connections through Disney to at least two major entities that Moore attacked: Halliburton and the Carlyle Group.
One of those connections was through a Disney board member, Aylwin Lewis, who also happens to sit on Halliburton's board. That's the same Halliburton of which Vice President Dick Cheney used to be CEO and the same Halliburton that Moore is quick to accuse of much malfeasance in his film.
and
What Moore didn't know was that the Carlyle Group's senior adviser since May 2001 has been Arthur Levitt, Jr., the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. There's certainly nothing wrong with that; Levitt is welcome to do whatever he wants.
But Moore perhaps did not understand that Levitt's son, Art Levitt III, was for many years a key Disney executive and a confidante of Eisner, the chief opponent of "Fahrenheit 9/11."
For the rest, Michael Moore
Chelsea Market Censorship
'Bush Monkeys'
A portrait of resident Bush using monkeys to form his image led to the closure of a New York art exhibition over the weekend and anguished protests on Monday over freedom of expression.
"Bush Monkeys," a small acrylic on canvas by Chris Savido, created the stir at the Chelsea Market public space, leading the market's managers to close down the 60-piece show that was scheduled to stay up for the next month.
From afar, the painting offers a likeness of Bush, but when you get closer you see the image is made up of chimpanzees or monkeys swimming in a marsh.
Savido, 23, said he was surprised by the strong reaction to his painting, listed in the catalog at $3,500.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-bred artist said he was happy for all the attention paid to his work but said the decision to shutter the exhibit was "a blatant act of censorship."
Savido plans to auction the painting and donate proceeds to an organization dedicated to freedom of expression.
'Bush Monkeys'
Madame Tussauds Museum
Nativity Scene
A waxwork nativity scene that features soccer star David Beckham and his pop star wife, Victoria, as the parents of Jesus has been damaged in an attack, Madame Tussauds museum said Monday.
The museum piece, which has drawn criticism from Christian leaders who say it's disrespectful, was damaged Sunday when a male visitor pushed over the figures of the Beckhams before running out, museum spokeswoman Diane Moon said.
The exhibit had been closed off and police and museum staff were investigating security footage to track down the vandal, Moon said.
Nativity Scene
Urges Denying 'Private Ryan' Complaints
Mikey Powell
The head of the Federal Communications Commission has recommended it reject indecency complaints against ABC television stations that recently aired the film "Saving Private Ryan," an FCC official said on Monday.
Sixty-six ABC affiliates refused to air the uncut movie on Veterans Day last month, citing concerns they could face fines for profanity and graphic violence from the FCC, which has been cracking down on broadcast indecency.
FCC Chairman Michael Powell has concluded the agency should not take action against the other 159 stations that aired the acclaimed movie because the language was part of accurately portraying the story about the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, the FCC official said.
Powell, who has been criticized by broadcasters for eroding free speech rights with the decency crackdown, said recently context was crucial to deciding whether a show was indecent.
Mikey Powell
Bad Sex Writing Prize
Tom Wolfe
It's the literary award no author wants to win, and this year it's gone to Tom Wolfe.
The Literary Review gave Wolfe its annual Bad Sex award Monday for his best-selling novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons."
Judges said the book's sex scenes were "ghastly ... inept ..(and) unrealistic."
Reviews of the book have been harsh, but like most of Wolfe's work, it's selling well.
Tom Wolfe
Subbing for Clark
Regis Philbin
A week after suffering a mild stroke, Dick Clark remained hospitalized and his spokesman announced that Regis Philbin will fill in as host of ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005."
Clark suffered the stroke Dec. 6. Publicist Paul Shefrin wouldn't identify the hospital or say if there had been any paralysis.
"Things get a little better every day," Shefrin said. "His brain is 100 percent. His brain is not an issue at all."
Regis Philbin
Thanks Ed - and your comment "Dick Clark missing New Year's Eve? I say he's far more debilitated than has been publicly acknowledged. Another dead giveaway is "getting better every day." "
I most wholeheartedly agree.
India Benefit
Jazz Artists
A group of popular American jazz artists will perform in India next month as part of a U.S. State Department-supported campaign to combat HIV and AIDS, an embassy official said.
George Duke, Al Jarreau, Earl Klugh and Ravi Coltrane will hold concerts in Bombay and New Delhi starting Jan. 13, said David Kennedy, U.S. embassy spokesman in New Delhi, on Monday.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to make a formal announcement Wednesday. The tour is jointly sponsored by Black Entertainment Television.
Jazz Artists
Tops Year's Tours
Madonna
Madonna's blockbuster Re-Invention tour took all of the drama out of the top tour of the year race, ringing up a year's best $125 million in total box office gross by the time it wrapped in September.
Prince's Musicology tour drew nearly 1.5 million people, more than any other artist, and grossed $90.2 million, second only to Madonna.
Shania Twain was third, reporting grosses totaling $62.5 million and playing to nearly 950,000 fans. The rest of the top 10 included Simon & Garfunkel ($59 million), Metallica ($53.8 million), Bette Midler ($53.3 million), Sting ($52.4 million), Kenny Chesney ($49.3 million), David Bowie ($46 million) and Toby Keith ($44.3 million).
This year, Celine Dion reported more than $77 million from her residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. If Dion's numbers reflected a "tour" per se, she would rank third among all acts. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, with James Brown and Chicks On Speed, headlined the top engagement at the year, three nights at London's Hyde Park that grossed $17,187,324 and drew more than 258,000 June 19, 20 and 25.
Madonna
Fer Chrissakes - Requests Tape of Olympics
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission has asked for a tape of NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics after it received at least one indecency complaint.
An FCC spokesman Friday could neither confirm nor deny whether the agency had begun an investigation into possible indecency. The Aug. 13 tape-delayed broadcast featured a pregnant woman and a man and a woman performing interpretative dances around the history of Athens and Greece. According to photographs on the Athens 2004 Web site, the ceremony also included statues of naked men, though it wasn't clear whether those were broadcast.
FCC
E-mail the FCC
Drop The Remote
by Tim Goodman
My vote for best media/television story of the year goes to one you may have missed. Mediaweek reported on Dec. 6 that of all the "indecency complaints" to the Federal Communications Commission in 2003, a startling 99.8 percent of them came from one conservative group, the Parents Television Council.
And through October of this year, apart from complaints over Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," a full 99.9 percent of the complaints about indecency have again come from the Parents Television Council. That means a small group of highly mobilized conservative watchdogs has essentially driven the "moral values" campaign directed at the FCC.
Hey, blue staters, this is a much smaller picture than you ever imagined. Forget about looking at that depressing election map and feeling overwhelmed, like you're on a cultural island apart from the rest of the country. The sad fact is, while you've been pouting -- and prior to that, when you were watching Jon Stewart and gloating -- you let a small group of reactionary conservatives set the agenda.
In short, you've fallen asleep at your Mac, friends. In the land of the tech savvy, you've been e-mailing among yourselves instead of sending off missives to FCC Chairman Michael Powell. You've missed a chance to say, "Hey Mike, I'm an adult who knows how to work my television's remote control. I may not like everything I see, but I want you to know that I am disinterested in creating some McCarthyesque chill factor in the creative community. Yours sincerely."
The Mediaweek story, a beautiful pinprick into the hype-filled balloon of rampant American worries about morality, can be read by clicking here.
Please read the rest -
Live Tonight
Video Game Awards
A felon will host, a Playboy model will work the red carpet, and "the most destructive band in history" will play on the first major live video game awards show, airing on Spike TV on Tuesday.
The Video Game Awards may be seen as a coming-of-age for the games business, and Spike executives say they hope their awards will become the gold standard for an industry becoming more and more like Hollywood with each passing year.
Rapper Snoop Dogg, convicted of a drug offense in 1990, will host. No stranger to gamers, he "appeared" in the game "True Crime: Streets of L.A." and performed on the soundtrack for "Need for Speed Underground 2."
Playboy model Brooke Burke will work the red carpet and the recently-reunited Motley Crue, called "the most destructive band," by VH1, will perform.
Video Game Awards
Smelly Socks Sold
Ed Harris
Smelly socks worn by Ed Harris during the filming of "Empire Falls" were among the treasures snatched up by fans during a weekend sale of props and costumes from the HBO movie.
On Saturday, about 300 people bought a variety of items used by Harris, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Helen Hunt during last year's filming in the Waterville-Skowhegan area.
The sale concluded Sunday after the remaining items were marked down in price. Proceeds will help defray the costs of the film, directed by Fred Schepisi and also starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright Penn and Kate Burton.
Ed Harris
Ethiopian Town Celebrates 150th Birthday
Arthur Rimbaud
French and African writers met in Harar to celebrate the 19th century French poet Arthur Rimbaud, who spent more than a decade of his life in the eastern Ethiopian town after turning his back on writing.
The gathering of 14 French and African writers was organized by the Ethiopian-French Alliance as part of events to mark the 150th anniversary of Rimbaud's birth.
Born on October 20, 1854 in the small town of Charleville, in the Ardennes, near the Belgian border, as a teenager Rimbaud spent several raucous years with Paul Verlaine, before the French poet shot and wounded him in the wrist in a lover's argument.
But after Verlaine was jailed Rimbaud at the age of 19 turned his back on poetry for a life of travel and adventure.
Arthur Rimbaud
Only 29.99
Become a Lord
The British aristocracy has long been an exclusive club but now anyone can become a Lord or Lady -- for as little as 30 pounds ($58).
A raft of British Web sites are offering one square foot of the Glencairn Estate in northeast Scotland and, with it, access to the prestigious-sounding title of Lord/Laird and Lady of Glencairn.
Buyagift.co.uk is offering the "fun" title as the "ideal gift for anyone who aspires to greatness" for 29.99 pounds, which includes a deed of ownership, a map of the Glencairn estate and a card which proves their title.
Become a Lord
