M Is FOR MASHUP
By DJ Useo
DJ Useo is under the weather and hopes to be back next week.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Ji Lee: Pick Your Cupid (New York Times)
ROBERT WRIGHT: Beyond Intellectualism (The American Prospect)
I've held on to the essential spirit of Skinner -- which, I now see, was also the spirit of my father. By that I don't mean anti-intellectualism as much as a bedrock pragmatism. Got a problem? Analyze it as cleanly as possible, and then, having seen its roots, solve it. And don't waste time dropping the names of any fancy French philosophers. This is still my basic view.
Scott Burns: Front Door and Back Door Tax Increases (assetbuilder.com)
As emails go, it was unusual. It was from a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. The candidate urged me to visit his website. The candidate was proposing "solutions that would make a difference." For me, it was the last straw.
Paul Krugman's Blog: Medicare Recipients Against Handouts (New York Times)
You know, I'd always thought that the "don't let the government get its hands on Medicare" contingent, while picturesque, wasn't all that large. But noooo: 44 percent of Social Security recipients, and 40 percent of Medicare recipients, believe that they don't benefit from any government social program.
Steve King: Wilde, Earnest, Disaster
February 14: On this day in 1895, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest opened in London. Wilde called his play a "Trivial Comedy for Serious People," and the opening night reviewers concurred: "There is no discordant note of seriousness. It is of nonsense all compact, and better nonsense, I think, our stage has not seen."
WENDELL JAMIESON: "Slashing Samurai: A Culture Savored" (New York Times)
OUTSIDE, the streets of Greenwich Village were drowsy and dull with summer. But inside, in the darkness, blades slashed, top knots bobbed, screaming swordsmen crashed through rice-paper screens, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Warpaint: Women on the verge (Guardian)
Seven years after they formed, Warpaint have released their debut album - and the critics love it. Laura Barton on how four friends are conquering the indie scene.
Boy George: 'I would describe myself as progressively nostalgic' (Guardian)
The Culture Club singer talks to Hermione Hoby about re-forming the band, beating drink and drugs and the state of modern pop.
Lady Gaga's new gay anthem (Guardian)
Has Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" got what it takes to be a classic gay anthem? Jon Savage on the debt she owes to a brave 1970s singer.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Husbands and Wives (Athens News)
Stephen King used to listen to music while he wrote, but he has stopped doing that. Why? He says that "frankly my brains used to work better than they do now." However, his wife may have had something to do with it. He used to listen to a tape of "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega (sample lyric: "A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side") over and over and over. One day his wife came into his study and told him, "Steve, one more time… you die!"
David Bruce has 40 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $40 you can buy 10,000 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Finally, a return to the winter rains.
Man With A Mission
Sean Penn
Hollywood star Sean Penn is suggesting that efforts to help Haiti recover from last year's devastating earthquake are being hampered by a lack of cooperation and communication between aid groups.
The two-time Oscar winner co-founded the Jenkins-Penn Haiti Relief Organization in the wake of the Jan. 12, 2010, disaster and has personally taken part in projects on the Caribbean island.
Penn told reporters in the Austrian capital Tuesday that "there's far too much duplication, far too little communication" between organizations and that there are "competing cultures in the international relief world."
He also said Haitians were still experiencing "enormous trauma" and that he's approached every day by people who, first and foremost, want jobs.
Sean Penn
Hosting Concert Honoring John Denver
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John is set to host a benefit concert celebrating the late John Denver as he becomes the first inductee of the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on April 21.
Newton-John, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lee Ann Womack and John Oates are among those scheduled to perform at the concert, which will be held in the Denver suburb of Broomfield.
Composer Lee Holdridge will lead the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra in a tribute performance, and some of Denver's hits will be performed by collaborators Bill Danoff, who co-wrote "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and John Sommers, who wrote "Thank God I'm A Country Boy."
Some proceeds from the concert will benefit the Cousteau Society, Windstar Foundation and the University of Colorado's music school.
Olivia Newton-John
Secret Recipe Revealed?
Coke
An edgy public radio show has revealed what it purports to be the secret recipe for Coca Cola -- a formula which has become the stuff of legend after decades of careful marketing by one of the world's most recognizable brands.
The recipe is supposedly kept in a locked vault, and Coke at one point had an advertising campaign about the two top executives who knew the secret and couldn't fly on the same plane or the formula could be lost forever.
"We think we may have found the original recipe for Coca Cola," said the host of "This American Life" Ira Glass in opening the hour-long program that aired over the weekend.
The handwritten formula was discovered in a pharmacist's old book of recipes and published in the company's hometown paper -- the Atlanta Journal Constitution -- in 1979, Glass said.
Coke
New Opera
Anna Nicole Smith
The genteel world of opera collides with that of lurid headlines, strip clubs and Playboy Thursday when a new work based on the life of the late Anna Nicole Smith has its premiere at London's Royal Opera House.
"Anna Nicole" is one of the prestigious opera company's riskiest projects yet, both because it leaves Covent Garden open to accusations of sensationalism in a bid to stay relevant and because some of the characters in the story are still alive.
According to the British media, lawyers are nervous, particularly in relation to tabloid star Smith's ex-boyfriend Howard K. Stern whose conviction for supplying her with drugs before her death in 2007 was dismissed last month.
The Royal Opera House has not denied the reports but declined to comment in detail on the work's contents or whether alterations had been made at the last minute for legal reasons.
Anna Nicole Smith
Mystery Bug Claims More Victims
Playboy Mansion
A mystery illness has infected some 170 people who attended an Internet conference in Los Angeles hosted by the Playboy Mansion among other venues, health authorities said.
The LA County's Department of Public Health said it is trying to contact all those who attended the three-day DOMAINfest Global Conference, for 700 internet professionals from 30 countries.
"To date, approximately 170 individuals have reported illness with symptoms mostly consisting of fever, chills, general discomfort and some cough," it said in a statement, after the mystery illness was first reported Sunday.
"The department is investigating several locations associated with this conference, including the Playboy Mansion," it added, adding that experts had yet to determine the source or cause of the outbreak.
Playboy Mansion
Launches Hollywood Tours
TMZ
Tourists visiting Hollywood will get a paparazzi eye view of celebrity hot spots on a bus tour run with tabloid-style news outfit TMZ, the company said on Tuesday.
The tour will swing by infamous Los Angeles-area locales, such as the department store where actress Winona Ryder was busted for shoplifting, and the comedy club where "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards was videotaped in a racist rant.
"The TMZ Hollywood Tour -- Secrets and Celebrity Hot Spots" will be run by Los Angeles-based Starline Tours.
TMZ, which gives celebrity news on its website and on an irreverent television show, is run by attorney Harvey Levin. Its name comes from "Thirty Mile Zone," a movie studios term from the 1960s that referred to rules for filming in and around Los Angeles.
TMZ
Restraining Order
Mickey Rooney
A Los Angeles lawyer has been handed control of veteran actor Mickey Rooney's affairs after allegations that the Hollywood legend was being bullied by his stepson and feared being kidnapped.
Christopher Aber, 52, was ordered on Monday to stay at least 100 yards away from Rooney, 90, and his Los Angeles area home. Aber is the son of Rooney's eighth wife January
A local lawyer was given temporary conservatorship powers over Rooney and his estate, at the actor's request, in a ruling by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.
According to court papers, Aber is a regular but unannounced visitor to Rooney's home, and the diminutive actor who was once a close friend and co-star of Judy Garland in the Andy Hardy movies hides in his room to avoid his step son.
Aber was also ordered to stay away from his brother, Mark Aber, and his former sister-in-law, who both live at Rooney's house.
Mickey Rooney
Recovering
Lara Logan
CBS News correspondent Lara Logan was recovering in a U.S. hospital Tuesday from a sexual attack and beating she suffered while reporting on the tumultuous events in Cairo.
Logan was in the city's Tahrir Square on Friday after Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down when she, her team and their security "were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration," CBS said in a statement Tuesday.
Separated from her crew in the crush of the violent pack, she suffered what CBS called "a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating." She was saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers, the network said. The Associated Press does not name victims of a sexual assault unless the victim agrees to it.
She reconnected with the CBS team and returned to the U.S. on Saturday.
Lara Logan
It's A Man's World
Veterans
More than a dozen U.S. veterans who say they were raped or assaulted by comrades filed a class-action suit in federal court Tuesday attempting to force the Pentagon to change how it handles such cases.
The current and former service members - 15 women and two men - describe circumstances in which servicemen allegedly got away with rape and other sexual abuse while their victims were ordered to continue to serve with them.
The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld. The plaintiffs say individual commanders have too much say in how allegations are handled and that they want reforms in the system.
The alleged attackers in the lawsuit include an Army criminal investigator and an Army National Guard commander. The abuse alleged ranges from obscene verbal abuse to gang rape.
In one incident, an Army Reservist says two male colleagues raped her in Iraq and videotaped the attack. She complained to authorities after the men circulated the video to colleagues. Despite being bruised from her shoulders to elbows from being held down, she says charges weren't filed because the commander determined she "did not act like a rape victim" and "did not struggle enough" and authorities said they didn't want to delay the scheduled return of the alleged attackers to the United States.
Veterans
'Hannah Montana' Destroyed Family, Blames Satan
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus says the Disney TV show "Hannah Montana" destroyed his family, causing his divorce and sending daughter Miley Cyrus spinning out of control.
In a December interview published in the Feb. 22 issue of GQ Magazine, Cyrus said he wished the show that launched his daughter to pop stardom had never happened.
"I hate to say it, but yes, I do. Yeah. I'd take it back in a second," Cyrus said. "For my family to be here and just be everybody OK, safe and sound and happy and normal, would have been fantastic. Heck, yeah. I'd erase it all in a second if I could."
Billy Ray Cyrus said when he asked about the rumored video footage of his daughter smoking from a bong at her 18th birthday party in December, he was told "it was none of my business." He initially refused to attend the party, saying "it was wrong" to have it in a bar.
He said the Cyruses and their six children were all baptized before leaving Tennessee for Los Angeles to inure themselves against evil and he believes Satan is attacking his family.
Billy Ray Cyrus
Begins Vegas Jail Sentence
Vince Neil
Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has begun serving a 15-day jail sentence for his drunken driving conviction in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas police said the 50-year-old rocker arrived at the Clark County Detention Center about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. He was being housed separately from other inmates.
Neil pleaded guilty in January to driving drunk last summer near the Las Vegas Strip. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and 15 days on house arrest under a plea deal that spared him a trial. He was also fined $585.
Neil could have faced up to six months in jail if convicted.
Vince Neil
Court Blocks Sale Of Mementos
Evita
An Argentine court has blocked a bid to auction off items that once belonged to General Juan Peron and his glamorous wife Evita.
Mario Rotundo, a former private aide to the Argentine post-war leader, hopes to sell items from the multimillion dollar collection to the highest bidders, but the court wants to investigate their authenticity.
Past auctions have riled historians and government officials who believe the memorabilia from the 1940s-era power couple, whose memory still looms over Argentine politics, should be turned over to the state as part of the country's heritage.
Rotundo agrees but said the government will have to pay.
Evita
More Conservative Family Values
Oh, Silvio
His penchant for beautiful young women has cost him his wife, and now may cost Silvio Berlusconi what he cherishes most: power.
The 74-year-old Italian premier was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on charges he paid a 17-year-old Moroccan girl for sex, and then used his influence to cover it up - an offense that, if proven, could see him barred permanently from public office.
Unlike Berlusconi's many past legal problems involving business-related charges concerning his Mediaset empire, this time he faces allegations of personal misconduct while serving as the head of government. The trial is set to begin April 6 before a panel of three female judges.
Berlusconi's trial on tax fraud relating to the 1999 purchase of TV rights resumes later this month, followed by another accusing him of paying a witness to lie in court. Another tax fraud case, pertaining to events in 2007, will continue with a preliminary hearing next month.
Oh, Silvio
Husband Puts Fur Coats Up For Sale
Zsa Zsa Gabor
The husband of ailing, 94 year-old Hollywood star Zsa Zsa Gabor plans to sell her fur coats in an auction on his website, saying the cost of storing them is too expensive and he needs the money.
Frederic Prinz von Anhalt told Reuters that he pays for 14 of his wife's coats to placed in cold storage, and all will go on sale. Twelve are furs that Gabor stopped wearing years ago when asked to by the animal rights group, PETA, and given her current, bedridden status, she will never wear them again.
He said the cost of caring for Gabor is very expensive with round-the-clock home nursing care, and added that he has spent some $200,000 on medical equipment alone.
Von Anhalt, Gabor's ninth husband, said the actress is doing as well as can be expected given her condition. He said she has lost much of her memory, but occasionally she can offer up a smile.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Bacchus For Mardi Gras
Andy Garcia
Actor Andy Garcia will reign as Bacchus on the Sunday before Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The Bacchus krewe made the announcement on Tuesday at the National World War II Museum. Its March 6 parade will have a World War II theme this year. Mardi Gras is March 8.
The krewe, formed in the late 1960s and featuring massive floats, typically has a major celebrity as its king. It is named for the Roman god of wine.
Andy Garcia
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Feb. 7-13. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "Grammy Awards," CBS, 26.67 million.
2. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 24.05 million.
3. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 21.94 million.
4. "NCIS," CBS, 20.35 million.
5. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 17.16 million.
6. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 15.15 million.
7. "The Mentalist," CBS, 14.86 million.
8. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.67 million.
9. "Modern Family," ABC, 13.16 million.
10. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 12.79 million.
11. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 12.64 million.
12. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 12.55 million.
13. "House," Fox, 12.33 million.
14. "60 Minutes," CBS, 12.07 million.
15. "The Good Wife," CBS, 11.86 million.
16. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.8 million.
17. "Glee," Fox, 11.58 million.
18. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 11.01 million.
19. "Mr. Sunshine," ABC, 10.52 million.
20. "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 10.47 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Jigme K. Norbu
The 45-year-old nephew of the Dalai Lama was struck and killed on Monday night on Florida's coastal highway on the first leg of what was to be a 300-mile (480-km) walk to draw attention to the plight of Tibet, authorities said.
Jigme K. Norbu of Bloomington, Indiana, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Norbu was walking after dark along the edge of highway A1A, which extends the length of Florida's east coast, when he was hit by a passing vehicle.
According to the Ambassadors for World Peace website, Norbu had walked or biked more than 7,800 miles across the United States and abroad to raise awareness of what pro-Tibet groups describe as the suppression of Tibetans by Communist China.
The Ambassador for World Peace website, , chronicled Norbu's arrival on Sunday in St. Augustine in northeast Florida and a celebratory dinner on the night before the planned walk to West Palm Beach.
Neither the driver of the vehicle that struck Norbu, Keith O'Dell, 31, of nearby Palm Coast, nor his 5-year-old son who was traveling with him, was injured.
The accident remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.
Jigme K. Norbu
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