'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
April 29, 2003
United States officials met in China with their North Korean counterparts
and warned them that talks would cease if they did not stop issuing
"bellicose" statements. The North Koreans admitted they already have
nuclear weapons and may test, export, or use them depending on U.S.
actions; Donald Rumsfeld thought this might present an opportunity for
another "regime change."
The U.S. warned Iran not to meddle in Iraq's
political affairs and accused the country of sending agents into the south
to promote an Iranian model of government; to counter the damage, troops
and intelligence officers were asking Iraqi clerics to please issue fatwas
in support of the American administration of the country.
The U.S. warned
Iraqis not to exploit their country's power vacuum by appointing
themselves to political positions, and American soldiers arrested the
former exile who announced that he was the mayor of Baghdad.
Tariq Aziz,
Saddam Hussein's foreign minister, negotiated a surrender to Diane Sawyer
of ABC News but changed his mind and turned himself in to military
officials, who were also holding the former liaison to U.N. weapons
inspectors and a quarter of the 55 "most wanted" Iraqi fugitives.
Resident Bush told a group of Arab
Americans that Iraqis will be free to choose whatever form of government
they like, as long as it's a democracy.
Resident Bush's advisers were busy planning his re-election and plotted
to start the campaign later than any other in the 148-year history of the
Republican Party, to capitalize on the third anniversary of the September
11 attacks.
--Margaret Cordi
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
(Roger D. Hodge is on vacation.)
Reader Link
'Electic 6 - Gay Bar'
My coworker, Mike, asked me to forward this link in case you hadn't seen it:
Rob's New Blog
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another sunny, breezy day.
Didn't get the car back today, so we'll be walking to school (again) in the morning.
Keep forgetting to say 'thanks' to Waldo in Oz for the great pictures. Will get some posted shortly.
My niece in PA is talking about moving west, again. Yeah - that's what I need - a teenager in the house. Actually, I think it's a great idea - will discuss it with dear old Dad this weekend in Blythe.
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS is supposed to start the evening with a FRESH 'Star Search', followed by '60 Minutes II', then '48 Hours'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Charlize Theron, Sue Johanson, Wilco, and the Minus 5.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers is TBA.
NBC is supposed to begin the night with 'Dateline', followed by a FRESH 'West Wing', then a FRESH 'Law & Order'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, and Zooey Deschanel.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Bob Costas and Lewis Black.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Gretchen Mol and Lil' Kim.
ABC is supposed to begin the evening with a FRESH 'My Wife & Kids', followed by a FRESH 'George Lopez', then a
FRESH 'The Bachelor', followed by a FRESH 'Extreme Makeover' (which is starting 5 minutes after the top of the hour).
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Jim Belushi, Nick Swardson, the Calvanes, and this week's guest co-host John Edward
The WB offers a FRESH 'Dawson' Creek', and then a FRESH 'Angel'.
Faux has a FRESH 'American Idol', followed by a FRESH 'Bernie Mac', and then the Season Finale of 'Wanda At Large'.
UPN offers a FRESH 'Enterprise' followed by a FRESH 'Twilight Zone'.
New season of 'Prime Time Glick' on Comedy Central, with Martin Short.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
The volume containing the Lousisiana purchase is seen closed in this undated handout photo. In this transaction with France, signed on April 30, 1803, the United States purchased 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. For roughly 4 cents an acre, the United States doubled its size, expanding the nation westward. Wednesday, April 30, 2003, is the 200th anniversary of the day the United States drew up an agreement to buy the vast Louisiana Territory from France.
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Stand Against Radio Deregulation
Recording Artists
A letter signed by 30 major recording artists is to be sent Tuesday to Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), warning him that further deregulation of the radio industry "will have a negative impact on access to diverse viewpoints and will impede the functioning of our democracy."
The letter is in response to probable FCC plans to eradicate remaining cross-ownership rules.
The artists say that previous radio deregulation has backfired, resulting in "reduced marketplace competition, reduced programming diversity and the homogenization of playlists, reduced public access to the airwaves for local programming, and reduced public satisfaction with listening options."
The letter is a result of combined efforts by the Recording Academy, the Future of Music Coalition, the Recording Artists Coalition, and other groups. It carries signatures by Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Don Henley, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Stevie Nicks, DJ Spooky, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe, and others.
Recording Artists
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Actor Martin Milner, of television's 'Adam-12' and 'Route 66' fame, waves flags to signal the start of the Hampton Inn-Route 66 Caravan, flanked by classic cars along Ocean Avenue, April 29, 2003 in Santa Monica, California. The caravan will post more than 60 roadside attraction signs along America's most famous highway -Route 66 - at vintage sites, some featured on the Route 66 series.
Photo by Bob Riha
15th Annual Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival
Joan Armatrading & Rosanne Cash
Joan Armatrading and Rosanne Cash will headline separate stages at the 15th annual Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival in Elmer, N.J.
The June 7 event will also feature performances by Little Feat, Martin Sexton, Kim Richey, Jeffrey Gaines, Gaelic Storm, Vance Gilbert & Ellis Paul, 4 Way Street, Xavier Rudd, and Amos Lee. A children's village will feature music, storytelling and other activities.
Advance tickets are available for $32, or are $36 at the festival gate, and can be purchased at 800-394-1211 or through the non-profit
Appel Farm Arts & Music Center's Web site.
Joan Armatrading & Rosanne Cash
Keeping Quiet About Songs' Jabs
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley knows people are wondering whether she's talking about one of her famous ex-husbands in some of the bitter songs on her new disc, "To Whom It May Concern."
But Presley, who has been married to Nicolas Cage and Michael Jackson, isn't talking. "I won't confirm or deny," the 35-year-old said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
She anticipated that listeners might think she was talking about Jackson or Cage, her second and third husbands. It's part of the reason the album has the title it does, Presley says.
"It's a little on the sarcastic side," she said, and it's aimed at curiosity seekers. "Are you actually going to listen to this and look at it for what it is, or are you going to immediately go to some superficial bull and start trying to figure out, `Who's she talking about?'"
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley Web site
Unreleased Recording Off eBay
Merle Haggard
In the end, the case of a missing, unreleased Merle Haggard tape offered for sale on the Internet was not a story of theft, and the Fredericksburg woman who tried to auction the recording has settled the case by giving it back.
In a lawsuit he filed last spring, Mr. Haggard suggested that Kathy Schroeder of Fredericksburg had swiped a copy of the tape from his tour bus while he was in Texas for a show she was promoting.
From the beginning, Ms. Schroeder insisted that she did not steal the tape, and her story was supported by sworn testimony at a hearing on a temporary injunction last fall, a transcript of which was recently obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
The tape missing from the bus was later found, and witnesses testified that the copy in Ms. Schroeder's possession was left at her house during a party by a musician who had acquired it legitimately.
Roger Moon, a singer from Luckenbach whose recordings were being promoted by Ms. Schroeder, testified that he left the disputed tape at Ms. Schroeder's house. He said the recording was left in his car by B.B. Morse, a bass player who had played with both Mr. Moon and Mr. Haggard. The bass player confirmed that account in his testimony.
Lawyers and parties on both sides would not comment on the settlement, other than to say it did not include any payment of money but had a provision restricting both sides from talking to the media about the deal.
The tape, offered on eBay last spring at a starting price of $325,000, was a "rough cut" of unreleased Haggard works in progress, including "covers" of classic ballads by other artists.
In his lawsuit, Mr. Haggard placed the commercial value of the music at more than $1 million. A state court issued an injunction against the sale of the tape until the dispute could be worked out, and eBay pulled the listing before there were any bids.
Merle Haggard
Thanks to MILOBAY!
Hosting New 'Headbangers Ball'
Metallica
Metallica will host a new version of the heavy metal series, one of MTV's earliest, when it premieres May 10 on MTV2. "Headbangers Ball" debuted in 1987 and lasted until 1995.
Also on MTV2's spring-summer schedule is a new commentary show in which artists talk over their videos. "Track 2" follows the audio-commentary craze started by movie DVDs and combines musicians' remarks with footage from their videos.
MTV2, a spin-off of the original network, focuses more on musical content than the main channel, which devotes much of its time to dramas and reality programming.
Metallica
MTV2 Web site
Documentary Set To Air In U.K.
Jennifer Lopez
Move over Michael Jackson, the latest celebrity to fall prey to a not-so-flattering documentary is Jennifer Lopez. The Maid In Manhattan star is the focus of Behind The Behind, a behind-the-scenes look at Lopez's early days.
It features interviews with early J.Lo acquaintances who say that the "Jenny From The Block" singer never spent much time in the Bronx, preferring to go shopping downtown.
Behind The Behind airs this week in the U.K., and is expected to touch off a bidding war for TV air rights in the United states.
Jennifer Lopez
Lineup Announced
'Divas'
Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Beyonce Knowles, and Lisa Marie Presley have all been added to "VH1 Divas Duets" benefit concert special.
The May 22 event will be hosted by Queen Latifah and include performances by Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan and Jewel.
Set for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, "VH1 Divas Duets" will air live on the cable music channel beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.
'Divas'
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Judge Dismisses Suit Over Show
John Fogerty
A Manhattan judge has turned a deaf ear to a lawyer's complaint that he suffered hearing damage because of an "unreasonably loud" rock concert by singer and songwriter John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
State Supreme Court Justice Martin Schoenfeld dismissed a lawsuit that had been filed by Jeffrey Powell, 56, saying Powell assumed the risk of hearing damage when he attended the concert in the Manhattan Center on West 34th Street on June 2, 1997.
Powell, a personal injury lawyer from Jericho, N.Y., said in a $5 million lawsuit filed in 1998 that he "was caused to suffer a profound loss of hearing in his left ear" because of the "unsafe levels of noise" at Fogerty's concert.
The judge said the fact that loud music can cause hearing impairment is "perfectly obvious" and "commonly appreciated." Powell had acknowledged that he had experienced ringing in his ears after previous loud concerts, the judge noted.
Fogerty's representative Bob Merlis said the singer could not immediately be reached for comment. He said Fogerty's management team was not aware of the case.
John Fogerty
A tea master prepares Japanese tea for guests at an outdoor tea ceremony in Tokyo April 29, 2003. Japanese hold outdoor tea ceremonies in a natural setting in spring and autumn to enjoy the beauty of the season.
Photo by Kimimasa Mayama
Buys Trees to Offset Tour Emissions
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is buying trees to make up for their tour. Pearl Jam has cut a deal with Conservation International to buy a 1,400 square-mile area of rainforest in Madagascar.
The band has figured out their tour will create 5,700 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That's from the trucks, buses and airplanes that will move their tour through its 30,000 mile route, plus the 1 million fans who will drive to see them. In addition, the forest is in a biodiversity hotspot and includes rare plants and animals, including three species of endangered lemurs.
Pearl Jam
Playing Caribbean Cruise
Indigo Girls
The Indigo Girls have signed on to perform during the April 4-10, 2004, Western Caribbean cruise organized by Olivia, a travel service provider geared toward the lesbian community.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform our music in an environment where women are empowered to be themselves," the duo's Amy Ray said in a statement.
The concert will take place on board the ship during the cruise's first stop, in Key West. The itinerary will also include stops in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico before returning to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more information on the cruise, visit Olivia.com.
Indigo Girls
CNBC Talk Show Debut
Tina Brown
With Sony Corp. chief Howard Stringer, media magnates Barry Diller and Conrad Black and Queen Noor of Jordan as guests, journalist Tina Brown's first TV talk show resembles one of her famed dinner parties.
"I don't have the wine, unfortunately, to go with it," she said Tuesday.
Her hourlong show, "Topic A with Tina Brown," premieres 9 p.m. (Eastern and Pacific) Wednesday on CNBC. It will be a discussion about business, politics and the media in a postwar world.
The former editor in chief of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and her own defunct magazine, Talk, saw her television debut delayed for more than a month by the war. Her talk show, to air four times a year, was to begin March 19, the day after the war began.
Tina Brown
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Man Behind Big Bird
Caroll Spinney
The man behind Big Bird is unmasking to tell fans — to paraphrase the show's theme song — how he got to "Sesame Street."
Caroll Spinney, who has portrayed the lofty lemon-feathered puppet for 34 years on the children's public television show, chronicles his rise to bird-dom Tuesday in a new autobiography, "The Wisdom of Big Bird."
He said he was reluctant to step outside the costume, but after all this time, he figured older fans would be interested in learning the behind-the-scenes history of the show.
Spinney, who also performs as the show's green garbage-can dweller, Oscar the Grouch, said that character's scratchy voice was inspired by a foul-mouthed cab driver from the Bronx.
Portraying such opposites on "Sesame Street," Spinney said, lets him showcase the happy and cantankerous elements of his own personality.
Caroll Spinney
A creation by Iraqi artist Zerak Mera made from Iraqi army boots is seen where a statue of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein once stood, in the center of Kirkuk, April 29, 2003.
Photo by Shamil Zhumatov
Appearing in June Playboy
Sarah Kozer
The first time Playboy magazine came calling, Sarah Kozer from "Joe Millionaire" said no. The second time, she said no again.
But the third time — after receiving unanimous approval from her family and friends — she changed her mind. Now, the reality show runner-up is on the cover of the magazine's June issue.
Kozer said she only agreed to pose for Playboy if the photos entailed no full-frontal nudity. "I was a women's studies major," she said Monday night at a party celebrating her appearance.
This isn't the first time the 29-year-old has modeled; as the Fox romance series was airing, it was revealed that she'd appeared in bondage and fetish films to help pay the bills during law school.
Sarah Kozer
Checked Into Rehab
Jack Osbourne
Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne's 17-year-old son, Jack, has checked into a Los Angeles-area rehabilitation center for treatment of drug and alcohol abuse, the family's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
According to family publicist Lisa Vega, Jack entered the residential detox and rehab facility last week after confiding in both parents, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, that he needed help.
"Not very many 17-year-olds have the wherewithal to realize that they have a problem, nor do they have the relationship with their parents that they can go to their parents and say they have a problem, and that is what occurred here," Vega told Reuters. "Sharon and Ozzy are very supportive of his decision and are very proud of him that he has the gumption to make a change."
The family went public after the syndicated TV show "Entertainment Tonight" broke the story Monday night, reporting that the teen MTV star, clad in a white patient smock, had been seen at the rehab center with his parents in what an eyewitness called "a very emotional moment" for the family.
Jack Osbourne
'Bawled Out' - 'Taken To The Woodshed'
Ashleigh Banfield
NBC News president Neal Shapiro has taken correspondent Ashleigh Banfield to the woodshed for a speech in which she criticized the networks for portraying the Iraqi war as "glorious and wonderful."
Banfield delivered her remarks Thursday at Kansas State University.
"She and we both agreed that she didn't intend to demean the work of her colleagues, and she will choose her words more carefully in the future," an NBC spokeswoman said Monday.
Other sources inside NBC said Banfield promised, in effect, not to do it again and to check her facts before making public statements in the future.
Sources said Shapiro "bawled her out" for what were perceived as criticisms over the war coverage of all of the networks, including NBC and MSNBC.
There was no indication whether Shapiro was upset over the entire speech -- Banfield also lambasted Fox News Channel and MSNBC talk show host Michael Savage -- or just the elements that were critical of the networks' war coverage.
Ashleigh Banfield
Only A Misdemeanor
Shelley Morrison
Actress Shelley Morrison, who plays the tart-tongued maid on NBC comedy "Will & Grace," was charged with misdemeanor theft on Tuesday in connection with her shoplifting arrest last week.
Morrison, 66, was taken into custody on April 23 at a Robinsons-May department store in Los Angeles after security officers at the store allegedly caught her trying to steal costume jewelry valued at $446, authorities said.
She was released after posting $20,000 bail. An arraignment is set for May 14. Neither Morrison's agent nor officials from NBC were immediately available for comment.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office lodged a misdemeanor against Morrison after the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to bring a felony charge in the case, noting the value of merchandise in question was just over the $400 cutoff for a felony and that the actress had no prior criminal record.
Shelley Morrison
Mott, North Dakota
Mickey Rooney
This southwestern North Dakota town of about 800 is known as a place for pheasant hunters. This week, it's a place for movie buffs, and for Mickey Rooney.
Mott's 55-year-old brick Playhouse Theatre, on Main Street, was ready to close before Deb Marthaller and the town's development group took over about four years ago with volunteers. Without the theater, residents would have to drive about 40 miles for a movie.
Landing a star like Mickey Rooney, who will give two performances there Thursday night, may seem like a major coup for such a small town. Marthaller said all she did was respond to a letter from his management company.
Rooney had gigs in Minnesota and Montana, and wanted a place to play in between. His managers sent letters to theaters in the area, and Marthaller responded.
It cost the Playhouse $7,500 to bring Rooney's "One Man, One Wife Show" to Mott. Rooney and his wife, Jan Chamberlin Rooney, will perform shows at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. MDT, on Thursday, each an hour and a half long. Tickets are $30.
If the 288-seat theater sells out just one performance, it will make money. Marthaller and Rooney say they are more interested in bringing a good time to Mott.
"It's a pleasure going to little towns instead of the big ones," Rooney said. "I've found that some of the most wonderful people in the world live in places like Mott, away from the big cities. And they don't get many opportunities for entertainment like this."
Mickey Rooney
In Memory
Rose Augustine
Rose Augustine, a classical guitar enthusiast who helped develop the first nylon guitar strings and ran a thriving business selling them, died April 21. She was 93.
Augustine and her late husband, Arthur Augustine, together created the nylon strings, which lasted longer and could be more easily kept in tune than gut strings, traditionally used for the instrument's three treble strings.
To make the strings, the couple bought a grinding machine meant for making binoculars and reconfigured it to grind the nylon to the right thickness and consistency.
The Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia lived with the Augustines for 11 years, starting in the late 1940s, and was a vocal champion of the new strings. His picture and endorsement were featured on their packaging.
Rose Augustine
Herons and cattle egrets gathering on the banks of the River Ganges are reflected in the surface of the river in Allahabad, India, April 28, 2003.
Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh
'Ark of Darkness'
"The Ark of Darkness", a Political/Science-Fiction work, in tidy, weekly installments (and updated every Friday).
'The Osbournes'
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 4
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
