'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
May 20, 2003
L. Paul Bremer, the new American overseer of Iraq, informed
Iraqi leaders that the United States and Britain had changed
their minds about setting up an interim government made up
of Iraqis and that he would remain in control until further
notice.
Bremer toured Mosul and praised it as "a great
example of embryonic democracy"; elsewhere in the city a
crowd chanted "America is the enemy of God."
Kurdish
leaders, who have been running their own affairs for about
12 years, were particularly irritated, and there were
widespread accusations that the United States was now
revealing its true agenda to occupy Iraq and exploit its oil
supply. Looters continued to dismantle Iraq's
infrastructure, and most of the equipment needed to restore
the national electric grid, such as the computers that
regulate power distribution, has been stolen.
Nostalgia for
the days of Saddam Hussein was spreading among the people.
Donald Rumsfeld denied reports that U.S. soldiers in Iraq
were going to start shooting looters on sight, though he did
tell the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that
American forces in Baghdad "will be using muscle to see that
the people who are trying to disrupt what is taking place in
that city are stopped and either captured or killed."
Previously a nameless administration official told the New
York Times that American forces "are going to start shooting
a few looters so that the word gets around."
Fifty-one Democratic state legislators fled Texas for
Oklahoma to prevent the Texas House of Representatives from
achieving a quorum; Texas Rangers were sent to fetch them,
and the Department of Homeland Security admitted that it had
been enlisted to track down the fugitives.
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
--Roger D. Hodge
Reader Comment
Re: Penn & Teller
I live in Australia, and I attempted to view the webpage http://sho.com/ptbs
as linked by bartE! on May 20th as TV SHOW OF THE WEEK... only to view this webpage.
I was unaware that such scary lockout technology was available. I'm suprised this anti-non-American HTML protocol hasn't been instituted in millions of other websites (in this Bush-era day and age).
Jen
Holy crap, Jen!
This is a new one on me, too. Dropped a note to Showtime, let's see if they answer.
Thanks!
12 Best Gangster Movies
from Alex
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Another 'June Gloom' day - sun broke through just after lunchtime.
I screwed up yesterday - tonight is the last night of 'sweeps,' so there are a few FRESH shows on tonight.
Reading the tabloids today, and came across a quote in 'Star' (dated May 27 - with 'Brad Pitts secret plastic surgery' cover, page 34) - "(Ruben Studdard is) the heir apparent to Barry White & Luther Vandross," says a NY radio exec. Kind of creeped me out.
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS fills the night with the '38th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Regis Philbin and 3 Doors Down. ( RERUNS NEXT WEEK )
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers is Weird Al Yankovic. ( RERUNS NEXT WEEK )
NBC starts the night with a RERUN 'Law & Order', followed by a FRESH 'Law & Order', and then the
Season Finale of 'Law & Order'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are Julie Scardina with Sea World animals, and Staind. ( RERUNS NEXT WEEK )
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Mark Wahlberg, Jeri Ryan, and Queens of the Stone Age. ( RERUNS NEXT WEEK )
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Harland Williams, Tyra Banks, and Blue Man Group. ( RERUNS NEXT WEEK )
ABC opens the night with the Season Finale of 'My Wife & Kids', followed by 'The Bachelor: After The Rose', and then a FRESH 'Extreme Makeover'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, with this week's guest co-host Ed McMahon.
The WB offers the movie 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'.
Faux has the Season Finale of 'American Idol'.
UPN offers the Season Finale of 'Enterprise', and the Series Finale of 'The Twilight Zone'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Standing in front of a bust of William Shakespeare, Corin Redgrave looks towards his sister Lynn Redgrave who poses for photographers beside the Golden Quill which the actress and playwright had bestowed upon her at the annual 2003 Gielgud Award gala dinner in New York, May19, 2003. The Shakespeare Guild awards the Gielgud Award for excellence in the dramatic arts.
Photo by Stuart Ramson
Performs Free Concert
Avril Lavigne
Pop singer Avril Lavigne performed a free concert for students at a high school that won a radio contest.
Teens flocked to the Dunkirk (N.Y.) High School gymnasium Monday to hear the 18-year-old Canadian, who wore an oversized red T-shirt, baggy pants and a pair of vintage sunglasses.
The students won the regional High School Spirit Contest sponsored by Buffalo's Kiss 98.5 by collecting about 950,000 index cards with messages for troops in the Middle East.
Avril Lavigne
Plans Film About Bob Dylan
Martin Scorsese
How many roads must a man walk down before Martin Scorsese makes a movie about him?
The answer, my friend, is in the tentatively titled "Bob Dylan Anthology Project," a biography film about the iconic folk rocker directed by the "Gangs of New York" filmmaker.
The film, planned for release in 2005, will chronicle Dylan's 1963 breakthrough and the cultural and political influence of his music, Scorsese and his producing partners said Tuesday.
In addition to playing in some theaters, the movie will also be broadcast on PBS in the United States and the BBC in the United Kingdom.
The documentary is in the tradition of "The Last Waltz," Scorsese's 1978 concert film about The Band, which also featured Dylan. The Dylan film is expected to feature live concert performances, studio recording sessions and a rare interview with the singer-songwriter.
Martin Scorsese
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Donate Concert Tickets
Elton John & Billy Joel
Elton John and Billy Joel have donated concert tickets for shows on their current tour to an auction that will benefit the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The organization offers assistance to financially strapped artists in need of medical help. The online auction is already taking place on the website eBay.com and offers bidding on tickets to see rock, pop and country performers at select shows.
Meanwhile, five Elton John studio albums released from 1979 through 1984--Victim Of Love, 21 At 33, The Fox, Jump Up! and Breaking Hearts--have been reissued with new liner notes.
Elton John & Billy Joel
A model dressed as a mermaid poses in the Hasmead Octopus Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, May 19, 2003. Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the 81st annual show, organized by the Royal Horticultural Society and held at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, west London.
Photo by Stephen Hird
Candlelight Vigil for Vandross
Aretha Franklin
Fans and fellow singers held a candlelight vigil for R&B artist Luther Vandros, who's recovering from a stroke.
Aretha Franklin, a friend of Vandross, organized Monday night's event at the Little Rock Baptist Church.
The Four Tops, Ortheia Barns, Franklin's sons, Kecalf and Eddie, Ursula Walker and Buddy Budson were among those on the program, The Detroit News reported Tuesday.
Music from Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Vandross himself is being played for the singer as he lies unconscious, according to his mother, Mary.
Aretha Franklin
Six Won't Return
'The Practice'
Dylan McDermott, Lara Flynn Boyle and four other cast members of "The Practice" are exiting David E. Kelley's ABC legal drama next season after their options were not picked up by David E. Kelley Prods. and 20th Century Fox TV.
The slimming of "Practice's" actor payroll comes as the Emmy-winning series faces at least a 50% reduction in the license fee paid by ABC.
McDermott will guest-star in at least four episodes next season, and it is unclear if the other exiting cast members will make any appearances. In addition to McDermott and Boyle, the departures include original cast members Kelli Williams and Lisa Gay Hamilton. Marla Sokoloff, who joined "Practice" during its second season, and Chyler Leigh, who signed on this season, also are gone.
Sources said the cast reduction was Kelley's idea and is part of his plan to rejuvenate the veteran show, which won the outstanding drama series Emmy in 1999. It is understood that Kelley's camp has taken note of how other long-running dramas, including NBC's "Law & Order" and "ER," have used cast changes as a creative spark to keep a show fresh and even bring in new viewers.
Several new regulars are expected to join remaining "Practice" cast members Camryn Manheim and Michael Badalucco -- both Emmy winners for their roles -- Steve Harris and Jessica Capshaw.
'The Practice'
To Visit Ethiopia
Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof, the Irish musician who organized the world's biggest rock concert in 1985 to help Africa's starving, is to visit Ethiopia to highlight a looming humanitarian crisis, UNICEF said on Tuesday.
The United Nations Children's Fund said Geldof was joining a delegation from its London-based arm on a five-day tour of the drought hit East African country.
Geldof is due to visit water and food projects, schools and AIDS centers from May 27.
Geldof, the former lead singer with rock band The Boomtown Rats, decided to act after seeing the scenes of devastation on television.
Bob Geldof
Donated $5.8 Million To Charity
David Gilmour
Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour donated $5.88 million to charity on Tuesday to house hundreds of homeless people and low-wage workers in central London.
The 59-year-old rock star said he was inspired by a similar community project developed in New York.
The "urban village," administered by the Crisis charity, aims to house 400 residents, including the homeless and public service workers like nurses and teachers who have been priced out of the soaring London housing market.
David Gilmour
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Sponsor Ends Backing
New York Metropolitan Opera
The longstanding sponsor of live opera on the radio is pulling the plug on its association with the program, but the New York Metropolitan Opera vowed on Tuesday that the show will go on.
Last season the opera broadcasts were carried by more than 360 radio stations in the United States and reached an audience of more than 10 million listeners in 42 countries.
ChevronTexaco Corp., sole sponsor of the show since 1940, said in a statement it would stop sponsoring the opera shows after next season as it focused more of its resources on development needs in some of the 180 countries where it does business.
New York Metropolitan Opera
A Barbie doll wearing a white gold snake necklace encrusted with diamonds and emerald eyes by Boucheron is on display at jewelry firm Mikimoto & Co's store in Tokyo's high-end Ginza district May 20, 2003. Twenty Barbie dolls glittering with diamonds and pearls are on show before an auction in Paris in December to raise funds for the French Red Cross' fight against poverty among children.
Photo by Eriko Sugita
Pardoned for Crimes in South Carolina
James Brown
James Brown had plenty of reason to feel good on Tuesday as South Carolina officials pardoned the soul legend for his past crimes in that state.
Brown, who served a two-and-a-half-year prison term after a 1988 arrest on drug and assualt charges, and was convicted of a drug-related offense in 1998, was granted a pardon by the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.
Brown, who appeared before the board, sang "God Bless America" after the decision, said his publicist, Dan Forman.
Brown had friends, family and state lawmakers speak on his behalf.
James Brown
Legally Recognizes Gay & Lesbian Couples
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires rubber-stamped legislation allowing gay couples to register, becoming the first city in Latin America to do so.
Same-sex couples who can prove they have lived together for at least two years may share labor and social security benefits under the legislation.
Heterosexual couples -- who previously had to prove five years' cohabitation -- as well as gay couples, will benefit from the new law which does not, however, establish inheritance or automatic pension rights.
Buenos Aires
Gearing Up For McCartney Homecoming
Liverpool
Paul McCartney fans said on Monday they were itching to welcome him home next month for his first major solo concert in his northern England home town since 1990.
The Liverpool-born musician, who made his name as one quarter of 1960s rock and roll phenomenon the Beatles, will play the 90th and final gig of his "Back in the World" tour to 30,000 fans on the banks of the city's River Mersey on June 1.
One fan who is well aware of the value of his concert ticket is Eddie Porter, who for 24 years has been a guide on the "Magical Mystery Tour" bus that shuttles tourists to Liverpool's many sites of Beatles interest.
"Put it this way: you can buy me love, but you can't buy my ticket," he said over a beer near the Cavern Club, where the Beatles performed nearly 300 times.
Liverpool
Live U.S. Telecast Planned
Everest Summit
Fifty years after Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, a U.S. cable network hopes to commemorate the event with the first live TV broadcast from the top of the world.
As part of its reality adventure show titled "Global Extreme Challenge," which debuted earlier this year, the Outdoor Life Network plans to chronicle the eight-hour final ascent of a team of American climbers to the 29,035-foot peak of Everest on live television on Thursday.
Since late last year, the OLN channel has followed a group of amateur athletes as they scaled cliffs in Moab, Utah, skied the Colorado Rockies, bicycled across Africa's Kalahari desert, trekked the jungles of Costa Rica and traversed the ice-capped peaks of Iceland. During that period the field of contestants was narrowed from 50 to four.
Last Monday, the Comcast Corp. -owned network beamed its first live pictures from Everest showing the four finalists, two men and two women, getting acclimated for their climb at a mountain base camp.
If the weather holds and all else goes according to plan, the four finalists, their professional guide, a three-man camera crew and several Sherpas will begin the final leg of their ascent of Everest before dawn Friday local time, OLN Chief Executive Roger Williams told Reuters.
With a 12-hour time difference, live TV coverage of their adventure will start at about 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, and follow the team to the top of the world's highest mountain at about 11 p.m., Williams said. The team will take another eight hours to climb back down to their camp at about 26,000 feet.
Everest Summit
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Charged with Cocaine, Heroin Possession
Scott Weiland
Rocker Scott Weiland, the lead singer for Stone Temple Pilots, has been charged with cocaine and heroin possession in Los Angeles, two years after completing a jail term for violating his probation on the same charges, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Weiland, 35, and Jennifer Lynn Sires, 29, were stopped by Burbank police shortly before midnight on Saturday after officers saw them driving without lights in a shuttered retail district.
They were arrested after police noticed a syringe in the car, and a search of the vehicle yielded cocaine and heroin, a police spokesman said.
Weiland was released from jail on Sunday after posting $25,000 bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned on June 2.
Scott Weiland
American Whistle worker Samantha Love lines up whistles for assembly Monday, April 28, 2003, in Columbus, Ohio. American Whistle touts itself as the United States' only manufacturer of metal whistles. Its competition mainly comes from overseas, including Japan, Taiwan, China and England.
Photo by Terry Gilliam
Lobbies For Taco Bell
Michael Jackson
Reclusive pop star Michael Jackson, wearing a red-and-blue Spider-Man mask, popped into a congressman's field office, seeking an answer to a critical issue.
The costumed Jackson had a question for Steve Lavagnino, the deputy director in the new Solvang office of Congressman Elton Gallegly. Jackson asked: "How come Solvang doesn't have any fast food restaurants?"
After being told Solvang's only chain restaurant was a Subway sandwich shop, Jackson replied, "I love Taco Bell."
The entertainer then pulled his webbed-crusader disguise off his face and apologized for disturbing Lavagnino, although Jackson didn't know what kind of office he'd wandered into.
Michael Jackson
School Library Gets Chump Change
Pickles
First lady Laura Bush handed out the first grant from her library foundation on Tuesday to an impoverished Los Angeles school whose librarian stocked the shelves with her own books.
Bush, a former librarian, was welcomed to Vernon City Elementary School by a mariachi band and 250 mostly Latino students, including student council president Rebecca Juarez, 11, who wore her best outfit and new pink shoes to introduce the first lady.
The school boasts the only library available to residents of the tiny city of Vernon, which lies in a bleak industrial belt six miles south of downtown Los Angeles. All of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunches because they come from low-income families.
The foundation received more than 6,000 applications for its inaugural grants of up to $5,000. The grants, funded through donations from a who's who of wealthy individuals and foundations, went to 132 schools in 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Pickles
So, using my Catholic math, the ''who's who of wealthy individuals and foundations'' kicked in a maximum of $660,000 (but probably less), and the peasants are expected to be grateful and gracious (cripes, Nancy 'Just Say No' Reagan spent more on new plates).
It's not like the local elementary school libraries were closed due to cost-cutting during a previous republican administration...back in the 'glorious' days when the White House resident wanted ketchup classified as a vegetable for school lunches.
Shame Pickles didn't stay for lunch & experience what the future proles are fed. Lots of processed, nitrate-laden 'cold cuts'; pasteurized, processed cheese food products; white 'bread' with more extenders than flour; hot dogs that make the ones at 7-11 look fresh (& rat-hair free); and 'blue' milk. Yum!
(And, yes, I'm a card-carrying member of a public elementary school PTA, and I'm tired of seeing the kids used as photo ops for politicians who only give a shit about publicity.)
Settles Lawsuit
Sotheby's
Sotheby's said on Tuesday it had settled a lawsuit accusing pop superstar Michael Jackson of failing to pay almost $1.4 million for two 19th century paintings he bought from the auction house last year but no longer wanted.
Diana Phillips, senior vice president for the New York auction house, told Reuters that the case had been resolved amicably but the terms were not being disclosed.
Sotheby's had asked payment of $1,324,247 for the paintings plus at least $60,733 in late fees.
The lawsuit said Jackson did not dispute that his company bought the paintings or that he has been billed for them. However, it said Jackson's company refused to pay for the art because Jackson no longer believed the paintings fit into his collection.
Sotheby's
Top Marks for Partying
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger won the ultimate accolade at the Cannes Film Festival -- a "Four Martini" award for his promotion party on a yacht.
Schwarzenegger flew to the French Riviera to publicize the latest Terminator movie and won top marks for his schmoozing.
The Hollywood Reporter, taking a tongue-in-cheek look at the glitzy parties that dominate Cannes nightlife, decided to rate Arnie's party as a Four-Martini special.
The Hong Kong Film Night at the plush Carlton Hotel only merited Three Martinis. The Chinese fare was good "but the Japanese food was not up to scratch," the paper decreed.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Book Genre Gains Readers
'Street-Life'
Jose Perez wasn't interested in books as a child. They were boring, hard to understand. They didn't speak to him the way rap and hip-hop did.
Then a friend encouraged him to read such books as Sister Souljah's "The Coldest Winter Ever," about the daughter of a drug lord, and Shannon Holmes' "B-more Careful," set in a Baltimore housing project.
Perez is a fan of a fast-growing genre dubbed "street life" by Hue-Man owner Clara Villarosa. "Street life" books — also known in the publishing industry as "ghetto lit" — are often highly profane and sexually explicit stories featuring guns, drug dealers and prostitutes. The prose can be as crude as the subject matter, but booksellers say they appeal to at least tens of thousands of young people who, like Perez, might not otherwise be reading.
Although usually self-published or distributed by tiny presses, "street life" titles have caught on well beyond black-owned stores.
For more, 'Street-Life'
Back on London Subway
Buskers
The first licensed buskers brought the sound of music to London's underground stations on Monday, playing the blues, the violin and even the didgeridoo.
A group of 256 musicians was selected at auditions to receive performance licenses after London Underground changed a bylaw banning buskers.
The change came after a survey showed that eight out of 10 passengers enjoyed listening to the performers.
Buskers
Two crowned cranes look at each other in Moscow Zoo, May 20, 2003. Relatively late spring finally came to Moscow on Tuesday with rare rains and mild temperatures.
Photo by Alexander Natruskin
'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
