M Is FOR MASHUP
Summer Vacation
By DJ Useo is taking a vacation day.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
HTC EVO vs iPhone4
Funny and profane.
Curriki (curriki.org)
Curriki's mission is to provide free, high-quality curricula and education resources to teachers, students and parents around the world.
ASHLEE VANCE: $200 Textbook vs. Free. You Do the Math (nytimes.com)
INFURIATING Scott G. McNealy has never been easier. Just bring up math textbooks.
MAUREEN DOWD: Mad Men and Bad Girls (nytimes.com)
A covert call girl shows that cool trumps everything.
Jim Hightower: GIVE US A REAL CONSUMER ADVOCATE
Who do we want? Elizabeth Warren! When do we want her? Now!
Tim Dowling: American TV still has the power to shock (guardian.co.uk)
I thought nothing could surprise me, but an advert caused me to lose my cool.
Joe Moran: The ants march on, but we'd be happier as grasshoppers (guardian.co.uk)
The idea that work is the meaning of existence has little basis in biology. Let us guiltlessly enjoy the sweet idleness of summer.
Grace Chu: An interview with lesbian Stonewall veteran Stormé DeLarverie (afterellen.com)
Younger gays and lesbians may not know about the Rosa Parks of the gay community, but they should.
BILL FORMAN: Muddy Waters Run Deep (COLORADO SPRINGS INDEPENDENT)
Big Bill Morganfield follows in his father's footsteps.
STEPHANIE SCHROEDER: Julie Clark's Courage and Convictions (curvemag.com)
The songwriter speaks frankly about shame, love and integrity. Plus, watch the video for her OUTMusic award-winning song "Courage of Our Convictions."
LISA GUNTHER: Interview with Nicole Opper (curvemag.com)
The acclaimed filmmaker discusses her first feature-length documentary, "Off and Running."
JASON SCHWARTZMAN: Interview with Michael CERA (interviewmagazine.com)
"I'VE BEEN WORKING SINCE I WAS 9 AND I HAVEN'T REALLY FOCUSED THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN MY PERSONAL LIFE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING I MAY ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO."
The Weekly Poll
Update
I'll be back August 17th with a two week long Emmy Contest with a prize! Yes! A nice one, too! Details will be posted beforehand to whet yer interest, so stay tuned! Until then, thanks to all... Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
wrote:
agreed with B2tbBob, answering:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and pleasant.
We're having more plumbing problems. Sigh.
Rolling Stone Writer Denied Embed
Michael Hastings
The author of the Rolling Stone article that ended the military career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former top commander in Afghanistan, has been denied permission to join U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Defense Department spokesman Col. David Lapan told reporters that freelance writer Michael Hastings was rebuffed when he asked to accompany, or "embed," with American forces next month.
The rejection came as the Pentagon ramped up an internal investigation into the circumstances behind some of the most salacious material Hastings used in his article in Rolling Stone. The Army inspector general is interviewing current and former McChrystal aides, The Associated Press has learned.
The inspector general, an independent investigator, is considering whether officers were insubordinate and how far up the chain of command responsibility for decisions involving the Hastings interviews extended, officials said. Defense officials outlined the investigation on condition of anonymity because it is ongoing and has reached no conclusions.
Michael Hastings
Hollywood's Top Paycheck
Sandra Bullock
Nobody would argue that 2010 has been an up-and-down year for Sandra Bullock, given her best actress Oscar for "The Blind Side" followed by her divorce from scandal-plagued husband Jesse James.
But on Tuesday, Bullock landed atop Hollywood's heap again when financial website Forbes.com named her the highest paid actress of the past 12 months having earned $56 million from two box office hits, romantic comedy "The Proposal" and football film, "The Blind Side."
Tied for the No. 2 spot were Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz, both making $32 million. Though Witherspoon has not been on screen since 2008, she received advance paychecks for upcoming films, "How Do You Know" and "Water for Elephants".
Jennifer Aniston came in at fourth place with $27 million, and "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker was No. 5 at $25 million.
Sandra Bullock
Going Off-Broadway
`Real Housewives of New Jersey'
Cast members from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" are going off-Broadway.
An announcement Tuesday says Teresa Giudice, Ashley Holmes, Jacqueline Laurita, Caroline Manzo and Lauren Manzo will join the cast of "My Big Gay Italian Wedding" for four performances Sept. 1-4. The comedy is playing at St. Luke's Theatre.
A portion of the proceeds from tickets sales and from tickets sold to a post-show party on Sept. 1 will benefit Marriage Equality New York, which works to raise public awareness for equal marital rights.
`Real Housewives of New Jersey'
Falls For Patient Fan
Butch Patrick
Forty-five years after a Pennsylvania woman sent a fan letter to her favorite TV star, they're a couple.
Donna McCall says she had childhood crush on Butch Patrick, who played the boy werewolf Eddie Munster in the mid-60s sitcom "The Munsters." She was 10 when she wrote to her favorite Munster, and he responded.
Fast-forward to this past spring, when the 55-year-old former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader read something online that reminded her of her crush. She found an e-mail address for Patrick, and a correspondence began.
The pair decided to meet in May at a horror convention in western Pennsylvania called DraculaCon. Fifty-seven-year-old Patrick has left his homes in Los Angeles and Florida to be with McCall in West Chester.
Butch Patrick
Recipients Named
Opera News Awards
Conductor Riccardo Muti, sopranos Kiri Te Kanawa and Patricia Racette, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and tenor Jonas Kaufmann have won this year's Opera News Awards.
The five will be honored at a dinner on April 17 in New York, with proceeds going to the Metropolitan Opera Guild's education programs.
Muti, former music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Milan's Teatro alla Scala, made his Metropolitan debut this year conducting Verdi's "Attila" and becomes music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this season.
Opera News Awards
Car For Sale
Diana Dors
A curvy car for a curvy star, as Diana Dors' light blue sports car goes up for auction in California.
The blonde bombshell's 1949 Delahaye Type 175 S Roadster, to be precise. Only 51 of this special car were ever made, with production on a small scale.
Bought for the actress when she was just 17 and didn't even have a licence, for £5,000. A lot of money back in the late forties, but it will set its buyer back a lot more when the auctions gets under way on the 14th August in Monterey in California.
RM Auctions setting an estimate of between $4 and $6 million for what is probably the French car maker's most extravagant post-war design.
Diana Dors
Extra Security At Trial
Naomi Campbell
War crimes judges on Tuesday ordered special security measures for fashion model Naomi Campbell when she testifies at the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, barring photographers from catching her entering or leaving the courtroom.
The judges say Campbell's fears for her safety and privacy are legitimate because of her high profile and the intense media interest in her appearance.
In its ruling, the Special Court for Sierra Leone instructed authorities to ensure that no one photograph, video tape or even sketch Campbell in or around the courtroom.
Her testimony, however, will be recorded as usual by courtroom cameras.
Naomi Campbell
Wins Jury Verdict
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. has successfully defended a lawsuit brought by a diver who was injured on the set of Clint Eastwood's 2006 drama "Flags of Our Fathers."
James Chizmar Jr. sued the studio and Eastwood's Malpaso production company seeking more than $10 million in damages from injuries suffered during the 2005 shoot of the World War II epic.
On Friday, after a four-week jury trial, a Norwalk, Calif, jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of the studio (Eastwood's company was previously dismissed), finding that Warners followed safe practices and was not negligent.
Warner Bros.
Art Dealer Gets 6 Years
Lawrence Salander
A New York art dealer who duped collectors including tennis star John McEnroe and actor Robert De Niro out of more than $100 million was sentenced to at least six years in prison on Tuesday.
Lawrence Salander, 61, pleaded guilty in March in New York Supreme Court to an array of schemes, such as selling shares of the same work of art to multiple owners and selling artwork that did not belong to him and pocketing the proceeds.
Salander was sentenced to between six and 18 years in prison and must also pay $120 million in restitution to victims under a plea agreement.
Prosecutors said the Manhattan art dealer sold several paintings by De Niro's father without the actor's permission.
Lawrence Salander
Rapper Gets 10 Days
Noize MC
One of Russia's most prominent rappers has been given a 10-day jail sentence for disturbing public order by mocking the police in front of thousands of young revelers, the police said on Tuesday.
Rapper Ivan Alexeyev, 25, who is known as Noize MC, taunted policemen as "animals" at a July 31 concert in the southern Russian city of Volgograd.
Known for caustic lyrics, he performed a song about police brutality, which included the lines "Citizen! Halt. Halt. Turn out your pockets, slap, slap. Now your kidneys, kick, kick. Well off you go. Forget it, swallow it, be silent."
After the concert, he was approached by police and taken into custody until August 2 when a court found him guilty of disorderly conduct and sentenced him to 10 days in prison, his spokesman Alexander Berger said.
Noize MC
Calls It Quits
Bristol Palin
Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have called off their second engagement after he told her he may have fathered a baby with another woman.
Palin declined to identify the woman to People magazine, but a pregnant ex-girlfriend of Johnston has publicly denied he is the father.
Palin, the 19-year-old daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Quitter), said Johnston told her about the baby on July 14, the day the couple announced their re-engagement. Bristol Palin and the 20-year-old Johnston have a toddler son together, Tripp.
Palin had said she didn't have her mother's full support over reconnecting with Johnston. She said both her mother and father worried she would get hurt again.
Bristol Palin
Dumps Sony Label For Universal
American Idol
Entertainment mogul Simon Fuller's 19 Management said on Tuesday it signed up Universal Music Group as the label for artists in future seasons of its hit TV show, American Idol, unceremoniously dumping its Sony Music partner of the last nine seasons.
The new deal will see Universal market and distribute albums from American Idol finalists and winning contestants starting from the 10th season, the first one without acerbic judge Simon Cowell.
Universal, the world's largest music company, which is owned by French media and telecommunications group Vivendi SA, will distribute the music on its Interscope Geffen A&M label.
The announcement is the first major deal for Universal Music under the stewardship of new chief executive Lucian Grainge. The deal is expected to be for a minimum of three seasons, according to a person familiar with the situation.
American Idol
House Backs Deal
Comcast & NBC
A lawmaker who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives' communications subcommittee is urging regulators to approve Comcast Corp's purchase of a controlling stake in NBC Universal, as long as consumers still have access to a wide array of video programing.
Representative Rick Boucher sent letters dated Monday to the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, which are reviewing the proposed deal. He said NBC programs should not be available exclusively to Comcast subscribers.
Boucher, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, and other lawmakers, cannot tell the Justice Department and FCC what to do, but they do have an oversight role.
The combination of Comcast, the No 1 U.S. cable operator, and NBC Universal, which is majority owned by General Electric Co, would create the largest U.S. media company.
Comcast & NBC
Reach 10-Year Agreement
Comcast & CBS
CBS Corp and Comcast Corp, the No. 1 U.S. cable company, said on Monday they reached a 10-year programing agreement that includes the CBS broadcast network and pay-TV channel Showtime.
The arrangement also includes expanded distribution of CBS College Sports as well as CBS and Showtime content online and the launch of the Smithsonian Channel on Comcast.
Under the new deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, CBS will be paid so-called retransmission fees for the continued carriage of its free-to-air broadcast signals by Comcast.
Comcast & CBS
Tea Bagger Music Duo Splits Over Politics
'Liberty Leaders'
A Colorado fife-and-drum duo that became a fixture at tea party gatherings has split up over political differences.
Fife player John Weins, of Johnstown, says he has parted ways with snare drummer Mel Hilgenberg because the two strongly disagreed over candidates for Larimer County sheriff.
Weins and Hilgenberg performed as the Liberty Leaders, wearing tri-cornered hats and other Revolutionary War-era garb.
Weins owned the costumes and drum and says he'll continue to perform with a new drummer.
'Liberty Leaders'
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for July 26-Aug. 1. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "America's Got Talent" (Wednesday), NBC, 9.76 million.
2. "NCIS," CBS, 9.73 million.
3. "America's Got Talent" (Tuesday), NBC, 9.69 million.
4. "The Bachelorette," ABC, 8.87 million.
5. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 8.4 million.
6. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 8.32 million.
7. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.95 million.
8. "The Mentalist," CBS, 7.43 million.
9. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 7.21 million.
10. "Big Brother 12" (Sunday), 7.11 million.
11. "Wipeout" (Tuesday), ABC, 7.01 million.
12. "Big Brother 12" (Wednesday), 6.707 million.
13. "Rookie Blue," ABC, 6.706 million.
14. "Big Brother 12" (Thursday), CBS, 6.52 million.
15. "Wipeout" (Thursday), ABC, 6.46 million.
16. "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 6.4 million.
17. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 6.21 million.
18. "CSI: NY," CBS, 6.18 million.
19. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 6.12 million.
20. "CSI: Miami," CBS, 6.11 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Morrie Yohai
The creator of Cheez Doodles, the crunchy, finger-staining orange snacks, has died.
Morrie Yohai died July 27 at his home in Kings Point, N.Y., at the age of 90. His family says the cause was cancer.
Yohai developed the snack in the 1950s. The company already was selling Dipsy Doodles rippled corn chips, which were made with a machine that spit them out under pressure.
His son Robbie Yohai says his father applied a similar concept for Cheez Doodles, adapting the machine to extrude liquefied cornmeal into a tubular shape. The shapes were then coated with seasoning and cheese.
Robbie Yohai says his father was amused that people thought the snack was the highlight of his life. He said it was only one of many things his father did.
Morrie Yohai
In Memory
Bobby Hebb
Bobby Hebb, whose 1966 pop music classic "Sunny" described a sincere smile from a woman that lifted the singer's burdens, died Tuesday. He was 72.
Family members and a funeral home spokeswoman said Hebb died at Centennial Medical Center. Friends said he had lung cancer.
"Sunny" also was recorded by many other singers, including Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett and Jose Feliciano.
Hebb had said in several interviews that he wrote "Sunny" in response to the slaying of his brother outside a Nashville nightclub and to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy a few days before.
After a Japanese artist had a hit with the song in Asia and vibraphone player Dave Pike recorded it in the United States, Hebb recorded the vocal at Bell Sound in New York.
At the height of "Sunny" popularity, Hebb toured with the Beatles.
In 1971, Lou Rawls won a Grammy award for "A Natural Man," written by Hebb and Sandy Baron. In 2004, Broadcast Music Incorporated honored Hebb for 6 million airings of "Sunny."
As recently as 2007, Hebb was still writing songs and had his own publishing company and record label, Hebb Cats.
Hebb was born to blind parents and raised in Nashville. He joined the Navy in 1955 where he played the trumpet in a jazz band.
In the 1950s Hebb also played and danced with Roy Acuff's country band, the Smoky Mountain Boys, and became one of the first black musicians to perform on the Grand Ole Opry show in Nashville.
Funeral services were pending. Survivors include a daughter and four sisters.
Bobby Hebb
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