'TBH Politoons'
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
DAVID S. BERNSTEIN: Buying the campus mind
Ideologues are paying big bucks to influence the college experience - but you won't hear that from your school
Andrew Tobias: The Republicans' Deep Bench (Oct. 3)
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's porch will be better than ever one day. Current Senate Majority Leader Frist will save a small fortune in reduced capital gains tax on his exceptionally well-timed stock sale. We will borrow $200 billion from the Chinese to rebuild New Orleans so we don't have to roll back those tax cuts on the best off. And we'll do our darnedest to eliminate the estate tax on Dr. Frist's fortune when he goes. We'll make up the difference, when the time comes, by borrowing that, too. It's modern Republican priorities. Teddy Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller - Richard Nixon, even - they must all be rolling over in their graves.
Jan Frel: A Brief History of Rage, Murder and Rebellion (AlterNet.com)
An interview with Mark Ames, whose book ["Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion -- From Reagan's Workplaces to Clinton's Columbine and Beyond" (Soft Skull, 2005)]: about rage murders in American schools and workplaces claims these violent acts are, in effect, failed revolts.
Mark Ames: EXCERPT: The Scene of the Crime Was the Cause of the Crime (AlterNet.com)
It wasn't Marilyn Manson or lax gun control laws that prompted Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold to open fire at Columbine High School. It was life at Columbine.
Mark Ames: EXCERPT: Breaking Down at the Post Office (AlterNet.com)
The first rage killing in an American post office wasn't the work of a psychopath, but a man who was abused by his employer and couldn't take it anymore.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Goodfellow And The Beat And Blow
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still cool on the coast - much warmer inland.
Ran out to the Valley to see a couple of old pals. Don't get out there much anymore.
Traffic was amazing - didn't need to downshift once I was on the freeway, in either direction. Reminded me of what it was like to drive here, 20+ years ago, on a Sunday morning.
Turning Show Over to U2 - Thursday
Conan O'Brien
In his 12 years in charge of booking musical guests on Conan O'Brien's "Late Night," Jim Pitt always listed U2 and Johnny Cash as the dream artists he'd tried but never succeeded in getting.
He lost his chance with the late Cash, but the U2 dream is coming true Thursday in a major way.
O'Brien will turn over his entire show to the band, which is in New York for seven sold-out engagements at Madison Square Garden.
The NBC show has never before devoted itself entirely to a musical guest, although it gave major time a few years back to a holiday appearance by bandleader Max Weinberg's other employer, Bruce Springsteen.
Conan O'Brien
The Adelphia Audio 'Glitch'
KABC-TV
About 175,000 fans of the TV hit "Desperate Housewives" tuned in to Sunday night's broadcast, only to hear Hatcher's character Susan react in Spanish after backing into Sheridan's roller-blading Edie. The 50-minute glitch prompted a number of complaints.
The mishap was caused by equipment failure that erroneously picked up KABC-TV's simulcast of the show that was supposed to be aired on a secondary audio programming channel.
The problem was indirectly related to cable equipment damaged last week during the Topanga fire, which caused a temporary outage for some customers. The fire in the northwest part of the city burned more than 24,000 acres and destroyed three homes.
About 20 percent of Adelphia Communications Corp. customers in Southern California were affected.
The company also received complaints from customers who missed Wednesday's episode of "Lost" that wasn't aired because of an outage due to the fire. KABC rebroadcast the episode Monday night.
KABC-TV
ABC Picks Up For 4th Season
Jimmy Kimmel
ABC said Monday that it has picked up a fourth season of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," extending the late-night talk show through January 2007.
The network cited recent ratings growth in its announcement, noting that the show has seen its viewership grow in total viewers and the adults 18-49 demo in recent weeks. ABC said "Kimmel" draws an average audience of 1.5 million viewers per night.
Jimmy Kimmel
Memorial Concert
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono said she will hold a memorial concert this weekend in Japan to mark the 25th anniversary of her husband John Lennon's murder.
The 72-year-old said she will sing Beatles songs solo for the first time at Friday's concert, something she felt both "embarrassed and thrilled" about.
Ono will play at Nippon Budokan hall in central Tokyo where The Beatles played their first concert in Japan in 1966.
Yoko Ono
Hopes for Better Old Vic Season
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey was to launch his second season in charge of the Old Vic Tuesday, stepping onstage as a troubled British monarch in Shakespeare's "Richard II."
The Academy Award-winning actor has had troubles of his own since becoming artistic director of the venerable London theater in 2004. His first season produced solid box-office returns - but decidedly mixed reviews.
Built in 1818, the Old Vic was for generations the proving ground of British actors. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was the leading forum for Shakespeare in London, staging productions with Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson.
But by 1998, the theater was in danger of closing after years of financial trouble. It was rescued last year by a trust that includes Elton John and Spacey.
Kevin Spacey
Baby News
Sienna-Marie James
It's a girl for "King of Queens" star Kevin James. James' wife, Steffiana, gave birth to the couple's first child, Sienna-Marie, on Friday, the actor-comedian's publicist, Jennifer Allen, said in a statement Tuesday.
The couple were married in June 2004.
Sienna-Marie James
Already Juggling Schedules
TV Networks
The premiere of "Commander in Chief" with Geena Davis was the only new program in Nielsen's top 20 and even that came with an asterisk: the show's audience skewed old, not something ABC really wants.
NBC said this Friday's airing of the new fertility clinic drama, "Inconceivable," was being yanked in favor of a "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" rerun. It's not officially a cancellation, but given that only 4.5 million people saw "Inconceivable" last week, its prospects are dim.
Starting Wednesday, NBC will flip-flop the Pentagon drama "E-Ring" and the Martha Stewart version of "The Apprentice" on its schedule in a bid to give the struggling shows new life.
TV Networks
Headbutted Italian Photographer
Gerard Depardieu
French film star Gerard Depardieu was accused of headbutting an Italian photographer who tried to snap him in Florence in the company of a young woman.
"Everyone recognized him in the San Lorenzo market and many people took his photo," according to Dario Orlandi, reporting the incident which took place Monday.
"I followed him but at a distance with a long lens. When we got to the entrance to Medici chapel, he signalled to me to come over. When I approached me he had his hands in his pockets and without warning headbutted me in the face."
Orlandi was taken to the accident department of a local hospital and treated for bruising and told to take four days off work.
Gerard Depardieu
Returning to 'Spamalot'
Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria, Broadway's original Knight of Ni - not to mention its Tim the Enchanter, the French Taunter and a very gay Sir Lancelot - returns Dec. 2 to "Monty Python's Spamalot."
Azaria left the hit Broadway musical in June to begin filming another season of his Showtime television series, "Huff."
David Hyde Pierce, who has been in the show since it opened on Broadway in March, has extended his stay until April 2006. But the musical will get a new King Arthur on Dec. 20, when Simon Russell Beale takes over from Tim Curry.
Hank Azaria
Defends Kate Moss
Sharon Stone
Actress Sharon Stone defended Kate Moss on Tuesday and implicitly criticized companies who were parting with the British supermodel after a newspaper alleged Moss had snorted cocaine.
"I'd like to say as for Kate Moss, I understand that she has apologized and is changing her life. And I think that that is the most important thing that's happened," Stone, the star of sultry thriller "Basic Instinct," said in Paris.
"I think that we have to be aware that people are allowed to make mistakes in their life," she told a news conference at which she was being presented as the new face to promote Christian Dior's Capture Totale anti-ageing line.
"If you are in here and haven't made a mistake, I'd like to meet you because I've been waiting for Jesus -- and today would be the day," Stone said to loud laughter.
Sharon Stone
Sues Concert Promoter
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson filed a lawsuit Monday against a concert promoter to prevent arbitration over a disputed 1999 concert contract.
Jackson and his company, MJ Company, sued concert promoter Marcel Avram and his German-based company for breach of contract, according to court papers. The lawsuit also seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent Avram from proceeding with arbitration.
Jackson in November 2002 testified in a $21 million lawsuit brought against him by Avram, who accused the entertainer of backing out of two concerts on New Year's Eve 1999. A Santa Barbara County jury in March 2003 ruled that Jackson must pay Avram $5.3 million.
Michael Jackson
Confirmed in Satellite Photos
'Milky Sea'
Mariners have long told of rare nighttime events in which the ocean glows intensely as far as the eye can see in all directions.
Fictionally, such a "milky sea" is encountered by the Nautilus in Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."
Scientists don't have a good handle what's going on. But satellite sensors have now provided the first pictures of a milky sea and given new hope to learning more about the elusive events.
The newly released images show a vast region of the Indian Ocean, about the size of Connecticut, glowing three nights in a row. The luminescence was also spotted from a ship in the area.
'Milky Sea'
Prime-Time Nielsen
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Sept. 26-Oct. 2. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.
1. (1) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 28 million viewers.
2. (2) "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 27.1 million viewers.
3. (4) "Lost," ABC, 23.1 million viewers.
4. (3) "Without a Trace," CBS, 21 million viewers.
5. (6) "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 17.6 million viewers.
6. (5) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 17.4 million viewers.
7. (10) "Survivor: Guatemala," CBS, 17.3 million viewers.
8. (11) "Cold Case," CBS, 16.7 million viewers.
9. (7) "Commander in Chief," ABC, 16.4 million viewers.
10. (9) "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 15.3 million viewers.
11. (11) "NCIS," CBS, 15.1 million viewers.
12. (14) "Law & Order," NBC, 15.1 million viewers.
13. (16) "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC, 14.8 million viewers.
14. (14) "ER," NBC, 14.4 million viewers.
15. (13) "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 14.4 million viewers.
16. (8) "NFL Monday Night Football: Kansas City at Denver," ABC, 13.6 million viewers.
17. (18) "House," Fox, 13.4 million viewers.
18. (23) "CSI: N.Y.," CBS, 13.3 million viewers.
19. (21) "Medium," NBC, 13.2 million viewers.
20. (24) "Crossing Jordan," NBC, 12.4 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Robert Hanson
Robert Hanson, the last surviving crew member of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber that flew combat missions over Europe during World War II, died Saturday of congestive heart failure. He was 85 and had suffered from heart problems, family members said.
Hanson was the radio operator on the Memphis Belle, which flew 25 combat missions over Germany and France while escaping some close calls. Hanson told his family stories about a chase involving several German planes, the bomber's tail being shot off and a nose dive that left the crew wondering if they should use their parachutes.
Hanson and the crew finished their 25th mission on May 17, 1943. He went on to work as a salesman for Nalley Fine Foods in Walla Walla and became a regional manager. He later worked for a candy company in Spokane, Wash.
Robert Hanson
In Memory
Ronnie Barker
British comedian Ronnie Barker, the big half of the famous duo The Two Ronnies and the indomitable Fletch in prison sitcom Porridge, has died aged 76.
A spokeswoman for The British Broadcasting Corporation said on Tuesday that the portly, bespectacled star died peacefully on Monday in the presence of his wife. He had been suffering heart trouble.
Ronald William George Barker was born in Bedford in 1929. At one stage he considered becoming a bank manager, the kind of middle class, respectable profession he would later parody mercilessly in his sketches.
But he chose the theater instead, appearing in plays and on the radio before breaking into television.
In 1971, he teamed up with Corbett for the first Two Ronnies series, a show based on deft wordplay and comic timing that attracted up to 17 million viewers at its peak.
Barker received an OBE, awarded by the state for distinguished work, and won many accolades including most recently a special tribute from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004.
Despite his success in Porridge and Open All Hours, in which he played the stuttering, lascivious shopkeeper Arkwright, Barker was never comfortable in the limelight and spent his retirement since 1988 running an antique shop in rural England.
Barker was survived by his wife, Joy Tubb, a daughter and two sons.
In Memory
Paul Pena
Paul Pena, a San Francisco blues guitarist who wrote one of the biggest hits for the Steve Miller Band, has died. He was 55.
Pena was perhaps best known for writing "Jet Airliner," a Top 10 hit in 1977. He also was familiar to audiences for the 1999 Academy Award-nominated documentary "Genghis Blues," which tells the story of how he took up Tuvan throat singing.
Almost completely blind since birth and plagued by illnesses most of his life, Pena proved to be a natural musician, singing and teaching himself several instruments. In the late 1960s, he was in a band that opened for big-time acts including the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa. Blues artists ranging from T-Bone Walker to B.B. King to Bonnie Raitt recognized his talents, hiring him to play guitar in their bands.
In 1971, Pena moved to San Francisco, where he frequently opened for Jerry Garcia's and Merle Saunders' bands.
Paul Pena
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