'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
October 7, 2003
The Bush Administration rejected calls for an independent
counsel in the matter of Valerie Plame, whose identity as an
undercover CIA operative was revealed by at least one senior
White House official, possibly Karl Rove, in retribution for
her husband's skeptical remarks about the president's case
against Iraq.
Rove, the president's political adviser,
denied being the source of the leak, though he was
reportedly fired from George H.W. Bush's 1992 reelection
campaign for leaking damaging information about a rival to
Bob Novak, the very columnist who exposed Plame in July.
Plame and Rove, it was reported, attend the same Episcopal
church.
It
was noticed that Joe M. Allbaugh, resident Bush's former
campaign manager and until recently the head of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, has set up a consulting firm to
help clients exploit the occupation of Iraq.
According to
the company's website, "New Bridge Strategies, LLC is a
unique company that was created specifically with the aim of
assisting clients to evaluate and take advantage of business
opportunities in the Middle East following the conclusion of
the U.S.-led war in Iraq."
The company describes the
"opportunities" in Iraq as "unprecedented" in nature and in
scope.
Allbaugh was apparently exasperated by the attention
being paid his new company: "Because my friend is president
of the United States," he said, "I'm supposed to check out
of life?"
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
--Roger D. Hodge
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Well, at least the weather is nice.
Looks like we have a serial predator for governor.
Might suggest everyone invests in a giant can of Crisco, 'cause it's going to be needed.
An ability to grasp one's ankles might be useful, too.
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS begins the evening with '60 Minutes II', followed by a FRESH 'King Of Queens', then the
Season Premiere of 'Becker', followed by a FRESH 'Brotherhood Of Poland, NH'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave is Anthony Hamilton.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Anthony LaPaglia, Molly Sims, and Ben Bailey.
NBC starts the night with a FRESH 'Ed', followed by a FRESH 'West Wing', then a
FRESH 'Law & Order'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are George Carlin, Chris Matthews, and Dido.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Lucy Liu, Michael Moore, and Gov't Mule.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Vanessa Marcil, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, and Michelle Branch.
ABC opens the night with a FRESH 'My Wife & Kids', followed by a FRESH 'It's All Relative', then a
FRESH 'The Bachelor', followed by a FRESH 'Karen Sisco'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Eve, Sarah Chalke, animal expert Jeff Corwin, and Lou Rawls, with this week's guest co-host Bobcat Goldthwait.
The WB offers a FRESH 'Smallville', followed by a FRESH 'Angel' (part 2 of 2).
Faux has 'MLB Baseball', so prime time on the left coast will be RERUN 'Simpsons' and 'King Of The Hill'.
UPN has a FRESH 'Enterprise', followed by a FRESH 'Jake 2.0'.
A&E has 'Biography' (Lee Marvin), 'American Justice', and 'The Kobe Case'.
AMC offers the movie 'Highlander', followed by the movie 'To Hell & Back', then the movie 'Glory Brigade'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Cash in the Attic' - Rice;
[7pm] 'Ground Force' - Nottingham;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - France;
[8pm] 'Homefront in the Garden' - New Barnet;
[8:30pm] 'Homefront in the Garden' - Oxford;
[9pm] 'My Hero' - Episode 1;
[9:40pm] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 9;
[10:20pm] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 10;
[11pm] 'So Graham Norton' - Johnny Knoxville;
[11:30pm] 'So Graham Norton' - Jennifer Tilly;
[12am] 'My Hero' - Episode 1;
[12:40am] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 9;
[1:20am] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 10;
[2am] 'Homefront in the Garden' - New Barnet;
[2:30am] 'Homefront in the Garden' - Oxford;
[3am] 'So Graham Norton' - Johnny Knoxville;
[3:30am] 'So Graham Norton' - Jennifer Tilly;
[4am] 'My Hero' - Episode 1;
[4:40am] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 9;
[5:20am] 'Keeping Up Appearances' - Episode 10; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has 'West Wing', 'The Desilu Story', 'West Wing', and another 'West Wing'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jon Stewart is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Failure Is Not An Option', and 'Modern Marvels'.
SciFi has the movie 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day', followed by the movie 'Fortress 2: Re-entry'.
TCM celebrates the greatly overlooked director
Rouben Mamoulian most of the day, and pays tribute to the recently deceased
Elia Kazan all night.
[6am] 'Parlor, Bedroom And Bath' (1931);
[7:30am] 'Burn 'Em Up O'Connor' (1939);
[9am] 'Queen Christina' (1933);
[11am] 'Becky Sharp' (1935);
[12:30pm] 'Golden Boy' (1939);
[2:30pm] 'The Mark Of Zorro' (1940);
[4:15pm] 'Summer Holiday' (1948);
[6pm] 'Baby Doll' (1956);
[8pm] 'Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey' (1995);
[9:30pm] 'On The Waterfront' (1954);
[11:30pm] 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951);
[1:45am] 'Blues In The Night' (1941) [directd by
Anatole Litvak, with
Elia Kazan in a supporting role {as Nickie Haroyen}]; and
[3:30am] 'A Face In The Crowd' (1957). (ALL TIMES EDT)
Books against United States resident George Bush are seen in New York on October 6, 2003. Bookstore display tables give the distinct impression there is a lot of lying going on in America these days, with resident George W. Bush and his top advisors portrayed as the main culprits.
Photo by Chip East
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
No FCC Action
Bono
The Federal Communications Commission decided that U2 singer Bono's utterance of an obscenity during this year's broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards did not constitute a violation of the nation's broadcast indecency rules.
On Monday, the government agency's Enforcement Bureau rejected complaints by the Parents Television Council and others that Bono's use of the phrase "this is really, really f---ing brilliant" failed to meet the test for indecency. The bureau ruled that Bono's indiscretion was so "fleeting and isolated" that it did not run afoul of the rules.
Bono
Launching Clothing Line
Beyonce
In what is becoming a rite of passage for top music stars, Beyonce is adding fashion designer to her list of credits.
Beyonce plans to launch two clothing collections by next year, the fashion trade paper Women's Wear Daily reported Monday. Her design collaborator will be her mother, Tina Knowles, who's also Beyonce's stylist and the author of "Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child" (Regan Books).
The first line will be more "funky and hip-hop," featuring T-shirts and jeans, while the other will be more like a designer collection with feminine dresses and separates, the duo described to WWD. "We want to bring some of the couture look to a broader public," Knowles said.
Beyonce
Maryland's First Lady
Kendel Ehrlich
Maryland's first lady was only joking when she said she would like to shoot pop star Britney Spears, but on Tuesday it was no longer a laughing matter.
Kendel Ehrlich, wife of the state's Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich, had been criticizing what she views as the entertainment industry's negative influence on youth, during a domestic violence prevention conference last week in the city of Frederick.
"Really, if I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would," Ehrlich laughingly told the audience, accusing the 21-year-old Grammy Award-nominated singer of exaggerating the importance of sex for young girls.
Frederick radio station WFMD discovered Ehrlich's remark about Spears while reviewing a conference tape-recording and ran a news story about it on Monday. By Tuesday, the first lady's office was forced to issue a statement.
Kendel Ehrlich
Thanks, Alex!
A staff member lifts the largest D color internally flawless diamond ever to appear at auction from its display box at Sotheby's auction house in London, October 7, 2003. The diamond is expected to fetch between five and six million pounds ($8-10 million) when auctioned in Geneva on November 20.
Photo by Toby Melville
Practices With Timberwolves
Craig Kilborn
At least Craig Kilborn, host of CBS' "The Late Late Show," didn't cause the Minnesota Timberwolves any problems when he joined the team for two training camp workouts.
Kilborn, a native of Hastings and an avid Wolves fan, brought a camera crew along Monday for footage that will air in the next few weeks.
The 41-year-old, who played basketball at Montana State, also planned to take part in the Wolves' scrimmage Tuesday night at Sexton Arena on the St. John's University campus.
Craig Kilborn
Picked Up For Another Season
'Nick & Jessica'
MTV announced Monday that it has renewed the reality series "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica," which follows pop singers Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson as they muddle through married life.
The series has made the 23-year-old Simpson infamous for her inability to do even the most basic housework and for her dippy-blonde moments, like the time she confused the tuna she was eating for chicken.
"Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish?" she asked Lachey, 29, in the show's first episode. "I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken by the Sea.'"
'Nick & Jessica'
Show Off to Slow Start
'Jesse Ventura's America'
"Jesse Ventura's America" isn't very crowded. The former Minnesota governor's MSNBC talk show debut was seen by a tiny audience of 194,000 people last weekend.
It badly trailed its cable news competition and scored fewer viewers than a rerun, taped profile of First Lady Laura Bush that MSNBC aired in the same Saturday evening time slot a week earlier, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Tuesday.
Ventura's show was troubled almost since MSNBC hired him. It was envisioned as a daily, prime-time fixture, but after its premiere was delayed several times, the network said it would run just once a week on Saturday — generally the least-watched night of television.
'Jesse Ventura's America'
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Book Published
Mr. Rogers
Mister Rogers may have left a void in millions of lives when he died but Mrs. Rogers hopes a new collection of his plainspoken wisdom will provide comfort to them as it did for her.
Joanne Rogers says "The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember," from Hyperion Books, was published for people who grew up watching Fred Rogers' public television show. It serves as testament to his timeless message of love, friendship and respect.
Culled from years of commencement speeches, songs, writings and interviews, the new book contains words of courage and inspiration — simple statements that made Mister Rogers a household name. At least one passage was pulled from a public service announcement that aired after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Proceeds from the book sale will go to The Fred Rogers Fund, which promotes children's development.
Mr. Rogers
East Java Volcano : Smoke and ash rise out from the summit of an active volcano at dusk in East Java, Indonesia, in this photo taken from a commercial plane. Government volcanologists are closely monitoring the volcanic activity that has been going on for months. Indonesia's southern region is home to several active volcanos.
Photo by Romeo Gacad
Draws Crowds 40 Years Later
Edith Piaf
Edith Piaf's turbulent path from a poor pavement singer to one of France's best-loved stars can be retraced by her fans in an exhibition opening in Paris this week to honor the 40th anniversary of her death.
Piaf was born Edith Giovanna Gassion in 1915 to an acrobat father and a singer mother. Visitors amble through a series of sets depicting her rise from the cobblestone streets of Paris to the red carpet of New York's Broadway theaterland.
Piaf's life changed when the owner of a cabaret saw her singing on the pavement. He invited her to perform in his club and dubbed the tiny singer "La Mome Piaf" -- street slang for little sparrow.
The exhibition includes dozens of photos, letters and recordings. Visitors pass through rooms decorated as Parisian nightclubs or backstage areas to end up in a chamber covered with pink roses as Piaf arrives on Broadway.
For more, Edith Piaf
To Teach Aspiring Opera Stars
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti, in London to promote his first ever pop album, said he'll spend his retirement teaching aspiring opera stars.
Pavarotti said he expected to teach mostly in Modena, Italy, his hometown, and in New York, where he also spends much of his time.
He said he would teach for free, because he wants to work with people who are good — not just those who could afford to pay him.
Luciano Pavarotti
www.lucianopavarotti.it
Making Comebacks
1980s Bands
Several bands famous in the '80s are working on and releasing albums in the coming months.
Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith are joining back together and reforming Tears for Fears. Smith left the band in 1991 and Orzabel continued it until 1995. Now they've signed a recording contract with Arista Records. A new album is expected in the spring.
Europe, the poodle-haired 1980s rock band from Sweden, is also recording an album with new material, and a world tour is planned. The group is known for its hit "The Final Countdown."
Bob Seger, whose tune "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" was an '80s staple, is releasing "Greatest Hits 2," Nov. 4, which will include "Katmandu" and "Shakedown," and will also feature three songs previously unavailable on a Seger album, plus two bonus videos.
And former 80s punk-girl Cyndi Lauper is teaming up with Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder for her new album "At Last," which will feature her versions of standards such as "Makin Whoopee," "Stay," and "Walk On By."
1980s Bands
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Receives Achievement Award
Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone has received a lifetime achievement award in Morocco, where he's filming the epic "Alexander" about Alexander the Great.
Stone, the director of provocative films including "JFK" and "Natural Born Killers," was honored late Monday with the Golden Star award during the third edition of the Marrakech international film festival.
With a budget of nearly $200 million, "Alexander" is being partially filmed near Marrakech in one of the largest film projects ever in this north African kingdom. Colin Farrell plays Alexander, and Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie co-star.
Oliver Stone
A Chinese man takes photograph of his wife and daughter beside a massive sculptural installation filling a factory warehouse, at an exhibition by British artist Antony Gormley called 'Asian Field' in Shanghai, October 7, 2003. 'Asian Field' is comprised of 192,000 clay figures, made under the guidance of Gormley, by over 300 people of all ages in China's Guangdong province using more than 100 tons of clay.
Photo by Claro Cortes IV
Triggers Gun Tussle
Elvis Memorabilia
A British museum is facing a battle with the government over its plan to import a collection of handguns once owned by Elvis Presley.
The museum wants to display the guns but has to prove it is complying with Britain's tough firearm laws.
The Home Office says it wants to know more about how the guns will be transported from the United States and how they will be safeguarded at the museum.
The six guns include a World War II Colt pistol, one of a set of three owned by Elvis. The King of Rock 'n' Roll presented one of the other two to U.S. President Richard Nixon on a visit to Washington in 1970.
They also include a Golden Beretta pistol which Elvis went to extraordinary lengths to buy.
For the rest, Elvis Memorabilia
Held in Manslaughter Case
Bertrand Cantat
A French rock star held in Lithuania on suspicion of manslaughter in the beating death of his actress girlfriend will stay in prison through Dec. 31, a Lithuanian judge ruled Tuesday.
Bertrand Cantat, lead singer of the popular French band Noir Desir, or Black Desire, has been held in Lithuania since late July after his girlfriend, actress Marie Trintignant, was found beaten into a coma. She later died.
Trintignant, 41, died Aug. 1 in a Paris hospital after she was beaten while in Lithuania where she was starring in a film. An autopsy found she died from multiple blows to her face and head.
Bertrand Cantat
Nielsen Ratings
Prime-Time
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Sept. 29-Oct. 5. Top 20 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, 26.7 million viewers.
2. (2) "Friends," NBC, 22.4 million viewers.
3. (3) "ER," NBC, 20.8 million viewers.
4. (4) "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 20.5 million viewers.
5. (8) "Survivor: Pearl Islands," CBS, 19.7 million viewers.
6. (7) "NFL Monday Night Football: Green Bay at Chicago," ABC, 17.7 million viewers.
7. (16) "Law & Order," NBC, 17.5 million viewers.
8. (9) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 17.3 million viewers.
9. (9) "Scrubs," NBC, 17.2 million viewers.
10. (6) "Will & Grace," NBC, 16.8 million viewers.
11. (11) "The West Wing," NBC, 16.3 million viewers.
12. (11) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 16.2 million viewers.
13. (14) "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," ABC, 15.5 million viewers.
14. (X) "Baseball Division Series: Chicago at Atlanta, Game 5," Fox, 15.4 million viewers.
15. (13) "Without a Trace," CBS, 15.3 million viewers.
16. (15) "NFL Monday Showcase," ABC, 15.2 million viewers.
17. (16) "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," NBC, 14.3 million viewers.
18. (16) "Cold Case," CBS, 14 million viewers.
19. (21) "The King of Queens," CBS, 13.6 million viewers.
20. (25) "Still Standing," CBS, 13.4 million viewers.
Prime-Time
In Memory
Wally George
Conservative talk show host Wally George, who sparred with liberal guests for two decades on "Hot Seat," died Sunday of pneumonia. He was 71.
George, the father of actress Rebecca De Mornay, had been at the hospital for three months due to complications from cancer.
George's combative television show, broadcast on KDOC-TV in Anaheim, rose to popularity in the 1980s. He called his approach "combat TV" and was known for interrupting guests by shouting insults at them.
Born George Walter Pearch in Oakland to a former vaudeville actress and the owner of a shipping company, George moved to Hollywood with his mother and at age 14 became a disc jockey with KIEV-AM in Glendale.
He hosted "The Wally George Show" and was a producer and co-host of "The Sam Yorty Show" before "Hot Seat" premiered in 1983.
Wally George
Samantha, a five-meter (17-foot) South African python pet, is carried by three men to the Malate church in Manila, Philippines, to mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2003. Pet owners brought their animals to church in a rite intended to draw public attention to St. Francis' cause, caring for the environment and God's other creations.
Photo by Aaron Favila
'The Osbournes'
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