'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Weekly Review
HARPER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
October 22, 2002
North Korea admitted that it has resumed work on its nuclear
arms-program; the United States retaliated by formally
withdrawing from a 1994 arms-control agreement, which will
immediately stop annual shipments of 500,000 tons of fuel
oil to North Korea.
Bush Administration officials accused
Pakistan of giving the North Koreans nuclear technology in
exchange for missiles to use on India. Kim Yong Nam, North
Korea's ceremonial head of state, claimed that his
government was ready to hold talks if the United States
would end its "hostile policy." A diplomat from the North
told one from the South that a "wind from the West" was
disturbing the weather.
President Bush said he thought that
Al Qaeda was responsible for the Bali, Indonesia, terror
bombing and reemphasized the firmness of his desire to
disarm Saddam Hussein. Abu Bakar Bashir, the Muslim cleric
whom American intelligence officials have blamed for the
attack in Bali, refused to condemn the bombing and said that
"the United States intelligence agency is behind the Bali
bombings in an attempt to justify their accusation that
Indonesia is a terrorist base." He also warned Australians
not to cooperate with America "because it will bring tragedy
for your country."
Indonesia, which does not yet have
American-style antiterrorism laws that permit detention
without evidence, was reluctant to arrest Bashir but finally
did so after he collapsed and was admitted to a hospital.
Buses were blown up in Manila and Israel. Several mail bombs
exploded in Karachi, Pakistan, and more shots were fired at
American soldiers in Kuwait.
The Council on Foreign
Relations in New York released a report arguing that the
Bush Administration will never succeed in cutting off funds
to Al Qaeda and other terrorists until it confronts Saudi
Arabia, where most of such funds are raised.
It was reported
that the CIA has begun covert operations in Kurdish Iraq,
and American officials acknowledged that the CIA had put the
wrong man's face on its wanted poster for Mullah Muhammad
Omar, the former head of the Taliban. Maulvi Hafizullah,
whose picture does appear on the poster, has been forced
into hiding. An American soldier in Afghanistan accidentally
blew up a giant container of Coca-Cola.
Continued at www.harpers.org/weekly-review
-- Roger D. Hodge
Alex's Entertainment Report
Alex
Reader Fun Link
from Steve B
Be sure to read it completely :) and click on the pictures as you
go....had me rolling on the floor!
Reader Contribution
from tim h
Bartcop's feature of the anti-porno man reminded me of this 1965 classic
produced by anti-porno and federal racketeer Charles Keating--which
proves that pornography begets communism (hmm...rise of internet and
collapse of communism in the same decade...coincidence?)
Anyway, this is a great archive of old 1940-1960's movies many of us saw
in school.
Reader Link
Spank Bush
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Was overcast again today, but mild. Not much sun.
Best part of the World Series was Tony Bennett singing the National Anthem.
Was picture day for the 4th grade. The kid was trimmed & primed for the occasion.
Today is 'cap day'. The kids are encouraged to wear (baseball) caps in an effort to 'cap drug use'. Really!
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS opens the night with '60 Minutes II', and follows with a fresh 'Amazing Race 3' and then a fresh 'Presidio Med'.
On a RERUN Dave, the scheduled guests are Rose McGowan and World-renowned highwire artist, Philippe Petit.
On a RERUN Craiggers, the scheduled guests are Vin Diesel, Cris Carter, and comic Joe Matarese.
NBC starts the night with something that looks Faux-in-nature (and that's not a good thing) - 'Extreme Variety', then a freaking RERUN of 'West Wing', followed by a freaking RERUN of 'Law & Order'.
On a RERUN Jay, the scheduled guests are Rosie O'Donnell, the world's smartest dog, and Kelly Clarkson.
On a RERUN Conan, the scheduled guests are Jarod Miller, Margaret Cho, and Jim Gaffigan.
On a RERUN Carson Daly (from 5/20/02), the scheduled guests are Kiefer Sutherland and Cold.
The WB has a fresh 'Dawson's Creek' followed by a fresh 'Birds Of Prey'.
Faux has game 4 of the World Series, and will hopefully fill any leftover primetime (on the left coast) with reruns of the 'Simpsons', 'King Of The Hill', and 'Drew Carey'. (Go Giants!)
UPN has a freaking RERUN 'Enterprise' followed by a fresh 'Twilight Zone'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Hollywood's Rock Walk
Grace & China
Grace Slick, lead singer of rock groups 'Jefferson Airplane,' 'Jefferson Starship,' and 'Starship,' poses with her daughter China Kantner (L) after Slick's induction
into Hollywood's Rock Walk, October 22, 2002 in Hollywood. Slick, best known for her song 'White Rabbit,' was one of the first female rock stars in the 1960's and 1970's
and currently devotes her time to painting.
Photo by Fred Prouser
#29
Writers Involved in Spat
Martin Amis & Christopher Hitchens
Novelist Martin Amis and journalist Christopher Hitchens used to be the best of friends.
But now the two writers, Oxford contemporaries who started their careers together on British magazines in the 1970s, are engaged in a genteel battle over a historical atrocity.
Fought through open letters full of careful courtesy and acid sarcasm, the debate between "Dearest Martin" and "Comrade Hitchens" about the crimes of Josef Stalin — and the West's reaction to them — has riveted Britain's literati.
The feud was sparked by the latest book from Amis, a respected novelist and essayist. "Koba the Dread" makes a withering attack on Western leftists, accusing them of ignoring the crimes of Stalin's Soviet dictatorship.
Amis addresses Hitchens ironically as "Comrade Hitchens" and berates him for condoning the "dead freedom, lies and violence" of the Soviet Union.
Hitchens responded with his own open letter, accusing Amis of making the "unpardonable assumption" that the left did not condemn Stalin.
Hitchens is an iconoclast whose targets have included Mother Teresa, and he is back in the news for his highly public falling out with the left over how to deal with Iraq and terrorism.
If you want all the details, Martin Amis & Christopher Hitchens
CBS Pulls Enron Picture from Schedule
'Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'
CBS has shredded plans to premiere its much-hyped Enron TV movie during the November sweep.
The network last week issued a revised movie schedule listing the premiere of James Bond picture "The World is Not Enough" in the Nov. 3 slot, after announcing in September that "The Crooked E: The
Unshredded Truth About Enron" would air that Sunday.
A November debut would have ensured CBS getting its Enron movie -- based on a book by a man who joined the energy company on April Fool's Day 2001 -- to the small screen before any of its competitors.
And that could still be a possibility, although no new airdate has been set for "Crooked E."
CBS' biggest Enron competitor, basic cable channel FX, is still developing its take on the subject, with Artisan Television, Fox TV Studios, and former "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman.
A CBS insider said "Crooked E" fell out the sweep due to a domino effect in the schedule created when the network decided to employ an unusual strategy for two-part miniseries "Master Spy: Robert
Hanssen Story." Originally, "Spy" was set to air Sunday, Nov. 17, and Tues., Nov. 19.
However, CBS opted not to preempt its Tuesday night series, and instead moved "Spy" to consecutive Sundays -- Nov. 10 and 17. The Bond picture, timed to coincide with November's theatrical release of "Die
Another Day," had been slotted for the 10th, and was then moved to Nov. 3, therefore bumping "Crooked E."
'Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'
''Truth'' and ''Charity''
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Restoration works in a Roman church have revealed two bare-breasted beauties designed by Bernini but hidden behind bronze "corsets" for more than 100 years, officials said on Tuesday.
The figures, representing truth and charity, were designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and sculpted with his assistants in the 1660s for the Baroque church of Sant'Isidoro, but later censored by religious leaders.
"The nudes were a bit too provocative for the Victorians, so they were covered with bronze corsets in 1863," Angela Negro, the director of restoration works at the church, told Reuters.
The striptease revealed two white marble figures squeezing their breasts seductively.
"The surprise was that the original marble hadn't been damaged in any way," Negro said. "We have always seen these virtues covered and we were worried about what we would find
underneath, but the nudes are in perfect condition."
The same was not true for a little marble cherub. After removing the loin cloth that had been added, restorers discovered his offending parts had been chipped off.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Falls Victim to Terror Scare
Southeast Asia Gigs
Concert tours to Southeast Asia have become the latest casualty of recent bomb blasts in Bali and the Philippines with veteran jazz guitarist George Benson and rock groups
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Oasis canceling shows.
American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers was due to perform in Bali in December but said on its Web site the show was canceled "due to (a) state department travel advisory."
Red Hot Chili Peppers also canceled a Manila appearance but shows will go on as scheduled in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia.
British rock group Oasis said on Monday it was pulling out of concerts in Manila and Singapore citing the "recent terrorist attacks both in Bali and the Philippines."
But not all artists were avoiding the region.
The New York Philharmonic Orchestra put on two shows in Manila over the weekend.
The orchestra moves on to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore next.
Southeast Asia Gigs
Favors ABC News Merger with CNN
Michael Eisner
Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner said on Monday he favors merging the news operations of Disney-owned broadcaster ABC and cable TV network CNN, which is owned by AOL Time Warner Inc.
"I can't say I know it's going to happen. I think I can say I'd like it to happen," Eisner said on CNN financial TV show Lou Dobbs Moneyline.
Eisner said such a merger would give ABC access to CNN's global audience, and CNN would gain ABC's presence in the 110 million U.S. households with television sets.
Eisner said both he and AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons favor doing a deal, and that regulatory and financial issues do not appear to be major hurdles.
"I think it makes great sense, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily, absolutely going to happen," Eisner said.
Michael Eisner
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Voices For 'Liberty's Kids'
Cronkite & Buffett
Warren Buffett and Walter Cronkite celebrated their showbiz debuts in Gotham on Monday at a luncheon screening of their animated American history TV series "Liberty's Kids."
Lunching at Wall Street's Fraunces Tavern, the venerable investor and anchorman -- who lent their voices to the PBS project -- chatted about their roles, the script and prospects for future episodes. They
are joined in the series by an A-list lineup of Hollywood voices, including Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Douglas and Sylvester Stallone.
The distinctive voice of Cronkite, (as Benjamin Franklin) is no stranger to the TV biz, but Buffett (as James Madison) is unlikely to stray too far from his Wall Street roots.
Voicing Madison, the father of the Constitution, wasn't Buffett's first TV foray. "I actually was on 'Days of Our Lives' (during his days as a shareholder of former ABC owner CapCities), and I remember all I got was a $10 wardrobe budget."
Cronkite & Buffett
Semiconductor Energy Laboratory
Glass 8-Bit CPU
Shunpei Yamazaki, president of Semiconductor Energy Laboratory (SEL), shows off a glass integrated with 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) at an unveiling in Tokyo October 22, 2002.
Sharp Corp, Japan's largest maker of liquid crystal displays, and SEL jointly developed the display with microprocessor circuitry applied directly to a glass, enabling the screen to
function like a computer. It is the world's first step toward the development of futuristic ultra-thin 'sheet computers,' and 'sheet televisions,' they said.
Photo by Toshiyuki Aizawa
Major League Baseball
Imax
Major League Baseball, Imax and producer Mandalay Entertainment are on the team for "Baseball: The Global Game," the first giant screen film about the national pastime.
The 45-minute picture chronicles the history of the game, focusing on the cross-cultural significance of baseball in Japan, Latin America and the U.S.. It traces the origins
of many of today's baseball heroes and explores the emergence of players from around the world.
"Baseball" will be produced in Imax's 15/70 format and distributed for exhibition exclusively in Imax theaters.
Imax
Charged with Fraud in Canada
Garth Drabinsky
Garth Drabinsky, who brought such hits as "Kiss of the Spider Woman" to Broadway, was charged along with three colleagues by Canadian police on Tuesday with massive fraud costing creditors and investors more than $318 million.
The case marks Canada's first high-profile prosecution of an alleged corporate accounting fraud since accounting scandals at Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc. put the issue in the public spotlight.
The charges follow a four-year criminal investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police into the finances of the failed theater producer, Livent, known for a string of hits in New York and Toronto.
Police said the charges involve alleged accounting irregularities within Livent between 1989 and 1998. The charges carry sentences of up to 10 years.
Garth Drabinsky
BartCop TV!
Expands to South Africa
Jerry Springer
"Jerry Springer Saturday Nite" will air across the African continent through pay TV.
Springer said it's the kind of show he enjoys doing — with celebrities. But don't expect any fights.
In the South African version, Springer will be interviewing national sports and entertainment celebrities. Springer already has a similar show in England. He says he may do
the show in other places as well.
Springer is recording 26 episodes of the late night show over the next few months. The show's proceeds will be donated to an AIDS awareness charity.
Jerry Springer
Manila
Miss Earth
Contestants of the Miss Earth contest plant tree saplings in Manila October 3, 2002. About 45 contestants from different countries are vying for the title of Miss Earth, a beauty competition
devoted to promoting the protection and preservation of Mother Earth.
Photo by Alex de la Rosa
Soon To Rest in Peace?
'MDs'
The producers of ABC's ratings-challenged rookie drama "MDs" may have inadvertently predicted the date of their own demise.
The network last week sent out an upcoming episode of the series dubbed "R.I.P." The episode is set to air Oct. 30 -- the night before the start of the November sweeps and the date
most industry insiders predict will be the last night "MDs" airs before going on what seems like an inevitable hiatus.
An ABC insider said no decision has been made on the fate of "MDs," and said that even if the show is pulled for sweeps, there's still a very good chance it might pop
up after the ratings period is over.
'MDs'
Sold Life Rights To DreamWorks
Ingrid Casares & Chris Paciello
Miami Beach nightclub impresarios Ingrid Casares and Chris Paciello have sold their life rights to DreamWorks, which will turn their story into a film to be directed by Kimberly Peirce ("Boys Don't Cry").
Casares was the well-connected galpal of Madonna when she joined forces with mystery man Paciello to open and operate nightclubs in Miami Beach. Clubs like Liquid gave the city the kind of celeb-studded
panache that Studio 54 provided Gotham in its heyday. But Paciello's good times ended in 1999.
Though he was movie star-handsome and clinked glasses with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs and Donald Trump, Paciello was arrested for a racketeering charge of felony murder and bank robbery, all
relating to his involvement years earlier while doing work in a mob crew associated with the Bonanno crime family.
Paciello, whose cases are still pending, and Casares have structured rights deals and will be consultants and possibly producers on the film. The negotiations have been ongoing for two months, to
make sure that Paciello would not be precluded from participating because of Son of Sam laws, which prevent convicted criminals from profiting from their crimes.
Ingrid Casares & Chris Paciello
'CSI' Leads CBS To Nielsens Victory
Crime Pays
Crime seems to be paying off for television networks this fall.
All three of the "Law & Order" franchises on NBC hit Nielsen Media Research's top 20 shows last week, along with both "CSI" series on CBS. Add in "Judging Amy" and CBS' new "Without a Trace," and that's seven crime-based hours among the top 20.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is settling in as television's most popular show. It drew nearly 31 million viewers last week, 5 million more than "Friends" or "ER."
Both ABC and CBS thought to challenge NBC's popular "Law & Order" with medical dramas on Wednesday night, and both are on life support. The roughly 13 million viewers who saw CBS' "Presidio Med" and ABC's "MDs" together couldn't
match the 19.3 million "Law & Order" viewers last week.
CBS won the Nielsen crown for the fourth straight week, averaging 12.7 million viewers in prime-time (8.4 rating, 14 share). NBC finished a narrow second with 12.3 million viewers (8.2, 13) and won handily in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic.
For the week of Oct. 14-20, the top 10 shows, their networks and ratings: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 18.6; "ER," NBC, 16.2; "Friends," NBC, 16.1; "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 13.6; "Law & Order,"
NBC, 12.8; "Survivor: Thailand," CBS, 12.8; "CSI: Miami," CBS, 12.7; "Will & Grace," NBC, 12.6; World Series Game 2: San Francisco vs. Anaheim, Fox, 11.9; "Scrubs," NBC, 11.3.
Crime Pays
In Memory
Jay R. Smith
An 87-year-old man found stabbed to death in the desert has been identified as a former child actor in the "Our Gang" film series.
The body of Jay R. Smith was found Oct. 5 near Interstate 15, about 25 miles north of Las Vegas, police said. He died from multiple stab wounds, the Clark County coroner's office said.
As a freckle-faced boy, Smith was in three dozen of the "Our Gang" short comedies from 1925-29, most of them silent. The series, better known to TV audiences as "The Little Rascals," ran from the 1920s to the early 1940s, and the casts of children changed over the years.
According to the book "The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang," Smith did have a prominent role in the 1928 short "Rainy Days." Baby-sitting, young Jay finds his small charges have drawn all over
the walls of his home. He tries to cover up the drawings with new wallpaper, and the homemade wallpaper paste creates a spectacular mess. But Jay smiles proudly at his returning mother, saying, "Notice anything, Mom?"
Among the other films he appeared in were "Love My Dog," "Bring Home the Turkey," "Crazy House," "Thundering Fleas" and "Fair and Muddy." Smith's brother Donnie also appeared in a few Our Gang films, according to the book.
"None of us took it seriously while it was happening," Smith once said. "But looking back, it was a very pleasant time in my life, and as I grow older, it gets more valuable."
As an adult, Smith owned a paint store. He also served in the Army in World War II.
Jay R. Smith
Sunset On Tuesday
Sydney
Sonnenuntergang über Sydney am Dienstag. Dichte schwarze Wolken hängen in der Luft und bedecken zum Teil die Sonne. Es handelt sich um den Qualm der über 60 Buschfeuer,
die derzeit im australischen Bundesstaat New South Wales toben. Und die Wetterkonditionen verschlechtern sich weiter. Viele Experten befürchten mit Blick auf die Buschfeuer,
dass der bevorstehende Sommer einer der heftigsten seit Jahrzehnten werden könnte.
Photo by David Gray
Reader Alert
'COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY'
from tim h
In the face of the controversial decision by the PBS network to refuse to
transmit the investigative report, the nation's top PBS stations will independently
broadcast COUNTING ON DEMOCRACY.
Directed by Emmy-award winner Danny Schechter, the 57-minute
documentary follows BBC television reporter Greg Palast as he discovers how Katherine
Harris removed up to 57,000 legal voters from registries - mostly black - five months before
the 2000 election. While the public broadcast network chiefs refused to schedule
this important report, dozens of local stations are insisting on showing the expose
before the mid-term elections.
10/24 (9 pm) KNME --- Albuquerque - Santa Fe, NM
10/24 (10 pm) WPTD --- Dayton, OH
10/24 (10 pm) WPTO --- Cincinnati, OH
10/27 (12 pm) WGCU --- Fort Myers - Naples, FL
10/30 (9 pm) KBDI --- Denver, CO
10/31 (10 pm) KLCS --- Los Angeles, CA
11/1 (12 am) KLCS --- Los Angeles, CA
11/3 (1 pm) WLRN --- Miami, FL
11/3 (2 pm) WHUT --- Washington, DC
11/3 (5 pm) WNED --- Buffalo, NY
11/3 (10 pm) WUFM --- Missoula, MT
11/3 (10 pm) WUSM --- Butte - Bozeman, MT
11/4 (Midnight) WNET --- New York, NY
11/5 (10 pm) KCET --- Los Angeles, CA
11/6 (8 pm) WHUT --- Washington, DC
11/24 (1 am) KPBS --- San Diego, CA
For more information - www.globalvision.org/program/fla/fla.html
'The Osbournes'
Freshly updated! 'The Osbournes' ~ Page 3
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 2
'The Osbournes' ~ Page 1
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