'Best of TBH Politoons'
Contributor Comment
Re: Reader Comments
Dear Marty
I always enjoy your readers comments...although I wish more of your site visitors had something to say!!!! (just joking)
I especially like people who write and disagree or are incensed by something.....ass kissing is fun...but good old irate cynical comment is great.....we need more of that.
Humor is good......how about sending some goddam jokes in?
I would like to encourage Bart Cop E readers to interact more with the site....not like a fucking chat room.....but just to hear a variety of peoples comments.
I also would like to know where people are writing from...I'm in Oakland...
C'mon...talk it up
Purple Gene
Thanks, Purp!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
PAUL KRUGMAN: Don't Make Nice (The New York Times)
Now that the Democrats are strongly favored to capture at least one house of Congress, they're getting a lot of unsolicited advice, with many people urging them to walk and talk softly if they win.
Jane Bussmann: Oh, why can't the Guardian be more like a US newspaper? Start by giving those mucky facts a good wash right now (guardian.co.uk)
I moved to Los Angeles to get away from the Guardian and its British take on the "facts". Here in America, our facts have two showers a day and use beard trimmers all over.
Jacques Perreti: Notting Hill - a film about Madonna and Guy (guardian.co.uk)
So, I am lying comatose, Pinot Grigio'd into oblivion, watching the end credits of Richard Curtis's astounding-in-so-many-ways movie Notting Hill, and suddenly it hits me. This film isn't about Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant at all! It's about Madonna meeting Guy Ritchie.
And now for some snuff comedy ... (guardian.co.uk)
Could the short, anarchic movies now springing up on YouTube ever rival mainstream cinema? Our film critic Peter Bradshaw confesses to a growing addiction.
Human species 'may split in two' (news.bbc.co.uk)
Humanity may split into two sub-species in 100,000 years' time as predicted by HG Wells, an expert has said.
We're all big babies: How to be an adult (telegraph.co.uk)
Bombarded by petty rules, bossy advice and celebrity tittle-tattle, we have forgotton how to be adults. It's time we grew up, says Michael Bywater.
Goodbye Anna Russell (abc.net.au)
Deirdre tells us, "They even named a main street after her. But a funny story, you know as people get older we tend to think they are stone deaf or slightly senile. Well, this bureaucratic woman said, what is your name dear and Anna said, Anna Russell. Then the lady asked where do you live dear? Anna replied I live at Anna Russell Way to which the lady replied no, no, no dear that is your name where do you live?
EDWARD ROTHSTEIN: Anna Russell, Deft Parodist of Operatic Culture, Dies at 94 (nytimes.com)
Anna Russell, the prima donna of operatic parody who claimed to have begun her career as "leading soprano of the Ellis Island Opera Company," who said she learned to play the French horn from an article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and who gave indelibly grating performances of a song she identified as Blotz's "Schlumpf" to demonstrate what it is like to sing with "no voice but great art" died on Wednesday in Bateman's Bay, New South Wales, Australia. She was 94.
Militaryvideos.net
If you have trouble playing the video, you probably need the DivX codec
Some or all of these videos feature combat-related footage which may contain non-work or child-suitable content. Viewer discretion is advised.
How Many People in the U.S. Have Your Name? (howmanyofme.com)
* There are 87 people in the U.S. named Bruce Bruce.
* There are 782 people in the U.S. named David Bruce.
* There are 0 people in the U.S. named Uma Thurman. (This is a beta version of the program.)
Purple Gene Reviews
Trey Fanjoy & Herman Beeftink
Purple Gene's review of 2 people you never heard of:
IT'S ALL IN A NAME….MUSIC…AND …..DISNEY!!!!!!
Have you ever heard of "Trey Fanjoy"?? Great name …huh?
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny with a nice breeze.
Yesterday's page was posted a bit later than usual. Sometimes stuff happens.
Added a new flag - Madagascar - 
Plunges Into Election
Michael J. Fox
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease that all but ended Michael J. Fox's acting career are making him a powerfully vulnerable campaign pitchman for five Democrats who support stem cell research.
In 30-second TV ads for Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin, who is running for the Senate in Maryland, Senate candidate Claire McCaskill in Missouri and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, Fox shakes and rocks as he directly addresses the camera, making no effort to hide the effects of his disease.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 and revealed his condition publicly in 1998. In 2000, the "Spin City" and "Back to the Future" star quit full-time acting because of his symptoms and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, which has raised millions of dollars.
Michael J. Fox
Bridge School Benefit
Neil Young
Neil Young joined some of the biggest names in rock, including Pearl Jam, Brian Wilson and Dave Matthews Band, at the 20th anniversary benefit concert for the Bridge School during the weekend.
Young, who founded the educational center for disabled youth with his wife, Pegi, also performed two sets during the the Saturday installment, one solo acoustic and one with a band.
With brilliant sun washing over the sold-out crowd at Shoreline Amphitheatre, he opened the show with "Flags of Freedom," "Long May You Run" and "Comes a Time," joined by Pegi on vocals. Eight hours later, he was back on stage with a ramshackle band, unearthing obscure fare like "Field of Opportunity," "Human Highway" and "Homegrown," and jamming on "Rockin' in the Free World" with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, among others.
For a lot more, Neil Young
No. 1 Man's Man
George Clooney
George Clooney is the No. 1 man's man, according to a list compiled by AskMen.com.
The Oscar winner tops the Web site's list of what it calls the 49 best representatives of the male gender. Rap mogul Jay-Z, adventurer-entrepreneur Richard Branson, cyclist Lance Armstrong and designer Tom Ford make up the rest of the top five, in order.
Bill Clinton ranked 10th and Tiger Woods 13th. Travel-show host Anthony Bourdain was 19th on the list.
Rocker Bono was 27th, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was 29th and director Martin Scorsese was 46th. "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven ranked 49th.
George Clooney
Creditor Reps Named
Air America
The executive producer of Al Franken's Air America Radio show and two others were named on Tuesday to represent unsecured creditors in the liberal talk network's bankruptcy case.
The U.S. Trustee's office, a Department of Justice division that monitors bankruptcies, appointed three committee members: William Kimball, the Minneapolis-based executive producer of "The Al Franken Show;" Sacramento, Calif.-based Diamond Broadcasting; and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, a union that represents 70,000 journalists and entertainers in broadcast, radio and online.
Unsecured creditors rank below secured creditors in getting paid by companies that operate under bankruptcy court protection.
Air America
Top-Earning Dead Celeb
Kurt Cobain
Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley ceded his crown to Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain on Forbes.com's list as the top-earning dead celebrity.
The list, published on Tuesday, said grunge rocker Cobain earned $50 million between October 2005 and October 2006. Presley wound up in the No. 2 slot with $42 million, down from last year's $45 million.
Ranked after Presley is "Peanuts" cartoon strip creator Charles Schulz at $35 million.
Rounding out the top five were Beatle John Lennon at $24 million and groundbreaking physicist Albert Einstein at $20 million, whose estate profited from such licensing deals as the popular "Baby Einstein" educational videos.
Kurt Cobain
Named Olympics Consultant
Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones has joined Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee as an adviser on the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Grammy-winning composer-conductor was named culture and art consultant, his publicist, Arnold Robinson, said Monday.
Jones, 73, will also compose an original song for the Beijing Games, Robinson said.
Quincy Jones
Returns To New Orleans
Essence Music Festival
The Essence Music Festival, relocated to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, is on its way back to New Orleans.
The annual Fourth of July weekend event will return to New Orleans for the next three years under a deal struck Monday with magazine publisher Essence Communications Inc., which owns the festival.
The New Orleans tourism industry beat out Houston, which tried to keep the festival, known for its hip-hop, R&B and soul performances by night and inspirational "empowerment seminars" by day.
Essence Music Festival
Stage Show Breaks London Records
'Dirty Dancing'
The musical version of iconic 1980s film "Dirty Dancing", set to premiere in London, has shattered advance sales records in the famous West End theatre district.
The show has already rung up 11 million pounds (16 million euros, 20 million dollars) ticket sales, with close to 250,000 tickets sold so far.
The scriptwriter of the original movie, Eleanor Bergstein, has adapted her screenplay for the stage show, which made its debut in Australia in 2004.
'Dirty Dancing'
Sentenced To 3 Years' Probation
Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown was sentenced Tuesday to three years' probation for a fight with two nail salon employees, finally ending an assault case that dragged on for more than two years.
Brown, whose real name is Inga Marchand, tried to withdraw her guilty plea but a judge said the agreement was legitimate and imposed the sentence.
"I'm innocent," Brown argued before Judge Melissa C. Jackson, claiming she felt rushed at the time she made the plea agreement. She also said her previous lawyer had told her she would face jail time unless she agreed to the deal.
Jackson, after listening to last-ditch pleas from the 27-year-old rapper and her attorney, rejected the appeal for a two-week extension and new arguments, instead handing down the sentence worked out in earlier negotiations.
Foxy Brown
Wedding News
TomKat
Hollywood's most high-profile engaged couple have finally set a wedding date. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will marry in Italy on Nov. 18, Cruise's representative, Arnold Robinson, confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Holmes will wear a dress designed by Giorgio Armani, Robinson also confirmed.
TomKat
Sotheby's To Auction Letter
Catherine of Aragon
A letter from Catherine of Aragon pleading for help to preserve her marriage to King Henry VIII will be offered at auction in New York in December, Sotheby's said Tuesday.
Catherine, the first of Henry's six wives, wrote to her nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, asking him to use his influence to persuade Pope Clement VII to resist Henry's attempts to invalidate the marriage. The letter is dated Feb. 8, 1534.
Clement's rebuff of Henry led the monarch to reject papal authority, leading to the creation of the Church of England.
Catherine of Aragon
4 Additional Scripts
'Class'
CBS has ordered four additional scripts of its heavily promoted freshman comedy "The Class," which is off to a shaky start in the ratings.
The project follows a group of eight twentysomethings who reunite 20 years after being third-grade classmates. It is the last new CBS series whose fate has not been decided. The network already gave full-season orders to the dramas "Jericho" and "Shark" and canceled "Smith."
'Class'
Joins Anti-Smoking Fight
Weinstein Co.
Beginning with the December release of "Clerks II," the Weinstein Co. will begin placing anti-smoking public service announcements in DVD releases of its films.
"As a former smoker, I feel like it's my responsibility to do everything I can to educate young people about the dangers of smoking," Harvey Weinstein said Tuesday. "We really hope this initiative will have an impact with viewers across the country."
Weinstein and brother Bob decided to start inserting the anti-smoking messages at the request of the attorneys general of more than 40 states. The messages are being produced by the American Legacy Foundation, an organization created by a 1998 tobacco litigation agreement.
Weinstein Co.
Marketing Challenge
'Apocalypto'
Talk about a hard sell: this movie stars unknown actors speaking an obscure language and is directed by a man whose off-screen behavior has outraged many.
Figuring out a way to market Mel 'Sugar Tits' Gibson's latest movie, "Apocalypto," has many experts scratching their heads.
Unlike "The Passion of the Christ," Gibson's last film, "Apocalypto's" tale of human sacrifice among the ancient Mayans has no built-in audience of millions of Christians to draw on.
Gibson has teamed with Walt Disney Co. to market and distribute the film, which debuts on December 8, and he has already begun testing audience reaction by showing unfinished prints to audiences in Oklahoma and Texas.
'Apocalypto'
Customs Crackdown
Vegemite
Reports that U.S. customs agents are searching people from Australia and New Zealand for Vegemite, a popular yeast extract spread, has created consternation among antipodean expatriates living in America.
The Australian Embassy in Washington said on Monday it was looking into Australian media reports that customs officials were checking people for the salty brown spread.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has long prohibited imports of Vegemite because it contains folate, a B vitamin approved as an additive for just a few foods, including breakfast cereals.
Vegemite is made in Australia by U.S.-based Kraft Foods Inc.
Vegemite
Globalization's Loser
America's Middle Class
At the beginning of the 21st century, the United States is still a superpower. But it's a superpower facing competition from beyond its borders as well as internal difficulties. Its lower and middle classes are turning out to be the losers of globalization.
There are essentially three exclusive characteristics whose simultaneous development have served as the foundations of the United States's success up until now -- and they only appear in this particular combination in America. They are not only the country's biggest strengths, but also its greatest weaknesses. It's worth scrutinizing them more closely.
A German perspective - America's Middle Class
Prime-Time Nielsen
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Oct. 16-22. 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) "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 22.05 million viewers.
2. (4) "Dancing with the Stars," ABC, 21.25 million viewers.
3. (2) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 20.49 million viewers.
4. (3) "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 19.71 million viewers.
5. (6) "Dancing with the Stars Results," ABC, 19.23 million viewers.
6. (X) World Series Game 2: St. Louis vs. Detroit," Fox, 18.17 million viewers.
7. (5) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 18.12 million viewers.
8. (21) "Deal or No Deal," (Monday), NBC, 17.47 million viewers.
9. (X) "National League Championship Series Game 7: St. Louis vs. N.Y. Mets," Fox, 16.53 million viewers.
10. (10) "Lost," ABC, 16.31 million viewers.
11. (11) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 16.25 million viewers.
12. (9) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 16.2 million viewers.
13. (7) "CSI: NY," CBS, 15.99 million viewers.
14. (17) "NCIS," CBS, 15.92 million viewers.
15. (17) "Survivor: Cook Islands," CBS, 15.02 million viewers.
16. (19) "Cold Case," CBS, 14.81 million viewers.
17. (12) "Without a Trace," CBS, 14.79 million viewers.
18. (X) "Fox World Series Game 2-Pregame," Fox, 14.65 million viewers.
19. (15) "ER," NBC, 13.72 million viewers.
20. (19) "Shark," CBS, 13.71 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Nelson de la Rosa
Nelson de la Rosa, a 2-foot-4 actor and ubiquitous good-luck charm for the Boston Red Sox during their victorious 2004 World Series run, died Sunday, his agent said. He was 38.
De la Rosa, believed to be one of the world's smallest men, died of unknown causes in a Providence, R.I., hospital early Sunday morning, producer Andres Duran said.
After the baseball fan was introduced to then-Boston ace Pedro Martinez by a mutual friend, the two Dominicans became friends. De la Rosa became a regular presence in the team's clubhouse in the playoffs of the 2004 season, in which the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.
De la Rosa's body will be sent back to the Dominican Republic after an autopsy and then could be put on display in a museum, his agent said.
Nelson de la Rosa
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