Wednesday

Purple Gene Reviews

'Tony Bennett: An American Classic'

Purple Gene's review of the NBC TV special "Tony Bennett: An American Classic".
Produced and Directed by Rob Marshall:

WOW WOW WOW

I decided to watch the Tony Bennett Special instead of the "American Music Awards" last night and am I glad I did! While Jay-Z was rapping "Show Me What ya Got Shorty" and Gwen Stefani was doing "Yodelehi...yodelehi...yodelehi" I experienced possibly one of the greatest productions ever put on Commercial television. It was like being in an intimate nightclub setting...the Sahara in Vegas…with the scantily clad dancers, cool choreography, fabulous lighting, incredible sound - perfect make-up, hair, costumes (or lack of) and...Tony Bennett who just turned 80 years old...and...
   Stevie Wonder
   John Legend
   Diana Krall
   Michael Bublé
   Chris Botti
   Juanes
   Christina Aguilara
   Barbra Streisand
   Elton John

With
   John Travolta
   Catherine Zeta-Jones
   Robert DeNira
   Bruce Willis
   Billy Crystal

And the singing - it was amazing to watch and hear on my Samsung HDTV with surround sound.

Purple Gene give the NBC Tony Bennett special 10 out of 10 for being a very classy production.

P.S. I just turned back to ABC's American Music Awards to see Christian Slater and Sharon Stone (with fully erect nipples) introduce the Dixie Chicks. YAY!

Selected Readings

from that Mad Cat, JD

THE REPUGS KEEP USING A BLUNT INSTRUMENT ON EARMARKS

HOW TO COOK AN ENDANGERED SPECIES

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR!

WHAT PART OF STUPID CALL FOR WAR DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND CHIMP BOY?

THE MORE THE WHITE WING REPUGS CHANGE THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

THE TWISTED SCIENCE OF GEORGE BUSH

SAVING BUSH BUD BUTT

KILL THE RICH!

PUSHING DOWN ON THE STUPID PEDDLE

NO BRAIN! NO PLAN! NO PROBLEM! THANK YOU CHIMP BOY

"WHEN THEY STAND UP, WE'LL STAND DOWN" CHA,CHA,CHA

THE TIME IS NOW

Ark Of Darkness

In The Chaos Household

Last Night

Cooling off a bit - and more conducive to baking pies.

Tonight, Wednesday:

CBS starts the night with a FRESH 'Jericho', followed by a FRESH 'Criminal Minds', then a FRESH 'CSI: The 3rd One'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Stupid Pet Tricks, Matthew Broderick, and Lupe Fiasco & Jill Scott.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craig are Fred Willard, Ashley Scott, and Gabriel Iglesias.

NBC opens the night with the FRESH 'Madonna: The Confessions Tour - Live From London' (even though it was taped last summer), followed by a FRESH 'Medium.
Scheduled on a FRESH Leno are Julie Scardina, Ellen Pompeo, and Nelly Furtado.
Scheduled on a FRESH Conan are Will Arnett, Tiki Barber, and Billy Talent.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Ice-T and Head Automatica.

ABC begins the night with a FRESH 'Show Me The Money', followed by a FRESH FRESH 'Day Break', then a FRESH 'The Nine'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Regis Philbin and Jay-Z.

The CW offers a FRESH 'America's Next Top Model', followed by a FRESH 'One Tree Hill'.

Faux fills the night with the movie 'Cheaper By The Dozen'.

MY has a FRESH 'Desire', followed by a FRESH 'Fashion House'.

A&E fills the night with 'CSI: The 2nd One'.

AMC offers the movie 'Ghost', followed by the movie 'Speed 2: Cruise Control', then 'Hustle', followed by the movie 'The Blues Brothers'.

BBC  -   
 [2:00 pm]    As Time Goes By - Episode 5;
 [2:40 pm]    Are You Being Served - It Pays To Advertise;
 [3:20 pm]    Keeping Up Appearances - Episode 8;
 [4:00 pm]    The Avengers - The Joker;
 [5:00 pm]    Footballers Wives - Episode 1;
 [6:00 pm]    BBC World News;
 [6:30 pm]    Cash in the Attic - Pigott;
 [7:00 pm]    The Benny Hill Show - Episode 43;
 [8:00 pm]    Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 6;
 [8:30 pm]    Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 4;
 [9:00 pm]    Paparazzi - Episode 3;
 [10:00 pm]    What Not To Wear - Episode 5;
 [11:00 pm]    Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 3;
 [11:30 pm]    Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Episode 4;
 [12:00 am]    The Benny Hill Show - Episode 44;
 [1:00 am]    What Not To Wear - Episode 5;
 [2:00 am]    Paparazzi - Episode 3;
 [3:00 am]    Touching Evil - Episode 3;
 [5:00 am]    Rocket Man - Episode 3;
 [6:00 am]    What Not To Wear - Episode 3.    (ALL TIMES EST)

Bravo has 'Top Chef', another 'Top Chef', still another 'Top Chef', then a FRESH 'Top Chef'.

Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', last night's 'Jon Stewart', last night's 'Colbert Report', 'Chappelle's Show', 'South Park', another 'South Park', and still another 'South Park'.
On a RERUN Jon Stewart is (from 11/8/06) Howard Dean.
On a RERUN Colbert Report (from 11/8/06) is Jeff Greenfield.

History has 'Inside The Macy's Parade', 'American Eats', 'The Prsidents', and another 'The Presidents'.

IFC  -   
 [07:40 AM]    Max;
 [09:30 AM]    Caro Diario;
 [11:15 AM]    Beauty and the Beast;
 [12:50 PM]    Black Orpheus;
 [02:40 PM]    Alexander Nevsky;
 [04:30 PM]    Max;
 [06:20 PM]    The Brothers McMullen;
 [08:00 PM]    The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman #8;
 [08:30 PM]    The Business: Episode 8;
 [09:00 PM]    Everyone Says I Love You;
 [10:45 PM]    Deconstructing Harry;
 [12:25 AM]    The eMusic Dozens: Indie Local;
 [12:35 AM]    At the IFC Center #19;
 [01:00 AM]    Everyone Says I Love You;
 [02:45 AM]    Deconstructing Harry;
 [04:25 AM]    Kingdom Come.    (ALL TIMES EST)

SciFi has 'Ghost Hunters', another 'Ghost Hunters', still another 'Ghost Hunters', and 'SCI FI Investigates'.

Sundance  -   
 [08:00 AM]    Lurch;
 [08:30 AM]    200 Motels;
 [10:15 AM]    The Most Beautiful Man in the World;
 [10:30 AM]    The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;
 [11:15 AM]    Rosetta;
 [01:00 PM]    Brazil;
 [03:15 PM]    Land And Freedom;
 [05:15 PM]    Millennium Mambo;
 [07:00 PM]    Torch Song Trilogy;
 [09:00 PM]    The Hill: Episode 6: It's Time To Be Mad As Hell;
 [09:30 PM]    In Short: Wallace & Gromit;
 [10:00 PM]    Mysterious Skin;
 [12:00 AM]    House of Boateng: Episode 6;
 [12:30 AM]    Lurch;
 [01:00 AM]    Iconoclasts 2: Episode 4: Isabella Rossellini + Dean Kamen;
 [01:45 AM]    The Most Beautiful Man in the World;
 [02:00 AM]    City of Men - Season 3: Episode 2: Didn't Mean To;
 [02:30 AM]    The Hill: Episode 6: It's Time To Be Mad As Hell;
 [03:00 AM]    Riff-Raff;
 [04:45 AM]    Millennium Mambo.    (ALL TIMES EST)

TCM continues yesterday's tribute to John Ford this morning, then spends the night with Lucille Ball.
 [7:00 AM]    Seven Women (1966);
 [8:30 AM]    The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938);
 [10:15 AM]    The Bishop Murder Case (1930);
 [11:45 AM]    Air Raid Wardens (1943);
 [1:00 PM]    The Mouse That Roared (1959);
 [2:30 PM]    Operation Petticoat (1959)     [View Trailer];
 [4:45 PM]    No Name On The Bullet (1959);
 [6:15 PM]    Night Passage (1957);
 [8:00 PM]    Yours, Mine And Ours (1968)     [View Trailer];
 [10:00 PM]    The Facts of Life (1960);
 [12:00 AM]    Her Husband's Affairs (1947);
 [1:30 AM]    You Can't Fool Your Wife (1940);
 [2:45 AM]    Du Barry Was A Lady (1943)     [View Trailer];
 [4:30 AM]    The Magic Carpet (1951).    (ALL TIMES EST)

Thursday  -  11/23

TCM starts the day with a tribute to Doris Day
 [6:00 AM]    Romance On The High Seas (1948)     [View Trailer];
 [8:00 AM]    It Happened To Jane (1959);
 [10:00 AM]    Please Don't Eat The Daisies (1960);
 [12:00 PM]    The Glass Bottom Boat (1966);
 [2:00 PM]    That Touch of Mink (1962);
 [4:00 PM]    Lover Come Back (1961);
 [6:00 PM]    The Thrill Of It All (1963)     [View Trailer];
 [8:00 PM]    Topper (1937)     [View Trailer];
 [10:00 PM]    Topper Takes a Trip (1939);
 [11:30 PM]    Topper Returns (1941);
 [1:00 AM]    The Ghost Breakers (1940);
 [2:30 AM]    The Cockeyed Miracle (1946);
 [4:00 AM]    The Canterville Ghost (1944).    (ALL TIMES EST)



Any opinions?

Or reviews?

(See below for addresses)

Musicians Emily Robinson, left, Natalie Maines, center, and Martie Maguire of The Dixie Chicks arrive at the 2006 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006.
Photo by Danny Moloshok

Basks In Dems Victory

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand ended her latest farewell tour on Monday at a celebrity-studded Los Angeles love-in that included incoming Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among the thousands of rapt fans.

The concert was filled with political overtones as Streisand, a longtime liberal activist, introduced Pelosi to a standing ovation.

Taking note of the recent Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress, Streisand said, "My depression is over." She ended her two-hour-plus performance with a version of the Depression-era Democratic Party anthem "Happy Days Are Here Again."

Barbra Streisand

Stopped Doing 'Boondocks' Because

Aaron McGruder

Many people have guessed that "The Boondocks" comic didn't return from sabbatical this fall because Aaron McGruder was busy with "The Boondocks" TV show.

The cartoonist, speaking last night at the University of South Florida, cited at least one other reason. "I got sick of the strip and sick of politics. It was Bush, Bush, Bush. Okay, he's dumb, we get it," said McGruder, as quoted in a St. Petersburg Times story linked to today on DailyCartoonist.com.

If his Universal Press Syndicate comic ever resumes, added McGruder, it would be online.

He also discussed the Cartoon Network's "Boondocks" series with the Florida crowd of nearly 500. "It's a show for people who look at the world and say, 'There's something seriously wrong here,'" said McGruder, as quoted by the Times' Amber Mobley. "There are people who get satire, [people] with critical thinking skills. And then there are those who don't get it. This show was created for people who get it. Everyone else we're really not too concerned about."

Aaron McGruder

Graham Norton appears in the press room after hosting the 2006 International Emmy Awards Gala in New York, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006.
Photo by Henny Ray Abrams

Goes Public With "Hobbit" Dispute

Peter Jackson

Much to the distress of his fans, Peter Jackson has said he no longer plans to direct "The Hobbit," a prequel to his mega-successful "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, because of an ongoing accounting and legal dispute with New Line Cinema.

In a highly unusual move, revealing some of the behind-the-scenes moves in a high-stakes negotiation, Jackson spoke directly to his fan base during the weekend, posting his explanation of recent events on TheOneRing.net. The statement from both Jackson and his wife and fellow producer, Fran Walsh, concluded: "This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness or rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of 'The Hobbit' go and move forward with other projects."

The lawsuit that resulted in the current impasse originally was filed by Jackson's production company, Wingnut Films, in early 2005. It alleged that the studio gave affiliates favorable licensing deals and failed to properly calculate revenue from the DVD sales of 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

Peter Jackson

Privacy Case Back In Court

Loreena McKennitt

Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt's action to prevent details of her life appearing in a book by a former friend was challenged in court on Tuesday, the second case this week that could influence English privacy law.

She won a High Court ruling in London last year in which the judge prevented the disclosure of details of her private life in a book by Niema Ash called "Travels With Loreena McKennitt."

Ash and the book's publishers, Purple Inc Press, are seeking to overturn the ruling in the Court of Appeal, arguing that it struck a "triple whammy" against freedom of expression.

Loreena McKennitt

In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends

Rock Memorabilia Auction

Christie's

Original handwritten lyrics by former Beatle Paul McCartney and a guitar owned by legendary rock musician Jimi Hendrix are among the featured items in a major New York auction of rock and pop memorabilia.

Love letters and personal notes by Bob Dylan and a previously unheard interview recording with the late Beatle John Lennon will also be sold at the Christie's Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction on December 4.

McCartney's working lyrics written in 1968 for the Beatles song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," from the "Abbey Road" album, is expected to fetch the highest price with an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000, according to Christie's.

A Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix for two years before his death in September 1970 could sell for $80,000 to $120,000. The right-handed guitar was modified and restrung for the left-handed Hendrix, but it is unclear if he actually played it, according to Christie's.

Christie's

Dolly Parton smiles during an interview in Toronto, Tuesday Nov. 21, 2006. She's in Canada this week launching a literacy program but is also working on songs for a new album and writing a Broadway version of the hit movie 'Nine To Five.'
Photo by Aaron Harris

Reach Confidentiality Agreement

Bach - Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff and ex-wife Pamela Bach have reached an agreement to keep most of his finances confidential, the former "Baywatch" star's attorney has said.

Melvin S. Goldsman said Bach reviewed documents concerning Hasselhoff's income and savings and agreed not to make them public.

The issues concerning Hasselhoff's financial documents surfaced Oct. 24 when Juhas noted the state Supreme Court earlier this year denied billionaire Ronald W. Burkle's bid to keep his divorce records secret.

Bach - Hasselhoff

Painting Fetches $1.7 Million

Fernando Botero

An oil on canvas by Colombian painter Fernando Botero depicting four rotund card players has sold for 1.7 million dollars at a Latin American art auction in New York, according to Sotheby's auction house.

The painting, "Jugadoras de Cartas II" (1989), or "Card Players II," was purchased Monday by an American buyer, Sotheby's said. The painting shows Botero's trademark rotund figures, including two naked women playing cards with two clothed men.

Of the evening's 10 most expensive items, four were created by Botero, who has also had a separate New York exhibition inspired by the abuse committed by US soldiers against Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Fernando Botero

Vidiot Speak
(formerly 'The Vidiot')

Woman's Family Sues

Nancy Grace

Relatives of a mother who committed suicide after CNN's Nancy Grace aggressively questioned her about the disappearance of her son sued the network and the talk-show host Tuesday, accusing Grace of pushing the woman over the edge.

Melinda Duckett shot herself to death on Sept. 8, a day after Grace's show on CNN Headline News aired a segment in which Grace interrogated Duckett about her whereabouts on the August day that 2-year-old Trenton Duckett was reported missing.

Jay Paul Deratany, the attorney for Duckett's estate, said that Grace encouraged Duckett to appear on her show by saying the goal was to draw public attention to help find the boy.

"It's not just about the questioning. It's about the misrepresentation with the knowledge that she was emotionally distraught," Deratany said. The attorney said Grace improperly took on the role of a law enforcement officer.

Nancy Grace

Sarah Silverman arrives at the 2006 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006.
Photo by Danny Moloshok

Says He's A `Scapegoat'

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes has told a newspaper columnist he is being unfairly targeted by federal prosecutors who indicted him on tax fraud charges.

"It appears I'm to be the scapegoat, because there's more public interest in `celebrities gone bad' than `rich people being taken advantage of,'" Snipes wrote last weekend in an e-mail to Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell.

An Oct. 17 indictment charges Snipes with fraudulently claiming refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid. The star of the "Blade" trilogy and other films was also charged with failure to file returns from 1999 through 2004.

Wesley Snipes

Richest Fictional Character

Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks

Move over Santa. The red-clad philanthropist has lost the top slot on Forbes magazines' list of the 15 richest fictional characters to defense contractor Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks.

Warbucks, a lieutenant general in the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, unseats Santa from the top position for the first time with an estimated net worth of $36.2 billion with the conflict in Iraq boosting his fortune.

Forbes.com said it took into account "the physical evidence - toys delivered, milk and cookies devoured" in removing him from consideration.

Second place goes to Charles Montgomery Burns, owner of the Springfield nuclear power plant in the cartoon TV show "The Simpsons" worth an estimated $16.8 billion after announcing a "technology exchange" with North Korean leader Kim Jong II.

Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks

In this photo released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, actors Judd Hirsch, left, and Robert Forster are seen at an event celebrating the gift of the Gregory Peck Collection to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday, Nov. 21, 2006 in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Gregory Peck Collection spans the years 1939-1993 and contains production files, general files, correspondence, and scrapbooks.
Photo by Greg Harbaugh

Former Curator Charged With Greek Art Theft

J. Paul Getty Museum

A Greek prosecutor on Tuesday charged a former curator of the American J. Paul Getty Museum with knowingly buying an ancient artifact which had been illegally dug up and smuggled out of Greece 13 years ago.

The accusation that former antiquities curator Marion True illegally obtained a 4th-century BC golden wreath is the latest controversy surrounding acquisitions she made for the wealthy Los Angeles-based museum.

True resigned from her post in a whirlwind of publicity last year when Italian authorities charged her with conspiring to receive stolen antiquities.

J. Paul Getty Museum

Archaeologists Excavate Tombs

Peru

Archaeologists said Tuesday they have unearthed 22 graves in northern Peru containing a trove of pre-Inca artifacts, including the first "tumi" ceremonial knives ever discovered by archaeologists rather than looted by thieves.

The find, which prominent archaeologist Walter Alva called "overwhelmingly important," means that scientists can study the tumi - Peru's national symbol - in its original setting to learn about the context in which it was used.

The tombs, more than 900 years old, were found next to a pyramid in the Pomac Forest Historical Sanctuary, 420 miles northwest of the capital, Lima. They are from the Sican culture, which flourished on Peru's northern desert coast from A.D. 750 to 1375.

Peru

Jones Sodas are seen in this undated handout photo. After introducing the world to new soda flavors like fish taco and salmon, Seattle specialty beverage maker Jones Soda Co. is offering a new flavor: Green pea.

Blood Tests Debunk Claim

Cat-Dogs

Blood tests refute a Brazilian woman's claim that her cat had given birth to three puppies, geneticist Adil Pacheco said on Tuesday.

Cassia Aparecida de Souza, 18, from a poor neighbourhood of Passo Fundo in southern Brazil, said last Friday that her cat Mimi had given birth to the three puppies as well as three kittens, which did not survive.

Pacheco, who was asked by a local newspaper to conduct a chromosome test to check the spectacular claim which gained wide media attention, said mammals sometimes nursed the young from another species.

Cat-Dogs

Group Seeks Guinness Record

World's Biggest Joint

Insouciant of police warnings, a Dutch group is reportedly set to roll the world's biggest joint, sending the previous record for a marijuana cigarette up in smoke.

The world's largest joint will be a 500-gram (17-ounce), meter-long (3.3-foot) monstrosity, rolled with cigarette paper and easily dwarfing the previous 100-gram winner, the ANP news agency said. To beat the record, it must be made entirely of marijuana with no tobacco mix.

"Afterwards we'll light it up," predicted event organizer Thijs Verheij, who is hoping his feat will land in the Guinness Book of Records.

The Dutch police are not amused however, warning they will intervene if the joint surpasses the five grams of marijuana allowed for consumption and sale in the Netherlands.

World's Biggest Joint

A home-made submarine packed with 3 tons of cocaine captured by the U.S. Coast Guard off Costa Rica's Pacific coast, is under guard in the Pacific port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 20, 2006. The 49-foot craft was found Friday, 166 kilometers (103 miles) off Costa Rica's coast near Cabo Blanco National Park on the Nicoya peninsula, according to Costa Rica's Security Minister Fernando Berrocal. Two Colombians, a Guatemalan and a Sri Lankan man were arrested and taken to the U.S., since they were captured in international waters.
Photo by Kent Gilbert

Gets Gold Treatment

Chairman Mao

It used just to be statues of the Buddha or deities that were covered in gold in China. Now a statue of late leader Mao Zedong is getting the same treatment.

A 7-metre-high (23-foot) statue of Mao which has stood in Changsha in his home province of Hunan since the height of the Cultural Revolution in 1967 is being renovated by being covered in 24-carat gold plate, a state newspaper said on Tuesday.

This year's 30th anniversary of Mao's death was barely remarked upon officially in China, underscoring government sensitivity about how the man who founded "new China" -- but then plunged it into bouts of famine and chaos -- is remembered.

That has not stopped his image appearing on everything from T-shirts to cigarette lighters, and even being hung in cars as good luck pendants, in much the same way Hong Kong and Taiwan use images of Buddha.

Chairman Mao

Prime TimeNielsen

Ratings

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for Nov. 13-19. 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. (5) "Dancing with the Stars Results," ABC, 27.52 million viewers.
     2. (4) "Dancing with the Stars," ABC, 26.80 million viewers.
     3. (3) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 24.11 million viewers.
     4. (23) "CBS NFL National Post Game," CBS, 23.76 million viewers.
     5. (2) "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 21.63 million viewers.
     6. (1) "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 20.92 million viewers.
     7. (11) "60 Minutes," CBS, 19.16 million viewers.
     8. (6) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 18.77 million viewers.
     9. (14) "Deal or No Deal" (Monday), NBC, 18.07 million viewers.
    10. (8) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 16.48 million viewers.
    11. (8) "CSI: NY," CBS, 16.18 million viewers.
    12. (11) "Two And a Half Men," CBS, 15.83 million viewers.
    13. (16) "NCIS," CBS, 15.80 million viewers.
    14. (20) "Survivor: Cook Islands," CBS, 15.35 million viewers.
    15. (25) "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," ABC, 15.31 million viewers.
    16. (20) "Shark," CBS, 15.24 million viewers.
    17. (26) "Heroes," NBC, 15.09 million viewers.
    18. (7) "NBC Sunday Night Football: San Diego at Denver," NBC, 15.00 million viewers.
    19. (18) "Law & Order: SVU," NBC, 14.76 million viewers.
    20. (14) "House," Fox, 14.60 million viewers.

Ratings

In Memory

Robert Altman

Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood, has died at 81. The director died Monday night at a Los Angeles Hospital, Joshua Astrachan, a producer at Altman's Sandcastle 5 Productions in New York City, told The Associated Press.

A five-time Academy Award nominee for best director, most recently for 2001's "Gosford Park," he finally won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006.

Altman had one of the most distinctive styles among modern filmmakers. He often employed huge ensemble casts, encouraged improvisation and overlapping dialogue and filmed scenes in long tracking shots that would flit from character to character.

Perpetually in and out of favor with audiences and critics, Altman worked ceaselessly since his anti-war black comedy "M-A-S-H" established his reputation in 1970, but he would go for years at a time directing obscure movies before roaring back with a hit.

He often took on Hollywood genres with a revisionist's eye, de-romanticizing the Western hero in 1971's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" and 1976's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson," the film-noir gumshoe in 1973's "The Long Goodbye" and outlaw gangsters in "Thieves Like Us."

While critical of studio executives, Altman held actors in the highest esteem. He joked that on "Gosford Park," he was there mainly to turn the lights on and off for the performers.

The respect was mutual. Top-name actors would clamor for even bit parts in his films. Altman generally worked on shoestring budgets, yet he continually landed marquee performers who signed on for a fraction of their normal salaries.

Born Feb. 20, 1925, Altman hung out in his teen years at the jazz clubs of Kansas City, Mo., where his father was an insurance salesman.

Altman was a bomber pilot in World War II and studied engineering at the University of Missouri in Columbia before taking a job making industrial films in Kansas City. He moved into feature films with "The Delinquents" in 1957, then worked largely in television through the mid-1960s, directing episodes of such series as "Bonanza" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

Altman and his wife, Kathryn, had two sons, Robert and Matthew, and he had a daughter, Christine, and two other sons, Michael and Stephen, from two previous marriages.

Robert Altman

Three two-week-old Bengal tigers rest in their zoo enclosure in the Argentine city of Cordoba November 17, 2006. The mother of the cubs is a zoo-bred three-year-old tiger named Chiquita and the names of the cubs will be chosen in a contest.
Photo by Marcelo Caceres

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