Recommended Reading
from Bruce
George Lakoff: 7 Reasons Why Obama's Speeches Are So Powerful (AlterNet.org)
The president is using his enormous skills as a communicator to express a moral framework.
W.A. PANNAPACKER: How to Procrastinate Like Leonardo da Vinci (chronicle.com)
Leonardo da Vinci, maybe a little like you, was a hopeless procrastinator. Well, so what? He was just on his way to his next great idea...
Adam Kirsch: Money Made Him Do It (slate.com)
What Samuel Johnson can teach us about writing.
SHAUN HUSTON: "Getting Through Hard Times: Re-visiting Andi Watson's 'Breakfast After Noon'" (popmatters.com)
In our sobering economy, "Breakfast After Noon" is more relevant than ever, as it addresses the psychic and emotional toll of unemployment.
Dan DeLuca: Ray Benson is playing cowboy with Willie Nelson (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
A couple of Texas cowboys are parked in an alleyway behind the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts here, listening to Hank Williams, telling jokes they've told each other a hundred times before - "Hey, Willie, what was the last thing Elvis said before he died?" - and getting ready to give an appreciative audience a master class in Western swing.
Carlos Ramirez: A Chat with Roger Joseph Manning, Jr, SInger/Songwriter; Jellybean keyboardist (bullz-eye.com)
Working with Beck taught me to trust my first instinct on an idea. They are usually the best ones to go with because it's from your gut. I also learned that sometimes leaving those mistakes and little imperfections works.
Stephen Moss: Why Iggy's not covered (guardian.co.uk)
Iggy can't get insurance with Swiftcover because it specialises in motor insurance, and musicians are one of the employment categories they won't cover.
JENNIFER KELLY: "Mirror Twins: Conversations with Nels and Alex Cline" (popmatters.com)
Although their careers have some similarities, the twin composers and songwriters aren't as similar as it seems, covering everything from the monastic to the chaotic.
Mike Leigh: 'You convince yourself you're about to win' (guardian.co.uk)
Film director Mike Leigh had endured disappointing Oscar ceremonies before, but it didn't stop him getting his hopes up again this year.
Rick Kushman: Great TV series aren't easily duplicated (McClatchy Newspapers)
Speaking of trends, this comes as no surprise and probably is related to the economy. Nielsen Media Research said this week that the average viewer watched 151 hours of TV each month -- more than five hours a day -- in the last three months of 2008.
Luaine Lee: Sharon Small uses acting to overcome her natural shyness (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
Every woman has her peak years. But during actress Sharon Small's she was cast as a fat, ugly woman on a now-famous British TV series.
Roger Ebert: SILVER BULLET (R; 3 stars; An Overlooked DVD)
Stephen King's "Silver Bullet" is either the worst movie ever made from a Stephen King story, or the funniest. It is either simply bad, or it is an inspired parody of his whole formula, in which quiet American towns are invaded by unspeakable horrors. It's a close call, but I think the movie is intentionally funny.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The "Guilty by Association" Issue
Amnesty International is urging the suspension of US military aid to Israel in a report that details the recent use of US weapons in Gaza. (CommonDreams.org)
Do you support their call to do so or not?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
Results next Tuesday.
responded:
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny, but cool.
Celebrated At White House
Stevie Wonder
President Barack Obama thanked Stevie Wonder for creating "a style that's uniquely American" as he presented the singer-songwriter the nation's highest award for pop music.
Obama, who called Wonder the soundtrack of his youth, gave the star the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an East Room tribute Wednesday that featured Tony Bennett, Martina McBride and Wonder himself. The president joked that the group was "the most accomplished Stevie Wonder cover band in history."
Wonder was emotional at times, thanking Obama for the award and reflecting on what his election as the first black president means to the United States.
Wonder cited Martin Luther King Jr., his faith and his mother during an acceptance speech that flowed into a set of Obama's favorite songs. The Grammy-winning musician - he has 25 of the awards - joked that he looked forward to writing more love songs - perhaps a soundtrack for "you know, maybe I'll be a part of creating some more of those babies."
Stevie Wonder
Fungus Spreading
Lascaux Cave
Geologists, biologists and other scientists convened Thursday in Paris to discuss how to stop the spread of fungus stains - aggravated by global warming - that threaten France's prehistoric Lascaux cave drawings.
Black stains have spread across the cave's prehistoric murals of bulls, felines and other images, and scientists have been hard-pressed to halt the fungal creep.
Marc Gaulthier, who heads the Lascaux Caves International Scientific Committee, said the challenges facing the group are vast and global warming now poses an added problem.
Other factors behind the stains include the presence of naturally occurring microorganisms and the chemical makeup of the rock that forms the cavern walls, Gaulthier and other scientists at the news conference said.
For the moment, the cave is completely sealed in hopes that "it will heal itself," Gaulthier said.
Lascaux Cave
Renewed Through Season 22
`The Simpsons'
Fox says it's renewing "The Simpsons" for another two seasons, which will secure its place as TV's longest-running prime-time series.
Now in its 20th season, "The Simpsons" already had tied record-holder "Gunsmoke." The Western drama series aired for two decades on CBS before it ended in 1975.
"The Simpsons" will pass that mark next season. The two-year, 44-episode pickup announced Thursday by Fox will bring the total number of "Simpsons" episodes to 493.
`The Simpsons'
Action Comics #1 At Online Auction
Superman
A rare copy of the first Superman comic will be put up for auction online on Friday and bids could soar as high as the "man of steel," experts say. Skip related content
"Action Comics #1," published in June 1938, is considered by collectible experts to be the world's most valuable comic book and is valued at about $126,000.
"It's the Holy Grail of comic books," said comic expert Stephen Fishler, who created the 10-point grading scale that has become the industry standard for evaluating comic books.
Fishler, founder of New York's Metropolis Collectibles, will manage the auction of the comic -- created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster -- at www.comicconnect.com. The auction of "Action Comics #1" begins on Friday and concludes on March 13.
Superman
Exhibit Opens
James Brown
James Brown knew all along that he wanted to open a museum to inspire people - especially the poor - to pursue their dreams. So he carefully saved all his belongings, from glittering suits and glossy shoes to the comb he used to neatly sculpt his hair.
The soul singer who died in 2006 says so himself in a new exhibit at South Carolina State University that showcases the attention he paid to his roots, his eclectic tastes and his showman's image.
"I'm going to make a James Brown museum because I want people to know that a young kid really has a chance to make it. And the only way they have a chance to make it is if he has somebody around to look at," Brown says as he combs his hair on a video displayed at the exhibit.
James Brown
Auction Sets Records
Yves Saint Laurent
Two rare bronze sculptures that disappeared from China nearly 150 years ago - and demanded back by Beijing - sold for millions Wednesday as an auction of art works owned by the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent concluded with dazzling sales of nearly $500 million.
The collection of Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, broke several world records in a three-day "sale of the century" that amassed more than $484 million (euro373 million), said the organizer, Christie's.
That was well over the euro200 million-euro300 million ($250 million-$380 million) the 733-piece sale had been expected to fetch. Berge told reporters at the closing news conference he was "very, very happy with the result."
The auction house said an armchair embellished with snakes and designed by Eileen Gray set a record for a piece of 20th century furniture, selling at euro21.9 million. Snakes fascinated Saint Laurent. A vase with a serpent by Jean Dunand sold for euro270,000 - nine times higher than the highest pre-auction estimate.
Yves Saint Laurent
No Agreement Reached At Grievance Hearing
Jeremy Piven
No agreement has been reached in the Jeremy Piven grievance hearing.
Piven appeared Thursday at the session requested by the producers of "Speed-the-Plow," which the performer abruptly quit in December after his doctor said he was suffering from mercury poisoning.
But after hearing from both parties, a panel composed of Actors' Equity and Broadway League representatives were unable to reach the necessary unanimous decision. A joint statement issued by the union and the Broadway producers' trade association said "the producers have the right, as a next step, to proceed to arbitration."
Three different actors - understudy Jordan Lage, Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy - followed Piven in the role of movie mogul Bobby Gould. Mamet's three-character play about Hollywood glamour, sex and power, also starred Elisabeth Moss of AMC's "Mad Men" and Raul Esparza.
Jeremy Piven
No Endorsement From Film Union
Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer is a "great guy," but Lt. Gov. Diane Denish should be New Mexico's next governor, says a leader of the union representing the state's film and television industry.
The 49-year-old actor, who lives on a ranch southeast of Santa Fe, has said he's thinking about running for governor in 2010, when second-term Gov. Bill Richardson is precluded from running again.
Local 480 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced its weekend endorsement of Denish at the state Capitol.
Kilmer, a registered Democrat, has lived in New Mexico for more than two decades.
Val Kilmer
Radiohead Tirade Cut
Kanye West
Hip-hop star Kanye West trashed Radiohead and said the public should give Chris Brown "a break," during a recent taping of VH1's "Storytellers."
But the comments will not make it to air when the episode premieres on the lifestyle cable network on Saturday.
The taping, which took place on February 13 at Sony Studios in Los Angeles, lasted three hours. The show's producers cut it to 90 minutes, after getting network approval to expand the episode from its usual one hour.
During the taping, according to a Reuters reporter, West was aggrieved that Radiohead singer Thom Yorke had allegedly snubbed him backstage at the Grammys five days earlier. That hurt, West told the audience, because he idolizes the British band, and considers it one of his few creative rivals.
A little later, West asked the crowd, "Can't we give Chris a break? ... I know I make mistakes in life." He was referring to R&B singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on the night of the Grammys on suspicion of beating his girlfriend Rihanna.
Kanye West
Media Photos Need Families' OK
War Dead
The Obama administration is reversing an 18-year ban on news coverage of the return of war dead, allowing photographs of flag-covered caskets when families of the fallen troops agree, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
"My conclusion was we should not presume to make the decision for the families," Gates said in announcing results of a quick review of a ban that had stood through Republican and Democratic administrations.
Although details are being worked out, the new policy will give families a choice of whether to admit the press to ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the entry point to the United States for the caskets of overseas war dead.
"We should honor, not hide, flag-draped coffins," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. "They are a symbol of the respect, honor and dignity that our fallen heroes deserve."
War Dead
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Feb. 16-22. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses:
1. "The Closer" (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 4.47 million homes, 5.88 million viewers.
2. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.28 million homes, 6.4 million viewers.
3. "Monk" (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.95 million homes, 5.54 million viewers.
4. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.79 million homes, 5.54 million viewers.
5. "NCIS" (Monday, 8 p.m.), USA, 3.7 million homes, 4.96 million viewers.
6. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Saturday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.5 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.
7. "Burn Notice" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.49 million homes, 4.67 million viewers.
8. "ICarly" (Monday, 7:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 3.45 million homes, 5.08 million viewers.
9. "NCIS" (Monday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.3 million homes, 4.25 million viewers.
10. "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Monday, 7 p.m.), Disney, 3.299 million homes, 4.46 million viewers.
11. "NCIS" (Sunday, 7 p.m.), USA, 3.295 million homes, 4.55 million viewers.
12. "Psych" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.289 million homes, 4.82 million viewers.
13. Movie: "Dadnapped" (Monday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 3.284 million homes, 4.62 million viewers.
14. "Hannah Montana" (Monday, 7:30 p.m.), Disney, 3.25 million homes, 4.41 million viewers.
15. "NCIS" (Sunday, 4 p.m.), USA, 3.22 million homes, 4.21 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Wendy Richard
British actress
Wendy Richard, whose four-decade television career included roles as a sexy sitcom shop assistant and a working class matriarch on the soap opera "EastEnders," died Thursday after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 65.
Born Wendy Emerton, Richard was raised above the pub her parents ran in central London. She left school at 15 and worked at the Fortnum and Mason department store before studying drama.
She had parts in several of the cheap-and-cheerful "Carry On" film comedies, and in TV shows including "Up Pompeii!" and "The Likely Lads" before becoming famous as Miss Brahms, a staff member of the fictional Grace Brothers department store in 1970s sitcom "Are You Being Served?"
Richard was known to millions around the world as put-upon matriarch Pauline Fowler in "EastEnders," a long-running soap set in a close-knit east London neighborhood. Richard appeared in the show's first episode in 1985 and stayed for 21 years, depicting Pauline through trials that included her daughter's teen pregnancy, her son's HIV diagnosis and her husband's breakdown, imprisonment and death.
Richard was diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1990s and again in 2002, and learned last year that the disease had returned and spread.
She is survived by Burns, her long-term partner and fourth husband, whom she married in October.
Wendy Richard
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