TODAY!
Erin Hart
Wake up with
Erin Hart today (13 March), when she sits in for Jay Marvin on
Colorado's Progressive Talk, KKZN-AM 760 from 5am - 9am PDT (6am - 10am MDT | 7am - 11am CDT | 8am - noon EDT)
Listen online at www.am760.net and call 303-713-7600 to join the conversation.
You never know who might show up...
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
TOM DANEHY: Do Tom's research for him by sharing your fave set-in-Tucson movie (tucsonweekly.com)
Arizona Daily Star film critic Phil Villarreal recently released the list of his Top 100 favorite films. Like any list, there were "oh yeah!" moments for the reader, and a few "huh?!" moments as well. He had "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" listed together, and still didn't have that package in the Top 10.
IRENE MESSINA: First-time novelist Marilu Norden, 83, makes aging look downright easy (tucsonweekly.com)
"The United States is on the brink of a longevity revolution." These carefully crafted words appear on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Aging Web site. In simpler terms: We're going to see a huge increase in the number of senior citizens through the next 20 years.
T.J. Simers: "Acts of kindness are ushered in (latimes.com)
The e-mail arrived a little after 3:30 a.m. Tuesday: "Sorry to ruin your morning. Nancy passed away in my arms last night at 10:45. She was at peace. Best to you, Rick."
John Dickerson: Sage Advice (slate.com)
Barack Obama needs Warren Buffett more than Buffett needs Barack Obama.
Daniel Gross: Park Avenue Marauding Through SoHo! (slate.com)
There is a war against the rich, but it's being waged by other rich people.
Jenny Allen: I Can't Get that Penis Out of My Mind (huffingtonpost.com)
The children are sending out pictures of their penises over the computer. Did you know this? Enterprising youth! Only one penis that I know of has come into our house this way, but there may be more. Oh Lordy Lordy Lordy.
Fred Kaplan: Monk's Art (slate.com)
How do you pay homage to the inimitable Thelonious Monk?
Rick Bentley: Former Garbage singer dumped music, found new role in acting (McClatchy Newspapers)
Shirley Manson turned Garbage into gold.
'I had a wild life' (guardian.co.uk)
He was the boxing poet who wrote for Polanski, became a revered film-maker in his own right - and then disappeared. Jerzy Skolimowski talks to Geoffrey Macnab.
Will Harris: A Chat with Lea Thompson (bullz-eye.com)
On "Exit Speed":"I had been doing a lot of action movies on The Hallmark Channel, which have no blood. So I was really interested in spending some time with some real blood."
Will Harris: A Chat with Aaron Paul of "Breaking Bad" (bullz-eye.com)
On the "Last House on the Left" remake: "There are definitely some scenes in there that are absolutely terrifying and brutal and I can't watch. But it was also beautiful to watch. I know that sounds crazy, but this director, what he does with the lens, man, is incredible."
David Bruce: "William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream": A Discussion Guide'" (lulu.com)
Free download.
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'Wars and Rumors of Wars' Edition'...
President Obama, aka 'The Man', certainly has his hands full in the foreign affairs arena at the moment with the belligerent behavior shown by our fellow passengers on Spaceship Earth. Naughty, naughty, I'm sayin'... It's like, don't they realize he's trying to solve a world-wide financial crisis? Or what? Jeesh! That said, which one of these provocations is the most worrisome?
A. Russia's (the Putin Oligarch Soviet Republic) probing Canadian airspace in the Arctic with a long-range bomber coinciding with BHO's first official 'foreign' visit outside the US to Ottawa?
B. China's (Shylock and Landlord) playing 'tag, you're it' with an unarmed US Navy ship in the international waters of the South China Sea?
C. The 'Hive Collective' known as North Korea threatening a 'counter-strike' if their erstwhile 'satellite' long-range ballistic missile launch is interfered with. Yeah, like we want to limit their TV channels from two to their present one...
D. Iran's (R-Theocracy) hell-bent-for-leather pursuit of atomic weapons. Quit lying! Everyone knows you suffer from Israeli penis-envy...
E. Israel's (R-Rethug) trying to bully the US into letting them remake Iran into a glass covered nuclear iridescent parking lot?
This bullshit is getting tiresome, don't ya think?
Send your response, and a (short) reason why, to
wrote:
Reader Suggestion
Sheriff Joe
Reader Suggestion
T-Mobile Dance
Marty
Two videos, The T-Mobile Dance , to show the moment Liverpool Street Station danced to create this special T-Mobile Advert. Shows that happiness can come from a planned act, and that people watching got somewhat involved and caught up in this good time was great to see. Gives you a feeling.
The T-Mobile Dance
The making of The T-Mobile Dance
MAM
Thanks, Marianne!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and breezy.
Air America's Newest
Montel Williams
Veteran TV personality Montel Williams has signed a deal to host a new flagship talk show on Air America, the struggling radio network that comedian and would-be U.S. Senator Al Franken helped launch in 2004 as a voice for the political left.
Under his multi-year agreement, Williams, 52, will debut the new program, "Montel Across America," on April 6, and the show will air weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern time on affiliate stations nationwide, the network said on Thursday.
Williams, a Baltimore native and former U.S. Marine and Navy officer, previously hosted his own syndicated TV show, "The Montel Williams Show," for 17 years, until 2008. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999.
He will occupy the three-hour radio slot preceding the one formerly filled by Franken, the "Saturday Night Live" veteran who helped start Air America as a liberal answer to the predominantly conservative talk radio circuit led by Rush Limbaugh.
Montel Williams
Hammers Cramer
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart hammered Jim Cramer and his network, CNBC, in their anticipated face-off on "The Daily Show."
In an interview taped Thursday afternoon that went far beyond its allotted time, Stewart repeatedly chastised the "Mad Money" host and CNBC for putting entertainment above journalism. He also accused the financial news network of willfully ignoring corporate dishonesty.
For his part, Cramer disagreed with Stewart on a few points, but mostly agreed that he could have done a better job foreseeing the economic collapse. Cramer called himself a "fan of the show" and said his network was "fair game" to Stewart's criticism.
The episode re-airs at 8 p.m. EDT Friday (tonight) on Comedy Central.
Jon Stewart
Kicked Craig's Ass
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon enjoyed a healthy win in the ratings his first week on the air.
NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" attracted an average 2.4 million viewers the week of March 2, against CBS' "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," which averaged 1.9 million viewers, according to final Nielsen figures released Thursday.
In their opening night clash, Fallon scored 2.9 million viewers against Ferguson's 1.9 million.
On that March 2 debut, Fallon also beat ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" during their overlapping half-hour by 100,000 viewers. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" begins 30 minutes earlier.
Jimmy Fallon
Extend Sitcom Gags
Mock Web Sites
In the olden days, "555" alerted any viewer to a fake phone number in a TV show or movie. Thankfully, today, there's no equivalent for fake Web sites.
In quick time, the domain name can be cheaply purchased and registered. Suddenly, a one-liner has new digital life. The joke Web site becomes a real Web site and industrious fans follow the trail.
No show has embraced these possibilities more than "How I Met Your Mother." Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the show is based on a group of friends in New York (among them is Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris). Unlike most shows, it's narrated entirely in the past tense and full of comical reminiscing; it's the William Faulkner of sitcoms.
Like its forays into the past, "How I Met Your Mother" expands its comedy into the Web. In its four seasons, it has created a blog for Stinson and more than six mock Web sites.
Mock Web Sites
Second Life As Comic Book
"Jericho"
After a year of begging for more "Jericho," fans are going to get their wish ... kind of. The canceled CBS show will return as a comic book.
Devil's Due Publishing has made a deal with CBS Consumer Products to publish a "Jericho" comic that picks up where the cult-favorite series left off. The project pledges to answer many of the story's lingering questions and aims to appeal to the show's famously devoted fans.
"Jericho," the story of a Kansas town in the aftermath of a nuclear war, premiered on CBS in 2006. After the first season ended in a dramatic cliffhanger, the network canceled the show, then made the unusual decision to reverse its decision -- partly based on an unprecedented amount of fan protest. CBS brought back the show for seven episodes that helped tie up some, but not all, of the loose ends.
The series' original team of producers will be involved in the comic. Shotz is developing the project along with Jon Turteltaub, Carol Barbee, Karim Zreik and Jon Steinberg.
"Jericho"
Wedding News
Moore - Adams
Publicist Jillian Fowkes confirms actress-singer Mandy Moore and her fiance, rock musician Ryan Adams, quietly tied the knot Tuesday in Savannah, Ga. No further details were provided.
The 24-year-old Moore confirmed her engagement to Adams last month.
Moore - Adams
Baby News
Atlas Heche Tupper
People magazine reports 39-year-old actress Anne Heche and her boyfriend, actor James Tupper, welcomed son Atlas Heche Tupper over the weekend. The couple met on the set of ABC's "Men in Trees" and began dating in 2007.
Heche also has a 7-year-old son, Homer, from her marriage to cameraman Coleman Laffoon. Though they separated in 2006, their divorce was finalized just this week.
Heche agreed to pay $3,700 in monthly child support, as well as 75 percent of her son's private school tuition.
Atlas Heche Tupper
Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Work
Army
The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military's policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed.
In a statement released on Thursday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.
The Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy was instituted after President Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gay service members in 1993. It refers to the military practice of not asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members are banned from saying they are gay or bisexual, engaging in homosexual activity or trying to marry a member of the same sex.
The military discharged nearly 10,000 service members under the policy in a 10-year period, from 1997 to 2007. The number fired each year dropped sharply after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, when forces were stretched thin. Whereas more than 1,200 were dismissed in 2000 and again in 2001 for violating the policy, about half as many - 627 - were fired in 2007.
Army
Local Hero Gets 3 Years
Muntadhar al-Zeidi
A court convicted an Iraqi journalist of assault Thursday for hurling his shoes at George W. Bush and sentenced him to three years in prison, prompting an outburst from his family and calls for his release from Iraqis who consider him an icon for a nation decimated by war.
Muntadhar al-Zeidi, 30, defiantly shouted, "Long Live Iraq!" when the sentence was imposed, according to defense lawyers. Some of his relatives collapsed and had to be helped out of the courthouse. Others were forcibly removed by guards after shouting "Down with Bush!"
Although al-Zeidi received the minimum sentence - it could have been 15 years behind bars - his lawyers denounced the verdict and said they would appeal, possibly hoping a public outcry would aid their cause.
Many Iraqis interviewed after the verdict believed the sentence was too harsh and that al-Zeidi was a hero for standing up to the American president. Supporters defended his act as a political statement in Arab culture, where throwing shoes at someone is considered an especially serious insult.
Muntadhar al-Zeidi
4 Nights On Leno
Prince
It's not U2, but "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" will get its own multiple dose of pop royalty this month.
Prince will perform on three consecutive nights on the NBC program as he girds for the release of a pair of new albums. The mini-residency will run March 25-27; he also plans to hit the "Tonight" stage May 28 for Leno's next-to-last night as host of the venerable talk show.
No word on whether the notoriously press-shy musician also will sit down for a chat.
Prince
The Rupert Rhumba
News Corp
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is restructuring its Fox television, film and Internet businesses it said on Thursday, in a move that will see the departure of one of its top executives.
News Corp does not anticipate layoffs as a result of the restructuring, according to a source who requested anonymity because that source was not authorized to share that detail. It comes after the company said its No. 2 executive, Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin, would leave the company in June.
Peter Liguori will step down as chairman of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting, News Corp said. Peter Rice, president of movie studio Fox Searchlight, will take over and report to Tony Vinciquerra, the company said.
News Corp will combine Fox's creative production divisions in a single unit that will report to Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman, co-chairmen of Fox Filmed Entertainment. The group will include Twentieth Century Fox Television and Fox Television Studios.
News Corp
Contempt Conviction Voided
Pamelyn Ferdin
A judge threw out a contempt-of-court conviction and ordered a new trial for an animal rights activist who was the voice of Lucy in several "Peanuts" television specials, her lawyer said Thursday.
Pamelyn Ferdin had faced up to five days in jail and a $1,000 fine until Wednesday, when Superior Court Judge John Segal voided her 2008 conviction.
Ferdin, 50, was convicted of violating a court injunction that barred harassment of University of California, Los Angeles, faculty members who used animals in research.
Last June, Ferdin demonstrated outside the home of a UCLA primate researcher and handed out fliers that included home addresses, phone numbers and photographs of some researchers.
Pamelyn Ferdin
'Night Watch' Part Of Series
Rembrandt
A study commissioned by the Netherlands National Museum says "Night Watch," one of Rembrandt's most famous paintings, was part of a series by leading Dutch artists of his day, and was meant to be displayed alongside the others.
The study by art historian Bas Dudok van Heel also elaborates on the people depicted in the painting, matching names with faces for the first time.
Museum spokeswoman Elles Camphuis said Thursday the study found that "Night Watch" was originally "part of an unbroken frieze" lining the walls of the Great Hall of the civic guard building where it was kept.
When it was moved in 1715 to Amsterdam's Town Hall, a list of people portrayed was attached, but without identifying who was who.
Rembrandt
Still Smiling After 24 Years
Colonel Sanders
He was covered in mud when pulled from the river, and had lost both legs and hands, not to mention his glasses. But Colonel Sanders still had his trademark smile, 24 years later.
A statue of the KFC mascot has been found in a river in Osaka, a city official said Wednesday, nearly a quarter century after being tossed in by crazed baseball fans who felt the image of restaurant founder Harland Sanders resembled a key team member.
The statue was taken from a nearby KFC restaurant and tossed in the river as part of a celebration by baseball fans in 1985, the year Osaka's baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers, won the national championship.
Fans often jump into the murky river to celebrate the team's successes, but there has been little to celebrate in recent years. Many fans feel the team has been plagued by the "curse of Colonel Sanders" since his effigy was submerged in 1985.
Colonel Sanders
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