'Best of TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Denver Dude
'Survivor'
Well first I have to say is; "How come CBS has not learned from NBC on how to give us a "Super-sized" show?" They blew through that first installment. It was hard to even get an idea of who was who. We didn't even really see anything of day 38. They could have easily filled an hour and a half.
Did you notice that Jeff needs a grand entrance now? A few shows back he started the "dramatic final tribal council entrance" at Dave's place. He had come in by helicopter via the statue of liberty and other NY skyline sights. Last year for the All-Stars he arrived on a yacht I believe. Now starting this year he arrived with the Vanuatu Tribe on their canoe's in grand fashion. Guess he is needing some more spotlight.
There are two tribes this year, Men vs. Women. The men's tribe is called Lopevi, while the women are the Yasur tribe. The oldest survivor is Scout 59 the and youngest is Eliza 21 so it seems the women have both ends of the spectrum. There is an "emotional or inspirational " factor with Chad on the men's team, he has a prosthetic leg from the knee down. The guys said is was inspirational and all but if they had to would vote him off just as fast as anyone else. There is an ex wrestler on the guys team and Dolly the sheep farmer for the women thrown in as well (she looks like Ellie May from the Beverly Hillbillies).
They started off with a Vanuatu ritual which Jeff said they had to do to be granted "permission" to go on the island. There was some "fronting" with spears from the locals, some mud drinking, and a pig killing. The men where offered a challenge to climb a 12ft pole covered in pig fat that had a "spiritual" stone on top that was supposed to bring good luck, the first guy (Brian) who tried made it. If they would not have been able to reach it, it would have been given to the women. Overall it was not all that exciting, except that the girls got pissed because they were really not involved. They are really trying to work up the "Islands of Fire" theme on this it seems.
They were then sent separate ways down the beach to walk to their camps. Of course tempers and weaknesses flared on the trek. We really don't know how long it took or who go there first, but they both made it before dawn. At camp they were to find a small supply of water to start, a pot, and a machete.
As usual it was looking like in both camps the younger folks were already breaking away from the older. As Scout put it about her younger mates "They are like sorority girls and their favorite topic is themselves". AND SINCE I AM ON THE SUBJECT AND YES I AM YELLING HERE. WHAT THE HELL IS IT WITH THESE 20 SOMETHING'S THESE DAYS !?! The past 3 or 4 show these kids DON'T DO A DAMN THING ! They sit on their ass chatting about BS while others are hard at work. Case in point this time; some of the older women are building shelter the first morning and the sorority girls are washing their hair and chatting about boys or something. One of them looks over and says "hey are they building a shelter?" and then go right on running their mouths. AND WHAT BOTHERS ME EVEN MORE IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN WINNING OR AT LEAST MAKING IT LATE INTO THE GAME ! I guess if you save all your energy for the challenges it makes it easier to win. Boy they have got me really steamed and I would like to see all the under 30's GO !
So we finally get to the fist challenge and it was a combo Reward / Immunity challenge. It was a basic obstacle course: belly crawl under the ropes and through a mud pit, guide a ball through a maze, then walk a rather long and very thin plank to the other side, build a fire to burn a rope, light a torch, then light the wok on fire at the end to win. They were dead even through the mud crawl and pretty even with the maze and even through most of the plank walk. However Chris from the men's team could not get across that plank and the women took a big lead and eventually won it. Scout gets the "First Naked" prize as her top came off coming off the balance beam. Their prize was a flint and a torch for fire and of course immunity.
So you figure right off the first guy to go is Chris (older guy) since he lost them that first challenge. THANKFULLY some of the other older guys on the tribe worked together on their voting strategy. Brook, who I did not like from the start, was pressuring everyone to vote off the "weakest" link which he was proposing as Chris who lost the challenge. In the end they caught old Brook by surprise and voted his ass off first. It was actually pretty surprising. I may get my wish on dumping the punks early !
To wrap up: Women 1 Men 0. The women also have fire and the men do not. It is kind of hard to get into these players just yet as they flew through this show but I will tell you that I am betting that the guys watching this show are already hoping that Miss Eliza follows in the footsteps of some past survivors and decides to go the route of the "Bunny" it looks like she has some assets to share, if you know what I mean.
Who do you not like already? My answer - Brook, but he is gone !!
Who do you like? My answer - to early to tell
Will someone get naked (on purpose)?
Will someone wimp out and quit like the past two years? ….
Stay Tuned !
Denver Dude
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Link from Bruce
Recommended Reading
Thousands of people crowded around Ohio University's Baker Center last night to hear Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards deliver a fiery condemnation of the Bush presidency as incompetent, war-mongering and beholden to the rich.
"George Bush said one thing -- one thing -- at his convention that I agreed with," the North Carolina Senator told the fired-up crowd. "He said he wanted to be judged on his record."
Based on that record -- which Edwards said includes turning a federal budget surplus into a deficit in four years, launching a misguided war, and funneling money to the richest Americans while letting the economy go to pot -- Bush needs to be tossed out of office.
For the rest, John Edwards
Thanks, Bruce!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
cribbed from General J.C. Christian ...
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The cooler weather is making it seem like fall is here.
Will be updating the page some time today - we have a new feature - 'Survivor' by the Denver Dude. There's a space for it near the top of the page.
Halliburton in Long Beach has their big red sign with the large white letters saying 'now hiring' fluttering across the front of their building.
OutKast's Big Boi (L) kisses singer Patti LaBelle as they perform 'Ghetto Musick' together at the World Music Awards at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada September 15, 2004. OutKast won three awards at the show, including the World's Best Group award. The show will be broadcast in 160 countries reaching more than 1 billion viewers.
Photo by Ethan Miller
Peace Grants to Hersh & Vanunu
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono has awarded peace grants to journalist Seymour Hersh and Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, men she says epitomize her late husband John Lennon's song, "Gimme Some Truth."
Hersh and Vanunu will each receive a $50,000 LennonOno Grant for Peace, according to a statement Thursday by Ono's publicist, Elliot Mintz.
Ono said the 2004 honorees are "people who have spoken out for the benefit of the human race by overcoming extreme personal difficulties and, in doing so, have allowed the truth to prevail."
Ono established the biennial grant program in 2002. The first winners were Palestinian artist Khalil Rabah and Israeli artist Zvi Goldstein.
Yoko Ono
Appoints Will Smith as Global AIDS Ambassador
Nelson Mandela
Former South African president Nelson Mandela appointed Hollywood actor and rap star Will Smith as a global ambassador for his 46664 AIDS awareness campaign.
Smith is in the country with his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith and their two children to promote his new science-fiction movie I, Robot.
"We are pleased to announce that Will Smith has been appointed as our global ambassador," Mandela told a meeting in Johannesburg according to SABC television news.
"I am honoured and will humbly and aggressively respond," responded Smith, who said he fell under the spell of the 86-year-old statesman during a previous visit.
Nelson Mandela
Set to Host `SNL' Season Opener
Ben Affleck
He's not former President Bill Clinton, but Ben Affleck will do.
Although Clinton was invited, Affleck will host the 30th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" with musical guest Nelly on Oct. 2, NBC announced Wednesday.
Clinton had been invited to host the not-ready-for-prime-time show but turned down the offer, NBC said last month. No reason was given for Clinton rejecting the offer.
The hosting gig marks Affleck's third appearance on the live sketch-comedy show. It's Nelly's second.
Ben Affleck
A guitar rests in honor of Johnny Ramone of the punk rock group 'The Ramones' next to the bands hand imprints at the Hollywood Rockwalk, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004, at the Guitar Center Hollywood, in Los Angeles. Ramone, whose birth name was John Cummings, died Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 15, 2004, at his Los Angeles home surrounded by friends and family, his publicist said. He was 55.
Photo by Damian Dovarganes
Using 5-Second Delay
'Monday Night Football'
"Monday Night Football" will be broadcast on a five-second delay for the rest of the season, a reaction to the furor caused by last season's Super Bowl halftime show.
The move is just a precaution, an ABC spokesman said.
A pregame concert before the season opener between New England on Indianapolis was broadcast with a 10-second delay on ABC to prevent a repeat of the Super Bowl embarrassment.
'Monday Night Football'
Hosts 'Done Me Wrong Songs'
Joan Rivers
Comedian Joan Rivers takes a look at some of the best ways to say "kiss off" in country music when she hosts "CMT 40 Greatest Done Me Wrong Songs."
"Honey, nobody knows more about being done wrong to than me. Well, maybe Martha Stewart but that's another story," Rivers said.
The two-hour special, airing Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT, will count down country music's best cheating, back-stabbing and revenge-filled songs.
Joan Rivers
Musical Set for Broadway
John Lennon
"Lennon," a musical about the former Beatle's life, is set to open on New York's Great White Way next summer, in time for the 25th anniversary of his murder at the hands of a crazed fan, Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety reported on Thursday.
The project will include such post-Beatle songs as "Imagine," "Instant Karma," "Give Peace a Chance," "(Just Like) Starting Over" and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," the paper added. The play was written and will be directed by TV veteran Don Scardino.
Before opening at Broadway's Broadhurst Theater, "Lennon" will play San Francisco's Orpheum and then Boston's Colonial, beginning in April, Daily Variety said.
John Lennon
Making Good on Vow
John Fogerty
Guitarist John Fogerty first realized he was a failure about a decade ago.
Sure, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 for his work as the singer/songwriter with Creedence Clearwater Revival, one of the great American bands to emerge in the late 1960s.
But when Creedence fell apart in 1972 after a string of top 10 hits like "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou," he spent his time putting out albums he hopes people have forgotten, feuding with his former bandmates (including late brother Tom) and in endless litigation with the boss of his old label.
Disappointing fans and critics was one thing, disappointing himself was something else. It was about 10 years ago when he recalled a vow he had made to himself as a youngster.
For the rest, John Fogerty
Production assistant John Pungiatore carries inflatable mannequins after shooting scenes for a Farrelly brother's movie in the stands at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday Sept. 16, 2004. The film is exfilm is expected to feature Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore in a story about a man obsessed with the Boston Red Sox.
Photo by Charles Krupa
Yields Nearly $4 Million
Cash Auction
A three-day auction of items owned by the late Johnny and June Carter Cash raised nearly $4 million, more than twice the amount expected, as over 1,000 bidders snapped up property from the country music icons.
A 1986 Grammy that went for $187,200 was the most expensive item sold, auction house Sotheby's said. The winning bid was nearly 27 times the $7,000 expected price.
The total for the auction was $3.98 million, Sotheby's said. The sale was expected to bring in about $1.5 million.
Cash Auction
Tuning Into Spanish-Language Market
Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's leading radio operator, on Thursday moved to strengthen its hold in Hispanic broadcasting with a plan to convert up to 25 stations to Spanish-language programming in the next 12 to 18 months.
Clear Channel Radio currently has more than 1,200 stations in the United States but only 18 carry Spanish-language programming.
The first station to be launched under the plan will be in Atlanta and will focus on Spanish contemporary music.
Clear Channel
Bravo Series
Bobby Brown
Cable network Bravo has ordered ten one-hour episodes of "Being Bobby Brown," a reality series about Whitney Houston's troubled husband.
The series, set to debut in the second quarter of next year, will chronicle the R&B singer's efforts to clean up his life after his numerous run-ins with the law. Houston will appear, as well as his children from their marriage and previous relationships. Brown's brother Tommy, his personal manager, also is in the series.
Bobby Brown
More Skin, Less Talent
Miss America
The pretty young women battling to become Miss America may have college degrees, artistic talent, and high-minded ideals -- but they're also showing more skin than ever before.
Contestants will wear more revealing swimsuits on stage following a 2-year contract with Speedo, owned by Warnaco Group Inc. . The one-piece or two-piece suits, worn as bikinis by most competitors, leave little to the imagination and have caused some unease among the contestants, most of whom are aged between 22 and 24.
Miss America
A ballpoint pen is brought near the cylinder of Kryptonite bicycle lock in Boston Thursday, Sept. 16, 2004. Faster than a speeding bullet, word is spreading across the Internet, through cyclist hangouts and into bike shops that all it takes to open a circular-key lock, like the one on the famous U-shaped Kryptonite-brand lock, is a ballpoint pen.
Photo by Elise Amendola
Promoting McDonald's In France
Olsen Twins
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are getting supersized in France.
The 18-year-old actresses are promoting McDonald's Happy Meals in the 1,035 McDonald's outlets in the country.
The french fry Olsen marketing blitz began Sept. 8, a spokeswoman for the French division of the fast-food giant told The Associated Press Thursday. She refused to be quoted by name.
The meals come either with a photo album, a denim bag or a crayon box, the spokeswoman for McDonald's said. The album bears the twins' photo, and the bag and the crayon box have their names, according to pictures on the McDonald's France Web site.
Olsen Twins
Died of Heart Attack
Rick James
Toxicology and other tests determined that funk singer Rick James died last month from a heart attack due to an enlarged heart, with numerous drugs including methamphetamine and cocaine contributing factors, the county coroner's office announced Thursday.
The death was declared an accident, said coroner's spokesman David Campbell, who emphasized that none of the drugs were found to be at life-threatening levels.
"He didn't die of a drug overdose," Campbell said.
Rick James
Judge Orders U.S. to Find
Bush Records
A federal judge has ordered the Pentagon to find and make public by next week any unreleased files about resident Bush's Vietnam-era Air National Guard service to resolve a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by The Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. handed down the order late Wednesday in New York. The AP lawsuit already has led to the disclosure of previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters and other jets.
Pentagon officials told Baer they plan to have their search complete by Monday. Baer ordered the Pentagon to hand over the records to the AP by Sept. 24 and provide a written statement by Sept. 29 detailing the search for more records.
Bush Records
Artists dressed as a Japanese snow spirit poses at Hong Kong's Ocean Park in Hong Kong September 16, 2004, in preparation for the largest Halloween event in Hong Kong and Southest Asia to be held in October. Artists from different cultures will act as ghosts and spirits of the underworld.
Photo by Bobby Yip
Bush Service
Gaps
A former Texas Air National Guard official who served at the same time as resident Bush says he believes the bigger story about gaps in Bush's service is being overlooked in disputes over the validity of certain Guard documents.
"I think the public ought to be concerned about his preferential treatment getting in and whether he satisfied his commitment to the Air Guard. Those are the two fundamental questions," said Robert Strong, the administrative officer in charge of air operations at Guard state headquarters from early 1971 until March 1972.
Documents publicized last week by the CBS program "60 Minutes" have been called into question by some experts and relatives of the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who supposedly wrote them when he was one of Bush's commanders in 1972 and 1973. The memos indicated that Killian had been pressured to sugarcoat Bush's performance and that the future president had ignored an order to take a physical.
Regardless of the authenticity of the memos, the question should be centered on Bush's Guard service, and what is indicated in the documents, Strong said.
Gaps
Cannibal May Be Innocent of Murder
Alferd Packer
More than 130 years after Alferd Packer ate his five companions to survive a Colorado winter, a museum curator is making a case that the notorious cannibal was innocent of murder.
Years of research on a 142-year-old pistol and detective work at the site where Packer was stranded seem to support at least part of his story: that he only killed to defend himself from a member of their party who had slain his fellow prospectors and was making a meal of human flesh.
"Curators normally don't get an opportunity like this. We usually are in the museum piecing things together," said David Bailey, who has been pursuing the case while working at the Museum of Western Colorado in Grand Junction.
Ten years ago, Bailey happened upon a gun in the museum's collection that was marked as having been found where Packer and the five prospectors were stranded high in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado in the winter of 1873-74.
For the rest, Alferd Packer
Colorado State Archive file on Packer
Birds silhouetted by the evening sun sit along electric wires at the village of Tyazhino, some 50 km (31 miles) from the capital Moscow, September 15, 2004.
Photo by Dima Korotayev
