Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Tom Danehy: If nothing else, the new Arizona Stadium scoreboard is drawing people's attention (Tucson Weekly)
The Rincon Heights Neighborhood in Tucson is due south of the University of Arizona football stadium and can be located from the International Space Station at night simply by spotting the gigantic block-letter "A" that blasts photons from the back of the UA's new $6 million scoreboard/mega-video-screen/deafness-inducer.
Annie Lowrey: 99 Percenters, Meet the 53 Percenters (Slate)
In response to Occupy Wall Street, some conservatives are blasting the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal taxes. Do they have a point?
Jim Hightower: "Something big is happening: occupy together"
This is not your grandfather's tightly organized protest. It's intentionally loose - instead of a "leader" group decisions are reached through a consensus-based democratic process. With no faith in traditional politics or conventional media, the mostly-young protestors have taken to the streets, using their well-honed "culture of the web" to organize, strategize, harmonize, and mobilize.
Why Europe's debt crisis is a storm warning for Wall Street (Guardian)
The debt crisis engulfing Europe is heading for the US, former Wall Street bond trader Michael Lewis warns in his latest book. He talks to Paul Harris.
Froma Harrop: Why We Need More Government in Health Care (Creators Syndicate)
"Home-Health Firms Blasted." The headline refers to a Senate Finance Committee finding that major providers of home-based services to Medicare patients were bilking the government program. Big time.
Jon Henley: "Diabetes: the epidemic" (Guardian)
Diabetes is nearly four times as common as all types of cancer combined. It is fast becoming the 21st century's major public-health concern.
Shahesta Shaitly: "This much I know: Gillian Anderson" (Guardian)
The actor, 43, on Britishness, growing older and the importance of being wrong.
Kenneth Branagh: the king of comedy (Guardian)
Kenneth Branagh's returned to his native Belfast for a play that proves he can do slapstick and Shakespeare, writes Elizabeth Day.
Bim Adewunmi: Why feminists love Ryan Gosling (Guardian)
Photos of the actor annotated with feminist theory have gone viral. Why do women find him so perfect?
Hadley Freeman: "Disappointed that Ryan Gosling doesn't drive more? Get over it" (Guardian)
The makers of the film Drive are being sued for not having enough, er, driving in it. But it's not the first to have a 'misleading' trailer.
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
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From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Hot. Freaking hot.
Highest Paid Actor (Not) On TV
Charlie Sheen
It was one of the most volatile periods of his career and personal life, but Charlie Sheen still cashed $40 million worth of checks from May 2010 to May 2011, making him the highest paid actor on TV during that time, reports Forbes.com.
Despite being fired from his "Two and a Half Men" job last March, he still earned $40 million from his work on the CBS sitcom.
As Forbes notes, Sheen's future earnings are up in the air. He won a $25 million settlement after filing a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and "Men" creator Chuck Lorre, and he'll continue to receive profits from "Two and a Half Men" syndication airings. But his upcoming project, a sitcom adaptation of the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson movie "Anger Management," has yet to find a network home.
Ray Romano is number two on the list, earning $20 million for the time period, but his TNT dramedy, "Men of a Certain Age," was canceled after its second season. Romano continues to earn money from "Everybody Loves Raymond" in syndication.
Third on the list: Former "The Office" star Steve Carell, with $15 million. He was followed by "NCIS" star Mark Harmon, who earned $13 million.
Charlie Sheen
Comic Book Consultant
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill will apply the force to an upcoming superhero comic book series called "NEW-GEN," the comic's creators announced Thursday.
The man better known as Luke Skywalker will serve as a creative consultant for the franchise, including an upcoming live action feature film production.
The announcement came at New York Comic-Con this week, where the "Star Wars" actor is something of a minor deity.
To introduce Hamill, the company will release a special six-issue graphic novel, "NEW-GEN: Volume One," featuring a "forward" from Hamill who shares his thoughts on this next-generation comic franchise that evolves around the battle over nanotechnology.
Mark Hamill
Named Music Director At La Scala
Daniel Barenboim
Milan's La Scala opera house said on Thursday Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim would serve as its new music director from December for the next five years.
The Argentine-born musician will help prepare operas, concerts and tours at the glitzy opera house for about four months each year, La Scala said in a statement.
Barenboim, 68, has been principal guest conductor at La Scala since 2006. The 233-year old institution has not had a music director since Riccardo Muti's exit in 2005.
Currently music director at Berlin's Staatsoper, Barenboim is also renowned for his work with the West-Eastern Divan youth orchestra, which brings together Arabs and Israelis.
Daniel Barenboim
Wedding News
King of Bhutan
The fifth Dragon King came down from his golden throne to place a silk crown upon the head of his bride. Monks chanted in celebration and she took her seat beside him Thursday, the new queen of the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan.
The wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck to his commoner bride, Jetsun Pema, has captivated a nation that had grown impatient with their 31-year-old bachelor king's lack of urgency to take a wife and start a family since his father retired and handed power to him five years ago.
The celebrations began at 8:20 a.m. - a time set by royal astrologers - when the king, wearing the royal yellow sash over a golden robe with red flowers and multicolored boots, walked into the courtyard of the 17th century monastery in the old capital of Punakha and proceeded up the high staircase inside.
A few minutes later, his 21-year-old bride, the daughter of an airline pilot, arrived at the end of a procession of red-robed monks and flag bearers across a wooden footbridge over the wide, blue river beside the fort and followed him inside.
The Oxford-educated king is adored for pushing development and ushering in democratic reforms that established a constitutional monarchy and legislature in 2008. His teen-idol looks - slicked back hair and long sideburns - his penchant for evening bike rides through the streets and his reputation as a laid-back, accessible leader, also make him the rare monarch whose picture adorns the bedroom walls of teenage girls.
King of Bhutan
Full Seasons For "Revenge," "Suburgatory"
ABC
ABC has ordered full seasons of its new series "Revenge" and "Suburgatory," while ringing up six more scripts for its comedy "Happy Endings," the network confirmed.
"Suburgatory," which follows a father and daughter after they move from New York City to the suburbs, premiered September 28 to strong ratings, taking a 3.3 rating/9 share in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic, with 9.8 million total viewers.
"Revenge," meanwhile, gave ABC the highest-rated premiere for any new drama this season when it bowed on September 21, receiving a 3.4/9 in the demo and 10.1 million total viewers.
The comedy "Happy Endings," which premiered in April as a mid-season replacement, has shown encouraging growth of late, increasing its performance in the adults 18-49 demographic by 18 percent over last week with its most recent airing Wednesday night.
ABC
Renews "Hart of Dixie," "Secret Circle"
CW
The CW is officially three for three as far as new series are concerned.
In addition to the earlier reported pick-up of "Ringer," the CW has renewed its two other freshman series with full-season orders, ringing up an additional nine episodes apiece of "Hart of Dixie" and "The Secret Circle," network president Mark Pedowitz announced Wednesday.
"Hart of Dixie" stars "The O.C" veteran Rachel Bilson as Dr Zoe Hart, a New York physician who transplants to the rural south.
Meanwhile, "The Secret Circle," which is executive-produced by "Vampire Diaries" maestro Kevin Williamson, stars Britt Robertson as Cassie Blake, who moves in with her grandmother in the town of New Salem to discover that the town is full of witches -- and she's one of them.
CW
Birgit Nilsson Prize
Riccardo Muti
As a young conductor, Maestro Riccardo Muti would set his alarm at an unbearable hour and take the three-hour train ride between Florence and Rome just to hear Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson sing.
On Thursday his quest came full circle when he arrived in Stockholm to pick up a $1 million prize established in the late singer's name, an award that organizers say is one of the largest in the world of classical music.
The 70-year-old Naples native is the second Birgit Nilsson Prize laureate, winning the 2011 award "for his extraordinary contributions in opera and concert, as well as his enormous influence in the music world both on and off the stage."
He received the award from King Carl XVI Gustaf at a lavish ceremony at the Swedish Royal Opera later Thursday.
Riccardo Muti
Judge Tosses IVet's Lawsuit
'Hurt Locker'
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Iraq war veteran who claimed "The Hurt Locker" was based on his experiences as a bomb disposal expert.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Nguyen ended Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver's case against the producers of the Oscar-winning film, its screenwriter and director Kathryn Bigelow.
Sarver sued over the film days before it went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards in 2010. He claimed screenwriter Mark Boal based the film on him and that Sarver was presented in a false light, which resulted in ridicule from fellow service members.
Nguyen rejected those arguments and ruled that Sarver was unlikely to win the case if it proceeded.
'Hurt Locker'
Plagiarizes From Elizabeth Dole
Scott Brown
'A section of the Senate website for Scott Brown, the Republican senator from Massachusetts, was apparently copied word-for-word from a speech given by Elizabeth Dole, the liberal group American Bridge 21st Century reported late Wednesday.
The passage, which appeared under a section called "A Message from Scott," used the same language, nearly verbatim, from a speech given by Dole, a former Republican senator from North Carolina, that was also printed in her book "Elizabeth Dole: Speaking From the Heart."
The only difference was that Dole noted her parents ("I am Mary and John Hanford's daughter") at the outset of the passage, which has since been removed from Brown's site.
Brown's camp blamed the similarity on a "technical error" because his staff used Dole's website as a template, according to the Boston Globe .
Scott Brown
Actor Beat Cellmate To Death
'Austin Powers'
The California state prison cellmate of an actor from the first "Austin Powers" movie was beaten to death, local coroner's officials said Wednesday.
An autopsy performed Wednesday showed 50-year-old inmate Michael Graham died of "multiple blunt force injuries," the Kern County Coroner's Office said. The death was a homicide, the office ruled.
Guards found his body Monday evening in the cell at Wasco State Prison he shared with 40-year-old Joseph Son, who appeared in 1997's "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." He wore a bowler hat and played one of Dr. Evil's henchmen, named Random Task, and was a mixed martial arts fighter.
Son arrived at the prison Sept. 16 to serve a life sentence for the 1990 gang rape of a Southern California woman.
Graham, 50, arrived at the prison June 23. Prison officials said he was a parole violator serving a new two-year sentence from San Luis Obispo County for failing to register as a sex offender.
'Austin Powers'
Visits Wall St
Victoria Jackson
It's nice to see Victoria Jackson (R-Delusional) come out of her shell and say what's on her mind for once.
The former "Saturday Night Live" cast member turned conservo-crank found a cat-sitter and headed to Wall Street recently to confront the Occupy Wall Street protesters who lately have generated a headline or two with their critique of capitalism gone wild.
With a religious tract in her hand and who knows what coursing though her veins, Jackson brought her version of the truth to the people -- namely, that they're making the Man Upstairs pretty upset with their anti-corporatist shenanigans.
Oh, and President Obama's a Marxist -- who's also in bed with GE and the rest of our corporate overlords. And he's a total racist too.
Victoria Jackson
'Regrets' Attending Chechen Concert
Hilary Swank
Hollywood celebrity Hilary Swank said she "deeply regrets" visiting a concert held on the birthday of the Kremlin-backed Chechen leader, who is accused of torture, abductions and killings by human rights groups.
The two-time Oscar winner said that she was unaware of the disappearances, house torchings and extra-judicial killings reportedly orchestrated by Ramzan Kadyrov in the southern Russian republic.
"I deeply regret attending this event," Swank said in a written message to The Associated Press on Thursday. "If I had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be, I would never have gone."
Swank issued the message after the Human Rights Watch criticized her - along with Belgian actor Jean Claude Van Damme and British violinist Vanessa Mae - for attending a show that, it says, "trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses."
Hilary Swank
Joins NBC
Ted Koppel
Veteran journalist Ted Koppel is joining Brian Williams' newsmagazine on NBC. NBC announced Thursday that the longtime "Nightline" anchor joins Harry Smith and Meredith Vieira as correspondents on "Rock Center." Since leaving ABC News in 2005, Koppel has done work for the Discovery Channel and NPR.
The newsmagazine debuts Halloween night at 10 p.m. ET.
Kate Snow, Richard Engel, Dr. Nancy Snyderman and the "Today" show team of Matt Lauer and Ann Curry are also listed as contributors to the newsmagazine.
Koppel started "Nightline" and for 25 years was its driving force. While he's associated with ABC, he began his career as an NBC News page.
Ted Koppel
Back On At Disney
"The Lone Ranger"
"The Lone Ranger" is officially back on.
Disney announced Thursday that it has set a release date of May 31, 2013.
The picture had originally been scheduled for a December 21, 2012 release, and for a few months, the big-budget movie's future was in question because Disney halted production over budget concerns.
Soon after Disney made the announcement that the project had been revived Thursday, producer Jerry Bruckheimer tweeted, "#THELONERANGER....and Tonto...will ride again. Excited for another adventure with Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski. Hi-Yo Silver, Away"
"The Lone Ranger"
Denmark Wins
Happiest Country
A new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that Danish people are the happiest among those in the 40 countries that were studied. Depending on the happiness scale used, Americans rank somewhere between No. 12 and No. 19 in the results.
In the "How's Life?" initiative, the results of which were published online Oct. 12, the OECD used data from 2010 Gallup world polls to calculate the happiness and well-being of people in 40 different countries, and investigated which factors have the strongest influence on people's happiness.
On a scale of 0 to 10, citizens of Denmark rated their life satisfaction at 7.8, on average. Citizens of Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, The Netherlands, Australia, Israel and Finland were next most satisfied, followed by people in Ireland, Austria, and the United States, where people rated their life satisfaction at 7.2. Chinese and Hungarian people reported the lowest overall life satisfaction, both at 4.7.
When asked the question "How are you feeling today?" Danes again came in at the top, with approximately 88 percent responding that they felt positive emotions. On this scale, Americans ranked No. 19, with about 83 percent feeling positive.
Overall, the OECD report found that well-being has increased on average over the past fifteen years. People are richer and more likely to be employed; they enjoy better housing conditions and are exposed to lower air pollution; they live longer and are more educated; they are also exposed to fewer crimes.
Happiest Country
Cable Nielsens
Ratings
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen for the week of Oct. 3-9. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses:
1. NFL Football: Indianapolis at Tampa Bay (Monday, 8:30 p.m.), ESPN, 8 million homes, 10.83 million viewers.
2. Major League Baseball Division Series: Detroit at N.Y. Yankees (Thursday, 8 p.m.), TBS, 7.15 million homes, 9.72 million viewers.
3. Major League Baseball Division Series: St. Louis at Philadelphia (Friday, 8:54 p.m.), TBS, 5.88 million homes, 8.38 million viewers.
4. Major League Baseball Division Series: N.Y. Yankees at Detroit (Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.), TBS, 5.23 million homes, 7.01 million viewers.
5. "Jersey Shore" (Thursday, 10 p.m.), MTV, 4.96 million homes, 6.59 million viewers.
6. Major League Baseball Division Series: N.Y. Yankees at Detroit (Monday, 9 p.m.), TBS, 4.46 million homes, 6.04 million viewers.
7. Major League Baseball Division Series: Philadelphia at St. Louis (Tuesday, 5:20 p.m.), TBS, 3.5 million homes, 4.61 million viewers.
8. Major League Baseball Division Series: Arizona at Milwaukee (Friday, 5 p.m.), TBS, 3.45 million homes, 4.59 million viewers.
9. Major League Baseball Division Series: Philadelphia at St. Louis (Wednesday, 6 p.m.), TBS, 3.4 million homes, 4.5 million viewers.
10. "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), E! Entertainment, 3.3 million homes, 4.38 million viewers.
11. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.11 million homes, 4.41 million viewers.
12. Auto Racing: NASCAR Sprint Cup (Sunday, 2 p.m.), ESPN, 3.02 million homes, 4.07 million viewers.
13. "Jessie" (Friday, 9 p.m.), Disney, 2.98 million homes, 4.22 million viewers.
14. "Good Luck Charlie" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), Disney, 2.95 million homes, 4.45 million viewers.
15. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.92 million homes, 4.12 million viewers.
Ratings
In Memory
Pat Modell
Patricia Modell, the wife of former NFL team owner Art Modell and a longtime television actress, has died. She was 80.
Mrs. Modell was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens announced after being contacted by Modell's son. She had been hospitalized for around five months.
During a 22-year acting career, Patricia Breslin Modell performed on the New York stage, in motion pictures and on television. She starred in the "People's Choice" television series with actor Jackie Cooper and played the role of Meg Baldwin in the soap opera "General Hospital." She also played Laura Brooks on the prime time soap opera "Peyton Place."
Among her many television other roles, she was a regular on "Twilight Zone," ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents," ''Perry Mason," and "Maverick."
At one point in her career, Mrs. Modell had appeared on more television shows than any other woman in U.S. history. Her record was eventually broken by one of her best friends, Lucille Ball.
She married Art Modell, former owner and president of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, in 1969. She retired from acting at that time and immersed herself in her family and community improvement.
Born in New York, Patricia Modell was the daughter of Edward and Marjorie Breslin. Her father was a Special Sessions Judge in New York City. Monsignor Patrick Breslin, for whom she was named, was Judge Breslin's eldest brother.
Mrs. Modell graduated from the Academy of Mt. St. Ursuline and the College of New Rochelle.
She is survived by her husband, two sons, John and David, and six grandchildren.
Pat Modell
In Memory
Ray Aghayan
Ray Aghayan, who won the first Emmy awarded for costume design and was a three-time Oscar nominee, died Tuesday at age 83.
Aghayan, who dressed stars like Judy Garland, Cher, Diana Ross, Lucille Ball, The Jackson Five and Barbra Streisand, was nominated for three Oscars for his costuming work, beginning with the 1969 Norman Jewison comedy "Gaily, Gaily."
He also received Oscar nominations for the Billie Holiday biography "Lady Sings the Blues" which starred Ross, and "Funny Lady," Sreisand's "Funny Girl" sequel.
Aghayan's last two Oscar nominations, along with his first Emmy win -- for the 1967 TV movie "Alice Through the Looking Glass" -- were shared with his longtime professional partner, legendary Bob Mackie.
Aghayan began his career as Mackie's assistant.
Ray Aghayan
In Memory
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio
A Charlie Daniels Band member and a co-writer of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" has been killed in a car crash in Tennessee.
A news release from the band says Joel "Taz" DiGregorio died Wednesday night in a crash on Interstate 40 west of Nashville. He was on his way to meet the band's tour bus. DiGregorio's car was the only one involved in the crash.
The 67-year-old DiGregorio is a longtime keyboard player and vocalist for the group. Daniels called him "one of a kind" in the band's news release.
DiGregorio was band member for over 40 years. He was from Southbridge, Mass.
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio
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