TOM TOMORROW: "Graphic Novels: Threat or Menace?" (huffingtonpost.com)
Fifty three years after Dr. Fredric Wertham argued in "Seduction of the Innocent" that comic books were corrupting the morals of our youth, a public schoolteacher has been forced to resign -- and faced the threat of criminal prosecution -- for giving a student a graphic novel as a reading assignment.
ALEX REMINGTON: "The Funniest Woman in the World": Catherine O'Hara (huffingtonpost.com)
She hasn't worked a great deal in the past decade, and has actually done more animation and voiceover work than live-action acting. Twenty-one years ago, she already was defending herself for establishing a slow, quality-conscious pace for her career, explaining: "'Picky and she won't go out for anything' -- that's a better story than, 'She Goes Out for Everything and Can't Get a Job.'" Since leaving SCTV, she has found some regular work in holiday movies, picking up checks for films from Home Alone to Surviving Christmas to The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Roger Ebert: My Kid Could Paint That (3 stars)
The truth lurking beneath "My Kid Could Paint That" is that your kid couldn't paint that. The documentary considers the perplexing case of Marla Olmstead, a 4-year-old girl from Binghamton, N.Y., who got a lot of publicity because at her age she was producing abstract paintings that sold for hundreds and then thousands of dollars, were awarded gallery shows, generated a firestorm in the art community, and were the subject of a controversial segment on "60 Minutes."
mj was first, but didn't have the correct answer, writing:
My first guess is A, but in a just world the answer would be C.
Second was Baron Dave ("I wish people who have trouble communicating would just shut up." --
Tom Lehrer), wrote next, and he had the right answer:
Waaaaaay back when, NPR's The Morning Show ran a contest to name that
symbol on the telephone keypad. Their winner: "Barb", not only
descriptive but an acronym for "button at right bottom". But we
still lovingly call know it as the "octothorpe".
kitchenrat was third:
It's octothorpe, a word without charm or vocal appeal, best stick to the symbol. Now that I've said that, "symbol", doesn't look or sound too good either.
DanD wrote:
Well, that little thingy must be the philtrum of an alucard octothorpe.
Buzzcook answered:
The Octothorpe , is named for an obscure football play developed by hall
of famer Jim Thorpe. The complex play involved involving to lateral
passes never worked but was so amusing to watch that it was kept just
for exhibition games.
The touch tone phone was invented in 1941 by fans of Thorpe's at Bell
labs. The guys thought of themselves as the twelfth man on the football
team and they loved the symmetry of the number. That's why there are
twelve buttons on the touchtone phone. This left them with two extra
buttons so they named one of them after their favorite football play and
the other after the daughter of the head scientist, Astra.
Well at least that's what I heard.
Vic said:
They call em "Hache" keys down in Australialand, the "Hache" being an archaic French form for "Axe", "Hatch" and even "Hash" the #'s are even considered to be "Hash-marks"
So My answer has to be "E- Some of the above"
Alan J was succinct with:
Octothorpe.
And, Sally P answered:
Question: The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an "Octothorpe" - or "D."
Trivia bonus, the name "octothorpe" was coined in the 1960s by Bell (Telephone) Labs when that key was included with touch tone phones.
CBS begins the night with a RERUN'Cold Case', followed by a RERUN'CSI: The 3rd One', then '48 Hours'.
NBC starts the night with the movie 'Scary Movie', followed by a RERUN'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'.
'SNL' has another RERUN, with Seth Rogen hosting, music by Spoon.
ABC fills the night with LIVE'College Football', then pads the left coast with local crap and maybe na old 'Oprah'.
The CW fills the night with old 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'Family Guy''s.
Faux has LIVE'MLB Baseball - World Series - Game 3', then pads the left coast with local crap and old 'Simpsons'.
MY has 'NFL Total Access', and 'IFL Battleground'.
A&E has 'Flip This House', another 'Flip This House', still another 'Flip This House', and 'Gene Simmons'.
AMC offers the movie 'The Ninth Gate', followed by the movie 'The Exorcist', then the movie 'Exorcist II: The Heretic'.
BBC -
[12:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 8 La Gondola;
[1:00 PM] Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares - Ep 7 Oscars;
[2:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 6 Countrycide;
[3:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Greeks Bearing Gifts;
[4:00 PM] Hotel Babylon - Episode 3;
[5:00 PM] Hotel Babylon - Episode 4;
[6:00 PM] Top Gear - Episode 3;
[7:00 PM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 The Impossible Planet;
[8:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Greeks Bearing Gifts;
[9:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 8 They Keep Killing Suzie;
[11:00 PM] Torchwood - Ep 7 Greeks Bearing Gifts;
[12:00 AM] Torchwood - Ep 8 They Keep Killing Suzie;
[2:00 AM] Doctor Who - Ep 8 The Impossible Planet;
[3:00 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep.14 Barges;
[3:30 AM] Changing Rooms - Ep.15 Leicester;
[4:00 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 18 Newark 62;
[4:30 AM] Bargain Hunt - Ep. 19 Oakington 60;
[5:00 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 5 Gill Last;
[5:30 AM] Cash in the Attic - Ep. 6 Finch;
[6:00 AM] BBC World News. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Bravo has the movie 'Addams Family Values', 'The 100 Scariest Movie Moments', and another 'The 100 Scariest Movie Moments'.
Comedy Central has 'Scrubs', another 'Scrubs', followed by the movie 'Undercover Brother', then the movie 'Scary Movie 3'.
FX the movie 'Halloween Resurrection', followed by the movie 'Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later', then the movie 'Joy Ride'.
History has 'Modern Marvels', 'Vampire Secrets', and 'Decoding The Past'.
IFC -
[06:00 AM] Fall Time;
[07:30 AM] Action Indies: Extraordinary Location Scouts;
[08:00 AM] Samurai 7 Episode #25: The Last Battle;
[08:30 AM] Blind Swordsman #4: Zatoichi, The Fugitive;
[10:00 AM] The Young Americans;
[11:50 AM] Media Lab Results;
[12:00 PM] Afraid of the Dark;
[01:40 PM] Fall Time;
[03:15 PM] The Young Americans;
[05:05 PM] IFC News Special: Comic-Con Chronicles;
[05:35 PM] Afraid of the Dark;
[07:15 PM] Fulltime Killer;
[09:00 PM] StrangeLand;
[10:30 PM] Dahmer;
[12:15 AM] Habit;
[02:15 AM] StrangeLand;
[03:45 AM] Dahmer;
[05:30 AM] IFC Short Film Showcase. (ALL TIMES EDT)
SciFi has the movie 'Abominable', followed by the movie 'Headless Horseman'.
Sundance -
[06:00 AM] The Apostle;
[08:15 AM] In the Sun: Michael Stipe and Special Guests (Long Version);
[09:15 AM] A Man's Gotta Do;
[11:00 AM] The Best of Secter & the Rest of Secter;
[12:00 PM] Southern Belles;
[01:30 PM] Mercy;
[02:00 PM] Sean Penn + Jon Krakauer;
[03:00 PM] Episode 7;
[03:30 PM] A Summer in the Cage;
[05:00 PM] Into the Night;
[07:00 PM] Episode 3;
[08:00 PM] Look Both Ways;
[10:00 PM] Help!;
[11:45 PM] Mercy;
[12:15 AM] Twin Town;
[02:00 AM] Save the Green Planet!;
[04:00 AM] Down to the Bone;
[05:45 AM] Southern Belles. (ALL TIMES EDT)
U.S. actress Sharon Stone poses as she arrives at the party for the inaugural Cinema Against AIDS Rome event to benefit the Foundation to AIDS Research (amfAR) October 26, 2007.
Photo by Alessandro Bianchi
If the saying "give, and you shall receive" holds true, then fans of the "Saw" horror movies joining a nationwide blood drive should get plenty of the red stuff in return from a new film sequel.
"Saw IV," the latest installment in one of Hollywood's most successful horror franchises, opens in theaters on Friday ahead of fright-filled Halloween night in the United States, and as it has in past years, the Lionsgate film studio has launched a blood drive to promote the film and boost blood donations.
Last year, the "Give 'Til it Hurts" campaign collected nearly 23,500 pints of blood through local efforts, and this year, the American Red Cross and Web portal Yahoo! joined the effort to take it nationwide. This year's goal: 60,000 pints.
Director Joan Brooker-Marks and Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt arrive at the premiere of the documentary 'Larry Flynt: The Right to be Left Alone' at The Paley Center for Media Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 in New York.
Photo by Gary He
A picture taken by American photographer Nan Goldin and owned by Elton John isn't an indecent image, British prosecutors said Friday.
The BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, northeastern England, alerted police Sept. 20 amid child pornography concerns. The photo shows two girls dancing; one of them is naked.
The gallery then closed "Thanksgiving," an exhibition of 149 pictures by Goldin, at John's request. The 60-year-old pop star purchased the collection in 1999.
There wasn't enough evidence to justify charges of possession or distribution of an indecent photograph, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
Harvey Keitel will portray talk-show host Jerry Springer in "Jerry Springer - the Opera in Concert" for two performances, Jan. 29-30, at Carnegie Hall.
The musical production, which at one time had been announced for Broadway, will be directed by Jason Moore, the director of "Avenue Q." The show, written by Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, was a hit in London for the National Theatre in 2003 and later moved to the West End.
Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore (L) acknowledges the applause after receiving the 2007 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation from Spain's Crown Prince Felipe in Oviedo October 26, 2007.
Photo by Eloy Alonso
The production schedule on Fox's hit medical drama "House" had to be reshuffled Thursday after star Hugh Laurie told producers that he had to go back home, and promptly took an afternoon flight to London.
Since the launch of "House" in 2004, Laurie has been separated from his wife and kids, who all still live in England.
A representative for the actor stressed that the trip had been cleared with the producers, and that Laurie is expected to be back at work Monday.
It is understood that the sudden departure is not related to salary negotiations. Last year, Laurie joined the ranks of the highest-paid actors on TV with a new deal that paid him more than $300,000 an episode. (A TV season consists of about two-dozen episodes.)
The White House scolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday for staging a phony news conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in southern California.
The agency - much maligned for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina over two years ago - arranged to have FEMA employees play the part of independent reporters Tuesday and ask questions of Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the agency's deputy director.
The questions were predictably soft and gratuitous.
White House press secretary spokesliar Dana Perino said it was not appropriate that the questions were posed by agency staffers instead of reporters. FEMA was responsible for the "error in judgment," she said, adding that the White House did not know about it beforehand and did not condone it.
Singer and songwriter Carole King performs on the NBC 'Today' television program in New York, Friday Oct. 26, 2007. She appeared in support of her new DVD 'Welcome to My Living Room.'
Photo by Richard Drew
U2 Ltd., the Irish band's music publishing company, raked in $30 million-plus last year - and $25.8 million of it went to five unidentified "employees," according to documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
Those "employees" are suspected to be the band members and their longtime manager, Paul McGuinness. But U2's public relations firms in Dublin and London refused to confirm that.
While Bono has won accolades worldwide for raising awareness of Third World poverty, he has been criticized for moving U2's corporate offices out of Ireland to avoid paying taxes. The U2 Ltd. documents show the band moved its corporate base last year from Ireland to the Netherlands, where royalties on music incur virtually no tax.
The move, while perfectly legal, strikes a raw nerve in Ireland, whose wealthiest citizens often live as tax exiles in other European countries to avoid tax.
John Lydon, left, Paul Cook, rear, and Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols perform at the Roxy in West Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. The concert marked the legendary British punk band's first-ever club performance in Southern California.
Photo by Chris Pizzello
A relation of Marilyn Monroe's personal assistant is being sued by the actress' estate for failing to turn over property that belonged to the screen icon.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, marks the second case in a little more than a decade against Millington Conroy, who allegedly is in possession of letters, notes, financial records, recipes, jewelry, fur coats, hats, purses and perfume bottles that belonged to Monroe.
Conroy inherited the items from his mother, whose sister-in-law was Monroe's assistant Inez Melson. For the year after Monroe's death, Melson was appointed by the court to administer and take inventory of the estate. But when she was discharged, rather than turning everything over to the estate, Melson kept several items, according to the lawsuit.
Monroe left nothing to Melson. All her personal effects and clothing were inherited by acting coach Lee Strasberg, whose estate is managed by his widow, Anna.
A fan of NBC's 'The Office' with an oversized head of the character Dwight Schrute is seen as cast member Craig Robinson, right, who plays Darryl Philbin signs autographs at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa., Friday, Oct. 26, 2007. 'The Office Convention' is scheduled to take place in Scranton, Pa., from Friday to Sunday.
Photo by Matt Rourke
A volunteer at the Eagle River Nature Center is recovering after being bitten by a brown bear sow. Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials say Sarah Wallmer was bitten on the buttocks on the Crow Pass Trail, about a mile from the nature center.
The attack happened Thursday as Wallmer was traveling to the Rapids camp yurt. She was running with her dog, about 10 minutes ahead of another volunteer.
Officials say she was making noise on the trail to announce her presence, but the blowing wind probably obscured her voice.
The bear charged her, and she dropped her dog's leash and turned her back to the sow. The bear bit her once.
She was treated at a clinic for four puncture wounds but a release from the state agency says she otherwise "appeared to be in good spirits."
A lock of revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's hair sits next to photos of Guevara's dead body and fingerprints taken after his death at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas,Texas October 25, 2007.
Photo by Jessica Rinaldi
Hundreds of guitarists played Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" in India's remote northeastern hills on Friday, attempting to break the world record for the largest guitar ensemble.
About 1,730 guitarists played at a stadium in Shillong town aiming to break the existing Guinness record held by musicians from Kansas City in the United States where 1,721 guitarists had performed Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" last year.
There were no adjudicators from the Guinness Book of World Records at the Indian event, but its organizers claimed their feat would be recognized as they had two witnesses in keeping with the parameters set by the Guinness authorities.
Jaguar mother "Sally" looks at her eight weeks old cub in their enclosure at the Munich zoo October 26, 2007. The jaguar cub was born on September 2 in the zoo.
Photo by Michael Dalder
You have reached the Home page of BartCop Entertainment.
Make yourself home, take your shoes off...
Go ahead, scratch it if it itches.
The idea is to have fun.
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Anything that increased your blood pressure, or, even better,
amused or entertained?
Do you have a great album no one's heard?
How about a favorite TV show, movie, book, play, cartoon, or legal amusement?
A popular artist that just plain pisses you off?
A box set the whole world should own?
Vile, filthy rumors about Republican musicians?
Just plain vile, filthy rumors?
This is your place.
