The Weekly Poll
Results
The '1st Ever BadtotheboneBob Oscar Award Contest' Results...
Well then, as I'm sure all you ardent Poll-fans know, the winner of The Prize is...
(drum roll, if you please...)
Margaret from MN!
(applause)....
Who correctly predicted the winners of ALL the categories! How cool is THAT, eh?
Good job, there, Margaret! Take a bow! Please be advised that The Prize is, at this very moment, in the trusty (ahem) care of the USPS and is making its way to you on the back one of their hardy pack mules (no doubt)... I must give kudos to the two runners-up that only missed one... Adam in NoHo and Joe (by-the-lake)...
I was kinda hopin' fer a tie, so as to utilize the scientific method I devised to resolve such a situation with the help of my grand-daughter, 'Maddie Muffin', but it was not to be, more's the pity. I'll not divulge that method, instead I'll keep it super-secret for use in a possible future contest of some sort... Ya OK with that? I hope so, cuz ya gots no choice in the matter, haha... But, Maddie DID want to pass this along...
"G'ampa sez, "Yer the Best!"
Now, on to new business...
The 'Moore of the same, or not?' Edition
Michael Moore wants President Obama to replace Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanual, with... Michael Moore... Moore has penned an open letter to 'The Man' writing...
"Dear President Obama, I understand you may be looking to replace Rahm Emanuel as your chief of staff. I would like to humbly offer myself, yours truly, as his replacement..." Welcome to MichaelMoore.com.
That begs the question...
How well do think Michael Moore would do as Obama's Chief-of-Staff?
A.) Better than Rahm...
B.) Worse than Rahm...
C.) It wouldn't make a whit of difference who it is, we're doomed - doomed I say, any way ya cut the cards, dagnabbit!
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: An Irish Mirror (nytimes.com)
The financial crisis in Ireland offers clues about our own, and about how to prevent another one.
Connie Schultz: Race-Baiting for Life (creators.com)
The message is an orchestrated lie, but the billboards are still a jarring sight. A black child, looking frightened and on the verge of tears, fills nearly half the frame. The message in large block letters reads, "BLACK CHILDREN ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES." An Internet address at the bottom reads, "TOO MANY ABORTED.COM."
Froma Harrop: Obama Not Gutless After All (creators.com)
The right accuses Barack Obama of dragging the country way left, and the left calls him gutless. The president is proving both of them wrong.
Susan Salter Reynolds: John McPhee's collection of essays contains pieces of his own history for a change (Los Angeles Times)
There's a fault line opening in John McPhee. After 28 books and countless essays, he is giving us, bit by bit, a more personal sense of who he is. In a recent, beautiful piece for the New Yorker, he combined an essay on pickerel with memories of his father's death and a lasting image of his father's bamboo fishing rod.
"The Third Reich at War: 1939-1945" by Richard J. Evans: A review by William H. Gass
In order to prepare private citizens for the military, a humiliating and painful bullying is generally prescribed. Its aim is to inculcate obedience and create callousness.
Thomas Doherty: The Death of Film Criticism (chronicle.com)
"It sucks," decrees an Internet movie critic, sharing the most common aesthetic reaction in contemporary film criticism. In the viral salon of bloggers and chat-roomers, the finely tuned turns of phrase crafted by an earlier generation of sharp-eyed cinema scribes have been winnowed to a curt kiss-off. In cyberspace everyone can hear you scream. Just log on, vent, and hit send.
JOHNSON CUMMINS: Please remember me (montrealmirror.com)
The oral history of Toronto's overlooked but influential punk rock scene is retold in Liz Worth's 'Treat Me Like Dirt.'
Brian McCollum: Grammy winner Alicia Keys looks back on nearly 10 years in the music business (Detroit Free Press)
Alicia Keys isn't taking anything for granted. The 29-year-old pianist-songwriter has enjoyed ample blessings since arriving on the scene nine years ago, most recently with her platinum fourth album, "The Element of Freedom."
George Varga: "The Long Hello: Zac Brown Band" (creators.com)
The Zac Brown Band made history in at least two ways when it won Best New Artist honors at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31. The six-man group became the first country-music band - as opposed to solo artist - to ever win a Best New Artist trophy at the Grammys.
Michael Moore: The Best Film of 2009 (michaelmoore.com)
The best movie I saw this year won't be winning any awards ... at the Oscars. It wasn't even nominated for anything. In fact, it wasn't even shown in the United States. Yet, I'm confident that, if you had had a chance to see it, you would likely agree with me that this is a brilliant film, a rare gem.
Geoff Boucher: Helena Bonham Carter finds her role in 'Alice in Wonderland' is a royal pain (latimes.com)
When Tim Burton finally made his surprise proposal, Helena Bonham Carter was touched by how shy and befuddled he sounded. "He was so polite about it, and there were so many hesitations," Bonham Carter said. "He said, 'Would you consider, um, possibly, perhaps -- but only if you want to -- um, anyway, would you play the Red Queen?' "
KENNETH TURAN: Review: 'Ran' (latimes.com)
They don't make them like Akira Kurosawa's magisterial "Ran" anymore, but the truth is, they didn't really make them like this regal epic back then either.
David Bruce: Jerry Spinelli's "Stargirl": A Discussion Guide (lulu.com)
Free Download.
replied:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny spring day.
More Fee Disputes Coming
Local TV
Stay tuned for more fee disputes threatening local television stations on cable TV lineups.
Broadcasters hurt by declining ad revenue are demanding more fees from cable and other subscription TV providers to carry the stations. The providers are resisting, and in the latest tussle, Cablevision Systems Corp. dropped the ABC station in New York in the hours leading to Sunday's Oscars telecast.
More such blackouts loom as several networks and various providers across the country have contracts set to expire this year, including one covering major ABC stations in Time Warner Cable Inc. markets. All signs point to down-to-the-wire talks that could leave viewers scrambling for other ways to watch their favorite shows and major sporting events.
Such disputes used to be limited to cable channels such as CNN and ESPN, as they have long been paid per-subscriber fees by the providers. But in recent years, stations that are broadcast for free over the air have demanded such fees from cable TV and other providers as well.
Local TV
Archive Goes To U. of Texas
David Foster Wallace
The archive of writer David Foster Wallace, best known for his 1996 novel "Infinite Jest," has been acquired by the Harry Ransom Center library and museum at the University of Texas, the center announced Monday.
Hailed as a visionary of his literary generation, Wallace suffered from depression and committed suicide in 2008 at age 46. His archive includes handwritten notes and drafts of "Infinite Jest" and other works, poems written as a child, his personal library and writings from college.
Material for Wallace's posthumous novel, "The Pale King," will remain with his publisher until after the book's scheduled release in 2011.
"He's one of the youngest writers represented in our collection, but clearly one of the greatest writers of his generation," said the Ransom Center's Megan Barnard, Deputy to the Director for Administration and Acquisitions. "We have really strong holdings in the generation ahead of him and he represents a new generation influenced by them."
David Foster Wallace
Joins Tom Bergeron On `DWTS'
Brooke Burke
Former "Dancing With the Stars" winner Brooke Burke will be Tom Bergeron's new partner when the series starts again later month.
She'll replace Samantha Harris as co-host. Bergeron made the announcement Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
As a contestant, Burke won during the season that ended in November 2008. She has hosted TV shows including CBS' "Rock Star" and E!'s "Wild On." The mother of four children has also built her own business on parenting issues, with an online baby products store and job as the "mommy correspondent" on the syndicated show "The Doctors." She has more than 1.7 million followers on Twitter.
The new season begins March 22.
Brooke Burke
Shaved Beard While Hosting `SNL'
Zach Galifianakis
While hosting "Saturday Night Live," Zach Galifianakis covertly shaved his trademark beard.
The 40-year-old comedian slipped backstage while the show's musical guest, Vampire Weekend, performed. When Galifianakis emerged for the next sketch, his shaggy, reddish beard was gone, with a mustache in its place.
When Galifianakis returned to wave farewell at the end of the show, he'd changed yet again, donning a fake beard much like his original.
Galifianakis, who co-starred in "The Hangover," has often made his beard a focal point in his standup and has rarely shaved it. In a 2008 interview, he joked: "I would shave, but then I look like Jodi Foster."
Zach Galifianakis
"Secret" Uncovered In Florence Chapel
Giotto
Restorers using ultra-violet rays have rediscovered rich original details of Giotto's paintings in the Peruzzi Chapel in Florence's Santa Croce church that have been hidden for centuries.
"We have uncovered a secret Giotto," said Isabella Lapi Ballerini, head of Florence's Opificio delle Pietre Dure, one of the world's most prestigious art restoration laboratories.
Last year, more than a dozen restorers and researchers began an ambitious project of "non-invasive diagnostics" to ascertain the condition of the 12-meter-high chapel, which Giotto painted in about 1320.
The aim of the study, partly funded by a grant from the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles, was to gather information on the 170 square meter (1,830 square feet) chapel to use as a road map and "hospital chart" for a future restoration.
Giotto
Hospital News
Placido Domingo
Placido Domingo underwent surgery last week to remove a cancerous polyp from his colon but is expected to make a full recovery, his spokeswoman said Monday.
The 69-year-old tenor had surgery last week at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and was released Sunday, spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer said.
The malignancy was localized, and the operation was laparoscopic, a minimally invasive procedure in which a small incision is made in the abdomen, Seltzer said.
Doctors have ordered Domingo to rest for six weeks, Seltzer said in a statement. It's anticipated that he'll return April 16 with a performance of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, she said.
Placido Domingo
Fear & Self-Loathing
Roy Ashburn
Republican state Sen. Roy Ashburn said Monday he is gay, ending days of speculation that began after his arrest last week for investigation of driving under the influence.
Ashburn, who consistently voted against gay rights measures during his 14 years in the state Legislature, came out in an interview with conservative talk show host Inga Barks on KERN radio in Bakersfield, the area he represents.
The 55-year-old father of four said he had tried to keep his personal life separate from his professional life until his March 3 arrest.
In the radio interview, Ashburn said he is drawing on his Christian faith, and he asked people to pray for him.
Roy Ashburn
Associate Fined, No Prison
Girls Gone Wild
A Hollywood associate of Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis was fined $5,000 Monday but spared prison time for his role as the "bag man" in the bribery of jail guards to help Francis when he was held in Reno on tax evasion charges in 2007.
Aaron Weinstein, 45, originally faced a felony bribery charge but agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor of providing contraband in prison.
U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks said Weinstein avoided up to six months in prison because he cooperated with authorities in prosecuting Francis and two former guards at the Washoe County jail who acknowledged accepting thousands of dollars in cash and gifts.
Girls Gone Wild
Conservative Humor
Canadian Parliament
Canada's parliamentary restaurant will be serving seal meat on Wednesday in a gesture of defiance aimed at a European Union ban on imports of seal products.
Canada's Conservative government says it will fight the EU ban, which was imposed last July on the grounds that the annual seal hunt off the east coast was cruel and inhumane.
A dish of double-smoked bacon-wrapped seal loin in a port reduction will be on the menu on Wednesday, the office of Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette said on Monday.
Ottawa says the hunt -- which takes place in March and April -- provides valuable income for Atlantic fishing communities. The seals are either shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.
Canadian Parliament
On Auction Block
www.sex.com
Sex.com, often touted as one of the most valuable Internet domain names, is due to head to the auction block next week.
DOM Partners LLC, a New Jersey lender that backed a 2006 purchase of the domain name for a reported $14 million (9.3 million pound), is foreclosing on the Internet property, and is due to auction it on March 18 at New York law firm Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP, according to legal notices.
Bidding for the Internet property, the tumultuous past of which includes several lawsuits and two books, is due to start at $1 million.
The auctions of simple domain names are seen as rare opportunities for Internet entrepreneurs.
www.sex.com
Fashion Adventure Ends
Lindsay Lohan
Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan's design career has ended after a single collection for Parisian label Emanuel Ungaro, leaving the fashion world divided over whether her work was a disaster or a much-needed bit of fun.
Ungaro designer Estrella Archs, who worked with Lohan on last year's widely panned show of buttock-revealing dresses and strippers' nipple stickers, showed her second Ungaro collection on Monday. She said Lohan had no hand in it.
"You have up and downs and you learn a lot, more from the downs than from the ups," Archs told reporters backstage when asked about the dire reviews of last year's show with Lohan, who acted as artistic adviser.
Their joint collection has just hit the shops, but Lohan has gone back to buying rather than producing fashion -- she was seen at Roberto Cavalli in Milan, and was invited to Dior in Paris on Friday, though she came late and missed the show.
Lindsay Lohan
NBC Fluffs Trump
"Miss Universe"
Miss America may be searching for a new home, but NBC said Monday it has renewed its deal with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe organization to televise "Miss Universe" and "Miss USA" for three more years, beginning 2011.
Telemundo, NBC's Spanish-language sibling, is on board to simulcast Miss Universe. This year's Miss USA pageant will air on May 16.
The announcement comes a week after TLC said it would not renew its telecast deal with the veteran Miss America organization.
"Miss Universe"
Shipwrecks Uncovered
Baltic Sea
A dozen previously unknown shipwrecks, some of them believed to be up to 1,000 years old, were discovered in the Baltic Sea during a probe of the sea bed to prepare for the installation of a large gas pipeline, the Swedish National Heritage Board said Monday.
"We think many of the ships are from the 17th and 18th centuries and we think some could even be from the Middle Ages," Peter Norman, a senior advisor with the heritage board said, stressing that "this discovery offers enormous culture-historical value.
The shipwrecks were discovered during a probe by the Russian-led Nord Stream consortium of the sea bed route its planned gas pipeline from Russia to the European Union will take through the Baltic.
The discovery was made outside Sweden's territorial waters, but within its economic zone, he said.
Baltic Sea
In Memory
Mark Linkous
Mark Linkous, the singer-songwriter who released his music under the band name Sparklehorse, has died after shooting himself in the chest in Tennessee. He was 47.
Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Linkous shot himself outside a friend's house around 1:20 p.m. Saturday with his own rifle. DeBusk said Linkous was staying with friends and became upset after receiving a text message.
Linkous' most recent work included collaborations with producer Danger Mouse and musician Christian Fennesz. He was working on the follow-up to 2006's "Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain" at the time of his death.
Linkous was popular in the indie music scene with a unique sound that was engaging, ethereal and hauntingly beautiful.
Linkous was a popular collaborator and respected artist who was a festival favorite. His highly anticipated album with Danger Mouse, "Dark Night of the Soul," had been held up by legal issues but was cleared for release soon. Filmmaker David Lynch recently released a companion book of photographs.
The artist's earlier albums included "Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot," "Good Morning Spider" and "It's a Wonderful Life," which featured contributions from Tom Waits and P.J. Harvey.
Mark Linkous
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