Feb. 19, 2007 — ABC News has confirmed reports that two satellite radio providers XM and Sirius will announce a long-anticipated merger today. The two companies worked over the weekend to finalize a plan that is expected to be structured as a “merger of equals,” although ABC News has learned the plan calls for Sirius CEO Mel Karamzen to run the new company. The merger would require regulatory approval as well as anti-trust scrutiny. Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, reportedly said last month that a merger could not be approved under current FCC regulations. ABC NEWS: They Are […]
HIZZONER ’07: Milton Out On Bail, Campaign Sets Sail
T. Milton Street Sr., who last week announced his candidacy for mayor of Philadelphia, was handcuffed and jailed for five hours Monday on charges that he ignored traffic tickets in two South Jersey towns. Street, 67, who is facing trial on federal corruption and tax evasion charges, said he was “totally shocked” by Monday’s events, which began when a Moorestown patrolman who knew that his township had a warrant for Street’s arrest recognized the former Pennsylvania state representative and hot dog vendor buying a newspaper in a 7-Eleven store. After posting $3,250 bail, Street was freed from the Burlington County […]
WE KNOW IT’S ONLY ROCK N’ ROLL BUT WE LIKE IT
THE SHINING: Divided Like A Saints, Aquarius Fest, Friday Night [FLICKR] EVA SAYS: Maybe it was the two tabs of Robitussin. Or the flu. Or the first 40. But probably it was all of the above plus the second 40, and the packed to the gills and the tripping balls atmosphere around Danger Danger on Friday night. But anyway, long story short, I got a little out of my head. I get there before midnight yet and already the place is rammed. I hear Normal Love playing upstairs, and I’m excited, but I’m only able to catch the tail end […]
INTERVIEW: How Devil Girl Became Mrs. Natural
BY JONATHAN VALANIA Almost everyone knows R. Crumb‘s work whether they realize it or not. Keep On Truckin‘? You’re soaking in it. Cheap Thrills? You betcha. Big butts? He invented them. Devil doll glamazons offering piggyback rides to nebbishy four-eyed horn dogs? Sweet Jesus! Giddyup! (If none of this rings a bell, you would do well by renting Terry Zwigoff’s 1994 documentary, Crumb.) Aline Kominsky-Crumb, his wife of 35 years, is not quite the household word her husband is, but that may well change, depending on how hip the household. Aline has been cartooning as long as her husband has, […]
OBIT: Local Gay Rights Pioneer Dead At 75
Pioneer Gay rights activist Barbara Gittings at the first homosexual rights demonstration, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, July 4, 1965. Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) — Barbara Gittings, one of the earliest activists to push the U.S. government to provide homosexuals with equal rights, has died. She was 75. Gittings died yesterday at 7:25 p.m. in Kennet Square, Pennsylvania, after a lengthy battle with breast cancer, said friend Mark Segal, publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. She is survived by her partner of 46 years, Kay Lahusen, and sister Eleanor Gittings Taylor. In 1965, Gittings and several gay men and lesbians were the first to […]
VIET NOW: Iraq Amputee Disinvited From Bush Photo-Op For Wearing Shorts In Summer Time
WASHINGTON POST — No one questions Sgt. Bryan Anderson’s sacrifice. He holds the gruesome honor of being one of the war’s five triple amputees. Bryan, 25, lost both legs and his left arm when a roadside bomb exploded next to the Humvee he was driving with the 411th Military Police Company. Modern medicine saved him and now he’s the pride of the prosthetics team at Walter Reed. Tenacious and wisecracking, he wrote “[Expletive] Iraq” on his left leg socket. Amputees are the first to receive celebrity visitors, job offers and extravagant trips, but Bryan is in a league of his […]
NY Times Spotlights Philly DJ Crew Raided By RIAA
The Aphilliates’ inner circle, in their Atlanta studio, from left: Willie the Kid, DJ Drama, Jay Stevenson (the studio engineer), DJ Sense, DJ Don Cannon. By SAMANTHA M. SHAPIRO In 1996, Sense and Drama, then both freshmen majoring in mass communications, met in Brawley Hall, their dorm at Clark Atlanta University. C.A.U. is part of the country’s largest consortium of historically black colleges, directly abutting Morehouse and Spelman. Drama and Sense were both aspiring D.J.s, and they were both from Philadelphia. After they met, they competed in a local D.J. battle and became friends. The following year they met Cannon, […]
CREEP: Coweta County’s Most Wanted Found In Philly
COWETA COUNTY, GEORGIA — The man who has topped the list of Coweta County’s most wanted fugitives since Dec. 8, 2002, when he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and killed her protector, was arrested Friday in Philadelphia. Indicted for murder in absentia in 2004 for allegedly killing Kerry Arnold in a Main Street home in Newnan before kidnapping Karon Moss, Warner Lee Arnold is now in custody. Warner Arnold was picked up by authorities in Philadelphia Friday, according to Coweta Circuit Assistant District Attorney Ray Mayer. Prosecutors in Mayer’s office had Warner Arnold indicted on charges of murder, felony murder, burglary, […]
BRITNEY: I AM MELTING
[Click image for details] EDITOR’S NOTE: Could somebody out there in La La Land who is not making a buck off her sad slo-mo meltdown please help this girl? The folks out here in flyover country would sure appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
NOW PLAYING: NEON BIBLE by THE ARCADE FIRE
[NOW PLAYING ON PHAWKER RADIO: NEON BIBLE by THE ARCADE FIRE] Recently, we found a copy of the new Arcade Fire album under a rock somewhere, or maybe it was under the sea. It doesn’t really matter. The point is we think it’s REALLY FUCKIN’ GOOD, if you like that kind of thing. Just to be sure, we focus-grouped it with several key Phawker demographics. Here’s the feedback we overheard from behind the two-way mirror:
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
THE WORLD CAFE Yoko Ono visits host David Dye on the World Cafe. The avant-garde pioneer’s new album, Yes, I’m A Witch, is a collection of Ono’s works as interpreted by notable alternative bands. … With contributors ranging from The Flaming Lips, to The Polyphonic Spree, to Cat Power, Yes, I’m A Witch showcases the extent of Ono’s influence on today’s popular music. … The material selected for the CD spans her career, including some early work with John Lennon. … While most of the remixes retain only Ono’s vocals, her art-rock sensibilities shine through with each new rendition. RADIO TIMES […]