ASSOCIATED PRESS: MIAMI — Sen. John McCain won a breakthrough triumph in the Florida primary Tuesday night, gaining the upper hand in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination ahead of next week’s contests across 21 states and lining up a quick endorsement from soon-to-be dropout Rudy Giuliani. “I want to thank my dear friend, my dear friend Rudy Giuliani, who invested his heart and soul in this primary and who conducted himself with all the qualities of the exceptional American leaders he truly is,” McCain said. “Thank you Rudy for all you have added to this race and being and […]
OSWALD & GHOSTS: Spamming Camelot
BY AMY Z. QUINN FOR MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS So why, in all of this talk about President Kennedy, can I not stop thinking about Michelle Obama? I can’t help but wonder what Mrs. Obama is thinking today, since she reportedly has no desire to star in any fairy tales. It’s important to remember, at moments like this, that Mrs. Obama is 43, like her husband too young to remember Kennedy’s much-fabled 1,000 Days. And while he seems to have grown up happily basking in the popular portrayal of the Kennedys as American royalty devoted to public service, her attitude seems to […]
WHY JOHNNY CAN’T WIN: It’s The Kingmaking, Stupid
THE HILL: Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) has his sights set on playing kingmaker at the Denver convention in August, one of his most senior campaign officials hinted Monday. While dismissing suggestions that this implied Edwards had accepted he was out of contention for the nomination, Deputy Campaign Manager Jonathan Prince said the candidate would probably get enough delegates to play a decisive role in tipping the Democratic nomination under party rules. Prince told reporters in a conference call that in “a worst-case scenario” Edwards would control 20 to 25 percent of the Democratic delegates heading into the convention. He […]
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR Old friends Mick Jones, former lead guitarist of The Clash, and Tony James, once of the Billy Idol-fronted Generation X, have teamed up in a band called Carbon/Silicon. Carbon/Silicon isn’t yet as well known as the bands the two co-founders came from, or even the bands the other band members once played in. Leo Williams played bass with Jones in Big Audio Dynamite, and Dominic Greensmith was the drummer for British rock group Reef. But the group’s approach to the internet has gained them widespread popularity. James and Jones began making their songs available on their web site […]
KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY: Undercover Narc Busted For White Power Poster Inside His Police Locker
DAILY NEWS: INSIDE the locker of a narcotics cop, Philadelphia police officials recently made a shocking discovery: A cartoon [NOT PICTURED] of a man, half as an officer in uniform and half as a Klansman with the words: “Blue By Day — White By Night. White Power,” according to police officials. The officer, Scott Schweizer, who has arrested countless drug suspects in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, was removed from his undercover police duties and given a desk job earlier this month, authorities said. The disturbing find triggered an internal probe that widened yesterday as investigators began to explore whether the scope […]
EARLY WORD: I Am Teenager Of The Year
[Click image to activate Internets]
LUPE FIASCO: Conflict Diamonds
His Fillmore show is WAY sold out. Excellent. Long may he rise.
STATE OF THE UNION: Fade To Black
DAILY TIMES: The huge glut of savings built up in China allowed that nation to lend billions of dollars to the US, which meant American consumers could embark on a borrowing and spending spree. But too many of those loans went bad, banks racked up huge losses, and CEOs paid with their jobs. When the stock market caught on to what was happening, shares tanked on fears that the US would fall into recession. That prompted Ben Bernanke to slash US interest rates by an extraordinary three quarters of a per cent last Tuesday. As the US economy has shifted […]
THE EARLY WORD: Here The Wild Things Are
PHILADELPHIA — The Rosenbach Museum & Library will present There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak from May 6, 2008 through April 30, 2009. This major retrospective of over 130 pieces pulled from the museum’s vast Maurice Sendak collection – the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world – will feature original artwork, rare sketches, never-before seen working materials and interview footage. The exhibition will draw on a total of over 300 objects, with new works on display every four months, providing a unique experience with each set of illustrations. Sendak, famed author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things […]
HOORAY FOR PHILLYWOOD: Tom Quinn’s Mummer Double Bummer Takes Top Prize At Slamdance Festival
VARIETY: Slamdance has bestowed its top film awards on Tom Quinn’s family drama “The New Year Parade” and to Greg Kohs’ doc “Song Sung Blue.” MORE …Philadelphia’s colorful Mummers’ Parade bookends an unsentimentalized portrait of 21st-century divorce in “The New Year Parade.” Winner of the Slamdance grand jury prize, Tom Quinn’s first feature combines non-professional actors with hundreds of actual marching band participants to yield an almost documentary-like look at a family left reeling after the parents separate. Quinn, who hails from the emerging “Phillywood” independent scene, possesses a strong artistic sensibility and the confidence to build his story around […]
THE TEENAGERS: Starlett Johansson
They are from France, so it’s OK. Besides, they play Making Time on Friday.
CINEMA: ‘Vagina Dentata’ Is The Nice Word For It
TEETH (2007, directed by Michell Lichtenstein, 93 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC It is my sad duty to report that the great cinematic essay on the subject of Vagina Dentata has yet to be made. Points for getting to the subject first should be awarded to Mitchell Lichtenstein (the son of Pop artist Roy) with his directorial debut Teeth. While Spielberg may have defined high concept filmmaking with his “fish that eats people,” Lichtenstein’s got a twist that can’t be beat, he’s sexed it up as “the vagina that eats people.” Like Jaws, Teeth supplies the giddy thrill […]
HOT DOC: Hacker Swarm Declares War On Scientology
Hello, Scientology. We are Anonymous. Over the years, we have been watching you. Your campaigns of misinformation; suppression of dissent; your litigious nature, all of these things have caught our eye. With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation, the extent of your malign influence over those who trust you, who call you leader, has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organization should be destroyed. For the good of your followers, for the good of mankind — for the laughs — we shall expel you from the Internet and systematically dismantle the […]