NEW YORK TIMES: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Kentucky’s method of putting criminals to death by lethal injection, not only clearing the way for Kentucky to resume executions but ending an unofficial moratorium in the 35 other states that have the death penalty. However, Justice John Paul Stevens, while concurring reluctantly with the judgment of the court, wrote that he now believed capital punishment itself is unconstitutional, and that Wednesday’s ruling might serve to reignite the debate over whether it should exist in the United States. By 7 to 2, the court rejected challenges to the Kentucky execution procedure […]
CONTEST: Do You Cebu?
How does a shot and beer with big Bob Brady sound? We have just been given 10 tickets to giveaway to Phawker readers. Hit us back at FEED@PHAWKER.COM and we will duly deputize you as a member of the pajama-clad media. PROGRAMMING NOTE: We will be live-blogging from inside the belly of the beast tonight. JONATHAN VALANIA will be inside the press room, translating the candidates comments into something closer to the truth and providing an update on the size of Howard Fineman’s ass. He’s bringing his calipers. TIFFANY YOON will be shooting the pageantry and street theater of the […]
U SHOULD READ THIS: Gamblor Is A False Profit
BY CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES In March, the Massachusetts House of Representatives rejected a measure that looked unstoppable when it was proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick last September: the authorization of “destination casinos” across the commonwealth. The plan was for Massachusetts to sell three 10-year licenses for at least $200 million apiece and then tax the casinos’ takings at 27 percent, raking in $400 million a year. That, went the reckoning, would cover a $1.3 billion budget shortfall. Patrick was backed by The Boston Globe, big casino corporations and some trade unions. His opponent, the House speaker, […]
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: He Is The One
Dear Friends and Fans: Like most of you, I’ve been following the campaign and I have now seen and heard enough to know where I stand. Senator Obama, in my view, is head and shoulders above the rest. He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President. He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. A place where “…nobody […]
Frida’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose
Miro Dance Theatre invites audiences to a behind-the-scenes look at Self-Portrait, Miro’s newest work which will premiere at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on May 2. Commissioned by Art After 5 in conjunction with the Museum’s Frida Kahlo retrospective, Self-Portrait is a solo dance work celebrating Kahlo’s life and art. The performance, deeply inspired by Kahlo’s paintings and diary, reflects on the artist’s struggles with illness and her penchant for self-expression. Performed by Miro’s Amanda Miller, the multi-dimensional “living performance sculpture” combines dance, live animation, elaborate set design, and video. As part of this Open Studio, guest artist Julia Zagar […]
WORTH REPEATING: God, Guts And Guns
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL: We thought the Republican presidential primaries were over. So we are at a loss to explain why Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have been wandering around Pennsylvania and Indiana and anywhere else they might find a vote or a dollar arguing about which one cares more about guns and religion. Whose brilliant idea was it to leave six weeks open before the Pennsylvania primary? MORE RELATED: I, POLLSTER: Phawker’s Hilariously Un-Scientific Pennsyltucky Primary Keystoned Cell Phone Poll
THIS JUST IN: Phawker, DN Endorse Anne Dicker
THE DAILY NEWS: THE 30-YEAR reign of state Sen. Vincent Fumo has both blessed and cursed the First Senatorial District. His 139-count indictment has badly stained the bags of money that he brought home to his district and to the city. And as the architect of the seriously flawed gaming act, he unleashed an unending and unresolvable battle between casino operators and communities, and between the city and the state. Three contenders for his seat are running in next week’s primary. Who is best to take over? Not union leader John Dougherty. For many, Dougherty is the local equivalent of […]
EX-CELEB SCIENTOLOGIST: ‘Destructive & A Rip-Off’
FOX NEWS: Ruggedly handsome actor Jason Beghe was best man at the wedding of “X-Files” star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in “G.I. Jane.” He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as “Criminal Minds,” “Numb3rs” and “CSI.” In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology. But now, Beghe has escaped the church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube. This is what he has to say: “Scientology is destructive and a rip-off.” He also says: “It’s […]
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR From a martial-artist mother in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill to dewy-eyed ingenue in Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons to a mobster’s employee in John McNaughton’s Mad Dog and Glory, Uma Thurman has played all kinds of characters. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her background (she’s the daughter of noted Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman), about her varied career and about her role in the new independent film The Life Before Her Eyes. The film, directed by Vadim Perelman and based on the book by Laura Kasischke, is the story of a troubled woman, Diana, who years before came […]
NEWS CLUES: Like A ‘Sweetheart Deal’ With The Truth
Union Dude Pleads Guilty To 98 Fed Charges, Denies ‘Illegal Payments’ To Doc A Philadelphia electrical contractor pleaded guilty this morning to 98 federal charges – but not to two counts alleging that he made illegal payments to union leader and State Senate candidate John J. Dougherty. The case against the electrician, Donald “Gus” Dougherty, has been closely watched because of the forthcoming election and an FBI and IRS investigation of John Dougherty that sources said remains active. But it was Gus Dougherty in court this morning, pleading guilty before U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno to tax evasion, filing […]