NPR FOR THE DEF: This Is Radio Clash

PBS affiliates nationwide are gearing up to premiere “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock,” an electrifying new performance documentary film compiling an extraordinary range of concert and live studio performances from the Clash, the groundbreaking British band which defined and expanded the power of punk-rock in the 1970s and 1980s. “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock” will premiere locally on WHYY-TV Thursday, January 24 at 9:00 p.m. and air on PBS stations across the country beginning this March. “The Clash Live: Revolution Rock” follows the live transformation of the band, incorporating footage from all phases of their meteoric career. The film begins […]

THIS JUST IN: Rendell Endorses Hillary At City Hall

INQUIRER: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to be formally endorsed by Gov. Rendell [NOT pictured] at an appearance this afternoon at Philadelphia City Hall. The formal announcement is scheduled to take place this afternoon in the Mayor’s Reception Room. The stopover in Philadelphia was added to Clinton’s schedule late Tuesday night. Rendell had been inclined to support Clinton but was wavering on making a public endorsement, according to a source close to her campaign who was not authorized to speak for the record. Rendell decided to go ahead with the announcement after he got a call from […]

RIP: Actor Heath Ledger Dead At 28

NEW YORK TIMES: The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28. At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. […]

MEDIA: The Atlantic Tears Down The Pay Wall

BY JEFF DEENEY A major piece of recent news (in nerd circles, at least) is that the Atlantic Monthly has gone the way of the Grey Lady and torn down the pay wall standing between non-subscribers and the magazine’s online content. Now the magazine’s archives dating all the way back to 1857 are yours to search, post about on your blog and link friends to favorite articles you might have read a long time ago but almost totally forgot about. It’s not Alycia Lane, I know, but different things make different people’s hearts go pitter patter. A cursory search for […]

BIG BROTHER: Can You Hear Me Now?

According to this report on, of all places, Fox News, not only can the Feds eavesdrop on your cell phone conversations, but they can use your phone as a de facto ‘bug’ even when it is turned off. Apparently, some unnamed backdoor in the phone technology allows them to remotely activate the microphone in your cell phone and monitor everything you say or hear…this caption will self-destruct in five seconds…

JUNK SCI: Sunshine On My Shoulder Makes Me Happy

BY ELIZABETH FIEND LIVING EDITOR People invariably get depressed in the winter. They complain about the weather. They huddle in the dark, alone and SAD with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or just plain bad moods. They sleep too much, eat too much. Productivity levels go down, anxiety sets in. In Northern Europe, Canada and other cold climates, people sit on park benches, eat and drink at outdoor cafes, ice skate and cross- country ski, soaking in the sun — even if its rays are dimmer, present for shorter periods and there’s a chill in the air. Americans? We hide indoors and […]

NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t

FRESH AIR Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, a regular Fresh Air analyst, joins Terry Gross for an update on Pakistani politics after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Rashid covers Pakistani politics and culture for various Western publications. An expert on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, he’s the author of the best sellers Taliban: Islam, Oil and the New Great Game in Central Asia and Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia.   RADIO TIMES Hour 1 (Rebroadcast tonight at 11) We compare the health care plans of the Presidential candidates. Our guest is KAREN […]

NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs

GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK: Philly Mag Publishes Alycia Lane Career Autopsy [On] Lane’s newsroom outbursts: In front of several people, she screamed at a production assistant who was fresh out of college, causing the woman to cry at her desk; another time, while shooting a promo, she got so angry she hurled her earpiece, which ended up hitting a staffer in the forehead. “If she perceives you to be above her, you get tears and doe eyes,” says one co-worker. “If you are perceived to be below her, you get threats and cursing.” The station’s hands-off attitude toward Lane’s […]

CENSORED: U.S. Media Blacks Out FBI Whistleblower

EDITOR & PUBLISHER: “For the second time in two weeks, the entire U.S. press has let itself be scooped by Rupert Murdoch’s London Sunday Times on a dynamite story of criminal activities by corrupt U.S. officials promoting nuclear proliferation,” declares Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers some 35 years ago. “But there is a worse journalistic sin than being scooped, and that is participating in a cover-up of information that demands urgent attention from the public, the U.S. Congress and the courts.”So begins a column by Ellsberg at Brad Friedman’s “Brad Blog.” Edmonds is the former FBI […]

TOM CRUISE: Hardcore Hillary Supporter

The proxy war between the Clinton and Obama camp reached a new and shocking low today when Tom Cruise went on Oprah to declare his support for Hillary and then proceeded to kill the titular host — arguably Obama’s most high-profile supporter — with some kind of death ray that shoots out of his fingers. All of this happened on national television and was seen by millions. The fact that none of you have ANY recollection of this only proves just how powerful those Scientologist people really are. Just sayin’. RELATED: Fred Thompson Ends Presidential Bid

MLK: Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory

“We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God- given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, ‘Wait.’ But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black […]