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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 […]
AMY WINEHOUSE: She Cracked
Oh, lordy.
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 […]
HEAR YE: Music From The Motion Picture Juno
NOW PLAYING ON PHAWKER RADIO! WHY? BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU!
THIS JUST IN: Associated Press Preparing Britney Obit
The Associated Press began preparing Britney Spears’ obituary within the past month, Usmagazine.com has learned. “We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it’s easily one of the biggest stories in a long time,” AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington tells Us. “I think one would agree that Britney seems at risk right now,” Washington adds. “Of course, we would never wish any type of misfortune on anybody and hope that we would never have to use it until 50 years from now … but if something were to happen, we would have to be prepared.” MORE