BartCop Entertainment Archives - Sunday, 31 May, 2020

Sunday

31 May, 2020

(Updated Daily)

[674 days in a row]

from Bruce

Anecdotes

Children

� So what is it like being the parent of a rock star? Dave Simpson of the British newspaper The Guardian asked some parents of rock stars just that question. 1) Roy Newman, a retired electrical power engineer, is the father of Colin Newman, a singer with the group Wire. Roy remembers that Colin was a very imaginative child - at age five, he used to walk behind his parents and hold his hand up while making clicking noises with his tongue because he was taking his imaginary horse for a walk. As you would expect, he liked music. His parents took him and Janice, his younger sister, to a store so that Colin could buy the most recent Beatles album. Quickly, Colin turned up missing. Two hours later, they found him. He had been so eager to listen to the album that he had run home, climbed in through a window, and started playing the album. 2) Meat Loaf's daughter is named Pearl Aday, the first name coming from the title of an album by Janis Joplin. Meat Loaf, who is himself a rock star, says, "Even though she's a woman in a very tough, male-dominated industry, the only time I was concerned was when she went on the road with M�tley Cr�e." He attended the concert, and his daughter was wearing a tiny G-string. He says, "I went up to [bassist] Nikki Sixx and said 'I wanna talk to you NOW!' and scared the h*ll out of him. But it was a joke." 3) Ed Marnie is a retired Scottish Enterprise development worker and the father of Ladytron singer Helen Marnie. He admits, "It is weird being a pop star's parent. At one gig my pal and I were standing with our black Ladytron T-shirts on thinking we were cool and this kid looked at us and said, 'You must be parents.'" In addition, Mr. Marnie remembers, "I was once in a bar and this bloke said he was a big Ladytron fan and had a screensaver of Helen on his computer. I looked at him and said, 'That's my daughter!'"


� Sheila Escovedo, aka percussionist-drummer Sheila E., grew up around drums and percussive instruments. Her father is big-time percussionist Pete Escovedo, and her godfather is Latin percussion master Tito Puente. Sheila E. and two of her three siblings became percussionists. Sheila E. explains, "That's Pop's fault. We grew up listening to him play around the house. He practiced to records all the time. And if his band wasn't rehearsing, they'd have jam sessions in our living room all the time. So pretty much the percussion instruments - timbales, congas, bongos, hand toys - were set out in the house as part of the furniture most of the time." When Sheila E. was 16, a percussionist in her father's band, Azteca, became ill and unable to play, so she asked her father if she could sit in. He agreed, and at one point during a song he wanted her to take a solo. She remembers, "It was an overwhelming experience because I'd never been able to express myself in that way. To be onstage with 16 musicians in a band signed to CBS in front of 3,000 people, for me, it was as if there was an out-of-body experience. If this is what heaven was supposed to feel like, then I wanted to feel like this every day." Sheila E. received a standing ovation and the sight of her father looking at her with his jaw dropped open. Offstage, he told her, "I can't deny you what you already know. I don't even know how you know all the things you just did tonight." She replied that she didn't know how she knew all the things she had just done either. After this concert, her dream changed. She wanted to be a professional percussionist and not a sprinter in the Olympics.


***
© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
***

The Funniest People in Music, Volume 3 - The Paperback

The Funniest People in Music, Volume 3 - Kindle

The Funniest People in Music, Volume 3 - Kobo

The Funniest People in Music, Volume 3 - Apple

The Funniest People in Music, Volume 3 - Smashwords: Many Formats, Including PDF

Presenting

Michael Egan

Michael Egan

#drmivhaelegan

Mike Pence Plans Gigantic National Exorcism to Combat Coronavirus - Michael Egan, Humor Times

Editorial and Political Cartoons

Formerly known as Dahomey, what is the name of this West Africa nation today?


                                  



Send your answer to Marty










Pittsburgh is located at the confluence of three rivers - the Monongahela, the Ohio, and the ______?______


       Allegheny                                                      Source


Pittsburgh is a city in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. A population of about 302,407 (2018) residents live within the city limits, making it the 66th-largest city in the U.S. The metropolitan population of 2,324,743 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania (behind Philadelphia), and the 27th-largest in the U.S.

Pittsburgh is located in the southwest of the state, at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. Pittsburgh is known both as "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses and as the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. The city developed as a vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest, as the mineral-rich Allegheny Mountains made the area coveted by the French and British empires, Virginians, Whiskey Rebels, and Civil War raiders.        Source






Mark. was first, and correct, with:
   Allegheny River.



mj (whose family once had to evacuate when the Mon got too high) wrote:
   The third river of the trio
  Is the Allegheny, flowing almost due south. It meets the Monongahela, flowing north north west (disastrously crossed by General Braddock near the town that now bears his name) at The Point (or Golden Triangle) to form the mighty Ohio that flows off to the south west to eventually join the Mississippi.



Dave said:
   Allegheny. Like Boston, the residents of Pittsburgh have their own way of speaking. Some Pittsburghian lingo includes words like Yinz (ya'll), Jagoff (stupid/inept person), Jumbo (baloney sandwich), Pop (soft drink), Slippy (slippery), Red Up (clean up), N'at (and that), Nebby (busybody/gossip), Sweeper (vacuum cleaner for carpet), Dahnthan (downtown), Pea Aye (State of Pennsylvania), Ruff (civic arena), Sheetz (brand name of a regional convenience store), Buggy (shopping cart).
  "Hey Jagoff! Let's go dahnthan to Sheetz and get some pop and jumbos before we go to ruff."



Don't forget "d'jeet d'jet?" (did you eat, yet) and "dippy eggs" (sunnyside-up - so you can dip your toast in the yolk).



Alan J answered:
   The Allegheny.



Cal in Vermont replied:
   Allegheny. Tougher to spell than the Ohio. Has its own mountains which would regularly pluck airplanes big and small out of the sky. Not as funny to say as Monongahela. Yinz from Picksburgh should know of The Hill (properly pronounced "Heel"), an ethnic stewpot that helped shape Pittburgh's destiny as much as it's rivers. And lets not forget The Frizzleburger!
  Be careful out there, folks, as our Great Nation is presently on fire. Way to go president Orange Gaping Asshole! (Cue Up "For what It's Worth". Buffalo Springfield knew!)



Jim from CA, retired to ID, responded:
   It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose joining forms the Ohio River.



Harry M. said:
   Allegheny



zorch wrote:
   The Allegheny is the third river.



Adam answered:
   Allegheny



DJ Useo responded:
   The third one is the Allegheny river. It may look polluted, but it's actually 100% chocolate milk. Lol.



If it's chocolate, it'd be Hersheys.



Billy in Cypress U$A replied:
   Allegheny



Mac Mac said:
   Allegheny



Deborah, the Master Gardener, wrote:
   Ah, the three rivers of Pittsburgh�the Allegheny is the answer you're looking for. I wish it was the Susquenhanna, or Schuylkill, because they're fun to say, but those rivers are closer to Philly than Pittsburgh.
  The Pittsburgh Steelers football team once had on its squad a young man from Mt. Holly, NJ (my hometown), named Franco Harris. He graduated in 1970, IIRC. I was a freshman in '69-'70. I knew who he was but never formally met him.
  Happy Saturday!



Barbara, of Peppy Tech fame answered:
   The answer is Allegheny.



Randall took the day off.
  
Libtard Roy, sheltering in place in Tyler, TX took the day off.
  
Jacqueline took the day off.
  
Daniel in The City took the day off.
  
Stephen F took the day off.
  
John I from Hawai`i took the day off.
  
Dave in Tucson took the day off.
  
Micki took the day off.
  
Michelle in AZ took the day off.
  
Rosemary in Columbus took the day off.
  
Kevin K. in Washington, DC, took the day off.
  
Jon L took the day off.
  
Kenn B took the day off.
  
David of Moon Valley took the day off.
  
Ed K took the day off.
  
Doug in Albuquerquem New Mexico, took the day off.
  
Joe ( -- Vote Blue, No Matter Who -- ) took the day off.
  
Gateway Mike took the day off.
  
Saskplanner took the day off.
  
Steve in Wonderful Sacramento, CA, took the day off.
  
Gary K took the day off.
  
Leo in Boise took the day off.
  
PGW. 94087 took the day off.
  
MarilynofTC took the day off.
  
George M. took the day off.
  
Paul of Seattle took the day off.
  
Peter W took the day off.
  
Brian S. took the day off.
  
Gene took the day off.
  
Tony K. took the day off.
  
Noel S. took the day off.
  
James of Alhambra took the day off.
  


BttbBob   has returned to semi-retired status.
  
  May 31 Birthdays - Celebrities Born May 31 | Famous Birthdays


Sally has retired.
  


MAM     In memory.



  

BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION

BANDCAMP MUSIC

BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC

Music: "Boring Girls" from the album DEEP DREAM

Artist: Daddy Issues

Artist Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Info: Mike D (a fan) wrote, "Some really heavy, thick riffs. Almost sludge metal sounding. They combine pop hooks with that and change gears a lot. Slow to very loud. Lots of indie girls rocking hard. Favorite track: 'Boring Girls.'"

Price: $10 for six-track album; individual tracks cannot be purchased separately

Genre: Rock, Post-Pizza Rock

Links:

DADDY ISSUES ON BANDCAMP

DEEP DREAM

Other Links:

FREE BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATIONS PDF

FREE YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIND PDFS

FREE davidbrucehaiku PDFs #1-#10

FREE davidbrucehaiku PDFs #11-?

David Bruce's Amazon Author Page

David Bruce's Smashwords Page

David Bruce's Blog #1

David Bruce's Blog #2

David Bruce's Blog #3

David Bruce's Lulu Storefront

David Bruce's Apple iBookstore

David Bruce has over 140 Kindle books on Amazon.com.

Reader Suggestion

Michelle in AZ

Trump praises Secret Service and threatens protesters with 'vicious dogs' | US news | The Guardian

Protests rock cities across US as anger over George Floyd's killing spreads | US news | The Guardian

Policing in the US is not about enforcing law. It's about enforcing white supremacy | Paul Butler | Opinion | The Guardian

'A national crisis': how the killing of George Floyd is changing US politics | US news | The Guardian

Supreme court rejects California church appeal on coronavirus service limits | Law | The Guardian

Supreme court rejects California church appeal on coronavirus service limits | Law | The Guardian

US gun owners aim firearms at their genitals to settle feud within community | US news | The Guardian

White supremacy groups are hoping to leverage George Floyd's death into their longed-for 'race war'

Right-Wing 'Race War' Wannabes Could Make George Floyd Police Protests Go Nuclear

'They want their civil war': Far-right 'boogaloo' militants are embedded in the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis - Raw Story

'They want their civil war': Far-right 'boogaloo' militants are embedded in the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis - Raw Story

A (REALLY) Short Diary re: White supremacist infiltration of Minneapolis protests

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: Aftermath of the taking of a life

Germany reopens churches but new coronavirus outbreak alarms - Los Angeles Times

How The Science Of Vaccination Is Taught (Or Not) In U.S. Schools | HuffPost

They Were Fervent Trump Supporters. Then Coronavirus Hit. | HuffPost

Some Say If Retail Stores Are Open, Churches Should Be Too. Here's Why It's Not So Simple. | HuffPost

George Floyd's Death At The Hands Of Police Is A Terrible Echo Of The Past : Code Switch : NPR

What Top Conservatives Are Saying About George Floyd and Police Brutality - The New York Times

Opinion | George Floyd's Death, Protests, Coronavirus: America Is a Tinderbox - The New York Times

Opinion | President Trump Is a Doughnut - The New York Times

The death of George Floyd reveals a sick brotherhood of the badge - The Washington Post

Racial inequality in Minneapolis is among the worst in the nation - The Washington Post

Like Trump, John F. Kennedy faced riots. Here's what he did to stop the violence in Birmingham in 1963. - The Washington Post

Black Organizers 'Enraged' by White Agitators 'Here to F*ck Shit Up' in George Floyd Protests

Far-right 'Boogaloo Bois' fanning flames of chaos in Minnesota protests, officials claim

Unbelievable! Barr Plants "Antifa" Narrative!

In Lockdown, a Neighborhood Opens Up - The New York Times

The Machine Stops: Will Gompertz reviews EM Forster's work ????? - BBC News

L.A. imposes curfew as police and protesters in standoff - Los Angeles Times

Tension between police and protesters flares in front of the White House for the second night - The Washington Post

Here's How Many People Police Killed in 2019

Wife of George Floyd's Killer Files for Divorce

A nation holds its breath as the murder of black men conjures up a bygone era...

How Do I Get Out Of My Bubble?
     Some good resources in the comments

White Silence Is Violence

Bill "Opus Dei" Barr says "Violence Seems Planned by Leftists Using 'Antifa-Like Tactics'"..uh, nope

Politico: States deliberately hiding or distorting COVID-19 data to abet Trump's push to reopen

Thanks, Michelle!

New Venture

Michael Egan

A Cartoon Page for Non-Cartoonists

Michael Egan

Editorial and Political Cartoons

Bonus Links

Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp

Roberts Upholds COVID-19 Restrictions on Churches, Scolds Kavanaugh | Slate

Why 4 justices on the Supreme Court voted to reopen churches in the pandemic | Vox

Conservative 'dark money' network rebranded to push voting restrictions before 2020 election | Open Secrets

Anti-intellectualism is back - because it never went away. And it's killing Americans | Salon

We need to speak honestly about the GOP's evolution into a conspiracy cult | AlterNet

About 75% of Trump's proposed coronavirus capital gains tax cut would go to the top 1% of earners | Salon

Taylor Swift used to be apolitical. Now she's slamming Trump on Twitter. | Vox

By undoing Obama's nursing home regulations, Trump opened the door for the deaths we're seeing | Salon

Internal Documents Reveal Border Patrol Infections Doubled in a Month | Daily Beast

A third of Americans report anxiety or depression symptoms during the pandemic | Vox

'No publisher would stand behind Trump's lies & ravings': Trump's anti-Twitter exec order would backfire on him | Front Page Live

Trump Fears The Minnesota Chaos Makes Him Look Weak | Daily Beast

This Week Has Happened Before | Slate

"Directly at us": Louisville law enforcement shoots reporters with pepper bullets | Vox

Louisville police shoot reporter, cameraman with pepper balls in middle of live broadcast | The Hill

Proportionate Response | Slate

Trump's Baffling and Cowardly Press Conference Reveals a President Completely Unable to Lead | Smirking Chimp

From AIDS to Covid-19: Trump's decades of spreading dangerous misinformation about disease outbreaks | CNN

Trumplandia: May 23 - 30, 2020 | The Shinbone Star

Fact check: Breaking down Trump's 654 false claims over 14 weeks during the coronavirus pandemic | CNN

Did Trump Retweet a Video Saying 'The Only Good Democrat is a Dead Democrat'? | Snopes

Reader Comment

Current Events

Linda   >^..^<
     We are all only temporarily able bodied.


Thanks, Linda!

Selected Readings

from that Mad Cat, JD

JD is on vacation.

In The Chaos Household

Last Night

Since the May Sumo basho was cancelled, NHK has been rerunning Sumo from 2017.

Works for me.

Tonight, Sunday:

CBS starts the night, as usual, with '60 Minutes', followed by the movie 'Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade'.



NBC opens the night with a RERUN 'The Titan Games', followed by a RERUN 'America's Got Talent'.



ABC begins the night with a FRESH 'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', followed by a FRESH 'Celebrity Family Feud', followed by a FRESH 'Press Your Luck', then a FRESH 'Match Game'.



The CW offers a RERUN 'DC's Stargirl', followed by a RERUN 'Supergirl'.



Faux has a RERUN 'Last Man Standing', followed by a RERUN 'Duncanville', then a RERUN 'The Simpsons', followed by a RERUN 'Bless The Harts', then a RERUN 'Bob's Burgers', followed by a RERUN 'Family Guy'.



MY recycles an old 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by another old 'Big Bang Theory', then still another old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by yet another old 'Big Bang Theory'.



A&E has all old 'The First 48' all night.



AMC offers the movie 'The Hangover', followd by a FRESH 'Killing Eve', then a FRESH 'Quiz'.



BBC  -   
 [6:00AM]   KILLING EVE - Still Got It
 [7:00AM]   KILLING EVE - Are You From Pinner?
 [8:00AM]   KILLING EVE - End of Game
 [9:00AM]   KILLING EVE - Beautiful Monster
 [10:00AM]   ENDER'S GAME
 [12:30PM]   ROBIN HOOD
 [3:30PM]   THE PATRIOT
 [7:00PM]   TAKEN
 [9:00PM]   KILLING EVE - Are You Leading or Am I?
 [10:02PM]   TAKEN
 [12:02AM]   ROBIN HOOD
 [3:00AM]   KILLING EVE - Are You Leading or Am I?
 [4:00AM]   STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Rules of Acquisition
 [5:00AM]   STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE - Necessary Evil    (ALL TIMES EST)



Bravo has Married To Medicine: LA', another 'Married To Medicine: LA', followed by a FRESH 'Married To Medicine: LA', and another 'Married To Medicine: LA'.



Comedy Central has the movie 'Blended', followed by the movie 'Grown-Ups 2', then hours of old 'South Park'.



FX has the movie 'Pacific Rim: Upraising', followed by the movie 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle', then the movie 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle', again.



History has all old 'The Cars That Made America' all night.



IFC  -   
 [6:45A]   Mission: Impossible
 [9:15A]   Full Metal Jacket
 [12:00P]   Run All Night
 [2:30P]   Point Break
 [5:30P]   Top Gun
 [8:00P]   The Departed
 [11:15P]   Homefront
 [1:30A]   Argo
 [4:15A]   That '70s Show
 [4:45A]   That '70s Show
 [5:15A]   That '70s Show
 [5:45A]   The Three Stooges - Woman Haters    (ALL TIMES EST)



Sundance  -   
 [6:00am]   Law & Order
 [7:00amLa]   w & Order
 [8:00am]   Law & Order
 [9:00am]   Law & Order
 [10:00am]   Young Guns
 [12:30pm]   The Road Warrior
 [2:30pm]   Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
 [5:00pm]   Troy
 [8:30pm]   Troy
 [12:00am]   The Road Warrior
 [2:00am]   Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
 [4:30am]   Hogan's Heroes
 [5:00am]   Hogan's Heroes
 [5:30am]   Hogan's Heroes     (ALL TIMES EST)



SyFy has the movie 'Mad Max: Fury Road', followed by the movie 'Tomb Raider'.



TCM:
 [6:00 AM]      The Big Parade (1925)    SILENT 
 [8:45 AM]      Duck Soup (1933) [ *Pre-Hayes Code* ]
 [10:00 AM]      A Kiss Before Dying (1956)
 [12:00 PM]      The Letter (1940)
 [1:45 PM]      The Yearling (1946)
 [4:00 PM]      Frankie and Johnny (1966)
 [5:45 PM]      Some Like It Hot (1959)
 [8:00 PM]      King Solomon's Mines (1950)
 [10:00 PM]      She (1965)
 [12:00 AM]      He Who Gets Slapped (1924)    SILENT 
 [2:00 AM]      Black Girl (1966)
 [3:15 AM]      The Housemaid (1960)
 [5:15 AM]      MGM is on the Move! (1964)    (ALL TIMES EST)

Monday   -  06/01/20

TCM:
 [6:00 AM]      Beg, Borrow Or Steal (1937)
 [7:30 AM]      The Ghost Comes Home (1940)
 [9:00 AM]      By Your Leave (1935)
 [10:30 AM]      A Stranger in Town (1943)
 [11:45 AM]      The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
 [2:45 PM]      The Human Comedy (1943)
 [5:00 PM]      The Great Morgan (1946)
 [6:00 PM]      The Stratton Story (1949)
 [8:00 PM]      A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
 [10:15 PM]      The Man with the Golden Arm (1956)
 [12:30 AM]      Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
 [3:30 AM]      Bullitt (1968)    (ALL TIMES EST)



TNT has a FRESH 'Snowpiercer'.



USA has a FRESH 'Dirty John'.





Antenna TV

Bounce TV

BUZZR

CHARGE!

Comet TV

Cozi TV

Dabl

Decades TV Network

Escape

Find Justice - Justice Network

FNX - First Nations Experience

Get TV

Grit - Television With Backbone - Grit

Heroes and Icons

ION Television - Positively Entertaining

Laff - You Know You Want To. - Laff

Me-TV

MOVIES! TV Network

Quest Television Network

RTV - The Retro Television Network

Start TV

TBD - Schedule

the works

This TV





Any opinions?  

Or reviews?  

Support the e-page!

(See below for addresses)

The Sideshow - by Avedon Carol

Vintage Illustrations for Tolkien's The Hobbit from Around the World | BrainPickings

Music Industry

Tuesday Blackout

The collective fury over the death of George Floyd, who was suffocated by a Minnesota police officer kneeling on his neck during an arrest in Minneapolis, has prompted the music industry to take a united stand on Tuesday, June 2.

A message circulated widely on Instagram and other social media platforms on Friday evening (May 29) calls for "a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with out community" and "an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change."

Under the hashtag #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED, The sentiment of the post, taking responsibility as "gatekeepers of the culture," is one dozens of companies took to heart in the hours after violence broke out in Minneapolis and other cities across the U.S.

Columbia Records was the first to publicly decry injustices towards underserved populations, with chairman Ron Perry posting late on Thursday night (May 28): "We stand together with the Black community against all forms of racism, bigotry, and violence. Now, more than ever we must use our voices to speak up and challenge the injustices all around us."

Tuesday Blackout

Under Quarantine, Aquatic Photographer Turns His Lens on Radiant Sunbirds in His Backyard | Colossal

Replaces Journalists With AI

Microsoft

Microsoft is laying off dozens of journalists and editorial workers at its Microsoft News and MSN organizations. The layoffs are part of a bigger push by Microsoft to rely on artificial intelligence to pick news and content that's presented on MSN.com, inside Microsoft's Edge browser, and in the company's various Microsoft News apps. Many of the affected workers are part of Microsoft's SANE (search, ads, News, Edge) division, and are contracted as human editors to help pick stories.

While Microsoft says the layoffs aren't directly related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, media businesses across the world have been hit hard by advertising revenues plummeting across TV, newspapers, online, and more.

Business Insider first reported the layoffs on Friday, and says that around 50 jobs are affected in the US. The Microsoft News job losses are also affecting international teams, and The Guardian reports that around 27 are being let go in the UK after Microsoft decided to stop employing humans to curate articles on its homepages.

Microsoft has been in the news business for more than 25 years, after launching MSN all the way back in 1995. At the launch of Microsoft News nearly two years ago, Microsoft revealed it had "more than 800 editors working from 50 locations around the world."

Microsoft has gradually been moving towards AI for its Microsoft News work in recent months, and has been encouraging publishers and journalists to make use of AI, too. Microsoft has been using AI to scan for content and then process and filter it and even suggest photos for human editors to pair it with. Microsoft had been using human editors to curate top stories from a variety of sources to display on Microsoft News, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft

Newhead News

Most-Liked Tweet Ever

Taylor Swift

On Friday afternoon, Taylor Swift tweeted directly at Donald Trump (R-Churl) to criticize him for his tweet encouraging police officers to shoot protestors should they begin looting. Her tweet got more than one million likes in less than five hours and became her most-liked tweet ever.

"After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?," she wrote. "'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November @realdonaldtrump."

Swift, who was once guarded about her political opinions, began speaking out more than a year ago, when she posted on Instagram urging her fellow Tennessee residents to vote for Democrat Phil Bredesen over his opponent, Republican Marsha Blackburn, in the election for U.S. Senate.

In an interview with The Guardian, Swift described the political atmosphere Trump created as "gaslighting the American public into being like, 'If you hate the president, you hate America.'"

Of Trump's presidency, she said: "We're a democracy-at least, we're supposed to be-where you're allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that he [Trump] thinks this is an autocracy."

Taylor Swift

Why NASA Set up Shop in Russia's Forbidden Star City | Messy Nessy Chic

Will Go On With The Show

Telluride Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival has said they are bound and determined to do their event this year, even in light of the continuing Coronavirus pandemic. Now, the second wheel in the traditional Fall Festival Trifecta that launches awards season, Telluride, has sent an email to all, indicating that they intend to move ahead and hold their annual Labor Day weekend festival. The festival is adding a day (as previously reported here) by starting on Thursday September 3, rather than Friday, and by adding an extra charter flight from New York City to make it easier for East coasters.

"We are not ignorant of the devastation facing the world. We feel the fear and distress too. This is why we are committed to observing all guidance as suggested by the consensus of voices of the scientific community with whom we are consulting now. This will not be a business as usual event. Things will look and feel very different," the Festival said. "We're contacting you today to let you know we're hard at work to provide a safe and joyous environment that will include an extra day to allow more space within and between screenings, along with all of the necessary safety tweaks and adjustments you've become very familiar with, regardless of where you call home."

The question of which films, and just how many the festival can attract this year, is still out there. Word in recent weeks is that some studios and distributors who normally attend will not be doing so. Netflix, which has been a key presence in the last couple of years is sitting this one out, at least at this point.

Telluride Film Festival

Digby's Hullabaloo