Tammy Bruce: Culture Note Archives

Culture Note Archives

Kirsten Price Performing in San Diego and Los Angeles

Oh sure she gets a blog post because she's a friend of mine, but it's also because she's a great performer. So, just a little heads up if you're in San Diego or Los Angeles and looking for that not-the-usual-thing to do. Kirsten has gigs in both cities--tonight in San Diego and Thursday night (tomorrow) in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles venue is a small place and I'm not sure if you can make a rez or if you just show up, so I'd call them just to be sure.

San Diego: Tonight, Wednesday March 26 at 8:30P @ U31
U-31 Lounge
3112 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
619-584-4188

Los Angeles: Tomorrow, Thursday March 27 at 8:00P @ Genghis Cohen
Genghis Cohen
740 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-653-0640

I posted one of Kirsten's video on the blog quite some time ago, so here it is again. :)

Posted by Tammy · March 26, 2008 02:52 PM · Permalink · Comments (0)
Culture Note

Steele on Obama: The Great "Bargainer"

Shelby Steele

Your Must Read of the day: Shelby Steele's piece in today Wall Street Journal puts into perfect perspective Barack Obama, the issue of race, how Obama expertly exploits the issue and the intention to manipulate you with it. Obama's speech today illustrates Steele's proposal that Barack Obama is a race "bargainer." Read this segment from his speech today, then read the Steele article, written not in response to the speech but delving into Obama in general. It ties everything together.

From Barack Obama:

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible...

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

From Shelby Steele:

The Obama Bargain

Mr. Obama's broad appeal to whites makes him the first plausible black presidential candidate in American history. And it was Mr. Obama's genius to understand this. Though he likes to claim that his race was a liability to be overcome, he also surely knew that his race could give him just the edge he needed -- an edge that would never be available to a white, not even a white woman.

How to turn one's blackness to advantage?

The answer is that one "bargains." Bargaining is a mask that blacks can wear in the American mainstream, one that enables them to put whites at their ease. This mask diffuses the anxiety that goes along with being white in a multiracial society. Bargainers make the subliminal promise to whites not to shame them with America's history of racism, on the condition that they will not hold the bargainer's race against him. And whites love this bargain -- and feel affection for the bargainer -- because it gives them racial innocence in a society where whites live under constant threat of being stigmatized as racist. So the bargainer presents himself as an opportunity for whites to experience racial innocence.

This is how Mr. Obama has turned his blackness into his great political advantage, and also into a kind of personal charisma. Bargainers are conduits of white innocence, and they are as popular as the need for white innocence is strong. Mr. Obama's extraordinary dash to the forefront of American politics is less a measure of the man than of the hunger in white America for racial innocence...

But now the floodlight of a presidential campaign has trained on this usually hidden corner of contemporary black life: a mindless indulgence in a rhetorical anti-Americanism as a way of bonding and of asserting one's blackness. Yet Jeremiah Wright, splashed across America's television screens, has shown us that there is no real difference between rhetorical hatred and real hatred.

No matter his ultimate political fate, there is already enough pathos in Barack Obama to make him a cautionary tale. His public persona thrives on a manipulation of whites (bargaining), and his private sense of racial identity demands both self-betrayal and duplicity. His is the story of a man who flew so high, yet neglected to become himself.

Powerful and important. Please do read the whole thing.

The irony, of course, is this hunger for racial innocence is borne of the decades of being told we are racist, by the same people who then explain if we give them things or elevate them to power we will be washed of our crime. In other w0ords, Barack Obama is telling us, as he did today, that making him president is all we have to do to prove we aren't racist. And if we don't? Well, that's the threat.

Posted by Tammy · March 18, 2008 10:30 AM · Permalink · Comments (12)
Culture Note | Leftists | Politics

Andrea Marcovicci at the Gardenia

Andrea Marcovicci

My friend Andrea has a new show tonight (Saturday) as well as next week, March 13-16 in Los Angeles at The Gardenia . This show is selling out, but you still may be able to get in this evening for drinks and the show. I'm guessing dinner may already be sold out. If you miss it tonight, you can make plans for the added dates next week. Here's the coverage from the Los Angeles Times. To make reservations, contact The Gardenia at 323-467-7444.

The fundamental things still apply to Andrea Marcovicci

Put down that martini and whip out your notebook: Cabaret singer Andrea Marcovicci has just taken the stage and there might be a pop quiz on the Great American Songbook.

"How many of you here know where the song 'As Time Goes By' originally comes from?" she'll ask an unwary audience, as hands shoot up. "Wrong! It's not from 'Casablanca.' It's from 'Everybody's Welcome,' a 1931 Broadway show you've never heard of!"

And how about the plot thread linking virtually every movie that Fred Astaire made? "He falls in love at first sight in all of them," the singer tells another audience, brandishing film posters, yellowed newspaper clippings and other memorabilia to prove her point...

The work goes beyond her annual gigs at the Gardenia, the Oak Room at New York's Algonquin Hotel, San Francisco's Plush Room and other high-profile nightclubs. Marcovicci, a longtime Studio City resident, has mentored several young singers who have adopted her "history and singing" approach. She's also taught master classes in cabaret in several U.S. cities and has made 17 recordings.

She casts an intense dramatic spell in live sets, drawing on her background as a stage, television and movie actress (Marcovicci starred opposite Woody Allen in "The Front," a 1976 film about blacklisting). But her painstaking research into the history of pop songs can also lead to moments of wicked onstage humor.

Posted by Tammy · March 8, 2008 05:53 PM · Permalink · Comments (0)
Culture Note | Music

Tammy and Johnny Go to Halloween

Yes, my buddy Johnny and I went to the very famous annual West Hollywood Halloween Carnival this evening. Before it got too crazy. Johnny went as a radio talk show producer/host/sports guy dressed in a British t-shirt, and I went as a radio talk show host/writer/Fox News Political Analyst. I have worked so long on my costume, I can't even tell you. I was thrilled to be able to wear it tonight.

My favorite experience was going into the Pavilions supermarket on Santa Monica Blvd. To buy baby food for Snoopy (I am obviously a party maniac hipster, through and through). Yes, I think we were the only ones buying the baby food tonight at that particular store.That said, there's nothing like going to the market with devils, sailors, gladiators, pirates, and Little Bo Peep. And that was just the checkers and produce boys! Here is a snapshot of the market fun--Johnny and I with one of the Pavlion checkers/pirates.

My other favorite moment is our encounter with one of Johnny's favorite celebrities--Peg Bundy.

Isn't Johnny cute? Yes, we had fun and felt all our work putting together our costumes was totally worth it. But, alas, both of us have shows in the morning, so our evening did not last long. I hope your Halloween was safe and fun, for tomorrow is November 1st, the rent is due, the Frontline flea stuff has to be put on Syd and Snoop and we have only 94 days to the Super Tuesday primaries. If Halloween didn't scare you, that certainly should.

Posted by Tammy · October 31, 2007 10:49 PM · Permalink · Comments (8)
Culture Note | Tammy Notes

Bad Girls, Then and Now

A note by Maynard

Some observers wring their hands at the West's ever-rising tide of in-your-face depravity. Certainly a civil society has never seen anything like this before!

If it makes you feel any better, celebrity misbehavior is nothing new. Britney Spears, pictured above left, ventures into town wearing boots and a shirt but no pants. But Britney is merely following the lead of old-school feminist Daisy Duck (right), who pioneered the pantless style 'way back in the 1940's.

Life imitates art. And the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Burning Man Suffers Premature Inflammation

Oops.

Some hippie, probably naked and on drugs, thought it would be fun to set the Burning Man sculpture on fire (ahead of time) probably to commemorate the lunar eclipse. This is bad for all the naked goofs out there, but not as bad as that time when Burning Man was accidentally cut up with a chain saw when he was in storage. I hate it when that happens.

MAN TO BE REBUILT AFTER FIRE

(Black Rock City - August 28, 2007) The Man at the center of Black Rock City will be rebuilt after an overnight fire which damaged the effigy at the center of the Burning Man event. Rebuilding is expected to take about two days.

An arson investigation is underway, and one arrest was made shortly after the fire was set. No charges have been announced, and the name of the suspect is being withheld. There has been no discussion of motive in the episode.

"We have the means and the will. The event continues on schedule, and the Man will burn on Saturday night," said Andie Grace, Communications Manager for Burning Man LLC.

The theme for this year's Burning Man is "Green Man" to highlight environmental issues. As their website notes:

The Art Theme for Burning Man 2007 is "The Green Man". Our theme concerns humanity's relationship to nature. Do we, as conscious beings, exist outside of nature's sway, or does its force impel us and inform the central root of who and what we are? Learn more about the greening of Burning Man in our new Environment Section and our Enviroblog.

There is no word yet on how burning up Burning Man twice will affect the ozone layer and the ever-fragile climate. The conventional wisdom is, two burnings will make things twice as hot and make twice as much smoke. The fact that no one is wearing clothes, driving to and from work, or doing anything else productive may create enough carbon offsets to make the difference, letting all the hippies off the hook.

Related Post:

What Is Burning Man?

Posted by Tammy · August 28, 2007 08:29 PM · Permalink · Comments (5)
Culture Note | Drugs | Environment

Before the Space Shuttle...

...there was Astro Boy!

A post by Maynard

It may have been the early Astro Boy cartoons, which ran on TV from 1963 to 1966, that induced me to enter Starfleet Academy. Now they're back, showing late Saturday night on the Adult Swim cable channel. You really need to see them again, or watch them for the first time, or show them to the young generation of nerds and nerdettes! Check your local listings; I'm finding it at 2:00AM and 5:00AM on Saturday night (that is, technically on Sunday morning).

Astro Boy was the original Japanese anime, and it influenced everything that followed. The graphics were crude black and white, but there was a heart and depth and humor to the stories. The tale begins early in the 21st century, when Dr. Boynton, head of the Ministry of Science, loses his young son in an auto accident. Obsessed with restoring what has been taken from him, Boynton builds a powerful robot in the child's image. But, unsatisfied with the result, he rejects his creation. Astro Boy, a young creature with his own emotional needs, is forced to face a hostile world alone.

From my brief description, you get a sense of the real-world conflict that comes across in this simple cartoon. A troubled boy of unusual ability, who struggles to do the right thing even though the deck is stacked against him. He finds a surrogate father in the new head of the science ministry, the esteemed Dr. Packadermus J. Elefun. However most of the world remains prejudiced against robots, which are relegated to second-class citizenship status.

This is not to paint Astro Boy as a serious cartoon. It's filled with gags and low humor. In a typical scene, Astro Boy is lost in the desert, and running low on power. A vulture descends and pecks at him, causing the bird's beak to break off. Astro Boy reaches up and re-attaches the beak, kindly explaining, "You can't eat me. I'm metal."

The Adult Swim broadcast is probably the result of the DVD re-release by RightStuf.com; click to their site for additional history and background. The DVDs are carried by Amazon. A fan has uploaded the opening credits and theme song as a YouTube clip.

There have been various comic and animated revivals, and I'll bet we'll be seeing a movie sooner or later. But in my book, this is the true Astro Boy.

(BTW, Adult Swim runs the nighttime line-up of the Cartoon Network; these are the same people that shut down Boston a few months ago with their ill-advised promotion for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie that was mistaken for a terrorist threat.)

Posted by Maynard · August 25, 2007 02:37 AM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Culture Note | Hollywood/Films | Maynard Post | Science & Technology

"300": Fact or Fiction?

A post by Maynard

The movie "300" (based upon Frank Miller's graphic novel) tells the tale of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. For a time, 300 Spartans, led by Sparta's King Leonidas, stood against the vast armies of Persia (Iran). Xerxes, the Persian king, was ultimately thwarted in his quest to conquer the West.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad describes the movie as "part of a comprehensive U.S. psychological war aimed at Iranian culture." This is enough in itself (along with Tammy's earlier note) to make me buy a ticket. But is the movie any good? Is it true to history?

Here are a couple of interesting articles on the historicity of "300". Click here for some background and Q&A. And here is an article by historian Victor Davis Hanson.

Bottom line is that the movie is fundamentally true, but a lot of liberties were taken for the sake of putting on a good show. Keep in mind that the screenplay is based on a comic book and not a history book.

Posted by Maynard · March 26, 2007 09:54 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Culture Note | History | Hollywood/Films | Maynard Post | Tyrants

Marcovicci at the Gardenia in Los Angeles

Andrea Marcovicci

**Bumped up. UPDATE: Daryl Miller at the Los Angeles Times has a great review of Andrea's show. Tonight is the last night of this run. The show sells out so if you want to have dinner as well, call 323-467-7444 for a rez. It's also fun just to show up (no later than 8:30pm would be smart) and hang out in the bar area which, if I don't have a gang with me, is what I enjoy doing.**

Tonight through Saturday at 9pm, if you're in the Los Angeles area, you're in for a special treat--Andrea Marcovicci opens at the Gardenia where she began her cabaret career 22 years ago. Her show for this run, "Just Love-By Request," is a big treat. Here's a bit of the rave review it received when performed at the historic Oak Room at the Algonquin in New York:

To attend an Andrea Marcovicci cabaret performance is to visit Andrealand, a grown-up theme park devoted entirely to nostalgic dreams of romance and music. Guests are greeted by the singer, as radiant as a storybook princess, who leads them on a personal guided tour.

Over here is the "Top Hat" Pavilion, devoted to the music and iconography of Fred Astaire, and over there the moonlit "Way You Look Tonight" Boathouse, where Jerome Kern songs play 24 hours a day. Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwins have their private reserves, and the "I'll Be Seeing You" Library houses the love songs of World War II. There is even a literary wing showcasing the writings of Dorothy Parker and Edna St. Vincent Millay.

The newest feature of Andrealand, unveiled this week at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, is the Time Stands Still Room, a warm, firelit haven in which Ms. Marcovicci presides over a nostalgic, family style musicale where the song list changes nightly. Requests submitted by guests are put into a top hat passed around by Ms. Marcovicci. She selects songs from it at random, and the program, titled "Just Love ... by Request," consists of a half-and-half mixture of preset choices and requests...

As always, Ms. Marcovicci's interpreting song lyrics in a quirky, passionate speech-song suggests the grown-up incarnation of that special teacher, baby sitter or parent from your childhood whose reading aloud conveyed an irresistible enthusiasm.

For more information or to make reservations, call the Gardenia Supper Club at 323-467-7444.

Posted by Tammy · March 24, 2007 11:50 AM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Culture Note | Music

Another Reason Why I'll See "300" This Weekend

Because anything that so upsets the Iranians must be good and is worth supporting.

Iranian anger at Hollywood 'assault'

The Iranian community in the US and Canada is very keen on e-petitions as a form of protest.

The latest issue to grip Iranian expatriates is the Hollywood blockbuster 300. According to the protesters, it projects an "irresponsible" and "distorted" image of ancient Persia.

The film, which has broken US box office records, is a special effects-laden depiction of a battle in which a small Spartan army resisted a Persian invasion...The film shows the Spartan king and his army of 300 - white, muscular soldiers - strongly resisting Xerxes and his savage Persian army of hundreds of thousands.

And?

Funny, isn't it? They're willing to organize against Hollywood supposedly distorting the image of Iran, but haven't found the need to protest what the current Iranian regime is doing to the image of Iranians. Hmmm...

Related Links:

Director Zach Snyder Does 30 on '300'

Hanson on: Left vs. Right, East vs. West, Spartan vs. Theban

Posted by Tammy · March 17, 2007 12:49 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Culture Note | History | Hollywood/Films | Tyrants

Speaking of Moonbats...

A post by Maynard

Legend would have it that the absolute worst movie ever made was Plan 9 from Outer Space. This marked the cinematic pinnacle of the peerless auteur/artiste, Edward D. Wood, Jr. Wood's campy failures developed a cult following that continues to this day, prompting director Tim Burton to tell his tale in a movie, "Ed Wood".

(It should be clarified that, in discussing bad movies, we speak of movies that are (arguably, at least) so bad they're good. There are also execrable movies that are merely vile, which is another category entirely.)

"Plan 9" came to mind when I noticed the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles has scheduled a screening this Tuesday. This is a rare viewing opportunity, and the show might be entirely ignored; then again, the whole town may show up. I wonder.

The New Beverly is noteworthy as the last of the repertory cinemas. It's a dump, with sticky floors and squeaky seats that poke at you with rusty springs. Someday I suppose this, too, will be gone, another victim of the wired society. When that day comes, I shall be sad.

Posted by Maynard · January 28, 2007 05:38 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Culture Note | Hollywood/Films | Maynard Post

Bearing Witness to the Annual Pasadena New Years' Kookfest

...otherwise known as the Rose Parade Route, during the 36 hours preceding the parade.

A post by Maynard

I've lived close to the Rose Parade for eons, and every time the event rolls around, the city screeches to a halt and I go into hiding. It's fascinating but intimidating. Miles and miles of wall-to-wall campers and party-goers. If you step outside, there's no escaping the mob.

Sometimes I stroll along a part of the route, and it turns out not to be as bad as I feared. There's a good feeling in the air. The crowds are amazingly diverse. That is, everybody shows up, and all for the same reason and in pretty much the same circumstances. There's a sense of common bonding, and it's all very American.

I admire the independence of the people. Everyone packs their own food, shelter, furniture, and amusements, plus some stuff to show off. If there's anything you don't have, someone will come by to sell it to you. Classic and classy vehicles from every era, ranging horseless carriages to monstrosities with huge tailfins, cruise the route. There's always something interesting passing by.

My only unpleasant moment happened as I walked by the Scientologists, and some moron glommed onto me and harassed me to take their stress test. He wouldn't take a polite "no", and I finally shook him off by saying I wasn't interested in diuretics.

Posted by Maynard · January 1, 2007 02:13 AM · Permalink · Comments (2)
Culture Note | Maynard Post

As Obvious as "He Did It"

In an Earth-shattering, hard-to-believe admission, the Butcher of Brentwood announces:

Simpson Says He Did Book for Money

O.J. Simpson told The Associated Press he participated in the ill-fated "If I Did It" book and interview project for one reason - personal profit, acknowledging that any financial gain was "blood money."

"This was an opportunity for my kids to get their financial legacy," Simpson said in interviews this week with the AP after the book deal was abandoned by its publisher. "My kids understand. I made it clear that it's blood money, but it's no different than any of the other writers who did books on this case."

He's using the "I-did-it-for-the-children" excuse? The first thing he should have done for the childen was shut the door of the condo after leaving two slaughtered bodies on the front porch. And he wouldn't have to worry about their 'financial legacy' if he hadn't cut off their mother's head in the first place.

And Bindi Irwin is the one in therapy. What Justin and Sydney end up being is anyone's guess. My guess? It won't be (and probably already isn't) a pretty sight.

Posted by Tammy · November 22, 2006 09:19 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Crime | Culture Note | Death of Right and Wrong | Tragedy

Andrea Marcovicci Links

**I"ve bumped this up because tonight, Saturday, is the last night of her gig at the Gardenia in Hollywood. You can make dinner/show reservations by calling 323-467-7444, or arrive for the 9pm show by about 8:30pm to guarantee a seat**

Just had Andrea on the show, and wanted to quickly get you the link to her new Christmas CD and her performance at the Gardenia, details of which are at her very own website.

And make reservations for her September 20-23 gig at the Gardenia in Los Angeles early as she sells out. I sometimes end up having to hang out in the bar. God forbid ;)

Posted by Tammy · September 22, 2006 05:47 PM · Permalink · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Music

Marcovicci at the Plush Room in San Francisco

Andrea Marcovicci

With everything going on in the world, we all need a way to escape, even if it is just for an hour or two. If you're a regular reader of Tammy Blog you know one of my great escapes is to see my friend Andrea Marcovicci perform, wherever she might be.

Very often it's the Gardenia Club in Los Angeles or the Oak Room at the Algonquin in New York, but now until July 30 San Francisco has Andrea in the world-famous Plush Room at the York Hotel.

I realize it's our habit to think of going to the movies to escape. But if you want sophisticated entertainment, in a comfortable club environment, cabaret is your answer, and the best is Andrea.

To get to know her a bit better, here's what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say:

Carrying the Torch

In the 20 years since Andrea Marcovicci first swept into the Plush Room, the dark-eyed, intensely romantic singer has gone from a 37-year-old film actress slumming in nightclubs to perhaps cabaret's leading torch song arsonist. She long ago abandoned acting for her true passion -- the club and concert stage...When Marcovicci discusses cabaret, it sounds like a prose ballad: "Cabaret is a healing art. I experience it not only as an artist but as a conduit for other people's emotions, a big part of what I do. People come to me to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. They come because they've just fallen in love or out of love. They come to me for all those beautiful reasons." [...]

Marcovicci is able to sustain her cabaret career in a diminished circuit of only a few rooms -- the Algonquin's Oak Room, the Empire Plush Room and the Gardenia -- but supports it with pops concerts.

"It's still cabaret, even if you're doing it in concert halls," she says. "Cabaret is a state of mind, no? It means breaking the fourth wall -- talking about what you're singing and not singing over the audience's heads. You're singing in their eyes."

If you're in SF or planning to visit, don't miss Andrea at the Plush Room. You can see her entire schedule, which ranges from California to Colorado to New York at her official website.

Posted by Tammy · July 16, 2006 11:53 AM · Permalink · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Music | Tammy Notes

Deadwood

(A Post by Maynard)

This week opens the 3rd season of the HBO mini-series, Deadwood. It's a raw, gritty portrait of a frontier town that's struggling to become (slightly) respectable. The broad historical background is accurate, as is (so they tell us) the language (which is raw enough to peel paint) and the mannerisms of the inhabitants. Some of the characters are based on historical personages, although their individual dramas are largely fictionalized. It's a series that, once you become familiar with the town's inhabitants, can draw you in.

The historical truth behind the city of Deadwood is a cautionary tale about the limits of government. Deadwood started its life as a South Dakota mining camp, following the 1874 discovery of gold in the Black Hills. Unfortunately, the South Dakota territory was part of the Great Sioux Reservation, and thus not open to settlers or mining. But the miners followed the gold and the illegal and lawless camp of Deadwood was born.

The government was trying to pacify the Indians (this was a time and place of serious Indian battles, such as the 1876 massacre of General Custer and his men), and reasonable people might have expected the Army to shut down the illegal town and enforce the Treaty. But there was a practical problem with sending soldiers into a gold rush district: They had a tendency to desert and join up with the miners, hoping to make their fortune. So the politicians in far-away Washington could feed the phenomenon or ignore it, but they couldn't stop it. And Deadwood, slowly and jerkily, moved from anarchy into a state of functional frontier government. This mini-series dramatizes the adventures of these colorful and somewhat corruptible characters that set up shop out of range of the law.

If you're not familiar with the show, maybe you'll want to check it out. But first send the kids out of the room.

Here's an interesting interview with David Milch, the creator of the Deadwood series.

Posted by Maynard · June 14, 2006 05:15 PM · Permalink · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | History | Maynard Post | Television

My Torrance Appearance Today!

Here's the very clever ad the Torrance Cultural Arts folks put together promoting my appearance today, Sunday, at 4pm. In newspapers in the South Bay of Los Angeles the left half of the ad ran on the left-hand page with the right side on the right-hand page. If you're in the Southern California area on Sunday I truly hope you can make it. After the speech, I'll will also have a book-signing. They will have copies of my latest book, "The New American Revolution," and I will be happy to sign your copies of "New Thought Police" and "Death of Right and Wrong" as well. Just bring them along.

While I make speeches very often at colleges around the country, I'm truly looking forward to this event at a public venue. It's not a huge place, so please get your tickets as soon as you can. To get tickets online, go here, or you can call the box office at 310-781-7171. I look forward to meeting you today :) Here's a link with address and other box office information.

Blogging from Restoration Weekend

As many of you know, I'm not doing Tammy Radio today. I was meant to, but I'm in Phoenix at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel at David Horowitz's Restoration Weekend. My plan was to do the show as a remote from the hotel here, but some of the equipment wasn't right. My fill-in is a new guy. For you listeners, please let me know what you think of him. But, all of that is fixed, so now I'll be broadcasting live from the Biltmore for tomorrow's Tammy Radio Weekend Roundup.

This is the second weekend I've attended and it's great. Hundreds of people from around the country get together and enjoy networking, political panels, lunches, dinners, award presentations, etc.

Tonight there's also a book signing event. I'll be there with The New American Revolution. Other authors include Phyllis Chesler, Michael Barone, Bill Gertz and Robert Spencer among many others. And tomorrow, prior to Tammy Radio, I'll be on a panel entitled "The Media and the War." The moderator there will be Colonel Buzz Patterson and I'll be joined by my pal Andrew Breitbart, Bill Sammon and Frank Gaffney.

This morning I attended a panel about the war and whether or not we're "winning." I have to say, the general sense was that we're not, primarily because we're (the U.S. and the West in general) is not addressing the real problem, which is bin Laden's ultimate goal--the imposition of Shari'a law and Islamist culture upon the world as a whole.

While we might be keeping the savages from hijacking airplanes, you can see in Europe the response to the Cartoon Jihad, which I've noted here is simply another front, a cultural front, in the war on terror. It was discussed by Daniel Pipes, Phyllis Chesler, Robert Spencer and Steve Emmerson, that Europe's response to the Cartoon Jihad is to establish law that essentially reflects Shari'a--making it a crime to insult the "prophet." My post about the arrest of the German man for "insulting Islam" is another obvious example of how the Radical islamist strategy is working to slowly but surely have the Western civilized world capitulate to Islamic cultural demands.

I'll blog quite often from here keeping you updated. And for tomorrow's Tammy Radio, I'll have a lot of guests on from the weekend, including Daniel Pipes, David Horowitz, Phyllis Chesler, etc. It'll be a great show.

Posted by Tammy · February 24, 2006 11:32 AM · Permalink · Comments (5) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Education | Tammy Notes | The New American Revolution | War on Radical Islam

Another Good Reason Why We Fight

So Andrea Marcovicci can perform in something other than a burqa.

Right now I'm enjoying--guess what--a Martini--at the Algonquin, after which I will go shopping. I'm near Fifth Avenue so God help me. I know Mr. American Express will ;)

Tonight, I will see my friend Andrea perform at the Algonquin.

Whenever in New York, I stop in at the Algonquin to have a martini (or two). But I think I will limit it to two. Here's Dorothy Parker's sentiment about martinis and their limit:

"I love a martini--but two at the most. Three I'm under the table; Four, I'm under the host."

So, two it is. The Algonquin also has an official cat--Mathilda. When I come back this evening, I will take a picture of her with my trusty camera phone and post it here. I will also visit Ground Zero and pay Tammy Radio and Tammy Blog respects for us all.

Posted by Tammy · January 25, 2006 01:07 PM · Permalink · Comments (12) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note

Tammy in New York-Creates Open Thread

The no-blogging (as of yet) today is due to the fact that I've been in an airplane bound for New York. Now on the ground with my trusty PowerBook and wireless internet connection, here I am.

I watched the news on jetBlue's TV and, well, let me just say I'll have plenty to say about President Bush's speech today. Especially the part about how illegal aliens do the work Americans don't want to do. How dare he, especially on the heels of two more coal miners dying. Outrageous.

I'm here in part to see my friend Andrea Marcovicci perform in the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel. Her appearance there is extended to the 28th, so for you folks in the vicinity of Manhattan, I recommend it highly.

The Algonquin, btw, is the oldest operating hotel in New York, and it's the first hotel in New York to allow women to check in by themselves. Ah yes, America has changed just a tad in the intervening decades. Lots of history there. Here's their link, and the link for cabaret information, incldung Andrea's "Love Songs of WWII" show.

Sorry about being off Tammy Radio today, but I'll be back tomorrow with bells on broadcasting from the Big Apple.

So, in the meantime, consider this an Open Thread to pontificate on whatever your hearts desire. I'll check in again as soon as I settle in.

UPDATE:

I have just posted on the Canadian elections and am ready to go to sleep knowing that Canada has at least moved in the right direction. My flight had a bunch of turbulence and on tomorrow's Tammy Radio, in addition to continuing the solve many of the world's problems, there will be no doubt another installment of "Tammy's Adventures in the Air."

See you then :)

Posted by Tammy · January 23, 2006 04:44 PM · Permalink · Comments (10) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Tammy Notes

Norad is Tracking Santa

We know Christmas Eve has officially begun as NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, has been tracking Santa since he left the North Pole. We use satellites to keep track of him and his stops, while fighter jets escort him providing video of Santa and the reindeer in flight.

As of this post, Santa had just flown over the Taj Mahal in India. You can get all the satellite data, flight video and other background here.

In the latest video from India, NORAD is reporting all is well and that Santa is actually a few minutes ahead of schedule!

Also, kids can learn more about NORAD here.

Woo hoo! Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: 9:08pm PT:

NORAD reports Santa has arrived in New York! They say he spent a little extra time there because the reindeer love to circle to Statue of Liberty and like to fly around Central Park. After New York, they will head up into Canada.

Posted by Tammy · December 24, 2005 10:03 AM · Permalink · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Military | Tammy Notes

And Hollywood Wonders Why They're Failing

Why, oh why, has Hollywood seen its worst boxoffice receipts in 15 years? The Golden Globe nominees for 2005 Best Picture say it all. Thought to be the precursor for the Oscar, here's what Hollywood thinks is their best of the year, and consequently what they think our culture should look like:

1) A love story between two gay sheepherders (erroneously labeled 'cowboys' by the media, I suppose because they wear hats).*

2) A film portraying as noble the efforts of journalists to demonize and "take down" a US Senator whose anti-communist policies they did not like.*

3) A film about, as one movie-going reviewer noted, "...the horrors of big business and the way they are willing to experiment on the poor to achieve their goals..."*

4) The demonization of the average mid-western American man as someone who is no hero, but a cold-blooded killer at heart.*

5) And lastly, a Woody Allen film about infidelity. Well, he should know.*

Hollywood honchos continue to wring their hands over why you've stopped going to the movies. They blame ticket prices and DVD availability. They had better start considering the fact that filmmakers are so disconnected, so nihilistic, that the hopelessness and hostility they feel toward the world now permeates their work. Americans will no longer go see movies which are nothing more than the manifestation of the backwash of malignant narcissists. We're also sick and tired of listening to actors lecture us about how awful the US is, and more recently, why a cold-blooded mass murdering gang founder should have been given clemency. Enough is enough.

Not only will we not go see films which insult us, we refuse to support an existential worldview. We happen to think life does matters, that decency is a good thing, and that people are inherently good, not bad. We also have stopped believing the lie that Americans are bad people. We looked away for 4 decades as that lie was spread, but that time is over.

So you can take your gay sheepherder, noble communist supporting reporters, big-business is evil, Americans are hopelessly and inherently corrupt and violent and unfaithful movies and go to Cannes where at least the Parisian set will love you. But that won't exactly pay the bills, will it?

It used to be whichever movie won the top awards guaranteed boffo box office. Not any longer. The Golden Globe (the 'foreign' press contingent) and the Oscar people are going to find that their nights of orgiastic self-congratulation won't get them much, if anything, any more.

In the meantime, I'll be adding some of the old classics to my Netflix queue.

[* 1) Brokeback Mountain, 2) Goodnight and Good Luck, 3) The Constant Gardener, 4) A History of Violence, 5) Match Point]

Posted by Tammy · December 17, 2005 04:23 PM · Permalink · Comments (48) · TrackBack (0)
Culture Note | Death of Right and Wrong | Hollywood/Films | Leftists | Mainstream Media

Angelina Jolie Gets Dizzy at Airport

Causes concern, tiny panic, and makes the news. Also makes me want to take CPR in case I'm ever needed.

Posted by Tammy · November 22, 2005 01:31 PM · Permalink · Comments (20)
Culture Note | Hollywood/Films

New addition made to toy hall of fame

All of the best toys on Earth require imagination as opposed to electricity. Hmmm...

The "Cardboard Box House" has just been installed at the Toy Hall of Fame. Did I just hear Mr. Potato Head say "neener, neener, neener" to Civ III?

Yoko Ono Apologizes for Mccartney Remark

But not for breaking up the Beatles.

Tammy Blog covered the initial insulting screech from Yoko here.

Dinner with Chuck and Camilla and Dr. Rice and Mr. Washington

Until Prince Charles stops his nonsense that Americans need to be more "sensitive" to Muslims and that we should "appreciate Islam's strengths," I will refer to him casually. And frankly, his second wife does not deserve respect either. They're both simply elites who have been spoon-fed their entire lives. He entered into a marriage with a young woman he did not love and continued on with an affair that destroyed her life and marriage. Chuck essentially used Diana as the Official Womb. She's dead, he remarries, and now that self-obsessed, self-indulgent couple are in the US for 8 days.

Think I'm being too harsh when it comes to their relationship with reality? Here's something to consider: Mrs. Parker-Bowles-Windsor packed fifty (50) gowns for her eight (8) day visit.

Need I say more?

Now that I've barked and growled at them, it isn't because I wasn't invited to the White House tonight for the dinner in their honor. If I had been invited, I would have first hugged the president for all of us (for taking WWIII to the enemy) and then I would have given him the baby-shake (for not being as brave here at home, spending too much, wanting to open the borders, etc, etc).

So since I wasn't invited, I took a gander at the guest list to see who was. That list and the menu for tonight's dinner is here.

The more fascinating pairing at the dinner is this one:

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
Mr. Gene A. Washington, Director of Football Operations, National Football League (Guest)

Hmmm...and this isn't the first time Dr. Rice has been in the company of Mr. Washington.

I've noted before that one of the signs we should look for that Secretary Rice might be considering running for office is if she were to pair up. A single, never-been-married 50+ year old woman would face certain types of innuendo from the ever-so-tolerant left. Of course it's not fair, but you know how ugly the left is. Where this 'relationship' goes will be interesting. Keep your eye on it. I will too :)

Posted by Tammy · November 2, 2005 04:30 PM · Permalink · Comments (7)
Culture Note | Internationalism | Politics

And you thought he couldn't get any more incredible

He's the epitome of the couch potato. He's fun and unique. He's never worried about his physique. And yet now even he has become a health nut. I've become much more health conscience, too, but for this fellow, I hope it doesn't go too far.

Posted by Tammy · November 2, 2005 03:40 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Culture Note | Health & Fitness

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Kirsten Price Performing in San Diego and Los Angeles

Steele on Obama: The Great "Bargainer"

Andrea Marcovicci at the Gardenia

Tammy and Johnny Go to Halloween

Bad Girls, Then and Now

Burning Man Suffers Premature Inflammation

Before the Space Shuttle...

...there was Astro Boy!

"300": Fact or Fiction?

Marcovicci at the Gardenia in Los Angeles

Another Reason Why I'll See "300" This Weekend

Speaking of Moonbats...

Bearing Witness to the Annual Pasadena New Years' Kookfest

As Obvious as "He Did It"

Andrea Marcovicci Links

Marcovicci at the Plush Room in San Francisco

Deadwood

My Torrance Appearance Today!

Blogging from Restoration Weekend

Another Good Reason Why We Fight

Tammy in New York-Creates Open Thread

Norad is Tracking Santa

And Hollywood Wonders Why They're Failing

Angelina Jolie Gets Dizzy at Airport

New addition made to toy hall of fame

Yoko Ono Apologizes for Mccartney Remark

Dinner with Chuck and Camilla and Dr. Rice and Mr. Washington

And you thought he couldn't get any more incredible

Anyone for a 'real' world series?