Remember Rod Blagojevich? My memory of the former Illinois Governor is the coverage of his case from The Daily Show as Jon Stewart made a long-running gag of exaggerating his name. In 2008, Governor Blagojevich was arrested and charged with corruption after a long-running investigation, and was eventually impeached and removed from office. A new podcast from WBEZ Chicago, Public Official A, delves into the events that led to Blagojevich’s removal from office, and why his name has been in the news lately. In the introduction, journalist Dave McKinney describes the show as “this is our podcast about the bringing down of a charismatic and non-conformist politician by a federal investigation,” and if you aren’t up to speed on Illinois politics or can’t quite remember who Blagojevich is, the show is a deep dive into his rise to power that eventually brought brought him to the governor’s office in 2003 — and subsequent fall when authorities hauled … [Read more...] about Public Official A charts Rod Blagojevich’s spectacular fall from grace
Rod stewart
‘California wildfires are a major disaster, but so is Donald Trump’
0 Have your say Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal aid from California to help it cope with devastating wildfires – because of his unscientific views about climate change – is the latest sign that he is not fit to be US President, writes Ian Johnston. According to US President Donald Trump, there is no reason for the “massive, deadly and costly” wildfires in California “except that forest management is so poor”. “So many lives lost,” he added, “all because of gross mismanagement of the forests.”Given the latest death toll is 31 and that more than 200 people are listed as missing, this was clearly a highly controversial thing to say. After all, if someone’s “gross mismanagement” has caused dozens of deaths, should they not now be facing criminal prosecution?The reaction from firefighters was swift. Brian Rice, of California Professional Firefighters, said Trump’s … [Read more...] about ‘California wildfires are a major disaster, but so is Donald Trump’
Meg Ryan announces engagement to John Mellencamp
Updated 5:32 am PST, Friday, November 9, 2018 Actress Meg Ryan, left, talks with performer John Mellencamp during the second half of an 2011 college basketball game between Indiana and Ohio State in Bloomington, Ind. Mellencamp and Ryan are getting married. >>Here are the celebrities with the most marriages... less Actress Meg Ryan, left, talks with performer John Mellencamp during the second half of an 2011 college basketball game between Indiana and Ohio State in Bloomington, Ind. Mellencamp and Ryan are getting ... more Photo: Darron Cummings, AP Zsa Zsa Gabor was married nine times. Zsa Zsa Gabor was married nine times. Photo: Curt Wilcott, AP Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times. Photo: Kevork Djansezian Mickey … [Read more...] about Meg Ryan announces engagement to John Mellencamp
Irish film-maker Aislinn Clarke on her new horror The Devil’s Doorway
THE Devil's Doorway is a piece of movie history: Dundalk-born writer/director Aislinn Clarke's stylishly executed feature debut is the first horror film directed by an Irishwoman. Entirely shot in Northern Ireland and starring Lalor Roddy, Ciaran Flynn, Helena Bereen and Lauren Coe, The Devil's Doorway is set in 1960. It centres on a pair of priests dispatched to a Magdelene laundry in order to authenticate a series of potentially miraculous occurrences. Jaded Fr Thomas (Roddy) and his more devout cine camera-wielding young colleague Fr John (Flynn) are instructed by the Vatican to film every aspect of their investigations at this grim 'home for fallen women', granting the movie license to reinvent the found footage genre (The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity etc) in a documentary style. Indeed, having dissuaded producer Martin Brennan from pursuing his original idea of a contemporary piece set in an abandoned laundry, Clarke and her director of photography Ryan Kernaghan (Bad … [Read more...] about Irish film-maker Aislinn Clarke on her new horror The Devil’s Doorway
Off the Couch: New players on the A-team talk music, festivals
NOTE: This is now a standing Monday feature on A2. LISA DENTON: OK, Barry, I'm a little disoriented this morning, but it's not so bad here in the A section. I figured the only way I'd get into a news section was an obituary or crime spree, so this is way more pleasant. BARRY COURTER: It is a little different, isn't it? At least we're paired with entertainment news and not next to a Clay Bennett cartoon. I think we'd be looking up at the business end of somebody's pet if we were. The digs are different, but the job is the same. We are here to let folks know about the many reasons to get off the couch and do something fun. This is a pretty good week with Turkuaz at Songbirds on Thursday, and then Alice Cooper is Friday and Ron White is Saturday at Memorial Auditorium. I saw Cooper a couple of years ago, and it is a really fun show with guillotines and giant spiders and all. LISA: That's Thursday at my house. BARRY: I've seen White a couple of times as well, and he makes me laugh out … [Read more...] about Off the Couch: New players on the A-team talk music, festivals