Jackson Browne Comes Back Just In Time

Jackson Browne
Time The Conqueror
Inside Records
5 Scoops of Bosco
By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

It has been six years since Jackson Browne has released an album of new material. This past week he broke the drought with his 13th studio album, Time the Conqueror. This is the first album under his own independent label Inside Records.

Given the fact that we are less than five weeks away from the election and given Browne's political and social activism the timing couldn't be more appropriate.

Time The Conqueror represents some of the most honest, beautiful, emotional, passionate and direct songwriting and music of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's 30 plus year career.

Produced by Browne and Paul Dieter, the support group that have been with him since 1996 are back and sounding better than ever: They are Bassist Kevin McCormick, Guitarist Mark Goldenberg, Drummer Mauricio Lewak and keyboard player and singer Jeff Young. They are joined by the beautiful vocal stylings of Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills. Browne worked with Morris and Mills on the Levite Camp debut album that he co-produced in 2006.

The songs range from the political ("Drums of War", "The Arms of Night", "From the Arms of Hunger" and the hard driving "Where Were You" about the Hurricane Katrina Response) to the beautiful in "Going To Cuba" and "Say Yeah" to the sensual "Live Nude Cabaret".

To all of the Jackson Browne fans who were yearning for an album of new material, the wait is over and it was worth the wait.

The Bosco Rating system is based on a numerical value of one to five. Five is best.

Paul Newman: 1925-2008

By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

My favorite all time scene in a movie involving Paul Newman has to be in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, when he and Robert Redford are on the edge of a cliff with no where to go except down. They decide instead of giving themselves up to the authorities, who are hot on their trail, that they are better off jumping. As they are falling, you hear those immortal words, "Oh, Shiiiiiiiit!"

I cannot think of a better metaphor for life's tough decisions than that. When the odds are stacked against you sometimes it's better to go with your gut and take the plunge and hope for the best even though deep down you are going "Oh, Shiiiiiiit!"

Deep down, I and most males on the planet, aspire to be like Paul Newman. He was a man's man. Engage in your passions. In his case it was acting, race car driving, charitable work, political and social activism. Plus he had a committed relationship and a great family. Not to mention those killer looks. Unfortunately, the only thing I have remotely close in common with Paul Newman's looks is his blue eyes. Even his eyes were bluer than mine.

So today I think I will pop up some Newman's Own Popcorn, put a little Newman's Own Salad Dressing on my lettuce and watch The Hustler. I will miss Paul Newman.

Paul Newman died Saturday morning of cancer. He was 83.

Fact-Checking The First Presidential Debate

By Calvin Woodward
and Jim Kuhnhenn
From Associated Press

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain stretched the facts in accusing each other of kowtowing to the oil industry and sprinkled other dubious assertions across the landscape of public policy in their first presidential debate.

McCain's plan to cut the corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent across the board so as to spur job creation was boiled down by Obama into a $4 billion tax break for Big Oil, as if no other companies or workers would benefit.

McCain similarly cut corners with context when he accused Obama of voting for huge subsidies for the oil industry. Obama voted to strip away those subsidies and, when that failed, backed broad energy legislation that contained them.

So it went during 90 minutes of debate, a reality warp at times.

Some examples:

OBAMA: "Sen. McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who is one of his advisers, who along with five recent secretaries of state just said we should meet with Iran - guess what? - without preconditions."

MCCAIN: "Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve face-to-face meetings between the president of the United States and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad. He did not say that. He said there could be secretary-level and lower-level meetings. I've always encouraged that."

THE FACTS: Obama was right that Kissinger called for meetings without preconditions. McCain was right that Kissinger did not call for such meetings to be between the two presidents.

In a foreign policy forum on Sept. 15, Kissinger said: "I am in favor of negotiating with Iran." He went on to say, "I actually have preferred doing it at the secretary of state level" and the U.S. should go into the talks with "a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about? But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government."

---

OBAMA: "John, you want to give oil companies another $4 billion" in tax breaks.

THE FACTS: The $4 billion in tax breaks for the oil companies is simply part of McCain's overall corporate tax reduction plan and does not represent an additional tax benefit. In other words, the corporate tax reduction applies to all corporations, oil companies included. Both Obama and McCain have proposed eliminating oil and gas tax loopholes.

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MCCAIN: Said the country has lost the sense of accountability exemplified by Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower on the eve of D-Day. He said Eisenhower wrote one letter to be released in the event of victory, which praised the troops, "and he wrote out another letter, and that was a letter of resignation from the United States Army for the failure of the landings at Normandy."

THE FACTS: Eisenhower prepared to take responsibility in the note to be delivered in the event of D-Day disaster but did not offer to resign.

The full text:

"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Le Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."

---

OBAMA: Said he would make sure that the health care system "allows everyone to have basic coverage."

THE FACTS: If that sounds like universal health coverage, it's not. Obama picked his words carefully - stopping short of claiming outright that his plan provides health care for all. He promises to make health insurance affordable but would only require that children, not adults, have coverage. Estimates of how many would remain without insurance vary. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said during the primaries that Obama's plan would leave 15 million people uninsured.

---

MCCAIN: "We had an energy bill before the United States Senate. It was festooned with Christmas tree ornaments. It had all kinds of breaks for the oil companies, I mean, billions of dollars worth. I voted against it; Sen. Obama voted for it."

THE FACTS: Obama did vote for a 2005 energy bill supported by President Bush that included billions in subsidies for oil and natural gas production. McCain opposed the bill on grounds it included unnecessary tax breaks for the oil industry. Obama voted to strip the legislation of the oil and gas industry tax breaks. When that failed, he voted for the overall measure. Obama has said he supported the legislation because it provided money for renewable energy.

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OBAMA: "We're also going to have to look at, how is it that we shredded so many regulations? We did not set up a 21st-century regulatory framework to deal with these problems. And that in part has to do with an economic philosophy that says that regulation is always bad."

THE FACTS: Some of the abuses that occurred stemmed from the 1999 repeal of a Depression-era law that separated banks from brokerages. In legislation supported by former President Clinton and Robert Rubin, now a top Obama adviser and treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, this separation was ended - allowing banks and insurance companies to sell securities.

But while regular banks were strictly regulated by the government, Wall Street banks and other non-bank institutions - many of the same institutions whose abuses led to the current crisis - were allowed to operate with less regulation.

---

MCCAIN: McCain said Obama voted to cut off money for the troops in Iraq.

THE FACTS: Despite opposing the war, Obama has, with one exception, voted for Iraq troop financing. In 2007, he voted against a troop funding bill because it did not contain language calling for a troop withdrawal. The Illinois senator backed another bill that had such language - and money for the troops.

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MCCAIN: In a discussion of how the government could shrink spending, he said: "Look, we are sending $700 billion a year overseas to countries that don't like us very much."

THE FACTS: The comment echoes one he made in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention earlier this month, when he was talking about money the U.S. spends on foreign oil. FactCheck.org says the U.S. this year is on track to spend $536 billion on imported oil - not $700 billion - and nearly one-third of that comes from friendly nations: Canada, Mexico and Britain.

---

MCCAIN: "Sen. Obama twice said in debates he would sit down with Ahmadinejad, (Venezuelan President Hugo) Chavez and (Cuban President) Raul Castro without precondition."

OBAMA: "Now, understand what this means, 'without preconditions.' It doesn't mean that you invite them over for tea one day. ... There's a difference between preconditions and preparation. Of course we've got to do preparations, starting with low-level diplomatic talks, and it may not work, because Iran is a rogue regime."

THE FACTS: Obama was asked in a July 2007 debate whether he would be willing to meet "without precondition" with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba and other countries the U.S. regards as rogue nations. Obama replied, "I would," adding that it was ridiculous to think that America is punishing such nations by refusing to speak with them. Time and again since then he has been forced to defend the statement, both by Democrats during the primaries and by Republicans.

Obama has tried to draw a distinction between a precondition and preparation. He has argued that he wouldn't demand that a foreign leader give in on some fundamental issue before the two sides met to discuss the dispute. But he has said "preparations" would require diplomatic contacts to gauge whether a formal meeting would be useful and to lay the groundwork for those talks.

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MCCAIN: "You know, we spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don't know if that was a criminal issue or a paternal issue, but the fact is that it was $3 million of our taxpayers' money. And it has got to be brought under control."

THE FACTS: A study regularly mocked by McCain as pork barrel spending could help ease restrictions on logging, development and even the oil and gas drilling that McCain wants to expand. Montana ranchers, farmers and Republican leaders pushed for the study as a step toward taking the grizzly bear off the endangered species list. Former Montana Gov. Judy Martz, a Republican and a McCain supporter, said the bear had been used to block the use of the state's abundant natural resources, when all along the animal was plentiful. "If it is going to remove it from the list, it is money well spent," Martz said.

Photo: ABC News

McCain, Obama and The Wall Street Bailout

Less than five weeks before the presidential election, the White House, the candidates and the Congress are trying to reassure voters about the bailout of Wall Street.

Friday, on the To the Point radio program... can the government get the free market under control? Will McCain and Obama reveal their differences?

To The Point is a daily news talk/interview program hosted by Warren Olney. The hour long show starts at 12 PM PST/3 PM EST and can be heard via www.kcrw.com or on Public Radio International affiliates. Check local listings for the public radio station near you.

The show can also be linked via Bosco Radio: News and Information weekdays. The link is in the sidebar. The Friday show is now archived on www.kcrw.com

Photo: New York Times

The Campaign and Debate Must Continue

By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

Senator John McCain's heart is probably in the right place by wanting to suspend the campaign to help out on the US's biggest Economic disaster since the end of World War II. But it doesn't make it right.

There is no doubt Senators McCain and Obama need to be at the table along with their Vice President candidates as the discussions about how this Economic mess gets fixed proceeds. Afterall, one of these administrations is going to inherit this fiasco and they better hit the bricks running right now.

Suspending the campaign and the debates is a totally separate issue.

What does this say about John McCain that he can't multi-task? He can't work on the Economy in the day time and then work on something else like a debate in the evening?

This is the most important Presidential campaign in recent memory. The economy, as horrible as it is, is just one problem. The next President is going to have to work on Health Care problems, the War on Terror, the economy and a multitude of other problems...all in a days work.

McCain has made a tactical error. If he thinks he's getting points for working on the Economy while ignoring his campaign...it doesn't work that way. Barack Obama has come out looking like the stronger candidate here and cool under pressure. That's a way a President should act. That's the way you would expect somebody like McCain with all the years of experience to act. Not somebody nearly 30 years his junior.

If McCain wants to suspend the campaign...here's an idea. Let's just stop it right now and do the vote now. No debates. No campaign. We need a change now. We can't wait until January for this to happen.

Cold War Kids On Morning Becomes Eclectic

The Indie Rock band Cold War Kids performed a live set on the Morning Becomes Eclectic Radio program Thursday. The Fullerton, California based band played songs from their new album Loyalty to Loyalty.

Morning Becomes Eclectic , hosted by Nic Harcourt, plays a wide variety of music with live performances and can be heard each day beginning at 9 AM PST/12 Noon EST over www.kcrw.com or in the Los Angeles listening area on KCRW 89.9 FM. Also link via the Bosco Radio: Music Channel in our sidebar.

The show with Cold War Kids has been archived.

Stephanie Comes Up Smelling Like Roses

By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

Sometimes things happen and then I am reminded that there is a God.

Take the return of Stephanie Edwards to the Rose Parade broadcast for instance.

For the uninformed.... Stephanie Edwards is the vivacious, red-headed ex-newscaster and Lucky Supermarket spokesperson who was unceremoniously dumped from the KTLA broadcast booth for the 2007 Rose Parade in Pasadena. She was relegated to the streets where it was raining that day...after about thirty years of giving us great commentary and color. This was in favor of a younger woman. While other long-time Rose Parade commentator Bob Eubanks (yes the Bob Eubanks of Newlywed Game fame) and the young lady broadcaster Michaela Pereira were comfortable and warm in the booth, Stefanie was getting soaked. Literally and figuratively. And everybody in Southern California was scratching their collective heads and going, "What the Hell?"

The outrage has not stopped from most of Southern Californians since Jan. 1, 2007. She was absent this parade..but starting Jan. 1, 2009 she will be back in the booth at the age of 65 under a new contract.

Channel 5 found out the hard way that we don't take too kindly to ageism. Which is what this case was pure and simple. And...We like our comfort food. We like coming down to the living room on New Years Day morning with our blanket and hot cocoa, flipping on the TV and watching the Rose Parade and hearing the voices of Bob and Stephanie. It looks like we are going to get that pleasure for a few more years.

Stephanie Edwards reportedly signed a two year deal with KTLA for $50,000/year to do the Parade. The same amount Bob Eubanks reportedly gets for the same function.

LA Law Moves to New York

Raising The Bar
Produced by Steven Bochco
TNT, Monday Nights
4 Scoops of Bosco
By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

About halfway through watching the pilot episode of Raising The Bar, the new Steven Bochco lawyer drama on TNT, I couldn't help feel I've seen this before.

The jittery camera motions, the slick sets, the fashion, the office romances, the romances that you don't expect, the court cases, the "oh my God..did they just say/do that on regular TV" factor. Then it hits me...I'm not watching LA Law. I'm watching LA Law with new faces.

Really Mr. Bochco. Did you forget that a lot of us that watched LA Law are still alive and know that you're just doing your old show and plugging in young actors and actresses? This is not the "new innovative, groundbreaking show from Steven Bochco" that TNT is promoting it as.

Watch it and see if you don't come to the same conclusions. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is the new Harry Hamlin. Melissa Sagemiller is the new Susan Dey. J. August Richards is the new Blair Underwood. Currie Graham is the new Corbin Bernsen. Should I go on? I can. But you get the point.

Not to say that's a totally bad thing. I missed LA Law. And now it's back.

The one thing that I was interested in was Jane Kaczmarek's role as a judge. After seeing her for so many years in such a comedic role on Malcolm In the Middle I was wondering how a dramatic turn would suit her. Turns out she fits in just fine. She plays the character with just enough quirkiness to make her interesting.

The Bosco Rating System is based on a scale of 1-5, five being best.

B.B. King Takes A Turn For The Best

My Turn Radio Program
100.3 FM in LA/thesoundla.com
Sunday Nights 6 PM PST
Five scoops of Bosco
By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

Legendary bluesman B.B. King was the host of the new radio program My Turn last night and it was an extremely interesting hour to say the least.

King filled the hour with his idols, stories, blues history, new music, and his favorites. Included were songs from Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray, T-Bone Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Johnson. He even played two of his favorite Frank Sinatra tunes.

If this is the way this show is going to go every week, I will make sure I'm tuned in. My Turn is a fascinating and compelling hour of radio. Locally, in Los Angeles, KCRW and KTWV have had critical success with this type of show as well.

My Turn, features a different musical artist each week and lets them program the hour with the music of their choice.

My Turn can be heard each Sunday in the Los Angeles area on 100.3 FM The Sound beginning at 6 PM PST. It can also be heard streamed at thesoundla.com. You can also link to the program via Bosco Radio: Music in the sidebar every Sunday night.

Saturday Night Live Due For A Change

With Amy Poehler (left) going on maternity leave, Tina Fey (center) already gone to 30 Rock, and other cast members starting to camp out for too long, SNL could be in need of a change.

Reviewed by Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

There was a bit on Saturday Night Live last season..actually it was the first monologue after the writer's strike...with Tina Fey hosting and Steve Martin doing a cameo that was kind of symbolic. In the sketch, Martin literally tries slapping some sense into Fey with a faux slap to her face not once, not twice but three times. By the third time Tina is wondering what the third slap is for. Martin deadpans, "The Comedy Rule of Three".

After watching the first two shows of season 34 of SNL the past two weekends, I have concluded that producer Lorne Michaels needs to follow Martin's advice. As in three seasons for cast members on the show and then it's time to move on.

That's because most of the SNL cast has been on the show for five years or more. Darrell Hammonds is now starting his 13th season.

I don't want to take away anything from the wonderful cast members. There is a lot of talent there. But one of the things that has always been good about SNL, that when it's good it's edgy, when it's not so good...not so edgy. And unfortunately now, familiarity equals boring. I, and I am sure many viewers of the show are not laughing at most of the skits right now.

So my recommendation is to keep Kristen Whig, Andy Samberg and Bill Hader (three people who have been there less than three years), bring on board some new fresh faces and let the rest go.

There are a lot of talented improvisational comediens performing in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. It's time to give them the spot light and at the same time keep the show fresh.

And one other thing...why does the show always have to be done in New York? Why not rotate it between the other comedy hot spots...Chicago and Los Angeles. In other words, break the mold...try something different.

Saturday Night Live is on every Saturday night on NBC starting at 11:30 PM

Photo Credit: Associated Pres/NBC

The Financial Crisis And The Election

Warren Olney (right) the host of To the Point discussed the impact the current financial crisis is having on the election on Thursday's show.

The financial crisis means risks and opportunities for investors and politicians. Beyond TV ads and slogans, has either John McCain or Barack Obama come up with a fix? Thursday, on the To the Point radio program... Republicans have been running the show for eight years, but Democrats also had a hand in deregulation. Will the blame game be enough between now and election day?

Listen to To The Point, hosted by Warren Olney, daily via kcrw.com or in the Los Angeles area on KCRW-FM 89.9. Also link through Bosco Radio: News and Information beginning at 12 Noon PST/3 PM EST.

This program has been archived and can be accessed through www.kcrw.com

Ike's Devastation To Be Felt For Months

GALVESTON, Texas — Emergency crews on Monday reached some of the beach towns most devastated by Hurricane Ike, which left a giant disaster zone spread from the Gulf Coast to the upper Midwest.

Three days after Ike crashed ashore, 39 people were reported dead, the majority outside Texas. Ike's remnants caused flooding as far north as Chicago. Across the Midwest, the violent weather closed hundreds of schools and blocked roads.

In Texas, the largest search-and-rescue operation in state history was likely to continue for several days. Rescuers found 60 survivors on the Bolivar Peninsula, which stretches across the Texas Gulf Coast. Some communities were nearly washed away, including Smith Point and Oak Island just north of the peninsula.

"I think the next 24 hours are telling," says State Sen. Tommy Williams, whose district includes six of the hardest-hit counties in Texas. "I'm holding my breath."

Among the biggest problems in Ike's aftermath:

• An estimated 3.7 million people were without power Monday in Texas, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana and Arkansas, the Energy Department reported.

• Nearly 40,000 people were in shelters, said Joe Becker, American Red Cross senior vice president.

• About 99% of crude oil production operations in the Gulf region were offline, said Kevin Kolevar, the Energy Department's assistant secretary for electricity delivery.

President Bush, who travels to Texas today, warned the price of gas will rise. "There's going to be a pinch," he said.

Galveston officials pleaded with residents who stayed behind to leave so city workers can focus on restoring services. Oak Island, which has about 500 residents, lost about 95% of its homes, says Sarah Cerrone, economic development director for Chambers County. The county conducted door-to-door searches Monday. About 100 people have been rescued, Cerrone says.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said the situation is nearing a health crisis. The city can produce only a tiny amount of clean drinking water, there is minimal electricity and the University of Texas Medical Branch is unable to care for seriously injured people.

To the roughly 20,000 people who remained, Thomas said simply, "Please leave. The city is in ruins."

Link to up to the minute information today on Hurricane Ike via Bosco Radio: News and Information powered by KRTH Radio in Houston. Regularly scheduled shows such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered will have updates on Ike as well. Check out newspapers from all over the country and their coverage of Ike in the Bosco Newsrack powered by Newseum.

Consider donating your resources for Hurricane Ike Victims by going to www.redcross.org or calling 1.800.red.cros. You can also text a $5 donation by typing in GIVE and texting to 24356 (2HELP). The Salvation Army is also taking donations at www.salvationarmy.org or by calling 1.800.SAL.ARMY

Source: USA Today
Photo: Associated Press

Devotchka On Morning Becomes Eclectic

The Denver-based group Devotchka brought their gypsy and Eastern European influenced sound to the Morning Becomes Eclectic Radio Show Tuesday in a live performance.

Morning Becomes Eclectic, a daily exploration of a variety of music, hosted by Nic Harcourt, is on daily starting at 9 AM PST/12 Noon and can be heard by going to www.kcrw.com. It is also linked through Bosco Radio: Music in the sidebar. It is heard over the air in the Los Angeles area through KCRW-FM 89.9.

The show with Devotchka is now archived and accessed at www.kcrw.com

For Your Consideration: Robert Siegel

It's hard to believe that All Things Considered, the daily afternoon radio newsmagazine, has been on the air for almost thirty years. Even more unbelievable is the fact that it's host Robert Siegel has been in the anchor position for over 20 years.

Since its debut in 1971, All Things Considered has delivered in-depth reporting and transformed the way listeners understand current events and view the world. Heard by more than 11 million people on over 600 radio stations each week, ATC is one of the most popular programs in America. Every weekday, hosts Melissa Block, Michele Norris, and Siegel present two hours of breaking news mixed with compelling analysis, insightful commentaries, interviews, and special - sometimes quirky - features.

Siegel is now the senior host of ATC. Before that, he oversaw production of NPR's newsmagazines All Things Considered and Morning Edition, as well as special events and other news programming. During his tenure, NPR launched its popular Saturday and Sunday newsmagazine Weekend Edition.

Melissa Block started working on ATC in 1985 as an editorial assistant. She later worked as editor, director, senior producer, and then as a correspondent based in New York. She joined hosts Siegel and Norris as a regular co-host in February 2003

Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience, began hosting the show in 2002.

Check your local listings for when and what station All Things Considered plays in your area. You can also link to the show daily starting at 4:30 PM PST/7:30PM EST from Bosco Radio: News And Information powered by KPCC in Los Angeles. It's part of a great daily lineup of news and newsmagazines linked by Bosco.

Photo Credits: NPR
Source Material: NPR

When Tragedy Hits Close To Home

By Allen Bacon
Editor
The Daily Bosco

I got the fright of my life Friday.

A Metrolink train on the tracks between Union Station in Los Angeles and Chatsworth collided with a freight train. That particular line is of interest to me because my son Felix takes that exact line from downtown Los Angeles to Cal State Northridge.

My heart sank because it sounded like the wreck was close to Northridge. I got more scared when my son didn't respond to my call. Minutes later, he returned my call....he was not on the train. He didn't need to go to the CSUN campus Friday.

24 families were not so fortunate. They didn't get a call back from their loved one. There may be more. It was the most horrific passenger train wreck in fifteen years in the United States. The most terrible in California history.

As a huge supporter of rail and alternative travel to single automobile and one who has taken that line and many others in the greater Los Angeles area and actually all over the country (I just finished a coast to coast trip by rail in July) I am in shock today.

With the cost of gas where it is, many people are discovering the benefits of rail travel. Not only in the cost savings and the lessening of our dependence on foreign oil but the intangibles as well. Like how you can get work done on the train or the friendships you develop or how it gives you time to relax after a long day at work.

I'm afraid this horrible tragedy is going to set the progress that has been made back a few notches.

The reality is there are literally thousands of people that utilize the rail services across America everyday. And everyday hundreds of trains get to their destination without any incident. The line from LA to Chatsworth had no reported incidents up until yesterday. So I hope this doesn't scare away any potential new riders.

As with any tragedy like this, the priority is to get to and rescue the survivors. The emergency response personnel on the scene in Chatsworth have done an amazing job. They are to be commended for their outstanding effort.

After that there will be time to assess what happened. One thing that needs to be analyzed is the practice of passenger trains sharing the same tracks as freight trains. Not sure how to get around this but this is a recipe for disaster. Or why there are still single lines. Can more double lines be built where you have dedicated tracks for each direction the trains are traveling?

Again, for now the priority is the rescue effort. If you are in a position to help the families effected by this tragedy or give blood, contact www.redcross.org or call1.800.HELPNOW

Inara George and Van Dyke Parks Get Eclectic

The beautiful collaboration of Inara George and Van Dyke Parks performed live Friday on the Morning Becomes Eclectic radio program.

George is the daughter of legendary Little Feat founder Lowell George and Van Dyke Parks is legendary in his own right as a composer known for his collaborations with Brian Wilson.

Morning Becomes Eclectic is a daily radio program hosted by Nic Harcourt originating live from KCRW 89.9 FM in Santa Monica, CA and explores new and different sounds in music. The show can be heard globally through www.kcrw.com and is on the Bosco Radio: Music lineup in our sidebar. The show starts at 9 AM PST/12 noon Mon.-Fri.

This show has been archived and can be heard via www.kcrw.com

Photo Credit: The Los Angeles Times

Marching Band On Morning Becomes Eclectic

The Swedish Indie Rock duo of Erik Sundberg and Jacob Lind, AKA Marching Band, performed on the Morning Becomes Eclectic Radio Program Monday.

Morning Becomes Eclectic, a daily exploration of new music hosted by Nic Harcourt can be heard every weekday at 9 AM PST/12 Noon EST on KCRW.com or on KCRW-FM 89.9 In the Los Angeles area. Link from Bosco Radio: Music. The link is in the sidebar.

The program with Marching Band is archived and can be heard on KCRW.com

HBO Hopes This Series Doesn't Suck

True Blood
HBO
Sundays 9 PM
Produced by Alan Ball

By Allen Bacon
Editor
The Daily Bosco

After the failing of shows like John From Cincinatti and Tell Me You Love Me, and routinely getting pounded by the Showtime Network, HBO is in need of a hit in a big way.

So, let's make a hit shall we? I call it Professor Bosco's Successful Television Programming 101.

First of all we take a popular book series and make Alan Ball Producer...the same Alan Ball who gave us the widely acclaimed and successful HBO series Six Feet Under.....make it look like Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets an Anne Rice Novel (your choice) meets Californication...with an extremely sexy cast, and relevant social commentary and woo-lah my friends we could have a hit here.

True Blood, the newest show in the HBO stable, debuts Sunday night at 9 PM. It is a series about vampires (the popular books are from author Charlaine Harris)...but this isn't your parent's Dark Shadows or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This series is produced by Alan Ball and it is going to push the limit sexually and thematically on what can be shown on television, even pushing beyond the scope of the books.

The series features Anna Paquin as the main character, Sookie Stocksdale, who has developed the ability to hear people's thoughts which tends to isolate her from the rest of her small Louisiana town. After an appeal of the anti-Vampire law, which follows the release of a FDA approved blood substitute drink from Japan which allows many Vampires to come out of the, uh-hem, coffin...stay with me on this one...a sexy young Vampire guy moves up the road in said small Louisiana town and we'll just have to find out what happens next. Of course there are the Religious anti-vampire protesters who want an appeal of the Vampire-Rights Act and there are the pro-vampire people.

Musically, don't expect any Baroquish, gothic music here. Expect a great eclectic music backdrop from Gary Calamar who also scored Six Feet Under and hosts The Open Road on KCRW in Los Angeles.

On The First Episode of Gatesfeld

By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco


The first episode of the new hit Comedy Series Gatesfeld aired last night during the NFL Kickoff Game....AKA The new Microsoft ads featuring Bill Gates and Comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

This was entertaining and funny stuff. If you're into the humor of Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, and that crowd you probably enjoyed it. It seemed like an episode right out of Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld. This could have been written by Larry David. The ads are produced by advertising juggernaut Chiatt/Day.

I'm not going to give away the plot of the ad...well because there is no plot actually. It's basically about nothing. Hmmm, sounds familiar.

If i'm spending millions of dollars on an advertising campaign I want it to sell my product. Look at most of the ads on the Super Bowl. Very entertaining stuff. But can you name the products. I can't most of the time. Remember the Go Daddy ads this past year with Danica Patrick? Those ads told me nothing about the product.

A cool ad was when the I-Phone was introduced. Those ads showed what the product did and made sure we knew it was a Mac. I actually got excited enough from those ads to the point where I had to have the product. So I rushed down to the Mac Store and got one.

Initially, this advertising campaign for Microsoft is cute but I'm not going down this morning and getting any Microsoft products based on that ad.

It must be nice to have billions of dollars like Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld to make an ad about nothing. But then again, it's actually doing what it's supposed to do...I'm writing about it and I'm sure a few people around the water coolers this morning will be talking about it too.

Get Off The Teleprompter Already

By Allen Bacon
Editor, The Daily Bosco

I don't know about you but I'm getting a little tired of the overuse of the teleprompter during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. Or for any public speaking engagement for that matter.

As somebody who has done a little bit of public speaking over the course of my life I feel it is a little like cheating when you have the words rolling right in front of you. It's almost as bad as when somebody writes your speech for you....or you do somebody elses speech....Like a speech from an English Parliament guy or something.

And have you ever noticed how everybody sounds like they're from the Stepford Wives when they read off the teleprompter? It's like some Alien life form has invaded their bodies or something.

I want to see the banning of the teleprompter. Oh, we can ween the speakers off at first. We can take a paragraph out here and there and before you know it they will be speaking on their own...Kind of like a person learning to ride a bike with training wheels. This could also make for good television ratings too. You talk about reality TV. This would be great drama. Just give them one 3x5, slap them on the butt and get them on the podium.

I have a question? Do we really want our leaders of the free world to not be able to speak from their hearts instead of relying on some prewritten (usually something they didn't write themselves)speech?

The Republican National Convention concludes tonight with John McCain accepting his partie's nomination. Live coverage from St. Paul begins at 4 PM PST and can be linked via Bosco Radio: News and Information powered by C-span

These Little Feat Still Don't Fail

Little Feat
Join The Band
4 Scoops of Bosco
By Allen Bacon
Editor,The Daily Bosco

Little Feat is back with their first new album in five years, almost 29 years to the day of the death of founder Lowell George.

The band is probably not quite what George had invisioned for it back when he started it in 1969, but Craig Fuller, Billy Payne, and the rest of the guys still rock with an unrivaled Southern-fried boogie-woogie swagger.

There is no new material on Join The Band, but the album is notable because some legendary performers have, well....joined the band...and help out where needed. People like Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, Bela Fleck, Vince Gill, Bob Seger, Black Crowe's Chris Robinson, Emmy Lou Harris, and Inara George (the daughter of Lowell George).

Most notable is Emmy Lou Harris on Trouble, Dave Matthews on Fat Man in the Bathtub and Chris Robinson on Oh Atlanta

Produced by Jimmy Buffett and some of his Coral Reefer Band buddies, this album is the feel good hit of the year so far.

Gustav Dumps Rain on Gulf Coast: Millions Leave

Hurricane Gustav continued to pour rain on the Gulf Coast on Monday afternoon as officials keep a close eye on the levees to see if they will hold up in the torrent. There has already been reports of over spill.

In scenes reminiscent from Hurricane Katrina, millions fled New Orleans and the surrounding areas Sunday as the Super Storm approached the United States.

The storm has already killed over 80 in the Caribbean.

Donations for the displaced victims are being organized through the Red Cross. Go to www.redcross.org to see how you can get involved.

On Bosco Radio: News and Information link to New Orleans News Station WWL 870 AM for the most up to date information.

The Republican National Convention has scaled back it's schedule on the first day in the wake of the Hurricane. Bosco Radio News and information also has links to live coverage of the convention.