Free Republic

When I learned that Madonna – aka the Grand Priestess of the music industry – would be performing at the Superbowl halftime show, I thought: “This should be interesting”. And it was. While most were amazed by a woman in her fifties dancing around with LMFAO and others were annoyed at her lip-syncing, I was interested with something else: the flurry of symbolism flashed to billions of viewers worldwide. While most considered Madonna’s performance as an entertaining interlude to the most important football game of the year, those blessed with symbol-literacy will probably agree with the following statement: Madonna’s halftime...

On April 7, when Britney Spears and Kevin Federline realized that their baby, Sean Preston, had been sleeping more than usual, panic bells went off. Just six days earlier, the 7-month-old had taken a major fall from his high chair, a tumble that had his parents worried that he might have been critically injured. They had every right to fret. After rushing Sean to a nearby hospital, they discovered he had a minor skull fracture (sometimes called a "scalp fracture" in babies), and a blood clot. And the doctors weren't the only ones to take notice! The next day, the...

Big Mak and fellow 'freaks of nurture' poised to startle Europe Mon Sep 13, 5:20 AM ET LONDON (AFP) - Jim Rose is famous among connoisseurs of the bizarre as ring-master of the world's more extreme freak shows. Lately, however, he's been wondering if he hasn't been upstaged by George W. Bush. Disgusted by the way his native United States is going, the Las Vegas-based performance artist and professional poker player has gone into artistic exile in Europe -- bringing his latest frontal assault on good taste with him. "The Jim Rose Dubya World Circus of Freaks," which opens Tuesday...