Free Republic

As I watched Michael Jackson walk out of that courthouse in Santa Maria, California, for a final time, my thoughts turned to "The Sound of Young America." "The Sound of Young America" was the slogan of Motown Records, Jackson's musical home. And as Jackson emerged from the court where he was acquitted on child molestation charges this week, I remembered how stirring those words were when I read them on the sleeves of the singles that I bought as a boy. Jackson's trial had a bigger impact on me than I expected and I suspect it is because - like...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Director Michael Moore is bringing a film festival to this tourist town in his native Michigan that will feature free outdoor showings of classic movies on an inflatable screen. Among the films being considered: “Jaws,” “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Casablanca.” But no “Fahrenheit 9/11” — or any of the other opinionated movies the liberal activist has made, such as “Bowling for Columbine.” The Traverse City Film Festival Committee, with Moore as chairman, received permission from city commissioners Monday to use a park on Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay for viewings, scheduled for July 28-31.

A judge said Monday, he will allow four of 10 incidents of evidence in Spector's murder trial that prosecutors say illustrate the music producer's history of pulling guns on women. Spector is on trial for the Feb. 23, 2003, fatal shooting of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY (Florida) - A Port Charlotte man was arrested Friday and charged with kidnapping two young girls from their homes as their parents slept, then raping the girls before letting them go. Erick Thomas Knapp, 31, is accused of entering the home Wednesday night of a 13-year-old girl who lived near him. Knapp threatened to cut the girl's throat, led her to a nearby home under construction and sexually assaulted her, her father said. Knapp, a felon, is also accused of using similar methods to abduct and attack a 7-year-old girl only a few nights before.

John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," died Sunday, his manager said. He was 88. Raitt, the father of the blues and rock singer and songwriter Bonnie Raitt, died peacefully from complications with pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a printed statement.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Jimmy Smith, an award-winning jazz organist who was considered a pioneer with the instrument, died of natural causes Tuesday at his home here. He was 79. "Jimmy Smith transformed the organ into a jazz instrument. Jazz has lost a pioneering talent, not to mention a one of a kind personality," National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia said Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Keith Knudsen, the longtime Doobie Brothers drummer who was part of the band during a string of hits that included "Taking it to the Streets" and "Black Water," died of pneumonia Tuesday. He was 56. Knudsen had been hospitalized for more than a month, according to the band's longtime manager Bruce Cohn. "I just saw him Sunday, just before the Super Bowl," Cohn said. "He was in good spirits. He was weak, but he was OK." Knudsen began drumming in eighth grade and joined the Doobie Brothers in 1974. "After a week's rehearsal, I went on...

NEW YORK Jan 17, 2005 — Ruth Warrick, the darling of the daytime soap opera "All My Children" who launched her career in Orson Welles' classic "Citizen Kane," has died, ABC-TV said Monday. She was 88. Warrick died at her New York home Saturday of complications from pneumonia, said ABC.

Virginia Mayo, the beautiful blond who rose to movie stardom in the 1940s in comedies opposite Bob Hope and Danny Kaye and had memorable dramatic turns with James Cagney in "White Heat" and Dana Andrews in "The Best Years of Our Lives," died today. She was 84.

Brian Wilson has issued a desperate plea for any information on the whereabouts of Markus Sandlund, a cellist from the Stockholm Strings & Horns who played on his recently released recreation of the lost Beach Boys album "SMiLE." Sandlund was vacationing in Thailand when the area was battered by a tsunami following a Dec. 26 earthquake in the Indian Ocean and has not been heard from since. "I have been devastated since I heard the news that Markus is missing in Thailand," Wilson says in a statement. "We have sent an agent to see what we can find out, but...

DETROIT (AP) — From wardrobe malfunctions to erectile dysfunction, it's been a tough year all around for the guardians of English — language purists from blue, red and battleground states who long to say "You're fired!" to offensive words and phrases. Lake Superior State University’s 2005 list of banished words, and comments from contributors: Blue states/red states Flip flop/flip flopper/flip flopping Battleground state And I approve this message Pockets of resistance Improvised explosive device, or what once was known as a bomb Enemy combatant Carbs You’re fired! Uber ’Izzle’ speak, as in such expressions as fa’shizzle, meaning for sure Wardrobe...

Noted blues guitarist Son Seals died yesterday (Dec. 20) in Chicago of complications from diabetes. He was 62. Born Frank Seals in Osceola, Ark., he started his musical career by mastering the drums by his early teens, taking over guitar and leading his own band before reaching his 20s. Moving to Chicago in 1971, Seals played regular gigs on the city's South Side with such legendary artists as Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. Also ... from Los Angeles Times (no url yet): Grammy-Winning Producer Freddie Perren, 61, Dies LOS ANGELES — Freddie Perren, a composer, arranger and record producer who...

Al-Qaida supporters detained in Saudi Arabia have appeared in a television documentary about al-Haer jail, 25 miles south of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and delivered rave reviews of life inside. "I swear to God, they [the jailers] are nicer than our parents," said Othman al-Amri, once No 21 on the kingdom's list of most-wanted terror suspects. The programme, broadcast on Saudi television late on Monday, included brief footage from inside the jail, showing clean facilities and beds lined next to one another. It signalled a new effort by the authorities to encourage militants to give themselves up and to allay...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Television host Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke last week, will miss his first New Year's Eve television broadcast from Manhattan's Times Square in more than three decades, his spokesman said on Monday. The 33rd "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" broadcast will be hosted instead by morning talk show personality and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" quiz master Regis Philbin, producers of the ABC television special said. As previously announced, singer Ashlee Simpson will host the West Coast portion of the show. The 75-year-old Clark, who was hospitalized in Los Angeles last week with...

Seven U.S. Marines killed in Anbar province, military says BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Seven U.S. Marines were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq’s Anbar province, a vast region encompassing the battleground cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, the military said Monday. It was unknown whether the deaths Sunday were connected to heavy fighting in Fallujah. American warplanes pounded the city with missiles as insurgents fought running battles with coalition forces. On Sunday, the military reported the death of another U.S. Marine in Anbar. The seven members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died while conducting “security and stabilization operations” in...

WASHINGTON — Condoleezza Rice, nominated to be secretary of state, will undergo a minor surgical procedure at a Washington hospital on Friday, a spokesman said. Sean McCormack said Rice would remain overnight at the hospital and return to work the next day or so. He declined to identify the procedure, saying it was a private matter. He said it did not involve cancer or a life-threatening condition. President Bush announced on Tuesday that Rice, 50, currently his national security adviser, will succeed Secretary of State Colin Powell. Her nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.

Rapper ODB found dead in studio at age 36 NEW YORK (AP) — The rap artist O.D.B., who lived a life as wild as his lyrics, collapsed and died inside a recording studio Saturday, his record label said. He was 35. O.D.B. had complained of chest pains before collapsing at the Manhattan studio, according to a statement from Roc-a-Fella records. O.D.B., also known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Dirt McGirt or his legal name of Russell Jones, was a founding member of the hit rap group the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s. With his offbeat, unorthodox delivery, he segued into...

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest said Wednesday that he asked coach Rick Carlisle for time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a soon-to-be released rap album, which led to his two-game benching. Artest held a short news conference before Wednesday night's 102-68 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and in his usual ambiguous manner, tried to explain why he was benched. Artest said that he asked Carlisle for as much as a month off to heal his aching body and recover from a particularly busy schedule. "My body has been aching, I was going...

Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, will be presented with a Man of Peace award by ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday. The 57-year-old, who was refused entry to the US on security grounds two months ago, is due to accept the honour at a ceremony in Rome. The Gorbachev Foundation said it was for his dedication to promoting peace and condemning terrorism. Past winners include Italian film director Roberto Benigni.

The Electras To Reunite, With Or Without Bassist John Kerry Some bands reunite for the money, others for their egos. New Hampshire's Electras, however, are doing it for the greater good of the country. Though their original bassist, Senator John Kerry, has become somewhat preoccupied with his solo project, the Electras have been supportive of his endeavors, and early next year, they plan to reunite the original lineup for a 45th anniversary gig in Washington, D.C. "We're planning a mega event!" said founding guitarist Jon Prouty, who hopes several of the surf and garage-rock bands they grew up with will...