Recommended

Gather round, kiddos, for this review of The Brady-est Brady Bunch TV & Movie Collection will, as never before, attempt to make sense of this unkillable piece of pop culture iconography. Your humble reviewer was in the thick of things when The Brady Bunch, the 1969-74 family sitcom, staked its claim onto the American consciousness, and can offer a bit perspective those generations, just before and since, can't quite reconcile.

But before we do that, let's first point out that this compact if unruly boxed DVD set, with a total running time of around 75 hours (!) of material includes with one notable exception just about everything Brady-related one might possibly ever want: the original series; The Brady Kids animated spin-off; The Brady Girls Get Married TV movie and its short-lived sitcom follow-up, The Brady Brides; A Very Brady Christmas, a later TV ...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

Cielo:

Back in my head-trippy days I would often wonder, if I were religious, to what religion would I belong? I guess I spent some time taking a tiny bit from Buddhism and a lot from Rastafarianism, (if you know what I mean) but mostly acted under the rules of, well, nothing. But, I would frequently tell people that were I to form my own religion, it would definitely have at its source the sky. (Anachronistic, I know.) But is it anachronistic? Alison McAlpine's rapturous documentary Cielo might change your mind.

Not that Cielo is a religious documentary at all, that was just my personal in' to understand this movie, gorgeous, stately, and down-to-earth. The movie involves Chilean folks in and around the Atacama Desert, a really great place to observe the night sky. The 78 minute film connects with astronomers and those who scratch out a living on the desert floor. These suppo...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

The Movie:

The story of Amazing Grace might be just as intriguing and emotional as the film itself. Sydney Pollack (Tootsie) directed the film that showed Aretha Franklin's two-night performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972, but they could never sync the print with the audio tracks, which were released as a live album in 1972, and a subsequent complete recordings set was released years later. Pollack gave the film to Alan Elliott before his death in 2008 and allowed him to complete the film. And was thwarted two different times by Franklin (citing image rights reasons) before her death in 2018. Shortly thereafter, Franklin's family agreed to the release of the film late last year.

And man, what a performance it is. The church appears to be fairly nondescript, maybe a little intim...Read the entire review

DVD Talk Collector Series

The Specials:

The title of this DVD goldmine for fans of Robin Williams' stand-up and improv work can be described with a word that Williams used frequently in his acts over the decades: Redundant. After his singular success in stand-up, film, and TV, everyone should know at this point that the Comic Genius description comes prepackaged with the name. It was for me when I first came to San Francisco for grad school in late 2002, but I mostly knew of Williams' genius through his film roles, a cornucopia of comedic and dramatic work that showcased his immensely versatile talent.

But I didn't know much about his stand-up work, coming from a country where his HBO specials weren't available. A San Francisco native who became a beloved figure of the city as his fame rose; he represented the perfect welcome for me as I bought his 2002 Live on Broadway special on DVD on my first day in th...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

It's been fits and starts but it now appears that CBS/Paramount is fully committed to releasing the final seasons of the 20-season Gunsmoke. Through the grapevine this critic is hearing that the label is planning on combining later seasons into single, rather than two-volume sets, which might be a little easier on everyone's pocketbook.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its prime, black-and-white years. Reviewing the later, color (and hour-long episodes) I initially expressed mild disappointment that they weren't as taut as the 30-...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

It's been fits and starts but it now appears that CBS/Paramount is fully committed to releasing the final seasons of the 20-season Gunsmoke. Through the grapevine this critic is hearing that the label is planning on combining later seasons into single, rather than two-volume sets, which might be a little easier on everyone's pocketbook.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its prime, black-and-white years. Reviewing the later, color (and hour-long episodes) I initially expressed mild disappointment that they weren't as taut as the 30-...Read the entire review

Recommended

For Lucille Ball completists, the release of Life with Lucy (1986), her ill-fated final sitcom, is most welcome. I Love Lucy/The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1951-60), The Lucy Show (1962-68), and Here's Lucy (1968-74) kept her on the network airwaves nearly constantly for a quarter of a century, but her return to theatrical features with Mame (1974) flopped badly, with Ball singled out for atypically harsh reviews. After that she did annual television specials for a few years, and was a frequent presenter at award shows.

In November 1985 she starred in The Stone Pillow, a TV-movie in which she played an elderly homeless woman, and while that program received mixed reviews it did well enough in the ratings to prompt Ball and her (second) husband, comedian-producer Gary Morton, to dip into the sitcom well that had served her so reliably well and for so long....Read the entire review

Skip It

Sesame Street was one of the only things I was allowed to watch on TV in my early years, and it's no question that it helped to shape me. It was one of the first times that TV had been used to educate children on things like numbers and spelling without being either boring or silly. Its creators had noticed that children memorized TV commercials easily, so they thought the same approach could be used to make them learn things that were actually important. The resulting show has been in a format of clips, primarily focusing on Sesame Street itself with its Muppet and human inhabitants, but also interspersed with separate sketches featuring those characters and some live-action or animated segments that I always felt took place in another universe- having some educational value and a unique quality to them, but having absolutely nothing to do with the main characters or setting, and they were never co...Read the entire review

Recommended

This review necessitates an unusually long premise, so bear with me. I'm a lifelong casual fan of the Star Trek franchise, from the original 1966-69 series through The Next Generation and, a bit less so, Deep Space Nine and all the feature films made up to that point. In the minority, I also regard Star Trek Voyager as the best, most daring of the "Next Generation" era shows, but didn't care for Star Trek: Enterprise, as its post 9/11-era teleplays seemed to swing the Star Trek universe hard to the right, in directions that seemed in stark opposition to the original intentions of the franchise's late creator, Gene Roddenberry.

That series ended in 2005. Four years later J.J. Abrams's Star Trek feature film attempted to "reboot" the Star Trek universe, with new actors playing characters from the original 60s show. I pretty much loathed everything about it, m...Read the entire review

Recommended

This second DVD release from Shout Factory Kids celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary consists of a special made this year for prime time on both HBO (where the show has moved for its first run episodes) and PBS (which still presents the show delayed after the HBO showings, and with an annoying "E/I" symbol at the top of the screen to count towards the FCC's required hours of "educational programming" each week- in that regard it's likely for the better that its new primary home is HBO.) Like the 25th anniversary special, which was one of the very first DVD releases back in 1997, this focuses mostly on songs from the show but most of them are new performances, done on the show's set, rather than archival clips. There's a number of celebrity appearances but for some reason Joseph Gordon-Levitt, born after I had already outgrown the show on TV, was chosen to be the main "star". He takes a cab t...Read the entire review

Rent It

The Movie:

I think both in fictional movies and documentaries, when airplane trouble happens when a musical act is one of the passengers on the plane, the comedy to diffuse the tension is palpable, whether it is a tribute to "The Night the Music Died" when the Big Bopper, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly passed, or when members of Lynyrd Skynrd died in a 1977 plane crash. Neverthless, I'll Never Forget You attempts to put some emotion into the tragic event.

The film is based on the novel by Gene Odom, friend of singer Ronnie Van Zandt and who wrote the book that serves as the foundation for the film. In it, he, along with others that survived the crash (backup singer Leslie Hawkins and guitar roadie Craig Reed) as they share their thoughts on the crash and offer some thoughts on the days and hours leading up to the tragic events.

So when it comes to the film itself, the sto...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Sixteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Seventeenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets. Give me a break.)

Despite the steady decline of the DVD format, CBS/Paramount deserves a lot of credit for seeing the 20-season run of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) through all the way to the finish line. For the show's last five seasons, it appears that the label has decided to release full- rather than half-season sets, a wise decision, and they've even added a most welcome supplement.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then ...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Sixteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Seventeenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets. Give me a break.)

Despite the steady decline of the DVD format, CBS/Paramount deserves a lot of credit for seeing the 20-season run of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) through all the way to the finish line. For the show's last five seasons, it appears that the label has decided to release full- rather than half-season sets, a wise decision, and they've even added a most welcome supplement.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then ...Read the entire review

Recommended

Time-Life has released yet another repackaging of their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame discs, this one containing three previous releases: Two four-DVD sets "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Concert" (the same title as this entire box set) which covers the induction ceremonies from 2014-2017, followed by the "Encore" set which actually contains the four shows prior to that, and concluded with the 3-disc "25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts" performed in 2009. I figured it was time for me to check these out having never seen any of them, and being a fan of a large variety of music.

One thing I'm not a big fan of however is awards shows, as they're typicall...Read the entire review

Recommended

The Movie:

Rod Serling's efforts on the original The Twilight Zone is, in a word, legendary and it remains, decades since it debuted, an incredibly influential body of work. The series was revived in the second half of the eighties and then again in the early two thousands an in April of 2019, Jordon Peele, Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez brough the popular anthology series back, albeit this time to CBS's streaming platform, CBS All Access. Peele not only serves as one of the show's executive producers, but also as the host and narrator, just as Serling did in the original run.

Paramount has now compiled the ten episodes that make up the first season and brought them to DVD. Here's a quick rundown of the episodes, which we'll keep reasonably vague in order to avoid spoilers.

The Comedian: Samir Wassan (Kumail Nanjiani) is struggling to get his standup comedy ca...Read the entire review

Recommended

I can never get enough of old musical and comedy variety shows these days. I remember them being rather cheesy from what I can remember of their original airings, but they are yet another thing that gets better with age. There were many of these throughout the 1960s and 70s, anchored by star hosts with a never-ending parade of different guest stars every week to do their own musical numbers and join in the comedy sketches. Sonny and Cher were two of the biggest stars in this genre- in 1971 they were set to take up residency for a live show in Las Vegas when they had to cancel because CBS offered them a weekly TV show, five episodes of which are featured here.

...Read the entire review

Full Article

Recommended

Tim Heidecker (Tim Heidecker) is running for office. He's working out of a hotel room with only one other campaign employee, Toni Newman (Terri Parks), trying to get himself on the ballot in the upcoming election for San Bernandino County's District Attorney. Specifically, Tim's looking to defeat incumbent District Attorney Vincent Peretti (Don Pecchia), a man he consistently describes as the city's "rat problem," with big, but "very doable" dreams of eliminating "100% of crime" in the area. He's even hired a filmmaker named Josh Lorton (Eric Notarnicola) to follow him around and document the journey. Unfortunately, for Tim, the media seems to have no interest in him, he's struggling to collect the right number of signatures to get on the ballot, and worst of all, his former associate Gregg Turkington (Gregg Turkington) is hellbent on calling him out about his horrific past.

Perhaps unfairly obscure...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Eighteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Nineteenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets.)

Nearing home plate, CBS/Paramount's Eighteenth and Nineteenth of 20 season sets of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) nearly finishes off the classic series. Many wondered if the label would complete the series before the DVD format went kaput, so their determination to see it through deserves our gratitude.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its b...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

(Note: Reviews of Gunsmoke: The Eighteenth Season and Gunsmoke: The Nineteenth Season are identical. In preparing them I watched at episodes and the extras from both sets.)

Nearing home plate, CBS/Paramount's Eighteenth and Nineteenth of 20 season sets of Gunsmoke (1955-1975) nearly finishes off the classic series. Many wondered if the label would complete the series before the DVD format went kaput, so their determination to see it through deserves our gratitude.

I've been reviewing Gunsmoke sets since the First Season was released in July 2007. The program was so prolific, upwards of 40 episodes per season in its early days, it's been impossible to watch everything in broadcast order. As new sets have been released, I typically watch 7-8 representative episodes then return to where I left off which, at present, is still Gunsmoke during its b...Read the entire review

Recommended

Back in DVD's glory days, when stores were overflowing with them, you would often have to watch out for so-called "music" discs that were actually not authorized by the artists and didn't include any music from them- instead just containing interviews of anyone remotely associated that they could find. Many of these discs were about the Beatles- in fact some of the very first budget titles out were "Alf Bicknell's Beatles Diary" and "Beatles Celebration". Today the supply of discs in stores is not as plentiful, but a few of these titles still make it out. Checking out "Made on Merseyside" I was expecting it to be that sort of disc, but I've had enough long-time interest in the Beatles that it might still be worth watching.

This focuses on the very early years of the grou...Read the entire review

Recommended

The Movie:

Beyond The Door

Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis (as O. Hellman) and released in 1974, a year after The Exorcist proved to be box office gold, Beyond The Door introduces us to Jessica Barrett (Juliet Mills), her husband Robert (Gabriele Lavia) and their two kids, smart-mouthed Gail (Barbara Fiorini) and pea soup loving Ken (Davd Colin Jr.). They live a good life and seem quite happy together, but when it turns out that Jessica is pregnant, things get a little tense. Regardless, they decide they'll make the best of the situation but after a visit to Dr. George Staton (Nino Segurini), a man who also happens to be their best friend, Jessica realizes that something is odd: she figures she can't be more than a few weeks into her pregnancy, while he insists she has to be at least three months.

From there, things start to get strange in the Barrett ho...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

The Movie:

Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and based on a novel by Josepeh Kessel, 1969's Army Of Shadows begins when a French man named Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) is hauled into an internment camp in the Nazi occupied France of 1942. Here he meets a few of his bunkmates and befriends a young communist who helps him plan an escape. Before that happens, however, he's released. He winds up back in Marseille where he reconnects with members of The French Resistance whose first order of the day is to execute a member of their own group who, under pressure from German forces, essentially squealed on them. As the walls in the building as paper thin' and there's no good knife around, the young man is strangled, his body left covered on a mattress in the corner of the room.

From here we get to know some of Gerbier's collaborators such as Le Masque (Claude Mann),...Read the entire review

Highly Recommended

And so with this CBS/Paramount DVD release, Gunsmoke ends its unprecedented 20-year run, wrapping up an incredible 635 episodes. While a couple of series have since beaten Gunsmoke, namely Law & Order, The Simpsons, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, with more seasons and/or episodes, that doesn't take into account Gunsmoke's far greater per-season output in its early years, or the much longer running times of both the half-hour and later hour-long episodes. Nor does it factor in star James Arness's appearance in every episode (and later TV movies), or the long runs of so many regulars, including supporting and bit players.

Regardless, the label's commitment to finish out Gunsmoke on DVD deserves our gratitude, especially their wise decision to remaster the entire series, and to even add some fine extra features in its last seasons.

I'...Read the entire review

La vicepresidente segunda del Gobierno de España y ministra de Trabajo, Yolanda Díaz, ha arremetido contra el Partido Popular por su postura en torno al nombramiento de Teresa Ribera como comisaria europea. Durante una rueda de prensa que tuvo lugar en Toledo, Díaz instó al PP a «por una vez defender a su país», haciendo […]

Artículo publicado en : Solicito Que Actúe Como Español

La reciente DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) que ha afectado a varias regiones ha evidenciado la necesidad de implementar medidas de protección a largo plazo para mitigar cualquier repercusión futura. Este fenómeno meteorológico ha causado daños considerables, subrayando la urgencia de establecer políticas que no solo respondan a las necesidades inmediatas de los afectados, […]

Artículo publicado en : Visión Innovadora para Proteger Áreas DANA y Preservar el Empleo

Este jueves 14 de noviembre, la Audiencia Provincial de Cuenca acogerá el juicio contra dos trabajadoras sanitarias, R.M.M.R. y Y.B.L., vinculadas al centro de salud de Villares del Saz, quienes están siendo acusadas de falsificar partes médicos para prescribir anabolizantes. Ambas se enfrentan a una solicitud de la Fiscalía que propone cinco años de prisión […]

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El IV Festival Internacional de Cine de Hellín (FECHE) se prepara para tomar el centro del escenario cultural del 16 al 22 de noviembre, convirtiéndose en un faro de actividades cinematográficas en la provincia de Albacete. Con una oferta que va más allá de las proyecciones de cine, el festival promete días repletos de cultura […]

Artículo publicado en : Antonio Resines Recibe el Premio de Honor en el IV Festival Internacional de Cine de Hellín

En un esfuerzo conjunto para mitigar los efectos devastadores de la reciente DANA que golpeó las localidades de Letur en Albacete y Mira en Cuenca, Globalcaja ha destinado un fondo de 250.000 euros que será gestionado por los Servicios Sociales de Atención Primaria de Castilla-La Mancha. Esta ayuda económica será repartida equitativamente entre ambas localidades […]

Artículo publicado en : Globalcaja Destina 250.000 Euros a Familias de Letur y Mira Afectadas por la DANA a través de Servicios Sociales

En un acto simbólico y cargado de demandas, Amnistía Internacional ha entregado cerca de 15.000 firmas a la Consejería de Igualdad de Castilla-La Mancha. Con esta acción, la organización busca presionar a las autoridades para que implementen medidas concretas de apoyo a las víctimas de violencia sexual, en un contexto donde el tiempo apremia: apenas […]

Artículo publicado en : Castilla-La Mancha Cuenta con 50 Días para Inaugurar Centros de Atención a Víctimas de Violencia Sexual

El presidente de Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, ha manifestado su deseo de proponer al gobierno central una agenda clara destinada a mejorar la colaboración institucional con las comunidades autónomas. Este anuncio se realizó durante la firma de convenios con la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha y la Universidad de Alcalá, en la que García-Page abordó la […]

Artículo publicado en : Page Propondrá Agenda de Armonización para Mejorar Colaboración Autonómica Tras Emergencia

La alcaldesa de Mira, Miriam Lava, ha tomado cartas en el asunto tras la devastación causada por la reciente DANA que afectó gravemente a su municipio. En un esfuerzo por mitigar el impacto sufrido por las familias vulnerables, muchas de ellas de nacionalidad rumana, Lava ha firmado un Protocolo de Colaboración en Emergencia con la […]

Artículo publicado en : Atender a Familias Vulnerables y Recuperar Servicios Esenciales: Prioridades en Mira Tras la DANA

El emblemático convento de la Inmaculada Concepción de Ciudad Real, conocido como el convento de las Terreras, se prepara para una transformación significativa que lo convertirá en un centro de interpretación dedicado a la gastronomía manchega. Esta ambiciosa iniciativa, que busca revitalizar el patrimonio cultural de la ciudad, cuenta con una inversión de 1,5 millones […]

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El sector agrícola y ganadero de la provincia de Cuenca ha recibido un significativo respaldo económico por parte del Gobierno regional, que ha procedido al pago del anticipo de los ecorregímenes de la Política Agraria Común (PAC) 2024. El delegado provincial de Agricultura, Ganadería y Desarrollo Rural, Rodrigo Fernández Alcalde, ha anunciado que se han […]

Artículo publicado en : El Gobierno Regional Paga 22,5 Millones de Euros a Agricultores Conquenses por Ayudas de la PAC

Ciudad Real, 12 de noviembre de 2024.- El Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha ha rendido homenaje a Manuel Marín, destacando su papel esencial en la construcción de una Europa democrática y cohesionada. Este reconocimiento fue manifestado por Nazaret Rodrigo, directora general de Asuntos Europeos, durante la presentación del libro ‘Raíz y Rama. Un homenaje a Manuel […]

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Artículo publicado en : UGT Castilla-La Mancha Propone Mejor Coordinación en Asistencia a Damnificados por la DANA

En la ciudad de Cuenca, el ambiente está cargado de emoción ante la inminente llegada del Carnaval, uno de los eventos más esperados por la comunidad. El Concejal de Festejos, Alberto Castellano, ha destacado la colaboración entre su departamento y la Asociación Amigos del Carnaval para fortalecer esta celebración anual. «Llevamos ya tiempo trabajando en […]

Artículo publicado en : Álex Simón Designado cartelista del carnaval 2025, que tendrá lugar del 1 al 15 de marzo

Herencia estrena desde hoy una nueva y modernizada pista de pádel que promete elevar la experiencia de juego y seguridad de los usuarios. Esta nueva instalación se suma a las tres pistas ya existentes en el complejo deportivo local y está diseñada para satisfacer la creciente demanda de los aficionados a esta disciplina. Las obras […]

Artículo publicado en : Herencia inaugura una nueva pista de pádel de metacrilato con mejoras de seguridad y tecnología

El Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) ha establecido un nuevo protocolo para gestionar electrónicamente las prestaciones por desempleo destinadas a los afectados por la DANA. Esta normativa se ha detalla en una reciente resolución publicada en el Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), como parte del Real Decreto-ley ratificado por el Consejo de Ministros. Este […]

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El presidente de Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, ha mostrado su satisfacción por la decisión del Gobierno central de crear un Alto Comisionado destinado a agilizar la reconstrucción en las zonas afectadas por la reciente DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos). Durante un discurso en Puertollano, García-Page expresó su confianza en que la Administración central no […]

Artículo publicado en : Page Celebra la Creación del Alto Comisionado y Exige al Estado Compromiso en la Restauración de los Cauces

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El próximo domingo 24 de noviembre, el reconocido grupo musical Candela & Son ofrecerá un concierto solidario en Toledo con el propósito de recaudar fondos para los afectados por la reciente DANA. El evento, que comenzará a las 19.00 horas en el pabellón del Colegio Nuestra Señora de los Infantes, tiene un costo de entrada […]

Artículo publicado en : Concierto Solidario De Candela&Son En Toledo Por La DANA: ¡Consigue Tus Entradas Ya!

The legacy of Katrina and New Orleans will be whether or not people died unnecessarily:

As they continue draining water out of New Orleans, all the talk is about finding survivors. But the terrible reality is the grizzly task of locating bodies and the human drama of why and how they died will be the real story.

"A horrific glimpse of Hurricane Katrina's wrath emerged on Thursday, as more than 30 patients were reportedly found dead in a suburban New Orleans nursing home overcome by floods. The grim discovery is likely the first of many awaiting rescuers scouring ravaged areas for bodies."

FEMA continues to take a hit from critics. But is also reported that New Orleans strayed from its own disaster plan. It is fairly conclusive that something went very wrong with the relief effort, and there will be plenty of time to point fingers.

"Americans think the response to Hurricane Katrina was inadequate, and spread the blame around all levels of government. President George W. Bush finds disapproval on his handling of the matter, too -- and the public now shows diminished confidence in his abilities to handle a crisis or provide leadership, as well as in the government’s ability to protect the country."

But now is the time to put partisan politics aside and focus on aiding the survivors, bicker later.

"The Bush administration on Wednesday asked Congress for $51.8 billion in Katrina relief and recovery expenses, in addition to $10.5 billion already approved, calling it the latest installment - but not the last."

So who is at fault? In the end this writer believes that all levels of government will share responsibility. And no doubt heads will roll come next election. Lucky for Bush his term will be over.

Too Little, Too Late?

President Bush declares a state of emergency as New Orleans begins gathering up and counting the dead across a ghastly landscape awash in perhaps thousands of corpses.

As the floodwaters recede and the search for the dead begins, there are grim signs that authorities predict a "staggering death toll" from Hurricane Katrina.

"It is going to be about as ugly of a scene as I think you can imagine," the nation's homeland security chief warned. As authorities struggled to keep order, police shot and killed at least five people Sunday after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs."

In New Orleans' Garden District, a woman's body lay at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Magazine Street, a business area with antique shops on the edge of blighted housing. The body had been there since at least Wednesday. As days passed, people covered the corpse with blankets or plastic.

By Sunday, a short wall of bricks had been built around the body, holding down a plastic tarpaulin. On it, someone had spray-painted a cross and the words, "Here lies Vera. God help us."

The daily FISK asks the question: Does Bush need a scapegoat? Or is he THE scapegoat?

FEMA boss Michael Brown isn't being fired. He's just being reallocated. Speculation is strong that this is a precursor to his removal as director, but the die-hards remain in denial.

Charles Krauthammer notes:

"The head of FEMA. Late, slow and in way over his head. On Thursday, Sept. 2, he said on national television that he didn't even know there were people in the convention center, when anybody watching television could see them there, destitute and desperate. Maybe in his vast bureaucracy he can assign three 20-year-olds to watch cable news and give him updates every hour on what in hell is going on." "The president. Late, slow, and simply out of tune with the urgency and magnitude of the disaster. The second he heard that the levees had been breached in New Orleans, he should have canceled his schedule and addressed the country on national television to mobilize it both emotionally and physically to assist in the disaster. His flyover on the way to Washington was the worst possible symbolism. And his Friday visit was so tone-deaf and politically disastrous that he had to fly back three days later."

CNN Wins the Right to Cover the Search for Bodies of Katrina Victims:

On the one hand we're fed up with government trying to sanitise the carnage. They do this not for our benefit but to minimize public outrage.

In explaining the ban, Ebbert said (the city's homeland security director), "we don't think that's proper" to let members of the media view the bodies.

But on the other hand the media want to cover it because they know that drama and horror sells.

"In an e-mail to CNN staff, CNN News Group President Jim Walton said the network filed the the lawsuit to "prohibit any agency from restricting its ability to fully and fairly cover" the hurricane victim recovery process."

And the political left want to exploit it for the "Perfect Political Storm".

Unfortunately that is the world that we live in. The public are but pawns in this political game. Either way the dead and the suffering lose.

As we remember that tragic event four years ago, I decided to make available the 9/11 video clip showing a plane crashing into the second tower. You can grab a copy of it here.

What did I tell you?

Michael Brown resigns just three days after being removed from head of FEMA. Bush's scapegoat makes a speedy retreat as he attempts to improve his public image.

The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister

Canada's most controversial Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, famous for his failed Meech Lake Accord that would have altered Canada's constitution granting extraordinary powers to the province of Quebec, chokes on his own words:

The Globe and Mail reports: OTTAWA -- Brian Mulroney feels "devastated" and "betrayed" and regrets talking candidly to Peter C. Newman, a spokesman said yesterday after the author's tale of the tapes showed the former prime minister savaging opponents and allies alike. 'I was reckless in talking with Peter C. Newman,' " Mr. Lavoie quoted Mr. Mulroney as saying. " 'This was my mistake and I'm going to have to live with it." "Brian Mulroney is a very colourful, entertaining man in a conversation that says things . . . because they're entertaining," Mr. Lavoie said. "For a man like this to tape him without his knowledge and use it this way is nothing short of betrayal. . . . He's quite devastated."

No doubt!