Ah, Venice.

Traffic has SUCKED this week.

Does a bear stay in the woods?

No.

Bear Attacks Dog Inside Virginia House: "Rosie, a 3-year-old blue heeler, dashed inside, followed closely by Irving and the bear. Irving tried to close the door behind her but the bear forced its way through, pinning her momentarily behind the door, and attacked Rosie."

We came across a mother and her cubs at Mohawk over Memorial Day weekend. Here she is with one of her cubs (she had 3!) being chased from a campsite:



And this is a shot of one of the 2 cubs she had herded up a tree for safety:



What?? You can clearly see his tongue!

My Next T-Shirt Purchase.

Repressed-Memory Therapist Recovers Rockford Files Episode: "'I'm 8... I'm wearing my Pooh pajamas... wrapped in an olive-green blanket...' a transcript of Spees' first session read. 'A phone's ringing, but it's not mine... I'm waiting for someone to answer the phone... There's a message.... An important message about someone picking up the car from the garage? No, it's a woman saying she's lonely... no, it's a pizza shop. I'm not sure...'"
[...]
"Joan can run from her problems all she wants, but the haunting, sinister image of the gun in the cookie jar will be with her forever," Marnard said. "And even if she has discovered the source of the mysterious answering-machine messages, it doesn't explain Joan's recurring memories of a shadowy, mustachioed figure known only as 'Higgins.'"

I just don't get how something like this happens. What circumstances lead to 4 people lying dead in an apartment for 2 years without anyone suspecting anything? The article states that the 4 people died at different points over the last decade. So not only were they all dead in there for 2 years, some of them lived in that apartment with the ones that had died before them.

Man's leg lands in yard: "Pam Hearne heard 'a loud crash' and later was stunned to see a foot clad in an Adidas sneaker and a sock in her yard, said Officer Thomas Blanchard. The leg, with hip and spine attached, dented the shingled roof of her garage before bouncing into the lawn."

Ah, JEEZ.

God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson.

The lights on Broadway will be dimmed tonight in honor of Anne Bancroft, the winner of two Tonys, an Emmy and an Oscar. I just recently saw one of her later films, "84 Charing Cross Road" with Anthony Hopkins, and I highly recommend it.

Good question: "While authorities on the Canadian side of the border await his return, a question for customs officials lingers: At a time when the U.S. is tightening its borders, how could a man toting a bloody chain saw be allowed to enter the country? "

Update: US Customs could have locked this guy up purely on suspicion of being completely batshit crazy. Outstanding warrants or not, you just gotta know that he did something for which he should be put away. As an aside, were he and Jennifer Wilbanks separated at birth?

Being this cute has to be against the law.

Lohan wonders why tabloids care.

Honey, if they didn't, you wouldn't have a career. And please, please, please EAT.SOMETHING.

Katie Watch

They got her: "Holmes, who has been spending a lot of time at the Scientology Center in L.A., showed up at the junket for 'Batman Begins' at the Regent Beverly Wilshire with 'an entourage of Scientologists in tow,' said our spy."

I'm really starting to wonder if all those rumors that Cruise is a closet case are true. I mean, he does admit to considering becoming entering the priesthood when he was young (his ego notwithstanding, I don't even he would aspire to becoming the entire priesthood). Then there's the marriage to Kidman, with two adopted children, which was cut short right before the 10 year mark when according to a pre-nup they would have had to split everything 50-50, the Penelope Cruz PR affair...I know, I'm grasping at straws, but I guess I'm looking for an explanation for his antics. Maybe all his posturing and obnoxious cockiness is a manifestation of the suppression of his true self. Or not. At any rate, he is said to have recently fired his old PR firm, a company that seems to have done an amazing job of controlling and hiding his raging case of the crazies for years.

Of immediate concern, however, is the new girl. FREE KATIE. Please.

Oh, and in other Cruise News, my sister told me that Brooke Shields had more to say - she offered to send him, and I'm paraphrasing here, two tickets to her show in London, "one adult and one child." Zing!

Classic Movie Lovers Take Note

Turner Classic Movies has a couple of good things going on this month:

Ingrid Bergman Salute: 19 of her movies, played on Monday nights

Future Shock: Sci-Fi films from the Cold War era

I haven't seen quite a few of these films, so I may just have to check it out.

Aw, dude, I totally fell for it! (the Samuel L. Jackson part)

What a dork.

It's all your fault, Ben Affleck!

Jennifer Garner's pregnancy may delay the show's return, according to E!'s Kristin:

"I'm told ABC suits didn't know of Jennifer Garner's pregnancy when they decided to renew the show (given the surprising early pickup, she probably didn't even know herself), and now the higher-ups are in something of a pickle trying to figure out when the show can return...Sadly, according to a source close to the show, it's becoming unlikely that Alias will return in the fall as planned, instead coming back at a later date."

Only bright spot in all of this is that if they come back after the baby is born, then we probably won't have to deal with them knocking Sydney Bristow up and in all likelihood ruining the show. And maybe during the long wait they can come up with a better time slot than Thursdays at 8:00.

Sawyer is in a new movie: "'I am loving Vancouver,' Holloway says, calling during a break in filming. 'The Pacific Northwest is insanely beautiful.' "

And I am loving you.

Police 'free' S&M sex slave from car trunk: "Police stopped the car after a concerned caller told them he had seen a woman locking someone in the boot. However, on opening it, they were greeted by the sight of the 39-year-old man wearing nothing but a leather thong and a collar."

LOST adds one bad mothaf*cka to its cast. (see item #1 under "Notable TV Guest Appearances")

Discuss in comments due to casting spoilers that some may wish to avoid.

Brooke & Tom's War of the Words: "'Tom Cruise's comments are irresponsible and dangerous,' Shields said in London last week. 'Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them.' "

The article goes on to say that Paramount/Dreamworks have cut back the press tour to promote "War of the Worlds", in favor of a smaller number of "preselected interview sessions". After the Der Spiegel debacle and the lunacy of his Oprah appearance, they might want to add "carefully controlled" to the description of those interview sessions.

Still here, barely!

No, the bears did not eat me last weekend. I managed to get sick when I got back and I'm just now recovering. I'll be back with some posts soon, hopefully today!