WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen. And the reporting that went under the radar. It's a hyper local look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on online communities and alternative presses. For a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. Well top of the hour venturing from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with Greg time on tour of the tabloids and a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next on the callee Crossley Show from gumshoe reporting the gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi Singh. Less than 12 hours to go before a partial government shutdown and lawmakers are still divided over how to fund

the rest of the fiscal year. Said House Speaker John Boehner or rather House Speaker John Boehner wants Congress to pass a one week stopgap bill the GOP led House approved yesterday that would also fund the Pentagon for six months and I think the Senate should follow the House lead and pass the troop funding bill. And do it today. I also believe the president should sign the troop funding bill into law. This is the responsible thing to do to support our troops and to keep our federal government open. After another late night budget session Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said there is an agreement on thirty eight billion dollars in cuts but he says the only thing standing in the way of a spending plan is a Republican push to cut federal dollars for Planned Parenthood. They're willing Piers. Clearly it's for women under the bus even if it means they'll shut down the government because that's where we are. That is the one issue that was remaining hundreds of thousands of

federal workers are watching the budget talks in Washington as a government shutdown looks increasingly likely. NPR's Joel Snyder has been looking into what a shutdown would do. The White House says some 800000 non-essential federal workers would have to be furloughed. National parks would close medical research would come to a halt and the processing of passports and tax returns filed on paper would be delayed. The Office of Management and Budget says members of the military would not receive their full paychecks but Social Security recipients would still get their monthly pension benefits if the shutdown lasts just through the weekend than it would mainly be an inconvenience for national park tourists. But if it starts dragging out that it might be a problem to get an answer about your Social Security check or Medicare reimbursement. Joel Snyder NPR News Washington. NATO's admits its aircraft bombed some tanks being used by Libyan rebels. Rebels say five of their fighters were killed. NPR's Philip Reeves says NATO is not apologizing. A big convoy of rebel tanks and rocket launchers was on the move near eastern

Libya yesterday when it was suddenly hit by missiles fired by NATO's jets. There were two air strikes. The rebels reportedly reacted angrily. One rebel commander says they told NATO's officials about the tank movements beforehand. But Deputy Commander of the NATO's operation Rear Admiral Russell Harding says the alliance was unaware the rebels were using tanks and that until now these have only been used by one of Gadhafi's forces. Harding said NATO's would not apologize. The situation on the ground was fluid he said making it difficult for NATO pilots to distinguish between the two sides in the conflict. NATO's job is to protect civilians said Harding. And in the past tanks have been used to target them. Philip Reeves NPR News London. From Washington this is NPR News. Libya's former foreign minister Moussa Koussa has been questioned about the bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie Scotland more than two decades ago. They killed 270 people mostly Americans. Larry Miller reports Scottish authorities are not the only

ones with questions for Koussa who recently defected to Britain. Scottish police say they met Koussa in relation to the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing but gave no further details saying it's necessary to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Koussa is alleged to have helped plan the bombing despite the conviction of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. Scotland never close the case. Koussa helped negotiate the release of MacGraw he from a Scottish prison and his return to Libya. Some British lawmakers also want Koussa questioned over Libyan arms and explosives sent to the Irish Republican Army and the 1984 killing of a London policewoman outside the Libyan embassy. Britain insists Koussa was not given immunity from prosecution when he defected. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. Newark Liberty International Airport is reviewing a performance analysis. That find security at the site has been on a gradual decline. The Star Ledger of New York reports today that local transportation security administration managers admit a

series of lapses. The managers have circulated a copy of the analysis at TSA led meetings managers propose hiring more people to handle labor intensive full body scanners and ramping up training. At last check on Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 20 points to twelve thousand three hundred ninety And the Nasdaq also down 6 at two thousand seven hundred ninety. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News. Support for NPR comes from CSX transporting two billion pounds of goods to market by train and working to help move the economy forward. CSX how tomorrow moves. It's live and it's local. Coming up next two hours of local talk the Emily Rooney show and the callee Crossley Show. Only on WGBH. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley This is the Kelly Crossley Show. Today we're taking a hyper local look at the week's news with Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. I'm an

only a charlatan editor and business manager of the Boston Haitian reporter. Welcome Peter. It's great to be here. I know Leah is trying to get back to her office where the cab did not drop her off. And so O'Connell was on the roster but she ended up unable to join us this week so we'll try to get to some of her stories. So Peter since you and I are sitting here together why don't we start with you. So you have sort of a media themed issue in the Phoenix this week and one that really caught my eye was this rise and uncertain future of pirate radio and bust is really interesting. It's a fascinating story and I'll tell you I'm I grew up in Boston. I've been back in the City for 25 years I've been at the Phoenix for 23. All this is a wind up to say that whenever I learn something new in my own newspaper I'm really excited. And I was amazed at the story here. I think of pirate radio as a group of. Post college kids sitting around smoking pot

playing Trey rock n roll. Wrong Yeah wrong wrong it Chris Froome did a wonderful story get a plug in here if you go there. The Phoenix dot com people can read it and it turns out that pirate radio so-called Pirate radio these are small very community oriented radio stations they have a very diverse mixture of programming music but a lot of public affairs. And these stations such as touch 1 0 6 point one FM. Have you know about under 100 watts of power. Technically they are illegal but it seems as if the FCC is sort of looking the other way. And you get him on the Internet you can get them on the Internet. You know I'm not the intern that I was I think a lot of people know that you can get a lot of radio and what's interesting about this though was the commune's of these the other serve tend to be

let's say economically challenged that doesn't mean that's poor to working class. Not everyone has Internet in the actions of the home or there's one machine then the kids are on the playing games all the time doing their homework and this is how I spent the last couple of days listening to its very powerful local programming. I mean for example in the Haitian community when the horrible earthquake hit one of the stations was the primary source of information for people to find out what was going on at home. I mean it's wild stuff. Well it's very interesting Manelli you're with us now Minnelli a charlatan as editor and business manager of the Boston Haitian reporter. Were you aware touch our six and its work during the hurricane of the earthquake in Haiti. Well I grew up as a Haitian American immigrant I grew up with what we're calling now pirate radio. I've I've known of touch with most of this. And

that's what I was like I know that it is difficult. So that's I mean this is not new. What's new is that it's breaking news. Major in Boston but this is how the majority of either black immigrant and African Americans in Greater Boston get their news and retain their culture. So this is so to me I'm glad that we're covering this because this is sort of what I grew up with as as a Bostonian now only 100 watts does doesn't that's not a signal that goes very far so how is it that you know the numbers according to this piece are pretty high for you know a small station like that. What how do you think people are finding their way there and you know because it doesn't have a huge outreach Melia. Well I think what the key is is the community is very very in tune with each other. And so they

know where they can actually get the highest signal. I remember because I grew up. It's Somerville there are times when I have to go to buy Mom a good friend house in Dorchester to listen to her favorite Christian radio show which is our Jewish lodges eke. And I remember for instance the tunnel since the birth came I would have to go visit friends and Roxbury and they would have it on. So what the community knows is you know where they can get the highest signal. Now over time I think a lot of these pirate radio they have actually expanded their frequency and now they can get into sort of Greater Boston Cambridge from Malden. There are some of the same Haitian radio that actually goes all the way up them all the way down to Brockton for example. But they figured out ways to expand their frequency even though it isn't. Oh hi Peter one thing I did want to mention that Chris points out in the piece that for example in South Florida there was an FCC raid on 15

unlicensed stations they were let in broadcasts for the most part and they've issued 24 citations in Massachusetts but nothing's as you said there's this kind of limbo thing going on as well. Yeah I mean I think that the FCC recognizes that there's a change afoot in terms of communication. And there is a bill wending its way through Congress that would make it easier for people to start small community based stations. You know look in Chris's piece it's estimated that 60 percent of the Haitian community gets the air news this way. You know I suspect that in Florida when I hear of a raid or something like that I always ask myself the question who's helped who's hurt I think who's helped is you had some political radio station with a lot of muscle speculation on my part who prompted the raid for

some reason. The community is a lock here up here we should note that while we're having this conversation today on our hyper local we can review with Peter Kansas and you just heard executive editor of The Boston Phoenix and when Olivia charlatan editor and business manager of the Boston Haitian reporter that meeting in Boston is a big huge media reform conference and their overriding issue their many issues are the fact that they want media to return to the hands of community and out of what they describe as corporate interests so to that extent this is a really timely piece for many of them to read while they're here in town. Well you were there at that convention I was along. Yeah it was it was really it's I mean it's very interesting. All right so Nellie I want to turn to you because boy we have been talking about and talking about the election process in Haiti. Then there was a runoff. And finally there was the runoff election fraught with a number of issues but nevertheless it happened and there is a winner. So tell

us about it and I should note to my listeners once again that Boston is the has the third largest Haitian American community in the United States go ahead tell us about the election results. Well the election results were supposed to be on Thursday the thirty first placed back to the fore and to get out that shows you party the popular call won the election. About 22 percent of the registered voters voted in this election and he won by the could be that a percent over the scholar and former first lady. And in the streets of Port au Prince some of the other major cities. It was the were full of excitement and celebrating his win. Although the vast majority of both did not at all but those that did vote voted overwhelmingly for him and we're

very excited very happy at the result. Now he's known as a singer known as Sweet Michael right. Sweet Micky Sweet Micky. OK. I got to ask the question I mean you know the other shoe drops. This is not a person who's run for office before are certainly had any any dealings with running a governmental organization so this is a huge switch right. Yes definitely and what I have here on the ground but I have been talking to Haiti consistently from Thursday to Monday is one overwhelming thing many people who actually did vote in the election felt that they were tired of the political class that had not been fruitful and helping solve some of the problems that have been very slow with recovery from the earthquake and they wanted something different. But the one key thing to note here is that so much of the was never a for a front runner in this race. I mean. And so even the first around he was not a front runner he was a popular person because everyone knew his music

but he was not a populist. He was never popular but he was definitely associated with former former dictator of Junko divide it he was affiliated with his group and helped with the coup that ousted. I received the first democratically elected president in Haiti and you've been very open to his opposition to Aristide and so people had some folks have known about his background. But a very right wing background but he had never held any political office or run any major fusion in Haiti. So this was a referendum on the political class not necessarily that people wanted Sweet Micky Michel Martin the but it was a more they were tired of the status quo. All right well what's been the response here in Boston where a lot of people folks are voted in who voted in the election and by the way candidates came here to campaign during the first before the runoff election so what's been the

response here. It's been mixed. Many many people who are desperate did not believe that he would actually end up winning. They felt that at that database people would put it through the rhetoric and choose who was more qualified. That was one take on it here. But the other tape was well you know he's a popular musician. He loves his country. Let the Haitian put that. And we should support the chance to put this press forward. So there were definitely mixed reaction. I think that's going to be the case for quite some time. And so the diaspora role has always been to support Haiti and to help sustain the island and I think moving forward that's what the focus. But there is definitely some disappointment with the more educated class of professionals here and bought. PETER Were you surprised that Sweet Micky won. I wasn't surprised that he won. Of course I thought from the start he was going to win but that's probably because I knew absolutely nothing about it. OK by

them I meant you've got the show business name. He presumably put a sizable amount of his own money and that's why I thought he had well and I could be dead wrong. What I was surprised by is how low the turnout was. Only 88 you know 88 percent of the people to vote in. I wonder what sort of legitimacy any government can claim. You know was this a prescription for instability. Well I guess if you know that there is voter fraud and you can't find the voting booth and you're fighting cholera and trying to find a place to live it just doesn't seem like that important to you I'm guessing. You know I could be wrong all right. I'm Kelly Crossley and we're looking at local news with Peter Katz of the Boston Phoenix and Magnolia charlatan of the Boston Haitian reporter. We'll be right back after this break. Stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you and from whether B's providing traditional

Maine fishing and hunting vacations to individuals and families for more than a hundred years located in the heart of Maine's down east Lakes region. Weather peace dot com or on Facebook whether be sporting lodge and from excellent moving in storage in Watertown where good is not enough. Local long distance residential and commercial moves for a storage special and more information. You can visit excellent moving dot com excellent moving in storage. And from masterpiece whose beloved series Upstairs Downstairs resumes at last on Sunday night. Don't miss the highly anticipated premiere of Upstairs Downstairs on Masterpiece. Sunday night at 9:00 on WGBH too. David Dow has represented more than 100 death row inmates most of his clients were guilty and he knew it. Some of them were guilty of monstrous crimes and he's won only a few cases. On the next FRESH AIR he tells us why he represented them in spite of that. And what impact his work has had on his life and on his family. Join us for the next FRESH AIR. This afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven. WGBH.

Visit WGBH dot org For NPR News music and a chance to win a one of a kind trip to Washington D.C. aboard Amtrak's sell Express. Prize includes for round trip business class tickets accommodations at the Intercontinental Hotel a private docent tour of the National Air and Space Museum where admission is always free and Washington gift package courtesy of Frommer's travel. Details online at WGBH dot org. We're running out of oxygen. I have so many people that I can treat the world decision for anyone to make. Coming up at 3 o'clock on WGBH Boston NPR station for news and culture. I'm Kelly Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're looking at news through a hyper local lens. Joining me to talk between the headlines are Peter Katz

of the Boston Phoenix. Emily a charlatan of the Boston Haitian reporter and Minnelli I kind of took the last word on that last story did you want to get something just on the Haiti elections in terms of just voter participation. 80 voting isn't very important in Haiti but when the people are disenfranchised when they don't vote that's the message they're sending. I mean voting is like a major holiday in Haiti although it happens on a Sunday when the people are part of the process and I think it's a free and fair election. They dress up they clean the streets you know there is something they take very very seriously so for Haitians to not vote it's because they are clearly disenfranchised they're spending a message to the political establishment they're not going to participate in the fraudulent election that just sounds that does not bode well for the next you know iteration of what has to happen there in terms of recovery. I would say well he's there there is a silver lining

the silver lining is Michel Martelly that the some of the talks that he's been having with these potential prime minister who in Haiti actually is the head of the government are pretty The signs are pretty positive in terms of the the caliber of people that he's looking to prey on. Bring on board one of the people on his short list. Is this the Voltaire who had been who has been really involved in Haiti. Government Haitian politics very very long time and and knows how to maneuver within political circles so that there is a silver lining in that Michel Martelly has brought is making really real strides to bring different people onboard who are qualified who can help him govern Haiti. OK all right well let's move to a story that Sue would have brought to us were she here so this is true story and absent. Governor Patrick nominated the first openly gay judge to the Massachusetts High Court it's Barbro blank

and you know he said I love the idea first. And so he was proud to make the nomination and point out all of her credentials. There was one at least one response from a district one councilor Charles that believe me who said that. He this is a quote from a souse paper the bay windows Governor Patrick never ceases to amaze me with his choices. I was beginning to think that after his re-election it would be apropos for him to nominate an illegal. He seems to be using a quota system. So I want to get you all's take on Governor Patrick's nomination of Barbara Lincoln then simply respond well simple Ynys responses. You know he has every right to me. The intolerant I guess for right to be represented. You know the uninformed right to to win the pinion. I'll stop myself from calling him any more names. But listen this woman was

nominated by a Republican governor. She's highly qualified. George is a graduate of Harvard Law School. You know if I were Governor Patrick I would take great pride in the fact that I had named you know the first I would say openly gay judge because I will win the battle. So yeah I don't know but you know look if I were heaven forbid a lawyer I'd be the first Lithuanian them first. They're interesting and I think everyone is sort of getting their knickers in the not getting upset about this. My God how many judges have a Ph.D. from Yale in the JD degree from Harvard Law. Let's see how she does in one you know what I'm willing to bet she does just fine. I know Leo. I think this is a sign of our society's progress and that kind of servitude a person who in my

opinion are against progress and both particular social norms. I'm not surprised by those statements. To judge someone by their character and their qualifications is where we're headed as a country and we should take great pride that our state Kimbo the first openly gay judge this way. So something to for us to be proud of and I think we need to bring our conservative brethren along with us to its progress. I guess what I what puzzles me is that for those who would suggest as he says that you know there is some quota system here that never seems to be a word that comes up when every judge on the bench is white. And so my and my second point would be why can't you be both extremely qualified as has been stated and something else and that's OK. The first or the second does not negate the first. You know she has by all accounts a moderate judge though she's not some you know hippie beat wearing person is going

to get if she's you know she's a she's a high court judge. Yeah I mean this is you know what 20 30 years ago the simple weenies of the world would be saying that she would be biased because she was a woman. So you know it's. These I think are ultimately let me back up I'm hemming in harming you. I think that the average person or average listener he responds to these things in too with a flea. And I think that train has long ago left the train station. I mean let me use a pop culture reference. You know one of the most popular shows on television is Glee which has humongous Lee potent gay theme to it. The kids watching that when they are mature know when key has the only people who care about this are not even old folks because I think when you ask really old people I saw them say well does it really matter DDA. It's

you know Middle age people who for whatever reason they're insecure. Life is moving on and the simple unease of this world will someday be out of office. Well for right now he has a very potent vote let's say he's on the governor's council so that he can not only make a statement but influence others on that council but that would mean stereo. Of course the governor's compound should be abolished. I mean not not because of this man statement because it's a do nothing bawdy really I mean the legislature should pass on these these people list is a holdover from colonial days. Well be that as it may it will be interesting to see how this. It comes down the road and I have to say that I think that district 1 councilor Charles that the Leni is probably articulating some comments not just for himself but for other people as well. So I wouldn't be so quick to think that there are not a lot of other folks who might also hold those thoughts. You probably write so well that I would have been district won. I live in a box so I can tell you that you are right Kelly that he is.

These are his thoughts that he expressed to not only his own. But there are quite a few people in the district that would support that. Well there you go. So we'll see how it all plays out will be very interesting to see. Peter in your paper you have a piece about this Tannenbaum. Oh yes which is very interesting it's you know it's a national piece but it's a local piece So tell us about why this is a kid who was a. Being made in the example by the record companies file sharing and he has. So he's copying music. Yes what he's doing he just something I think you know. Yeah and the federal legislation was passed to make it illegal to do that but it wasn't maybe illegal for I mean the intention was not to make it illegal for individuals like you and I to share music it was for. Like gangsters of stuff who would go out and literally pirate records and sell them. In the end

this this guy's on the losing end of the battle. I mean he's he's you know really being pilloried. He's being represented by students from Harvard Law School. Some people have raised questions about the the sort of defense that was mounted. On his behalf the first time around. But that's a very very unfair case what's also interesting is it shows how complicated this is one of the appeals court judges he's a 77 year old judge and they were basically saying he doesn't understand. I mean he's being on this I'm not making fun of him he said you know just how do you do this online. I mean he like many people. You were right to correct me. Is mystified how this happens. It's a new day but this this guy did nothing more than some of us might have done 20 years ago when we when the compas not disks when the records against on the tape. So you know all

the kids you know when when you use tapes and we would would make our own tapes and swap them among friends and all. He did it online and you know now he's facing personal ruin. I know you want to weigh in. I agree with Peter and that I think you know the the laws were not or not for ordinary people. So they're making the case. I really appreciate the Phoenix for running the story and really demonstrating what I think is unfair in terms of. How they're singling out folks to make an example of them. So I would I would agree that this is not definitely something that was will be put in place for your average person but you definitely support artists against people who will be profiting from this pov ever. Do you think there's any way that he can beat this Peter.

I don't know. I mean I would say I take no joy in saying this I think the odds may be against him. You know the the laws are this is the tricky business. Often times big sweeping national laws are passed to address a certain situation. But no one writes the intent. There's no like hidden code in the law that says. Oh this is only to be used against you don't mean this guy. Yeah right yeah. And what this shows is I think the record label was BMC that brought this and the record companies are desperate because they are being pushed out of business by technology they haven't kept up with. Yeah. All right well let's talk about something that both of you know very well but was in the Dorchester Reporter know Liya the Boston Redevelopment Authority has maps that don't comport with the real layout of the city. This is quite amazing

So there has been some discussion with the BRACA to get them to draw these maps that really reflect what the neighborhood say explain that to us. Well we reported on it was something that had been going on for a couple of years actually with the RIAA the last couple of decades that changed the boundaries you know from your original neighborhood from Dorchester. What for instance one couple years back they pushed back the boundary that what used to be for Morton and Blue Hill that was sort of the first boundary about a pan of Dorchester they pushed it back to town but have their residents have had a bit. Up in arms about this you know the local civic association vocal group and in this particular in this in this drawing of the census maps they push it all back to Franklin Park. I don't think anybody who lives between Morton and Frank the park thinks of living matter pant. And so it's really important and then of course on the other side of it you have Roxbury

where people who thought they've always lived in Dorchester now they're going to live in Roxbury and so this is something that's been a lot of the residents because it shows that there is a major discrepancy with how the residents view their own neighborhood and how the BRACA in its autonomy can just redraw lines as they see fit. And what's reported recently is that they have actually that they're actually going to retain the maps that the PR Adra there we're not going to redraw it based on based on what it was passed on before and so I think this whole this whole notion to adopt these new lives without any sort of real input from our residents is a clear clear sign of. I think two different sets of priorities for the president and the BRACA. So Peter what what do they gain by do this. Does this factor in the

redistricting. Eventually I wonder. I'm not sure but I'll tell you I grew up in some of these neighborhoods and I live but I live in Jamaica Plain right by what abuts Franklin pock which is daughter Chester but which people are beginning to call Roxbury in the back of my mind I wonder if it's like oh well Dawn chest is supposed to be white Mather paean supposed to be black Roxbury supposed to be a mix of everything. I mean that's the conclusion I draw. By the way I have no idea whether I'm right. I mean as everyone knows by now there's a newbie or a chairman Peter me politically very up and do exist so presumably he knows where the lines are. Yeah and I'm dead serious when I say I am really interested to see the way he responds to this. I don't know why you know why I'm outraged in the sort of low key neighborhood sort of way you know I think people take great pride in with they live in they don't want to wake up wherever it is

and they just don't want to wake up one day and find out geez I spent my whole life saying I lived in dog Chester and now I find out that's now the pianola I've spent my whole life living in mad APM now I fear it's rocks. But I got to tell you in my heart of hearts I really wonder if not consciously This isn't but if there's a sort of subconscious racial it's not racial profiling but for lack of a better word where the a read neighborhood profiling neighborhood profiling to redraw those neighborhoods instead of letting the neighborhoods just change like Lord the author and was once Jewish It was once Irish now it's Italian. Oh how about asking the residents Manola you know in a conversation about hey we think we want to redraw these lines what do you guys think. I think and I think that's where I think for me the crux of the outrage is just that Kylie. It's what Peter said about wait a minute I've always lived here all of my life how can you tell how can you tell me.

Now I Don't Live Here Anymore and then I'm not even part of that. The process I think that it's really important but to hear me the point is to be given that he is a Dorchester native and he knows that he has deep ties all the different sectors and different factions and with in Dorchester and Boston in general I mean the respect he brings the knowledge he brings he can address this really really well. And I'm optimistic that he will respond to residents concerns. But back to Peter's point about race when I first when we first covering this since the story of the first question I asked Had this been on the other side or Chester had a been had a been lower mills you know how how would there be a reaction you know what what would that would be like. What would residents take it you know and would they be are you even consider doing that just shifting predominantly white neighborhoods in the city. And what that would mean so I think it might not be a race thing might be an economic issue that you'll be able to live in Madison and Dorchester and Roxbury might be

might have less economic economic status and so they might not be able to have the kind of reaction that a more affluent part of. That he would. I think that that happened. I have a factory there. Well this is definitely going to be a bigger story to come I made my own. Yeah this is good as any. We're going to keep our eye on this and we're going to leave it there for this week. We've been talking local news with Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix and Manelli a charlatan editor and business manager of the Boston Haitian reporter. We miss you soo sorry you couldn't join us today. And coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids. We'll be back after this break stay tuned to eighty nine point seven. Support for WGBH comes from you and from Boston private banking Trust

Company Boston private bank provides private and commercial banking and investment management and trust services to individuals and businesses. You can learn more by visiting Boston private bank dot com and from the Boston speakers Series 7 evenings of personal perspectives and insights at Boston Symphony Hall featuring Tom Brokaw. Valerie Plane Wilson David McCullough and others. Information at Boston speakers series dot org. Next time on the world most Pakistanis have no problem with Americans but they actively mistrust Washington. The overwhelming majority of the population now believes that 9/11 was an American or American Israeli law but it had nothing to do with al-Qaida. Analyst Anatol Lieven on the contradictions of 21st century Pakistan. Next time on the world. Coming up at three o'clock here at eighty nine point seven.

Senior investigative reporter for Martin and I hope you'll join me at the WGBH studios on Wednesday April 20th to experience freedom riders and interactive tour from American experience the historic bus trip more than 400 black and white Americans took together in the segregated South in 1961. Admission is free but tickets are required to visit WGBH. Brian O'Donovan Come join me every Saturday at 3:00 for the good old fashioned session on a Celtic So you're not on any 9.7 inch. It's rag time a view of the week's pop culture happenings. It's an examination of the salacious the ridiculous and everything in between.

But this being public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts our pointy head of pop culture Thomas Connelly and Rachel Reuben Thomas Connelly is a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University. Rachel Rubin is the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston. Welcome you two. Hello again Ellie. More ridiculousness in the news for us. First I'm so surprised by the Grammys making this sweeping change. Were you guys Rachel were you surprised I mean music is your thing. I was surprised. I mean but you know you could say it's just a surprising that they haven't done it before. And let me alert people that what they have done is eliminate a lot of categories and condensed but absurd about a third so they went from 100 something to 78. That's right and you know to me what's most interesting though isn't the elimination of categories of you know types of music but they have done away with the differentiation between the sexes so that if there is no longer going to be

separate awards for the best you know male country vocalist and the best female country vocal it will just be the best vocalist. So that to me is very interesting and it's sort of an opportunity to reflect upon you know our history of looking at gender and entertainment and why we have those separate categories in the first place you know might have been that that was the only way for women to get any kind of recognition at all. And now you know now it's I would like to think now it's not necessary and I was wondering you know start to think well when will the Oscars do that. You know what. And the really the fascinating thing here too is that I start thinking about the ox was I thought well saying the differentiation we have linguistically between actor and actress for instance is really one of the only places we still have that separate and you know if people don't really say even waitress in the main anymore certainly not things like poetess right. We don't call cellar pale in the Huntress. Yeah. And so forth. And the fact that we have retained this in specifically in entertainment I think is kind of a neat little reminder that gender is a kind of performance in

and of itself. Well not in a lot of theaters don't don't use actor actor actress anyone on the air to use insistent that you know everyone is an actor. I was interested in reading the responses to this that people were saying gee I didn't know there were that many categories because on the show they only give out about 10 awards and it's mostly a concert and there are a lot there was a lot of complaining about the quality of the performances versus actually seeing musicians getting recognition. And I too thought about when. If other award categories will follow suit and get rid of the gender distinctions because they seem increasingly artificial. Well to your point I wondered about the commercial reasons behind it because as people say they didn't see all the rest of these awards now they can hopefully condense the ceremony itself so that what you see is what you get really. And so there's no like offscreen kind of awarding of anything. You're right. That's right. And you know in some of the categories were extremely close to each other you know in overlapping that somebody could be just as easily placed in you

know one of the many subcategories of rhythm and blues for instance that as another I will say this now and this is you know watching American Idol voting so dismay be not quite the same thing. Presumably these are experts voting in this category. Yeah yeah I know. But American Idol voting really is suspect to you know collective kind of bloc voting around stupidness. You know this just this week they voted off one of the best singers and that's definitely some gender and often some race by. Yeah absolutely and the voting so I'm a little nervous about this for the Grammys I hope they have can figure out something so that if that is not the result of the changes are not don't end up being a gender and a racial bias thing exhibited in the awardees but we'll see I guess we'll have to see. All right well Charlie Sheen is still in the news. I mean you got. To love the guy. And just for people who are listening to my voice right now because I know you want to get your ticket he'll be here in Boston next week

at the agonists arena over at be you and I just. He's an A. It's amazing the tour started off badly as you may have heard in that it's picked up now is getting standing ovations in Cleveland and Chicago. But more to the point in our discussion here today is that he's trying to cash in on his catchphrases so to refresh your memory here's a sample of Charlie Sheen's catchphrases. Look at me. I'm going to. March to end the week with every second. That. We are. Winning. Contests. Wait for. My. Actions. That's how I roll them for like a tiger but I can enjoy the show. Pickett is one of those Tom Tiger blood. You know when winning any of that stuff he's actually having a company go out to trademark this stuff. Yes and I think it's going to cost him a lot of money and will and he's I think he's going to have to hire a patent

attorney firm to get this done because it's very difficult to trademark expressions I mean particularly the word winning for instance when it's done winning time. I stand corrected. But you know this is it's interesting. You know the way Charlie Sheen sees the arc of his career as you know from being fired to winning what is he really doing. In our 21st century entertainment culture he's going to the lowest end of the spectrum by taking his act on the road to what it amounts to concert venues. Everyone knows you're at the top when you're on the screen. And so it really is an indication of his warped sense of himself that he thinks you know putting his brand on T-shirts and in speaking out to people in concert halls or you know stadium is somehow an advance when in fact this is what people do at the end of their careers.

Well I will say Rachel he's laughing all the way to the bank. That's true and I also think that there were you know if there's anything we've seen in the 21st century it's somewhat of a rearrangement of that cultural hierarchy. You know you wouldn't have predicted that some of the reality show stars that we have would be you know at the top of the heap. You know frankly there's a lot of trademarking a phrase as that goes on. And so first of all I don't think this doesn't disturb me any more than you know that if you think of any of us look through the places we live you would come across you know hundreds of slogans on food. Packaging for instance that are trademarked. Good to the last drop you know it's the real thing too you know. After the September 11th attacks the trademarking of let's roll right which target shooters they went in trademark that. You know or or there was a wrestling wrestling slash boxing promoter who trademarked the phrase let's rumble. You know so it's an it's to me it's not any more disturbing than when the big companies do it for their advertising purposes.

And I know you have your ticket right Rachel have my take. OK. You're ready to get comped to me. OK. There are plans to give When Harry Met Sally. Great film a 21st century spin. And here's one of the words of one of the original cast members Billy Crystal along with Rob Reiner this is on the site Funny or Die making their pitch to some young Hollywood execs. So if Sally passes away it's not only about Harry dealing with the loss but also about finding love again. Yeah you know because people love Harry and Sally I mean they they want to know what they're up to now. I mean even if one of them is dead it's everything that the first movie was but now for the baby boomer crowd. It's genius. Guys this is the perfect way to do this. So glad you think so I said one little tweak not a big deal. OK so the tweak then is so crazy people are going to have to go look at this on Funny or Die but first I want to let you just so you could get a sense of where the changes are so this is from the original Harry Met Sally with Sally played by the

the original actress Meg Ryan ordering lunch at Katz's Delicatessen. We're going to get. All the number three at like the chefs out place where people are going to go around the side and I am. A fan but I'd like the pie heated and I don't want you to come on top of one on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not the no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's really that of a can and then. Not even the pie. Just the pie it. Is one of my favorite things is OK OK so here's the updated version where Sharon now replacing Meg Ryan's part played by Helen Mirren our great actress ordering lunch at the retirement home. Because remember this is the updated version for the baby boomers dining room so here she is the liver nonuse PS I want my flax seed on the side and I just want to know some of your pasta. And then for dessert. I have to put in but I want sugar free with cream but if you don't have sugar free then I just have a stupid British cheese with seedless pears but if you don't have CDs and I would have anything to.

Thank you. For. So obviously Harry is attracted to her and but the twist here is that we learn that Helen is a bit of a night owl. If. Yes is there there's a real bite to this that if Helen Mirren turns out to be a vampire and she brings Harry into the world of the undead and it goes on to end it even brings on zombies at the end it's a brilliant. From the other side of the a youth culture take on zombies and vampires as they're so so popular today but also making fun of the whole Harry and Sally business which is very clever. The whole point of this is that in updating this with now the older Harry and now his new older companion Helen is call grandpa fires as opposed to vampires. Oh Rachael. Yeah and if you know to me this does not rise very high. I mean the interesting thing about losing is that any movie about vampires in

any movie about zombies is already sort of partly a satire about movies about vampires and zombies and so I don't think that this adds that much in terms of thinking about you know Billy Crystal living forever right up becoming you know. No one thought one striking thing was how much plastic surgery he's had like I don't want to you know criticize too too meanly but compared to Rob Reiner who is sort of like himself age more gracefully I thought all right maybe that's the comment from Helen Mirren. Yeah Helen Yeah but Helen Mirren does this. The restaurant scene I was thinking Oh God please let her don't do the fake orgasm scene please don't let her go and then she did and then it's just another. Isn't it hilarious to think about an older woman doing something sexual. Oh well well it's the whole thing is I mean I don't know who funds these things they're very expensive to do and to see Helen Mirren doing you know this kind of funny parody is really quite interesting. And Mike Tyson is great and yes I guess Mike Tyson saw a cameo with Ronnie Arnold and then decamp Yes Graham pyres funnier. Check it out.

All right so Steven King and John Mellencamp are getting together get your minds around that listeners and not are they just getting together for their artistic pursuit. This kind would be a musical. So what do you guys do. About that. Well the up and up until Spiderman Take Back the Night the greatest flop in Broadway history is Carrie which only lasted three nights and almost killed Barbara Cook who was almost literally decapitated a couple of nights before the show up and she quit the show the show continued but was the got the worst but even right now it's seemed he wrote the book but he didn't write the musical No no OK OK. But so is Stephen King to not have a good track record also. And Ellen camp like the musicians behind Spider-Man does not have a Broadway track record nor does the what's his name T-Bone Pickett the producer he doesn't have net Internet doesn't have. Ok my bad he doesn't have a tracker so I don't think this bodes well at all. The

success of this. Bench What say you rate hike as Stephen King you know he's at his game he has a good track record right the man is highly successful both of the fasting thing is you know John Mellencamp does have a history of writing some very dark songs such as rain on the scarecrow where the farmer murders the banker who is throwing him off his land and he and Stephen King both sort of use their dark dark gothic vision for extremely sort of pointed political purposes. So I have high hopes about it and I am particularly in the road right now of Stephen King because you know he has been speaking out right now again on the assaults on unions and collective bargaining and he's actually said why am I not paying more taxes I should be paying 50 percent in taxes. And I thought wow rich people never really say that. True but that has nothing to do with the long dry well we've had a mock up of what we think the musical could sound like you Stephen King reading from his book bag of bones accompanied

by John Cougar Mellencamp. That was the worst part. Someone. Told me as we sat on this porch drinking beer. It was October by the Nobel the sun was warm on our faces. We're both wearing white and you know how high up you sit in one of those dumb crap. I know. Wow. Looking up to see me in the sun with a bone in her face I could see how old she was. I remember thinking. Oh. He's going to break my glass if I can but old people are caught more often than that well it's interesting I guess if you could mash up. Yeah that's a pretty good measure we have to take it all right. Quickly you guys the sound that continues with the late hip hop artist Biggie Smalls. He was fatally shot and killed about 14 years ago. His murder could be closer to being solved finally. And as a reminder of how much violence and death was a part of biggies world this is from Biggie Smalls his 1997 hit somebody has got to die off the album. Life

after death. But how about. When we. Put the. Book. In the months. To come on News. Son. Got. That. But the gloves. Are. Mobile. So here we finally have from the FBI some indication about who might have done this. Well you know it the the interesting thing is that the stuff that has been you know then released in those public hundreds of pages of the FBI files contains nothing that people who follow the case haven't been saying all along. So the only conclusion I can draw from this is a biggie might have been killed by the very people who were trying to kill him. OK. You know and I don't know I mean it's nothing new there's a story about you know it's a story about crooked LAPD You know it's a story about the fact that this hip hop artist was under surveillance for a really long time before he was killed. So it's interesting I mean normally

with historians it's it's sort of known that you can't take anything in FBI files at face value because they make mistakes they have their agendas and so on you need to sort of confirm it with other sources. In this case it's sort of been concert confirmed by other sources but they're sort of more on the level of you know rumors urban folktales and so forth which always you know have some basis in people's truths. What do you think. Well it to me it speaks to evil with a capital because as a as Rachel said people who follow this read it the reaction is ho hum you know tell me something I don't know. But you know the police are involved. The FBI is involved and what is disturbing is that as much as we know about inaccuracies in FBI reporting somehow the imprimatur of the FBI report suddenly makes the story we hope is going to go away an hour a week and even people who care about what happened to these malls are saying let's get beyond this I don't think we should. I think we need to find out why

was the LAPD allowed to get away with this and why did the FBI sit on this information. It's horrific and also it feeds into our national obsession with conspiracies which is also not a good thing. Yeah it's I don't think we've heard the end of this yet I'm afraid to say. Well that Professor Rachel Ruben Professor Thomas Conley thank you for joining us for another edition of ragtime. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Kelly Crossley follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today Show was engineered by Jane pipping and produced by Chelsea Merz will rose and Abby Ruzicka where production of WGBH radio Boston NPR station for news and culture.