Day: December 15, 2008

Iraq Rally for Bush Shoe Attacker

Chris 11 Comments

From BBC News:

Thousands of Iraqis have demanded the release of a local TV reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a Baghdad news conference.

Crowds gathered in Baghdad’s Sadr City district, calling for “hero” Muntadar al-Zaidi to be freed from custody.

Officials at the Iraqi-owned TV station, al-Baghdadiya, called for the release of their journalist, saying he was exercising freedom of expression.

Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.

A statement released by the government said Mr Zaidi’s actions, which also included him shouting insults at President Bush, “harmed the reputation of Iraqi journalists and Iraqi journalism in general”.

Correspondents say the protesters are supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr – a leading critic of the US presence in Iraq. Smaller protests were reported in Basra and Najaf.

Van Halen’s Legendary M&M’s Rider

Chris 9 Comments

From The Smoking Gun:

DECEMBER 11–Behold the Holy Grail. Since we began publishing backstage concert riders about 10 years ago, TSG has been searching for the most famous rider of them all, the one in which Van Halen famously stipulated that brown M&M’s were to be banished from the band’s dressing room. Well, as seen below, the hunt is over. TSG has finally obtained the 1982 Van Halen World Tour rider–typewritten and 53 pages long–containing the M&M prohibition (and a few other uniques demands). The document, which we’ve excerpted below, also stipulated that promoters provide the group with “herring in sour cream,” four cases of “Schlitz Malt Liquor beer (16 ounce cans),” and a total of eight bottles of wine and liquor. Oh, and the band also needed “One (1) large tube KY Jelly.” The rider’s “Munchies” section was where the group made its candy-with-a-caveat request: “M & M’s (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES).”