The Weekend Desk Report

Weekend Desk editor Natasha Julius remains on assignment in India. Stephanie Goldberg once again fills in with her Five Dumbest Ideas of the Week.

1. Halloween is rapidly approaching, and we're still searching for the perfect costume.

* Too obscure.

* Too weird.

* Too scary.

* Too ethnic.

* Just right.

2. The latest in weight reduction is the Banana Diet, all the rage in Japan. If that doesn't do it for you, we can suggest a few others.

* The World's Oldest Box of Chocolates Diet.

* The Donatella Versace Diet.

* The Miracle Pig Diet.

3. We have a soft spot in our heart for the Pitbull Mom Boutique "for women who want to take a bite out of life." It's the place to go for Republican Red lipstick - red but not pinko, if you know what I mean. Best of all, a portion of the profits is donated to either the Republican Party or the Special Olympics, which, curiously enough, are virtually indistinguishable these days. (Ouch.)

4. In case you're interested in being a hockey mom - or dad, here's an instructional tape of rousing cheers.

5. So Ashley Todd's reverse-Tawana Brawley story is a hoax? Color me shocked.

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Catch up with The Papers and previous Weekend Desk Reports.

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Ferdy Film Frenzy
Continuing our blurbing of Marilyn Ferdinand's coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival is a two-fer. Go to Ferdy on Films for full reviews and details.

"Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story: Lee Atwater - the man who called Strom Thurmond his mentor and Karl Rove his protege - gets a thorough going-over in Boogie Man as a win-at-all-costs political operative for the Republican Party until he died of brain cancer in 1991 at the age of 40. By the time Atwater had performed his dirty magic tricks on Reagan's behalf, he had already ruined Democrats Tom Turnipseed's and Max Heller's bids for Congress by charging that the former was "hooked up to jumper cables" (mentally ill), and running a independent Christian candidate to slam Heller for being a Jew and having this straw candidate drop out after the damage was done, thereby leaving the door open for Republican candidate Carroll Campbell to win.

"There are subtle, but damning commentaries on the media in this film, particularly the Washington press corps, which one interviewee characterizes as lazy and looking for something juicy. Bush Jr. hit it off famously with Atwater and certainly would have had Atwater ensure that his 2000 race against Al Gore was not so close had Atwater lived. As it is, the press corps did Atwater's job for him, having learned how those well-chosen lies and steadfast adherence to a narrative can sell newspapers, make careers, and garner power."

Here is the trailer:

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The Beachwood Tip Line: The genuine article.