On this day
Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
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Ben Brantley reviews revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by John Doyle and starring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone; photos (M)
Article on comedian George Carlin, who, at 68, is turning up for his 13th HBO special, which will be broadcast live on November 5 from Beacon Theater in New York; Carlin, in interview, comments on his new material, state of affairs in America and his decision to go into drug treatment; photos (M)
Many retirees are weighing company coverage against new Medicare drug insurance program; many companies are sending retirees notices that if they cancel their current prescription drug coverage, company will cancel medical coverage as well; Louis A deBottari, Boeing retiree who received such a letter, says he will continue to use company's drug insurance instead of switching to Medicare plan; photo (M)
Article on Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa in Cabazon, Calif, which caters to hip young gamblers from Los Angeles; photos; map (M)
House Vote on Treatment Of Detainees Is Delayed The House Republican leadership delayed a vote on a proposed ban against cruel and degrading treatment of prisoners in American custody, and Democrats called it an effort to spare the vice president a defeat. Democrats had planned to offer a motion to endorse language in a military spending bill that would prohibit abusive treatment. PAGE A25 DeLay Sought Lobbyist's Aid Tom DeLay asked a lobbyist to raise money for him through a private charity, a request that led the lobbyist to try to gather at least $150,000 from his Indian tribe clients, e-mail messages show. PAGE A25 The Rockettes, to Recordings Radio City Music Hall's orchestra members, in a labor dispute, missed the debut of the ''Christmas Spectacular,'' leaving the Rockettes to perform to recorded music. PAGE B1 The Demon Barber of Broadway The new revival of ''Sweeney Todd,'' starring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone, has a high quotient of horror and a low quotient of conventional stage spectacle. A review by Ben Brantley. WEEKEND, PAGE E1 Work Starts at Ground Zero With no hint of ceremony, a small crew built a wooden trough for pouring concrete at the World Trade Center site, the first step in the project. ''They're finally doing something with this big hole,'' one worker said. ''It's about time.'' PAGE B2 Senate Approves Budget Bill The Senate narrowly approved a sweeping five-year plan to trim a wide variety of federal benefit programs and to allow drilling for oil and natural gas in a wilderness area of Alaska. PAGE A18 A Broadcasting Shake-Up The former head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was forced to step down as a member of its board. PAGE A16 Source of the Iraq-Niger Link It was reportedly a freelance Italian spy who spread fake papers on Iraq's hunt for uranium. PAGE A24
Music on My Birthday
The Top 50 albums for the chart week of November 2, 2005, covering November 4, 2005.
Ashlee Simpson
Rod Stewart
Martina McBride
Nickelback
Stevie Wonder
2005Nadia Anjuman, Afghan journalist and poet (born 1980)[†]
Nadia Anjuman was a poet from Afghanistan.
2005Sheree North, American actress and dancer (born 1932)[†]
Sheree North was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.
2005Graham Payn, South African-born English actor and singer (born 1918)[†]
Graham Payn was a South African-born English actor and singer, also known for being the life partner of the playwright Noël Coward. Beginning as a boy soprano, Payn later made a career as a singer and actor in the works of Coward and others. After Coward's death, Payn ran the Coward estate for 22 years.
2005Hiro Takahashi, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1964)[†]
Hiro Takahashi , born as Hiroyuki Takahashi , was a Japanese singer, lyricist, and composer.
In 2005, the world population was approximately 6,586,970,132 people[†]