Tuesday TV Touchbase: Scrubs and The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins

This week's Touchbase takes a look at a couple of sitcom debuts.

Let's start with NBC's  The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins.

This series stars Tracy Morgan as Reggie Dinkins, a once popular and successful NFL quarterback who was brought down by a gambling scandal. Reggie is looking to rehabilitate his image, earn the respect of his son and maybe win back the heart of his ex-wife. So Reggie has decided to make a documentary about his life.

Which brings us to Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Tobin, an Oscar winning director who has made the questionable life choice of directing this cooky concept.

About halfway through the half hour pilot, my wife Andrea said, "I'm not feeling this."

And I agreed with her.

Not only were there few laughs but I couldn't escape the feeling that this territory had been explored already but on better,funnier shows.

Tracy Morgan playing a guy looking to improve his rep, gain the respect of his kids and the love of his ex? Did that one that on the sadly gone & it seems forgotten The O.G. that ran for 4 seasons on TBS.

Tracy Morgan playing a celebrity past the peak of his fame and lacks all impulse control? Done that on 30 Rock where it was funny.

Andrea was prepared to cut bait half way through the pilot but I presevered to finish the episode which gave us the only real laugh out loud moment, a flashback to Arthur Tobin's post Oscar win gig directing a Marvel movie where he has a total meltdown. 

I find it funny how "Marvel movie" has become a trope in shows about people in show business (actors, directors, etc).  A person landing a "Marvel movie"...

1) has grasped the brass ring of success, achieving a pinnacle of fame and fortune

2) been consigned to the nadir of their career, an interminable purgatory of dread and self loathing.

Or 3) both 1 and 2 at the same time.

Anyway, The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins is not for us. 

Despite all the reviews I've seen that have described this show as sharp, witty, funny.  Well, good for them.

For Andrea and I, this has been the debut of The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins on the Tuesday TV Touchbase.  And it's exit. 

Next up is the return of Scrubs and spoiler: we did feel this one.

It's been 15 years since the series finale of Scrubs at the end of season 8*.

*Wait! Wasn't there a 9th season? Yes, there was and we don't talk about that.

Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke are back as J.D., Turk and Elliot and some things haven't changed and others have.

The J.D./Turk bromance? Still a thing!

The J.D./Elliot romance? NOT still a thing.

It seems that J.D. and Elliott did get married as glimpsed in J.D.'s flash forward fantasy at the end of season 8 but something somewhere somehow went wrong and J.D. and Elliot are divorced. 

And not amiacably. 

Well, as a fan, I think that sucks. But I do recognize that the new dynamic does provide all sorts of avenues for drama and even comedy in the revived series.

The new Scrubs has Turk and Elliot still working at Sacred Heart Hospital but J.D. has a private practice as a concierge doctor to the idle rich. One of his patients gets admitted to Sacred Heart which brings J.D. back to his old stomping grounds.

Head nurse Carla (who is still married to Turk and they have 4 daughters) is happy to see J.D. again. "Bambi!" (Judy Reyes is listed as a "special guest star" and Carla is a recurring character since Judy is busy over on High Potential. Which will be back with a new episode tonight. Yay!) 

Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) is still there, tasked with wrangling a new batch of newbies but forced to reign in his ascerbic wit by an ever watchful H.R. person played by Vanessa Bayer (who is always funny in everything she does).

Cox finagles J.D. to return to Sacred Heart and replace Cox as Chief of Medicine.  

Wait! Newbie is in charge of the hospital? OK, there are too many lines on Zach Braff's face to call him "newbie" but yeah, he's in charge now.

J.D.'s flights of fantasy and his need to please people run headlong into the realities of modern healthcare. J.D. comes to terms with the reality there is only so much money and so much time and not everyone gets what they want and they can't save everyone. But he is dedicated to fighting the battles where he can to save as many as he can. J.D.'s sense of hope maybe tempered but it's not gone.  

Like the original series, the revived Scrubs effectively balances comedy with drama, channeling what made the original series work and merging it with a new direction with the trio of J.D., Turk and Elliot at it's core. 

Oh, there is a new cast of interns and nurses who have potential to be interesting but they need time for us to get used to them. 

Overall, I'm counting the revival of Scrubs as a win.

That is that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.   

Trans Kansas Express

Donald Trump's war fuckery against Iran is still a thing and I will have some more thoughts about that in some other post (after Saturday's hastily assembled post on that subject.)

But there's some fuckery going on here on the home front that I feel compelled to address.

So onward!

________________________________

On Saturday morning, my Tik Tok For You Page was inundated with videos about the Kansas driver's license problem.

What Kansas driver's license problem, I wondered.

What fresh hell is this?

So here's the deal: 

The Republicans in the Kansas State Legislature passed S.B. 244, a new law requiring driver's licenses must indicate a driver's assigned sex at birth.

Letter were sent out last week advising people who updated the gender marker on documents like their driver's licenses or birth certificate that starting right now (not a date in the future but immediately), those documents are no longer valid.

Recipients of those letters were informed they needed to surrender those documents immediately and be issued corrected replacements. 

The letters people received specified “that the legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. This means that once the law is officially enacted, your current credential will be invalid immediately.”

Unlike most bills in most states that go into effect at some specified later date, the Republicans in Kansas wrote this bill specifically to go into effect immediately upon passage of the law.  

S.B. 244 provides a penalty for failure to comply with this law: you go to jail.

6 months of jail time.

Beyond the driver's license problem, S.B. 244 goes on to provide other sweeping restrictions to the trans gender community in Kansas.

S.B. 244 also mandates that any “multiple-occupancy private space” must be segregated by gender assigned at birth, including restrooms, hospital rooms, dormitories, locker rooms, and more.

The law puts a bounty on the heads of trans gender people. Anyone who believes they were in a bathroom with someone who is trans gender can sue for damages of at least $1,000. 

The state's Democratic governor did veto the legislation but the Republicans hold a super majority in the state house and quickly acted override the veto. 

Republicans acted super fast to draft this legislation and just as super quick to pass it. That is some goddam urgency there. What the hell, guys? Are trans gender people setting fire to Kansas or something?

Here's some more fuckery from this punitive law. If a trans gender person did try to comply with the law to get  a NEW I.D. that has a gender marker with their assigned gender at birth:

1) It cost $48 to get that new I.D.

2) It takes 45 days to get the new I.D.

Which means even if you try to comply with the law, you're still out of compliance with the law for any activity that requires you to have an I.D. 

Like driving a car. 

Rep. Abi Boatman is a Democrat from Wichita who is the only transgender member of the Kansas Legislature. She had to endure a lot of shit as Republicans rammed through this legislation.  In a statement made on the floor of the house, she said “I have sat here for five and a half hours and listened to this entire room debate my humanity and my ability to participate in the most basic functions of society. From the bottom of my heart, I hope none of you have to ever sit through something like that.”

Well, that was a moving and poignant appeal to basic decency and human respect. 

Decency? Respect? When there are trans gender people to fuck over? Forget that shit! Republicans made S.B. 244 a reality and declared victory! 

In case you're wondering what is the legal basis for this law, well, there isn't one. Christian nationalist Republicans harrumphed and thumped their King James Bibles to underscore why S.B. 244 is such an urgent necessity. 

Well, it seems to me and anyone with a dime's worth of sense that this damn bill is unconstitutional and Kansas is gonna get sued.

Which means Kansas taxpayers will being paying for lawyers to defend a law that is an affront to the basic rights of American citizens and human beings.

To me and I hope you, that seems like a really bad idea.

Of course there are Republicans who hold control over other state legislatures that could eye what Kansas did and think, "Hey, now that seems like a pretty good idea."

Such as say the Republican dominated legislature of North Carolina?

It is an election year and since Republicans ain't gonna do anything about the cost of food, energy and medical care, they gotta do something to keep their phony baloney jobs. 

Doctor Who Stuff

Yesterday's impromptu political/current events post ate into my blogging time so today's post is a link to a couple of Doctor Who themed videos on You Tube.

First up is The Whoniverse Show and an interview with Doctor Who composer supreme Murray Gold. 

I love the part where Murray Gold discusses the "Eurovison" episode ("The Interstellar Song Contest") and his high expectations about the  haunting ballad sung by Cora Saint Bavier about how her planet Hellia was devastated by the Corporation.

And then that damn Dugga Doo song stole all the attention.

I hope you stuck around after the Murray Gold interview as Russell T Davies chats with British drag queen Tia Kofi about various companions.

Hell! We brought up the Dugga Doo, didn't we? 

So you know what THAT means?

Because I apparently hate you all....

Next up is a video for something I normally avoid.  A fan putting up a list of things about Doctor Who that I normally find irritating and poorly thought out.

But I opted to watch this one about every  Doctor's DEFINITIVE episode and while some of the choices surprised me, I can't say I disagree with the assessments made here. 

One last note before we wrap up today's post.

Apparently the word is that Russell T Davies has written at least 3 versions of the script for the 2026 Doctor Who Christmas special.  

It seems that other than the BBC asserting that Doctor Who does have a future, the exact details of that future are still up in the air, leaving RTD scrambling to be ready for any number of contingencies.

It goes without saying the Christmas special has not yet gone into production.  I'm starting to worry that the project holiday episode may not be a sure thing.

So we're in the standard position Whovians are used to being: in the dark and uncertain.

Let's try to keep hope alive. 

It's what the Doctor would want. 

The Attack On Iran and the Reasons Why

 I normally forego my current events/political post until Monday but my wife Andrea is upset about this RIGHT NOW and I don't want to put up with that drama alone so I'm a gonna vent on this blog RIGHT NOW.

The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran Saturday.

The official word is that this military operation is targetting members of Iran’s leadership.

Apparently one of our bombs took out a school which killed over fifty young girls.

Which is why Andrea is upset RIGHT NOW.

That report of the school strike and those killed was from Iran's state run news agency which means it could be true or it could be propoganda.  

The odds that those children may be dead at 50/50 did not to assuage my wife and she is still upset RIGHT NOW.

Maybe if we understood WHY this happening.

Donald Trump and his lackey in Israel Benjamin Netanyahu claim it's to stop Iran's nuclear weapon program.

But hey! Didn't we bomb Iran last summer and did Li'l Donnie declare that Iran's nuclear weapon program was obliterated?

If Iran's nuclear weapon program was obliterated, what nuclear weapon program is there for us to stop?

SIDE BAR: In the aftermath of that bombing strike in June, reports and analysis showed that at best the operation slowed down Iran's nuclear weapon program. Iran's nuclear weapon program was inconvenienced, hardly obliterated.

BUT guess what? Not only did der Führer stick to his narrative that Iran's nuclear weapon program was obliterated, all his snivelling syncophants came out in force. 

Pete Hegseth castigated the press for even suggesting the remote possibility that Iran's nuclear weapon program was anything less than obliterated. Any reports that the Iran's nuclear weapon program  was merely slowed down or inconvenienced was a damn lie because the press hates Donald Trump and want to see him fail.

Yes, Hegseth was a pissy little bitch about it.

So despite evidence to the contrary, Trump and his toadies continue to assert that Iran's nuclear weapon program was obliterated.

As recently as Tuesday's State of the Union, Li'l Donnie listed one of his accomplishments was that Iran's nuclear weapon program was obliterated.  

Thank you cut 'n' paste so I didn't have to type "Iran's nuclear weapon program" every time.❤

So endeth the side bar.

So back today's shit!

Why are we attacking Iran?

Other than stopping Iran's nuclear weapon program (despite it's reported obliteration), Trump and crew are dropping the magnaminous excuse of freeing the Iranian people from their repressive regime.

In a statement to the Iranian people, Trump said “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."

Translation: "We're breaking it but we ain't buying it!"

So if this operation doesn't shake loose the current regime in Iran, Li'l Donnie has already queued up his scagegoat: it's not his fault if the Iranian people didn't rise up to take advantage of his most successful of all time military operation against Iran's oppressive government. 

On the other hand, if this operation does succeeed in shaking loose the current regime in Iran, you know der Führer will take full credit for it.

So nuclear shit or regime change shit, take your pick.

But come on! This is goddam Donald fucking Trump we're talking about here. 

So why are we really attacking Iran?

My best guess is that Li'l Donnie is pissed off and needs to take it out on somebody.

Pissed about what?

<Sigh!>

<cracks knuckles>

Okay!

• The Supreme Court (stacked with 3 Trump appointees) sided against him on his pet tariff project.
• The goddam Epstein File kerfluffle that will just not fucking go away despite Li'l Donnie wishing really REALLY hard.
• Pam Bondi can't seem to put any of der Führer's Democratic enemies on trial or in jail.
• Those fucking Democrats who would not stand to applaud him during the State of the Union last week. 
• People still whining that the price of groceries and shit is going up when der Führer just KNOWS that the price of everything is going down.
• People also bitching that they're going broke when Trump is telling you your wages are going up and everyone is fucking wealthy now. (Well, he knows he is thank to his various Bitcoin scams and grifts.)
• His bloated ankles hurt which can't be happening because der Führer is the healthiest President ever in the history of Presidents. Or health.
• Why isn't Melania up for an Acadamy Award? 
• Why doesn't Li'l Donnie not have a goddam Nobel Peace prize? 
• Barack Obama continues to exist.
• Why is Jimmy Kimmel still on TV?

That's just SOME of the list of things that ticks off Donald Trump and he's just got an overstuffed, overbudgeted military just sitting there?

Oh HELL NO! Of course someone is going to see some shit now, you bet! 

As much as pundits may sit around on the TV news shows parsing Trump's alleged strategies and goals, the deal is Donald Trump is a petulant child who is determined to show he is a tough, strong American man.  

What better way he thinks to demonstrate that than to unleash our military on another country,

Why are we at war with Iran?

Because Donald Trump needs to assure his ego he's a big strong guy.

A conclusion that makes Andrea upset RIGHT NOW.

Damn it! Let me go deal with that. 

Movie Time: 42nd Street

It's Movie Time! 

Today's post takes us down to 42nd Street.

Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I'm taking you to,
42nd Street.
Hear the beat of dancing feet,
It's the song I love the melody of,
42nd Street.

I've seen productions of the musical in the form of a TV presentation of London production from 2018 and an actual live performance presumably in the 1990's and presumably at the Carolina Theater.

Sorry, my memory's a bit sketchy. 

Click here for more about that.

Today's post takes us all the way back to March 1933 and the release of the film that started it all 

42nd Street is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon with choreography by the legendary Busby Berkeley.  

Time to hang out with the little "nifties" from the Fifties, innocent and sweet.

And don't forget those sexy ladies from the Eighties who are most indiscreet.

It's a place where the underworld can meet the elite. 

It's... 42nd Street! 

It's 1932 and the country, indeed the world is in the grip of the Great Depression.

Still as the saying goes, the show must go on and famous Broadway producers Jones and Barry are staging a musical called Pretty Lady.

Julian Marsh has signed on to direct.  Julian's got quite the rep on the Great White Way and if anyone can make Pretty Lady a hit, it's this guy.

But Julian's feeling the pressure on a very personal level. Despite his past successes, the Stock Market Crash wiped him out.

And he's got a heart condition that could kill him if he experiences too much stress.

You know, like directing an "It must be a hit or else" Broadway musical.

But Juliuan really needs the money and if can survive one more play, he can retire.

But first, there's a show to put on.

And he's got  Dorothy Brock to contend with.

Dorothy's a big star on Broadway but perhaps a bit past her prime for this sort of show. But she's part of a critical package deal. She's dating Abner Dillon who has managed to hold on to his dough despite the Depression and is the show's financial backer. If Dorothy Brock is the star.

Not letting a little quid pro quo getting in the way of a good time, Dorothy is involved in an affair on the side with her old vaudeville partner Pat Denning. 

So there's all THAT drama going on not to mention the stress of staging and casting and rehearsing.

And Julian's exacting determination to make sure Pretty Lady is a hit and the best damn thing on Broadway since the installation of electric lights.

Lost in the chorus is  Peggy Sawyer, a newcomer to the Broadway stage. Innocent and naive, the prototype of the young theater hopeful. She shows raw talent for peforming, acting, dancing. If she can just work past her lack of self confidence and get out of her own head, she just might be a star! 

And there is the confounding distraction of Billy Lawler, the show's male lead who is attracted to Peggy and begins to fall in love with her. 

And so the players are set and the drama unfolds.  

Peggy struggles with the rigorous demands of rehearsing for a major Broadway productions under the exacting demands of Julian Marsh.

Julian keeps pushing the make the show better than good, it has to be GREAT and the pressure of making Pretty Lady into something spectacular is taking it's toll.

And Julian certainly doesn't need to deal with Dorothy's on stage diva attitude and her off stage shenanigans.  If her sugar daddy Abner Dillon finds out she's two-timing him with Paul Denning, then the jig is up and there goes the money to get Pretty Lady off the ground. 

Then things take a turn for the worse when Dorothy breaks her ankle. Without his big name Star, Julian decides enough is enough and will have to shut down the show.

Until the ladies in the chorus tell Julian there is someone in the cast who knows the female lead role even better than Dorothy Brock and that's Peggy Sawyer!

Who? 

Oh! That girl on the back row of the chorus?!? 

Really? Her?

Can Julian Marsh trust his big Broadway comeback to a new kid with no experience?

Hey, this is a movie about the magic of Broadway.

Whattaya think, huh? 

Pretty Lady makes it's big debut to thunderous applause and rave reviews.

Standing outside the stage door in the shadows, Julian Marsh is exhausted, nearly dead from weeks of stress trying to get this damn thing to fly.

Julian over hears comments from the exiting crowd about how great Peggy Sawyer was and what a big star she's gonna be and who's this Julian Marsh on the poster and what the hell did he have to do with this show's success. 

42nd Street was one of the most successful motion pictures released in 1933 and  was nominated for Best Picture at the 6th Academy Awards.  

In 1998, 42nd Street was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The Broadway stage adaptation of 42nd Street debuted in 1980, winning two Tony Awards, including Best Musical. 

42nd Street is a remarkable artifact of it's time, conveying the wonders of a movie musical, the intense drama of interpersonal relationships and the stark reality of the Great Depression. There's a lot going in this movie and 42nd Street certainly lives up to it's reputation as a golden age cinematic classic. 

Cookin' With Your Friday Video Link

 

Various social media platforms are packed with videos on how to cook stuff.

Your Friday Video Link  today shares some online tutorials on how to prepare something tasty and unique for meal time.

Such as our first video which offers up a simple dinner plan.

So simple all you need is just one pot. 

Yep, only one simple pot.

And six pans.

OK, so one pot and six pans and that's all.

And ten woks.

Damn it!  Forgot about the works!

Just take a moment... and a deep breath.

It's a simple dinner plan that only needs one pot... and six pans... and 10 works....

And 25 baking sheets?!?!

What the fuck?!?! 

Just calm down. I'm sure this dinner plan will be easy peasy! 

Food too expensive in Trump's economy?

Try cooking with drywall.

What is jackfruit?

Click on this link to find out you knuckle dragging dirt person 

You know what? All these cooking instructions are starting to get exhausting!

Here! Make a fucking omelet, shit for brains!  

Gee! Ain't cooking FUN?!?!

Cooking is a great way to satisfy your creativity and prepare dishes that satisfy your specific culinary tastes and...

Screw it! I'm pulling up Door Dash! 

Thursday Throwback: What Is Awesome?

I am under a lot of stress.

Work, personal stuff and the whole wild damn world!

Yeah, I'm feeling it. 

Present Day Me is not prepared to blog today so I'm gonna let Past Me take the blog out for a spin.

Hi! I'm Dave-El from the year 2014 and here's a quick little thing I put together to remind you that things are AWESOME! 

From Tuesday, February 18, 2014:   What Is Awesome?

Hey, do you know what's awesome?

Is something awesome? 

No, more than just "something" is awesome! 

So what is awesome? Could it be anything?

Technically, I suppose "anything" could be awesome. 

So what IS awesome? 

The answer is...

----------
Yep, EVERYTHING! 

Thought you should know. 

Be good to one another. 

And be awesome! 

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Back tomorrow with an ALL NEW edition of Your Friday Video Link.