Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Après La Coloscopie 2: Electric Boogaloo

Back in January, I wrote a blog post called  Après La Coloscopie which is "after the colonoscopy" in French.

I experienced my first colonoscopy earlier this year and you got to read about it,you lucky blog reader you.  

This post of Après La Coloscopie 2: Electric Boogaloo is about my wife's colonoscopy from last week, you lucky for a second time blog reader you.

This is not the first time my wife's anal probing has been the subject of a post on this blog. I wrote about her previous one in June 2021 here.   

I wish Andrea and I had more active social lives so I didn't have to resort to our respective colonoscopies for blog material.

"Andrea and I spent an enchaning evening with our fabulous friends Charlton and Pippa at a quaint little French bistro where we dined on devine escargot and a percocious vintage of Champagne. Afterwards we attended an exquisite performance of La Boheme where Pippa playfully stuck her tongue in my ear, the cheeky little tart!"

No, we're gonna talk about anal probing.  

I had expected that having experienced my own colonoscopy that I might be helpful and empathetic to Andrea in the run to her own.  But our experiences diverged.  

In the days leading up to my own exam, I was told to avoid foods that came in little fiddly bits:  corn, peas, beans, peanuts, popcorn, that sort of thing.   

Andrea had a far more restrictive diet.

I was told to not eat anything 24 hours before my procedure. Since my procedure was at 10 AM on a Friday, my 24 hours of NOT eating began at 10 AM on Thursday so I allowed myself one last breakfast at 9 AM on Thursday.

Andrea's time frame for NOT eating was the day before.  Her procedure was on Thursday at 11:45 AM .  She started NOT eating the whole day of Wednesday.  So she went longer without food.

I am not going to compare notes on the "prep", drinking the vile liquid that promotes excessive pooping to completely clean out the colon. It's disgusting process that I do not want to relive for myself and I sure as hell have no desire to know what was going on with Andrea during this part of the process.

That didn't stop her from reporting to me on her progress.

Andrea was exhausted going through this.

I was exhausted hearing about it. 

The day of the procedure was uneventful.  

I spent the time waiting in the lobby re-reading my own blog.  God, so many typos.

Afterwards we had a brief meeting with the doctor who said a couple of small polyps were found and would need to be sent off for testing to be sure it was nothing serious. But the doctor seemed to think given their small size, there would be nothing to worry about.  (Andrea will worry anyway.) 

SIDE NOTE: Andrea got the call a couple of days ago that the polyps were benign.  So now she will need something else to worry about.   

A nice discharge nurse named Jack helped me guide Andrea back to our car and it was back home to the Fortress of Ineptitude to crash for the afternoon.

Oh look! It's a message from Pippa! So sorry, luv, it is après la coloscopie and we need to rest, you naughty little minx! 

Dolly Parton

 

"Find out who you are and do it on purpose."

OK, this one hit hard folks.  

Dolly Parton passed away yesterday at the age of 80.

Below is a video posted by Bryan Seaver speaking on behalf of his family on the passing of his Aunt Dolly.

 "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."

I was impressed by her talent as a singer and a songwriter.  

And I was an avid fan of Dolly Parton the person.  A kind and generous soul who greeted the world with a smile and embraced everyone with love and compassion.

She had a wonderful sense of humor about herself and was a fantastic storyteller. 

  "I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb... and I also know that  I'm not a blonde."

Here is a clip of her appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman in 2010, being so gracious and charming as only Dolly could be.  

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

I was speaking with a co-worker in the aftermath of hearing the news about Dolly's passing.  She told me her daughter received books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and her child's eyes would just light up, not just for getting a new book but that it came from Dolly Parton.

The Imagination Library was just one of many ways that Dolly used the power of her celebrity to promote initiatives to help others to have a better life, a life filled with hope, love and possibilities.

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow,  you gotta put up with the rain!”

Dolly's success in life as an entertainer, entrepreneur and philanthropist did not come without pain. Her childhood was a harsh hardscrabble life of poverty in the Tennessee mountains but she rose above those obstacles with determination and positivity.  

“People say how you stay looking so young? I say, well, good lighting, good doctors, and good makeup.”

Here is another appearance on Letterman with Dolly performing with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.  

 “It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen.”

There's a wonderful story of how Dolly Parton once entered a drag queen contest dressed as "Dolly Parton".  She didn't win.

Dolly was a woman who was devout in her Christian faith but she did not abide by those who professed to be Christian who sat in judgement of people being who they were.

Dolly was a kind and supportive ally of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Dolly Parton took it to heart that Christ wanted us to love everybody.   

Dolly Parton was the embodiment of joy and love and an inspiration to the world.

And we will miss her so very much.

“Cause I am strong and I can prove it

And I got my dreams to see me through

It's just a mountain, I can move it

And with faith enough there's nothing I can't do


And I can see the light of a clear blue morning

And I can see the light of brand new day

I can see the light of a clear blue morning

And everything's gonna be all right

It's gonna be okay


[lyrics from "Light of a Clear Blue Morning"]





Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Plus Superman and Green Lantern

Before we get underway, good news for a show I watch: Stuart Fails To Save the Universe has been renewed for Season 2. 

Now if we can only get similar good news for a 3rd season of The Librarians: The Next Chapter. Please? Pretty please?


Andrea and I finally finished up Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.  Instead of running these episodes once a week on ABC as God intended (I'm sure it's in the Bible somewhere), the 2nd half of season 6, 10 episodes were dropped at one time on Hulu.

While I am down with the young people (see Friday's post for proof of that), I don't understand this need to cringe filange wench binge TV shows at one time.   

And I certainly can't see anyone sitting down to watch 10 episodes of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune at one time.

I mean, I know a little weed can work wonders but there is only so much lifting the Mary G. Wanna can do to get through 10 hours of Ryan & Vanna and celebrities of questionable celebrity status.  

Below is a photo from the season 6 finale with Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Kelly McCreary and Billy Gardell.  I knew who Billy was.  He's a comedian and actor who used to be "how is his heart NOT exploding" super fat when he was on Mike & Molly, then he went on a GLP1 shot and now he's "how many years has this man been dead" thin. 

I had to Wiki who Mary Elizabeth and Kelly were.


Kelly plays a doctor on Grey's Anatomy and Mary Elizabeth is a character known only as "the Waitress" on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Kelly and Mary Elizabeth did well with some big wins but Billy had to settle for pity money.

"Pity money" is my euphemism for the least amount of money a person can win on Wheel of Fortune just for showing up. For Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, it's $30,000 for the celebrity's charity.  

Most episodes of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune have me complaining either "Who are you people?" or "I didn't know <insert name> was still alive".  

Some "celebrities" are also questionable in their assertions they've actually ever watched Wheel of Fortune with displays of bad game decisions and surprising failures to solve puzzles.

Well, Andrea seems to enjoy Celebrity Wheel of Fortune well enough so I will endeavor to endure.  

An endeavor that must continue as Season 7 is on the way.

___________________________________

Andrea and I finished the season 3 finale of My Adventures With Superman.  The season began with questions and concern about the future. 

Kara Zor-El needs to figure out her new life on Earth and her relationship with Jimmy Olsen. 

Meanwhile, Clark has visions of domestic bliss with Lois that involve a farm and city girl Lois ain't quite so sure about that.

The season progressed with the future coming to visit.  Time travelling from a dystopian apocalyptic future is Clark and Lois's son Jonathan, AKA Superboy.  He's there to re-write that future by preventing his dad from being killed by Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman created by Lex Luthor.   
  • Good news: Jonathan keeps Clark from dying.
  • Bad news: Clark loses his super powers.
  • Worst news: the future Jonathan returns to is worse than ever.
While Clark struggles with his relevance and worth without super powers, Lois and Clark get another visit from the future.

It's a different Jonathan who is crankier and surlier than the one who visited Lois and Clark before.

And this Jonathan has brought his sister, Laurel. 

So Lois now has a future where she gets pregnant TWICE to give birth to TWO super powered children.  

And those two kids and Kara are all that stand between the Eradicator, another damn weapon Lex Luthor lost control of, and total annihilation.  

Meanwhile, Clark's quest to regain his powers takes him to the Fortress of Ineptitude...Oops! That's where I live! <ahem!> To the Fortress of Solitude where Braniac sends Clark into Krypton's past to repel alien invaders to prove his strength.

Except Clark discovers that the aliens who have come to Krypton are not attacking but are refugees. (Any connections to real word events are I'm sure just a coincidence. Wink!) 

Overall,season 3 of My Adventures With Superman felt a bit uneven and chaotic.  As the ultimate knock down drag out slugfest against Eradicator unfolds, I had to struggle a bit to remember how did we get here.  

The resolution of that battle seemed to lack for me a real emotional payoff.  It just came to an end. 

SPOILER: Clark is Superman again! But he is reticent on exactly what price did he pay to regain his power.

Less reticent is Lois about the future.

Lois drops to one knee and asks Clark to marry her. 


We'll see how all this shakes out in Season 4.
 
___________________________________

Andrea and I caught up to the debut of Lanterns, the HBO Max series about DC Comics' Green Lanterns.   Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star as Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

John has admired Hal since childhood and is earnest and sincere in being trained as a Green Lantern.

Hal has aged into a bitter curmudgeon prick who is more than a little reluctant to train this newcomer in the use of the power ring.

Hal understands the assignment: he's not training John as a back up.  He's training his replacement.

The core of the action takes place in 2016 in a small town called Rushville, Nebraska.  A mass murder has taken place at a high school football game and Hal suspects alien involvement.

The sheriff's office has arrested a suspect in the killing and Hal confronts him.  Just because Hal Jordan is a cranky sonevabitch doesn't mean he can't be right about things.

Yep! The fucker is an alien who can 'SPLODE!  Hal saves Rushville and perhaps the whole state by ringing up a force bubble.  

BIG OL' HONKING SPOILER! 
...
...
...

(Seriously! Spoiler alert!) 
...
...
...
The end of the first episode takes us to 2026 and the sheriff has summoned John Stewart back to Rushville.  Sitting in the stands of the football field is Hal Jordan. Dead.  His ring: missing.
...
...
...
...
...

(End of Spoiler alert!) 

Lanterns has a dark somber vibe as it's central mystery in 2016 plays out like a film noir detective story.   

While this version of Hal Jordan is an ornery cuss, Kyle Chandler does he damnedest to  make him endearing, even possibly likeable with flashes of wit and humanity bleeding through the hubris and selfishness.

Lanterns may have a realistic Earth bound setting but it doesn't ignore the more fantastic components of the Green Lantern comic book mythology: the Guardians of the Universe, the Man hunters, Sinestro.  

By the way, you might wonder how does the Guy Gardner Green Lantern from Superman (2025) factor into this? That answer will be forthcoming when Nathan Fillion guest stars on an upcoming episode.   

Lanterns has set the stage for a complex and very engaging storyline.  

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.   




Monday, August 24, 2026

Wally the WTF Frog Has a Few Questions

WARNING: this post is kind of long. 

If you wanna skip it, fine, go ahead, it's not like me and Wally the WTF Frog put a lot of work in it.

We're back tomorrow with a post about the Lanterns debut, the Superman season finale and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune where I will attempt to identify these so called "celebrities".

Yeah, just wait until Tuesday and skip today's post.  

But it'll break Wally's heart.   💔

_____________________________________

It's time for a return visit for this blog's most erudite and wise political observer, Wally the WTF Frog!


Wally the WTF Frog has a few questions.

WTF as in...
  • What the Fuck?
  • Why the Fuck?
  • Where the Fuck?
  • Who the Fuck?
Such as....

Who the Fuck Is Natalie Harp?

Natalie Harp is an archetype pro-Trump blonde Nazi Barbie who fervently and faithfully follows Donald Trump everywhere.

Known as "the human printer", Natalie's main job is to follow der Führer with a portable printer and print out anything positive that will appease Li'l Donnie's fragile, needy ego.  

She's like a fluffer on a porn set. 

The ubiquitous nature of her presence to immediately stoke Trump's delusions of grandeur and power is troubling enough. 

The depths of her devotion to Donnie are also disturbing. 

She's prone to writing letters of lavish praise and fealty to der Führer.  Such as this passage:  

“I never want to bring you anything but joy. You are all that matters to me. I don’t want to ever let you down. Thank you for being my Guardian and Protector in this Life.”

Seeing such over the top pledges of affection and loyalty set off red flags for the Secret Service who were concerned this woman was batshit crazy and might pose a threat.

Seeing such over the top pledges of affection and loyalty made Donald Trump want to give her a job.  

Natalie's back story includes a cancer diagnosis.  She beat back cancer through some experimental treatments.  Her recovery from cancer led Natalie to offer her undying thanks to one of the following:

  1. Jesus Christ
  2. Her doctors
  3. Donald Trump

Ding! Ding! Ding! #3 is the one! 

Apparently in his first term, Trump signed some legislation to give certain cancer patients the right to try to untested drugs and medical procedures.   

Natalie Harp credits Donald Trump with her salvation.  

We found out about Natalie and her peculiarly close relationship with Donald Trump  in the book Regime Change by Maggie Haberstom and Jonathan Swan.  

But she gained some renewed attention when Sen. Jon Ossoff named dropped her in a speech recently.  "Trump doesn’t want to do the job of President! Instead  he wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace." 

That sly reference to "travel with Natalie" has caught fire and drawn attention to this slavishly devoted woman who ceaselessly feeds Li'l Donnie all the information he wants to hear. 

Speaking of the "apparently defenseless flying palace",  Wally the WTF Frog wants to know....



Where the Fuck Is Donald Trump? or Plane Chicken

I've been meaning to comment on the shenanigans involving Trump switching out planes to get out of Turkey.

Trump took his gussied up palatial plane he got from the Qatari government as Air Force One to Europe to attend a NATO summit.  

Halfway there he switched over to the classic plane to use as Air Force One to finish the trip. Rumor has it that the new Qatari plane looks pretty but is sorely lacking in all the doo-dads and fiddly bits used to protect the lives of Presidents.   

Leaving the summit, Trump is seen entering the O.G. Air Force One but was then spirited off in a catering truck to take another flight out of Turkey. And Air Force One took off without him.  

The official spin is there was some credible threat the Iranians had a plan to missile Air Force One out of the sky. Shuffling Li'l Donnie off the plane to another plane did nothing to stop that plot.  Which means the Iranians could've still lobbed a rocket at Air Force One anyway and killed everyone on board including Secretary of State of Marco Rubio or maybe even Trump's other blonde Nazi Barbie, propoganda minister Karoline Leavitt.

OK, it seems that Leavitt was still on maternity leave when the incident in Turkey occurred so she wasn't on the decoy plane.

But super loyal super devoted Nazi Barbie Karoline Leavitt resigned as propoganda minister a few days after the decoy plane story broke .  She claimed it was to spend more time with her family including her newborn baby and who knows, maybe this perpetually lying syncophant may have been telling the truth for once. Or maybe this Nazi Barbie was incensed she could've been left as target practice by the Iranians and the other Nazi Barbie was not.  

In case you're wondering, Natalie Harp did make the cut for the catering truck.  

IMHO (and I do stress this is very humble and very much only an opinion) but I think Air Force One is ALWAYS under some kind of threat of attack.  So why all the cloak and dagger about this threat?

Trump wants to project that he's some kind of tough guy badass.  "I'm so big and strong and such a threat that other people are trying to kill me!"  

I don't think whatever threat was made to Air Force One was any more significant than what the Secret Service has to deal with everytime that bird goes up in the sky. It was a chance to play the martyr card without actually being martyred.  Trump may be a very old man but he still thinks like a child: it was a chance to play spy and pretend he's some kind of James Bond on a covert mission.

OR... Donald Trump is just a big ol' scaredy cat who ran away from the consequences of his belligerence! And like the gutless coward he is, left others in the path of danger. 

Wally the WTF Frog has other things on his mind.  


Why the Fuck Is Morale Sinkin' On the Abrabam Lincoln?

For weeks we've been hearing how life is a living hell on the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln.  Lack of food, clean water, medicine and working toilets are among the indignities being endured by America's sailors.

No, they're not, says Pete Hegseth.

Yes, they are, says the military newspaper Stars & Stripes.

No, they are not, counters Hegseth and to the publisher and editor of Stars & Stripes, you're fired.

Yes, they are, says the families of those serving on the Abraham Lincoln who have heard from their sons and daughters who are in the middle of this hellhole on the waves. 

No, they're not, Hegseth insists. 

Preferring to be a perveyor of propoganda than a teller of truth, lest he offend the delusions of der Führer, Hegseth insists that those serving on the Lincoln are only getting the best of the best of what America's finest fighting force can provide blah blah blah you know the drill.

One source of the Lincoln's woes comes from a crucial supply port that Iran bombed a couple of months back and Hegseth didn't tell anyone about that.

He was too busy making sure his "war fighters" have enough testosterone.  

Another problem is the USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed longer than the usual 6 months for U.S. air craft carriers.   

The USS Abrahan Lincoln left San Diego in November 2025 and hasn't put into port since then.   

One sailor expressed his perspective on the duration of his time at sea: he has not stood on land at all in the year 2026.   

When asked about the extended duration of the Lincoln's deployment, Donald Trump said "it hasn't been long enough."

Yes, draft dodging Commander fucking Bone Spurs doesn't think the Lincoln has been deployed long enough.

Meanwhile, the solution to the problems on the Lincoln (which Hegseth insists do not exist) is to replace it with the USS George Washington.  

Which means the United States does not have an air craft carrier to defend our interests and assets in the Pacific.  

So if China starts some shit towards Taiwan, well, we're fucked.

OK, this post is going on way longer than I planned and Wally the WTF Frog is wondering.


Why the Fuck Is There So Much Shit?

Trump Is Mad At Oman NOW? 

Trump threatened to bomb the shit out of Oman.  I think Oman is more or less on our side?  

Is Trump Gonna Bomb the Bond Market?

Li'l Donnie was asked about about increased volatility in the bond market and what steps he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were taking to address the problem.

Trump said,  “We have many types of intervention; that’s one. The ultimate intervention is our military, and if we have to use that, we will.”

Seriously, what the unholy fuck was THAT?

  • Is he gonna bomb bond traders?
  • Are bond traders 2 weeks from having a nuclear bomb?
  • Are bond traders blocking the Strait of Hormuz?

I suspect Dementia Don may have... dementia?

Ways For Donnie To Remember His Name 

A judge had ordered Donald Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center.  This was done BUT a tarp covering the front of the building is still there to spare widdle Donnie's hurt feelings.

The Kennedy Center board front loaded with Trump loyalists had a two hour meeting to figure out an end run around that ruling by agreeing to a commemorative plaque citing Donald Trump for saving the iconic venue.  Trump called in to the two hour meeting.

Jon Ossoff certainly hit the nail on the head when he said "Trump doesn’t want to do the job of President!" if der Führer has two fucking hours to dedicate to this ego stroking bullshit.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy is considering naming a new warship after Donald Trump instead of after Doris Miller as originally agreed.

Doris Miller was a black man (so don't let the name throw you) serving as a mess hall attendant on a battleship in Pearl Harbor who took up arms alongside his ship's captain and fought off the Japanese planes that attacked on December 7th, 1941. Because of segregation in the U.S. military, Miller was not allowed to serve as a sailor and had to settle for working in the mess hall. But that didn't stop him from stepping up and helping in the bloody chaos of that infamous day, tending to the wounded and shooting back at the attacking planes.

Doris Miller was by any definition a hero and deserves the honor of having a ship named after him.

Instead, the Navy might name the ship after that draft dodging Commander fucking Bone Spurs!

You know some Trump lackey in the Pentagon (Hegseth!) saw the name "Doris" and assumed this was some kind of Woke DEI transgender shit or something that needed to be stopped.  

So Many Holes In the Ground 

Trump is on track to spend $900 million on construction projects at the White House.

  • the goddam ballroom nobody wanted or asked for
  • a new helipad 
  • new columns for the front of the White House 
Trump took time out of his "busy" schedule to give reporters a tour of all his wonderful construction.  He took time to brag about the grass which was put in by Scott's Miracle-Gro who donated to Trump's last campaign.  

Trump said he's a big expert on grass and that the grass is "happy".   

Well, as long as the U.S. governmen has money to burn, who gives a fuck, am I right?

Yeah, about that....

So Many Holes in the Budget 

The U.S Government has run up $40 trillion in debt.

Wally the WTF Frog has questions! 

  • Hey, wasn't all those slashes and cuts made by Elon Musk and his DOGE goons supposed to fix that?
  • Hey, wasn't all those tax breaks to billionaires supposed to fix that?
  • Hey, wasn't kicking poor people off food stamps and Medicare supposed to fix that?  
  • Hey, wasn't all that "revenue" that Trump's tariffs were collecting supposed to fix that?


And finally but really no one really cares about this one but still, let's ask anyway.


Where the Fuck Is Melania?

After showing up with Li'l Donnie at the World Cup Final, Melania Trump was invisible for a month.

She showed up last week at an event called "Fostering the Future",  some kind of project to provide help to foster kids to get on with life and go to college.  OK, that seems commendable and all but to my knowledge, not a cause that was associated with the alleged "First Lady".  

Seeing a bunch of "where the fuck is Melania" posts going up on the internet, it's like someone at the White House realized they needed to prop up Melania in front of a camera for something, anything, what about that foster kids things, hey why not?  

Maybe Melania's been busy with her follow up to her Melania movie?  Director Brett Ratner posted online,  “Here we go again. The saga continues …. can’t wait to share with everyone around the world the next two chapters of MELANIA, THE DOCU SERIES!”

Showing her doing what, exactly? 

Like Seinfeld, Melania's docu series will be a show about nothing. But just not as funny.

OK, it might be funnier than the Seinfeld series finale.    



What the fuck indeed, Wally! 

Whoa that was a LONG post!

And we didn't cover everything! 

  • Tainted food! 
  • Rising prices! 
  • AI run amuck!
  • Trump vs. MAGA!
  • ICE vs. America!
  • Trump vs. Canada!
  • Trump vs. Iran!
  • It's Joe Biden's fault! 
  • Running out of missiles!
  • Vaccines undermined!
  • Patriots Games & the 250 Grand Prix!
  • Election interference!
  • Dictators are our friends! 
  • Financial fraud!


Wally the WTF Frog is feeling a bit anxious.

Jesus Christ! Will this nightmare ever end?

Sunday, August 23, 2026

StarTrekking: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Season 4 - “Level Five Transporter Accident"


When I first heard about a year ago that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would have a puppet episode, I FELT some concern about that.

WARNING: This post will employ several labored puns involving the word "felt". Because puppets are, you know, made of... felt. Get it?  

While SNW is known for taking some big swings (crossover with Lower Decks, musical episode, low budget 1960's sci-fi, etc), it FELT like doing an episode with puppets might be going too far.

Well, with “Level Five Transporter Accident", the moment was here to finally deal with the puppets whether I FELT like it or not. So let's take a leap of faith and throw ourselves into this episode.

It's time for The Great Star Trek Puppet Caper! 


An experiment by Scotty and Spock to expand the range of the transporters FELT like a good idea at the time.  Using a childhood puppet called "Little Ricky", Scotty aims to test the transporter to beam the puppet over a distance of 30,000 kilometers.

Spock is off the Enterprise in a shuttle, monitoring a relay bouy used in the experiment.  Something goes awry and everyone on the Enterprise finds themselves being beamed away and returned as puppets.

Scotty explains: “Something about the puppet’s quantum particulates caused the energy in the transporter to expand outward across the ship.”

Ah, you just gotta love Star Trek technobabble.  

Spock is the only one still in humanoid form and has to do all the work of running the starship as puppets... can't.

Lacking skeletons and muscles, puppets can't handle even the most mundane tasks like pushing buttons without difficulty.

You may ask, "Hey, if they lack skeletons and muscles, how do they move about or sit upright?"  And I will reply "You ask too many questions!" 

OK, I suppose I could come up with a less snarky response if I FELT like it.  But I don't.  


Pike is able to get a communication to Admiral April who is trying to wrap his head around this situation.

APRIL:  "So you're a puppet?"

PIKE: "Yes!"

APRIL: "So who's controlling you?"

PIKE: "I'M CONTROLLING ME!"

I can understand why the Admiral FELT confused.

(No, I will not stop the "felt" puns!)  

April says a ship is on the way to help but it's a couple of days out from Enterprise.  

So if everyone can just keep their heads down and stay out of trouble until...

Oh SHIT! It's an Orion pirate ship!


SIDEBAR:  These Orions! I KNOW this guys! (Yes, I FELT like I recognized them somehow!)  It's driving me crazier than I already am! Who are these guys?!?!

The Orion captain is played by Rachael Harris! OMG, guys! It's Dr. Linda Martin from Lucifer. Man, I hadn't thought about Lucifer in ages and it was such an integral part of our TV viewing around here. I miss that show! 

The Orion captain's second in commond is portrayed by Joe Lo Truglio!  Yep, that's Det. Charles Boyle on Brooklyn Nine-Nine! Man, it's old school week here on the Tuesday TV Touchbase!


Let me say that even as a puppet, Commander Una Chin-Riley still has beautiful hair.  

Am I having lustful thoughts about a puppet? I'm not sure why I FELT I should share that information.

The Orion pirates board the ship to steal it since their sensors only register one single life form on the Enterprise, Spock.

So the puppets, in addition to lacking bones and muscles, also lack circulatory, respiratory and nerve systems that would be recognized by sensors as biological life forms.  But they are able to think, talk and move and... and... and...  HOW DO THEY DO THAT?!?!

So... many... questions.

The Orions capture Spock and take over the ship as the puppets are well...   you know... puppets. 

Just pick 'em up and toss 'em.

Capt. Pike has the epiphany that his crew is failing to stop the Orions because they are are trying to fight back like humans and the key to success is to embrace their puppetness.  

Long story made short: the puppets rescue Spock, defeat the Orions, take back the ship, Spock wakes up and....

And...

Spock. Wakes. Up? 

NO! Do not tell me! Do NOT tell that it was....

IT WAS ALL A DREAM?  REALLY?!?!?

Yes, Scotty's transporter experiment did get all bolloxed up but only Spock was caught up in it and has been in a coma and....

IT WAS ALL A DREAM?!?! Oh HELL NO! We can't be going there. 

I should've realized.  I FELT like the writers might go in that direction.  

I suppose the "it was all a dream" ending does effectively address all the questions about puppets being alive AND not alive at the same time.  

And essentially this is Spock's story as he evolves from the "human curious" Spock of SNW to the  "dedicated Vulcan" Spock of TOS.  His subconscious creating a scenario of puppets and what not serve as an effective metaphor for his changing yadda yadda yadda .... IT WAS ALL A DREAM?

At the end of “Level Five Transporter Accident", I wasn't sure how I FELT about that "it was all a dream" resolution. On one hand, it such an overused cliche. On the other hand, I can't deny it does tie a pretty effective bow on all the came before.

All in all, putting aside any qualms about the ending, I think The Great Star Trek Puppet Caper is a win. 

Next week, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds enters the 2nd half of it's 4th season. 

Until next time, live long and prosper.

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Why are the puppets still here?   

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I FELT like that was a pretty good blog post.  



Saturday, August 22, 2026

Movie Time: How to Murder Your Wife

So here's an idea for a movie.

There's this guy who just loves his 1960's era swinging batchelor life, just flitting from woman to woman like a busy little bee. "The married life is not for me!" 

But then he winds up married to a woman and he just can't stand it! 

But efforts to get the marriage annulled or to get divorced don't work so he's left (HA! HA!) with no choice (HA! HA!) but to murder her! 

(HA! HA!) 

Why are not you laughing yet?

Should you be?

Let's find out together.

It's...MOVIE TIME!


There I am one day watching TCM and it's Jack Lemmon day.

Well, that's cool. I like Jack Lemmon whether it's in comedies like Some Like It Hot or dramatic roles like Days of Wine and Roses.  So I'm probably in for some quality entertainment whether it's Jack in a comedic or dramatic roles.

On the program of films for Jack Lemmon day included this title: How to Murder Your Wife from 1965.

Oh, so this must be Jack Lemmon in a dramatic role as a nefarious scoundrel with a despicable scheme to murder his wife.

No, it's a comedy.

OK, you got my attention. Let's see what the hell this is about!


Stanley Ford is a carefree bachelor who lives a life of fun and luxury in his Manhattan townhouse with his English valet, Charles.

A fancy butler and an upscale Manhattan address? How can Stanley afford such things?

He's a newspaper cartoonist. (So right off the bat, you know we're not going for realism here.)

Stanley is the creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip Bash Bannigan, Secret Agent.  


Stanley's big on authenticity so he draws from real life and will even re-enact Bash's exploits around the city with Charles taking photos for Stanley to use as reference.  

Stanley Ford loves his carefree single life and is absolutely positively against the institution of marriage.  

While he might be against marriage, he's still up for a good time at marriage's expense so he attends a friend's bachelor party where someone bursts out of a cake.  Like this! 


Except instead of Matt Smith, it's a beautiful young blonde Italian woman who comes out of the cake. Like this!

After a night of drunken debauchery, Stanley wakes up to find himself married to the beautiful young blonde Italian woman.

Well, Stanley immediately regrets this and goes to the office of Harold Lampson, his friend and attorney, bringing with him the beautiful young blonde Italian woman.

Now you might wonder why I keep referring to this person as "the beautiful young blonde Italian woman".  Even though it is factually true.  She is 

  • beautiful 
  • young 
  • blonde
  • Italian 
  • and a woman.
And played by Virna Lisi, a beautiful young blonde Italian woman.


So that is true and all that but does this beautiful young blonde Italian woman not have a name? Let me check.
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No, she does not.

OK, she has to have a name but the script does not give her one. 

Because she is married to Stanley Ford, we can call her a) Mrs. Ford (as she is identified in the closing credits) or 2) I keep pasting in "beautiful young blonde Italian woman" through the rest of the post.  

I will for the purpose of this post defer to the movie credits and address her as "Mrs. Ford". But man, that is some top level sexist shit there, even for the 1960's.  

Maybe I should even the playing field and refer to Stanley Ford as "Mr. Ford". If his wife can't have a first name, then neither can he. 

But all my notes refer to this selfish prick as "Stanley" and I'm not committed enough to this cause to re-write all of that.  

Where were we? Oh, yeah, meeting with the attorney.

Harold Lampson tells Stanley that annulment and divorce are not options for some vague reasons of the plot requires it.

I don't think Harold is a very good lawyer. And I think he's a bit resentful of his friend Stanley's swinging bachelor life, just flitting from woman to woman like a busy little bee. 

"The married life is not for me? Well, screw you, Stanley! You're caught now, motherfucker! Just like me!"

Harold is married to Edna, a manipulative, henpecking cliched wife person who happens to speak fluent Italian and is the only one who can communicate with Mrs. Ford. Edna's more than willing to help this young woman getting settled in with Stanley.

Something butler Charles cannot abide. Not willing to give up his quasi gay adjacent life style with his employer and share Stanley with a (gasp!) woman, Charles quits! 

Just who is this "Mrs. Ford" who represents such a loathsome burden to poor Stanley?  Besides being a beautiful young blonde Italian woman, she has a cheerful disposition, she's kind, she's affectionate (wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more, say no more) and a really good cook. 

Quite frankly, Mr. Ford is lucky to have this woman as "Mrs. Ford".

It is not all wonderful. Mrs. Ford has a little dog who is constantly yapping.  Which is really annoying for me watching the movie so yeah, I get how that might bother someone living with that.

And Mrs. Ford watches a LOT of TV ALL the time, ostensibly to help her learn to speak English. Her English gets better even if most of what she knows is repeating vapid lines from TV commercials. 

Also marriage to Mrs. Ford has affected Stanley's fantasy outlet, his comic strip Bash Bannigan, Secret Agent.  The strip has morphed into The Bannigans, a domestic comedy series which is more popular than before because women are reading it now and getting a kick out of the misadventures of the beautiful young blonde Italian woman and her hapless, idiotic husband.


Stanley Ford wants out! 

Since annulment and divorce aren't options, Stanley must turn to murder. 

To be clear, the murder Stanley is plotting is that of Mrs. Bannigan. 


But in his quest for authenticity in his comic strip, he has to plot it out against Mrs. Ford. Which includes spiking her drink at a party to render her unconscious. 


But the final stage, the actual killing of the spouse, will be carried out using a mannequin.

So the plot is exposed day by day as Bash carries out his plot in the nations' newspapers so he can become once more Bash Bannigan, Secret Agent!

When she sees Stanley is carrying out a plot to murder her fictional counterpart, Mrs. Ford takes her dog and vanishes. 

Since Mrs. Ford is nowhere to be found and Stanley just laid out a plot to kill her for all the nation to read, Stanley is arrested and tried for murdering his wife. 

Since there is no body and only circumstantial evidence, it seems that Stanley's attorney friend Harold Lampson should be able to keep him out of the electric chair.  

But that does seem to be where Stanley is heading because as I said before, I don't think Harold is a very good lawyer.

OK, we're about to head into some messed up misogynistic shit!

So Stanley takes over his own defense, appealing to the ALL MALE jury and their frustrations regarding their own wives and marriages. 

Stanley declares he killed her and what man on that jury wouldn't do the same if they had the chance? 

The ALL MALE jury can't acquit him fast enough as  the men in the courtroom applaud wildly and carry Stanley out on their shoulders.

Seriously, this is a thing that happens in this movie.

A joyful Charles is willing to return as Stanley's valet on the belief Stanley really killed his wife.  He's very disappointed to find out Stanley didn't actually murder anyone other than a mannequin.   

What if Mrs. Ford returns? Charles gleefully advises Stanley he can kill her for real since a jury just acquitted him of murdering her and he can't be charged with the same crime twice. 

A despondent Stanley is hoping she will return.  And when he goes back home, he is pleased to find a certain beautiful young blonde Italian woman naked under the covers in his bedroom.

Hello, Mrs. Ford! 

OK, I need a moment.

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The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Department 

Claire Trevor repeatedly steals the movie as Edna Lampson, the wife of Stanley's attorney.  Claire starred with John Wayne in Stagecoach,  

The Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California - Irvine was named in her honor.

Terry-Thomas who played Stanley's put upon butler was a unbiquitous presence in 1960's cinema with his ever so proper English accent and a very noticeable gap between his two front teeth.   


Terry-Thomas specialized in characters that were  pretentious, elitist, seedy, sometimes lecherous cads which pretty much describes Charley in How To Murder Your Wife.  Terry-Thomas said this film was his favorite one which doesn't speak well to his good taste. (Yeah, I've got something to say about this movie in a minute.)  

Terry-Thomas also starred in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Jack Albertson who played Dr. Bentley was perhaps best known as Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Here's an obsure one: Max Showalter who played Tobey Rawlins was the hotel desk clerk in Move Over, Darling which I  posted about in a Move Time post in August of last year.

I don't know who Khigh Dhiegh is but here's his role as it appears in the credits: "the bald actor playing a thug". 

Hey, I do know who he is: he played the recurring villain Wo Fat on Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980.  

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FUN FACT:  The Bash Bannigan comic strips that appear in the movie were created by professional comic strip creator person Mel Keefer.  

Mel created comic strips based on the TV series Dragnet.


And western actor/singer Gene Autry.


The Bash Bannigan strips have been incorrectly attributed to Alex Toth. Toth did draw one teaser strip that was drawn in Keefer's style to promote the movie but all the other strips were done by Mel Keefer himself.   

ANOTHER FACT THAT IS NOT FUN BUT HERE IT IS: There is a character named Bash Bannigan in the TV series Reprisal which ran for one season on Hulu in 2019.  

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Okay, back to the movie. 

When I watch a movie, I try to imagine the perspective of the time it was made, if not to justify then to at least mitigate any inadvertant racism or sexism or some other 3rd thing that might be problematic for today's audience.

Hey, it was 1965! It was a different time, right?  

How to Murder Your Wife does not stand up to the kind of leveraged scrutiny.  

Change it to 1935 even and there's some stuff that just ain't good.

Make it a silent film from 1925 and really?

Jack Lemmon does what he can with some great physical comedy and facial expressions to wring laughs from this mess but he's fighting an uphill battle for an irredeemable character. Stanley's change of heart after the murder trial is out of left field due to the mandate that we need a happy ending, dammit! 

The murder trial? Maybe I'm missing some kind of satirical commentary on the victimization of women. But all I'm seeing is a celebration of the victimization of women.  If there is a deeper context there, that's on me for missing it. 

A moment for Mrs. Ford. I can't blame the 1960's for not giving her a first name. In 1988,  Mississippi Burning had a prominent female character known only as Mrs. Pell, no first name.  

And Mrs. Ford is a vibrant character brought wonderfully to life by Virna Lisi whose performance is filled with joy and passion. 

Why she comes back to Stanley, I have no idea. This beautiful young blonde Italian woman deserves better than Stanley Ford.

And she deserves a name! 


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