Doctor Who: Welcome To Sheffield

Hey, Doctor Who stuff! It's a new clip! 

Click HERE to look at it.  

And if that clip looks familiar, well, you naughty person you, you saw this back in June when it was an unauthorized leaked clip. 

Or you saw this scene in Sheffield earlier this week when you got to see the red carpet premiere of "The Woman Who Fell To Earth".   

Jodie Whittaker and the fans.  

l to r: Tosin Cole, Madip Gill, Jodie Whittaker and Bradley Walsh

Jodie and the rest of the main cast were all on hand for this special premiere event held two weeks before the show debuts on BBC One on October 7th.  

The events of the first episode of Doctor Who Series 11 take place in Sheffield, hence the location for the red carpet event.   

Jodie Whittaker and new showrunner Chris Chibnall were on hand after the screening for a question and answer session.   
Chibnall once more confirmed that each of the 10 episodes will be a stand-alone story and that no previous monsters will appear in the new series, not even Daleks.

There are some spoiler free reviews out there which have been more the most part kind and positive towards the look of the show and Whittaker's first outing as the Doctor.   

So Who Do You Trust? Part 2

On Thursday, I opened a post with this.

 

“I believed he was going to rape me. I believed Brett was going to accidentally kill me."

 

--Christine Blasey Ford

 

 “I have never done this to her or to anyone. That is not who I am, and not who I was. You may defeat me in the final vote. But you won’t make me quit."

 

--Brett Kavanaugh

 

 Then I asked the question: So who do you trust?

 

The question assumes a conflict  of  Brett Kavanaugh versus Christine Blasey Ford.   

 

Dr. Ford had made for a compelling and credible witness in her testimony to the Senate.  His protestation of his innocence aside, Kavanaugh  was facing a possibly insurmountable odds in this conflict with his accuser.

 

So Brett Kavanaugh changed the combatants.  

 

As Thursday wore on into evening, the conflict was changed to Brett Kavanaugh versus the Democratic Party. 

 

"This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit, fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election. Fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record. Revenge on behalf of the Clintons. And millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups."


If you were playing Trump Bingo at home, there was a lot from the diatribe. And it wasn't even Trump talking. But Trump and his devoted base were certainly listening and Kavanaugh knew that.


Also listening were to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee and after having to sit squirming unconformtably restrained during Dr. Ford's presentation, they were finally let loose off the chain to go on the attack.  

 

Sen. Lindsay Graham leapt into the fray, his facing turning red, veins throbbing with rage, literally screaming  at the Democrats, ““This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy. What you want to do is destroy this guy's life. To hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. ... Boy, y'all want power. God, I hope you never get it!"


Notice the use of the phrase "this guy". Not "Judge Kavanaugh" but "this guy", like he's just some kind of regular dude who's applying for a stock boy job at Home Depot or something.



Wait! Holding open a seat on the Supreme Court in hopes of winning the next Presidential election?


That sounds…  familiar.  


Sen. Graham is right. Doing such a thing is a despicable act and surely not something the Republican party would ever do, right?

 

<MerrickGarland MerrickGarland MerrickGarland>

<MerrickGarland MerrickGarland MerrickGarland>

<MerrickGarland MerrickGarland MerrickGarland>

<MerrickGarland MerrickGarland MerrickGarland>

 

Nah, that would be wrong and they wouldn't do something like that.

Anyway…. 

 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C saw this and thought this looked like fun, accusing Democrats of making a  mockery of the Senate's constitutional role to provide "advice and consent" on Supreme Court nominations.

 

"It's not advise and consent; it's search and destroy."

 

It was such a good line, Li’l Donnie Trump stole it.  

 

"Judge Kavanaugh showed America exactly why I nominated him.  His testimony was powerful, honest, and riveting. Democrats’ search and destroy strategy is disgraceful and this process has been a total sham and effort to delay, obstruct, and resist. The Senate must vote!"

 

Speaking of “consent”, what about Dr. Ford’s testimony that Kavanaugh tried to have sex with her without her consent? 

 

Does it matter?  Kavanaugh vs. Ford probably never stood a chance.

 

Kavanaugh vs. the Democratic Party. Now that is a whole other thing. 

 

Kavanaugh framed the debate in purely partisan terms and issued a battle cry to the Republican senators. Angrily, those senators roared back in answer, old white men decrying the fate of another white man. 


And as the Senate Judiciary Committee votes to move Kavanaugh’s nomination to the floor of the Senate for a confirmation vote, we can see the strategy is working.

 

TV Watching Update: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and My Sordid Affairs

Hi there!

I'm still endeavoring to watch MORE TV. Here's my latest report.

I recently finished the 2nd season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I very much enjoy the show when the focus is on Kimmy and Titus. Not so much Lillian or Jacqueline. 

But season 2 introduces a new character that I've really enjoyed. It's not just because she's played by my future wife.











Series creator Tina Fey comes on board as a professional woman with a double life. By day, she's a straight laced psychiatric therapist. By night, she's an out of control drunk with no filter and no buffers. To be honest, she's a better psychiatric therapist by night when she's drunk and doesn't care what she says.  

Tina's character is named Andrea which is the name of my current wife which may cause some confusion later on when Tina becomes my future wife.  By the way, my current wife Andrea is OK with this because this is never going to happen and she's going to outlive me anyway so who cares?


While Tina Fey may be my future wife, she's not going to be my second wife. My second wife will be way too young for me and really messed up, I'm thinking Arianna Grande on the rebound from Pete Davidson. That will be a cluster fuck of a marriage and eventually I'll meet Tina in rehab where we will fall in love and eventually get married.




This is all OK with Andrea as this will never happen.

Anyway, gearing up for season 3 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I want to be caught up when the last half season 4 drops which is the series finale. I will want other Kimmy fans to cry with when the show ends.  
____________________________________________


In anticipation of the 3rd season of The Good Place, I brought my daughter Randie into the fold with a binge watch of season 1. Randie figured out the twist in the season finale back around episode 6. Damn it! She doped it out sooner than I did. 




We're now making our way through Season 2 and I'm recording Season 3 which started yesterday.  


__________________________________________


I've exposed Randie to a few episodes of MASH recently. She's not hooked on it or anything but she seems to like what she's been subjected to. Me, if MASH is on, I'm watching. And MASH is always on somewhere. It airs on AMC, TV Land and even the freaking Sundance Channel. 




Speaking of Sundance....




That's where the classic Law and Order has disappeared to.  I noticed it was no longer on TNT. I found it in Sundance.

When I discovered L&O over there, Sundance was runninb some really early episodes. What was weird was...

1) No Jack McCoy. Mike Moriarty was ADA Ben Stone before Jack Waterson joined the cast.

2)  I was catching an episode before even Jerry Orbach was around. Man, it was weird. 


3) It was in black and white and everyone was smoking cigarettes. (OK, not really.)


_______________________________________



I'm thinking ahead when I catch up on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I might go back and binge some New Girl on Netflix. Episodes air on TBS and I'll catch one now and then but I'd like to follow the series from the beginning in order.  I have a thing for Zooey Deschanel. 

OK, after I marry my 3rd wife Tina Fey, we'll adopt some kids but we need help so we hire Zooey Deschanel as our nanny. Why is Zooey Deschanel no longer an actor? Shut up and get your own fantasy. Anyway, Zooey and I get into a hot, passionate sex fueled affair! I am such a cad, cheating on Tina that way! Then Tina finds out and then.... she asks if she can join us?

Then Andrea shakes my shoulder, reminds me I need to wake up and go to work.

Son of a bitch!

Anyway, that's my report on my TV watching.

Later! 

So Who Do You Trust?

Sitting in a dark suit before an array of Senators, this person could not believe this has come to this. Choking back tears, this person leaned closer to the microphone. 

“I believed he was going to rape me. I believed Brett was going to accidentally kill me."

--Christine Blasey Ford

 

“I have never done this to her or to anyone. That is not who I am, and not who I was. You may defeat me in the final vote. But you won’t make me quit."

--Brett Kavanaugh

 

So who do you trust?

 

Both people laid their lives on the line in front of a panel of Senators but did any of it matter?

 

If you’re a Democrat, you believe Christine Blasey Ford even more. The depths of her emotion, the surprising strength of her candor, how can anyone doubt she is tellinb the truth. Well, you didn’t like Brett Kavanaugh before all this shit hit the fan. You like him even less now.

 

If you’re a Republican, you’re still standing by Brett Kavanaugh, the depths of his emotion, the surprising strength of his candor. You were determined that Brett Kavanaugh was going to make it to the Supreme Court bench before this shit hit the fan. Christine Blasey Ford has not changed your mind.  Brett Kavanaugh is even more your man than he was before. 

 

So did any of this that happened on Thursday do a damn bit of good? 

 

Probably not. The calculations for  Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation still hinge on the same breakdown as before we ever heard of Prof. Ford.

 

There are about 3 Republicans whose supporgt of Brett Kavanaugh is shaky and the GOP can only afford to lose one. With a 51 – 49 split in the Senate, Mike Pence has Vice President can cast the tie breaking vote to confirm Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice. But the Democrats are not in lock step in opposition; there are about 4 Red State Democrats who are up for re-election in states where Donald Trump won in 2016 and still enjoys significant support. A vote against Kavanaugh could costs those Democrats votes in those states and possible defeat. Those defeats would shift the balance of power in the Senate even more towards the GOP.

 

But possibly, Prof. Ford tipped the scales a bit.  If even Fox News has to admit that maybe, just maybe, there is something there.   

 

“You have to believe that the Republican senators right now are asking themselves whether this was a good idea, whether or not they have robbed themselves of the opportunity to ask pointed questions in a way that perhaps might be more compelling."

--Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum 

 

“This was extremely emotional, extremely raw and extremely credible. "Nobody could listen to her deliver those words and talk about the assault and the impact it had on her life and not have your heart go out to her. This is a disaster for Republicans."

---Fox News host Chris Wallace

 

Maybe one person, standing up to power and privilege can make a difference? I am not especially hopeful.  

 

But maybe, just this one, it can make a difference.

I hope so.

Because I believe her.

Norm Breyfogle

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Norm Breyfogle at age 58.  Breyfogle had a long career as a comic book artists, most notably for his run on Batman. Breyfogle's Batman was fluid and dark, a very distinctive take on an iconic character. 

Here are some samples of Norm Breyfogle's work on Batman.  

My condolences to the family of Norm Breyfogle. His was a unique talent and he will be missed.  

Doctor Who: 13 Thirteens

We finally got a date:

Now we finally have a time!

The premiere of Doctor Who Series 11 will appear at 6:45 Pm in the UK on the BBC.  Over here in the United Sates in the Eastern time zone, Doctor Who Series 11 will appear on BBC America at....

1:45 PM!


It will repeat in prime time at 8:00 PM.

_______________________________________


This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!

THIS! IS! SO! FREAKIN'! COOL!   

Below is Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor!!

With 12 cosplayers lined up with her!!!

Yes, there are 13 versions of the 13th Doctor!!!

And look! Here it is again!

This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!

And one more time! Because this is...

Well, you know. 

This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!
This is so cool!

THIS! IS! SO! FREAKIN'! COOL! 

'BYE!  


This is so cool!  

Doctor Who 

Season Premiere on BBC America

October 7th  

1:45 PM   

Uh Oh, Donnie! The World Is Laughing At Us!

Donald Trump has long had an obsession with being “laughed at”.  During his campaign for President, he would frequently deride U.S. involvements in various agreements, deals and what not and add that other parties involved were “laughing at us”.




The U.S. signs on to the Paris climate accords? “The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

The U.S. agrees to the Iran nuclear deal? “The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

The U.S. enters into North American Free Trade Agreement? “The rest of the world is laughing at us.” 

The U.S. continues its support of NATO? “The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

In all of these scenarios and more, Trump portrays the United States and its leadership as being played for suckers with the rest of the world incredulous at how stupid we are.

Well, on Tuesday, he was right: “The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

Li’l Donnie put on his big boy pants to address the United Nations General Assembly. He kicked off the speech on his favorite subject: himself.  

“In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country ... So true.” 

It was a declaration greeted with laughter from the assembled world leaders.

Trump remarked that he “didn’t expect that reaction” which got an even bigger laugh. 

It looks like maybe Donald Trump is right about something for once: “The rest of the world is laughing at us.”

But to be more accurate, Donnie, it would be more to the point to say, ““The rest of the world is laughing at YOU.” 

That may hurt Li’l Donnie’s feelings a bit but I’m not going to feel sorry for him. He’s a fucking moron and he brought this on himself.

You see, back when Donald Trump was young and brash and actually somewhat successful, Trump craved more than just wealth and power. He craved respect from others who had wealth and power. In the high society of Manhattan’s elite, Trump was regarded as crude and unsophisticated, lacking the wit and refinement to be truly one of them.  Trump had the wealth to buy his way into the rarefied air of the upper echelons of society’s rich and powerful but he couldn’t earn his place among them.

To be blunt, the rich and the powerful of high society laughed at Trump. 

So Trump slapped his name in big shiny letters on the sides of oversized buildings and he laughed at the rich and the powerful of high society. Fuck them, they’re just a bunch of suckers.

And that’s how Trump sees the world. Somebody’s getting screwed by somebody else who’s getting a big laugh out of it.  

One more thing to unpack from Trump’s UN appearance, his retort that “didn’t expect that reaction”. 

Really?

The thing is, Trump believes the delusions of his own grandeur and success as President. No one ever tells him different.  The idea that the rest of the world does not share that view is anathema to his self-absorbed perspective.  His claims to being the most successful President in American history being met with derisive laughter?  No, I imagine he did not expect that reaction.

Now, that is really funny. 

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Let’s talk about clowns a moment.

Last week, Trump called Gavin Newsom, the current California lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, a clown.

“Democrats want to give welfare and free health care to illegal aliens. How about this clown in California who’s running for governor? He wants open borders and then he wants to give them health care, education, everything.”

A clown, eh? Well, Newsom fired back on Twitter.  

lol, hi @realDonaldTrump. Interesting description coming from the guy who is literally locking up kids like Pennywise. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 21, 2018

One person took issue with Gavin Newsom comparing Donald Trump to Pennywise the clown from Stephen King’s “It”.   

That is a very unfair comparison. One is a primordial evil that exists only to spread fear and misery. The other is just a clown who eats a few kids every few decades.

— The Booze Cube (💀💧🌳) (@TheBoozeCube) September 21, 2018

_____________________________________

Man, I really cannot believe this!

The text below is from Huff Post.  

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday claimed President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly a day earlier drew laughs because world leaders “loved his honesty” and “respect” him.

Trump’s boastful comment describing his administration as one of the most accomplished in U.S. history sparked laughter not because attendees of the annual summit found the remark ridiculous ― but because it was so “honest,” Haley said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“They loved how honest he is,” Haley said. “It’s not diplomatic and they find it funny. ... When he goes and he is very truthful, they kind of were taken back by it.”


I think I'm gonna be ill.


If I have to choose between this world with Trump in it and his sniveling sycophants telling us the naked emperor is wearing the absolutely best clothes or being lured to whatever brutal hell Pennywise the clown has for me, I would have to really think it over.  

How bad can that evil clown in the sewers really be?