Master Debaters: Trump V. Biden I

I didn't want to watch it live. "Can't we just wait and catch the highlights from Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert?"  

My wife and daughter actually prevailed to watch the first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

Basically, it went pretty much as expected. Li'l Donnie yelled, bullied and interrupted, spouting discredited conspiracy theories and basically lying his fat ass off. 

Here is an artist's rendering of the debate.

Artwork by Scott McCloud from his comic, DESTROY!!

By comparison, Joe was forceful but focused, ready to discuss specific policy issues. But it was hard to do that with Trump constantly talking over Biden and frequently not even related to whatever topic Chris Wallace just asked about.  

Most of the debate kept Trump and Biden on a split screen. Whenever Biden spoke, Trump would make faces like a petulant child and mutter retorts when he wasn't out right talking over Biden.

Moderator Chris Wallace kept admonishing the candidates to follow the rules they agreed to for the debate. Each guy gets their turn to talk. 

Once while having to remind Trump of this rule on more time, Trump whined and pointed at Biden, "Hey, he's interrupting too!" Wallace replied, "Yes but you're doing it more." 

When Wallace asked Trump to let Biden finish one of his answers, Biden responded, “He doesn’t know how to do that.”

Biden had enough, admonishing Trump, "Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential.”

My favorite Biden barb of the night: "You would never know a suburb unless you took a wrong turn."  

OK, this is a good one. At one point, Bide asked, "Do you have any idea what this clown is doing?

And Biden called Trump "Putin's puppy".  

Donald Trump is notorious for not planning for debates and that was clear Tuesday night. Basically, Li'l Donnie just trotted out his usual campaign rally fodder. 

Casting doubt on the election again, Trump repeated his claim, “This is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen."  

Predicting calamity if Biden wins, Trump declared, " “Our suburbs would be gone, and you would see problems like you've never seen.”

At one point, I commented that Donald Trump needs new material.  For a guy who once claimed to know all the best words, there is a distressing lack of variety in Trump's syntax. "Like you've never seen" comes up a hell of a lot.  

Perhaps the worst moment of the night came when Chris Wallace gave Trump a chance to publicly condemn white supremacists and to tell them to stand down. Li'l Donnie didn't take that chance. Instead, he issued a call to arms: “Proud boys, stand back and stand by."

All in all, Biden held his own and didn't flinch under Trump's bullying assault. On a stage side by side to see who looks for presidential, only one man did and it sure as hell wasn't the guy who has the job now. 

Well, dear lord we've got 2 more of these to get through but next week we have the under card with Mike Pence going head to toe with Kamala Harris. Mike Pence will continue to sell out his alleged religious beliefs in support of a morally deficient Donald Trump while Kamala Harris will do her damnedest to get Mike to blink.  

Then it will be time for Biden and Trump again. 

I wonder what we can expect from Donald Trump?

Artwork by Scott McCloud from his comic, DESTROY!!

Yeah, that's what I figured.  

Life After Work IV: The Voyage To Stay Home

 Hi there! Dave-El here reporting from the depths of my Fortress of Ineptitude where I remain in a state of Life After Work! 

The job search remains one of some frustration.  The choices range from high level executive with a private bathroom or the janitor who cleans that private bathroom. It's hard to find stuff in between. 

I got my hopes up about a month ago. I had a preliminary interview that went well. They asked for references. 4 references in fact. There was to be a follow up interview within a week. 

I figure why bother to ask for 4 references (usually companies may want 2 or 3) if they weren't serious about me. 

A week goes by with no further communication from that company. I followed up with my contact there and I received the following reply:

"The position has been filled. Good luck in your future endeavors." 

No "sorry this didn't work out but please apply with us again in the future". No just a curt, "Job gone, go somewhere else." 

A pretty curt dismissal, I think. Wonder what happened? 

Did one of my 4 references rat me out? 

"Yes, David is a smart, hard working person with a kind... (choke!)... a kind and... (gulp!)... and generous...NO! I can't do this! I CAN'T! David is a monster! A MONSTER! Stay away from him! Stay awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!!!!!!"  

One thing to look out for in the job market is that employers overhype job titles. The Circle K chain of convenience stores is not looking for cashiers. No, they are looking for "customer service specialists".  

Maybe it will make Squidward feel better about his job at the Krusty Krab.

Probably not.

Another problem I'm running into is I don't know anybody. 

When I've written on this blog that I have no friends, you think I'm joking. Well, ha, ha, ha, ha...no, I'm not.

A successful job search usually involves knowing a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy who knows about a job. 

I'm forced to build a Linked In page to try a build a network of people who are peripherally aware of my existence who might provide some kind of positive word for me. 

"David is a monster! A MONSTER! Stay away from him! Stay awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!!!!!!"

Or maybe not?  

This concept of "knowing a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy who knows about a job" was recently put to the test by my daughter who (get this!) got a job! 

Randie was in a cafe where a friend works. Randie ordered a smoothie and leaves. The friend's boss saw Randie and told the friend that if Randie wanted a job at the cafe, they should apply.

Randie has been looking for a job, the cafe is nice and Randie could possibly work with her friend there. It seems like a good fit.

Randie did an interview, got the job and started this week. 

Well, damn! I am impressed! 

And also a bit depressed.  

I don't know anyone anywhere to have that kind of scenario play out. 

I'm gonna wind up working at a convenience store as a cashier. 

Excuse me, "customer service specialist".  

____________________________________

Sorry, peeps, but we can't escape politics for long on this blog. Coming up just before noon today, I assess the aftermath of the first Joe Biden/Donald Trump debate. 

If you're looking for a comic book themed post, the next post after (tomorrow morning) will look at a Wonder Woman book I recently purchased.  

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.  

"David is a monster! A MONSTER! Stay away from him! Stay awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!!!!!!"

Oh, shut up already! 

The Trump Train In My Backyard

I was on Politico.com and was reviewing various articles when I came across one about Donald Trump's relationship with women voters.

Here is the opening paragraph of that article: 

SUMMERFIELD, N.C.—Up pulled the big pink bus. “WOMEN FOR TRUMP,” it said on its side. Wearing “Trump girl” shirts, bedazzled Trump caps and cowboy hats and sparkling, silver brooches saying “MAGA,” the several hundred or so (mostly) women bounced on the balls of their feet and held up their phones and took pictures and videos and clapped and hollered with excitement. On the rolling grounds of Bugle Boy Farm, on a temperate fall evening under wisps of white clouds, sisters “Diamond and Silk” led the crowd in a “Trump-train” “choo-choo” chant, Katrina Pierson revved them up some more and finally Lara Trump took the stage.

The part that immediately got my attention was the where this story opens. 

Summerfield, NC is just up the road from my home here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. I've driven past Bugle Boy Farm several times. 

The idea that the “Trump-train” would pul up so close to my backyard is not unexpected. A drive through the rural backroads that curve through the woods and small towns on the outskirts of Greensboro will reveal a plethora of Trump signs. 

I am surrounded by hundreds, nay thousands of people who still buy into the Trump myth, the self made billionaire who looks out for the little people forgotten by a corrupt and out of touch Washington.  

Never mind that Trump's near total dependence on his father's largesse.

Never mind that Trump's status as an actual billionaire is not proven; the recent tax records obtained by the New York Times shows Donald Trump propping up his billionaire lifestyle on a mountain of debt.

Never mind that Trump's actions in Washington have been more to the benefit of the rich. He's actively worked to make life worse for the poor and the middle class, seeking to revoke access to health insurance, rolling back provisions for clean air and water. 

Never mind that Trump's team and supporters in Washington include a cadre of individuals caught up in self serving corruption to an extent not seen in Washington in perhaps over half a century. 

There are none so blind than those who do not wish to see.

There are none so blind than Trump supporters. 

And most blind of all has to be Trump supporters who are women. 

Donald Trump's sexist, misogynistic comments over decades are a matter of record. 

"You have to treat ‘em like shit.” 

“Blood coming out of her … wherever.” 

“She got schlonged.” 

"Just grab 'em by the pussy." 

A litany of women have accused Donald Trump of varying degrees of sexual misconduct, including outright assault. Trump has dismissed these charges with such insightful defenses as describing these women as being not attractive enough for him to want to have sex with. This is, again, a matter of record. There are tweets and recordings of Trump making the appearance of the woman his defense against any allegations of inappropriate conduct. 

And yet there were mere miles from my home "several hundred or so" women "clapped and hollered with excitement" cheering like he's the fucking second coming of Christ. 

I am scared.

Donald Trump is a complete and total travesty, not just as president but as a human being. As I have said in this blog on several occasions, this is not a subjective opinion but an objective fact born out by Trump's every utterance and action.

I can hope that maybe wiser heads will prevail. When one travels back from the woods and small towns on the outskirts of Greensboro and into the city itself, the signs for Joe Biden become more numerous. 

And maybe out there in the rural areas, maybe not all hope is lost. I'm now on Tik Tok and I have found a series of videos that all have that certain aesthetic that once associates with people from the country and small towns. The people in these videos look into the camera and with thick southern accents, they give their opening statement: "Let me tell you about Donald  Trump!" If you think from the demographic cues that what will follow will be praise for dear Donald, you will be surprised. What follows is usually something along the lines of "Donald Trump is a fucking moron!" And what follows that is usually a well articulated recitation of specific reasons why they thing "Donald Trump is a fucking moron!" 

I am, for a moment, relieved that I am not alone, that others can see. 

Then I hear the distant noise and feel the low rumble through the ground. There's a Trump Train in my backyard. 

________________________________

Tonight is the first debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 

Joe, I'm begging you, stay on topic, stay focused on the issues that matter to Americans, no rambling anecdotes. For God's sake, just don't fuck up. Not even a little bit.  

Li'l Donnie, just be yourself. 

Hate to do another political post but I will likely have some comments on that for a post on Wednesday afternoon or early Thursday.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.  

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks

 

It's time once again for the Tuesday TV Touchbase where I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You answers the question that grips America every week, "What the hell is Dave-El watching on TV?" 

This week's post looks at Star Trek stuff.

Star Trek: Discovery

While the 3rd season is mere weeks away, the family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude is still muddling it's way through the 1st season of Star Trek: Discovery. Andrea and I plowed through episodes 1 and 2 while our daughter Randie was away at school. When Randie came back home to continue her schooling remotely, I wasn't prepared to go back and watch those 2 episodes to catch Randie up and quite frankly they were not needed. Picking up from episode 3 works just fine.  

It's taken us from episodes 3 to 6 to finally learn who is who and why we should care about them. Randie is pretty quick to pick up on details but I too frequently resort to "Hey, that woman who did that thing is talking to that guy from the other thing." 

The credits for Discovery are no help. Yes, the sequence is beautifully rendered with a haunting theme but the credits just give the names of the actors and not the characters. Credits for Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager list actor names with their respective characters which is very helpful. God forbid that Star Trek: Discovery should be helpful. 

(Star Trek: Enterprise also dispensed with the actor name/character name match ups in the credits. It would've been helpful if they didn't do that.) 

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham gets the most attention and deservedly so. She is a fascinating dichotomy, a human raised on Vulcan, the ultimate Starfleet officer guilty of the ultimate Starfleet betrayal, a proponent of Starfleet's highest ideals while trapped in a war that challenges those ideals, a war she did not want but a war she helped start. 

I've written that the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery are extraneous to following this series. Yes, a lot of the groundwork for Burnham's character and motivations are laid out in those episodes. But picking up from episode three, the examination of what makes Michael Burnham tick is peeling away at an onion which I think makes for a more fascinating journey in discovering who Burnham really is. The information from episodes 1 and 2 could have just as easily been presented in flashbacks in subsequent episodes or even dedicating a single episode to Burnham's background.  

Doug Jones as Saru is a interesting new addition to the Star Trek mythos. Saru is a Kelpien,  a species hunted as prey on their home planet and with an evolved ability to sense danger. Saru is first officer on the Discovery and is trying really hard to be a good Starfleet officer who can stare down danger while having an evolved ability to sense danger that tells him to run like hell. If that wasn't enough for Saru to deal with, his relationship with Michael Burnham is fraught with complexities. Saru thinks highly of Burnham's skills as a Starfleet officer. Saru is also seriously pissed at Burnham's mutiny over their former captain. Saru respects Burnham's talents even as his evolved ability to sense danger tells him she's gonna be trouble. 

Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets is a bit of a jerk when we first meet him but hell, he's got Michael Burnham thrust upon his department on Discovery and everyone's being a jerk towards Burnham. As Discovery's chief engineer, Stamets is tasked with making sense of the ship's experimental spore drive. He lightens up considerably when Burnham's intervention leads him to finally making the damn thing work. In a first for a Star Trek TV series, Stamets is an openly gay man, married to the ship's doctor.  

Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly is delightfully weird in a way Star Trek shows usually don't let regular characters act. She has aspirations to be a captain one day if she can get past her social anxiety and other quirks. She's perky and optimistic so naturally she winds up paired up with the perennially dour Burnham as her roommate. It's kind of like Tuvok and Neelix from Voyager but less irritating. Unlike Neelix, I actually like Tilly.  

Jason Isaacs is Gabriel Lorca, captain of Discovery and probably the most profoundly fucked up captain we've seen on Star Trek. He's sensitive to light so he spends a lot of time lurking about in underlit rooms. He has zero fucks to give about the Starfleet chain of command, sending Discovery to wherever he damn well pleases to do whatever he damn well wants. While I am watching these episodes of Discovery for the first time, there are things about the show that I am aware of and I know the secret of Gabriel Lorca. My wife and daughter wish I would stop dropping hints about it.  

My family is taking our re-watch of Discovery slow with 1 episode a week after we watch Lower Decks. After Lower Decks finishes its 1st season, Discovery's 3rd season will launch but that will have to wait while we play catch up. 

As of now, we are through episode 6 of season one.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

We're up to # 8 of the 10 episodes for the first season. "Veritas" shows what happens when lower echelons on a Starfleet starship are left out of the loop of whatever is going on with the bridge crew. It echoes some of the beats of the Next Gen episode "Lower Decks" where the senior staff are up to shit and the junior guys do not have the full picture of what the hell is going. In "Veritas", the senior crew of the the Cerritos have been up to some kind of shenanigans with a secret mission involving the Romulans and when asked to give an account, Marriner, Boimler, Tendi & Rutherford can only give bits and pieces of what little they know. 

Cool guest appearance: John DeLancie's on hand as the voice of Q for a couple of cameos. 

Obscure reference: In a discussion of bad asses who have taken on Starfleet, Marriner cites Kahn's battle with Kirk but Boimler digs deeper into Star Trek lore for his pick for the best bad ass who fought Starfleet: Roga Danar. 

Roga Danar appeared in the Next Gen season 3 episode "The Hunted". Danar is a genetically enhanced super soldier who is able to run rings around the Enterprise in only an escape pod. Danar was super strong, nearly invulnerable, a sharp strategic thinker and could fight off a transporter beam. Obscure reference but I agree with Boimler's assessment of Roga Danar: the dude was a bad ass. 

Next week's Tuesday TV Touchbase will take a look at Muppets Now on Disney+ and we catch up on the return of Press Your Luck. 

Until next time, stay safe, remember to be good to one another and keep it down, would ya, I'm trying to watch some TV here.

The Supreme 180

As expected, Donald Trump selected Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died over a week ago. 

Selecting Barrett to replace Ginsburg is a 180 degree shift from everything Ginsburg stood for and fought for in her long legal and judicial career. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg worked to expand rights under the Constitution, rights for women and people of color and the LGBTQ community and more. 

Amy Coney Barrett is an originalist, a fancy way of saying that if the Constitution does specifically say something is a right, then it ain't so. In short, instead of expanding rights for those who would otherwise be disenfranchised in American society, Barrett takes a narrower view. 

What is at stake with Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court? 

Health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions will go away. Donald Trump is still seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court and with a conservative majority on the court, the likelihood of ACA being struck down all or in part is more likely. Millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions.who rely on the ACA for health insurance will no longer have that coverage.

A woman's right to have control over her own body will be at risk. The raison d'etre for why Evangelicals have sucked so hard on Donald Trump's ass for the last 4 years is to build a sufficiently conservative majority on the Supreme Court to either roll back or at least gut Roe Vs. Wade. Amy Coney Barrett has gone on the record to say that the Supreme Court ruling on Roe Vs. Wade was "erroneous"; her placement on the bench will give Barrett a chance to "correct" that error. 

LGBTQ rights will be in danger. Ginsburg led the way in decisions that gave same sex couples the right to marry, for transgender people to not be fired from their jobs, for gay people to not be denied the right to live where they choose and so on. Legal challenges to this expansion of rights to the LGBTQ community making their way back to the Supreme Court will find a sympathetic ear in Barrett. 

You will more likely be shot in the face. Efforts by cities and states to institute some form of gun control have faced continual legal challenges in the courts. Cases making their way to the Supreme Court have ruled in favor of cities and states to curb the availability of guns with  Ruth Bader Ginsburg leading the way. On the other hand, Amy Coney Barrett has questioned the constitutionality of such bans.  

We may get four more years of Donald Trump. Li'l Donnie has been doing his damnedest to sow discord and doubt over the election process with wild, unfounded accusations of fraud. And he has his attorney general Bill Barr promigating the same bullshit as well. All this sets the stage for Trump to make any number of legal challenges to voting results that do not have him as the winner. If these challenges make it to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett tilts the court in a conservative direction that would support Trump. See what happened in 2000 when the Supreme Court weighed in the deadlocked US presidential election; a conservative majority handed the White House to George W Bush. So there is a precedent for this sort of thing.

Now I will admit some of the consequence of Amy Coney Barrett being on the Supreme Court as I outlined above may verge on hyperbole. I mean, I'm obviously pushing some buttons with "You will more likely be shot in the face".  

But the long terms consequences of Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court feel very real. Barrett’s views on abortion, the ACA, gun rights, sexual assault, immigration and more are no mystery. They are known and well documented. And they not only run a complete 180 degree counter to the woman she is replacing, they also run counter to what the majority of the voting public wants. 

Which brings us to the short term consequences. We've got a nominee who may get a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court on a Republican majority vote, a vote that will take place mere days before an election when Republican's may lose their hold on the Senate and the Presidency. We have a political party dictating judicial policy for the next generation potentially on their way out the door.  

We have a political party that is determined to have its own way no matter what. Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham were asserting that the GOP had to votes to confirm Trump's nominee, even before any knew who Trump's nominee would be. 

And there is the rampant hypocrisy of how McConnell stole President Obama's Supreme Court nominee on the pretext that a Supreme Court justice should not be replaced in an election year, that the voters should have a say in such a selection.  2020 provides a replication of the events of 2016 and McConnell can't get the next justice confirmed fast enough.  

This actually goes out of the people's hands even further when you consider how Amy Coney Barrett wound up in front of Trump as a Supreme Court nominee in the first place. Like Gorsuch and Kavanaugh before her, Barrett is a product of the Federalist Society, a conservative group with a long term plan of grooming people right out of law school with an eye on future judicial appointments including the Supreme Court to promote conservative positions in the judiciary. The Federalist Society does all the heavy lifting on vetting potential nominees to the Federal court system. All Trump does is pick the one he likes best. He's gone on record as citing nominees for looking like they are out of "central casting". Gorsuch with his serious business man vibe, Kavanaugh with his suburban dad look.

There is zero doubt in my mind that Trump went down the list of potential nominees from the Federalist Society, landed on Barrett's photo, thought she looks pretty for a middle aged mom of 7 and decided to "cast" her as his next pick for the Supreme Court.  

To sum up, Amy Coney Barrett is a judicial nominee whose views run counter to the majority of Americans selected by a non elected, non government body, nominated by an exceedingly unpopular president and to be confirmed by a partisan vote.  

The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is not on a 180 degree turn from the legacy of her predecessor but is also a full 180 from democracy itself.

Saikrishna Prakash, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, takes issues with such predictions of doom.  Prof. Prakash wrote, "Almost everyone will wonder what she will do on the court, with predictions of doom and gloom the loudest. Everyone forgets that justices can surprise their nominating presidents, with Justice David Souter, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch as recent examples. And people overlook the many justices who actually disappoint their appointers, like Justice William Brennan. Precisely how a Justice Barrett will surprise her critics and fans is unknown." 

Personally, I think this is wishful thinking on the professor's part. I remember trying to reassure my nervous wife back in November 2016 that perhaps Donald Trump would surprise everyone once he was in office. I didn't believe it but I fervently held on to that hope. It was a hope that was quickly and decisively disavowed. 

I have a bad feeling that in Amy Coney Barrett, what we see is what we're going to get. 

Cinema Sunday: Kissing Jessica Stein

Today, Cinema Sunday takes a look at Kissing Jessica Stein, a 2001 romantic comedy film, written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen. 

We've covered the whole "experienced lesbian meets cute with a woman new to this whole lesbian thing" before but this film represents a bit of a change from those movies I've discussed here before. 

Kissing Jessica Stein is not set in the 1950s. 

And both women are new to this whole lesbian thing. Still, one is a bit more open to the idea and the other is very neurotic about it.  

The neurotic one is twenty-eight-year-old Jessica Stein, an attractive copy editor at a New York City newspaper. She is the prototype for literally hundreds if not thousands of hetero romantic comedies, the super busy career woman who wants to find love but damn it, she has standards and her career keeps her so super busy. 






Her brother Dan has just gotten engaged.

Her best friend Joan is pregnant. 

Her mother Judy is worried that Jessica will end up alone. 

Jessica's dating life is not giving us a lot of hope. A montage of some really awful dates shows the dating hell that Jessica is up against. (Including a really young, pre-Big Bang Theory Kevin Sussman.) 

Then Jessica's interest is piqued by a personal ad that includes her favorite quote about relationships.

The ad is in the "Women Seeking Women" section of the newspaper.

Jessica Stein answers the ad and meets Helen Cooper. 

Helen works at an art gallery. Dissatisfied with unfulfilling sex with men, Helen's gay friends encourage her to try dating women. 

Jessica shows up for the date but is very apprehensive. 

Helen persuades her not to leave and the two bond over drinks and dinner, discovering they get along well and have a lot in common. 

The first date ends when Helen passionately kisses Jessica goodnight.

Jessica and Helen start dating. Awkward make out sessions ensue.  Jessica brought manuals and catalogs which she thinks might help. Helen's not really sure they need manuals and all that equipment.   

Judy invites Helen to accompany Jessica home for dinner with the family. Forced to stay overnight because of a bad thunderstorm, Helen and Jessica sleep together in Jessica's old bed where they have sex for the first time.  

Jessica and Helen are happy together but Jessica is as neurotic as ever, keeping her new lesbian relationship a secret, fearing what others may think.  

Helen refuses to be treated as a shameful secret and breaks up with Jessica.  

With her brother's wedding approaching, Jessica is in a deep funk and goes to her mom. Judy tells her two very important things: 

1) Jessica is perfectionist who always quits things if they are not perfect, even if they make her happy. 

2) Jessica should not let this ruin her chances at happiness with Helen, who seems like "a lovely girl". 

Whoa! Mom knew about Jessica and Helen this whole time and she's OK with it? That is so cool! 

Jessica apologizes to Helen and invites her to be her date for Dan's wedding. Helen is a hit at the event and warmly welcomed into the family.

The end.

OK, no, sadly, not the end. 

A few months later, Jessica and Helen are living together in Helen's apartment and  their sexual relationship begins to fade. Helen realizes that Jessica views her as a best friend and roommate more than a lover. Jessica is OK with that but Helen needs more. After a bad fight, the two split up for good. 

More months go by and we find Helen is happily living with another woman. Jessica is a more calm and content version of her former self, having taken the positive things she learned from her time with Helen and applied them to her own life. She meets up with Josh, her editor at the paper; she has not seen him since she left to focus on her painting. 

Jessica meets up with Helen; the two women now solidly friends. Jessica tells Helen she is going on a date with Josh.


Kissing Jessica Stein got dinged by the LGBT community for not dealing in depth with the difficulties of being openly gay, but  was praised for portraying a same-sex relationship in a positive light. 

The Advocate magazine listed the film as an essential film for LGBT viewers, stating that "By no means is it a model lesbian movie — in fact, the film is a more honest look at bisexuality and sexual fluidity — but it is certainly a movie that encourages exploration and self-awareness."

Beyond the ground breaking same sex relationship, Kissing Jessica Stein also upends the tropes of romantic comedies. What usually happens is the featured couple goes through hell together but they will end up on the other side still together, happy and in love. This is not the fate for Jessica and Helen which is a shame but it is sadly realistic. Both women were in the rush of something new for both of them; unfortunately, relationships built on that kind of energy do not last as that kind of energy will change. 

Still, it is good that Jessica and Helen do end the movie still friends and better people for their experience. Nonetheless, it remains heart breaking when two have that big fight and break up for real. 

Kissing Jessica Stein is any many ways a standard take on the romantic comedy with the quirky, neurotic girl struggling to find love in the big city. It goes beyond that standard with a message of acceptance and challenging our expectations. 

Songs For Saturday: Men Without Hats, Dee-Lite and Snap!

For today's Songs For Saturday post, it's time to not just to slap on the Bat Head Phones but also put on your dancing shoes. 

Time to get down with our bad selves. 

Let's DANCE!!!!

We're leading off with the the extended dance remix of "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats.

 

I would like to address how I approach dancing.

Step 1: Drink an alcoholic beverage.

Step 2: Drink another alcoholic beverage.

Step 3: Stand up and announce, "I am now prepared to engage in the act of dancing now."

Step 4: I walk up to the dance floor. 

Step 5: I step on to the dance floor.

Step 6: Only now do I permit myself to "engage in the act of dancing."

Step 7: Cease dancing, exit dance floor and return to table.

Step 8: I sit down and drink another alcoholic beverage.

Time for another tune! 

We're going to dance...

We're going to dance...

We're going to dance...

And have some fun! 

Up next is Deeee-Lite with "Groove Is In the Heart". 

Feel free to engage in the act of dancing now.  

Next up is a song called "Rhythm Is a Dancer" released in March 1992 song by German Eurodance group Snap!

Yeah, that sounded like it was German in origin. 

Remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive. 

 

Supergirl Flies Into the Sunset

 

Well, as if 2020 hasn't taken enough way from us already...

Word came down earlier this week that Supergirl, the CW series, will be ending as of it's 6th season. 

Due to both pandemic restrictions and Melissa Benoist's pregnancy, production on Supergirl's 6th season is delayed with no new episodes set to air on the CW until the spring of 2021. 

With a new Superman series set to debut in January, it's not a complete surprise that Supergirl would be nearing the end of it's run after 6 years. 

Supergirl has been the little TV show that could, just holding on to it's berth on the CBS schedule for it's 1st season then becoming a part of the slate of DC shows on the CW. I've always rooted for Supergirl to succeed if for no other reason than the show provides a strong, positive female role model. 

But as much as I might miss Kara Danvers, her sister Alex and the rest of the gang, I'm not entirely torn up that Supergirl is going to end.

I think the show has struggled to find it's voice and forge a clear direction. Lapses in plot logic and character development have consistently frustrated me. 

The Reign arc? Ugh! Leviathan? What a let down. Lena Luthor breaking bad? Really? 

But when the show succeeds, wow! Casting Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor was a stroke of genius and I hope Cryer can continue as Lex when then new Superman series is launched.  

The relationships of women as sisters and friends were a joy to experience. 

I like that Supergirl's first solution to a problem is to punch it. But her best solution is to just talk some damn sense into somebody.  

I hope that with the fore knowledge that the show is ending, the writers and producers will develop a strong story arc for our cast to end on a positive note. 

Supergirl isn't faring to well in the comics. Her solo series at DC was not only cancelled but cancelled early. With about 3 issues set to go, DC elected to not print those issues but release them digitally only. Those issues will only see print in a potential future trade collection.  

Supergirl has never been handled consistently in the comics.

Kara Zor-El of Krypton landed on Earth and Superman immediately plopped a brown wig on her head, named her Linda Lee and dropped her in an orphanage where she was adopted by the Danvers family. Kara Zor-El of Krypton was now Linda Danvers of Midvale. 

Supergirl operated in secret for awhile until Superman decided she was ready to show herself to the world. 

Back in the 1960s, Superman could be kind of a dick.  

After holding down a back up spot on Action Comics, Supergirl was made the lead feature in Adventure Comics where artist Mike Sekowsky decided Supergirl needed a new outfit but left it up to reader suggestions to come up with a new design.  

Eventually Supergirl moved into her own title for 10 issues then became part of the roster in Superman family. 

All through this, Supergirl rarely held down a regular writer/artist team for very long. Probably Supergirl's most consistent team during this period was Jack C Harris, Win Mortimer & Vince Colletta.  

Superman Family was cancelled and Supergirl got her own solo title again courtesy of Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino & Bob Oskner. 

Not sure who thought Carmine Infantino was a good idea to be the artist for this Supergirl series.  

This title lasted about 2 years. After it was cancelled, Supergirl was killed off in Crisis On Infinite Earths#7.

And that was that for Supergirl until John Byrne presented the world with a new Supergirl. Byrne had rebooted the mythos of Superman with an eye on keeping Superman as the sole survivor of Krypton. 

This Supergirl was a protoplasmic being from another dimension who could shape shift into anyone but their preferred form was that of Supergirl. 

Then writer Peter David took this version protoplasmic version of Supergirl into another direction. Protoplasmic Supergirl saves delinquent Linda Danvers from a supernatural ritual. Somehow, Supergirl and Linda Danvers merge, body, mind and soul, to become an "Earth-Born Angel". 

This version of Supergirl carried her own title for 80 issues, the single longest run of a Supergirl series either before or since. 

Then there was a back to basics mandate for Supergirl from the powers that be. No more of this  "Earth-Born Angel" business. It was time for Supergirl to become Kara Zor-El of Krypton once more. 

The in-story excuse for this costume was that, like Clark Kent's Superman suit, it was designed by Clark's mom, Martha Kent of Smallville, Kansas.  

Really? There is no way a woman on a farm in Kansas would create this get up. 

Thankfully, later artists would close off the mid rift and lengthen the skirt to reduce the hyper sexualization of the girl from Krypton. 

Then the New 52 happened and we got this Supergirl.

Is that a... codpiece? 

And then Rebirth happened and we got this version of Supergirl which borrowed quite a bit from the TV show, establishing her base of operations out of National City, her civilian ID as Kara Danvers, dividing her time between CatCo and the DEO.  

And it's this version that was unceremoniously cancelled earlier this year.  

While Superman is Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, Supergirl's civilian life is in constant flux, holding jobs in student counseling, news reporting, and acting in a TV soap opera.  

This lack of definition for Supergirl's civilian life was just part of the overall lack of focus on who Supergirl is supposed to be. From reboot to reboot, Supergirl goes from a young girl still in her teens to a young woman with a adult problems.  

Because Supergirl is so ill-defined in the main DC Universe, she is easily adaptable to other forms. 

My favorite alternate take on Kara Zor-El was Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade by writer Landry Q. Walker and artist Eric Jones.  

This series put all the elements of silver age Supergirl into a blender and came up with a series that was a lot of fun and deserved a much longer life than the 6 issues it got.

At the time, my daughter Randie was buying this series and totally devouring each issue. She read and re-reread each issue of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade until those books were almost reduced to liquid form. 

The spirit of Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade came to mind when artist Chris Samnee posted this commission on Twitter of Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. 

I posted a comment that I wanted...no, NEEDED to see a Supergirl and Krypto series by Chris Samnee. Chris liked the tweet and replied with a "Thanks, man!" 

Meanwhile, DC is no longer publishing a Supergirl comic book series and after next year, Supergirl will no longer have her TV series as well.

Here is what Melissa Benoist had to say about her time as Supergirl. 

 “To say it has been an honour portraying this iconic character would be a massive understatement. Seeing the incredible impact the show has had on young girls around the world has always left me humbled and speechless.  She’s had that impact on me, too. She’s taught me strength I didn’t know I had, to find hope in the darkest of places, and that we are stronger when we’re united. What she stands for pushes all of us to be better. She has changed my life for the better, and I’m forever grateful. I’m so excited that we get to plan our conclusion to this amazing journey, and I cannot wait for you to see what we have in store. I promise we’re going to make it one helluva final season."

Whatever issues I may have had with the writing and storylines on Supergirl, what was never in doubt to me was the sure joy that Melissa Benoist brought to the role of Supergirl. I will miss seeing her on screen on a regular basis.

I hope however the series ends, it still leaves opportunities for Melissa to revisit the role of Supergirl for the occasional guest appearance on the new Superman series or CW crossover events. 

Fly free, Supergirl. You will be missed.  

  

That Ol' Central Perk Gang

For that ol' gang of friends that used to hang out at the Central Perk, life has been good for them in the years since their youthful, carefree days. 

Well...

Except for one of them. 

_____________________________________

Some days I just got nothing. 

About a week ago, my comic book collecting pal on Twitter Aaron Meyers posted the above cover to Ghosts#112.  Ghosts was a long running part of DC's line of mystery books, specializing mostly in (as the title suggests) ghosts. 

Issue #112 was in fact the book's finale issue and the cover was illustrated by the book's editor at the time, Dave Manak. 

After this cover was posted on Twitter, I tweeted a comment that Joey from Friends did not meet a happy end. 

If you sat through an episode of the Friends spin off called Joey, well, you know that's true. 

I know there is a much in the world that cries out for comment. It feels like the world is teetering on the brink of madness and chaos and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. 

Be good to one another.  

LEA THOMPSON ALERT!

LEA THOMPSON ALERT!

Someone posted on Twitter a video with Donald Trump with an accordion between his two waving hands. Much like this one.

It wasn't this particular video; apparently there are about a dozen of these on You Tube, having fun with Li'l Donnie penchant for waving his hands back and forth all the time when he talks.

Actress Lea Thompson retweeted one of these Trump accordion videos as seen below.

I decided to respond.  

And then...

And then...

Hold on, I need to take a deep breath here...

And then...

Lea Thompson decided to like it! 

Lea Thompson liked my Tweet?

Lea Thompson liked my Tweet! 

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

Lea Thompson, movie star (Back of the Future, Some Kind of Wonderful, Howard the Duck and many more), TV star (Caroline in the City and more) and TV director (including episodes of Young Sheldon & Stargirl among others) LIKED! MY! TWEET!!!!

Lea Thompson is now the highest person in the Hollywood hierarchy to acknowledge my presence on Twitter! 

This magnificent woman....

LIKED!

MY!

TWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

LEA THOMPSON LIKED MY TWEET!!!

And NOW my life has meaning.