There's Nothing To See Here

Today is Memorial Day when we ostensibly honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country.

How much honor can we demonstrate in a country that is incapable it appears to deliver truth and justice.  

This particular Memorial Day occurs within days of 35 Republican Senators who stood united in their refusal to investigate an attack on this country. 

Bipartisan legislation  to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was shut down by Senate Republicans.  The vote in favor of the commission was 54 to 35 but Senate rules require 60 votes for the measure to pass.  

If you're doing the math, that's a total of 89 votes in a legislative body with 100 members. Whither be the other 11?

They booked it out of Washington on Friday to get a jump on the Memorial Day weekend, cowardly avoiding the vote altogether.

Republicans twisted themselves in cowardly, hypocritical knots to justify being against a bipartisan bill supporting an independent investigation into the events of January 6th. A lot of whining that the Democrats are big ol' meanies who won't play fair and shit like that.  

But mostly it is as all things are these days for the Republican Party in deference to their dark lord and master, Donald Trump. 

Trump is still propagating the big lie that the 2020 Presidential election was fraudulent, that Trump really won and the election was stolen from him.

And a majority of Republicans are still riding the wake of Li'l Donnie's big lie because that's where the goddamn money is. 

In addition to Trump's own obvious culpability in the events of the January 6th attack on the Capitol by his supporters, there are several Republican congress persons who are implicit or explicit in their support of that attack. 

A bipartisan supported  independent investigation into the events of January 6th is the last thing the Republican Party wants. 

In addition to pointing an objective finger at Trump and his minions, the proposed commission would also offer insights into logistical concerns on the matter of Capitol security. Why were Capitol police caught off guard? Why were they so quickly overwhelmed? What took so long for the National Guard to be engaged to offer tactical support? 

An independent commission would provide a fair and honest assessment of the terrible events of January 6th. 

Fair and honest is the last thing a Republican Party suckled so closely to Donald Trump actually wants. 

They want to convince their constituents that as far as the events of January 6th are concerned, there's nothing to see here. 

Cinema Sunday: Random Musings about Green Lantern, Spaced Invaders and Other Stuff

Today's Cinema Sunday is not about a particular movie.  Just some random musings on the subject of movies or as the elites say, "film".

I've been seeing commercials for the The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard which is a sequel to The Hitman's Bodyguard which was the subject of the first ever Cinema Sunday posted January 12, 2020. 

The Hitman's Bodyguard was an enjoyable way to pass a Saturday afternoon with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel F. Jackson having a hell of a lot of fun being their most Ryan Reynolds and Samuel F. Jackson selves with a shit ton of snark under a  theme of “stuff blowed up real good”.  

Will I go to see it's sequel in a theater? Probably not. Sorry but my mind has consigned The Hitman's Bodyguard to a movie I saw on TV and my strange warped brain sees it's sequel as something best left for TV. Yes, I know that sounds stupid but no one, least of all me, has ever not accused my brain of being stupid. 

Besides, while I did enjoy The Hitman's Bodyguard, it does not mean I necessarily thought it was a good movie.  Hey, Ryan and Samuel were funny and “stuff blowed up real good”.  Sometimes that's all I need. Do I really need a movie to be good as well? That seems like a lot of pressure. 

Have I ever gone to see a movie knowing it would be bad? Why yes and speaking of Ryan Reynolds,  one of those movies was Green Lantern.  

I really wanted to like this movie. The images of the Green Lantern Corp ripped from the pages of the comics excited my inner teen age fan boy. Hearing Kilowog call someone a "poozer" was a thrill.  

In preparation for this movie, I bought a Green Lantern t-shirt,

I was ready for Green Lantern!

Green Lantern, alas, was not ready for me. 

But even as the Rotten Tomatoes score kept tumbling down, down, down and down, I was still determined by God to see Green Lantern.

I have a Green Lantern t-shirt, damn it! 

By brightest day, by darkest night, this movie was a horrible sight. 

When Andrea and I were first dating, we went to see a movie we knew was going to be bad called Spaced Invaders.  The biggest name in this movie was Doug Barr who was Lee Majors' sidekick on the TV series The Fall Guy. 

In the trailer, one of the invading aliens has a threatening line to say when he encounters a human: "Prepare to die, earth scum!"

The invaders' plans go pear shape which leads to one of the other aliens to lose their shit: "Prepare to die, earth scum! Prepare to die, earth scum! Prepare to die, earth scum! You're gonna get us all killed!" 

Andrea and I decided to to see Spaced Invaders based on that one line even though the damn thing looked cheap as hell and could only afford Doug Barr as their biggest star. 

It was a terrible movie. But sometimes it bubbles up to the surface of our consciousness and Andrea and I will quote it for no damn good reason: "Prepare to die, earth scum! Prepare to die, earth scum! Prepare to die, earth scum! You're gonna get us all killed!" 

OK, I think that is that for this week's Cinema Sunday. Next week we get back to the usual with reviews of movies that are incredibly old and stuff although I do have a post coming up about a movie from 2019. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and don't bogart all that popcorn.  

Songs for Saturday: Blues Traveller, Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots

 

Welcome to another edition of Songs For Saturday where each week I post a play list of songs I like.

Some weeks there's a theme or a spotlight on specific artist.

Or there are weeks like this one when I just throw some songs at the walls of I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You to see what sticks.

This is one of those weeks.

Leading off today's play list is perhaps my favorite song by Blues Traveller, a fast pace number with clever word play called "Hook".

Next up is the Smashing Pumpkins. While I admire Billy Corgan's musical compositions, I really have trouble with the nasal quality of his singing voice.  But even with that particular reservation, "1979" is perhaps my favorite song by the Smashing Pumpkins.  

Next up is the Stone Temple Pilots, a group with a sadly tragic back story with the death of lead singer Scott Weilland who was unable to hold back the self destructive nature of his inner demons.

The last song on today's play list is my favorite song by STP, "Big Bang Baby".  

I've got more music from the Stone Temple Pilots I want to share in next week's Songs For Saturday.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive.  

Because Apparently I Hate You All

 

You have reached I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

You might think I might be appreciative of your attention to my blog.

You might think I would say "thank you" for viewing my little corner of the internet.

You might think that.

But NO! 

Apparently, I hate you ALL! 

Oh you don't believe that?

It's true! 

To prove how much I hate you all, here is "Rocket Man"

Performed by William Shatner.

Doctor WyrdByrd Triumphant!

This past weekend on Word Crush, I crushed it!

I won the weekend tournament! 

Yes, I the mighty Doctor WyrdByrd am Triumphant!   

I crushed my enemies! Their bone mere dust beneath my feet! 

And now my life is complete!

Where In the World Is Smallville?

 In the Superman mythology, where exactly is Smallville?

Where for that matter is Metropolis?

These are questions my mind pondered while watching last week's episode of Superman and Lois.

For years, the exact location of Smallville was left vague. It wasn't until the advent of the Superman movie in 1978 that the idea took hold that Smallville is in Kansas, 

Over the last 40 plus years over the course of several reboots and relaunches, Smallville has remained in Kansas. 

Metropolis is actually a bit harder to pin down. It's basically assumed to be somewhere on the American east coast. 

In the DC universe, Metropolis is an expy of New York City.

But Gotham City is also an expy of New York City.

In the DC universe, in addition to Metropolis and Gotham City, New York City also still exists. 

In the DC universe as I understand, there exists a sort megalopolis along the northern Atlantic seaboard, running from New Jersey and up into Massachusetts, where Gotham and NYC and Metropolis co-exist. 

In short, Smallville and Metropolis are a hell of a long way from each other. 

Which brings us to the weird shit that went down last week on Superman & Lois.

Where Smallville High's football team played Metropolis High. 

Which is a thing that should never happen. 

OK, this is a world with Superman in it along with a variety of other super powered beings but there is no way a high school in frickin' Kansas would play a high school on the frickin' east coast.

Yes, I can believe a man can fly but damned if two high schools nearly 1,300 damn miles apart would play against each other. 

Did I miss something? Is the Smallville in Superman & Lois in Pennsylvania instead? Is Metropolis in Nebraska? 

Oh hell no! 

Where in the world is Smallville? It's not close enough for it's high school team to play football in Metropolis, that's for damn sure!  

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Justified

 

I just completed Season 3 of Justified. While the season lack the menace and gravitas of Season 2's Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale), her legacy looms large over the 3rd season. 

Bowd Crowder thinks he can move into the power vacuum left by Mags' death. But others have similar plans for the criminal activities of Harlan County, Kentucky. The Detroit mob has exiled Robert Quarles to Kentucky to take charge of the various criminal enterprises in Harlan including the lucrative meth and opioid operations.  

Also the Detroit mob bosses just want Quarles out of their hair because he's a messed up fuck, driven by demons expressed in drug use and violent sexual hang ups. If Quarles happens to succeed, great. If totally fucks up, he winds up dead and he's now one less problem to deal with. 

Quarles is brutal with no real sense of where the line is so he frequently crosses it. Summarily executing people, making threats to the wrong people, Quarles thinks he's being tough but smarter than the yokels in Kentucky. 

That attitude will cost him.

It is terribly ironic that of the once powerful Bennet crime family, the only one to survive last season is Dickie, the dumbest and weakest of the whole lot. And he is the target of a lot of unwanted attention since he the sole inheritor of Mags Bennet's fortune.

Which brings us to Ellstin Limehouse, butcher, barbeque chef and the big boss of Noble's Holler, a predominantly African American community in the heart of Harlan. 

Seems Mags had a deal with Ellstin Limehouse to protect her money. Limehouse runs a very tight ship, brooking no missteps from those who serve him, swift and brutal in his punishments of those who betray him or the Noble's Holler community.  

In the middle of all this is US Deputy Marshall Raylan Givens. Life seems to be moving in a positive direction for ol' Raylan. He's back together with his ex-wife Winona who is pregnant with Raylan's child. Raylan is happy at the prospect of being a father but Winona's patience with the inherent violence of Raylan's profession is being stretched more than she can stand. She leaves Rayland to go live with her sister which kind of puts Rayland off his game just as all sorts of death and more death are bursting out all over Harlan. 

I have three more seasons of Justified to get through but I am keenly aware that this series is a limited resource. I am enjoying this series too much to rush it to it's conclusion. So before I move on to Season 4, I am working on season 1 of Gentleman Jack and then after that, I will work through season 2 of The Orville.  

Oh, and I've started the new Marvel stop motion series on Hulu, MODOK.  

Meanwhile, the family is still working through Star Trek Discovery and we've added Doom Patrol to our viewing rotation.

And Andrea is watching The Flight Attendant with me. And the two of us are going back to watch season 1 of Young Sheldon. 

So much TV, so little time.  

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

The Epilogue Is Only Just Beginning

I ventured forth from the Fortress of Ineptitude to go to the grocery store. For a year, a big white sign with friendly green letters has bid me welcome but with the caveat that by order of the governor, I must wear a mask.

Yesterday, that sign was gone.

The masks were not.

Everyone in the store, employees and customers were all wearing masks, as was I.

It's not so easy throwing caution to the winds after a year of being on high alert.

The news is looking good vis a vie COVID-19.

New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months.

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped over the past week.

There seems to be some optimism that vaccinations are curtailing severe COVID-19 cases as well as the spread of the virus.

But while COVID-19 might be less of a thing than it was, it is still a thing, people can still get sick from it and sadly, people can still die.

Which brings us to David Anthony Kraft who died after several weeks of battling COVID pneumonia.

Kraft was a writer for comic books when I was a much younger Dave-El. He wrote Captain America, She-Hulk and the Defenders. It was under Kraft that former Defenders writer Steve Gerber's bizarre ongoing sub plot of the "Elf With A Gun" was resolved.

By running over the Elf with a truck.

Kraft and Gerber were good friends and Gerber created a character during his run on Marvel's Man-Thing named after Kraft, Dakimh the Enchanter.

"DAKIMH" as in "David Anthony Kraft Is My Hero". It seems Kraft had helped Gerber during a few deadline crunches.

David Anthony Kraft also wrote for DC including the Superman/Batman feature in World's Finest, Secret Society of Super Villains and Swamp Thing.

Kraft was the writer of the long lost Swamp Thing#25 that was scheduled for release in July 1976. An encounter between Swamp Thing and Hawkman was teased in issue #24 but the book was abruptly cancelled even though art by Ernie Chan was completed. The story was thought lost but finally the surviving pages of script and art were published in Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age#2 in 2018.

In addition to writing for comics, David Anthony Kraft work as a publisher produced two highly regarded magazines about comics, Comics Interview and Comics Revue. A lot of what we know and understand about the art and the mechanics of making comic books comes from Kraft's work in those two magazines.

David Anthony Kraft was also a prolific writer about rock 'n' roll and combined his love of music and comics for two special projects, a comic book telling of the story of the Beatles and an adaption of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Kraft was a smart and industrious creator.

And sadly a stark reminder that the battle against the coronavirus pandemic is not over.

As Mark Evanier wrote in his blog, Kraft's passing is "a reminder that while COVID-19 seems to be going away, it's still taking a lot of good people with it."

The pandemic may be in it's epilogue but that epilogue is only just beginning.

The tragic story of the coronavirus pandemic is not quite over.

Cinema Sunday: Touch Of Evil

 

Today's Cinema Sunday turns it's attention to Touch of Evil, a 1958 American film noir written and directed by Orson Welles.

I'm going to be honest: I have never seen this film in order at one time. Over the years, I have seen the middle, the ending and the beginning. But even in bits and pieces, I am completely captivated by this movie. 

Along the U.S.–Mexico border, a fatal car bomb leads Mexican police detective Miguel Vargas to cross paths with American detective Hank Quinlan and his longtime partner, Pete Menzies. A young Mexican named Sanchez is implicated for the murderous bombing when Quinlan and Menzies discover sticks of dynamite in his apartment but Vargas suspects Quinlan of planting evidence. Quinlan calls bullshit on that, saying Vargas is just biased in favor of his fellow Mexican.

And like that, it is on.  

Vargas is determined to expose Quinlan as a dirty cop and Quinlan is determined to discredit Vargas. What ensues is a series of schemes, lies and double crosses along with murder. Menzies realizes his complicity in Quinlan's frame ups and agrees to help Vargas expose Quinlan as a dirty cop. 

Quinlan confesses to Menzies that he planted evidence on people but insists that he did so only because he knew they were guilty. Quinlan suspects Menzies is wearing a wire and shoots him.

Menzies was wired as Vargas has been following along, recording Quinlan's confession. When Quinlan turns his gun on Vargas, a not quite dead yet Menzies shoots Quinlan, saving Vargas' life.  

That overview does not convey the complexities of this plot, the intricate web of lies, threats and betrayals that ensnare Vargas and Quinlan as they circle each other, each looking to expose the other. Vargas is young, healthy and idealistic; Quinlan is old, broken and cynical. Each sees in the other what they perceive as wrong with the world. 

Charlton Heston is serviceable as Vargas. And in case you're wondering "Hey, Heston wasn't Hispanic", the film tells us that Vargas is just half Mexican. 

Orson Welles is a visceral force as Quinlan, a large heavy set mountain of a man who lumbers through this movie like a buffalo and man does he sweat a lot. Welles' voice is a low rumble of thunder as he pronounces his harsh judgements on a brutal world.  Welles is the film's center of gravity for every scene Quinlan is in. 

Welles is also a force to be reckoned with behind the camera as the director. 

Touch of Evil is known for it's look as it is for it's byzantine tale of corruption and deceit. The opening tracking shot is a technical marvel that sets a high bar for the rest of the film and Welles as director achieves it with shot selections and stylistic choices that makes Touch of Evil an almost tangible experience. The sense of dread and menace is a veritably palpable experience. 

Touch of Evil did not find a lot of acclaim in 1958 but it did win top awards at the 1958 Brussels World Film Festival. Over the years, its reputation has grown considerably, becoming recognized as one of the best examples of classic film noir as well as one of the best films by Orson Welles.  

Creative differences between Welles and Universal forced Welles off the film during post-production. The final product was not to Welles' liking and he wrote a 58-page memo to elaborate is vision of the final film. 

In 1998, Walter Murch followed the Welles memo and re-edited the film.  

As I said at the start of this post, I have never seen this film in ideal circumstances. But even at that, I have always been impressed by the level of talent and craft on display in Touch of Evil.  It is a classic film that deserves its legend as a film noir masterpiece. 

Songs For Saturday: Celebrating Todd Rungren

 

Last week's Songs For Saturday celebrated the long overdue selection of the Go-Go's to the Rock 'N' Roll Home of Fame.

Almost as egregiously overlooked by the Hall has been Todd Rungren. 

Click here for John Mellancamp's question in 2015 as to this oversight.  

But this year a wrong too long endured has finally been made right as Todd Rungren finally makes it into the Rock 'N' Roll Home of Fame. 

First up is a classic Todd Rungren composition for every broken hearted person who has endured the end of a relationship when love just isn't enough. Here is "Can We Still Be Friends?" 

The cool thing about Todd Rungren is how versatile he is. Here are the credits for the last song

• Lead vocals - Todd Rungren
• Back up vocals - Todd Rungren
• Guitar - Todd Rungren
• Bass - Todd Rungren
• Keyboard - Todd Rungren
• Drums and percussion  - Todd Rungren

Here's another break up song from Rungren but this one is fueled more by anger than regret.  Next up on the play list is "You Cried Wolf".

Sounding a more hopeful note is a tune written by Todd Rundgren for his band Utopia from their 1977 album Oops! Wrong Planet.  Here is  "Love Is the Answer". 

A cover of "Love Is the Answer" by England Dan & John Ford Coley reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  

Rounding out today's Todd Rungren play list is a classic party anthem to the joys of doing absolutely nothing. Here is "Bang On the Drum". 

Congratulations to Todd Rungren on his way overdue selection to the Rock 'N' Roll Home of Fame.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive.  

The Lois Lane Fan Club

 Today's topic is a panel from a 1960's comic book featuring Lois Lane.

Yes, there are questions.

1) Lois Lane has a fan club?  

2) Seriously, Lois Lane has a fan club? 

3) So Lois Lane picks who can be in her fan club?

4) The girl in green: serious self esteem issues, am I right?

5) Should we be worried about the woman in purple? That waist is way too small. 

6) So Lois Lane has a fan club? 

7) Why the hell does Lois Lane have a fan club?   

I'm going to go lie down now.

8) Lois Lane has a fan club?  

Doctor Who: Welcome Back, Time to Go and We Don't Know

Oh by the great horny toads of Rassilon, it has been awhile since I posted anything Doctor Who related. 

After nearly 17 years away, Christopher Eccleston returns to the role of the Doctor for Big Finish. 

Here is a trailer for these new adventures of the 9th Doctor.

Hearing that voice once more makes me realize just how much i miss Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. In one brief season, Eccleston created a version of the Doctor that is so uniquely distinctive and enduring. 

It's a shame that that his time making the TV show was such a bad experience that it's kept Christopher Eccleston from returning to the role of the Doctor before now.  Apparently he had some negative interactions with someone in authority on the show which really sullied his experience on the show. Even a change in management couldn't get Eccleston back before the cameras as the Doctor when Steven Moffat couldn't coax him back for the 50th anniversary. 

Well, at least Christopher Eccleston is back doing audio adventures for Big Finish and to hear his voice again as the Doctor is just (dare I say it?) fantastic. 

While the return of Christopher Eccleston is being greeted with enthusiasm, another member of the Doctor Who family is continually being excised from the scene. 

John Barrowman's Capt. Jack Harkness has been edited out of the Doctor Who immersive event Time Fracture. And the Big Finish production uniting Barrowman's Harkness with David Tennant's 10th Doctor has been pulled from it's scheduled release date. 

There are several reports and allegations of John Barrowman behaving badly on various sets, exposing himself to actors and crew. Barrowman has apologized for his actions and the hurt they have caused but right now around all things Doctor Who, John is persona non grata.  

Which makes me wonder how the TV show itself might be impacted. After well received appearances as Capt. Jack Harkness in "Fugitive of the Judoon" and "Revolution of the Daleks", there were some hints that Jack might make another appearance at some point during Doctor Who series 13 currently in production.  Given tight production schedules and protocols mandated by the pandemic, it might not be so easy to edit Harkness out of Doctor Who. 

Speaking of series 13, speculation still runs rampant on who is going to replace Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. Even as Jodie Whittaker has not said she's going to leave. 

I came across this video with an image of Jodie Whittaker holding up a sign that says "I'm not leaving." 

You can watch the video if you want but I wouldn't recommend it. It's just your usual fan blathering video that goes on for 5 minutes to convey 15 seconds of opinion passing as information. 

There is no definitive comment that Whittaker is not leaving. 

There is also no definitive comment that Whittaker is not staying. 

Oh by the great horny toads of Rassilon, I will be royally pissed off if Chris Chibnall is trying to spring some kind of surprise regeneration on us. 

On the Battlefield Bloody and Alone

Oh my God! I did not want to do another post about Donald Trump but a story came to my attention last week that I have to comment on.

Donald Trump is a stupid and incompetent man who literally stumbled into power when he won the 2016 election. It made some sense that Republicans would feel some compulsion to suck up to him. "Yes, he's a stupid and incompetent man but damn it, he's our man!" You know, something along those lines.

I had thought when he lost in 2020, there might be some relief among the Republican Party.  "Oh for fuck's sake, he's a stupid and incompetent man and we don't have to put with this shit any more!"  Kind of a "Ding dong! The witch is dead!" kind of vibe. 

Instead, the Republican Party seems even more devoted to the cult of Trump even more than before, sustaining Li'l Donnie's big lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

(Go back and read my post on Friday, May 14th for more of my thoughts on that.) 

Will no one among his erstwhile followers in the light of day actually call out Donald Trump for who and what he really is?

And that's where our attention turns to Ethan Nordean. 

A self-described Proud Boys sergeant-at-arms, Ethan Nordean took part in the January 6th insurrection and now has offered up this commentary:  “Alright I’m gonna say it. FUCK TRUMP! Fuck him more than Biden. I’ve followed this guy for 4 years and given everything and lost it all."  

“Yes he woke us up, but he led us to believe some great justice was upon us ... and it never happened. Now I’ve got some of my good friends and myself facing jail time cuz we followed this guy's lead and never questioned it.”

“We are now and always have been on our own. So glad he was able to pardon a bunch of degenerates as his last move and shit on us on the way out.”

“Fuck you Trump! You left us on the battlefield bloody and alone."

Even as Republican lawmakers attempt to rewrite history, falsely claiming this week that the insurrectionists are the true Jan. 6 victims, Nordean’s own lawyer, public defender Corey Endothe, has put the blame on Trump for inciting the riot. 

“Thousands of people descended on Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 to protest the result of the 2020 presidential election. Egged on by Donald Trump, other politicians, his legal advocates, and the news media these people believed the election had been stolen. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people entered the Capitol building as Mr. Nordean is alleged to have done.”

This post is not meant as any exaltation of Ethan Nordean. As part of the Proud Boys, Nordean was part of a violent white supremacist movement and he was in deep for Trump right up to January 6th when he wrote:  “Let them remember the day they decided to make war with us. Fight we will.”

And Nordean was there, participating in the assault on the Capitol. 

If Ethan Nordean thought Donald Trump was going to lead them in some grand revolution to remake America in their image, well, it's on his dumb ass for not seeing Trump for the feckless, manipulating asshole he has always been. 

Nordean's repudiation of Trump should not be seen as a repudiation of the Proud Boys and their racist agenda.

But Ethan Nordean, in the aftermath of his devotion to Donald Trump, has seen the reality of who Donald Trump is and did what Ted Cruz, Kevin McCarthy and other alleged political leaders refuse to do and called him out on it. 

I don't know Ethan Nordean. For all I know, while cooling his heels in jail for his role in the attack on the Capitol, maybe he's had a come to Jesus moment of clarity and realizes the foolishness of the racism in his hardened heart. Or maybe being behind bars is just giving him more time to stoke the hot rage of hate towards anyone who doesn't look like him. I don't know. 

But Ethan Nordean looked at Donald Trump in the aftermath of his foolhardy pledge of devotion to Trump, left on the battlefield bloody and alone and realized that Donald Trump is not on his side. Not now and perhaps not ever. 

And he said so. 

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Young Sheldon with Supergirl and Jeopardy

 

Young Sheldon has been a fun show, funny and sweet in its way as it explores the childhood of Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory.

In the first few seasons, Young Sheldon has sort of tap danced around some of the darker edges of Sheldon's youth in Texas. In various episodes of Big Bang Theory, Sheldon has often painted a rather grim, unflattering picture of this time of his life, especially in regards to his father, George Cooper Sr.

The portrait of George Cooper Sr in Young Sheldon has for the most part been in pointed contrast to Sheldon's recollections in Big Bang Theory. George is a devoted husband and father. Yes, he's a bit clueless on how to deal with his kids, especially the precocious one with the super genius IQ.  

But for the most part, George has been a genial soul who approaches the travails in the Cooper home with a sense of humor. 

Young Sheldon has played a bit loose with some of the canon of Sheldon's younger days as relayed in Big Bang Theory. Is it possible that George is not heading for the fate we've heard from the older Sheldon, a man brought low by infidelity and ultimately death?

No, it isn't.  

In the final moments of the next to last episode of season 4, young Sheldon is sitting in the living room with his father as older Sheldon's narration relates wistfully how he wished he had made it known how much his father meant to him before he was gone. 

The last episode of the season sees George caught in the center of a storm of trouble in the household and Mary comes home all judgemental on how her husband has screwed everything up. For the record, Mary only makes things worse causing Missy to run away from home.

George also leaves home to spend some time nursing some beers and playing pool in the bar. Until he is approached by his newly single neighbor who asks if he would like some company.

His blonde neighbor. 

In Big Bang Theory, Sheldon had explained his habit of knocking three times before entering a room began when he caught his father in bed with a woman who was not his mother.

A blonde woman. 

It seems George Cooper Sr's fall from grace has begun. 

It's hard to put my finger on exactly why but season 4 as a whole as seemed less fun in ways beyond George Sr's growing discontent. I think Sheldon's struggles with high school were more potent fodder for comedy than his new life as a college student. Except for his interactions with a couple of professors and the college president (played by the always funny Wendie Malick), Sheldon in college hasn't really been fully explored.  

I think the restrictions for filming the show during the pandemic has fractured the show with everyone feeling kind of isolated. I think the next last episode of season 4 may have been the only episode with everyone gathered around the dinner table this season. 

By the way, that episode really was a major experiment in storytelling as the discussion with a visiting Dr. Sturgis prompts a discussion of black holes and alternate dimensions , The various members of the cast ponder life in these alternate worlds including one where a black hole is about to engulf the whole world and the family finally opens up to one another about how they truly feel. Except for Mary who just wants to pray. 

One problem with a show like Young Sheldon is having Sheldon learn lessons that he seems to have forgotten as grown man in Pasadena. In the season finale, Sheldon learns that as a brother, he has a responsibility of care for his sister. I'm pretty sure he didn't realize that until "The Porkchop Indeterminacy" in the first season of Big Bang Theory. 

Another knock against Young Sheldon is that we know the arc of these characters' lives is not necessarily a positive one. On Big Bang Theory, the gang's future was not set and there was room for positive growth. Young Sheldon can only promise us a grim future. Mary will be betrayed and abandoned and George will cheat on her and then die. 

And Sheldon has a life of bitterness and isolation before him, at least until Leonard and his friends at Cal Tech enter his life and he meets Amy.  

Sheldon's entry into college at age 11 seems to be a line of demarcation from Young Sheldon being fun to being a bit less fun.

______________________________

Side note: last week, with the Supergirl mid season finale, Kara did and did not get out of the Phantom Zone. 

OK, good news: her friends find her and bring her aboard their dimension spanning space ship. The last scene is the ship flying back towards a portal to get back to Earth.

Technically, the series enters a mid season break with Supergirl still in the Phantom Zone.

But she's rescued. So yay! 

Another side note: the rotating hosts of Jeopardy continues to frustrate me. Bill Whittaker was a genial host but boy is he soft spoken and genial. Anderson Cooper before him was a bit more energetic host with a solid professional handle on the show. 

Now we have Buzzy Cohen for the Tournament of Champions.

So far, the only guest host who has kept Jeopardy's ratings at Alex Trebek levels is Ken Jennings.

I am still on board for Ken to get the gig on the regular. 

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

No Masks, No Gas

Last week saw some a glimmer of hope on the pandemic front when the CDC issued new guidelines for wearing masks.  For the fully vaccinated, masks are no longer required.

Now there are some caveats, addendum, conditionals, quid pro quos, etc etc but pretty much, if you are fully vaccinated, you may forego the mask. 

I am fully vaccinated and I'm still wearing my mask.

I don't want to be mistaken for a knuckle dragging, mouth breathing, MAGA hat wearing moron who thought the whole pandemic was just a thing to make Li'l Donnie look bad. 

I don't want to be mixing it up with anti-vaxxers who still think the COVID-19 vaccine is a secret plot by Bill Gates to inject us with micro chips or some shit like that.

And while things are indeed looking up with infection rates and the number of deaths on the decline, COVID-19 is still a thing and people are still getting sick. 

So I'm still sticking with my mask. 

But just as we're finally getting used to the idea of some freedom of movement, the Fortress of Ineptitude had to go on a sort of lockdown for a different reason: a lack of gas.

Colonial Pipeline, a major distributor of fuel, got hit with a ransomware attack by...

Wait! Am I reading this right?

Darkseid?

OK, no. Not that Darkseid. 

Anyway, the hack by Dark Side caused a minor hiccup in the distribution of gasoline.

The PANIC over the hack causing a minor hiccup in the distribution of gasoline caused a shortage of gasoline.

Gas stations all across North Carolina were running out of gas because of people in a panic over possible gas shortages. 

I didn't want to be one of those people in the panic line but our Camry did seriously need gas with less than a quarter of a tank. I told Andrea we needed to carefully manage where we drove to conserve our supply of gas in the car. 

The next day after the first wave of panic buying had subsided and some stations had gas, we sent a family member out with the Camry to get gas.

Rosie is a good dog. 

Apparently Colonial Pipeline is up and running with the biggest threat to the supply of gas being the public in a panic.  

Which brings me back to the pandemic where it seems the worst of our travails over the last year have been exacerbated by the fears and ignorance of humanity. 

It's a cynical view but one that is born out time and time again over human history.

Or as Agent K put it in Men In Black, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." 

Cinema Sunday: Million Dollar Mermaid

 Sometimes I will just stumble upon a movie, intending to maybe give it 10 minutes of my attention then find myself hanging on to the end. 

One of those movies is Million Dollar Mermaid, a 1952 movie starring Esther Williams. Since it stars Esther Williams, there will be a lot of swimming involved. 

Esther Williams was an American competitive swimmer who set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. When she took up acting, her natural talents in the water made her a perfect match for any movie that involved her character swimming. 

And perhaps no role was more apropos to Esther Williams' skill set that portraying Annette Kellerman, an Australian swimming star of the late 19th/early 20th century.  

Annette Kellerman herself had her doubts about Esther Williams portraying her on screen; Annette thought Esther was too pretty.  

Million Dollar Mermaid follows Annette's story from her polio-stricken childhood where swimming provided needed physical therapy to bolster her health and strength.  Her father admires her aptitude for swimming but presses her to pursue a career in dance and music. 

A move from Australia to England does not turn out that well for Annette and her father. Needing to bring in some money, Annette takes up an offer from an American promoter Jimmy Sullivan who has a carnival attraction involving a boxing kangaroo that just isn't selling tickets. To get some publicity for the act, Annette agrees to swim the Thames river for 26 miles.  

It's soon clear the real draw is the swimming prowess of the beautiful Annette and no so much the boxing kangaroo. 

Jimmy thinks they  can make a fortune by getting Annette into a water ballet at the Hippodrome in New York City. 

The Hippodrome says no so Annette goes to Boston for a highly publicized swim. The one piece bathing suit she wore in Australia and England gets her arrested in Boston for public indecency.  

By the way, here is a photo of the real life Annette Kellerman posing with the compromise swimwear that allowed her to keep in swimming in Boston.

The arrest and the subsequent trial leads Annette to a popular diving show at a Boston carnival. After a misunderstanding, Jimmy and Annette part ways. 

Jimmy hitches his star to a daredevil stunt pilot but the pilot crashes and burns after only 2 days into their act.

The Hippodrome comes calling for Annette and she becomes a star attraction. Scenes of Annette's performances in New York are set to some brilliant choreography by Busby Berkeley.

Success in New York leads to offers to head west and make movies in Hollywood. However, an terrible accident involving a shattering water tank leaves Annette hospitalized, facing an uncertain future of whether she will walk again. 

And this is where the movie ends.  

Annette is hopeful. The same spirit that saw a young girl with polio become an expert swimmer will lead Annette to recovery from her injuries. 

Annette's history almost repeated itself for Esther Williams who broke her neck upon impact while performing the film's signature high dive. She heard her neck pop when she hit the water. When she reached the surface, she could kick her legs, but her upper body was paralyzed and she had to be helped out of the pool. An x-ray revealed she had broken three vertebrae. 

In the days before CGI, actors often put themselves at real risk for their roles. None more so, perhaps, than Esther Williams who spent an inordinate amount of time submerged underwater and making dives from enormous heights. It was a steep price to pay for art but one cannot deny the gorgeous work of Esther Williams' swimming expertise.  

And Million Dollar Mermaid is an exemplary example of Esther Williams' talent and charm.  

On the 15th of May...

 Stay safe and remember to be good to one another.

Until, at least, the murders begin.  

Songs For Saturday: Celebrating the Go-Gos

 

One of the great injustices in the world of music has been the consistent failure of the Go-Go's to be nominated to the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. 

Eligible for the hall since 2006, this pioneering, chart topping all-girl band who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments with nary a dude in sight has continually not been given their due with entry into the  Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. 

Until now. 

The Go-Go's are in, baby! 

This week's Songs For Saturday turns on spotlight on the Go-Go's.  Leading off today's play list is a song I have not posted before, "Can't Stop the World". 

Next up is a song I've posted to a previous Songs For Saturday, the latest all new collaboration by the Go-Go's, "Club Zero".  

Next up is "Get Up and Go" which I don't think I've posted here before.  

Let's wrap up with on my favorite songs by the Go-Go's. I have posted this to Songs For Saturday before but damn, I do love "Turn To You" 

And that is that for this week's Songs For Saturday.

Congratulations to the Go-Go's for getting into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. It's about damn time! 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive.  

The Triumph Of Lies Over Truth

 “The past was alterable. The past never had been altered. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”

― George Orwell, 1984

The triumph of lies over truth within the Republican Party continued this week.

Donald Trump continues to promote the big lie that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen from him, that there was widespread fraud.

Lynn Cheney spoke the truth in response.  

“The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system." 

The consequence for Cheney daring to speak the truth was to be voted out of her Congressional leadership position by her fellow Republicans and replaced with a woman who is more than happy and willing to echo Trump's lies about the election.

As if perpetuating Trump's never ending temper tantrum about the election isn't bad enough, the Republicans are taking a swing at the insurrection on January 6th.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) : “Let me clear: There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold-faced lie.”

Now you might think that you saw an insurrection on TV on January 6th. There's a ton of photos and videos as evidence of a violent assault on the Capitol by swarms of angry Trump supporters. 

Clyde says video of the day’s violence looked to him like “a normal tourist visit.”

Really? A normal tourist visit? 

This "normal tourist visit" resulted in Michael Fanone, a 19-year veteran of the D.C. Metropolitan police force, being dragged down stairs, beaten with pipes and shocked with stun guns multiple times by the Trump mob.

Er, excuse me: Trump tourists. 

This headlong rush away from the truth is being done in total fealty to a man who has done nothing good for the Republican Party.  

Donald Trump never won the popular vote in 2016 or 2020.

Donald Trump was never able to crack 50% approval by any major reputable pollster.

Under Donald Trump, Republicans lost control of the House in 2018 and the Senate in 2020. 

Under Donald Trump, the country suffered the greatest economic crash in over a century.

Under Donald Trump, half a million people died from the pandemic. 

And those are just some of the many ways that Trump has repeatedly proven to be, to use one of his favorite words, a loser. 

So why is the Republican Party so determined to make loyalty to Trump such a crucial litmus test even in defiance of easily verifiable truth? 

Because Trump continues to be what he always been to the Republican Party: a useful idiot. 

Trump's constant  braying about election fraud gives Republicans excellent cover to curtail voting rights in an effort to tamp down Democratic participation.  

The recent flurry of voter suppression laws that have come out from various Republican led state legislatures are doing so under cover of providing security and integrity to the voting process in answer to Trump's allegations of wide spread fraud.

Trump's lies are the alibi for Republicans to curtail Democratic gains in the voting booth. 

The Republican Party has sold itself out so much in the naked pursuit of power above all else, it can no longer rely on it's alleged conservative principles to sustain it.  They have no faith in whatever they are supposed to believe in so their chief weapon is to demonize Democrats and to yell foul about election fraud. 

And Trump, idiot that he is, provides the cheering section they need to pursue that agenda.  

And this is why there is a war on truth and why lies are winning in the Republican Party.

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