Tim Curry

 OK, you gotta be fucking kidding me!

I'm still gobsmacked that Dolly Parton died at age 80 when I hear that Tim Curry has also passed away at the age of 80.

I need to have a chat with Death for a minute.

Look, dude, I don't know what the problem is here why you keep taking out people that other people actually like. If you got to take out an 80 year old, there's a target who is big, fat, loud and orange and I don't know how you can fucking miss him! 

Damn it! 

Where was I? Oh yeah, Tim Curry is dead and life sucks worse now.

It was just a few weeks ago when we were staying with Andrea's dad for a week, he and I were watching CBS Sunday Morning.

He's old. I'm old. Of course we're watcing CBS Sunday Morning.

Ben Mankiewicz was interviewing Tim Curry.

Tim Curry has been through some shit.

In 2012, he had a stroke that left him paralyzed.  Over a decade plus later, he's still hanging in there. But he was definitely pondering his mortality. 

When you're 80 years old and trapped in a body frozen by a stroke, I suppose one can't help but ponder the inevitability of death.

But he approached the subject of death without bitterness but with a remarkable calm and an appreciation of the life he has had.

Tim Curry started with a groundbreaking role as Dr. Franken Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In a film of utter insanity and unfiltered strangeness, Tim Curry captivated the viewer as  the transexual transvestite from Transylvannia.  

Curry also stood out as Rooster Hannigan in Annie (1982), the monster known as "Darkness" in Legend (1985), the Concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers (1993), and Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island (1996).

Perhaps my favorite Tim Curry role was as Wadsworth the Butler in Clue (1985).

Here is a video compilation of Curry as the Butler.  

Tim Curry never married or had any children. And beyond that, his personal life was a closed book.  Even in the book Curry actually wrote about his life.  

“I guarantee you, if it matters, that I have experienced true love, true heartbreak, and everything in between, including no small amount of wreckage. Which, naturally, helps inform who I am. I have loved and been loved and I hope you have, too. But I’m not interested in your romances. And specifics about my affairs of the heart or the bedroom are—respectfully—none of your fucking business.”

An odd sentiment to express in the introduction of his memoir.

But Tim Curry was perhaps an odd fellow who gravitated to odd roles that sparked our interest and made us smile.

Or grimace.  Such as Tim's portrayal of Pennywise in the TV adaption of Stephen King's It.   

Tim Curry played a character who became a recurring meme.  In the video game  In Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, released in 2008, Curry plays Soviet Premier Anatoly Cherdenko.

 “I’m escaping to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism… SPACE!”

I kind of dig where he's coming from.  

Perhaps Tim is not dead. He's just escaped this corrupted old world into space.

God speed, Tim Curry and safe journey into forever.  

___________________________________

A  second post is coming up later this morning, Comic Book Retro 50: August 1976.  

Dolly Parton

 

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

OK, this one hit hard folks.  

Dolly Parton passed away yesterday at the age of 80.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And we will miss her so very much.

“Cause I am strong and I can prove it

And I got my dreams to see me through

It's just a mountain, I can move it

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

And I can see the light of a clear blue morning

And I can see the light of brand new day

I can see the light of a clear blue morning

And everything's gonna be all right

It's gonna be okay

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

Your Friday Video Link: Glen Hansard

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Glen James Angus Hansard last week. 

Hansaes was an Irish singer and actor who starred in the musical drama Once (2007), which earned awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly", with Markéta Irglová. 

Below is a video of Glen and Markéta performing "Falling Slowly" which is one of my all time favorite songs.  

Glen and Markéta's performance in Once was iconic enough to warrant parody on The Simpsons.

A few years ago, David Lettermen went to Ireland to film a documentary called “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming".

While in Ireland, Dave spent some time with Glen.  He posted a video from that time and wrote this in tribute.

"I spent time with Glen on a train to Dublin. He was smart and kind and I was immediately fond of him. A new father, full of excitement about his son. We talked about U2, Irish music, and fatherhood, and it was all magical.  He was new to me, but not a stranger. I often think of Glen and our train ride to Dublin."

Glen Hansard died in a motorcycle crash on July 29th.    

Tributes poured in from around the world from U2's Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Lin-Manuel Miranda amd President Barack Obama and hundreds more. 

It is a testatment to the man's talent and goodness that so many people have been compelled to give voice to their grief and their admiration for his life and his gifts.   

A public wake was held on August 3rd in the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin, and was attended by more than 11,000 people.

Hansard's funeral was held the following day at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

Glen Hansard with a gentle, kind soul beloved by so many people and it is truly a tragedy that he is no longer with us.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home."

We no longer have time but we have memories of a good man and a wonderful talent.

Lindsey Graham

Well, I sure as hell didn't see this one coming.

While we've been out here trying to figure out if Sen. Mitch McConnell is alive or dead or some other 3rd thing, Sen. Lindsey Graham actually went and done did die and we know about it.

Unlike that bastard Mitch*, it was awfully nice of Lindsey not to leave us hanging on the subject of his death.

Well, Lindsey was always such a drama queen.

*By the way, Mitch McConnell issued a statement that he is most assuredly alive and not dead.  Well, there goes all our our fun.

Are we sure Lindsey's dead? Let's check in with the coroner.

So we know he's really dead but as to the how and why of his death....

What the unholy fuck happened? 

The official but vague statement is he died of a sudden illness.

We may take that at face value. Dude was 71 years old and stuff you might survive when you're 31 might kill you when you're 71.   

But given the recent drama and uncertainty of Sen. Mitch McConnell and the vagueness of the statement on Sen. Graham ("sudden illness" doesn't tell us anything), many are not ready to take anything at face value.

I have some thoughts on the matter. Granted just some idle speculation.

1. The "sudden illness" was not so sudden.  Lindsey was hiding a long term illness to not interfere with his re-election campaign. 

2. The senator had just returned from a trip to Ukraine where he was a dependable hawk in boosting Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression.  Graham has been consistent in urging Donald Trump to continue support for Ukraine which runs counter to what Vladmir Putin wants Li'l Donnie to do. Putin has been known to assassinate enemies with bio-weapons.  What if Graham was the target of such an attack?

All of that is just consipiracy theory bluster. Occam's razor suggests the most likely answer is that Lindsey Graham got done in by an unexpected heart attack or aneurysm or something of that nature.

But given how much we've been lied to and gaslighted by the current Trumop dominated political machine, who can blame us for thinking something else might be up.*

*OK, turns out Lindsey's cause of death was aortic dissection which is what killed actor John Ritter in 2003 at the age 55.  Aortic dissection is some nasty business with intense sweating, chest pain and vomiting before the heart finally gives out. It's a damn shame a nice guy like John Ritter had to go through that. 

Moving from Lindsey Graham's death to the course of his life, in this time of Donald Trump and the rise of MAGA, I dare say the same question about his death applies to his life:  

What the unholy fuck happened? 

I can't say I always supported Sen. Lindsey Graham's politics but I will say this, there was a time we agreed on something.

Both this humble blogger and Sen. Graham agreed that Donald J. Trump was a lying, petulant, bullying, unintelligent, sociopathic, dishonorable, treasonous, gutless, moronic, heartless, soulless, slimy, loathsome, vile, incompetent, psychotic, crooked, disgusting, reprehensible, revolting, horrible, malicious, obnoxious, hateful, narcissistic, small-minded, despicable god damn, motherfucking piece of shit.

In 2015, Sen. Lindsey Graham saw Trump for who he was,  calling him out as a hate mongering con man who was a destructive force for the Republican Party and the nation as a whole, completely "unfit for office".  

Lindsey voiced a very clear and cogent assessment of Li'l Donnie. 

So I will repeat:  What the unholy fuck happened? 

Once Trump was in the White House, Sen. Lindsey Graham swallowed the poisoned MAGA Kool-Aid HARD and became Trump's most vociferous, vocal defender.  

Lindsey would get all apoplectic with red faced, white knuckled rage against those he perceive as enemies of his dearly beloved der Führer.

Like when the immensely unqualified Brett Kavanaugh was nominated for the Supreme Court and was being accused of sexual assault, 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!"

As I said before, Lindsey was always such a drama queen.

Sen. Lindsey Graham did seem to reclaim his backbone in the wake of the January 6th insurrection, disavowing Trump with "I have had enough."

Within weeks, a smiling and supportive Graham was playing golf with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.  Well, THAT didn't last long. 

Later, the obsequieous toady tried to tell us "I have had enough" did not mean what we thought it meant.  He claimed the statement referred to the election certification being completed and NOT to his relationship with the insurrection leading Donald Trump.    

When Trump was indicted for various crimes in 2023, Lindsey went on TV almost in TEARS (grown man, tears running down his face!) BEGGING people to send money to help his billionaire friend save himself from these gross injustices.  

Total. Drama. Queen.

For all his over the top passionate defenses of Donald Trump and his agenda, Lindsey Graham never seem to quite earn the love of der Führer.

For example, at a rally in South Carolina in 2023,  Trump called Graham "a progressive who helps me get liberal votes" which got the Senator booed at that rally.  Given Graham's super conservative, hawkish (the man always did love himself a good ol' war), calling him "a progressive who helps me get liberal votes" seems a very odd assessement. 

Unless,as I speculated in 2023, that was Li'l Donnie's coded way of saying he thinks (or knows) Lindsey Graham was gay.

Hey, the man is dead now so can we confirm: Was Lindsey Graham gay?

As I write this, we don't know. It really shouldn't matter but I guess when you're a Senator from a very deeply conservative (i.e., racist, homophobic) state like South Carolina, you keep a little thing like being gay under wraps.

You know, it's probably inappropriate for me to speculate. A person's sexual orientation is a personal matter and if someone wants to come out or it keep it quiet, that's their business. 

And if Lindsey was gay, I'm not sure the LGBTQIA+ community would've wanted him.  

Lindsey's record as a Senator was littered with votes against the LGBTQIA+ community.   

Again, I ask, What the unholy fuck happened? 

One should not speak ill of the dead but fuck it, I will.

There may have been a time I might have respected Graham as a man of integrity but over the years, he did so much to undermine that perception.  His alleged "integrity" was on sale to the highest bidder. 

Sen.Lindsey Graham will be remembered as a feckless coward who sought power for power's sake and drove American politics into a cesspool of cruelty, shame and corruption.

And that is what the unholy fuck happened! 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of cruelty, shame and corruption, what the fuck did Li'l Donnie do last week?

Let's find out together with a post in about 3 hours with help from a guest presenter.   

--------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday TV Touchbase: My Adventures With Superman and The Vampire Lestat

Before I get into this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase, I need to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of James Burrows who passed away last Friday at age 85.

Burrows had a long and prolific career that spanned 6 decades as a sitcom director.   The Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Cheers , The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace,  Wings, NewsRadio, Caroline in the City and Mike Molly are just some of the shows he directed.  

Burrows directed over 1,000 episodes of television,

He was still directing as of last year with the Hulu series Mid-Century Modern

Burrows was regarded as the best in the business, known for his comic timing, expert actor blocking and use of sophisticated lighting.  

Whenever I saw the credit "Directed by James Burrows", the odds were really good I was going to experience plenty of laughs. He had a talent for making whatever he directed better.

Rest in peace, James. You will be missed

Last week brought back My Adventures With Superman for it's 3rd season, two full years since season 2. 

Holy crap! Has it really been TWO years? Yep, my post from the season 2 finale was in the summer of 2024.

The new season arrives with some new designs for Superman and Supergirl.  I haven't made up my mind how I feel about them yet.

Picking up from season 2 where Kara Zor-El extricated herself from the cold cruel control of Brainiac, Supergirl is trying to figure out life on Earth and get used to the idea that there are people who love her and she is worthy of being loved. She spent her formative years with Brainiac as her father figure so there's some work to be done.

Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Kara are on the trail of a super secret cabal known as Project Caliban.  And yeah, Lex Luthor is up to some fuckery.

I'm still enjoying the heck out of the idea that a show exists that has Jack Quaid as Superman.  That alone is enough to hold my attention to My Adventures With Superman. 

Moving from the bright and hopeful world of Superman, let's move to something completely different.

The show formerly known as Interview With a Vampire. 

Welcome to The Vampire Lestat.  

After two seasons of Daniel Malloy drawing out the confessional biography of Louis de Pointe du Lac with Louis' erstwhile lover and sometime enemy Lestat de Lioncourt as the antagonist, this new season, as you can tell from the title change, puts the focus on Lestat. 

After becoming a vampire at the end of season 2 and publishing his Interview With a Vampire book, Daniel Malloy has been enlisted to tell Lestat's side of the story.   

It may be that over two seasons, Louis was not a completely reliable narrator. Or as Lestat scrawls on his battered copy of Malloy's  book, "never fucking happened".  

Or perhaps Lestat himself is not a trustworthy teller of his own tale.  

We meet someone who did not come up during Louis' sessions with Malloy in seasons 1 and 2:  Gabriella de Lioncourt.

Lestat's mother and the first person Lestat converted into a vampire after his own conversion.

As his lover.

Yeah, you heard me.  

It's an Oedipus type of thing. 

As Lestat explains, "it's different for vampires".  

The vampire community is still in a tizzy of a snit over Louis talking to a reporter who in turn published a book detailing the existence of vampires. Apparently there are some rules against that?

Vampires are not happy with Lestat who has taken up the career of a rock musician fronting a band called... The Vampire Lestat.

Lestat is channelling centuries of love, lust, pain, longing, despair and angst into power ballads and hard rock anthems. 

Imagine your most gloomy pretencious poetry you may have written alone in your bedroom when you were 14 years old, desperately trying to give voice to your anger and your yearning for love.  Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here.  

The Vampire Lestat takes the aesthetic of Interview With a Vampire and cranks it up to 11 with an adrenaline boost.  

This show is off on a wild ride.

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

Coming up on the Touchbase:

• I finally (FINALLY!) finish the most recent season of Invincible.
• The return of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. 

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

 

Your Friday Video Link: Anthony Stewart Head

Alas we are still grieving the loss of Anthony Stewart Head who passed away last week at age 72.

Today's edition of Your Friday Video Link provides some examples of Mr. Head's incredible talents.  

We'll start with Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer barely tolerating the teenagers in his midst.

(My favorite bit starts at 3:07.)   

Giles was mostly a nebbish book worm nerd but in the role as Buffy's Watcher, serving as her mentor, guardian and trainer, he could demonstrate surprising traits and skills.

Like turning into a bad ass motherfucker who will kill you if you cross him.

Or singing! 

Next up: Giles sings Free Bird!

And for the Doctor Who fans, the Doctor confronts Mr. Finch! 

More of Mr. Head playing the bad guy from Ted Lasso.

Anthony Head as the romantic lead....in a coffee commercial?

There was a whole series of these where Anthony's character has a meet cute with this beautiful woman and over various dates (that involved coffee, of course), their relationship evolves and grows into true love... for each other.... and for coffee. 

Anthony Stewart Head was quite the predigious and versitile talent and he will be missed.   

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Georgie & Mandy, Ghosts and Games!

Before we get started on this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase, a moment if I may to comment on the passing of Anthony Stewart Head.  He died last week from complications due to pneumonia.

This one hurts. 

I met Head where he played the quiety studeous but also secretly mercurial Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  

But Doctor Who fans know him best as the slimy evil Mr. Finch from the episode "School Reunion".

And he was in Ted Lasso which I haven't seen but I did see that bit where Ted kicks his ass in darts. As much as I loved him as Giles in Buffy, damn, Anthony Head was really good at villians.  

To see Anthony Head in action, check out this week's Your Friday Video Link. 

Rest in peace, Mr. Head.  You will be missed.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage

The season ends with our titular couple enjoying some professional success.

After being fired from one TV job for daring to suggest God might be female (it is Texas and it is the 1990's), Mandy gets a gig at a rival TV station.  (Medford TX is as big or as small as the plot requires. In this case, it seems to be big enough to support more than one TV station.)

Georgie's tire store is doing better than expected, well enough for him to buy a Jet Ski. That he doesn't use.  Georgie stores the Jet Ski at his mom Mary's house which is followed by a montage of seasons passing while the Jet Ski goes untouched.  

Georgie's rivalry with tire store competitor Fred Fagenbacher takes a disconcerting turn when Fred starts attending Mary's Bible Study group at her house. Fred says he sincerely wants to change and Mary believes in helping him find God. I don't trust Fred and I think he's pulling a long con. So does Georgie and he threatens to ban Mary from seeing her grandchild CeeCee if she continues to associate with Fred.  Mary kicks Geogie out of her house. So that's not good. 

Meanwhile, Mandy's musician brother is finally out of the house, living out of  a van with his girlriend and her band on tour.  The season ends with a phone call from Connor to his mom: Conner has been arrested.  

Andrea likes Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage well enough and I put up with it mostly for the supporting players.  Whenever Annie Potts can spare a moment from her new show (Best Medicine which kind of interests me but not enough) to reprise Mee Maw Connie Tucker, I'm all for it. And I wish we could spin more time with Dougie Baldwin as the neuro divergent and sublimely funny Connor.  

But two seasons in and I'm still having trouble with Montana Jordan as Georgie. He's still mugging for the camera for every joke.  He was better at Georgie when he was on Young Sheldon.  

Ghosts

The season ends on some good notes. Sam has sold her screenplay for "Polar Opposites" and has a deal to write the sequels. Which gives her the money to buy back half of Woodstone Manor that she and Jay lost due to Trevor's financial shenanigans.

Yes, Trevor is a ghost but somehow got a job online where he made really good money but didn't pay the taxes on it and somehow Jay got stuck with that bill. 

Speaking of Jay, he had to rush off to London with Kyle (who like Sam can see ghosts) with Pete (the one ghost who can leave Woodstone) to find evidence that cholera ghost Nancy was once a princess, information needed to save Woodstone as a historic site.

The trip is a success but it takes too long. When Peter is seperate from Woodstone for an extended period time, parts of him start to vanish.  Before Jay and Kyle can get back to Woodstone, Pete completely vanishes.

And THAT is where the season ends. 

After a season of Ghosts where everything that could go wrong for Sam and Jay went wrong, it's nice to see some things finally go their way.

But at the expense of Pete, the nicest ghost at Woodstone? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Ghosts will be back for a 6th season but as a mid-season show. But before then will return for Halloween and Christmas themed specials. 

Wheel of Fortune 

So Andrea and I were watching Wheel Friday night when Ryan and Vanna were doing their end of show banter and just blurted out that it had been a great season and they'll see us for next season.

Somehow the season end of Wheel of Fortune snuck up on me even though this is usually when the season ends. 

Pop Culture Jeopardy

The season end for PCJ did not catch us unaware as Friday marked the season tournament final. We assumed the team One Baddie After Another had a lock on this but AMC B-Listers (who I insisted on calling AMC Blisters) had a few tricks up their sleeves and a couple of really ballsy daily double wagers.

There are some clues that host Colin Jost will read off and I'll tell Andrea "I didn't understand one word in that sentence and that includes IN, ON and THE!"  There are some really obscure movies, TV shows and songs I have no idea about. 

If it's pop culture from the '90's or before, I'm solid. 

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

For the first time in weeks, there is NO Tuesday TV Touchbase Too.

For weeks, I've been looking at TV that has ended either for the season or forever. Let's turn to new stuff that has begun.

Spider Noir

Stranger Things: Tales of '85

That's next week.  

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

Gerry Conway

Well, dammit, the specter of death has claimed another part of my comic book reading youth.

Writer Gerry Conway has died.

A lot of the obituraries I've seen focused on his work for Marvel, creating The Punisher, Werewolf by Night, Ms. Marvel and...

His work on Spider-Man where he famously killed off Gwen Stacy.

I knew Gerry's work at DC Comics where he had long runs on Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and a very long stretch on Justice League of America.

One of Gerry's most outstanding issues of JLA was the super sized 200th issue with artist George Perez and assorted guest artists like Joe Kubert, Brian Bolland, Jim Aparo and more.

DC is releasing a facsimile edition of JLA#200 this summer.

I will be honest that Conway was not always a favorite writer. Particularly during DC's Implosion era where Conway did a lot of heavy lifting on titles as competent comic book writer person. 

Superboy & the Legion of Super Heroes comes to mind.

But even when merely being competent and not great, Conway still managed to deliver some good solid writing. 

He brought a sense of depth and maturity to DC characters who otherwise lacked nuanced characterization.  

And when Conway was truly inspired, the passion showed.

Like in his best known DC creation, Firestorm.

Mark Evanier described Gerry Conway as "a good writer, a good guy and a good friend. "

I've never heard anyone say a negative word by the man.

He was a big part of my childhood comic book reading experience.  And he will be missed.  

Sam Kieth

I was saddened to hear that artist Sam Kieth passed away last week.  He was 63 years old.   

I'm gonna be 63 this April so when someone my own age dies, well, it does make you think.

Sam Kieth (and no that is not a typo, the "I" does come before the "E") drew the first 5 issues of Neil Gaiman's Sandman.  

I'm not sure why Sam Kieth was only on Sandman for so short a time but I imagine the rigors of producing this detailed artwork on a monthly basis may have been a bit much.

But those 5 issues made quite an impression and set the tone for all the other artists who followed him. 

Art from Sandman#4

Sam produced art for Batman including several covers and some interior art.

Sam Kieth also brought this distinctive style to Marvel Comics, illustrating Wolverine. 

Sam's most notable work on his creator owned series in produced for Image Comics, The Maxx  which was also turned into an animated series that ran on MTV.

Maxx is a vagrant, a "homeless man living in a box" who is helped by a social worker named Julie.

In an alternate reality, Maxx has a monstrous powerful form where he serves as protector of another version of Julie known as the Leopard Queen.

Mike Sterling described the series as "a tale about trauma, abuse, mental health, and the very nature of imagination and reality. It was weird, it was funny, it was emotional, and it was unique." 

Unique is a most apropos word for Sam Kieth's body of work. 

Sam had Lewy body dementia and it was complications from this disease that took his life on March 15th. 

And the condition also silenced an incredible talent.

God bless you, Sam Kieth, and rest in peace. 

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Invincible

So I was playing Roku's Daily Trivia game when a question came up about a quirky New Zealand crime drama set in a town run by lesbians.

Well that has to be Deadloch and that was indeed the answer.

So why is a quirky New Zealand crime drama set in a town run by lesbians from 2023 coming up as a topic on my Roku Daily Trivia game?

Because 3 years later, Deadloch has dropped a 2nd season! 

I did not know that was a thing! 

I used to not be caught off guard by this stuff. 

I also was blindsided by the debut of season 4 of Invincible as well.  I knew it was coming but I didn't know it was coming NOW! 

I will not be posting about Deadloch season 2 yet. I've got way too many things on my TV viewing plate right now.

• I've haven't finished season 2 of Fallout yet.
• I've got season 8 of Outlander.
• Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again begins tonight. (Jessica Jones is back! YAY!) 
•  And of course season 4 of Invincible.  

And lots of other television stuff that demands my attention.

Deadloch season 2 will have to wait a minute.

Now... on with the Touchbase!

Yep, I've dusted off the old Batman themed Touchbase graphic.

So Invincible is back for a 4th season and man, is life rough for Mark Grayson.   

Some time has passed since the end of season 3 but the wounds from that time have not yet healed.  The attack by Angstrom's army of multiversal Invincible variants followed by the assault by the Viltrumite warrior known as Conquest has left massive property damage and many lives lost, including several of Earth's heroes.

Invincible wants to help but he's overwhelmed by guilt for all that Earth has suffered in these epic battles.

Losses that hit very close to home when Conquest savagely beats and kills Atom Eve aka Samantha, Mark's girlfriend.

Only an unexpected glow up of Samantha's matter/energy powers brings her back to life.  

Unfortunately, there's some weird shit going down with Samantha's Atom Eve powers with her energy to matter constructs melting into goo.

Meanwhile, Samantha's experience with death is not something her asshole father is willing to let Mark forget.  As if Mark isn't already feeling the weight of that guilt.

Not to mention the sheer constant battle against a widening variety of super menaces that keeps Invincible busy for ever damn minute of every damn day.  

Then just to make matters even more exhausting, two seperate super menaces strike simultaneously.

Alien warrior Universa has come to steal energy from Earth to save her planet. It's an epic struggle as Invincible and Atom Eve try to stop Universa's energy theft from sending a nuclear power plant into meltdown.  With Samantha's powers shorting out, it's up to a well placed punch from Atom Eve to finally put Universa down.

AND there is the horror of the sequids who are possessing humans in an ever widening circle that will encompass the whole world if not put in check. Cecil Stedman and the Guardians of the Globe have the sequids contained to a city block but their containment will not hold for long.   

Mark Grayson arrives after stopping Universa to help the Guardians and finds the central human controlling the sequid hive mind.

If you've read enough comics, you know what usually happens here is when our hero is faced with a choice to kill someone to stop some kind of threat, our hero will find some clever miracle solution to avoid that.  

Invincible stops the sequids by killing the human in the center of the alien squids.

Well, just great. One more damn thing to plague Mark Grayson's conscience. 

As I have said before about Invincible, do not let the bold bright colors of the animation fool you. This show goes hard and does not avoid the harsh consequences of super powers in an otherwise fragile, all too human world. 

I suppose it's a reasonable expectation given the way this series works is that things will get worse before they get better.

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Andrea and I did not get to catch the whole show but the clips we've seen of Saturday Night Live UK have been enjoyable and I think genuinely funny.

Here is the cold open where Prime Minister Keir Starmer really dreads calling Donald Trump. 

SNL USA alum Tina Fey was the guest host who was as funny and charming as ever.

We think that Saturday Night Live UK has gotten off to a pretty good start. 

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News came down yesterday that Paramount has cancelled Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.  There will be no more seasons after season 2.

Well, I think this sucks AND blows.

I will pontificate on this some more in this weekend's Star Trekking post.

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I want to make note of a couple of celebrity passings.

Nicholas Brendan who played Xander on Buffy the Vampire Slayer died last week at age 54.  Xander was the Jimmy Olsen to Buffy Summers and it was a thankless role but Brendan made the most of it with a character that was genuinely helpful and a good friend to the Scooby gang.

Brendan had to deal with struggles involving his mental health and substance abuse but worked really hard to keep his life on track.  Rest in peace, Nicholas.

And Chuck Norris died last week at age 86. Back in the 1990's, visiting my parents on a Saturday meant I got to watch Walker, Texas Ranger.  Not HAD to watch. Got to!  The honor was mine, Mr. Norris.  

Yeah, the dialogue was stilted and the acting was stiff but nobody came to this show for that. We came to watch Chuck Norris kick ass.

Even if the bad guys were too dumb to realize they were doomed. I remember this one line for an episode where Walker and his team have the bad guys surrounded and one of them calls out, "You'll never take us alive <pause> Texas Ranger!"   

That line has stuck with me for years. 

Death did not claim Chuck Norris. Norris stared down Death who decided to call it a draw. 

Rest well <pause> Texas Ranger! 

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

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

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Enough with television. Next post up: what's going on in the world of radio.

(Yes, it's still a thing! For now.) 

Robert Mueller

Robert Mueller passed away on Friday at age 81.

Mueller was a decorated American war hero and a  director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Over the course of his career, Mueller took on the brutal autocratic Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, the Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, and the terrorists behind the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.   

Regarding Robert Mueller's military service in Vietnam, he had a knee problem that would've kept him out of the war but he chose to serve anyway.  

Generally regarded as a professional and dedicated public servant, Robert Mueller was nearly universally regarded as a good and honorable man.

Why only "nearly"?

Well, there is that matter of Mueller being the point man for the investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's campaign. 

So, gee, how did Li'l Donnie Trump handle news of the passing of Robert Mueller?

Like this: 

“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

No, I am not paraphrasing.  The man who currently holds the title of President of the United States said of an American citizen, "I'm glad he's dead." 

Regarding the investigation into reported shenanigans between Trump's team and the Russians:

• Robert Mueller did not ask for or start this investigation. It was assigned to him.
• Mueller never said anything bad about Donald Trump. In fact, he said nothing during the course of the nearly 2 year investigation with no leaks and no public comments. Mueller ran a tight ship and just hunkered down to follow the facts wherever they would lead.
• While the investigation did lead to some people in Trump's orbit facing criminal charges and doing some jail time, Donald himself remain untouched. 

Click here and here  for my humble and admiittedly limited understanding of Mueller's probe.

Long story made short:

• Robert Mueller looked around.
• Robert Mueller found nothing.
• Robert Mueller got on with his life.

A few years ago, Mueller was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease which he had to struggle with until he died on Friday.

Meanwhile, widdle Commander Bone Spurs is not one to let  a petty grievance slide.

I think it bears repeating what Trump said.

“Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Oddly enough, I think I owe Donald Trump a debt of gratitude.

I've wondered how exactly I will articulate my response when this goddam motherfucker finally dies and Li' Donnie his own damn self has given me the words to express myself.

So on that blessed day when that last McDonald's cheeseburger tightens it's grip on his calcified heart and the Devil finally calls in on his deal, I know just what I will say:

“Donald Trump just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Thank you, Donald, for the gift of your words.  

When you die, I will just cut 'n' paste that into a blog post and get on with my life. 

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Another post is coming up later this morning.

There is a war on, you know.