There's been a good amount of talk about "superhero fatigue", magnified by the relative failure of Marvel's "The Marvels" at the box office last fall.
Now on Disney+, fans see for themselves where Marvel Studios seemingly went wrong with a film featuring Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani). Monica Rambeau, who was Captain Marvel for about 15 minutes in the books back in the 80's before Marvel Comics gave her the code name Photon, completes the triad of heroines under the guidance of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
At issue is a Kree seeking to revive her homeworld after the Supreme Intelligence was destroyed by Captain Marvel. She wields a quantum band similar to one worn by Ms. Marvel, who thought hers was a family heirloom. Yoiks!!
Keep an eye open during the credits for some, ah, old friends.
Check the trailer:
The more our ladies shift and switch places, it seems appropriate that Marvel finally put something relatively contemporary on the soundtrack, namely this gem from the Beastie Boys:
Well, since we have no other trailers to talk about.....!
Mr. Maddock is a state representative from Michigan who has had too much Trump-Ade for his own good.
You've heard of mistaken identity cases. The case involving Maddock is really a case of blind stupidity amplified with arrogance and willful ignorance.
Wednesday night, the teams playing in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena in the NCAA men's Sweet 16 arrived at Wayne County Airport. Maddock wigged seeing three buses bearing the players, coaches, & staff of Gonzaga University, one of the top teams in the country, and insisted, even after his claim was debunked, that these were migrants he claimed entered the country illegally.
Portrait of a moron.
Even though the airport and Gonzaga officials confirmed who was in the buses, Maddock refused to back down, claiming he "hadn't heard a good enough answer".
Bollocks & balderdash!!
The answers were right there in front of you, fella. Your paranoia put you in this position, and now you've a price to pay. You owe the people of Detroit a major league apology. Just the same, you're getting this:
We should also note that Maddock's wife is one 15 false electors awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to the scheme to overturn the 2020 election. Stupidity does run in that family.....
The late actress & singer Marni Nixon was much in demand in Hollywood, but only for her voice, though she did land a few roles in front of the camera during her career.
Nixon was known as a voice dubber or ghost singer, who had sung for Natalie Wood & Rita Moreno in "West Side Story", Deborah Kerr in "The King & I", and Marilyn Monroe, among others. Her fame and relative anonymity led to appearing on To Tell The Truth twice. The first time was in December 1964. The 2nd appearance came just over 26 years later, in January 1991. Kitty Carlisle was on the panel both times, which explains why she recused herself in 1991.......
In between Truth appearances, Nixon continued her career, and millions of children heard her sing for Janet Waldo in Hanna-Barbera's adaptation of Jack & The Beanstalk in 1967.
How desperate is Donald John Judas Iscariot Trump to avoid paying all of his legal bills out of pocket?
Desperate enough to resort to selling Bibles, with additional reprints of documents such as the Bill of Rights and lyrics to Lee Greenwood's 80's anthem, "God Bless The USA", for a whopping $59.99, plus tax & shipping costs.
SAY WHAT???
We all know April Fool's Day is next Monday, but to Trump, his gullible supporters are fools every day of the year for blindly wasting their money on anything he attaches his name to, so what's a Bible in this case, but another tool for grifting?
Jesus would not have approved.
File photo courtesy Getty Images/MSN.
In reality, you can get a New King James Version of the Bible at Walmart for about 1/4 of the cost Trump is charging. I know, because I did just that a year ago. Four of those would still leave you some room for the collection plate.
Plus, given Trump's notorious refusal to pay licensing fees for songs, such as "God Bless The USA", played at his rallies without the artist's permission, though we're not sure about Greenwood, a country singer whose last hit was in the 80's, I wonder if that covers distributing the lyrics without permission, too.
Jesus Himself warned us about false prophets & teachers in the Book of Matthew. File Trump in that category, because he otherwise wouldn't touch a Bible with a 10 foot pole. He's also getting another set of Weasel ears for his growing collection. He can give these to his press flack, Steven Cheung, who clearly is incapable of understanding that his boss is the biggest con artist this side of Harold Hill. And if you don't know who that is, go rent "The Music Man".......
Ronna Romney-McDaniel's television career, at least at NBC, is over before it really started.
The former chairperson of the Republican National Committee, pushed out the door by Donald Trump in what amounted to a bloodless coup so he could take over the RNC and use it as a personal piggy bank, so they say, was hired by NBC as a contributor. However, that didn't end well.
McDaniel was let go today, two days after getting publicly excoriated on Meet The Press, and after NBC personalities, including former Press moderator Chuck Todd, questioned the wisdom of their bosses hiring McDaniel, who until Sunday didn't definitively admit that Trump lost the 2020 election. On Sunday, she finally did, but it was too little, too late.
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By now, you've all heard about the boat crashing into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, collapsing the bridge, and plunging several innocent commuters into the river. The boat sank, as well.
Leave it to some ill-mannered GOPers to try to paint the accident as anything but. Like, for example, a terrorist attack. Which it wasn't.
Georgia Misrepresentative and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene was promptly blasted on X for trying to sell the idea that it was some sort of attack. Greene has no shame, and will say anything to keep her name in the headlines. They're dealing with tragedy in Baltimore, and she's trying to imagine something else happened.
Also on Sunday, Fibber Jordan went on 60 Minutes, and co-anchor Lesley Stahl, in the course of her interview with Jordan, fact-checked him right to his face about misrepresentation, among other things, leaving ol' Fibber flabbergasted.
Farron Cousins explains:
The truth hurts, doesn't it, Fibber?
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Finally, the Baron of Blasphemy himself, Trump, is trying to compare himself to Jesus. It just happens to be the week before Easter, so we get the timing. I will remind that the late musician John Lennon once opined that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, and, a few years later, Lennon was killed by an obsessed fan.
So what would be Trump's fate in correlation with Lennon? While we don't wish ill on anyone, getting convicted in at least one trial, coupled with another election loss, would be torture enough on Trump's fragile mind.
Archie Comics used to be a safe haven for readers. Not anymore.
The horror line is what keeps the company going, between 1-shots and miniseries, as they're uncertain if they'll ever relaunch their classic titles again. The horror books are aimed, in this writer's opinion, at the same audience that Marvel & DC are targeting with their young adult TPB's. However, the quality leaves something to be desired.
Take, for example, Pop's Chock'lit Shop of Horrors 2: Fresh Meat.
Terry "Pop" Tate, who was rebooted into an African-American a while back, in line with his characterization on Riverdale, makes a deal with the devil to eliminate the competition, and there are three short stories that are not worth discussing. Just like the first volume, this is inspired by the original "Little Shop of Horrors" that Roger Corman made all the way back in 1960, but that inspiration is a little hollow. Archie seems to have found an audience for this dreck, which means a 3rd volume is likely next year.
Due next month is a sequel to last year's equally inane Cult of That Wilkin Boy. Consider this dark, alternate reality the legacy of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who still won't return to finish Afterlife With Archie.....
Rating: C-.
On a lark last month, I acquired the first two volumes of DC's Zatanna & The Ripper, part of DC's line of young adult TPB's, except that this one is spun from Webtoon's online series, seeing print for the first time.
Time travel is the theme of this one, set with Zatanna as a youth, apprenticing under her father, Zatara. The manga-inspired artwork is nice, but the flaw in the script seems to be stemming from editorial's need to include John Constantine as Zatanna's canonical sweetheart, a la Batman/Catwoman. Whatever happened to Jeff Sloane, who was Zee's manager-boyfriend back in the 70's? I think what the writer is going for here is inspired by the movie, "Time After Time". I'm not the target audience, so I'll just guess and move on.
Rating: B--.
Final analysis of Wesley Dodds: The Sandman shows us that while Robert Venditti came up with a smart, compelling script, it's undone by Riley Rossmo's attempt at emulating the artistic style of the Golden Age, and failing. Venditti's other miniseries, Superman '78: The Metal Curtain, wraps up in the next week or so, and is easier on the reader's eyes, art-wise.
Had this next item gone to series, there's a chance Victoria Principal might never have made it to Dallas.
Victoria was part of the ensemble cast for an unsold 1977 pilot, Mixed Nuts, inspired by the 1975 Jack Nicholson film, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", but that inspiration, plus having the cast fronted by veteran Morey Amsterdam (ex-The Dick Van Dyke Show, Can You Top This?), wasn't enough to get any network to take a chance.
The pilot also featured Ed Begley, Jr., who was doing commercials at the time, 5 years away from St. Elsewhere.
Cast member Frank LaLoggia posted this nearly 8 minute clip.
This had potential. What I think they were going for was the kind of ensemble comedy that made Barney Miller, for example, so successful.
Rod Stewart peaked at #2 on the adult contemporary chart with his cover of Carole King's "So Far Away", which King wrote in 1971 for her legendary "Tapestry" album. Stewart's version first appeared on a King tribute album which also featured the likes of Amy Grant, Curtis Stigers, Celine Dion, and the Bee Gees, then, a few months later, was reissued on Stewart's "If We Fall In Love Tonight" CD.
WROW AM (Magic 100.5 FM/AM 590) is having issues with Albany Street again.
The long running Sunday public affairs show has run the same episode with Amsterdam, NY Mayor Mike Cinquanti for the 6th consecutive week. Despite this, host Brian Cady is still doing his Sunday morning drive show, now reduced to 2 hours (7-9 am ET), with Madison Wealth Managers' Saturday show getting a Sunday berth at 9 am a few weeks back. You'll recall that the Jon Reilly experiment in the summer of 2022 went nowhere, and his lone episode ran for 2 months straight before Cady was brought in as the new host, and Reilly was let go.
Cady, also the PA voice of the Amsterdam Mohawks of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, does not have an e-mail address at WROW, so we have no way of knowing what the issue is. Stay tuned.
Update, 2:45 pm (ET): It appears Cady could very well be gone, as John Gabriel manned the 7-9 am shift this morning following the Albany Street rerun. He didn't say he was filling in for Cady, and we' re trying to obtain some information.
Saturday afternoon's sudden snowstorm caused some issues for commuters in Troy & Albany.
On a personal note, my brother & I were visiting his erstwhile roommate at a rehab center in South Troy. It rained when we got there, and when we left at 4:30 pm, it was snowing. It took a while to realize that CDTA called an audible, and took the #85 line on one single route. In other words, as often happens during winter storms, the secondary route through the Cottage Street Apartments complex was detoured to the main route. My brother & I hiked from the CSA complex, and nearly reached the bus shelter in front of Hudson Valley Community College before flagging down the #85.
Once aboard, we could not help but overhear a conversation between the bus driver and a very loud, obnoxious young man, presumably a HVCC student, who was spewing out conspiracy theories, one right after the other. Of course, amongst ourselves, we questioned the young man's sanity, or lack thereof.
Tree branches had already fallen along our trail to HVCC, by the way, but that was tame compared to what my bro encountered when he returned to Albany. Traffic was snarled along State Street as one of the new UAlbany-centric express buses was stuck in a snowbank.
Suffice to say, Mother Nature caught everyone off-guard.
For those that wonder, La Victoria on Congress Street in Troy is still open, but they've been notified by the city that some work needs to be done on the space. No, not cleaning up the graffiti on the outside, but some work has to be done inside. Stay tuned.
With the Dodgers & Padres having already started---everyone else begins regular season play March 28---it's time to close this year's preview with thumbnails of the remaining four divisions.
National League Central:
1. St. Louis: The Cardinals are overdue. Brandon Crawford comes over from San Francisco to help the defense, and add some punch in the batting order.
2. Cincinnati: Last year's division champs will contend for a Wild Card.
3. Milwaukee: Not enough pitching. Not enough offense.
4. Pittsburgh.
5. Chicago.
National League West:
1. San Francisco: Bob Melvin takes over for Gabe Kapler, and has a better situation than he did in San Diego.
2. Los Angeles: Dave Roberts' streak of division titles, despite the addition of Shohei Ohtani, ends this year. Wild Card at best.
3. Arizona. As the top two made some key moves, the D-Backs will play for a Wild Card.
4. San Diego. The Padres got hosed by the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade. 'Nuff said.
5. Colorado. Not this year.
American League Central:
1. Minnesota.
2. Cleveland.
3. Detroit.
4. Chicago.
5. Kansas City.
American League West:
1. Houston: The Astros have much to prove that last year's loss to Texas was just an aberration.
2. Texas: If they get Jacob deGrom back, they could get back to the World Series.
3. Seattle: They'll contend for a Wild Card, nothing more.
4. Los Angeles: The Angels have to replace not only Shohei Ohtani, but Jared Walsh as well. Not enough offense behind Mike Trout.
Ooops, she's done it again. (Apologies to Britney Spears)
Marjorie Taylor Greene wants the government to shut down just to "own the libs" and stick it to the Biden administration. Current Speaker Mike Johnson, less than 6 months into his tenure as Speaker, is Empty-G's new target. Why? Because he's doing the right thing, preventing the government from being shut down.
Brian Tyler Cohen explains:
What Empty-G fails to realize is that if the government shuts down, she doesn't get paid, and neither do her fellow GOPers or anyone else. So what if she's wealthy? The only benefit to the government shutting down, even in the short term, is taking her away from the headlines.
Have another Dunce Cap, Marjorie. You've earned it. Again.
ABBA landed in the top 10 on the Hot 100 for the last time in 1980 with "The Winner Takes it All", the 1st single off the "Super Trouper" album. Despite the theme of the song, the title alone lends it all to tournaments like the NCAA men's & women's basketball tournaments, which have begun (men) or will this weekend (women).
If they play the instrumental some time, then you know they got the message. I'd prefer the instrumental of this than the schmaltzy "One Shining Moment"....
Today, we call them flight attendants. Back in the day, they were stewardesses, and, as history has taught us, shows about these women don't fare very well.
From a Bird's Eye View was Sheldon Leonard's last sale to NBC. It was supposed to be on the fall 1970 schedule, after Leonard had bombed with My Friend Tony & My World & Welcome To It. It was also the 1st of 2 series Leonard co-produced with ITC in England. "Bird", you see, is British slang for woman. Go figure.
This was developed as a star vehicle for actress Millicent Martin, who had top billing.
While the series launched in England in 1970, NBC sat on it until the first half of 1971, perhaps because they couldn't find a slot for it on the fall schedule. Standard sitcom fare, with the choice of occupation highlighted making it more challenging. As we've talked about, most ITC series, with some exceptions (i.e. The Saint, This is Tom Jones) averaged one season.
Leonard & ITC would collab again the next year on Shirley MacLaine's Shirley's World, which aired on ABC, and bombed.
You would think with the moves that the Yankees made in the offseason, that they wouldn't miss the post-season again this year. Ah, but misfortune has plagued the Bombers this spring, with two key players unavailable for opening day next week.
The late George Steinbrenner would have ditched Aaron Boone and/or GM Brian Cashman already, but son Hal doesn't have the impulses his father had, and this is despite the fact that there were people calling for Boone to be gone after failing to make the playoffs last season.
Infield: DJ LeMahieu will likely begin the season on the IL, and that opens a spot for Columbia High grad Kevin Smith (Oakland), should he make the 40 man major league roster. The rest of the infield is set, with the Anthonys---Rizzo & Volpe----and Gleyber Torres.
Outfield: The big news, of course, was Juan Soto coming over from San Diego, and bringing Trent Grisham with him. The Yankees also signed Alex Verdugo away from Boston/ Factor in Aaron Judge, and you can understand why Yankee fans are hoping they not only make the playoffs, but win the division, too.
Pitching: Gerrit Cole is on the IL. Luis Severino is with the Mets. Domingo German, he of the perfect game last summer, is in Pittsburgh. The rotation, as it stands now, consists of Marcus Stroman (Cubs), Carlos Rodon, Nester Cortes, Clarke Schmidt, and maybe, Luke Weaver, a mid-season pickup last summer. Rodon in particular had issues last season, and unless he finds the form he had in San Francisco and Chicago, the Yankees may have to lean too heavily on the mercurial Stroman, who returns to the AL East (Toronto).
This also puts an extra burden on the offense, though a heart of the order consisting of Judge, Soto, & Giancarlo Stanton is a threat any day of the week, especially if Stanton is healthy. LeMahieu's absence will be felt more on defense. Whatever offense the Yanks can get from their catching corps would be a bonus with Kyle Higashioka gone (San Diego).
As for the rest of the AL East:
In addition to losing Verdugo, Boston saw Justin Turner go north to Toronto. Vaughn Grissom comes over from Atlanta to fill Turner's spot on the roster, while Tyler O'Neill (St. Louis) will try to fill in for Verdugo. Lucas Giolito (White Sox) is gone for the year (Tommy John surgery), which all but kills the Red Sox's playoff chances.
Baltimore shocked a lot of folks by winning the division last year after a back & forth with Tampa Bay most of the season. The Orioles picked up Corbin Burnes from Milwaukee, but he might not be ready for opening day. The Rays, while adding some offense with Amed Rosario (Cleveland), does not look like they'll be a factor. Aside from Justin Turner, Toronto's only real notable move was picking up Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Yankees.
On April 5, the WWE will induct the 2024 class of the Hall of Fame. The live ceremony will air on Peacock after Smackdown signs off on Fox.
This year's class is the 1st curated by Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, after Vince McMahon was forced out for the 2nd time a few months back.
Here we go:
Celebrity Wing: Muhammad Ali. The boxing legend may be the last of the participants in the 1st Wrestlemania main event in 1985 to be inducted into the Hall, following Hulk Hogan, Pat Patterson, Mr. T, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and Bob Orton, Jr.. I think Liberace may be in, too, but I can't be certain.
Ali, born Cassius Clay, was the referee for the match, with Patterson as a backup official. This wasn't the 1st time Ali was involved with the company, as he did an angle with Gorilla Monsoon a few years earlier. The collection of star power in the match alone took the event over the top, creating a Spring tradition.
Lia Maivia: The grandmother of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Maivia was also a promoter, as she operated Polynesian Championship Wrestling, which landed a minor cable deal in the late 80's. There are those who believe Johnson used his newfound status as a member of the TKO Holdings Board of Directors to ensure Lia was inducted this year.
Bull Nakano (Keiko Aoki): The Japanese legend won titles in not only Japan and the US (women's champ in 1994), but Mexico as well.
The US Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo): This makes Windham a 2-time Hall of Famer, as he was inducted as a member of the 4 Horsemen a few years back. Rotundo, who later worked as Irwin R. Schyster (IRS) as 1/2 of Money, Inc. with Ted DiBiase, won 5 tag titles in all in the then-WWF, 2 with Windham, 3 with DiBiase. Surprisingly, he hadn't yet been inducted as IRS. Hmmmm.
Thunderbolt Patterson (Claude Patterson): It is said that Patterson, who retired in 1985 after a feud with Ole Anderson, was a trailblazer for African American wrestlers. He won a number of championships, but is the only one on the list with no actual ties to the WWE/F.
Paul Heyman: The clear headliner, with this year's event in Philadelphia, where Heyman, a Long Island native, cemented his legend status with ECW, Heyman, like old nemesis Jim Cornette, was a photographer before swapping his camera for a prop cordless phone (as Paul E. Dangerously). After nearly 40 years in the business, he is getting his just due, fittingly, in Philadelphia.
The inductors have not been announced as of press time.
In part 1, we looked at the Mets' prospects for 2024. Now, let's consider the rest of the NL East.
Atlanta has won the last 5 division titles, but hasn't been able to get out of the divisional round, eliminated by Philadelphia in 2022-3. So, how do the Braves respond?
For starters (pun intended), Chris Sale comes over from Boston via free agency to anchor the rotation. Ian Anderson starts the season in the minors and would have to be re-added to the 40 man roster to be called up. The rotation figures to have some combination of Sale, Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and any number of candidates for the 5th slot, including Jackson Stephens, Hruscar Ynoa, and Bryce Elder. We will see Anderson in Atlanta soon enough. Luis Guillorme (Mets) adds some infield insurance, and this could come back to haunt the Mets, as Guillorme joins Travis d'Arnaud in Hot-lanta. Ex-Met farmhand Jarred Kelenic (Seattle) has had a rough go in spring training, and could start the season in the minors, which explains why the Braves brought back Adam Duvall (Boston).
As for the Phillies, Bryce Harper moving to 1st base made Rhys Hoskins expendable (Milwaukee). Shaker graduate Jeff Hoffman will be a mainstay in the bullpen. The Phillies added some infield insurance by picking up Roger Clemens' son, Kody (Detroit), and Whit Merrifield (Toronto), who likely can play 1st if Harper is injured. Ex-Brave Kolby Allard adds bullpen insurance, otherwise, the rest of the roster looks the same.
After acquiring AL batting champion Luis Arraez prior to last year, Miami dipped into the AL Central again, this time signing Tim Anderson away from the White Sox. Josh Bell has been here, there, and everywhere the last few years, acquired for Jean Segura back in August. Nick Gordon (Minnesota) reunites with Arraez, and is outfield insurance. Christian Bethancourt (Tampa Bay) returns to the NL East, where he began his career in Atlanta.
In terms of pitching Miami must make do without Sandy Alcantara, out for the season due to Tommy John surgery. That's what will hurt the Marlins to the point where Arraez, Anderson, and friends will have to pick up the slack.
Washington waved the white flag early the last two seasons. Adding Joey Gallo (Minnesota), another travelin' man, isn't going to help. Gallo is listed as an outfielder, but figure on him playing a good chunk of time at 1st base. There's a reason he's moved around the last few years. Nick Senzel (Cincinnati) will try to provide the offense lost when Trea Turner left for Philadelphia after the 2022 season. Richard Bleier (Boston), he of the 3 balk at-bat vs. the Mets, returns to the division. That shouldn't give DC fans any confidence. Thing is, Bleier is a non-roster invitee, so he could end up starting the season in the minors, barring injuries to current players.
When cable television was introduced to homes in the 518 in the 70's, that introduction also included a New York television tradition that was discontinued 35 years ago.
WPIX, now a CW affiliate, began airing the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York as a television experiment in 1949. What started as a hour-long special evolved into a 5 hour marathon by the time the parade broadcasts ended in 1989. The one constant was host Jack McCarthy, who was a children's show host for 'PIX during the 60's, and although McCarthy retired in the 70's, he continued with the parades until 1989.
Would that someone would tape Albany's annual parade, the 2024 edition taking place yesterday, for kicks.
From 1985, we have nearly half of a broadcast, 2 hours and 10 minutes worth, commercials included.
For what it's worth, today, WPIX is carrying a Mets pre-season game, airing locally on WCWN.
Vicks, now a component of Procter & Gamble, introduced NyQuil cough medicine in 1966 as a complement to Formula 44, which, it appears, is no longer around, while P & G has expanded NyQuil into a whole of line of products, including a children's version and DayQuil.
In this 1970 ad, an ailing husband (Bill Fiore, predating his Right Guard ad run with Chuck McCann) is introduced to NyQuil by his wife (Louise Lasser). Lloyd Nolan (Julia) is the narrator.
This first item slipped under the radar, under-reported by the hometown press.
It's very rare----aside from movies & novels----for schools to make administrative changes in the middle of the school year. But, that's what happened last month when Troy High principal Joseph Mariano, Jr. left to become the superintendent of the Stillwater Central School District.
Coincidentally, THS hosted Stillwater in the 2023 Class D football title game vs. Warrensburg/Lake George/North Warren on November 3. Three months later, and Mariano takes the Stillwater job.
On February 8, Mariano was given a send-off at Troy after 11 1/2 seasons as principal (2013-24).
Mariano began his new job February 9, but the deal was completed two months earlier.
After a few weeks without an executive principal, the Troy district earlier this week named veteran math teacher Joshua Monk as Mariano's successor. Best wishes to both Monk & Mariano.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can breathe a little easier. She'll still get to prosecute former president Donald Trump
Judge Scott McAfee ruled today that either Willis or her ex, attorney Nathan Wade, had to basically recuse themselves from the case due to objections raised by another defendant in the case, Michael Roman. Wade, hours later, decided to step down. Team Pampers' attempt to smear Willis didn't work the way they'd hoped, and, now, they're stuck on the path to prison.
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It seems that anyone associated with Trump develops an unhealthy aversion to confinement.
Consider, then, the case of one of Trump's former advisers, Peter Navarro. After a request to further delay his imprisonment was rejected by an appeals court Thursday, Navarro decided, like an idiot, to take his case to the Supreme Court.
No, you shouldn't be doing that, pal. Unless you've got extreme claustrophobia, you serve your time, and then you get to go home. Four months is chump change for first time offenders.
No, the problem is that Navarro, Steve Bannon, and others think that, like Trump, they're entitled to executive privilege, but they're not. They think they're above the law, but they're not. What is wrong with a simple sentence of four months?
That old ad campaign was right. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Jests QB Aaron Rodgers is being offered an opportunity to be a vice president.
Independent candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr., who has turned his back on his famous family due to his vaccine denials, reached out to fellow anti-vaxxer and former State Farm pitchman Rodgers, who then had to deny reported claims that he believed the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.
Ex-Mouseketeer Britney Spears exploded onto the pop charts at the end of 1998 with "Baby One More Time", the title song from her debut CD. The video was shot in the same high school that housed the cast of "Grease" 20 years earlier.
In recent days, a few YouTube "geniuses" decided to do comparisons and mash-ups of Britney's original version against or coupled with Tenacious D's cover from the movie. "Kung Fu Panda 4", whose star, Jack Black, is the vocal half of Tenacious D, and hams it up at the premiere with his musical partner, Kyle Gass, and co-stars James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, & Awkwafina, among others.
You've probably seen Capital One pitch-doll Jennifer Garner (ex-Alias) doing an end-around toward the end of last year's writers & actors strikes to use Capital One to promote her own business, Once Upon a Farm. The ads are still running some six months later, but in a lighter rotation.
Anyway, Once Upon a Farm has a line of products that are readily available in places like Walmart. The product line includes smoothies and baby food. Once Upon a Farm & Garner are also partnering with Save The Children.
Honestly, I think I may try one of those fruit smoothies......
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Country icon Dolly Parton has linked up with Conagra Brands to produce a line of pastry and cake mixes. Some of the pastry mixes are stand-alone items, but the cake mixes also bear the equally iconic brand of Duncan Hines, which Conagra, formerly Nebraska Commercial Mills, purchased in 2017.
Photo courtesy of Conagra Brands.
Yep, they're also at Walmart and other retailers. The Parton line launched in January, and serves the additional purpose of keeping the Duncan Hines name relevant.
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You know of course that Timmy Trumpet composed "Narco", the entrance theme for Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, and is also heard at other sports arenas.
Well, last year, Trumpet got his own baseball card, courtesy of Topps.
The company, now a unit of Fanatics, included Trumpet in its 2023 Allen & Ginter set, both in regular size, and in a smaller parallel insert. With Diaz back on the mound for the Mets, the sound of "Narco" will be heard once more at Citi Field this season. You can bet that Mets fans will be yearning for the Trumpet card to add to their collections.
With Topps/Fanatics getting back in the NFL game, perhaps as soon as this year, maybe we'll see a Taylor Swift card in that set?
Most folks assume that the Mets won't contend in 2024. That remains to be seen. Injuries and the team underperforming in the 1st half of 2023 led to a mid-season fire sale that saw Justin Verlander return to Houston, Tommy Pham shipped off to Arizona, and Max Scherzer went and won his 2nd title in 5 years with Texas, while Jacob deGrom, who signed with the Rangers prior to the 2023 season, was sidelined with Tommy John surgery.
So far, with 2 weeks remaining in the pre-season, the Mets' non-roster guests have played like they belong on the big club come March 28, including veterans Trayce Thompson Ji-Man Choi, and Jose Iglesias. All three can contribute as roster depth, as Choi can spell Pete Alonso at 1st, and serve notice to Alonso that he could be expendable in his walk year, a price paid for taking on Scott Boras Badenov as his agent.
Carlos Mendoza comes over from the Yankees as the new manager, after Buck Showalter was shown the door after 2 seasons. We'll miss the SNY crew queuing up some music from Ironside when there was an epidemic of hit batters during Showalter's tenure.
Infield: Iglesias, a journeyman whose resume includes stops in Boston & Detroit, can fill in for Francisco Lindor at short when needed, and has been tried out at 2nd as well. As much as the Mets are committed to Brett Baty & Mark Vientos at 3rd, Iglesias can play there, too. Vientos has also backed up Alonso, so there's plenty of insurance. Choi played in Pittsburgh last year after starting his career in Tampa Bay. As a plus, Luisangel Acuna, the brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuna, Jr., is a possibility to make the big club if not at the start of the season, but later.
Outfield: Harrison Bader, who was with the Yankees & Cincinnati last year, and Tyrone Taylor (Milwaukee) are dueling for the center field job, while Brandon Nimmo is being tested in left. Jeff McNeil is injured and will start the season on the injured list. Starling Marte has come all the way back from injury issues last year, and will be back in right field. Trayce Thompson can and probably will be the 4th outfielder. As already seen, Thompson can add some thunder, as he has 2 homers already in Grapefruit League play.
Catcher: Tomas Nido is back, but will likely start the season in Syracuse as a non-roster invitee, as he was squeezed out by the emerging Francisco Alvarez, who likely will start over Omar Narvaez. Mendoza apparently only wants to carry two catchers (sensible), so Nido will be on call in case of an injury. Alvarez's rookie year was just as ridiculous as Alonso's was five years ago, with half as many homers.
Pitching: Carlos Carrasco is gone (back to Cleveland). Adrian Houser (Milwaukee) replaces him in a rotation that also includes Jose Quintana, Tylor Megill, Luis Severino (Yankees), and Sean Manaea (San Francisco), whom the Mets abused the last couple of years. The bullpen underwent its usual makeover, with Shintaro Fujinami & Jorge Lopez (Baltimore) and Jake Diekman (Tampa Bay) building a new bridge to Edwin Diaz. Kodai Senga starts the season on the IL as well. Uh-oh. Assuming Senga can pitch this season, and Joey Lucchesi makes the big club in 2 weeks, the Mets will again have an embarrassment of riches on the mound. What else is new?
Tanking is not an option.
Prediction: 3rd place, contending for a Wild Card.
Two years ago, the Academy Awards were marred by the infamous slap heard 'round the world between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
This year, the most immature adult on the planet rage-posted during the Oscars, and got embarrassed by host Jimmy Kimmel.
You'd think Donald Trump would learn by now, and so should the rest of the Republicans, for that matter, that picking fights with Kimmel and other comics never ends well. Kimmel was alerted to a message on his phone from Orange Narcissus, and read it in real time on the air.
As Jesse Dollemore explains, Trump essentially walked into a trap.
Kimmel also took the time, not shown above, to subtly shade Senator Katie Britt, the deer in the headlights tasked with the GOPer response to this year's State of The Union message on Thursday, less than 24 hours after Scarlett Johanssen parodied Britt on Saturday Night Live. Britt was already getting raked over the coals after her message on Thursday before that double whammy.
Earlier Sunday, South Carolina's Nancy Mace tried using the victim card, and accused ABC's George Stephanopoulos of shaming her on This Week. All she did was share her past experience having been raped, but in the course of being asked about Trump and his legal troubles with E. Jean Carroll in particular. Deflection 101. She refused to directly answer Stephanopoulos' questions, and social media let her have it.
Back to Trump. He could've just let it go, but he has had a grudge ever since The Apprentice had repeatedly failed to win Emmy awards, and he felt the need to vent. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time, the wrong place, and the wrong victim (Kimmel). As for Diaper Don's claim about giving the Oscars to people "who deserve them", what do ya think they did last night, pumpkin face?
"WAAAAHHHH!! I hate Kimmel! He sucks! WAAAAAHHHH!"
You're just jealous because he has better writers than you do.
Haven't seen the fast national ratings on the Oscars, but I'd imagine Kimmel took the numbers up from last year, and skewering Trump & Britt had something to do with it.
The one thing more than anything that Trump has presided over the last 9 years is the dumbing down of the GOP. That, more than anything, could cost him in November. That said, the Annoying Orange gets another Dunce Cap, which he can pass to Mace or Britt, since he has so many....
Welcome Back, Kotter had been off the air for three years. The boys from Happy Days had gone on to college and adulthood. Former Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts saw an opportunity to develop a new high school sitcom that, like Kotter before it, was in a contemporary setting.
Square Pegs, Beatts' creation, lasted one season on CBS due to low ratings, and, depending on sources, reports of drug abuse on the set, due to the number of young actors in the cast, some of whom were minors. I can add another factor. It aired Mondays, opposite Little House on The Prairie. Thanks for coming.
It can be said, however, that this was the series that helped build Sarah Jessica Parker into the major star she'd become years later. Amy Linker, Jami Gertz, and Tracy Nelson were among the co-stars. The Waitresses performed the show's theme song, and their two biggest hits, "I Know What Boys Like" & "Christmas Wrapping", were used on the show. Other music was composed or curated by Paul Shaffer (Late Night With David Letterman) and jazz musician Tom Scott.
Edit, 3/26/24: The video has been privatized. In its place is an open-close montage.
Donna Summer topped the R & B charts, and peaked at #3 on the pop & dance charts in the summer of 1983 with the title song from her Mercury Records album, "She Works Hard For The Money", an ode to the working woman. Check the dance sequence at the end of the video, with women from all kinds of professions, including waitresses and police, dancing on the street.
Donna followed up "Money" with "Unconditional Love", featuring Musical Youth, which was also the last time American audiences would see Musical Youth. However, a few short years later, Donna would change labels again, this time to Atlantic.
Over the course of 20 years on the air (1955-75), NBC Radio's Monitor was an eclectic mix of news, sports, interviews, and music. In just its 2nd weekend on the air, Monitor ran for an amazing 40 hours. This format was later discontinued due to affiliates not interested in a network program taking up all that time.
Hosts & announcers were billed as communicators, and they were just as eclectic as the show's format. A who's who of "communicators" included the likes of Jim Backus, singer and later NY radio personality Jim Lowe, Dave Garroway, Hugh Downs, and game show icons Art Fleming, Monty Hall, and, in this excerpt from 1970, Gene Rayburn, in between Match Game runs (in fact, this was Rayburn's last gig for NBC, as he'd leave for CBS 2 years later), who interviews Jimmy Stewart. A Stewart photo montage is the video.
Mr. Blakeman is the Republican County Executive who made the news recently when he signed an executive order banning women's sports teams who have transgender athletes from using gyms and other athletic facilities in Nassau County, where he is the county executive.
Photo courtesy Albany Times-Union.
What Blakeman and fellow GOPers in similar positions of authority across the country are trying to do is marginalize LGBTQ+ citizens for no other reason than the very existence of the LGTBQ+ community runs counter to the GOP's misguided agenda.
Two weeks ago, Blakeman signed an executive order encompassing more than 100 venues, including ice rinks, ballparks, tennis & basketball courts, etc., because of the belief that men transitioning into women have an unfair competitive advantage, based, they say, on scientific facts.
On March 1, NY Attorney General Letitia James sent a cease & desist letter to Blakeman, who decided on Wednesday to file suit against the state, and asking a Federal court to affirm he has the right to issue the ban. The following comes from the Times-Union:
"The order requires any teams, leagues or organizations seeking a permit from the county’s parks and recreation department to “expressly designate” whether they are for male, female or coed athletes."
Bollocks & balderdash!! As AG James pointed out in her March 1 letter, Blakeman's order is discriminatory, transphobic, and would create more problems for trans and cisgender women than Blakeman had even bothered to consider, if at all. He doesn't have a problem with trans men playing with cisgender men, so why target trans women?
The problem is that while we do live in a more accepting, inclusive society in 2024, GOPers like Blakeman would rather push our society back, back, back, back to at least the 50's, and shove the LGBTQ back into the closet. That ain't happening.
The bottom line is that Blakeman will lose this suit, and his ban will end up rescinded because of its discriminatory nature. That alone earns Blakeman a set of Weasel ears, certainly deserved because he, like so many other GOPers, has his head in the sand.
In 2012, Archie Comics made a concerted effort to relaunch its superhero line, with a new generation of heroes inheriting the mantles of their Silver or Golden Age predecessors. Unfortunately, New Crusaders, for example, suffered from poor distribution, as there wasn't a lot of interest in reviving what most fans see as 3rd rate or lower heroes.
From that era came Ivette Velez, the new Jaguar, trained by the original himself, Ralph Hardy. 12 years later, Velez lands her first solo adventure in the latest 1-shot from Archie as it continues to try to reinvent the Crusaders.
Writer Keryl Brown Ahmed serves up a story of Peruvian mysticism that ties into the Jaguar's history. Velez isn't the first female Jaguar. DC's Impact line had the first back in the 90's, and it appears she's been retconned out, which is too bad. Get past the helmet that Ivette wears as Jaguar, and enjoy the ride. Now, you have to hope enough people were interested to coax Archie into following up.
Rating: A-.
Titan Comics & Heroic Signatures have revived Savage Sword of Conan, the original version of which launched 50 years ago at Marvel. Roy Thomas, long associated with Robert E. Howard's barbarian icon, from writing a bazillion stories for Marvel back in the day, as well as at Dark Horse, wrote the foreward for the first issue, giving his blessing to this 21st century reboot.
A bonus is the beginning of a serial starring another of Howard's heroes, Solomon Kane, written & drawn by Patrick "Patch" Zircher, who does a better job with Kane than Marvel did back in the 70's. I'm sold.
Rating: A.
Dynamite adds to its WB/Hanna-Barbera line in May with Space Ghost in an all new series, and with Jonny Quest featured at Free Comic Book Day on May 4. Dynamite is giving Space Ghost a revamped origin, which casts aside what Joe Kelly came up with at DC some 20 years ago. The creative team for Quest remains a secret.
We told you how a prominent artist had landed a gig doing variant covers for ThunderCats, and, possibly, also Space Ghost. Now, in the words of the late Paul Harvey, comes the rest of the story.
The artist in question is 518 resident John Hebert, who has a deal with a Canadian company for exclusive variants, such as the one shown below.
ThunderCats copyright Warner Bros Discovery.
Unfortunately, we can't show you the whole thing, but it is available for purchase. We're digging.
Most political observers are concerned about whether or not former UN Ambassador & South Carolina governor Nikki Haley will hold to her promise to stay in the GOP primary race to the end after today's Super Tuesday wave of primaries.
On Sunday, Haley finally picked up a win in the District of Columbia (Washington, DC, to you laymen), blowing away Orange Narcissus (Donald Trump, of course) by nearly 30 percentage points. While history was made, with Haley the first woman to win a GOP primary for president, and the fact that the margin of victory suggests that Washington as a whole is tired of Trump and his tired rhetoric, Trump, ever the sore loser, had to whine about it on Truthless Social, continuing to denigrate and insult Haley as he went.
Farron Cousins explains.
Ol' Diaper Don just had to have the spotlight, didn't he? Couldn't let Haley have her moment in the sun. While most experts assume Trump will lock down the GOP nomination with a dominating effort today, that's not guaranteed, not with all those legal issues holding him down like an anchor. Trump knows nothing about humility and dignity, never has. All we get from him are moments like this......
"WAAAAAHHHHH!!! She beat me once! It doesn't matter! I'm better! WAAAAHHHH!!!"
It will matter, O Sultan of Spray Tan, if she wins a few today, after you tried to steal her momentum.
In fact, to Trump, it doesn't matter who the last challenger standing against him is. He plays the same tired tune, no matter what, and it's sickening. Even school bullies grow up, mature, and make an honest living. Trump, at 77, is making today's toddlers look like future Rhodes Scholars by comparison with his poor social graces and behavior. Trump, you see, is the one guy your folks warned you about as a kid, and, yet, this orange bogeyman isn't so scary anymore. Borderline tragic is more like it.
It was a sweeps stunt for the ages in November 1990.
NBC & Mark Goodson decided to bring back a trio of now-adult challengers who had appeared on the syndicated To Tell The Truth in 1972. The common link? Panelist Kitty Carlisle.
John Cher appeared as a youth in 1972, and would fulfill his dream of being a fashion designer by the time he and his imposters returned to Truth 18 years later. Carlisle is joined by baseball player-turned-cable personality Jay Johnstone, Vicki Lawrence-Schultz (as she was known back then), and another old school Truth regular, Orson Bean.
In game 2, Terry Rakolta, who launched a one woman crusade against Fox's Married...With Children a year earlier, is the subject.
During a break from recording Laverne & Shirley, McKean, along with Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, appeared in a 1-shot special, The TV Show, which marked the debut of their band, Spinal Tap.
The special was largely a parody of The Midnight Special, with Rob Reiner (ex-All in The Family) posing as Wolfman Jack, albeit with a slightly smaller beard. The skit/video, with the band performing "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare", started the ball rolling for Spinal Tap, although Guest, as Nigel Tufnel, was also playing with McKean and David L. Lander as Lenny & The Squigtones, and, as we've already documented, the Squigtones appeared on American Bandstand that same year.
As you'll see, Spinal Tap didn't develop their iconic looks just yet. McKean has a long hair wig more befitting a Southern rock band, like, say for example, the Marshall Tucker Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Here's "Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare":
Singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III was on keyboards for this track.
Most of you might remember when Sheldon Leonard had produced My World...And Welcome To It, based on the works of James Thurber, with William Windom in the lead, in 1969. But, what you might not know is that this was actually the 2nd attempt at bringing Thurber's vision of humor to the small screen.
Eight years earlier, Four Star took a chance, and with lawyer Jules Goldstone, the legal advisor to Thurber, serving as executive producer, served up The Secret Life of James Thurber. Comic Orson Bean was cast in the role of John Munroe. Check it out.
Take note that at the 24 minute mark, the episode actually ends, and Bean introduces the rest of the cast.....
We've discussed how sitcoms were not Four Star's strong suit, no matter how they tried. They even had an unsold pilot with movie icon Bette Davis, for example. Credit to Goldstone, a Schenectady native, for having the patience to wait for the opportunity to try again came along. Goldstone passed away in 1980, so he wasn't around for the remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", more than 30 years later, with Ben Stiller in the role made famous by Danny Kaye.
Orson Bean, of course, is best remembered for a long stint as a panelist on To Tell The Truth, and would finally land a significant primetime gig years later, in a dramatic role, on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
The Waltons was nearing the finish line---it would end its run a year later---but CBS wanted another series set in the same era in history, the Great Depression. To achieve their goal, the network turned to best selling author Alex Haley (Roots), and one of the most prolific hitmakers of the 70's, Norman Lear, who still had three series on the schedule (One Day at a Time, Archie Bunker's Place, The Jeffersons) by 1980.
Haley created Palmerstown, USA, which bowed in March 1980 as a short season series, returning a year later. Lear was credited with developing the series based on Haley's vision. Haley also wrote some of the teleplays for the 2 season series, which also marked the series debut of Michael J. Fox, 2 1/2 years before Family Ties made him a superstar. Fox had previously appeared on shows such as Trapper John, MD in guest roles before being cast for Palmerstown.
The series hasn't been seen much since a brief run on GetTV in 2017, but it deserves to remain on the air somewhere, like, maybe, on Aspire or BET. Sony owns the series and GetTV, so the placement then made sense.
A Lear fan channel, the Norman Lear Effect, put together the 2-part episode, "The Black Travelers", with guests Otis Young (ex-The Outcasts), Scatman Crothers (ex-Chico & The Man), and Morgan Freeman (ex-The Electric Company):
As memory serves, Palmerstown aired on Tuesdays in its first season, at least, and my parents weren't interested. It was either movies on the cable, or, if they missed an earlier episode, Sheriff Lobo. Series regular Bill Duke would later resurface after a string of character roles in movies and TV, in a villainous role on Black Lightning just a few short years ago.
Florida judge Aileen Cannon was appointed to her position by then-president Donald Trump a few years ago, and it's clear from her conduct in the classified documents case she was assigned to that she feels obligated to do a solid for Trump, and do whatever she can to push the goalposts back, if you will, on the case.
It was revealed Friday that Cannon had decided to postpone the case, scheduled for a May start, indefinitely. Couple that with the decision to allow the identities of federal agents and potential jurors and/or witnesses to be revealed, leaving them vulnerable to death threats from MAGA goobers, which, as Farron Cousins will point out, has already started, and Cannon is looking to be shot off this case, and possibly looking at things from the other side of the bench, if special prosecutor Jack Smith has his way.
Farron explains:
Pushing the case back to July or August would've been fine, but Trump ambulance chaser Todd Blanche suggested it should be after the election, in the hope that Trump wins a 2nd term. Farron will likely discuss the decision to postpone in a later video, but it is clear that Cannon is compromised, and has been from the get go.
Trump is that scared that he may lose again. That's obvious, but Cannon can't save him in every case. It's looking like his minions are also going down in flames in Georgia trying to smear Fani Willis. For now, though, Cannon gets something Trump's got plenty of. Weasel ears, for compromising the integrity of her position to support the man who gave her the job in the first place. One wonders if she's not spent time at Mar-a-Lame-O on the side, along with some of the other women who've pledged their support to ol' Diaper Don, like Kryin' Kari Lake and Empty-G......
