Video Valentine: Kiss Me (1998)

 Sixpence None The Richer broke onto the Hot 100 in 1998-99 with "Kiss Me", the 1st single off their self-titled 3rd CD, peaking at #2 in May 1999. The track was used in the movie, "She's All That", and on the TV series, Dawson's Creek.

Remember Arbor Pharmacy? (1986)

 Today, CVS Pharmacy is the biggest chain of pharmacies in the country. To get there, they merged with a few smaller chains.

In 1998, CVS acquired Arbor Drugs, based out of Michigan, which had done its share of corporate mergers since it opened in 1974. It had been five years since Arbor had been embroiled in a scandal over allegations of price gouging, contrary to this 1986 ad with actor William Schallert (ex-The Patty Duke Show, Dobie Gillis).

Today, CVS only charges more for other items, such as cough medicines, and in its downtown Troy location, it's mostly to help pay the rent on the space it's occupied for decades.

Video Valentine: I'll Never Fall in Love Again (1999)

 After making a cameo appearance with Burt Bacharach in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me", Elvis Costello is at Woodstock to do a cover of one of Bacharach & Hal David's classic ballads, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", getting in a plug for "Shagged" as he goes.

In memory of Bacharach, 94, who passed away on Wednesday.

Another day, another tantrum from America's Oldest Baby

 We're still more than 18 months away from the 2024 GOP convention, and donors are making it increasingly clear they want to move on from former president Donald Trump.

You have the Koch brothers, the influential power brokers within the GOP. You have Club For Growth, which has invited several prospective candidates, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Nikki Haley, a former Trump aide, basically telling Trump he's not welcome at their bash.

As Farron Cousins points out, however, this could allow Trump to revisit his 2016 strategy.......

I'll let it slide that Farron dissed Jimmy Fallon, the College of St. Rose alumnus currently hosting The Tonight Show, and overseeing two spin-offs, including the revival of Password, and a 3rd unrelated series. The one thing that actually would stop Trump is if he does wind up in jail or in a psych ward in 2024.

Then again, that wouldn't stop any of this.....

Video Valentine: Earth Angel (1970)

 Now, this is performance art.

Tiny Tim will forever be remembered for "Tiptoe Through The Tulips", but in an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1970, Tim decided to try to change things up by changing his vocal style for a cover of the Penguins' 1955 hit, "Earth Angel", backed by the all-female group, Enchanted Forest. He reverts to his familiar falsetto about halfway, and his breakdown is just funny. Even Sullivan's digging.

Apparently, GOPers are the only ones with a right to entertain. In their own minds, that is

 I doubt very seriously that Republicans and right wing media weasels like Tabloid Carlson actually watched the Grammys on Sunday night. If they did, they'd realize that Pfizer was a sponsor for the entire show, not just a performance by non-binary singer Sam Smith and transgender artist Kim Petras. You've heard, of course, that Smith dressed like a personification of the Devil on stage, and that set off Carlson and the usual GOPer idiots like Empty-G, who falsely (as usual) claimed the Satanic Church was opening abortion clinics somewhere, or some other lame excuse to vent.

Look, dummies, it was, at best, performance art. Something you geeks don't quite get, and if you actually do, you probably think they're infringing on your space. There is a section of the audience watching the awards show that does get it, after all.

On Monday, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy taking a vacation day----we think----Empty-G stood in as acting speaker, claiming she "could get used to this". Uh, no. Speaking of performance art, that is what she's all about, so no wonder she was fuming over the Grammys.

Then came the State of The Union address by President Biden on Tuesday. In the hours leading up to the nationally televised speech, Empty-G needed to get attention, so she walked the halls of the House of Representatives carrying a white balloon.

No, she didn't hijack Lauren Boebert's brains.

During the speech, Biden needled McCarthy, saying that he didn't want to ruin the Speaker's reputation, but he was looking forward to working with him. The chamber roared in laughter. McCarthy tried to be diplomatic and keep the GOPers in line, but Empty-G wasn't having it, calling Biden a liar in mid-speech. McCarthy repeatedly tried to shut her down, preferring decorum and protocol over performance art. Ms. Moldy Peaches wasn't having that, either. 2nd year in a row she tried hijacking the speech for attention's sake.

Sorry, Empty-G, but Paris Hilton wants her gimmick back, preferably yesterday.

This, of course, is what Trump wrought. GOPers being elected because they just want to be famous. Andy Warhol is turning over in his grave.

On PPV: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

 Apparently, there is no Atlantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In order to introduce Prince Namor, aka the Sub-Mariner (though not referred by that monicker), in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", Ryan Coogler and company decided to reboot Marvel's first mutant as having some Mayan background linked to the Serpent God, which contrasts some of Namor's adventures in the 60's & 70's where he fought villains who used and/or coveted a Serpent Crown.

But Namor is not the only new face in the movie. A more recently introduced hero, Ironheart, aka teenage genius Riri Williams, makes her debut here, too, and is central to the plot, which links together Wakanda and Talokan, the MCU substitute for Atlantis, the better not to confuse casual fans who might not understand that Atlantis exists in Marvel Comics as well as DC Comics.

Anyway, Coogler notes the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the star of "Black Panther", who passed away in 2020, two years after the first film, by officially killing off King T'Challa, whose sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright). herself a genius, tried to save his life. With Wakanda under attack from Talokan, and framed for an attack on some government troops, Shuri makes a career choice that big brother would've approved....!

Michael B. Jordan appears briefly, reprising as Killmonger. You'd be hard pressed to find Lake Bell (Harley Quinn) in a brief part.

Following is a teaser video from last summer:

For Phase 5, Marvel/Disney would be well served to put more focus on the next generation of heroes, including Shuri and Riri.

Rating: A-.