Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

President Biden is doing good where he can, and getting it done.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

We’re not going back!

Second rate reporter says what?

I desperately hope that, yet again, I am wrong.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

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Reader Interactions

41Comments

  1. 1.

    Remember November

    If it’s at LC, you’ll like it. A very well done production, the kids did great-even saw some coming out of the show after with there makeup on- so cute!

    fwiw don’t go to Josefina’s across the street with a group of any size- the service was horrible.

  2. 2.

    dmsilev

    The Spousal Unit is taking me to a performance of the NUTCRACKER, the kind that backs a handful of professionals with the local children’s ballet school and a recorded orchestra. Happy thoughts, y’all.

    Sounds like fun. ‘Round here, the local ballet school teams up with the university’s orchestra for a Halloween concert each year, with everyone (including much of the audience) in costume. Good fun all around, and the kids get to dance in front of a big friendly and happy audience.

    Of course, sometimes the music selection is a bit odd. No, the Dance of the Seven Veils from _Salome_ is probably *not* appropriate for a bunch of 12 year olds. Not with the original stage directions, anyway.

    -dms

  3. 3.

    New Yorker

    So it’s amazing how such tiny shifts in the trajectory of a storm can have such major consequences. Yesterday at this time, we weren’t supposed to get more than a dusting of snow. Now we’re under a winter storm warning with up to 8 inches expected by early Sunday morning. There are blizzard warnings up for the Long Island coast.

    Of course this all means Sarah Palin is right about climate change, also too.

  4. 4.

    Remember November

    doh- didn’t scan the “recorded” orchestra, nm. If you get the chance see the one at Lincoln Center, NY. worth the trip.

  6. 6.

    valdivia

    I love you for posting from Glee and I love this song. that is all!

    Oh the green ballons mention. That always gets to me.

  7. 7.

    Kryptik

    I just want to again note that, no matter the strumunddrang over the HCR issue, we can all take solace in one thing:

    At least from the Dem side, it’ll probably never quite reach the idiocy and bullheadedness of Moon Hoaxers.

  8. 8.

    Violet

    Just love Glee. Thanks for posting this.

    Went to a Panto last weekend. English Christmas tradition. So much fun. Have a great time at the Nutcracker.

  9. 9.

    aimai

    Except for having to see my own daughters dance in it this year, we are not having to see a full blown production. Thank god thank god thank god. But we are on schedule to celebrate Channukah with live performances of all these:

    A Civil War Christmas
    A Christmas Carol
    A child’s Christmas in Wales
    The Revels Appalachian Christmas

    Thank god there’s not enough Jewish stuff to do or we’d simply collapse.

    aimai

  10. 10.

    Tsulagi

    Another option if you want some uplifting, feel-goodness, could see a movie called The Blind Side. The story of a homeless big kid with a good heart born to a mother addicted to crack and whose father he never knew likely murdered by gang violence.

    He not only survived, he thrived after being taken in by a family in Memphis. Michael Oher now plays right tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. Excellent movie. Kids loved it, in fact my daughter wants to watch the Ravens play so she can cheer Michael on.

  11. 11.

    burnspbesq

    @AnneLaurie:

    My kid is a dancer. I’ve been going to stuff like that for a decade.

    Just accept if for what it is, and don’t expect it to be anything it’s not, and you’ll be fine. It might even be fun. Some of those little buggers have talent.

  12. 12.

    ellaesther

    This song is generally wonderful, and this version gives me chills, for some reason (general excellence, I suspect).

    Thank you Anne Laurie!

    Now to go search out their version of Jump.

  13. 13.

    James K. Polk, Esq.

    Glee! It must be Friday…

    I can’t recall the last time I was saddened by the ending of a TV show’s season.

  15. 15.

    geg6

    My niece goes to a performing arts high school and we are going to see her dance tomorrow night as the Sugar Plum Fairy in her school’s production. Tuesday night, she will be playing with her school’s orchestra for their Christmas concert with Marvin Hamlisch as guest conductor. Her high school is amazing and is, IMHO, better than the school in “Fame.” We went to a symposium there last fall on the Beatles where George Martin’s son was the main speaker and a rock band famous in the Pittsburgh area (the Granati Brothers, if you know the scene here) were co-presenters, playing to illustrate important points about the music/lyrics. Pretty damn impressive, especially here in little ol’ Beaver County.

  16. 16.

    rikyrah

    Lord,

    do I LUV GLEE!!!

    reminder – the DVD comes out December 29th.

    GLEE ROCKS.

    I still luv Puck singing Neil Diamond – I think that’s been the surprise of the season.

    And Kurt joining for football team.

  23. 23.

    BruinKid

    OK, I missed the post where this whole “Green Balloon Juice” meme started. Can anyone explain what it’s about, because I’m just utterly confused here.

  25. 25.

    RedKitten

    @rikyrah:

    I still luv Puck singing Neil Diamond – I think that’s been the surprise of the season.

    I could watch that over and over and over. I downloaded the iTunes version of it, though, and was disappointed, because it didn’t have that nice Neil Diamond-esque raspiness at the chorus that the TV version did.

    Nice to see some other Glee fans. I was late to the game, but my best friend ordered me to watch it. I’ve learned over the years to always do what she says — the woman has never been wrong about anything, ever.

  27. 27.

    valdivia

    @RedKitten:

    I got hooked early on and it was the one show this fall that I made sure to watch no matter what. I actually got both cd’s though some of the music is not my taste (broadway fare) the pop music from all ages is great to have.

  28. 28.

    burnspbesq

    This is what I’m listening to now.

    http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Live-San-Francisco-Dig/dp/B002F3BPSQ

    Not sure it’s one of Tyner’s best performances, but If you have audiophile tendencies, you have to hear it for the sound. Actually sounds like a real piano.

    Have a great weekend, everyone.

    Oh, and a question: does the airing of grievances that has been going on nonstop here for most of the week count as an actual Festivus?

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @RedKitten: You know, I can’t help noticing it’s been about 10 days since we’ve had new pictures of your Sam (I specify “your” because John has put up a couple of pix of Tammy’s Sam in a little Santa outfit on the next thread up). I suppose I could steal the TUUUUUUNCH! technique from asiangrrlMN and whenever I see you around I could just yell SAAAAAAAAAMMM! But I won’t. I’ll just ask politely every now and then.

  34. 34.

    J.W. Hamner

    This is apropos of nothing, but I’m going to declare the best song of the Naughts to be:

    Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

    I had that inclination when I first heard it, but I have seen nothing to change my mind. A sublime beat and interesting lyrics.

    This may kill any indie cred I thought I had, but fuck it. That’s a damn good song.

  35. 35.

    Steeplejack

    @burnspbesq:

    I’ll have to check that out. I love McCoy Tyner, and I have been listening a lot lately to his album Guitars, which came out about a year ago. Really nice duets with Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Béla Fleck, Derek Trucks and Bill Frisell. The song with Frisell at about 3:40 in this clip is particularly good. Can’t remember the name right now. And “Greensleeves” with Derek Trucks at about 7:00.

    I really like Tyner’s “big acoustic piano” sound. Second only to Ahmad Jamal, whose album The Awakening is in my top five jazz albums of all time.

    Oh, and a question: does the airing of grievances that has been going on nonstop here for most of the week count as an actual Festivus?

    Clearly not. The aluminum Festivus pole has not been deployed from storage in the crawlspace, and, while there has been an ample airing of grievances, there have been no feats of strength or Festivus miracles.

    I believe Cole is rigorous about keeping to the canonical date, which of course will be next Wednesday.

  38. 38.

    Joe Max

    I’ve been video recording performances these last few weekends of the Mark Morris Dance Group’s “The Hard Nut”, which is a great take on the Nutcracker Suite.

    Think the Nutcracker interpreted by good modern dancers and staged by Tim Burton, and instead of the first act set in the 18th century, it’s set in hipster New York City circa 1975. (No canned music – MMDG always uses a live musicians, in this case a 55-piece symphony orchestra.)

    It’s available on DVD, but catch it if you ever get a chance to see it live. You’ll never think of The Nutcracker the same way again.

  39. 39.

    alex milstein

    Just drop the pretensions of hipness, appreciate it for what it is and remember, the kids love doing it.

    My daughter, 19, is attempting to make a career as a professional dancer. She was one of those ‘professionals’ brought in to front the Nutcracker over the last two Christmases. Last year she danced the lead female role, eight performances, in a real theatre with 500 seats, sold out for every show.

    After each performance, the dancers would come to the lobby – in costume – to meet the audience members. And as a proud dad, seeing little girls wanting to pose for picures with my daughter and asking for her autograph – even though nobody really knew who she was – got my eyes a bit moist around the edges…

    I knew it wasn’t the Joffrey or ABT, and that my daughter may never ever reach those heights, but she loves doing it, and so do all those little kids. Bask in their joy.

  41. 41.

    BruinKid

    @freelancer: OMG!!!! I do remember reading about Jetton, but I somehow missed that follow-up in the news about what the actual safe word was.

    Wow. Just… wow.

    Hehe, some of the comments here in the last week are suddenly starting to make more sense now. :-)

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