Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

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

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

The US Supreme Court is on the ballot in november.

Cancel the cowardly WaPo and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Republicans don’t trust women.

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself. We’re allowed to grow past that.

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Friday Evening Open Thread: Countdown

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  2. 2.

    Yutsano

    I am sooooo not ready. And I have pulled way too many derps today. I should just go home and get into bed.

    Instead I’m going to physio. Where one of my derps has already happened.

  4. 4.

    Yarrow

    I have to go to a party tonight. I am so not in the mood. The person who offered to host this party is as scattered as anyone I can imagine. She didn’t check her email so didn’t know she was supposed to send out invitations so they went out two weeks late. Then when she did send them out she set time wrong, told people the wrong amount for the white elephant gift exchange $$ limit and didn’t send invitations to half the people who were supposed to get them. So others had to go in and correct the mistakes. It’s hard to imagine how much wronger she could have got it.

  5. 5.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    DH walks into the living room and notices I have the fire on because I am cold. “Oh you were cold huh?” he says. He then walks out of the living room leaving the f*cking door open, making the room colder. I swear sometimes I could murder him.

  7. 7.

    geg6

    A couple more quick presents are still needed (gift card for my brother and something Steeler related for my older sister who is a huge fan). I have wrapped about half of the presents, which is massively early for me. Usually, I’m scrambling on Christmas Eve to get it all done. My food contribution for the family meal. Making twice baked mashed potatoes. They are only actually baked once, but they have all the ingredients of a twice baked potato. Easy peasy to make ahead and do the bake when I get to my sister’s house. Yay! I’m organized for once!

  10. 10.

    jk

    Biden supporters,

    When will you people wake the fuck up?  His record as a senator flat out sucks- supported the Iraq war and the crime bill, treated Anita Hill like dirt, and always favored banks and credit card companies over consumers.

    He’s an atrocious public speaker, has less charisma than a glass of warm milk, and at 77 years old his age and health will be a huge liability in the general election.  Republicans will be flooding the zone 24/7 about the risks of having a 77 year old as our next President so pull your heads out of your asses and find yourself another candidate to support.

  12. 12.

    dmsilev

    @jk: Biden is not my first choice of the remaining candidate, but might I suggest that you fine tune your persuasion approach somewhat?

  16. 16.

    Nicole

    Home from surgery to take out my stupid malignant lymph node. Went very well (God/dess bless anesthesiologists who take you seriously when you tell them gas anesthesia makes you very sick). I felt pretty perky soon after, walked over a mile from the surgery center back to the subway at Columbus Circle, and demanded to go browse in the shopping center a little bit before going home. Once the lab results on the node are in I’ll meet with my oncologist and figure out next steps.

    Two dear friends, who design their own holiday card every year sent the best one yet. A picture of them, depicted Victorian style, under what they called a Peach Mint tree, and above it, a title quote: “Mmmm… Peach… Mint!” I love them so much.

  22. 22.

    Ohio Mom

    Nicole @16, Keeping fingers and toes crossed for the best possible results for you. Keep keeping us posted.

  23. 23.

    Mr. Mack

    @Nicole: Ah, been there.  All I can say is the mental battle is nearly as important as the physical one.  Sound like you got this.

  24. 24.

    Renie

    Got suspended from Twitter last night for posting hate speech.  What did I write that was hate?  I called Laura Ingraham a ‘bimbo’.   If that is hate speech what do they call what the orange buffoon posts.  I’m appealing the suspension just on principle but never realized how much I use twitter until I couldn’t. LOL

  26. 26.

    JPL

    @Steeplejack:  lol My nextdoor will sometime get political and someone posted a did you see how McBath voted for impeachment.   First comment was Sir, this is Arby’s.  

    fyi for those who don’t know Nextdoor is a neighborhood news site.

  27. 27.

    Roger Moore

    @Yarrow: 
    This sounds like passive aggressive behavior from somebody who didn’t really want to host the party but was bullied into doing it. Either that or somebody completely scatterbrained.

  28. 28.

    lamh36

    TV Alert peeps. Eddie Murphy returning to host SNL tomorrow night! First time in 35 years! Set your DVRs!!! Like I said before, I might actually watchin SNL live for the first time in FOREVER! Musical guest is Lizzo!!!

     

    Here’s his TODAY show interview with Al Roker

    https://youtu.be/FK9wny0lWSA

     

    And here he is talking to Jimmy Fallon:

    @THRtv

    Eddie Murphy Recalls Prince Stories, Confirms and Denies “Folklore” Trivia on ‘The Tonight Show’ (Exclusive)
    https://twitter.com/THRtv/status/1208178024589357057

  32. 32.

    chris

    @41Strange is good twitter

    The Psychedelic Cats of 19th Century Painter Louis Wain. H. G. Wells said of him "He has made the cat his own. He invented a cat style, a cat society, a whole cat world. English cats that do not look and live like Louis Wain cats are ashamed of themselves." pic.twitter.com/234I1Wyuir— 41 Strange (@41Strange) December 20, 2019

  33. 33.

    eclare

    @lamh36: Lizzo!  Thanks for the heads up.  When I was in college I had a videotape of Eddie Murphy’s best sketches, watched at least once a week.

  35. 35.

    UncleEbeneezer

    In about 3 hours my vacation officially starts.  We are heading out to Borrego Springs for my birthday, to a little resort with neat vintage trailers and nice tennis courts, pool, hot tub etc.  After 30+ years of playing and a couple years of coaching I will finally get a couple lessons that focus on MY game.  And this damn sinus infection I’ve been suffering all week seems to finally be over.

  36. 36.

    HinTN

    @Steeplejack (phone): Yeah, but we were led to expect that we could order in time to have them for Christmas presents.

    ETA: I really do want that great set of tributes and I know it’s a volunteer gig.

  38. 38.

    Nicole

    @lamh36: True story, my anesthesiologist today told me he’d seen Eddie Murphy do stand up way back in the early 1980s (after he’d started on SNL, but before he became the biggest star in the world).  If I can possibly stay up late enough, I’m totally watching tomorrow.  I’m really excited to see him, too.  Partly because I adored watching him on SNL as a child (“C-I-L-L. My. Land. Lord.” still makes me laugh), and partly because I’m really interested to see how’s he’s evolved as a comedian since then, since I assume the opening monologue will be standupesque.

    He was robbed of the Oscar in Dreamgirls.  Not that I’m still annoyed about it or anything.

  41. 41.

    coin operated

    @BBA:
    Same here. Blew my mind seeing them come out for removing Trump from office. Hoping for a few more cracks in the dam.

  43. 43.

    burnspbesq

    @jk: 

    Yeah, now that you’re done airing your grievances, perhaps you will, however grudgingly, admit that Biden has the only characteristic that matters.

    He ain’t Trump.

  46. 46.

    lamh36

    @eclare: One of my male cousins LOVED Eddie Murphy back then.  So he used to have all his standup videos and movies and the one “Best of Eddie Murphy” on SNL thing they issues way back when

  50. 50.

    Amir Khalid

    @JPL:

    I miss Arby’s. They were in Malaysia for a few years back in the 1980s, then they left. Their roast beef sandwiches tasted far better than Mickey D’s burgers. Sigh.

  51. 51.

    J R in WV

     

    If we could reliably receive NBC, and IF we weren’t going to attend a solstice party Saturday evening… then I might want to watch SNL with Eddy Murphy. Maybe.

  59. 59.

    Amir Khalid

    Liverpool FC just signed a forward from Red Bull Salzburg. He’s a Japan international named Takumi Minamino. I fear for the TV commentators who will soon be tasked with describing a rapid exchange of passes between players named Fabinho, Firmino, Mané and Minamino.

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    @Amir Khalid: 

    I fear for the TV commentators who will be tasked with describing a rapid exchange of passes between players named Fabinho, Firmino, Mané and Minamino.

    That’s why they get paid the big bucks.

  62. 62.

    Nicole

    @lamh36: My top five Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! Oscars (in no particular order):

    Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls

    Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream

    Albert Brooks in Broadcast News

    Brokeback Mountain

    Everything that was up against Forrest Gump

    (Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! Stats are based on quality of work as well as quality of what beat them)

  66. 66.

    Bmaccnm

    @Baud: I know I was convinced. “He’ll be 77 years old” is a deadly jab at someone who might run against Donald Trump. Why didn’t I think of that?

  71. 71.

    Nicole

    @raven: Oh my god, that was SUCH a good film.  The best thing Daniel Day Lewis ever did.  (full disclosure, I am not a particular DDL fan, but I thought he was just sensational in that movie.  As was Postlethwaite.  Man, I need to go rewatch it)

  73. 73.

    Nicole

    @raven: I saw Once Were Warriors in the theater.  I felt really bad for my friend who accompanied, who had wanted to see some light romantic comedy, but it was sold out and I mentioned I wanted to see Once Were Warriors (all I knew was that it was about an Māori family).  I don’t think he ever forgave me.

  74. 74.

    chris

    @JPL: Article says Trump wouldn’t sign and that would shut the government down. Article also says this goes back to Puerto Rico.

  76. 76.

    laura

    @Nicole: 
    Crossing finger toes and eyes for good luck and ninja-style treatment plan for you – and grateful that your care team listened to you about the sedation.

  78. 78.

    Nicole

    @rikyrah: Thank you.  I don’t think there will be chemo as it’s a regional recurrence (not distant) and the cells are estrogen positive, which doesn’t really respond to chemo, but I don’t know whether there will be radiation or not (obv., I would prefer “not”).  Tamoxifen for sure.

  79. 79.

    PJ

    @jk: Just because you asked so nicely, has Santa got a present for you – you’ll get 1 more year of campaigning and then 8 years of Joe as President to look forward to!

  81. 81.

    raven

    @Nicole: At least there was sort of a decent ending. Nil By Mouth is the story of Gary Oldham’s life in East London. Ray Winstone is an absolute brute.

  82. 82.

    Steeplejack

    @Amir Khalid:
    I like Arby’s too. There’s only one (somewhat) near me, not very convenient, so I don’t go often. But, yeah, the roast beef sandwich with the horsey sauce.

  83. 83.

    Nicole

    @eclare:

    I would add Denzel in Malcolm X

    I don’t think I watched them that year- I had to google to see who won, and holy cow, you’re right.  That was clearly Pacino’s consolation Oscar.

  88. 88.

    raven

    @Nicole: I love Winstone and when I say awful I mean awful like Warriors. I wouldn’t recommend it, maybe Sexy Beast instead.

    This says it better than I can

     

    Bleak raw movie that cuts to the bone with its sheer force

    Aidan McGuinness6 September 2002
    This is far from an easy movie to watch and is not really a good definition of `entertainment’ (although it is disturbingly compelling). It’s got about as much hilarity as `Monster’s Ball’, `Dancer in the Dark’ and `Requiem for a Dream’.

    There’s not really a plot here. What we’re looking at is a family in council housing – a poor, distraught family, torn apart by the people. Kathy Burke is Valerie, the long suffering wife of Ray (Ray Winstone). Ray is a drunken abusive man, haunted by his demons. He fights regularly with Valerie’s heroin addicted brother, who cannot escape his own life style. Over this watches Valerie’s mother, Janet, in a resigned fashion, lost to any real hope of something different. We get to spend some time with these characters, seeing how their lives develop. Unlike traditional movie structures we’re not really building to a giant convergence of plot lines, a climatic final scene. Real life is not like that – it’s a series of events, marked by occasions. This is the view the movie takes and it works well because it makes it far more credible than a final showdown involving a gun and a murder. What’s even more interesting is that while Ray is `bad’ he could not be quite considered evil – there’s a darkness in him that he’s fighting against. There’s a great scene involving a telephone which brilliantly highlights how torn apart these characters are and how nothing is ever quite as simple as you would like to believe.

    The acting is astonishing. I can’t praise either Burke or Winstone enough. One of the reasons this movie is so unnerving is that the characters are believable – and this is due to the actors behind them. When Winstone’s face becomes animated with range it really seems like he is ferocious, full of venom. You would race across the other side of the street from him, seeing the fury inside this man. Burke herself could have just played the demure wife but she adds far more complexity. Yes she is suffering, but there’s a great hint of steel beneath her – shown in the delivery of a dialog, or the turn on a face. By not distracting us with pretty faces, director Gary Oldham manages to deliver actual characters. The energy – unflinching – delivered by them makes them seem horribly like people you know can exist within miles of your home.

    Oldham himself shows a good directorial view. The movie uses a lot of hand-cameras (and presumably some unusual film stock) to get a grittier realism. This is aided by some excellent cinematography – the lighting is bleak, subdued, in keeping with the movie. Even the sunshine is pale, as if there’s never really any hope to be had. The sound design is crisp, and generally minimalist – instead letting the camera and acting tell the story rather than forced manipulation via a composed piece. The set design also deserves a nod – the house around which a lot of the movie resolves has a real `lived in’ feel. Too often Hollywood directors décor their house in a few luxury sofas and leave it at that. Here there’s a real sense of a home with condiments and grit engrained in the walls. It all adds up the power. Ultimately though it is Oldham’s unflinching depiction of the events that stands in the movies favour – the camera is close, it’s there, you cannot escape through some banal metaphor (which is typical of most movies).

    `Nil By Mouth’ is more of an `experience’ movie. It’s a wrenching, arresting viewing that is sometimes very difficult to watch because you know there’s a horrible shade of truth to it. It’s not necessarily something you’d watch repeatedly (unless you’ve a shade of masochism to you), but it is something that will leave a little indelible mark on you as something to muse on. Definitely worth seeing – but be prepared. 8.1/10

  90. 90.

    debbie

    @Nicole:

    Glad the surgery went well and that the anesthesia wasn’t a problem.

    My favorite Eddie Murphy bit was his James Brown singing “Hot Tub” in a gold lamé Speedo, dipping his toe into a hot tub: “Owwwww! Too hot!”

  97. 97.

    Steeplejack

    @Nicole:
    Off the top of my head:

    ‣ Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski. But the voters downgrade comedies unless there’s sufficient shmaltz involved.

    ‣ Denzel Washington, Malcolm X, 1993. The winner: Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman. Really?

    ‣ Denzel Washington, Courage Under Fire, 1996. Robbed of a nomination, at least. Kind of a minor movie, but Washington was terrific as a troubled Army officer. And, checking IMDB, what a deep cast: Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty, Matt Damon, Bronson Pinchot, Seth Gilliam, Regina Taylor, Scott Glenn, Tim Guinee, Sean Astin.

    ‣ Stephen Fry, Wilde, 1997. Nuanced portrait of Oscar Wilde. With Jude Law and another all-star cast.

  99. 99.

    RedDirtGirl

    Popping in to say hi to my favorite group of irascible jackals. I haven’t been around much, but thanks for always being here when I need a bit of grounding, or perspective, or solace. Here’s s to things going our way in 2020. ???

  102. 102.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:
    I thought that movie was a little overwrought, but Fonda definitely deserved the Oscar she got for Klute. That holds up when it comes on TCM occasionally.

  104. 104.

    Another Scott

    @debbie:

    “Yes, I was emotional last Thursday. I hope everyone can understand I was there as a son, husband and dad.”“Sir this is an Arby’s”— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) October 4, 2018

    (Re the Kavenaugh hearings)

    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  106. 106.

    Omnes Omnibus

    It was illuminating to see people developing their “I’m too pure to vote for [insert name]. [he/she (choose one)] is too [insert adjective],” bullshit in real time.

    I don’t really give a fuck if you live in the bluest of blue states, there are people who gave their lives to get the right to vote, and anyone who treats voting as a fashion statement or method of virtue signaling is an entitled shit in my books.

    Thanks and please go about your evening.

  108. 108.

    Kayla Rudbek

    How the heck did I manage to injure my second toe along the bone closest to the foot? It’s been hurting for a couple of days now. I will get a cramp there from time to time, but this is the worst it’s ever been.

  109. 109.

    NotMax

    @Duane

    Imagine being on the sidewalk of a heavily trafficked street, with multiple buses – some stopped and others in motion – blaring out both sequences, out of unison.

  112. 112.

    Gin & Tonic

    For the first time in over 30 years, my son will not be home for our Christmas Eve dinner. He’s already pretty melancholy about that, as is his mother.

  121. 121.

    Steeplejack

    @debbie:

    Know your meme.

    It’s Twitter/​Internet shorthand for when someone is going on a long, possibly unhinged rant about a contentious or complicated issue and someone punctures the rant with “Sir, this is an Arby’s.” Venue is inappropriate and/​or nobody cares.

  122. 122.

    Cameron

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Absolutely positively. Even if one thinks the eventual nominee sucks/blows/has-other-inhale-exhale-problems, the supporting cast that nominee assembles will be light years better than the Circus of Fail that we’re enjoying at the moment.

  125. 125.

    karen marie

    @Renie:  Good luck with that.  I had a similar experience, and I got no response to any of my appeals.  I refused to remove the tweet (I had suggested to a particularly deplorable deplorable that her children should leave her out on the sidewalk once she becomes old and useless) and I was locked out of my account.  I just made a new one, which is fine except I’ve gotten boatloads of snotty comments from assholes about the recent start date of my account.  I don’t bother trying to explain, I just block them and move on.

     

    Best of luck!

  126. 126.

    Mai naem mobile

    @Nicole:  The Mission only won for the music and possibly cinematography. I am too lazy to look it up but I believe it was up against The Color Purple which got everything except Steven Spielberg getting dissed. Anyhoo, The Mission was a damn good movie and got robbed even if it was The Color Purple.

  127. 127.

    Chris T.

    @Nicole: Radiation treatment for cancer sucks, big time. Spouse and sibling both had small cancers and both got this treatment. Both were told that it would cause some fatigue. Both thought “enh, fatigue, ok”. Both then said: whoa, you said some fatigue, you should have said you’ll feel like you should be in a coma for the next six months.

    (The tradeoff is that apparently it cuts the risk of recurrence, at least for spouse, in roughly half, which is pretty good. But you’ll have no energy with which to do anything, for quite a while.)

  131. 131.

    karen marie

    @Another Scott:   Thank you for posting that link.  I was disappointed but not surprised that Mr. Pierce didn’t describe the accident.  I would guess it’s on advice of his attorney.  One never wants to say things that might contradict what was said previously or subsequently.   But I am very relieved that the snowbank was there to preserve his noggin.  He is a national treasure.

     

    Best wishes for a long life to Mr. Pierce and to all Balloon Juicers.

     

    You kids are the best.

  133. 133.

    Steeplejack

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Can’t go into a long riff now, but re your question about learning Spanish from zero:

    Check out Pimsleur. It’s audio/​conversation-oriented and, though you’ll need grammar study and “book learning” later, it gets your ear off to a good start and it really takes you a long way toward being functional as a tourist/​visitor in Spanish-speaking countries.

    There are three long series (available on Audible), and there’s also a $30 quickie intro set that would give you the flavor and let you see if it’s a fit for you.

    More details on request.

  141. 141.

    James E Powell

    @Nicole:

    My top five Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! Oscars (in no particular order):

    I take a perverse satisfaction from the Academy getting the Oscars wrong. Same with the Grammies.

  143. 143.

    raven

    @debbie: Yea, I dislocated my pinky playin hoops and that’s what they did after I made the dude who passed me the ball reduce it. It permanently fucked up my finger.

  156. 156.

    opiejeanne

    To all of you who encouraged me to get my A1C checked, I did this afternoon. Saw the NP, told her what I told all of you earlier today; she didn’t seem very concerned but sent me for a bunch of lab tests.

    I expect the A1C to be bad, from my symptoms. I had a very good test result in May so this is jarring, but we’ll see. I’ll get the news next week.

  169. 169.

    opiejeanne

    @raven: Yes you did, and I’m very happy that you’ll be sticking around and not having surgery.

    Thanks. I made two desserts for tomorrow’s party. I don’t think I’ll be eating them, or maybe just a smidge if I manage to eat enough protein and veggies and nuts. One of them is like a big cookie crust  with caramelized cream and sugar and almonds on top. Almond tart. There’s a tiny bit of booze in it.  I may have a tiny bit of that instead of the other stuff, which is basically eggs, milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, and gelatin. dyed pale pink. It’s like a fluffy gelatin but with lots of sugar.

  171. 171.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Steeplejack: 
    Huh. Had no idea there was a Dragnet movie, much less one starring Aykroyd and Hanks.

    Wasn’t Dragnet pretty much straight-up police propaganda?

    I’ll never forget watching the Today show one morning a couple years ago, probably when I was in high school in 2010-2014, and there was this 20-something African-American dude in a suit being interviewed and he brought up Dragnet and “Just the facts, ma’am”, laughing like he made the funniest joke. All I could think was what a fucking dweeb this guy was; a real life Carlton Banks without the charm or wit.

    I’m pretty sure this was around the time a lot of attention was starting to be drawn to police shootings of black people

  175. 175.

    BBA

    Hot take: in 1868, it was a mistake for Congress to impeach Andrew Johnson. When an unelected President moves by executive fiat to bring back slavery, reinstate the rule of the Southern planters, and undo the hard-fought military victory of the Civil War, the appropriate response is a coup d’etat.

  178. 178.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @raven:

    The Grifters!

    One of my all-time favorites. Probably Anjelica Huston’s best performance, and Pat Hingle as Bobo Justice would make Tony Soprano run and hide

    ETA: Wasn’t Dan Ackroyd nominated for an Oscar for playing Jessica Tandy’s son in Driving Miss Daisy?

  188. 188.

    opiejeanne

    @Nicole: late to the party, but wanted to say  I’m glad they took you seriously. Had a similar experience last summer with my cataract surgery.

    I hope your labs come back good.

  193. 193.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    Absolutely. It’s a modern Christmas classic. Easily one of Farrel’s best movies

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    What is your style, Omnes?

    ; p

    @opiejeanne:

    Taladega Nights is a guilty pleasure. It can be pretty funny. IIRC, it had NASCAR drivers from the early-mid 2000s era of NASCAR cameo in it; TV commentators too

  200. 200.

    Ruckus

    @Nicole:

    My experience with radiation for treatment is that the new machines, which can target a very small area, work and the only real issue is the time it takes. Every weekday for 9 weeks for me. It was far better than watching my sister do chemo. That kicked her ass.

  202. 202.

    Nicole

    @Steeplejack: I immensely enjoy The Big Lebowski.  My husband loves it, but feels that Bridges’ biggest robbed, robbed I tell ya was was for The Fisher King–  that Robin Williams was up for Best Actor for what was a supporting role, and that Bridges didn’t get a nomination.

    Though he fully admits he’s not sure he would have given the award to Bridges over Hopkins for The Silence of the Lambs that year (also, one could argue, a supporting role, but one that certainly became iconic).

    Thanks for the kind wishes, everyone, by the way.  I went away from the computer to watch Midsommar with the spouse (we both love horror movies).  I liked it quite a bit.  He’s now watching the remake of Evil Dead, which I suspect is not going to be as good. ;)

  203. 203.

    Nicole

    @Ruckus: Thanks.  I am scared about potential fatigue. I just started rehearsal in a play with a theater company I really enjoy, in a play I’d really like to do (about terminal illness, natch).  It’s a light rehearsal schedule and a showcase, so a very short run, but I really, really, really, don’t want to have to leave it because my goddamn body turned traitor on me.  Health first, of course, but I’m hopeful it’ll work out.

  205. 205.

    hilts

    Top 4 Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! Oscars

    Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II
    Bette Davis in All About Eve
    Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane

  207. 207.

    Jay

    A textbook example of how twisted the "objective reasonableness" prong of QI has become. No reasonable person let alone LEO would think detaining another in waste for 6 days is reasonable in any circumstance. But modern QI jurisprudence cares not for good sense. https://t.co/PfVJX8yL7g— JT Morris (@jtmorristx) December 20, 2019

  208. 208.

    Yarrow

    @Mnemosyne: Bill Murray was totally robbed when he didn’t win Best Actor for Lost in Translation.

    @Roger Moore: No, she volunteered. She was all excited about it. She is very scatterbrained so none of this really surprised me. Still… Party turned out okay. Everyone had fun. But one of the people who was supposed to be there wasn’t and now we’re not sure she even got her invitation since several people we know didn’t get theirs.

  209. 209.

    raven

    @Ruckus: Dude that I served with in Korea had a stroke and wasn’t taken to the hospital for two days. He’s been in a coma for a week and I’m pretty sure that’s not good. I learned of it about 30 minutes after my biopsy came  back negative but it’s kind of smooshed the joy. We reunited by chance on a UC Berkley blog post about the DMZ war and he recognized my name. By virtue of that we put together a group of about 10 of us from the same battalion from 53 years ago. Shit’s got me tossin and turning.

  210. 210.

    Nicole

    @Captain C:

    I would add Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth.

    Over Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love?  Yes indeed.  A friend of mine was at an Oscar party and when the winner was announced, screamed, “Enjoy that Oscar the Weinsteins bought you!”

    I did like Shakespeare in Love as a movie (sacrilege, I know, but I didn’t think Saving Private Ryan was all that, other than the first 8 minutes which are brilliant), but GP was just adequate.  And Judi Dench got Best Supporting as her consolation for not getting Best Actress for Her Majesty Mrs. Brown. She was in SiL for what, 9 minutes?

  213. 213.

    Yarrow

    @raven:  Ohhhh…Sexy Beast. Now there’s a film. Ben Kingsley was so amazing in that film. Could not take my eyes off him. Utterly terrifying.

  218. 218.

    Ruckus

    @Nicole:

    I was doing a lot of walking during treatment, on occasion I had to walk the 2 miles from the train station to the hospital. No big deal. Some people say that the fatigue can get to you but my oncologist told me the new machines can be focused so well that there isn’t a lot of stray radiation. Much safer and far less side effects. And that’s my experience.

    Let’s hope that you don’t need anything else, that’s the best news.

  220. 220.

    jk

    @burnspbesq
    Biden is painfully out of touch and out to lunch.  Every time he opens his mouth, you have to hold your breath, cross your fingers and pray that he doesn’t say something stupid.  Democrats can so much better than settling for this clearly over the hill buffoon.

  221. 221.

    Nicole

    @hilts:

    hilts
    DECEMBER 20, 2019 AT 11:53 PM

    Top 4 Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! Oscars

    Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II
    Bette Davis in All About Eve
    Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia
    Orson Welles in Citizen Kane

    Ooh! This is fun and brightens my evening.  Let’s see who won those years:
    1975: Art Carney, Harry and Tonto.  Did not see (in fact, never heard of), so cannot judge, but sounds like a Legacy Oscar.

    1955: Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday.  Tough call.  Also an iconic performance, and Anne Baxter also being up for All About Eve probably split the vote.  Man, I love All About Eve.

    1963: Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Also iconic performance, but having seen both pictures, I agree with you.  Peck’s Atticus Finch was definitely the feel-good choice.

    1942: Gary Cooper, Sergeant York.  Never saw it.

    Excellent Robbed, Robbed I Tell Ya! list!

  225. 225.

    Ruckus

    @raven:

    Sorry about your buddy. Yeah a week long coma after a stroke doesn’t sound all that positive.

    I’ve been through stroke protocol twice now, with nothing found. No tumors, no active stroke issues, well except for the possibility from the brain aneurism. Which no one noticed the first time around. They went back to the MRI 2 yrs ago and found it still there, same size, now it looks like I’ll have to do an annual MRI to see if it burst, but of course it’s probable I’d know before that if it bursts. And kills me.

    Life is a game of risk. You plays the game, the game plays you.

  226. 226.

    Anne Laurie

    @Amir Khalid: One of my favorite (mostly non-political) daily cartoon strips is Tank McNamara, which was invented in the 1970s.  The eponymous character is a former American football defensive back, now a sports broadcaster, a ‘fumblemouth’ early tasked with pronouncing the names of Slavic tennis players…

  227. 227.

    Nicole

    @Aleta:

    And whatever good movies were left out of nominations the year of Titanic.  98? 99? 97?

    I just looked up the other nominations and gadzooks, what a weak bunch that year (although I quite enjoyed The Full Monty and liked LA Confidential reasonably well).  I had to look up what came out that year and Boogie Nights and Wag the Dog were both better than these nominees, I think.

    …And I was today years old when I learned there was a 1997 adaptation of Washington Square, my favorite Henry James book.  I’ll have to look it up.

  228. 228.

    NotMax

    @Nicole

    (we both love horror movies)

    If you have access, Dutch series coming to Netflix very soon you might give a glance, Ares (sorry, no English subtitles at the link). Also a Portuguese series which sounds intriguing, Spectros (no trailer or teaser which I could readily find on quick search).

  229. 229.

    hilts

    @Nicole:

    I thought Art Carney was fine in Harry and Tonto, but certainly not unforgettable, as Ed Norton he was unforgettable and iconic.  Pacino in Godfather Part II was amazing from start to finish.

    I’m a big Gregory Peck fan, but would preferred him to get an Oscar for Twelve O’Clock High.

    For All About Eve, I would have given Anne Baxter the Best Supporting Oscar and Bette Davis the Best Actress.

    As far as Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, voters were intimidated by Hearst to blackball the film at the Oscars.

    Also, Network and All the President’s Men losing to Rocky for Best picture is indefensible.

  233. 233.

    jk

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    When Biden loses to Trump, it will be the planet’s funeral and you’ll only have yourself to blame.

    Biden is the dummy who said Dick Cheney and Mike Pence were decent guys so I guess you’re ok with his ability to judge a person’s character.

  234. 234.

    TriassicSands

    @Aleta:

    Bot left out but nearly shut out was L.A. Confidential. Nine nominations — two wins (Best Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay).

    Titanic took Picture, Director, Cinematography, Art Direction, Film Editing, Original Dramatic Score, and Sound Mixing.

    None of the actors in L.A. Confidential got nominations — Spacey, Pearce, and Crowe.

    Titanic ranks high on my list of worst films to win the Best Picture award.

  236. 236.

    Nicole

    @raven:

    The Thin Red Line got totally ignored and IT is a great film.

    It’s the only one of the nominees I didn’t see (go figure; I was very into seeing as many nominees as possible back then.  As opposed to now, when I don’t even watch the Awards).

    I agree, Hanks did a lovely job (he seldom does otherwise).  But I’m in agreement with the late William Goldman who said of SPR the first 28 minutes told us that war is hell and the last hour told us that war could be a neat learning experience for little Matt Damon.  That opening segment, though (I don’t know why I said 8 minutes above- maybe I am still remembering how terrifying and awful and brilliantly disorienting that sequence was).

    Also, I’m so glad to hear your results were benign and I am so, so sorry to hear about your friend.  I can imagine that’s leaving you in a really rough spot tonight.  Thinking of you.

  237. 237.

    Ruckus

    @raven:

    Also, just for the sake of discussion, over the last 3 yrs, 11 people I know have passed away. Only one was older than me when they went and he was 1 yr older, knew him from HS. The only person I knew at his service recognized me from over 50 yrs ago and he’s another one of the 11.

    We’re old. Maybe aged well sounds better, but still at our age and with all the diseases from our childhoods, cars without seat belts, or decent brakes, war, life in general, we are still here and not doing all that bad. Keep on keeping on, it’s really all there is. I’m trying to make it till at least 95, mom would be pissed or proud, she made it till the last day of her 94th yr.

  238. 238.

    Anne Laurie

    @Steeplejack: Denzel Washington, Courage Under Fire, 1996. Robbed of a nomination, at least. Kind of a minor movie…

    WRONG!  Just for the scene where skeevy presidential aide Moriarty tries to get chummy about MoH ‘optics’ with Washington’s character, who withdraws himself to a great distance without moving an inch, Denzel deserved the award.  But Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Matt Damon also turned in stunning performances, in a Rashamon epic that deserved far more attention than it got.

  239. 239.

    Nicole

    @NotMax: Oh my goodness, we are totally going to put both those series on our watch list.  Thank you! Now that Watchmen is over (with an absolutely perfect finale), I’m out of series to watch. I don’t watch a ton of TV anymore, but when I find a show I like, I’m very dedicated.

  241. 241.

    Nicole

    @hilts:

    Also, Network and All the President’s Men losing to Rocky for Best picture is indefensible.

    Would you believe Rocky is the only one of the Rocky movies I haven’t seen? (including both Creed films).  The Rocky sequels aren’t GOOD films, by any stretch of the imagination, but I grew up in small-town PA and I have 3 brothers, so do the math.  I’m not proud of it, lord knows.

    I liked the first Creed film quite a lot, though.  As a kid, I was team Apollo in II-IV, so I was pretty excited for Creed. :)

  243. 243.

    Nicole

    @Anne Laurie: Thanks, Anne Laurie!  I can but hope.  My mom did not have a good outcome, but that was in 1982.  A cousin’s grandmother, on the other hand, had breast cancer off and on for over half a century and died a couple of years ago at 102 of old age.  I could be satisfied with that.

  244. 244.

    Anne Laurie

    @debbie: Is Arby’s code for something?

    Sir, this is an Arby’s is a quip implying that someone has just gone on an unrelated rant at a drive-thru restaurant. May have been sparked by the fact that Arby’s are (were) open very late, which meant they attracted drunks looking for something other than fast food.  Been circulating on the web for almost a decade now; the newer variant is Sir, this is a Wendy’s. 

    (I personally suspect Trump’s notorious fondness for fast food has influenced the spread of this meme on political twitter.)

  245. 245.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @raven:

    I’m so sorry to hear that about your friend. I wish him the best of luck. And glad to hear your biopsy was negative

  246. 246.

    hilts

    @raven

    The Irishman is awful

    Can you put some meat on those bones or as Sen Pat Geary would say can you amplify your statement?  In what respects was The Irishman awful?

  248. 248.

    TriassicSands

    @raven:

    They must be checking his brain activity. Do you know anything about that?

    When my mother had a stroke, they monitored her brain for a couple of days. Her brain was gone and they took her off life support. If your friend is still being maintained after this long, there ought to be some hope (depending on who is calling the shots — one assumes a family member).

  250. 250.

    Jay

    The White House tried this month to embed ICE agents within the HHS refugee agency that cares for unaccompanied migrant children — part of an ongoing effort to use information from their parents and relatives to target them for deportation. https://t.co/gSxoBcMbwr— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) December 21, 2019

    New docs show RCMP officers were instructed to “use as much violence toward the gate as you want” ahead of an operation to remove a roadblock erected by Wet’suwet’en people to protect their ancestral land and stop construction of a natural gas pipelinehttps://t.co/WdlV6deZPm— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) December 21, 2019

  251. 251.

    Chris T.

    @Ruckus: One was about 3 years ago, give or take, the other about 1.5 or 2 years ago.

    Maybe it depends on other things too, such as where you get zapped. Spouse’s radiation was to chest, sibling’s was to head.

  252. 252.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @hilts:

    Didn’t see the movie, but I have to make this stupid joke:

    Martin Scorsese is a total hypocrite! He criticized superhero movies as not being true “cinema”, but he’s making a movie called “Irish Man”!

  254. 254.

    Nicole

    Holy cow, it’s after one; I really should try to sleep (though this has been an excellently entertaining thread and thanks again, everyone for the good wishes).  Raven, I look forward to your review of The Irishman (I have not seen.  It appears to be… kinda long and I hear the women characters have about 8 lines between all of them).

    And the remake of Evil Dead was terrible, my husband tells me.  This is my shocked face (insert non-shocked face emoji here).

  256. 256.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jay:

    I’ve said it before: conservatives (authoritarians and fascists, really) will interpret the law to give themselves the outcomes they want, and barring that, will just outright break the law. They rely on other people following norms and laws to get away with it. It’s a disgusting Orwellian farce.

  259. 259.

    Ruckus

    @Chris T.: 
    Saw guys with both lung and brain cancer. Didn’t hear anyone say there was a problem with fatigue but I didn’t talk to them often.
    Maybe I’m the exception, my oncologist seems to be happy with where I’m at after 3 yrs and I just saw him last month.

    @Nicole: 
    I’ve had quite a bit of cancer in the family tree, so it’s been many decades of dealing with it. Mom made another 50 yrs after hers so keep up the good thoughts, and best of luck.

  260. 260.

    Aleta

    @Nicole: Maggie Smith and I’m pretty sure the great Jennifer Jason Leigh are in W. Sq.

    Saw it once, so long ago, and  I’ve been wanting to watch it again. I see it’s on youtube for free right now,  but the perspective or ratio or whatever the word is, is botched, so for me it’s too horribly disfigured to be bearable to watch. But dialog is all there.

  261. 261.

    Aleta

    @Nicole: Glad to know it went well so far.  So far so good…   Hope the play will work out, and that many good things also appear in your new year.  Sending every good vibe I’ve got down the coast to you.  ? ? ? ?

  263. 263.

    WaterGirl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: If I’m thinking of the right nym, there was something about the first comment (that has to be approved) that gave me pause, but there was nothing explicit in the comment that I could point to, so I approved it.

    If you guys haven’t read the comment policy on the new site, you can find it in the Footer.

    Here’s an excerpt that may be relevant to this conversation:

    Things You Should Avoid That May Lead to Punishment

    1. Just generally being a no-life asshole who derails every thread with your own personal hobby horse. Yes, we have the pie filter, but some people don’t like to use it. They shouldn’t have to suffer because some idiot has come in and posted 75 comments that have nothing to do with the original post.

    2. Repeated attempts to derail a conversation. Unlike yours truly, we have actual experts here – Adam, Cheryl, David, Tom, and others are good at what they do. We are lucky to have them. When they are trying to have a serious conversation and you are just trolling or being a jerk, you take away from the rest of us. You are stealing a valuable asset: their time and wisdom. It’s selfish and irritating, and I don’t want to see it.

    3. Again, left blank here for other things you all will inevitably come up with.

  264. 264.

    Miss Bianca

    @Nicole: Actually, I just watched Creed and it has gotten me to wanting to watch the Rocky movies – haven’t seen any of them since the original Rocky, which I saw in the theater. I think I was 12.

    Anyway, I have a feeling that the original Rocky will hold up quite well. I still remember a *lot* of scenes and images from over 40 years ago, and to me that’s a sign of a good movie.

     

    Good luck with your treatment!

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