Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

I really should read my own blog.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

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

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Biden: Oh no. We’ve upset Big Pharma again.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

It’s a doggy dog world.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Joe Biden can go out like FDR, not by dying in office, but by crushing the fascists.

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

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

You are here: Home / Popular Culture / Medium Cool – Free-for-all (anything culture-related)

Medium Cool – Free-for-all (anything culture-related)

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Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in.  We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.

Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered.  We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.

Tonight, I’m taking the night off, so let’s have a free-for-all on Medium Cool.  Talk about anything culture-related.  Feel free to share ideas for future posts.  If you’ve written a book or you write poetry or you make music, tell us about what you’re up to.

The place is all yours, just make sure you clean up after yourselves if the party gets out of hand!

Reader Interactions

164Comments

  3. 3.

    Paul in Jacksonville

    I have done both. Can we upload anywhere?  Oooh, wait a minute, on second thought…no.

  4. 4.

    WaterGirl

    I can see already that this is going to be a highbrow discussion. :-)

    WG, over and out.  Or I think raven told us once that it’s just out.

    See you all tomorrow.

  6. 6.

    eclare

    Is The Bear on Hulu all it’s cracked up to be?  I switched over to Netflix a few weeks ago to catch up on stuff there, so I have Hulu for one more week.  I limit myself to one extra streaming service per month, I get HBOMax free through my cable.

  7. 7.

    West of the Rockies

    Does Medium Cool still appear here on BJ?  I don’t recall an appearance lately.

  9. 9.

    thruppence

    Just got tickets to see Rodrigo y Gabriela at Red Rocks Amphitheater, very excited. Now I’ve got to do three months of cardio training to climb All Those Stairs at that altitude…

  10. 10.

    Ihop

    The wire is the best TV I’ve ever seen. I love jambands (but no where near all of them) and rear window is my favorite Hitchcock.

    I would talk porn, but only if we were sitting together over some fancy beers.

    Fully clothed.

  14. 14.

    brendancalling

    I’m watching a 16 piece big band in central PA and my lady friend and I are the only people dancing.

  16. 16.

    NotMax

    Watching From on the see it for free on Prime this month section. What a should have gone back to the drawing board muddle. Getting much exercise from head shaking while viewing.

    As it’s cultural open season will again give thumbs up to Little Coincidences (Pequeñas Coincidencias) on Prime as an innocuous diversion. Takes a bit to come up to speed, after that good fun (and some very sharp writing).

  17. 17.

    Ihop

     

     

    @Baud: also, look for a series of podcasts called ‘once upon a time in the valley’

    A well-balanced examination of the story of Traci lords and…..

  18. 18.

    Gin & Tonic

    I’m working my way through Jon Fosse’s Septology. Two down, five to go. It is captivating, hypnotic prose. Has anyone else taken that journey?

  24. 24.

    Yutsano

    I’ll just come out and say it: the third season of Star Trek: Picard is just nailing it. Plus imagine Amanda Plummer as the most delightful villain I’ve seen on TV in a long time and it’s wonderful. Not perfect, but wonderful.

  25. 25.

    Ihop

    @MagdaInBlack: for me it’s because of her.he is a nimble speed metal god, but she may beyond him. She holds down the place of the bassist, rhythm guitar and drummer. She fucking kicks ass.

    Look for their cover of Metallica’s orion

  27. 27.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @eclare: Yes.  If you can get past the loud/obnoxious approach (which almost turned us off), it is The Bear is VERY GOOD.  It’s rare that a show can tell you so much about its’ characters in such short episodes.  And the soundtrack is really great too.

  28. 28.

    NotMax

    Settle back and savor. Cultural, science-y and humorous all in one.

    Hardly new, dating from 1975, but still a quite enjoyable and animated long listen.

    Richard Feynman, Los Alamos from Below.

  30. 30.

    Major Major Major Major

    Hmm, well I did an awesome amount of work on the adventure game I’m writing this weekend. A hundred years of backstory! Plus the high-level five-act outline. Still plenty of work to do, especially on the programming side, but it really felt like most of the pieces clicked into place for me over the last few days.

    Culture… ah… eh, who needs it.

  31. 31.

    Doug R

    Jurassic World: Dominion hit the movie channel yesterday.

    I don’t know what the critics were on about, it gets an excuse to get the legacy cast back together with the new cast and any time it lags a bit, there’s another dinosaur or so to liven things up.

    Worth a watch at the right price.

  33. 33.

    Nelle

    We tend to watch a fair amount of Australian TV series via Acorn.  Darby and Joan was a recent one we liked.  And, from South Africa, Recipes for Love and Murder.  A new season of Brokenwood from New Zealand is to be out in April.  Wait.  It is April.  Gotta go.

  35. 35.

    JoyceH

    Someone here (can’t remember who) recommended Station 19 – thanks for that! I’ve been streaming obsessively on Hulu. Yeah, it’s a bit soapy, but I’ve been impressed by how smartly they’ve handled some of the story lines.

  37. 37.

    artem1s

    the Cleveland International Film Festival in person screenings wrapped up yesterday. CIFF47 Online Screenings will continue until April 9th. Lots of great films.
    Afghan Dreamers
    Finding Her Beat
    The Tuba Thieves
    And many, many great shorts

    Not all the films accepted into the Festival are available for screening. Unfortunately, my favorite feature documentary is not available for CIFF47 screening but is going to be available for limited theatrical and digital release later this month.
    Little Richard: I Am Everything – he really, really was.
    My favorite short documentary was A Chocolate Lens

    have fun!

  41. 41.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @eclare: You could zip through it in a couple days.  Episodes are short and once you get into it, it flies by.

  43. 43.

    schrodingers_cat

    My art haul:

    So I got Caran’dache

    I also got the toddler crayons in a bright yellow box (48 colors)

    And a set a water soluble oil pastels. (24 colors)

    Right now I am doing some sketches and I bought myself a sketchbook with Bristol paper.

    I also got a coloring book by Kerby Rosanes.  A set of brushes for acrylics and glycerin.

    Question: Should I get Crayola crayons. I have never used them

  45. 45.

    Nelle

    @Nelle: I meant to include that the female leads in Darby and Joan and Recipes for Love and Murder are both middle-age women who are not slim, nor are they fashion plates.  Genuine real looking women who are interesting in themselves, not necessarily according to common beauty requirements.

  47. 47.

    Alison Rose

    If there are any Discworld fans here: I’ve finished the City Watch arc and am wondering which one to go to next. I’m thinking the Witches novels, but am open to argument.

  48. 48.

    BlueGuitarist

    Highly recommend the amazing stage production of The Gospel at Colonus – brilliantly merging the text by Sophocles and the  blues and African American church tradition – youtube has a version filmed for PBS great performances: 

    Morgan Freeman (messenger) Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama (Oedipus), Isabell O’Connor (Antigone), Jevetta Steele (Ismene), Robert Earl Jones (Creon), the Soul Stirrers….

    https://youtu.be/8ZyQP_zrD2U

    about 90 minutes.

  49. 49.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Doug R:

    Jurassic Park will get me back when they accurately model their dinosaurs.  Jesus, kids today must stare at these movies in bafflement.  They’ve grown up knowing dinosaurs have feathers.

  51. 51.

    NotMax

    @artem1s

    Permanent place of honor on great movie theater marquees:

    THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON
         AND SELECTED SHORTS

  52. 52.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Alison Rose:

    I would personally read the whole series in order (although 1 and 2 will be a shock stylistically) until Snuff, and not read that.  Stop there.  That’s when Alzheimer’s made him unable to edit, and it shows.

  53. 53.

    schrodingers_cat

    @zhena gogolia: Have you seen this?
    This is one of the best in IMHO

    A  R Rahman and Shah Rukh Khan at their peak and Sukhwinder’s vocals and great cinematography. Plus Gulzar’s inspired Urdu poetry. Add to that Farah Khan’s choreography.

    Chayya Chayya

    Those who are under the shade of love, paradise will be under their feet..

  55. 55.

    UncleEbeneezer

    It’s always weird to me that we KNOW that pretty much everyone enjoys porn, but so few Americans will ever admit it.  I’m in a couple communities and listen to some comedy podcasts that will openly joke and make porn references (that are hilarious) but that is so NOT THE NORM in this country.  The widespread shaming and repression around sexuality in America is a symptom of just how messed up we are.   Especially parents.  I’ve seen friends go from knowing pornstars by name to suddenly acting like they’ve never seen an adult feature in their lives, all because they got married and had kids.  Talk about Memory-holing the past, lol!!  It’s just funny to me.

  56. 56.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Alison Rose: I’m no help, I reread the Witches books every year. “Lords and Ladies” being my favorite.

    Have you read ‘Small Gods yet?”  It’s a regular re-read for me too.

  58. 58.

    Suzanne

    I wish I had something to contribute. I am sitting with SuzMom in her bedroom while she watches TV. She likes some truly terrible TV — currently watching Chicago Med.

    I often turn on stand-up specials when I have a task to do. I listened to about 20 minutes of one by Tom Segura, which sucked…. just an old white dude complaining about These Kids Today and What You Can’t Say Anymore. I would appreciate some recommendations for good stand-up comedy.

  60. 60.

    Dr. Jakyll and Miss Deride

    I’m reading a book by a British journalist that’s based entirely on a single factoid:  on October 5, 1962, both the first Beatles record and the first James Bond film were released.  The author works very hard to establish the thesis that Bond represented Britain’s fantasy past, while the Beatles represented its present and future.  The book is called “Love and Let Die.”

    Admittedly, some of his comparisons are a mite strained.  For instance, he points out that although the first couple of Bond books and movies pitted the hero against a supposed Russian counterintelligence agency called SMERSH, all the later ones moved strictly into the world of fantasy with a fiendish supervillain antagonist called SPECTRE.  He then says:  “Just as Bond had SPECTRE, so the 1970 Beatles had Phil Spector, a cruel, murderous record producer.”

  61. 61.

    Alison Rose

    @Frankensteinbeck: Do you mean the whole of Discworld in order? The issue there is that since I read so much, I wouldn’t end up reading them close together. That’s one thing if I follow an arc (like City Watch) but if they’re all mixed up, it would be very hard for me to recall what had previously happened in that particular arc the next time I came around to one of them.

  63. 63.

    Major Major Major Major

    Was a beautiful day in Denver today. Like seventy degrees? Shorts weather for sure in the afternoon. Worked in the “yard” (still dirt!) cleaning out the ol rock tumbler. Working on a batch of Mookaite. There are still a few that need a little more time in the coarse grit, but I’m almost ready to move on 🤞🏻

  65. 65.

    eclare

    @Suzanne:   You’ve probably seen them, but Marc Maron has two specials I think on Netflix.  Very funny and not aggrieved older white guy at all.

    Looks like he has a new special on HBO.

  67. 67.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Started watching the new Donald Glover-produced series Swarm (on Amazon Prime).  It has a very similar, dark comedy vibe, like Atlanta.  It’s a horror/comedy spoof of our toxic “Stan” culture (specifically referencing Beyonce fans) and then taking it to violent levels.  It’s gotten mixed reviews but the main actress, Dominique Fishback, is really quirky and excellent.  I’m enjoying it.  It’s definitely original.

    Just finished The Chestnut Man, a Swedish crime/thriller on Netflix.  It was good and very suspenseful.  But also kind of confusing and frustrating at times.  Worth watching if you like Scandinavian Noir, but far from the best we’ve seen in that genre.

  68. 68.

    Ihop

    @UncleEbeneezer: hI.

    So, try holly Randall’s  podcast. She is a pornographer and daughter of suze Randal who speaks with adult and adult adjacent people. I find the conversations to be fascinating.

  69. 69.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Suzanne: I like the older Eddie Izzard stuff I find on Prime

    Eta: Hal Sparks too, on youtube, but then, I’m a long time fangirl.

  70. 70.

    Jackie

    Anyone watch the 60 Minutes interview with MTG? It’s not on until 7:00 PT here, and just curious if it’s worth watching or a hard no.

  71. 71.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @eclare: Maron’s most recent Netflix special was REALLY great.  He’s also fantastic on G.L.O.W., which is one of the most underrated/overlooked tv series in recent years, imo.  His podcast is also pretty solid.  Good interviewer, especially with other comics.

  72. 72.

    prostratedragon

    Thanks for the tip about the Joan Hickson Miss Marple mysteries, I’m enjoying them greatly. Watched “A Pocket Full of Rye” last night and it’s a good parallel to the times.

  74. 74.

    NotMax

    Here we go again. Paused the audio playing because it’s now raining so hard and so loud it drowns out any media. May end up resorting to headphones.

  75. 75.

    Eunicecycle

    @Jackie: I didn’t watch but the reviews on Twitter seem to say that Stahl let her go on the most important topics. She would ask the question but not follow up when MTG talked her way out of it. It was described a lot as a puff piece that normalizes MTG.

  76. 76.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Ihop: Will do.  I didn’t realize Suze Randall was a real person, but I remember the magazine, lol.  There’s also a podcast called You Must Remember This that is all about sex scenes in film that I started but need to get back to.  It’s a feminist look at depictions of sexuality in American film from an academic standpoint.

  77. 77.

    BlueGuitarist

    Stormy responds to a complaint about using the nickname

    “tiny”

    complainer: “you don’t need to openly judge men by their penis size”
    Stormy: “also applies to his IQ, integrity, hands, etc”

  81. 81.

    p.a.

    “Theme Time Radio Hour was a weekly one-hour satellite radio show hosted by Bob Dylan that originally aired from May 2006 to April 2009. Each episode had a freeform mix of music, centered on a theme rather than genre. Much of the material for the show was culled from producer Eddie Gorodetsky’s music collection.”- wikipedia

     

    Just google for episodes.

  82. 82.

    Another Scott

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Relatedly, …

    Phys.org – Those protruding T Rex teeth? They were covered by lips: study:

    Sorry, “Jurassic Park” and toymakers everywhere.

    Tyrannosaurus rex probably did not have those exposed jagged teeth.

    The fearsome choppers of arguably the most celebrated of dinosaurs were likely covered by lips when the mouth was closed.

    It’s not an open and shut case, but that’s the conclusion of a team of international researchers whose findings are published Thursday in the journal Science.

    “Animals like T-Rex, theropod dinosaurs, most likely had some sort of lips, like a soft tissue covering on their mouth to cover their teeth,” said one of the authors of the study, Thomas Cullen, an assistant professor of paleobiology at Auburn University.

    “This is different than what a lot of prior assumptions had been—which was that they looked more like crocodiles, having the teeth exposed when the mouths were closed and having no lips.”

    To reach their conclusion, Cullen and the other researchers studied a range of different theropods from various museums and followed several lines of inquiry.

    They looked at wear patterns, for example, on the enamel of dinosaur teeth and crocodilians, the most closely related animals to theropods alive today.

    “We did that because enamel, as some people have been told by their dentists, has to stay healthy and stay hydrated in order to remain healthy,” Cullen said. “If it’s exposed to air for too long it gets brittle, is more likely to crack or get diseased.”

    Cullen said the enamel on the outer sides of the teeth of living crocodilians wears down faster than that on the insides because they don’t have lips.

    […]

    “Come give Rexy some sugar!!”

    More at the link!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  84. 84.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Alison Rose: The Witches novels are great fun.

    (But… where to start with them? Granny Weatherwax first appears in the third Discworld book, Equal Rites, which is about a young girl seeking to become a wizard and is really more about the wizards of Unseen University. I’d say it’s most interesting as a look at the early development of the series, since, as Pratchett told it, it’s that one where he first started to realize what he really had. But Wyrd Sisters is the first Witches book proper, where the first version of the coven appears.)

  86. 86.

    oatler

    @NotMax:

    THE COURAGE OF BENJI

    “It’s Time For This Message”

    Rex Reed had a story about  his transition to break being seized by the stinker movie for use in a marquee.

  87. 87.

    prostratedragon

    I saw The Gospel at Colonus in person a few years after that video. Mr. Freeman wasn’t in it, but most of the others named were. Unforgettable. Btw, my friend from Thessaloniki loves it.

  88. 88.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Russia could ban Eurovision online broadcasts under new anti-LGBT law. The new edict bars “propaganda about non-traditional sexual relations” and could apply to websites seeking to air the song contest.

    Russian officials and legislators have long accused Eurovision of promoting homosexuality. But in December, Russia adopted a law under which Roskomnadzor has the right to block any online resources that could be allegedly considered as “LGBT propaganda” or promoting pedophilia or a sex change….

    Ordinary Russians have been avid viewers of Eurovision, especially since Russian pop singer Dima Bilan won the 2008 edition with the song “Believe.”…

    This year, however, the contest won’t be aired on any national television channels in Russia. Last year, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs Eurovision, kicked Russia out over its invasion of Ukraine. As a result, there will be no Russian entry or a broadcast on state-run Channel One, which aired the event in Russia for decades. (Most global music companies, including the three major labels, also ceased their operations in Russia after the invasion to comply with Western sanctions.)

    FAFO.

  90. 90.

    brendancalling

    @BlueGuitarist: they did! One of them came up to say thanks for dancing. No one else was—I think I got some husbands in trouble for being boring.

  91. 91.

    kalakal

    @Alison Rose: I’d probably go with the Witches ones. Equal Rites is the first, my favourite is probably Wyrd Sisters. 

    If you want a short arc go for the Death one. It’s only 3 books.

    Or you could go for a standalone like Pyramids ( a favourite of mine )

  93. 93.

    geg6

    Started Daisy Jones and the Six today.  It’s just a fun kind of show for me, being it pretty much lines up with my age in the time depicted.  I hung out with a lot of locally famous bands of the time and the show tingles my nostalgia receptors.  Two episodes in and I’m having fun with it.  Based on a novel of the same name that is inspired by Fleetwood Mac.  It has a few echoes of the Buckingham Nicks Mac, but is not in any way a retelling of that story.  Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter Riley Keough stars and I think she’s terrific.

  95. 95.

    citizen dave

    I second the Dylan Radio Hour shows, although I haven’t listened to all of them yet.

    I started The Bear on Hulu and just lost interest after 1-2 episodes–just didn’t want to spend time in that place.  I thought Kindred on Hulu was very good (although a couple of google hits say it’s uneven).  The lead actress (first leading role) is fantastic.

    Have recently finished Seasons 3 and 4 of Atlanta (on Hulu)–great and so funny, especially the last three episodes.  Just the other night finished SouthSide on HBO–amazingly funny, literate and at times makes some interesting social points.  But mostly just funny as shit.  (Sadly I’ve been told they got canceled).

    Watched a somewhat interesting movie last night, Armageddon Time.  It tells the story of a young Jewish kid in Queens in 1980, and uses the Clash song–or actually Justice Tonight/Kick It Over from their Black Market Clash EP, in the movie.  But I didn’t think the feeling of the song (which is quite dark and dramatic) fit the movie AT ALL.  I was perplexed.  Obviously the director thought it worked.  Story on the song in movie: https://www.vox.com/culture/23428799/armageddon-time-explained-review-race-trump.  Oh, the boy is sent to the private academy that Fred Trump funded, etc.  At one point Mary Trump address the school.

  98. 98.

    dmsilev

    @Alison Rose: Small Gods is stand-alone. It’s set a few hundred years earlier than most of the other books, so the only “familiar” character who appears is Death (who is of course eternal).  So, easy to read when you just want a single book to slot in among other stuff. And it’s a very good book.

  99. 99.

    geg6

    @Suzanne:

    I am not a big standup fan, but my favorite comedy I’ve seen this year so far is Cunk on Earth.  Fucking hilarious, if you haven’t seen it.

  102. 102.

    Suzanne

    @geg6: Oh my God, I watched the first episode of Cunk on Earth and my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

  105. 105.

    Alison Rose

    @MagdaInBlack: Seconding the Izzard classics rec. Dressed to Kill is the BEST stand-up special I’ve ever seen.

    (A note to Suzanne or anyone else who watches Izzard’s older stuff for the first time: At the time of DtK and Glorious and others, she was not publicly out as a trans woman, and often referred to herself as a “male lesbian” and other cheeky phrases. (“Executive transvestite” being my fave.) So she will talk about herself in male terms, but did come out as trans a few years back now.)

  107. 107.

    MagdaInBlack

    @kalakal: “Pyramids” is also in the rotation. I’m very fond of the worlds greatest mathematician, a camel 😊

  109. 109.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Alison Rose:

    At the time of DtK and Glorious and others, she was not publicly out as a trans woman,

    Sadly, in her youth, she thought she looked “too blokey” (her words) to ever transition. Though she definitely milked the “executive transvestite” thing for all it was worth, and the world is a far better place for it. It might have been a gimmick to some extent, but I doubt she would have gotten nearly as much attention otherwise.

    Even more impressive, a lot of her bits are at least partially improv’d, so when something falls flat and she said she was making a note about that, she really was doing so.

  113. 113.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Jackie:

    From what Tom Nichols live tweeted, I would go with no. Softball after softball and Stahl bending over backwards to normalize that three-toed traitorous bitch.

  115. 115.

    Scout211

    @HumboldtBlue: It sounds like there was very little push back.  But Stahl apparently ”rolled her eyes.” That’s hard hitting.  🙄

    Rolling Stone

    During the segment filmed prior to Trump’s indictment, Stahl’s mostly softball interview discussed Greene’s rise in the Republican Party and what 60 Minutesdescribed as her “America First, populist views,” including her assertion that Democrats are a party of “pedophiles.” She doubled-down on Sunday: “I would definitely say so they support grooming children,” she claimed, conflating Democrats’ support of trans rights to pedophilia.

    “Democrats support, even Joe Biden, the president himself, supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries,” Greene said. “Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children.”

    When Stahl ushered out a “wow” to Greene’s claim of Democrats being pedophiles, she asked if Greene can get her point across without name-calling. Greene said the same can be said from the other side. “They call me racist. They call me anti-Semitic, which is not true.  I’m not calling anyone names. I’m calling out the truth basically,” she said.

  116. 116.

    HumboldtBlue

    @geg6: ​ 

    It’s brilliant. Non-stop quip after non-stop quip, laugh after laugh, so clever, so smart, so fucking funny.

  117. 117.

    Another Scott

    Culture includes current events, no?

    Just wondering how DeSantis is getting away with 'campaining' without declaring he's running.

    — 💙🌊💙🌊Kepi1107🫂MAGA=MakeA**HoleGoAway (@kepi1107) April 3, 2023

    In the mother of all ironies, Trump has filed an ethics complaint against him.

    — Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) April 3, 2023

    It’s a good thing I got a new shipment of 6 pounds of popcorn this week!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  119. 119.

    Alison Rose

    @Sister Golden Bear: She really is a freaking comic genius, the way she could just go off on those rambles and yet they would sound totally planned. And the voices!!! I always loved the “I can’t do this person’s accent, so I’m gonna do James Mason doing this role” thing.

    Now I’m gonna watch DtK again. Haven’t seen it in years.

  124. 124.

    Another Scott

    Lawsuits are culture aren’t they??

    Teri Kanefield
    @[email protected]

    This is super interesting.

    (I took the relevant screenshot)

    “The lawyers also don’t yet know the charges because it’s a sealed indictment.”

    Generally the lawyers know the charges at this stage.

    Two possibilities:
    🔹 Things are really different in NY (I doubt this)
    🔹 Trump and his lawyers behaved so unprofessionally and uncivilly that there were not the usual discussions.

    What this means is NOBODY knows what the charges are because the source has been Trump.

    1/

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/briefing/donald-trump-indictment-arrest.html

    The lawyers also don’t yet know the charges because it’s a sealed indictment.
    Apr 02, 2023, 21:47

    Teri Kanefield
    @[email protected]
    Other than Trump’s word about what he’s being charged with, the only source would be from grand jury witnesses.

    But not all grand jury witnesses talk.

    Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen talked. It’s possible that there were others.

    So it’s possible that the charges are what people are expecting.

    It’s also possible that the charges could be different than what people are expecting.

    I just find it totally interesting that, at this stage, Trump doesn’t know the charges.

    2/ Apr 02, 2023, 21:51

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Who will probably be asleep before the next OpenThread. Sorry.”)

  125. 125.

    Steeplejack

    @MagdaInBlack:

    I was trying to think which book the mathematician camel was in. That was a great bit. I also liked the scene where the pyramid architect is reminiscing with his wife about their hardscrabble early days. “Remember, dear, when it was just you and me and the 300 slaves?”

    Also, a character named Ptraci, because ancient Egypt.

  126. 126.

    Feathers

    Two to recommend, provided you are looking for noir:

    Recently finished Everbody Knows by Jordan Harper, about a black-bag PR agent in LA who makes big bucks covering up the dirty secrets of the stars. Of course a case goes sideways and she ends up on the run. I normally hate ripped from the headlines stuff, but really enjoyed this. The story manages to be clear about who the victims are and clear eyed about who’s doing them wrong, it worked for me.

    Before that, another great recent noir, Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby. Set in the rural South, it’s  about two violent ex-cons, one white, one black, both homophobic, who join together to find out who murdered their sons, married with a young daughter. It’s told from the POV of the black father, who has managed to rebuild his life after getting out of jail. Nominated for many awards last year.

    @UncleEbeneezer: The podcast You Must Remember This did an “Erotic 80s” season last year, and the first episode was about the moment in the 70s when porn almost became mainstream, with actual Hollywood stars and directors. The “Erotic 90s” season started last week with an episode on the NC-17 rating.

  130. 130.

    JML

    Started watching Rabbit Hole today. Goodness, that’s a super twisty-ass show. Charles Dance & Kiefer Sutherland? Yeah, I’m down for this.

    Also digging Three Pines with the elite Alfred Molina. Haven’t read the books those are based on, but my sister is a huge fan.

  134. 134.

    prostratedragon

    Just watching a couple of episodes of Swarm now. Just goes to show, no matter where you go, there you are. Quite good.

  136. 136.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Ripley: I lived in a house in in Valley Village (basically N. Hollywood) with a photographer and a couple fetish models.  The photographer did photo shoots for Gods Girls (similar to Suicide Girls) in our living room.  One time I was enlisted to hold a model’s low budget cat-tail that kept drooping when she was in a specific pose.  I also sometimes would hold the lighting shades in place and help move stuff.  The whole thing was completely unsexy in almost every way.  Almost clinical.

  139. 139.

    JoyceH

    Anyone else watching this CNN doc about the Heavens Gate cult? Wild. I remember the ‘70s…

  140. 140.

    Tehanu

    I just finished Fonda Lee’s Jade City trilogy (#2 is Jade War, #3 is Jade Legacy).  It’s a terrific fantasy mashup — sort of a kung fu gangster family saga with magical jade.  I’m also re-reading James S.A. Corey’s Expanse books and I might re-watch the series after I get finished with the current series of Sanditon.

  142. 142.

    Dr. Daniel Price (Saint Vincent)

    Kelly Price (whose memoir was featured here in 2022 ) has written a children’s book, released 28 March and available via the link below, through Barnes and Noble, and anywhere Ingram distributes:

    Kaci the Pirate, Scourge of the Seas

    Daniel Price (also featured here in 2022, with gratitude) has published a fifth collection of themed cryptic crosswords, available currently only via Amazon:

    Excruciverbiage Volume V:  Augmented Fifth

  143. 143.

    patrick II

    @thruppence: ​
     
    A few years ago in Virginia Beach I watched Rodrigo Y Gabriela from the first row — maybe 10 feet away. I still could not see Gabriela’s hands move. For those of you who don’t know who these best instrumental Grammy winners are: Diablo Rojo

  144. 144.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    The whole thing was completely unsexy in almost every way.

    Having done boudoir photos shoots, I can tell you that poses that look good in photos frequently are physically uncomfortable.

    I’ve also been on the set of a porn shoot, and the better porn performers are good at acting like things are far more sexy than the actual set is (despite any acting deficiencies they may have in the in the thespian arena).

  152. 152.

    Brachiator

    @Suzanne:

    Oh my God, I watched the first episode of Cunk on Earth and my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

    Something with a similar title popped up as a recommended YouTube video. I will see if I can find it again and take a look.

  154. 154.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: I’d definitely put Hogfather in the Death/Susan arc, with Mort, Reaper Man and Soul Music. edit: oh, and Thief Of Time.

    Monstrous Regiment is a standalone but has some connection to The Truth, if I recall correctly, and Going Postal had sequels called Making Money and Raising Steam (the second was not as good, though, and I never read the third).

  157. 157.

    eclare

    I just watched Marc Maron’s new special on HBOMax.  He talked about the death of his girlfriend, so heavy at times, but still funny.

  158. 158.

    AlaskaReader

    @Steeplejack:

    ‘Musicologists’ is it?

    Yeah, …nope,

       and more

    Extra credit reading:

    Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”. Encyclopedia of the Blues. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.

    Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.

  159. 159.

    Amir Khalid

    I don’t know if any other jackal cares, but I learned the other day of plans to reboot The X-Files with a new, diverse cast. The riskiest part of this reboot would be trying to recreate the Mulder-Scully relationship, which was what really held the original show together, and which only happened because of the totally unexpected chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. If Ryan Coogler doesn’t get that right, I fear the new show won’t work.

  160. 160.

    Anotherlurker

    @Suzanne: Go back to the comedy/philosophical classics of George Carlin’s HBO specials.  I had the privilege of working on several of those, back in the day. What I loved about George’s schtick was that he challenged his audience with some edgy material.  He invented edgy but he was so good he could pull it off without seeming like a total jerk.

    I will admit to feeling uncomfortable at some of his material but this discomfort led me to think about what he said and what it meant to me.   Thought provoking and very intellectually stimulating.

    Just my thoughts about this modern day philosopher.

  163. 163.

    karen marie

    @Suzanne:  This is very late but I hope you see it!

    Dara O’Briain has a couple or maybe three hour-long standup shows from a decade ago that are on youtube.  I think he’s hilarious.  Here’s one.

  164. 164.

    hw3

    My favorite public radio station KEXP just released a YouTube full performance of the excellent Seattle-based reggae performer, and I wanted to share to this channel part of the interview near the end where he talks about how to stay true to your art: “from your heart to your art”.
    Link below should start at 23:11:
    https://youtu.be/5a6Uc2_E9K4?t=1391
    Whole performance worth a listen as well!

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