More Cooking

So the House finally approved the foreign aid bills they've been stalling for so long. I don't approve of more funds for Israel's war, but it also has aid for Gaza, so that's a wash I guess. Hopefully Biden will keep pressuring Netanyahu to stop killing civilians. And maybe the Israelis can protest too until the government changes. I'm discouraged though that some California university canceled their valedictorian's graduation speech just because she's pro-Palestinian. Fucking "safety concerns" to hide their censorship.

Meanwhile, in Texas, early voting starts tomorrow for the May municipal elections. But I heard that there are additional elections later due to the property tax law they passed. Such a nuisance; why couldn't they combine the elections?

Anyway I successfully cooked some fried tofu with tomatoes today. Until I found the recipe I totally forgot that my mom used to make this all the time when I was kid. Didn't realize how much I missed it. That'll save me some money to go meatless more often, and the Asian grocery always sells fried tofu, making it even easier.

The Long Game

I saw the golf movie The Long Game starring Jay Hernandez of Magnum P.I. It's about some Mexican-American students in 1950s Del Rio, Texas who form a golf team and compete in a tournament while overcoming prejudice from white country clubs. Jay plays JB Pena, the school superintendent and head coach of the team. He also is a war veteran who is aware that his military service doesn't translate into respect. Dennis Quaid and Cheech Marin also have small roles in the film. I liked it overall, though I did find the ending weird, because JB had to go to jail for a thing, but then suddenly the issue didn't matter anymore. Maybe that part was fictional. But I wish Hollywood would make more small films like this, instead of all the horror films and the blockbuster franchises. Little stories like this are interesting and help to un-whitewash history.

Meanwhile, I forgot to comment before on the news about The CW ordering a Sherlock & Daughter show. Amelia is apparently American and the premise seems mysterious/ambiguous about whether Holmes really is her father. I'll see if it's any good, but I wonder if Watson will feature at all. Also CBS has cast Morris Chestnut as Watson in their medical procedural. I hope neither show gets too lost in tangled Moriarty conspiracies.

Sherlock Melodrama

I saw a fantastic farce called Sherlock Holmes the Melodrama at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre. It's a dinner-theatre in Carrollton that encourages audience participation--including singing, cheering, booing, and popcorn-throwing. The show is very funny and outlandish, featuring Watson delivering dad-jokes and frequent puns on "elementary." Apparently following the example of the Enola Holmes movie sequel, Moriarty is a Black woman, but she keeps her status as a professor, and at least she's a separate character from Irene Adler. I hate shows that conflate the two, or that make Irene evil rather than merely ethically gray. (This Irene at least is canon-appropriate, a widow of Godfrey Norton who is out for revenge against the King who sent his agents to murder Godfrey. Thank god for writers who remember the admirable, wronged woman who is sympathetic and even fun.) Meanwhile, Mary Watson is also a Black woman here, and very charming. It's interesting how theatre is quick to accept new innovations in the Sherlock Holmes genre.

This melodrama is actually a revival of a 2010 play by the now-deceased founder of the Pocket Sandwich Theatre, so it has some local history. The spoof is set in 1892, but alludes to Reichenbach Falls being in the future, so it's kind of nebulous time-wise like Without a Clue. But it is certainly full of references to Sherlockian lore and deep cut characters like Kitty Winter and Lord Holdhurst. There's also anachronistic dress, such as Mrs. Hudson dressing like an medieval tavern wench, and the prime minister wearing a powdered wig and tricorne hat. Also Inspector Lestrade dresses like a lowly police constable with a helmet. These things may be deliberate to increase the broadness of the stereotypes and the fun. When Holmes disguises himself as Kitty Winter, the actual actress appears. The whole thing's delightful and runs through May 11th, so see it if you can.

Meanwhile, in June, Stage West will put on a Sherlock Holmes adventure of their own.

Awesome

The eclipse was great. There were a lot of clouds in DFW, but they moved enough in the afternoon that we could see it happen. I didn't try to get any photos. Just enjoyed the experience.

Meanwhile, I saw Wicked Little Letters this past weekend. It's a funny British film based on a true story about poison pen letters in the 1920s. They do take some dramatic license, omitting any involvement of Scotland Yard, changing Edith Swan's age, and tweaking some details about Edith's and Rose's family members. Also "woman police officer" Gladys Moss gets her own feminist arc investigating the crime while her male colleagues dismiss her. (Surely her title should have been WPC, woman police constable, like in See How They Run.) The movie features colorblind casting, and I recognized one of the actresses as Kitty from the original Ghosts show in the UK. It's less a whodunit than a delightfully quirky bit of British coziness.

Cooking Adventures

I got a new rice cooker, though I haven't tried using the included vegetable steamer yet. It seems okay, though the handles don't have holes like my previous rice cooker. That's where I used to store the rice spoon; now I don't have anywhere to put it. Meanwhile, I also tried deep frying in my wok, based on a youtube video which said it was better than frying in a dutch oven. The oil did come out fairly clean afterward, though I need more mason jars to store the cooled oil I guess. My cooking thermometer helped.

I was deep frying lumpia, which I discovered is a Filipino food similar to egg rolls. My local Asian market sells frozen lumpia much cheaper than they sell frozen Vietnamese egg rolls; it may be because the lumpia is smaller. Since the lumpia were frozen, I needed an icepick to separate the lumpia enough so I could put them in the fryer. It's hard to make the lumpia brown on all sides, though, because when I flipped them over, they just flipped back on the same side again.

Anyway I'm looking forward to the solar eclipse on April 8th. My workplace is having a party and I'm considering whether to bring some lumpia to the party or even bring some mooncake. Those are traditional Asian treats for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but they sell them at other times too. They're super dense and rich, like a fruitcake, and even though it's small, it's hard to eat a whole cake by yourself. You're supposed to share it with friends and family over tea.

A Play and Movies

I recently saw a very funny play called POTUS by Selina Fellinger. It's a political farce that's very feminist and very sweary, but entertaining. The women are various family members and White House aides of the unseen President; they are all trying to keep a reporter from finding out about his various scandals (e.g. the President just insulted his wife as "cunty," and his secret mistress is pregnant.) The crisis builds, and many of the women display such brains and skills that some ask "why isn't she the President?" Even the chief of staff Harriet starts to wonder why she should be so loyal to the President and shield his ego, instead of looking out for the country. I loved it. Stage West is extending the run, so see it if you can.

Also I found another foreign-language mystery show called The Three Detectives on Disney+. It's about three teen girls starting a detective club, and it's in German. I've only seen one episode so far because it's hard for me to watch this and Astrid on PBS unless I can pay 100% attention to the subtitles. This isn't something I can watch while looking away and crocheting.

Meanwhile I did see some movies too, such as Kung Fu Panda 4. I didn't like that they wrote out the Furious Five, just to focus on Po and the new character Zhen. If Po needs a successor, then why can't it be Tigress? Other than that, it was ok for a kids movie. On Saturday I saw One Life, the movie about Nicolas Winton saving children from the Nazis just before World War II. He didn't do it alone, getting help from volunteers in Czechoslovakia, while he returned to London to raise funds and get visas for all the children. His mother even helped with the organization of the operation. Unfortunately, then Hitler invaded and stopped the last train of children from escaping. What a tragedy. Also a tragedy that many nations refused Jewish refugees who could have been saved from the Holocaust. Apparently Hinton could only get Brits to accept the children, even if they wouldn't take the entire families.

It's sad that anti-immigrant Americans won't take refugees from the Mexican border now, pretending that we're being invaded by a crime-ridden horde seeking to "poison our blood." These immigrants are just seeking asylum, which is perfectly legal. Would they rant the same way about the Vietnamese refugees who came here after the war? It's crazy that any court is entertaining the xenophobia and racism of the Texas border law; even aside from the "invasion" absurdity, the law is clearly unconstitutional as well.

Spring Showers

I saw an ugly Tesla cybertruck on the highway yesterday. Why on earth would anyone buy that? Tesla makes normal looking electric cars, you know. I've no idea if Elon will try to bail out Trump. Doesn't he have enough problems of his own with Twitter?

Anyway, we've had rain lately, and it always wakes me up in the middle of the night. Hard to get back to sleep again. Also my computer keeps acting up. My internet speed seems okay, yet it takes me up to 30 minutes to get my computer started and my browser working in the morning. Really annoying.

Hard to keep up with all the stupid government shutdowns and the chaotic court rulings about the Texas border law. Then ISIS attacked Moscow in revenge for something Russia did in the Middle East? I'm not sure of the exact history. But it's not Ukraine that did it, no matter what Putin says.

The Ides of March

Amazing that Chuck Shumer called for new elections in Israel. Finally saying that Netanyahu needs to be ousted as Prime Minister. This is a major development that I hope means that Biden's administration will defy Israel more. Is this really the moment that Democrats are no longer scared of AIPAC, and are willing to pressure Israel in public instead of behind the scenes? I can only hope so.

Airdrops are starting now, but much more needs to be done. They keep talking about ceasefire, but it looks like Israel is rejecting it and starting to invade Rafah, in open defiance. Beware the Ides of March. This cannot last forever. Already 8 senators are asking to cut military aid to Israel. The dam seems to be breaking finally. Israel cannot get away with war crimes forever.

Cabrini

I had no idea this movie was made by the same director and same studio as Sound of Freedom. I only realized it when most of the trailers were for Angel Studios films. Apparently it's a "family friendly" studio and streaming service that makes a lot of faith-based movies and TV shows. (However, this article claims it was already made before Angel Studios bought the film.) I didn't realize that the movie had a religious angle either (Francesca Cabrini was made a saint in the Catholic Church). My main takeaway from the movie description was that it was a biopic about an important historical woman, and that she fought against poverty in 1880-1890s New York; that subject interests me because of my unfinished Sherlock Holmes novel, where I want to have Helen Stoner involved in charities in New York.

So anyway I went to see the Cabrini movie, and it was actually good. The movie had a feminist, pro-immigrant tone, and it pointed out how each wave of European immigrants, including Irish, Polish, and Italians, had been met with racism and discrimination from nativist New Yorkers. (There was no commentary on non-European immigrants, and no we don't see Chinatown.) The religious angle isn't pushed so much as a general humanitarian tone. John Lithgow even appears as a Mayor of New York, who keeps trying to sabotage Cabrini and drive her back to Italy. We also learn that Cabrini is chronically ill, due to her almost drowning as a child; but she refuses to be held back, pushing always against men who underestimate her.

Cheers for Progress

Well Super Tuesday happened, and Kyrsten Sinema announced that she won't run for re-election. It's surprising that she caused so much damage in one term. Good riddance to that Benedict Arnold.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Biden finally decided to start airdropping humanitarian aid to Gaza, bypassing Israel's restrictions on aid trucks. Thank goodness. He finally caved to public pressure. Plus Daily Kos said something about Kamala Harris meeting with Benny Gantz as a way to piss of Netanyahu. So it seems they finally see that Israel's government is part of the problem. That's why I'm still voting for Biden this November. Because although he says things like he's a "Zionist" and he was slow to act against Israel, he can be moved to finally change policy. We've finally found his red line.

Maybe we can push him further to hold Israel accountable for war crimes, or to push to oust Netanyahu. Progress can be made with this administration. If he makes more progress, he can possibly win back the voters that he's alienated with this war.

Ranting

Fucking Israel attacking civilians waiting for food in Gaza. So much for ceasefire hopes. Why can't Biden do something? Would America tolerate this kind of behavior if we were helping fund any other nation's war? Like if Ukraine was committing war crimes, we'd just shrug and say that's their choice to defend themselves that way? Everyone keeps saying that Biden has to delicately negotiate behind the scenes and not inflame Netanyahu by publicly criticizing Israel. But don't all negotiations involve carrot and stick, both reward and punishment? I haven't seen any stick used whatsoever against Israel. Where are your fucking red lines?

In other news, apparently I missed Biden coming to the border in Texas and the news of wildfires out in the panhandle. I've stopped watching TV news as the morning shows devolve into pure entertainment fluff and advertisements disguised as news. I did see Biden on Seth Meyers, but was discouraged by him saying, with no prompting, that he's a Zionist. What the hell? Talk about a 2-state solution, but don't toady to Israel about their so-called divine right to the land. I thought you were trying to appeal to Arab Americans what with the protest in Michigan? Yet you use that loaded word "Zionist". Fuck.

But yeah, Republicans suck too. Governor Abbott ought to be working on the emergency wildfires instead of toadying up to Trump at the border. After all, a federal judge just blocked the Texas deportation law SB4 by pointing out there's no invasion. Who knows how the conservative appeals court will rule, though.

Meanwhile blogs like Daily Kos will scream about 1 news story--the Supreme Court taking the Trump immunity case--for dozens of diaries/posts for days, crowding out any other important news story. I don't need that many hot takes from different people on the same topic.

Primary Protest

Michigan had their primary last night and it looks like over 100,000 Democrats voted "uncommitted." They have a large Arab-American population and were trying to send a protest message to Biden about the Israeli war in Gaza. There are actually Democrats all over America, such as me in Texas, who want Biden to change policy on that war. It's just that Michigan has a significant concentration of such Democrats. It's certainly their right to protest that way. When I voted, I don't think there was an equivalent "uncommitted" option on my ballot, just 10 or so stupid candidates running against Biden. And it's not like any of them have better policies.

A lot of times on Daily Kos or on Wonkette, I see commenters acting like pro-Palestinian protesters are whiny babies or silly idiots demanding a pony, but that's not true at all. We want Biden to do concrete things like withhold funding and/or weapons from Israel, stop vetoing resolutions against Israel in the UN, and push for more humanitarian aid/access in Gaza. I am aware that Biden is still negotiating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and he promises that something will happen soon in March, but I'm skeptical since I heard that Israel rejected the previous ceasefire attempt, AND they are moving forward with more settlers in occupied territory. If anybody's being a whiny baby having a tantrum, it's been Israel.

There's a stereotype that the pro-Palestinian voters in America are ignorant college kids who know no history; that this is their anti-authoritarian fad to feel cool and important. But were the anti-Vietnam protesters in the 1960s a mere fad? They weren't principled in their anti-war stance? How can the anti-protest Democrats think that this is not about justice and humanitarianism? I'm not a college kid anymore, though college was where I read more about Israel's history and no longer liked it. (In middle school I liked Golda Meir and played her in a school project.) I'm not Muslim either. I'm Vietnamese, and was raised Buddhist, but I didn't understand a word of it in temple, so officially I'm unreligious and agnostic at best. Also I do believe that there is a large faction of Black Americans who sympathize with Palestinians and don't like Biden's Israel policies either. So apparently it's a coalition of lots of different people. It's not just Michigan Arab American voters who feel this way. Democrats shouldn't dismiss it as a tiny faction of spoilers like the No Labels people or the deluded Dean Philips. And Nancy Pelosi suggesting that we're Russian plants is even more insulting, saying that there aren't genuine reasons for real Americans to care about Israel decimating Gaza.

But I will state again that I will vote for Biden in November, as the alternative is unthinkable. I don't know if all the other pro-Palestinian people will, though, so maybe Biden can do something please? Hold Israel accountable instead of treating it like innocent Ukraine, merely "defending itself."

Yuck

We're in the midst of early voting for the March primaries. I went yesterday as I work too late to make the weekday hours. I've seen some political ads on TV with abhorrent Republicans yelling about the border and praising Abbott. It's sick. I did see a couple of ads for Colin Allred; he's still trying to win against Gutierrez before going to the general election against Ted Cruz.

After voting, I went to a local outlet mall by the highway, and I passed a really obnoxious display of Trump signs, that said "Trump Won" and "Democrats are Communists." The weirdest thing was that it was in front of a random restaurant and I didn't even see a person there selling merchandise. What is even the point of that display? These are the primaries, not the general election in November. This current election is about Trump vs Nikki Haley right now, not that she has any chance. She lost her own home state. Who knows, there might still have been other Republicans on the ballot that have already dropped out. On my Democratic ballot there were still 10 or so people listed against Biden. Irrelevant people like Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson.

At least the Trumper signs were nowhere near the election polling site.

Cabaret

I saw a local production of Cabaret the musical. Apparently the plot is very different from the film with Liza Minnelli, as the film writers decided to adapt Christopher Isherwood's novel rather than the musical. (I didn't know that there was a previous novel, a previous play and film called I Am A Camera, or that Sally Bowles was based upon an actual person.) It seems that all incarnations of these Berlin-set stories have really different plots due to censors wanting changes to the sexual and moral content. It's interesting how "based on a true story" can be warped with each adaptation so that it becomes wholly fictional.

Anyway, the musical I saw had really good singers and dancers. So much so that I really resented that during a later argument, Cliff tells Sally that she'll only be able to get another job if she sleeps with a nightclub owner, implying that she's not a good singer at all. (I also didn't like him slapping her over the abortion, but I suppose that's an artifact of the 1966 musical, or the sexism of the 1930s setting, when men could get away with such abuse and yet still be the sympathetic hero.) I also really cared about the subplot with the landlady and the Jewish grocer. They had a lovely romance, but their marriage got called off due to the rise in anti-semitism and fascism. They thought the Nazis wouldn't really take over everything, and so refused to leave Germany, just like Sally Bowles refused to leave. The transformation of the Kit Kat Club from playful hedonism to dead-eyed, goose-stepping propaganda is really disheartening. How insidious that "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" song is. One of the Kit Kat dancers purposely starts singing it at the engagement party to hurt the landlady and grocer; such a casual and sinister threat. Later, the emcee's line revealing that the gorilla dancer is supposed to depict a Jewish person--so horrible and cutting.

Also I finally got context over that strange line in the "Cabaret" song about Elsie, "the happiest corpse I'd ever seen" and that Sally made up her mind "When I go, I'm going like Elsie." It is a dark, dark line, and the actress delivered it as though Sally were manic and overwrought, but feigning cheerfulness. She essentially wants to die of too much pills, alcohol, and sex. Such despair. Then it ends with Cliff leaving Germany and finally starting his novel reminiscing about happier times in the club, gone forever. I'm surprised that with such dark themes that the musical has been so successful and popular, rather than some kind of niche drama. I mean, didn't George Takei's musical about a Japanese interment camp close after only a few months? Well, it was a thought-provoking, well-produced musical. I'm glad I went to see it.

ETA: Stephen Robinson reviewed a production of Cabaret in his area last year. He's now moved to his own Substack.

Gun Nuts

I've had spotty internet in the mornings, making it difficult to get online and post before work. I think I've finally solved it by moving my modem onto a high bookshelf. Seems ok so far.

Meanwhile apparently there was a shooting at the post-Superbowl parade for the winners. Of course, there are constant deadly shootings all over America, but I've become numb to the sheer number while Congress does very little gun reform. I've also long known that Texas is super gun-crazy, but recently I've been seeing TV ads for "LawShield" or something like that. This guy claims he was attacked in his home one night, and he had to shoot to defend his family (while being vague about all details), then says he called this Shield service thingy to protect him from any legal consequences. They're trying to sell a law defense as if it were home warranty or the LifeLock identity protection membership. Is shooting people that common that you would routinely need this Shield? And stupid Castle doctrine and "stand your ground" laws aren't enough protection for you? I think this must be aimed at gun nuts who are paranoid, imagining lawsuits over genuine self defense. As if they're trying to get police's qualified immunity for private citizens.

Plus I know advertising tends to use hyperbole, but I also heard a radio ad for a gun show that literally asked "Do you need 5,000 guns? We have 5,000 guns." What the fuck? It makes me so mad.

Wow

Hooray, Disney is giving Turning Red a theatrical release this month, just in time for Lunar New Year. The film was originally supposed to come out during the pandemic, but then Disney just sent it to streaming instead. So this is a nice belated release. Also The Marvels is coming to streaming.

Earlier this week, the Grammys had performances by Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell which people are still raving about. I tried watching the show on Paramount+ but they had the nerve to put a commercial break right into Tracy Chapman's duet with Luke Combs. Right there, mid-song! So annoying. The Grammys website has the uninterrupted video, but it's so hard to find anything there.

I actually know "Both Sides Now" from Judy Collins's version, and I only learned that Judy helped promote Joni as a singer afterward. It is a great song, just as classic as "Fast Car."

Other News

I've been worried with all the saber-rattling by Abbott about the razorwire at the border. Not to mention the Houthis in Yemen and the continuing war in Gaza. Still no cease-fire in sight. I did hear about Biden sanctioning four settlers in the West bank, but I'm not sure how that puts pressure on Israel itself to do something. Then there are 21 Democrats signing a letter to get more humanitarian aid to Gaza. At least they're trying. Recently there was a UN judge that ruled that Israel needs to do more to prevent genocide as well. But I think Israel is still resisting any change. They think their "right to defend themselves" is a blanket allowing them to justify anything they do. The way the US tiptoes around them and avoids direct confrontation makes us look impotent and useless. Peace feels like a hopeless wish.

But I'm trying not be down about everything. It's Black History Month in a leap year so there'll be an extra day. Also next week is Lunar New Year and then Mardi Gras, and Valentine's Day. (Also the Superbowl for people who care.) So lots to celebrate soon.

I did see American Fiction and I heard it was nominated for a few Oscars, so they actually expanded the release. I guess I was needlessly worried about it disappearing from theaters. In fact The Book of Clarence is still open in a few theaters even though it opened weeks ago. So I guess it's not a total bomb. Anyway, American Fiction was pretty funny, though also touching regarding Sterling K. Brown's gay character. I did get annoyed with Monk's snobbishness and his fight with his girlfriend. Though if he was really invested in the relationship, he should have been honest with her in the first place instead of keeping secrets and saying "none of your business" when she first asked where his sudden money came from. He could have claimed that he wrote My Pafology purely for mercenary reasons and then shared his embarrassment with her, but no.

Murder on the Orient Express

The freezing temperatures have gone away lately and I'm not sick anymore. So I was well enough to see a stage version of Agatha Christie's famous mystery last night in Richardson. It was a nice cozy theater with plush furniture and free popcorn. The acting was great and the set design interesting. I'll see if I can figure out how to post a picture of the set model. (Of course I didn't take any pictures or recordings of the show itself.)

The play is Ken Ludwig's 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Whereas the book has a staggering number of suspects on the train (to match a jury of 12), it is unwieldy to stage that many actors and have the audience keep straight that many people. So wisely the suspects have been whittled down to 8 by dropping some people and combining some others. I liked that they said the Countess Andrenyi used to be a doctor when she was still a commoner; thus they eliminate Dr. Constantine and make the woman more capable and independent. Her husband the Count is not missed, nor is Foscarelli, Hardman, or Masterson. Also the German maid Schmidt is written out and the Swiss missionary is substituted instead for great comedy. It makes for a nice balanced cast of men and women. Macqueen also provides some comic relief too.

Some of the clues are eliminated too with the cut characters, such as the phantom "lady in the red kimono," to further emphasize the phantom "second train conductor" with the missing button on his uniform. Like other recent adaptations of the book, Poirot has an ethical crisis about solving the case, but Mrs. Hubbard is given a good speech to appeal to his conscience. Overall an enjoyable play.

Miserable Weekend

I thought I already got through the worst of the freezing temps, but they fell again and I got a bad cold. Worse, I had to work through the weekend with a cough and scratchy throat. So I thought I would make myself feel better with some hot chocolate, but no, that made me nauseous. I had to go home and go to bed at 7pm just to stop shivering so much. The next day, hot tea was better than hot chocolate, but my throat was still sore. At least I didn't have a fever.

I did manage to see Book of Clarence again last week, but I need to get better before I venture out to American Fiction, even wearing a mask. Texas weather is so screwed up.

I did watch Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV, but I thought it was overrated. Certainly not worth 3 hours runtime. It focused way too much on stupid Earnest and his complying with every command of his evil uncle. Some scenes were too graphic and sensationalized, feeling heavy handed. I guess Scorsese did the best he could to be sensitive to the Osage, even not subtitling the Osage dialogue, but the movie still felt very much from the point of view of the whites.

Snowed In

This MLK weekend is extremely chilly, with temps below freezing until Wednesday, and I don't want to risk the icy roads. I did manage to go out on the last warmish day last week to a play and the grocery store. I wish I had time to see more movies, though, as it looks like American Fiction finally opened near me but may be gone by next weekend.

I did manage to see The Book of Clarence on Wednesday, but I was late and missed the beginning. I hope I get to see the full thing before it also disappears from theaters. It's a biblical epic like Ben-Hur but has some comedic moments. However things turn serious once we meet the real Jesus and see him perform actual miracles (not tricks). Then Clarence's conscience troubles him about his fraud and he buys the freedom of some gladiator slaves. Plus the Romans capture him and "all the other fake Messiahs" to crucify them, and it becomes more about faith and belief. So not a fully irreverent spoof like Monty Python's Life of Brian. But it was nice to see a real Black Jesus instead of the white bearded guy depicted in Western paintings. (Though there is indeed a white blue-eyed guy among the "fake Messiahs" the Romans capture.)

Meanwhile, the Golden Globes were last weekend and apparently the Emmys are tonight. Dumb awards season. I'm going to try to catch up on some TV and movies on streaming such as Killers of the Flower Moon. I hope it won't be tedious. Just the fact that Scorsese made the film so damn long and refused to let theaters put in an intermission is so pretentious. The operas and theater plays he was comparing his film to, typically DO have intermissions. So he's the one being disrespectful to the art. A person can't concentrate on the art if they need a bathroom break. Yet I hear Scorsese wants his next film to be super-short at 90 minutes.

TV Memories

Meanwhile, in pop culture news, Norman Lear died in December and I watched a 2016 PBS documentary about him. He revolutionized the sitcom genre and founded a political organization to fight back against the rightwing Moral Majority that arose in the Reagan era. Lear also had some flaws, such as having disagreements on how to write the Black characters on Good Times. Eventually he burned out after doing too many shows as once, and he departed suddenly. But over the years he did more show business stuff, such as the recent live revivals of his classic shows.

The British actor Tom Wilkinson also died recently. He was a prolific character actor appearing in British TV and movies, as well as American productions. He could play both villains and good guys, and was always a welcome addition to any film or show. May he rest in peace.

On New Year's Fox aired a 2-hour M*A*S*H special, including some interviews with now deceased stars. It was very moving.

Sad News

The New Year has been very chilly and rainy. I bought an exercise bike and put it together after finally getting some missing parts. I don't have any specific resolution to lose weight, but am trying to generally be more active. Hopefully that will help me keep going.

Meanwhile Eddie Bernice Johnson died. She was an outstanding Congresswoman for years, and leaves a great legacy behind. Jasmine Crockett is now serving in that seat.

Japan suffered an severe earthquake on Monday. I hope they can find more survivors.

I was also scared to hear about a shooting at my local mall last week. If I'd been there that night, I might have been trapped while the police searched for the shooter. I hate that Republicans won't pass more gun control laws. How is anyone supposed to feel safe?