See also: July 2022 and Oct 2022 (View all)
(Sorry I was working on a writing project most of August. Here are things I found (I’m catching up)
QUOTE: ““The saddest thing is that I won’t see my dog …She won’t be alive by the time I am freed.” (Russian protester Alexei Gorinov, after being sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for criticizing the Russian attack on Ukraine). More:
“War, whatever synonym you call it, is the last, dirtiest, vile thing, unworthy of the title of a man,” Gorinov said. “I thought that Russia exhausted its limit on wars back in the 20th century. However, our present is Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel. Do these names mean something to you? You, the accusers – take an interest and do not say later that you did not know anything,”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/30/people-are-turning-off-muscovites-put-the-war-aside-and-enjoy-summer
1ST GILDA RADNER INTERVIEW: This delightful 1983 interview brings 2 hilarious people together. Here Radner talks about her new comedy book and she calls (on the show) the real person who inspired her Emily Litella character on SNL. (here’s the classic Violins on Television editorial).
80s CAMPY COMEDY CLASSIC ON YOUTUBE: I couldn’t find it on the other streaming networks, but was delighted to watch the full movie on youtube. Despite being a commercial flop, this movie is a LOT funnier than I remembered, it looks great and I really enjoyed Julie Brown who wrote the script and sang the crazy songs. Here’s a random musical number from the movie.
MORE FLOODING IN GALVESTON: “High tides could flood Galveston streets as many as 210 days a year by 2050, compared with as many as 17 days in 2022,…The expected number of high-tide flood days in Galveston’s is nearly the worst of any coastal spot in the country because this region suffers from land that’s sinking in addition to sea levels that are rising.”
AMAZING PODCAST EPISODE! The late Gilbert Godfried had a great 90 minute interview with the amazing and versatile Marilu Henner (my celebrity crush). We hear inside scoops about Taxi, Noises Off and Cannonball Run 2 (terrible movie, she said, but a jillion movie stars in it guaranteed that the shooting was fun at least). Learn her hot takes on Burt Reynolds (“lot better actor than people realize”), Danny Devito (“he exudes more sex appeal than Robert Redford”). We also learn why the day Neil Armstrong walked on the moon was a very special day for her. Plus there is singing, etc., etc., (Here’s that trailer to Cannonball Ball 2).
HUMOR WITH SALMAN RUSHDIE AND LARRY DAVID. I’m still horrified about yesterday’s attack on Rushdie. As it happens, Rushdie was supposed to visit my writing workshop at Johns Hopkins in 1989 during his American book tour and was canceled because of the fatwa. Rushdie had managed pretty well over the decades (all things considering). He’s written a lot of respected books and stayed pretty visible (even making this cameo a few years ago in CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM)
Rushdie used to be married to the distinguished novelist Marianne Wiggins (who even went into hiding with him for a few years despite the decline of their marriage). I’d enjoyed her John Dollar novel and recently bought 2 of her ebooks. Can’t wait to read.
MIND-BOGGLING FACT: Although Texas (30 million) has about the same population as Australia (26 million) , Australia is about 11 times bigger than than Texas (7,741,220 sq km vs. 678,000 sq km for Texas). By comparison, Texas is 1.2x the size of Ukraine even though Ukraine’s population is 40 million). Texas is 1.9 the size of Germany (even though Germany’s population is 84 million).
Lately I’ve been fascinated by these interviews with young people on Moscow streets. The pair behind 1420 are clever and absolutely fearless; they are inventing a new kind of “street journalism” which remains slippery even in a society which tries to regulate journalism and self-expression. These quick interviews not only reveal the nihilism of Russia’s younger generation, but also the variety of ways that ordinary citizens make their peace with a bad political climate.
Here’s some murals to celebrate the lives of the fallen children. Abel Ortiz is the person who is organizing this project and provides updates when a new mural is added.
I guess I dislike the fact that this person donated so much to the Republican Party where it will only accelerate political spending on both sides. I just can’t understand why an extremely wealthy person wouldn’t find a better cause to spend money on: a scholarship program for students, a foundation for medical research, a cultural exchange program, United Way, etc. In comparison, spending such a huge amount on a political cause seems petty and almost self-serving.
I totally forgot about the Obama Tan suit controversy.
2 NETFLIX RECOMMENDATIONS: Mo is a trilingual Houston-based dramedy about a young Kuwaiti immigrant and his family waiting on his green card (and dating a Mexican woman at the same time). This 30 minute show has lots of laughs and tears and Houston references. EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO is a Korean series about an autistic prodigy woman who works for a leading law firm. The 1 hour episodes provide lots of opportunity for humor and social commentary, plus lots of legal twists and gratuitous mentions of whales (the protagonist has a thing for them). Every episodes has a Eureka moment where the woman magically figures out what is at the crux of the case. Unlike American courtroom shows, these cases are really, really complicated, and it’s impossible to guess what the final outcome will be. Both shows are great!
Sean Burke makes a satirical oil commercial.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: ““Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev gave us 30 years of sunlight. Unfortunately, this time has passed, and there is no more sun, only darkness. But I am deeply grateful to him for these 30 years.” (20 year old student Maxim, about Gorbachev)
ACTING CHOPS: Here’s a fun interview with Julia Garner, the actress from OZARK and INVENTING ANNA (both on Netflix). To my surprise, I really enjoyed INVENTING ANNA — a nice social satire about the fake social heiress — great script and moments of cringey hilarity — and yes, Julia Garner was terrific! Another interview where Dana Carvey (another master impersonator) asks Julia to recite the lines of one character in the other actor’s voice. (starts at 4:50).
NICE MEATY INTERVIEW: (18 minutes) Satirist Andy Borowitz offers some fresh (and serious) political analysis — our basic problem is politicians who don’t read anything and lack any sort of intellectual curiosity.
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