Random Friday Thoughts — September 14, 2018

This week’s random thoughts will be a short one because my sister Tammy and her boyfriend are here in Duluth, Minnesota, visiting me.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my thoughts!

PIZZA BUFFET

On Thursday, we checked out Sammy’s Pizza buffet.  I’ve been looking forward to checking it out since moving here and it was decent!

I loved the pizza crust and the chicken wings, but it’s no Wise Guys Pizza in Davenport, Iowa, where Tammy works.

I love Wise Guys more because it alternates three dessert pizzas (cherry, apple, and cinnamon sugar crumb) and their boneless chicken wings are amazing!

SOPHIA LOREN 

To Italian food and wine (and Sophia Loren)!

“FEAR” IS A WONDERFUL THING!

I haven’t read Bob Woodward’s new book, “Fear”, but knowing that “that man” will be raked over the coals, fear is a wonderful thing!

“OZARK” — SEASON 2

I absolutely loved season one of the Netflix series, “Ozark” and season two doesn’t disappoint!

To catch you up if you haven’t started watching this incredible series, Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his business partner have been laundering drug money in Chicago.

His partner decides to swindle the drug cartel and it doesn’t end well for him.  As Marty is about to be killed, he remembers a brochure about the Ozarks and tells them that it’d be easy for him to launder about one-half billion dollars there.

So, that takes Marty, his wife Wendy (the always fantastic Laura Linney) and their two children to Ozarks of Missouri.

Bateman was nominated for an Emmy for season one and both Bateman and Linney were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Season two is the “Wendy” season.  Next year when Emmy nominations are announced, I want Linney to get a nod for Best Actress.

Also, Julia Garner deserves a Supporting Actress nomination for her strong, yet heartbreaking performance of trashy Ruth Langmore.

“Ozark” has yet to be renewed for season 3, but it’ll come.  And, when it does, I hope Janet McTeer, who plays Helen Pierce, the Chicago-based attorney who represents the cartel, is back!

GRADE:  A-

“TALES OF THE CITY”

More on Laura Linney, who I absolutely love.  She’ll be reprising her role of Mary Ann Singleton in “Tales of the City”, which is coming to Netflix in 2019.

If you’re not familiar with Armistead Maupin’s series, it’s incredible.

The first installment debuted in the U.S. on PBS in 1994.

Since then, there’s been “More Tales of the City” and “Further Tales of the City”.

And, Linney’s Singleton is my favorite.

It shows that a small town kid can learn a lot about life in the “big city”.  For her, it was San Francisco. For me, it was Chicago!

In a March 2014 blog, I thanked Maupin for the amazing book and television series and for motivating me in my career and life!

If you missed it, just click here and it’ll open in a new window.

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/armistead-maupin-thank-you-for-motivating-me/

ONLY A MONTH AWAY NOW

The new “Halloween” movie hits theaters Friday, October 19th, and it’s getting rave reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival.

Here’s the latest trailer and it’s phenomenal!

It’s much more indicative that the showdown between Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Michael Myers will be final!

Here was the first trailer — it’s more of a set-up of the new movie.

CHER & ABBA COLLIDE!

If you saw this summer’s “Mamma Mia:  Here We Go Again”, you know that Cher made a cameo appearance.

It was also announced that she was so enthralled with the music of ABBA that she decided to do an ABBA cover album.

It comes out September 28th and I’ve already ordered it.  Cher is also going out on tour to promote the album!

Since we’re on the subject of ABBA covers, one of my favorite bands of all-time, Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke), released a four-song EP, “ABBA-esque”, in 1992.

My only regret is that it was just an EP.  Andy and Vince, how about a re-issue with several more songs to make it a full length? 🙂

RICHARD NIXON

I don’t know what you think of President Richard Nixon. While I didn’t know him personally, I’ve concluded that he wasn’t a good man!  I’m not talking politically because he was a snake in the grass.

I just finished reading Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s “All The President’s Men” (about breaking the Watergate story while reporting for “The Washington Post”) and the sequel, “The Final Days”, my 22nd and 23rd books I’ve read this year.

But, interestingly enough, I read “The Final Days” first since I didn’t realize I had “All The President’s Men”! 🙂

This is like reading “The Deathly Hallows” (2007) in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series before reading 1997’s “The Philosopher’s Stone” and the other five books!

It was very interesting that this wasn’t just a little break-in at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate complex in June 1972, it was a much bigger debacle of dirty politics and insecurity.

Those underhanded tricks started back in 1969 after Nixon moved into the White House.

And, what’s very crazy about the whole thing is that Nixon was almost guaranteed re-election in 1972 and to think he was all brought down by lies and a cover-up!

It’s not like he was expected to lose an election to a credible woman that should have easily been elected — before collusion (allegedly) and election tampering and interference from an enemy of the United States (Hello, Vladimir Putin)!

“FROST/NIXON”

Before reading the two Woodward and Bernstein books, I watched the 2008 drama, “Frost vs. Nixon”, which was directed by Ron Howard.

It starred Frank Langella as President Nixon and Michael Sheen as television talk show host David Frost.

It earned five Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Langella.

GRADE:  B+

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony