Thanksgiving is now less than two weeks away.
Even though I’ve already decorated for Christmas (I did it on Halloween this year since it was on a weekend), I’m so ready for the turkey feast with my sister, Tammy.
So, here are some Thanksgiving funnies before I share a few random thoughts.
This is still one of my favorites!
And, as a meteorologist, this will totally be me on Wednesday for the morning and noon shows!
WORLD AIDS DAY
Although World AIDS Day isn’t until December 1st, I’m talking about it today since this will be my only random thoughts this month.
“World AIDS Day” originated in 1988 to raise awareness to the spread of HIV and AIDS.
We now live in an age where, with proper medication and taking it as prescribed, HIV is a treatable disease and those that are HIV-positive can live with “undetectable” viral loads, which mean they CANNOT spread the virus.
Still, in 2019, almost 35-thousand people in the U.S. and six dependent areas (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands) became HIV-positive.
And HIV isn’t the only thing sexually active people have to worry about.
STIs are on the rise! In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the highest number of STIs EVER in the U.S. — for the sixth consecutive year!!!
People, have all the sex you want. But, use condoms!!!
“ALL THE YOUNG MEN”
This 2020 memoir by Ruth Coker Burks is subtitled, “How One Woman Risked It All To Care For The Dying” is an incredible and heart-tugging book.
Burks was a single mom of a little girl in small town Arkansas (Hot Springs) back in the mid-1980s when the AIDS epidemic was sweeping the nation and the death toll of mostly gay men was skyrocketing.
She was at the hospital visiting a friend when she heard moaning coming from a room down the hall. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the door painted red and the room cordoned off with caution tape. Inside, a young man was dying, totally ignored by the nurses and hospital staff.
Against the advice of the close-minded and ignorant nurses, Ruth went inside and comforted the man as he died. It started a quest of making the last months of life more livable for the men that searched her out for comfort and compassion.
While shunned by those in town for her fight for those that most of America would rather forget, Ruth befriended a gay bar manager and his drag queen partner and realized that your chosen family can bring you as much love and comfort as a given family.
“All The Young Men” is a must read!
Ruth and I follow each other on Twitter and have corresponded. I’m honored to be in the same company as this treasure to the LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS community!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON HIV
If you don’t know your status, get tested!!!
It’s painless and knowing one way or the other is the first step to healthy or healthier living!!!
“YOU” (SEASON 3)
On a lighter note — stalkers and murderers looking for love. 🙂
Back in September, after reading the latest book from Caroline Kepnes, “You Love Me” (2021), I wrote “there was very little I enjoyed about [it]!”
That was being diplomatic. I hated it!
After enjoying the first two books in the series, “You” (2014) and “Hidden Bodies” (2016), “You Love Me” left me dreading the third season of “You”.
I wrote, “I hope the new season deviates greatly from the book. Also, I hope Kepnes expands her writing resume and leaves the ‘You’ series behind!!!”
It’s now with glee when I mention season three of the Netflix hit, “You”!
As it turns out, the book wasn’t ready when the new season was being prepped and that makes us all winners!
Season 3 was the best season yet and Netflix has renewed “You” for a fourth season.
GRADE: A-
“ARMY OF THIEVES”
The Netflix prequel to the summer hit, “Army of the Dead”, Zack Synder’s zombie apocalypse in Las Vegas, was the #1 movie or show on the streaming service in its opening weekend.
It takes place just as the zombies are taking over Vegas and before Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) is recruited to crack a safe there and tries to avoid being eaten by the undead on the Strip.
“Thieves” was much more cohesive and entertaining than “Dead”. However, that’s sort of like comparing apples to oranges because “Thieves” is more of a suspenseful heist movie and “Dead” is more of a zombie flick with a heist.
Ludwig was my favorite character in “Dead”, so it was nice to see a movie focused around him. And, Schweighöfer also directed “Thieves”.
GRADE: A-
“ARMY OF THE DEAD”
It’s that “G–damned zombie tiger”!
After watching “Army of the Dead” in May 2021, this is what I had to say:
“I’ve been so excited ever since I heard about it. It’s a heist movie featuring two things I love — Las Vegas and zombies. Maybe I was too excited for it!”
“While enjoyable, I was a little surprised with its 2.5 hour running time. It was definitely over the top with violence (great for a zombie movie), but there were several parts that could have been cut. A two-hour running time would have worked better.”
I went on to say, “Would I watch it again? Maybe. I definitely recommend it, but Snyder’s 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead” was better!”
GRADE: B
MY NEXT VEGAS CONCERT
While I don’t have a Las Vegas trip planned, I already know what my next show there will be.
I’ll be seeing Whitney Houston in concert!!!! Confused?
The show, “An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert”, is a new residency at Harrah’s.
While Whitney is a hologram, “she’ll” be performing with real dancers and musicians!
So, with this hologram experience, it’d be interesting to see where you’d have to sit in the showroom to have the most real visual experience!
The show is scheduled through at least the spring of 2022.
WHITNEY’S RADIO RESURGENCE
Whitney Houston last hit at Top 40 radio was in 2000 with “Could I Have This Kiss Forever”, a duet with Enrique Iglesias.
The song reached #34 on the Mainstream Top 40 airplay charts, yet failed to reach the Top 40 on the Billboard 100.
After scoring a hit with Kygo in 2019 (more on that shortly), Whitney is once again on the radio with the English band, Clean Bandit.
In early 1986, Whitney hit #1 with “How Will I Know”. Now, in 2021, the song is once again racing up the Hot Adult Contemporary airplay chart and the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
In 2019-2020, Norwegian DJ Kygo took Whitney’s vocals of Steve Winwood and Chaka Khan’s #1 1986 hit, “Higher Love” and remixed the song.
It topped the dance chart in the U.S. and was a hit at Top 40 radio. It reached the Top Five in many countries around the world.
“AMERICAN CRIME STORY: IMPEACHMENT”
The third installment of the F/X series just wrapped up and good riddance.
While I voted for Bill and Hillary Clinton in every presidential election, this was my least favorite of the “American Crime Story” series.
2016’s “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” and 2018’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” were phenomenal.
No, that’s not an asinine photo, it’s just random and it’s Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan in “Versace”. 🙂
Focus Anthony! Back to “Impeachment”…
I expect Emmy nominations for Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp and maybe one for Clive Owen, who was spot on as Bill Clinton. I could also see Beanie Feldstein getting a nom for playing Monica Lewinsky and there’s buzz for Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones.
The series was very skewed toward making Lewinsky look as good as possible (she was a consultant) and Tripp come across as truly evil (and she probably was).
I’m now going to read Tripp’s 2020 book, “A Basket of Deplorables: What I Saw Inside the Clinton White House”, which was released eight months after she died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70.
The one true “Impeachment” about the series was Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton. Lame!
I know Falco is a four-time Emmy Award winner (I plan on watching “Nurse Jackie), but she just phoned in this performance and didn’t even try to become Hillary Clinton. It takes more than a few wigs!!!
GRADE: C+
LAST “AMERICAN CRIME STORY” THOUGHTS
At one time, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was going to become a season of “American Crime Story”, but it was scrapped. I was looking forward to that!
Rumor has it the next season will focus on Studio 54, the iconic New York City disco.
That should be fun and scandalous!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Anthony
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 