Happy Friday! The last week of spring is winding down and when I share thoughts next Friday, it’ll officially be summer.
Yay! That means it’s closer to fall!
Enjoy your weekend and thank you for checking out my random thoughts.
CHEERS!
A new study shows light consumption of alcohol benefits the heart by turning down stress to the brain.
It shows that light to moderate drinkers (those having one to 14 drinks per week) were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those who had less than one drink per week — even after genetic and lifestyle adjustments.
The study was conducted by a group at the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
They also add that aside from drinking, two good stress relievers are exercise and meditation.
Now, the downside, the researchers found that ANY amount of drinking increases the risk of cancer!!!
QUOTE OF THE MONTH!
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “After calling Joe Biden senile, Republicans complained he outsmarted them. I will leave it there.”
PRIDE MONTH THOUGHT
We’re now into the middle of June and Pride Month and I hope everyone is doing well.
Okay, most people!
PRIDE PLAYLIST
I know this is from last year, but if you want some jammin’ tunes for Pride or just to have fun this Friday, this playlist is awesome.
And, two of my favorite songs of the past 25 years are back-to-back at #13 and #14, Robyn and Kylie Minogue (about 16 minutes into the mix)!
“THE BEAR”
The second season of the amazing FX series, “The Bear”, drops June 22nd.
If you haven’t seen the first season (eight episodes), I highly recommend it.
Earlier this year, I finally watched it and here’s what I had to say about it: “If you’re a fan of the Food Network or intrigued by the cutthroat world of the restaurant business, you’ll really enjoy the Hulu series, “The Bear”.
For the longest time, I didn’t even give it a second thought because of the name. I didn’t realize it was about cooking and food. It’s incredible!”
I went on to say, “I absolutely love Jeremy Allen White’s intensity as “Carmy”, a New York City chef that comes back to Chicago to run his late brother’s restaurant that’s about to go under.
White won the Critics’ Choice Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. I expect the same when the Emmy Awards are announced.”
I gave season one an “A-“!
“TILL”
The acting in this true story movie about the murder of a 14-year-old Black Chicago boy visiting his family in Mississippi after flirting with a white woman in the 1950s was fantastic.
Danielle Deadwyler, who plays Mamie Till, was amazing.
And, it was great seeing Whoopi Goldberg, in another dramatic role, playing Mamie’s mother.
GRADE: B
“LUTHER (THE SERIES)”
This British psychological/police drama ran five short seasons between 2010-2019.
Idris Elba stars as DCI John Luther, who has a keen sense into the minds of criminals. He thinks outside of the box and doesn’t exactly play by the rules.
I just finished the series and the new Netflix movie.
The series was sluggish in the first season, but definitely was thrilling and much darker, creepier, and more violent in the next four seasons.
My favorite character was Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), a research scientist and genius, but she was totally psychotic!
I enjoyed the storyline of vigilante killer Tom Marwood in season three because the actor, Elliot Cowan, was so good looking.
And, I really loved Warren Brown as DS Justin Ripley.
Spoiler alert — he was killed off too soon!
GRADE: B
“LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN”
Four years after season five, this movie was briefly released in theaters earlier this year and is now streaming on Netflix.
The movie was very creepy.
How creepy? Let’s just say a few minutes into the movie, a serial killer tricks several parents of some of his victims to gather at a house where he burns their children’s corpses in front of them!!!
GRADE: B+
“OFFICIAL AND CONFIDENTIAL: THE SECRET LIFE OF J. EDGAR HOOVER”
Here are some things I learned about former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who died in May 1972, from Anthony Summers’ 1993 book.
- Hoover was an evil, self-loathing closet homosexual and I know it’s bad to think this way, but I’m happy that he never got to see his dream project, the new FBI headquarters finished! He died in 1972 and it opened in September 1975.
- While it was under construction, Hoover fought constantly with the planners. He said open arcades would provide “free access to alcoholics, homos, and whores” (which ironically he was two out of three!). Oh, in case you didn’t figure it out, who’d pay to have sex with him!
- He also said that columns would give cover to lurking assassins, which he always feared and rode in a bulletproof car.
- There is strong speculation that Hoover may have committed suicide since his death came at an appropriate time when two very scathing books about him and the FBI were coming out and he knew that Nixon was finally ready to let him go.
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Anthony