2026: Welcome and Let’s Do This

Happy New Year! We’re one-quarter of the way done with this century and I’m looking forward to the year ahead.

Politicos are ready for the November midterm elections. Sports enthusiasts are ready for the Super Bowl, March Madness, the NBA playoffs, Wimbledon, or the World Series.

I’m ready for a new and improved life. I’m ready to walk the walk and talk the talk!

MY NEW PHILOSOPHY FOR 2026

Between movies or episodes of whatever series I’m binge-watching, I fall into the YouTube “rabbit hole” of Kylie Minogue, ’80s dance music, slot machine bonus rounds, etc.

I came across this video and I’m totally mesmerized.

I guess Manny Patel has been doing these forever, but “I Just Wanna Fuckin’ Dance 2026” with Alison Jiear is fuckin’ incredible!

2025, GOOD RIDDENCE

The last year was rather trying and one I’d just as well forget.

A move to a new apartment in March turned into hell (okay, it felt like it inside all summer).

A tyrant boss made me re-think my life and leave Central Illinois and my job after 5.5 years. In retrospective, thank you so much! I’m happy and he’s someone else’s problem now!

That led to another move not just across town, but hours away.

And, days before Christmas, I lost my my sister and my best friend, Tammy, at the age of 59.

I’m ready for a new beginning.

QUAD CITIES 2.0

I made the first step toward that by moving back to the Quad Cities this past November. I’m now back at my old station, WHBF-4 and Fox 18.

Here’s how I summed up my first six weeks on the air to someone: “I’ve been here six weeks and it feels like six months with four straight hours of news instead of two and two hours each with two different co-anchors.”

Xanadu and I are settled into our new apartment.

She already has a new bestie, Phineas — a pug one year old than her.

Miss Xanadu turned three a couple of days before New Year’s Eve!

She and I celebrated on the actual day and that weekend, she invited Phineas and his brother George over for a grumble (a real word for three of more pugs in a group)!

We enjoyed our feast, too.

SOCIALIZING MORE

I’m making it a point to get out more.

Weeks into the move back to the Quad Cities, I went to a Christmas fundraiser premiere party and the next Friday, I saw country superstar Clint Black in concert.

And, the weekend before Christmas, I attended a holiday party at a real castle!

It was festive and gay!

CONCERTS

In last year’s look ahead, I was highly anticipating seeing Kylie Minogue in Chicago in April and it was a spectacular show. (And, that’s how close she walked by me!)

This year, I can’t wait for the concert DVD to relive it.

That fulfilled my concert bucket list after seeing Reba (13 times), Madonna (four times), New Kids on the Block (three times), Lady Gaga and the Chicks twice, and Patty Loveless, Olivia Newton-John, Helen Reddy, and Mariah Carey once.

I’m excited for the new year ahead. I’d still love to Daryl Hall & John Oates (if they ever play together again), Culture Club, Toni Braxton, and Vanessa Williams in a Christmas show!

THINGS THAT EXCITE ME FOR 2026

As I mentioned above, clearly the DVD to Kylie Minogue’s “Tension Tour” is at the top of my list.

“DEXTER: RESURRECTION”

Also, in February 2026, I can’t wait to see and add the latest season of “Dexter” to my collection.

Yes, I love Michael C. Hall. Or, do I really love Dexter Morgan?

If it’s Dexter Morgan I love, I definitely want to stay on his good side!

And, there’s season 5 of “Hacks” arriving this year.

I can’t get enough of Jean Smart as Debra Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels.

Also, the long-awaited sequel to “Red, White & Royal Blue”! It’s being shot right now!

Plus, season two of “Heated Rivalry”, but that’ll likely in 2027!

And, either in 2026 or 2027, a sequel is coming to one of my all-time favorite comedies — a box office bomb, but now a cult favorite!

Yes, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”!

And, since I shared that GIF — IYKYK — the biggest music event I’m looking forward to in 2026 is Madonna’s sequel to the her 2005 masterpiece and my second favorite Madonna album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor”!

I’ve seen Madonna in concert four times and the “Confessions Tour” was the first one.

That Chicago show was mind-blowing from the moment she was lowered onto the stage in a giant mirrored disco ball and it opened!

And, then this iconic visual (scandalous?) performance of “Live To Tell”!

My favorite Madonna show was the “MDNA Tour”, which I saw on my birthday in 2012, in Las Vegas!

DATING?

Yes, the thought is still alive after alluding me for nine years. I talked to Santa and he wasn’t too optimistic.

However, he thinks the prospects are better in the Quad Cities than Decatur!

TOTALLY RANDOM THOUGHT

Totally random thought, but it ties in… In February 2025, I wrote about LGBTQ actors playing lead straight roles, “I totally bought my lesbian crush Jodie Foster as a straight woman (?) in “The Silence of the Lambs” and in “True Detective: Night Country“.

But, the point, I’m getting to is this. I also wrote: “And, I totally buy my (gay) dreamboat Jonathan Bailey as a straight man on “Bridgerton”. However, I’m totally jealous it’s not me he’s in love with and making out with!”

Well, I was onto something. “People” named him “Sexiest Man Alive” in the fall. 🙂

Jonathan, see topic above — “DATING?”! 🙂

And, if Jonathan is busy or unavailable, Aaron Tveit, give me a call!

Nevermind, he’s married!

There’s enough of them [married men] in the single life “dating” pool already!

Ironically, both Bailey and Tveit have both played Fiyero Tigelaar in “Wicked”!

Here he is for his talent and not looks (well, not entirely)!

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2025

Back in the day, I used to share countdowns of my favorite albums, songs, and movies. I only do movies now.

However, this year, here are my eleven favorite songs (that many of you likely didn’t hear)!

“I’M GOING OUT” (Steve Aoki, Sam Feldt, XANDRA, Nile Rodgers & Zak Abel)

“LAST NIGHT I DREAMT I FELL IN LOVE” (Alok & Kylie Minogue)

“SAVE MY LOVE” (Marshmello, Ellie Goulding, & AVAION)

“NO ONE ELSE” (Two Friends & Corbyn Besson)

“I WANNA GO” (Britney Spears — John Summit Remix)

“TASTE OF YOUR TONGUE” (Elephante featuring babyidontlikeyou)

“FANCY $HIT” (CID x Taylr Renee)

“INTO THE BLUE” (Will Sass featuring Kamille)

“BLESSINGS” (Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas)

“XMAS” (Kylie Minogue)

***Seriously, this one is amazing if you didn’t catch it this holiday season. Take a listen!***

“NO BROKE BOYS” (Disco Lines & Tinashe)

And, she’s from Kentucky!

Thank you for traveling along with me on this journey called “life”!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — August 2, 2024

Happy August! This year is really zipping by.

I think it’s because I’m getting older. While true, it might also be that I worked a lot over the past two months.

NEVER TOO EARLY!

Thank you for taking time to check out my random thoughts.

HISTORY DOES REPEAT ITSELF!

Those words are from the sixth President of the United States John Quincy Adams in September 1840!

What would he think about the 2016 and the 2024 presidential election if he were alive today?

JEAN SMART

Actress Jean Smart is coming up on 50 years in the entertainment business and she’s always been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

Her late-1980s/early-1990s series, “Designing Women”, was one of the first to address HIV and AIDS.

Earlier this year, while accepting an award from the Human Rights Campaign, Smart deeply touched me when she told the crowd, “in a world where children are starving and dying because of war, it seems insane and beyond understanding that any of us should be concerned with someone else’s sexuality.”

2024 OLYMPIC GAMES

Three of the reasons I know the 2024 Olympics are going on: Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and the opening ceremony drama some took as a mockery of Christianity.

I didn’t watch it, so I read about it and I wasn’t offended. And, yes I pray every night.

Organizers apologized, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group… we really did try to celebrate community tolerance… We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Almost a week later, it’s hardly even being talked about it anymore. I have two things to say: Pet a cute puppy or a bunny and move on.

Or, just think of Jean Smart’s quote from above, “in a world where children are starving and dying because of war, it seems insane and beyond understanding that any of us should be concerned with [insert woe here that doesn’t affect you directly]!”

LOVED THIS RESPONSE TO THE CONTROVERSY

ANOTHER REASON I KNOW THE OLYMPICS ARE GOING ON

“HACKS”

Back to Jean Smart: If you haven’t seen her incredible award-winning series, “Hacks”, I highly recommend it.

She plays Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva needing to change her act so she doesn’t lose her residency at the Palmetto Casino.

Ava (Hannah Einbinder), her young comedy writer, is amazing, too.

While season three of “Hacks” has already aired on Max, I’m waiting for it to come to DVD to watch.

I’m hoping season three features more of sexy Damien (Mark Indelicato), Deborah’s personal assistant.

Smart is a five-time Emmy Award winner (two for “Frasier”, one for “Samantha Who?” and two for “Hacks”). Interestingly enough, she was never nominated for “Designing Women”!

GRADE: A- (Seasons 1 & 2)

FIRST CONCERT IN ALMOST FIVE YEARS

My last concert, pre-pandemic, was Paula Abdul in Las Vegas in December 2019.

It was a fantastic, fun show.

And, as she was making her way through the crowd singing “Forever Your Girl”, she hugged me!

Last weekend, I saw Straight No Chaser at the Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater in Decatur, Illinois.

The A cappella band is on its “Summer: The ’90s Tour”.

It was an entertaining time with their versions of some of the biggest songs from my 20s and 30s: Britney, the Spice Girls, the Backstreet Boys, Hanson, Ricky Martin and an encore of some of the biggest dance club hits of the ’90s!

While “Africa” is an ’80s song, I was hoping they’d sneak it in and I held out for an off-season Christmas song. Why?

Straight No Chaser is probably known more for their several Christmas albums than their pop music, which I enjoy.

If you get a chance to see the band, do so! What a fun group of guys!

Hello there Jasper, Mike, and Luke Bob!

And, opening act Jon McLaughlin was very talented, entertaining, and sexy!

“OPPENHEIMER”

I finally got around to seeing last summer’s blockbuster, “Oppenheimer”, that grossed almost a billion dollars ($977 million) worldwide.

The movie earned a leading 13 Academy Award nominations, making it Christopher Nolan’s most Oscar-nominated movie.

It won for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.

It was an incredible movie, even with a running time of almost three hours. That’s the reason I waited to see it at home. I will NOT go to a theater and sit for any three-hour movie!

While amazing, from the acting to the cinematography, when I post my favorite movies I saw this year in January 2024, it won’t be #1 or maybe even in the top five. WHY NOT?

In addition to the quality of a movie, a bigger factor for my movie ranking for the year is, “Would I watch it again? And, again?” The answer is: NO.

GRADE: B+

STRAIGHT NO CHASER — CHRISTMAS!

With Christmas now just over four months away, here’s a little holiday taste from Straight No Chaser!

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — April 5, 2024

The first weekend of April is upon us and this will be it for a while. I appreciate you taking the time to check out my thoughts and sharing yours.

THIS WILL NOT ME THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!

Normally, I exercise and I eat healthy. But, I still enjoy my desserts and wine.

I’ll be indulging in plenty of food, desserts, and wine soon as I eat and drink my way across Europe.

You won’t hear me ask this question until I return!

FINAL EASTER THOUGHT

The Easter Bunny didn’t visit us and I didn’t go looking for half-price candy the next day. During our little Easter photo shoot, Miss Xanadu didn’t hide her desire for it to be over.

In human terms — I’d call this “RBF”! In pug terms, it’s “expressive”!

I’M IN THE DOG HOUSE

And, she wasn’t impressed with my April Fools’ Day humor on Facebook.

“MADONNA: A REBEL LIFE”

Barbra Streisand was 81-years-old when she released her autobiography in November 2023.

Who knows how long it might be before Madonna finally publishes her memoirs since she’s rather busy at 65, with her “The Celebration Tour”.

With that in mind, I accidently came across Mary Gabriel’s October 2023 biography, “Madonna: A Rebel Life”, and thought I’d give it a chance, even at 800-plus pages.

I’m so glad I did. It was so enjoyable.

While she didn’t have access to Madonna, the book was well researched and well written.

With a 40-year career and a life spanning 65 years, there was a lot to cover.

Since real life gets in the way of things, this book gave me details I had missed when I was living my life and Madonna wasn’t front and center. A MUST READ!

Here are a few things I thought were interesting:

Before her career took off, a record executive hearing her early music said she could be as big as Olivia [Newton-John]! I love Olivia, but Madonna did indeed become as big — actually, bigger than ONJ!

Also, many thought Madonna’s career would quickly fizzle and that Cyndi Lauper would be the bigger star! And, again, I love Cyndi, too.

I don’t know Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s second husband, so this is only based on what I’ve read and seen. Do I think he’s homophobic? Probably.

But, damn, I’d almost wear blinders (almost and just for a moment) when I see this photo — my favorite of him!

Joking about the divorce settlement (around $92 million) years later, Madonna said, “If I think about it for even five seconds it’s more than I can take. Did he deserve a hundred million for putting up with me? Hell, if I thought he was going to get ‘that’ much, I would have been a ‘much’ bigger bitch to him. ‘Much bigger!'”

As much as I love Madonna, seriously, no pre-nuptial when you’re worth almost a billion dollars????

YES, PLEASE!

I love traditional nachos, but these Banana Split Nachos are more up my alley.

And, while I love airline flights and margarita flights, I really love mimosa flights. But, I’m really into this new trend — ice cream flights.

This is from a Grand Rapids, Michigan, ice cream shop, Love’s. And, when I finally visit my dear friend Emily there, I’m definitely stopping in!

“ANATOMY OF A FALL”

This 2023 French film was nominated for five Oscars this year — Best Picture, Best Director (Justine Triet), Best Actress (Sandra Huller) and Best Editing. I t won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In France, it was nominated for eleven Cesar Awards (basically, the French Oscars) and it won six, including Best Film, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor (Swann Arlaud), and Best Original Screenplay.

A woman is indicted and goes on trial for killing her husband, but he may have fallen/or jumped to his death from the upper level of their home.

I loved the movie. It was full of suspense and drama. But, it made me feel very claustrophobic if this movie truly represents how trials are held in France — so open and free and not having the defendant take the stand in front of the court.

My only complaint — the ending. I’ll leave it at that and not spoil it for you before you watch it.

GRADE: A-

“HACKS”

I watched the first season of this HBO Max series on an international flight and I just loved it.

Emmy Award winner Jean Smart was incredible as Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva needing to change her act so she doesn’t lose her residency at the Palmetto Casino.

Ava (Hannah Einbinder) as her young comedy writer is amazing, too.

My other favorites are Deborah’s sexy agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs, who is also a co-creator of the series) and his assistant Kayla (Megan Stalter).

And, I also hope that in May’s season three that Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) and Wilson (Johnny Sibilly) get back together. Oh, spoiler alert!

GRADE: A-

I’M SO… SILLY (AND YOU THOUGHT I’D SAY “EXCITED”)!

That’s your shout out to the Pointer Sisters today!

I just watched the second season of “The Flight Attendant” and decided to read the book again and I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

And, then I decided to watch the first season of the HBO Max series again just because.

This is Xanadu while I was watching it. She thought, “that girl is f**ked up” and I said, Xanadu, “don’t say that”. She then thought, “well that girl’s got more problems than I do”.

She’s right and it has nothing to do with waking in bed with a dead hottie.

I sure didn’t look like this when I walking down the streets in Bangkok!

And, I sure didn’t have this waiting for me either.

But, then again, he didn’t end up like this either!

Trust me, it was much bloodier in the series reveal.

Oops, you know it!

NOVELTY HITS

“Physical” by Olivia Newton-John was the #1 song of 1982, the year I graduated high school. It was also the year of novelty hits.

The other day, I heard Buckner & Garcia’s “Pac-Man Fever” on the radio! It reached #9 in March 1982 and was the 42nd biggest hit of the year on the Billboard Hot 100.

At that time, too, Bob & Doug McKenzie (actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas from “SCTV”) reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Take Off”. I actually bought this 45! (Don’t hold it against me, I was 17!)

And, in the summer of 1982, Moon Zappa, the 14-year-old daughter of Frank Zappa, hit #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Valley Girl”. I love, love, love this one.

MY FIVE FAVORITE MADONNA SONGS

In the fall of 2015, before I saw Madonna in concert for the fourth time, I ranked my 33 favorite Madonna songs (33 because that’s how many years into her career she was at the time).

While they didn’t make the list, two more recent songs, “Living For Love” and “Crave” might be considered for an update, but not in the top 30.

Here are five favorite Madonna songs.

#5  “RAIN” (1993)

#4  “EXPRESS YOURSELF” (1989)

#3  “OPEN YOUR HEART” (1986)

#2  “LIKE A PRAYER” (1989)

#1  “BORDERLINE” (1984)

If you want to see my full list of my 33 favorite Madonna songs (as of 2015), click here (it’ll open in a new window):

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/my-favorite-iconic-madonna-hits/

SPRING BREAK!

While technically not “Spring Break”, this is it for “Random Friday Thoughts” for a month or so. Life-permitting, more thoughts are coming in May or June!

In the meantime, there are three blogs I’m working on that I’ll be investing a lot of time in.

The first arrives in late April, which’ll explain why there won’t be any random thoughts until then.

The other two — one in July and the other in October — will celebrate milestones in my life.

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony