Random Friday Thoughts — March 18, 2022

Happy Friday! It finally feels like spring across the Midwest and spring officially begins Sunday!

Um, that has nothing to do with spring or warmer weather, but I’m sweating! Hello Jamie Dornan!

Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for checking out my random thoughts! I’ll have more in April. (I’m sure I’ll have many random thoughts before then, but I’ll share some in April!) 🙂

SAM ELLIOTT — HOMOPHOBIC & SEXIST!

I’ve been a Sam Elliott fan since falling in love with “Prancer” in 1989. It’s still one of my favorite Christmas movies.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed him in “Buffalo Girls” (1995) with Reba McEntire, “The Golden Compass” (2007) with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, his run on “Justified” (2015) and “Grace and Frankie” (2016), and his Oscar-nominated role in “A Star Is Born” (2018) with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

When “Prancer” came out, I was 25-year-old and I found Elliott, who was 45 then, very sexy. No, I didn’t have “Daddy issues”, but in today’s world, I would’ve have described him as a “Daddy”!

Well, that’s history now. I can’t believe how belligerent he is!

Last month, in a podcast, he called the Oscar-nominated movie, “The Power of the Dog”, a “piece of shit.” Personally, I don’t care if he liked it or not. That’s his opinion. If he had stopped there, all would’ve been good.

But, when he went on to blast Oscar-nominated director Jane Campion (“The Piano”), “I love her previous work, but what the f*ck does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West?”

And, he added, “And why in the f*ck did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana? And say this is the way it was? That f*cking rubbed me the wrong way, pal.”

And, he wasn’t done ranting.

Elliot adds, referring to Benedict Cumberbatch and others in the movie as Chippendale dancers, “who wear bowties and not much else”: “That’s what all these fucking cowboys in that movie looked like… They’re running around in chaps and no shirts. There’s all these allusions of homosexuality throughout the movie. Where’s the Western in this Western?”

Responding to Elliott’s attack to “Variety”, Campion had the perfect response and is the spelling bee champ, “I’m sorry, he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H. I’m sorry to say it but he’s not a cowboy, he’s an actor.”

Campion has already won awards from the BAFTA, the Critics’ Choice, the Directors Guild, the Golden Globe, and the Hollywood Critics Association for directing the movie.

She’s the first woman to direct a movie with more than ten Academy Award nominations (12) and is the first woman to receive two Oscar nominations for Best Director (1993’s “The Piano and “The Power of the Dog”).

AND, THEN SHE GETS STUPID

In her acceptance speech Sunday night after winning for Best Director at the Critics’ Choice Award, Campion made a “thoughtless” (her word) comment, “Venus and Serena, you’re such marvels. However, you don’t play against the guys, like I have to.”

Say what?

While they may have built their tennis legacy on the court against women, Venus and Serena Williams were always up against mostly men that ran the tournaments and they ruled a predominately white sport!

Campion issued an apology and clarification Monday!

“THE POWER OF THE DOG”

This Netflix movie is truly incredible, but it’s definitely not an uplifting movie.

All four leads in the movie are nominated for Oscars: Cumberbatch (Best Actor), Kirsten Dunst (Best Supporting Actress), and Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons (Best Supporting Actor).

It’s the story of love, sadness, and repressed feelings.

It was my 9th favorite movie I saw in 2021.

GRADE: B+

OKAY, MAYBE I SHOULD FORGIVE ELLIOTT?

Dear Sam,

When, for much of your career, you embodied the look of a late-1970s or early-1980s gay porn star, maybe it doesn’t take much to rattle you seeing “cowboys” that look like Chippendales?

Just saying!

GO RACERS!

Congratulations to my alma mater, Murray State.

The Racers won their first game in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament Thursday night with a win over San Francisco in overtime 92-87.

They would have played the Kentucky Wildcats (my childhood favorite team), but the Wildcats were upset in the first round by the Peacocks of Saint Peter’s in overtime!

If Murray State wins Saturday afternoon against the Peacocks, this will be their first ever trip to the “Sweet Sixteen” in the “Big Dance”!

“THE GREAT”

This hulu original series is freaking hilarious.

Two seasons are available and it’s been renewed for a third season.

Elle Fanning plays a young and naïve Catherine in the 1700s who moves to Russia to marry Peter III to become the Empress of All Russia and “Catherine the Great”.

It’s funny and naughty with drama, death, and intrigue.

I described it to someone as a “Rated-R ‘Beauty and the Beast’ if Belle had married Gaston and he was the Emperor of Russia!”

UKRAINE PRESIDENT ZELENSKY

While the tragedy rages on in Ukraine (thanks for the heartbreak and despair, Vladimir Putin!), it’s hard not to take notice of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He’s definitely sexy! So, who is this man?

Well, he’s had an interesting ride to the top. He’s an actor and comedian and he was the “Dancing With The Stars” winner in Ukraine in 2006.

And, he was the voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian-dubbed versions of the movies “Paddington” (2014) and “Paddington 2” (2017).

Check out this fun parody video he made a long time ago — scantily dressed! (He’s the second from the left.)

“HALLOWEEN ENDS”

The latest “Halloween” movie and the follow-up to 2021’s “Halloween Kills” is done shooting.

Filming wrapped up earlier this month in Savannah, Georgia.

Last fall, director David Gordon Green said there would be a time jump in the new movie. Both 2018’s “Halloween” and 2021’s “Halloween Kills” took place on the same night.

Green: “Where we’re leaving these characters on Halloween 2018, the world is a different place. So not only do they have their immediate world affected by that trauma, having time to process that trauma—and that’s a specific and immediate traumatic event in the community of Haddonfield. But then they also had a worldwide pandemic and peculiar politics and another million things that turned their world upside down.”

While I was less than thrilled with “Halloween Kills” and I’m glad I didn’t spend money to see it in the theater, I’m very excited to see this one.

The movie is scheduled to hit theaters October 14, 2022.

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Method(ology) to My March Madness

UPDATE:  Sunday, April 7, 2013

Two weeks of March Madness comes to a climatic finish Monday night as the Louisville Cardinals take on the Michigan Wolverines for the national championship.

And, check out this brackets!

For the first time since I’ve been filling out brackets, I picked the final two teams for the championship!!!   And, after seeing how Louisville played in most of the semi-final game against Wichita State and how Michigan struggled in the second half against Syracuse, I’m lucky both teams survived!

If my calculations are correct, I may have won the office pool.  If so, I’ll use the money I won to host a party this summer for my work Peeps.  (If any of them read my blog, they will know first hand!) 🙂

And, I entered this bracket for a local newspaper’s bracket contest and as of Sunday morning, I’m in first place out of more than 500 entries!!!!!!!!!  If Louisville wins Monday night, I might win a big screen television!

Although I’m a die-hard Kentucky Wildcats fan, I’m rooting for Louisville so I can win the contests!

Anthony

ORIGINAL POST:  Sunday, March 24, 2013

Kids are too honest and funny.  Last night, our internet went out around 9 p.m. and was out until this morning (Mediacom, this is becoming too common!).

So, instead of just watching the NCAA Men’s basketball scores update online, I had to turn on the television to watch the end of the Marquette-Butler game.  (Hey Brad Stevens!)

Sadly, for Butler fans, they lost.  That’s good news for me because I picked Marquette to go to the Final Four and they had to struggle in the first round to come back in the last two minutes to beat Davidson by one point and they were down 1o points to Butler and barely held on to win, 74-72!

Okay, so I’m getting all riled up watching the last few minutes of the game, and Gretel pulls herself away from her Kindle and says, “when did you start liking sports?”  I didn’t want to tell her that I’m a fair-weather basketball fan that turns into a die-hard NCAA basketball fan when March Madness comes around.  It would have taken too long to explain what “fair-weather” and “die-hard” means. 🙂

What I wanted to say is that “yes, I follow some sports.  It’s not all about Madonna, Lady Gaga, Reba,  Britney, and Helen Reddy.  I mean, seriously, have you seen some of those coaches and players!”

Kidding aside, I love basketball.  My only regret in life is not having the self-confidence, as a teenager, that I have now to try out for our small high school basketball team.  I was pretty good in the ‘hood with my jump shot!

I entered the basketball pool at work just for fun.  In the past, I’ve never won, but my goal was to beat the sports department.

Since I hadn’t followed basketball all season long (I didn’t know Murray State and Kentucky were doing so poorly), here’s how I made my picks.  The method to my March madness was to look at the last five games of the season for each team and I based my picks on that!!!!!!!!!!!

I have heard that two people at work picked Gonzaga to win it all.  That’s two people out-of-the-way.  However, I had Gonzaga in the Final Four, so I won’t be getting any points from them.  Oh yeah, they lost to Wichita State.  First, the “Shockers” beat Pitt in the first round and then “shocked” the #1 seed Gonzaga.

I was more concerned with Marquette, another Final Four pick for me, struggling in the first two games!  I never thought for a minute that Gonzaga would fall that quickly.

If I had to pick three upsets that I’d love to see happen today, it would be for Temple to stun and eliminate Indiana, North Carolina to knock off Kansas, and for Iowa State to send the Buckeyes packing in that order!

If those things happened and Louisville marches on, life would be sweet! 🙂

I love college basketball!

Anthony