Random Friday Thoughts — June 23, 2023

Happy Friday and for you summer lovers, enjoy it for me.

Now that it’s officially summer, fall is just 92 days away.

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

SUBMERSIVE SAGA

This past week, crews were searching the North Atlantic near the site of the “Titanic” wreckage for a submersible called the “Titan” with five men inside. They’re likely dead.

U.S. and Canadian ships and aircrafts intensified the search about 900 miles east of Cape Cod and about 13,000 feet below sea level.

While it’s a tragic end to the story, you’d never have seen me on that regardless of the cost! No thank you!

I’m claustrophobic enough that I don’t even want to sit in the middle seat on a plane!

If I want to see the “Titanic”, I’ll watch Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as Rose and Jack!

A TRUE TRAGEDY OFF GREECE & SPAIN

At the end of May, I talked about people willing to die for a chance of freedom and a new life.

It was mainly about how many migrants die while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy.

Earlier this week, a migrant boat sank near Spain’s Canary Islands and dozens are feared drowned.

On Thursday, Spanish government maritime services rescued 227 other migrants from four boats off Morocco’s west coast.

And, just last week, more than 300 Pakistani nationals died off the coast of Greece when the overcrowded fishing boat they were on capsized. About 750 men, women, and children were on board.

The refugee crises involves tens of thousands seeking sanctuary from poverty, persecution, and war.

How sad!

BOYCOTTING — WHAT’S DIFFERENT

I know you haven’t lost any sleep over it, but I was thinking about the difference between the Bud Light boycott and me not spending my money (basically boycotting) at Chick-fil-A!

I’m not hypocritical by shaking my head at those avoiding Bud Light beer because it featured a trans woman in a promotion.

Clearly, the people mad at Anheuser-Busch are transphobic, even if they don’t know what that means.

I loathe the chicken chain because of its blatant antigay stance and its funding of antigay agendas!

By the way, I’d love to try its peach shake, but I sure the hate would make it tasty less peachy!

So, I’ll just watch Elio enjoy his peach in “Call Me By Your Name!” 🙂

WHAT PRIDE IS & ISN’T

A WORK OF FICTION!

Typically, I read biographies, autobiographies, and books about real life events.

For years, I’ve been moving a box of old “Time” magazines (2017-2019) from place to place and I finally read them. While doing so, I jotted down some fiction book titles that sounded interesting and read them.

I’d highly recommend three of them, I’m indifferent about one, and would skip the last one.

“THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY GIRLS” by Anissa Gray (2019)

I highly recommend this book.

It’s about a family coming together after the oldest sister goes to jail. It’s then up to her siblings to raise her two children. This is a very touching book about family dealing with the past while trying to figure out the future.

Additionally, the book really touched me because I can truly relate to one of the characters — she’s gay and she has an eating disorder.

GRADE: A-

“THE OTHER AMERICANS” by Laila Lalami (2019)

A Moroccan immigrant living with his wife outside of Palm Springs, California, is killed by a hit and run driver.

His grown daughter, Nora, a musician living in San Francisco, comes home for the funeral and butts heads with her mother and sister.

While home, she meets up with an old high school friend, Jeremy, who helps her cope with her dad’s death while battling his own demons.

He also helps her with the investigation into her father’s death.

GRADE: B+

“99 NIGHTS IN LOGAR” by Jamil Jan Kochai (2019)

This is a riveting coming-of-age story about a boy living in the United States making a journey home to modern-day Afghanistan.

While there, 12-year-old Marwand, one of his brothers, and his young cousins go on a 99-night search across Logar for the family guard dog, Budabash, after it bites Marwand’s finger off and escapes.

We learn more about the dog and its relationship with the boy when he visited six years ago.

It was also very enlightening about their culture.

GRADE: B

“DRIVING YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD” by Olga Tokarczuk (2019)

This book was originally published in Polish in 2009 and translated in 2019. I absolutely love the title!

It’s the dead of a European winter out in the middle of nowhere Poland.

Janine prefers animals to people, so she’s not too upset when her neighbor she wasn’t friendly with ends up dead. His death is followed by other deaths with strange circumstances.

Janine becomes an eccentric sleuth trying to find the killer using astrology and the police aren’t impressed with her nosiness and methods.

GRADE: B–

“MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER: A NOVEL” by Oyinkan Braithwaite (2018)

This book is about a Nigerian health care worker helping her sister cover up the death of her boyfriend that she claims threatened her life.

However, it seems her beautiful, younger sister has bad luck with guys because another boyfriend ends up dead and, again, involves her sister in getting rid of the body.

But, the older sister draws the line with her “serial killer” sister when the younger one starts dating a co-worker she’s crushing on.

Much of the book was entertaining, but the ending was unfulfilling!

GRADE: C

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY” (THE MOVIE)

I finally got around to seeing the $45 million Whitney Houston biopic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” that made almost $60 million in theaters last winter.

Naomi Ackie was great as the iconic singer and I enjoyed Stanley Tucci as music mogul Clive Davis.

I’m still grossed out by the real and movie version of Bobby Brown!

GRADE: B

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY” (THE SONG)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” was released as the first single from Houston’s second studio album.

It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #38 on May 16, 1987. It reached #1 six weeks later on June 27, 1987, the same day her album “Whitney” debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (known then as “Top Pop Albums”). That was the first time ever for a woman!

The song also won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) is my favorite Whitney Houston song.

At #2 is “So Emotional” (1987)

At #3 “How Will I Know” (1985)

and at 4, “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” (1999)

MY LIFE: THE FIRST 35 YEARS

In the summer of 2020, with the pandemic raging, I started thinking about the events and the songs that influenced me most in life.

On September 11, 2020, I counted down my 35 favorite songs of my first 35 years (1964-1999). However, because I had so much fun with it, I decided to countdown my 101 favorites (there were 101 Dalmatians)!

I also counted down the 13 biggest events, personal or worldwide, that affected me the most.

If you’d like to have some fun and enjoy the soundtrack of my first 35 years of life, click here and take a walk down memory lane with me:

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/my-life-the-first-35-years/

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Holiday Thoughts Across The Miles — Christmas 2022

For me, like many others, it’s not just a song title, ♪♪♪ “it’s the most wonderful time of the year”♪♪♪!

Fall and winter are my favorite seasons because I love the changing leaves, Halloween candy, turkey and all the fixings, and three months of Christmas decorations and music. (Yes, mine stay up through January!)

While many were enjoying the pool and the summer heat and humidity, I already had my Halloween and fall decorations out. And, I almost put up my two Christmas trees in mid-October!

There’s a reason for that, which I’ll get to. But, I didn’t. I actually put them up the first weekend of November — a few days later than usual.

While COVID is still sickening people and worse, the “pandemic” is over. I hope you’re healthy and festive as we head into the holidays.

For some of you, we communicate once a year at Christmas through cards. For others, we keep up with each other through social media, my blog, and a few, by phone or text. (Yes, calls are still a thing!)  

I’m very grateful for all that I’ve been blessed with in life. I’ve never taken any of my successes for my granted and I’ve always tried to move on quickly from my failures.

In early 2022, I moved into a more modernized apartment in the same complex.

I also signed on for three more years as the morning meteorologist for the NBC affiliate in Decatur, which covers Central Illinois.  It’s hard to believe I’ve been here going on three years! 

When I talk about being grateful, much of that is directed toward my sister. Last year’s holiday season from Thanksgiving into early 2022 was not a good one for Tammy. We almost lost her, but she’s a fighter.

Doctors were able to figure out her medication, she lost a lot of weight, and is now healthier than she’s been in decades.

This beautiful photo was taken just two months after the one above in the hospital!

Now, if she’d just stop smoking and exercise and take advantage of this latest lease on life!!!

While a few more coins were thrown my way in the new contract, not much of it went into my savings. I live a simple, no-frills life, so I spend my extra cash traveling. And, since my passport is expiring, I took advantage of it.

After travel was sidelined in 2020 and early 2021, I went to Vegas twice in the summer and then to Greece for my birthday last year once I was fully vaccinated.

This spring, I traveled to Costa Rica. On the week-long trip, I saw incredible fauna and the Arenal Volcano National Park…

walked across eight hanging bridges, some of which were hundreds of feet long and hundreds of feet over the vast forest of trees!

My favorite meal there was a sea bass, which was preceded by a delicious shrimp and lobster bisque, and followed by pineapple cheesecake.

And, Costa Rican breakfasts are much simpler than Mediterranean ones. One interesting staple of the diet there, even at breakfast, is beans and rice!

I met four amazing people that I’ve kept in touch with from southern California (Bill and Sandi and Tim and Kathy).

Because of Tammy’s hospital stays last holiday season, we had to cancel our week-long trip to Cancun, Mexico. We re-booked it for June and enjoyed ourselves.

And, instead of visiting my favorite American city, Las Vegas, I spontaneously went to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August. Hated it! That’s why I don’t do spontaneity.

But, this view was nice!

And, then in October, before the passport expired, I took the trip of a lifetime, almost two weeks exploring Turkey! It was incredible.

The Spice Market in Istanbul was breathtaking. (I love this selfie because of the little lady behind me smiling. It still bring happiness to me today looking at it!)

The mosques and the architecture…

and cruising the Bosporus Strait was amazing.

It was incredible how quickly the landscape changed from the sprawling metropolis to the vast empty land to forests to big cities again.

The highlight of the trip was a sunrise hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia just 3,000 feet above the jagged, volcanic terrain!

An absolutely breathtaking experience. Check out this spectacular one-minute video I took!

I loved the Mediterranean breakfasts…

the lamb kebabs…

and the desserts, especially the baklava.

However, my favorite food was the persimmons — so sweet and delicious.

And, it was a pleasure hanging out with my new friends Eleanor and her daughter, Allison…

… along with Mike and Apar and Jonathan and Colleen.

Along with all of the fun things I experienced in 2022, there was one bit of sadness.

Betty, a sweet woman that I’ve called “Mom” since 1995, after years of mental decline, passed away in early September.

It was heartbreaking over the past few years to talk “at” her on the phone as she tried to process who she was even talking to.

Miss Betty was Christopher’s mother (we dated from 1995-2004). She definitely loved her grand dogs, Miss ABBA and Mister Panda!

Even after Christopher and I went our separate ways, Betty would still come visit me wherever I was living — Maryland or the Quad Cities — and I made several visits to see her in Ohio!

And, this Thanksgiving, as I feasted on turkey, I thought of Miss Betty. She was notorious for gnawing the last bit of meat off a carcass (okay, a bone)!

So, one Thanksgiving, I convinced her to pose for this photo! LOL

Miss Betty, thank you for the loving me like a son! And, the “Son” ornaments you gave me over the years are on display!

In 2023, there’s still only one concert I want to see — Kylie Minogue.

Maybe it’ll be in “Xanadu” – ♪♪♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star” ♪♪♪! And, maybe #Pug20-something will finally become a reality next year!

My friends, here’s to 2023 — a year hopefully filled with love, excitement, happiness, and peace!

“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate this Christmas”!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — August 19, 2022

It’s Friday and that means I’m back with some things that I’ve been thinking about over the past week.

I appreciate you taking the time to check them out. If we disagree, that’s cool. Feel free to tell me about it — diplomatically.

Enjoy your weekend!

GAME, SET, MATCH*

(* Changes are pending on this policy, so this story is developing and could change at any time!)

In another life (in other words, if I could have a “do over”), I would have played basketball in high school and perfected my tennis game.

As a teenager, I loved (and lusted for) Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.

Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, and Martina Navratilova were also my favorites.

I didn’t care much for John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors and after reading their autobiographies recently, my teenage feelings remain intact! 🙂

I’ve always been a fan of Serbian hottie and 21-time Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic.

However, I disagree with his views on being vaccinated against Covid-19.

Although I wish that everyone had gotten vaccinated back in the spring of 2021 and we would have saved more lives and altered the state of the pandemic. But, it is what is and that didn’t happen.

While Djokovic is not associated with the wider anti-vax movement, he RIGHTFULLY believes it’s a personal choice and an individual’s right.

He didn’t get to play the 2022 Australian Open, where he was the defending champion for the past three years, because all players had to be vaccinated.

And, at the time, he’s not getting to play in the U.S. Open in New York City later this month into early September for the same reason — he’s unvaccinated.

This is not a vaccine mandate from the U.S. Open, it’s from the American government — unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens cannot enter the country. 

Here’s my problem with his whining. When I traveled to Greece last fall and to Costa Rica this spring, the U.S. government required me to test negative within 3 days of returning home last fall and test negative a day before returning home this spring.

I didn’t want to take that test to return home for fear of being positive and being stuck in a foreign country. But, I paid for the tests both times and both were negative. I did it because it was U.S. policy.

If the imaginary Joe Smith, a minimum wage worker from Birkenhead, outside of Liverpool, England, wanted to visit his cousin in Newark, New Jersey, he’d have to vaccinated to enter the U.S.

Just because Djokovic is a multi-millionaire and one of the top tennis players in the world doesn’t give him any more right to come into the U.S. unvaccinated than any other non-U.S. citizen!

Djokovic, it’s the way it is!

“BIG SKY”

Last week, I talked about the Peacock reboot, “Queer As Folk”.

I fell in love with Jesse James Keitel and I’m now going to check out the ABC series “Big Sky” to see more of the non-binary, trans actress.

Plus, Reba McEntire has joined the crime thriller for the third season!

If that wasn’t enough, I have a sweet tooth for “eye candy” — Ryan Phillippe, Omar Metwally, and Jensen Ackles!

GRACE AND FRANKIE

I finally got around to watching the seventh and final season of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie”. While I love Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Martin Sheen, I was ready for it to end.

While four episodes dropped last August and the final twelve episode debuted this past spring, I just wasn’t too excited to jump back into it (plus I was watching other series at the time).

Well, I’m done. I was very happy with the final season dealing with memory loss, aging, and fearing death.

I wasn’t thrilled with the storyline of a psychic telling one of the leads that she was going to die on a certain day and it became the focus of the last season!

My favorite characters other than Grace (Fonda) were Brianna (June Diane Raphael) and Joan-Margaret (Millicent Martin).

And, the two characters (*not actors*) that made my patience wear very thin were Frankie (Tomlin) and Sol (Sam Waterston) — just too eccentric and whiney, respectively!

BIRTHDAY GIRL…

Earlier this week, Madonna turned 64.

To celebrate her birthday, the “Queen of Pop” on Friday released “Finally Enough Love”, a 50-track, three disc collection, which is a 40-year retrospective of remastered and remixed songs.

Madonna is the only artist in music history to score 50 #1 hits on a single Billboard chart — hers is on the Dance Club Songs chart.

Here’s a fun version of “Music”, one of the songs that’ll be on the compilation, from a recent visit with Jimmy Fallon.

& DEATH ANNIVERSARIES…

Last week, I mentioned the 45th anniversary of Elvis’ death is this week and shared my three favorite Elvis songs: #3 “Kentucky Rain”, #2 “Suspicious Minds”, and at #1, “Blue Christmas”.

This week also marks the 4th anniversary of the passing of Aretha Franklin. So, in honor of the “Queen of Soul”, here’s my favorite Aretha Franklin song (a #1 duet with George Michael from 1987).

And, my favorite Aretha solo hit, “Freeway of Love” (#3, 1985).

Ironically, both Elvis and Aretha died on August 16th, Madonna’s birthday.

THE REIGN OF TELEVISION!

While the 1982 book “America in Search of Itself: The Making of the President 1956-1980” by Theodore H. White is mostly about presidents and presidential campaigns of that era, the chapter on television was a great read.

According to White, only 4.4 million American households had television sets in 1950. But, by 1980, that number was at 80 million — as close to saturation as statistically possible!

A turning point for television and newspapers was in 1963 when network evening news on CBS and NBC expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. It was estimated that by the end of that year, about two-thirds of Americans were getting ALL of their news from the three networks — 50 million to 60 million viewers!

That was also the first year that Americans relied on television for news more than newspapers forcing some big city papers to cut out afternoon papers.

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — August 12, 2022

It’s been two months since I last shared my “Random Friday Thoughts”. I hope you’re enjoying your summer. I’m ready for fall and winter and the holidays that come along with it.

Thank you for taking the time to see what’s on my mind. Happy Weekend!

MONKEYPOX & AIDS

As the world moves into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re now seeing a resurgence in cases of Monkeypox, a virus first found in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The viral infection generally produces fever and a rash with lesions a week or two after exposure. Those lesions usually last a few weeks before drying up, crusting, and falling off.

The coverage of Monkeypox is really starting to piss me off and yes, journalists are to blame!

MONKEYPOX CAN AFFECT ANYONE!!! However, a large number of people affected so far are young or middle-aged gay or bisexual men with new or multiple partners.

Didn’t we learn anything from the coverage of AIDS in the 1980s???? While AIDS (then referred to as “gay cancer”) was first noted in the gay community, it was a deadly disease that affected all walks of life.

However, the stigma was already driven home to the world that AIDS was a gay disease, which prompted the Reagan administration to pretty much ignore it because it affected those people (queers)! (And, then drug users and Haitians — they weren’t a concern to “right wing” conservatives either!)

Let’s not repeat that ignorance now with Monkeypox.

National media, don’t lead your stories with the gay angle! It can affect anyone!

OLIVIA, I ALREADY MISS YOU!

Earlier this week, I lost another one of my five childhood singing idols — Olivia Newton-John.

Sadly, she now joins Karen Carpenter, Donna Summer, and Helen Reddy.

Here’s Helen when I saw her outside Chicago in 2013.

I never got to see Donna Summer or Karen Carpenter in concert.

As for my only survivor, Tanya Tucker, stay safe and healthy.

Here’s Tanya when I saw her in Las Vegas in December 2017.

NOW, BACK TO OLIVIA…

I was so excited to see Olivia Newton-John in May 2014 in Las Vegas and it was a beautiful show.

While prohibited, I’m glad I broke the rules and snapped this photo just before Olivia left the stage!

Many books have been written about her, but her own 2019 memoir, “Don’t Stop Believin'”, was incredible. I think I’m going to read it again now!

And, I know most of you have seen her 1978 blockbuster, “Grease” and have probably watched it many times.

“Xanadu” (1980) is another one of Olivia’s movies that I enjoyed. Critics hated it and it was a box office bomb. However, over the years, it’s become a cult classic.

One movie that you have to check out is “Sordid Lives” (2000), where Olivia plays Bitsy Mae Harling, a hardened lounge singer with a “reputation”!

The tagline to the movie sums it up perfectly — “A Black Comedy About White Trash”! And, Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Delta Burke are amazing!

For that full blog and the countdown of my favorite 13 Olivia Newton-John songs, click here (it’ll open in another window so you won’t lose your place in today’s blog):

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/thank-you-for-the-beautiful-music-and-a-lifetime-of-wonderful-memories/

And, the cast of “Sordid Lives” singing Tammy Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad” is worth it alone to click on my Olivia tribute link above! 🙂

“LOVE, VICTOR”

I really enjoyed the final season of hulu’s “Love, Victor”.

While I loved the series, it really showed a lot of maturity in the third season and it gave most of the cast real story lines.

If it wasn’t for the totally, let me stress, TOTALLY, unreal series finale, I would have given season three an “A-“!

SEASON 3 GRADE: B+

“QUEER AS FOLK”

I also really enjoyed the latest re-boot of the “Queer As Folk” series on Peacock.

While some of the eight episodes were not as thrilling as others, I loved the LGBTQ+ and racial representation that the two versions lacked!

And, that cliffhanger! I didn’t see that coming!!!

My favorite characters and actors were Ruthie (Jesse James Keitel) and Noah (Johnny Sibilly).

As of this writing, the series hasn’t been renewed for a second season.

GRADE: B

IN CASE YOU DON’T CLICK ON LINKS!

Before I talk about the late Elvis Presley, earlier in the blog I re-posted a love letter (now a tribute) to Olivia Newton-John and I counted down my 13 favorite ONJ songs.

If you don’t click on links, you won’t know #13 to #4, but here are my three favorites!

“SUDDENLY” (with Cliff Richard) (#20, 1981)

“LET ME BE THERE” (#6, 1974)

“XANADU” (#8, 1980)

“ELVIS PRESLEY”

Next week (August 16) marks the 45th anniversary of the death of the “King of Rock and Roll”, Elvis Presley.

While I remember his music as a child and I still recall that day as a 12-year-old, in 1977, when he died. I even got to visit the outside of Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, shortly after his death.

Last year, I read Bobbie Ann Mason’s 2003 biography.

While an easy read, it was more of a glorified Wikipedia page and a love letter to Elvis. While Mason (who is from my hometown of Mayfield, Kentucky) covered Presley’s rise to fame and his descent into drugs, it was sugar-coated and not very realistic.

Also, the book featured NO pictures! Boring!

Here are some of the things I learned:

In the summer of 1954, 19-year-old Presley recorded “That’s All Right” in the Sun Records studios and a popular Memphis disc jockey at WHBQ played the record. It was so popular that he played it fourteen times that night!

After Elvis made his Grand Ole Opry debut in October 1954, the Opry manager reportedly told Elvis he wasn’t right for the Opry and he didn’t want any more of that “n-word music” on his program and to go back to driving a truck!

In 1956, with many network television appearances and five number one hits, in April alone, Elvis made $77,000, which is equivalent to about $750,000 today — that was just in one month!

Peanut butter and banana sandwiches were always an Elvis favorite. (Although I’ve never had one, I want to try it!)

Also, Elvis liked his eggs cooked hard and his bacon burnt. Actually, he liked most of his food burnt!!!

What I found very creepy was that when stationed in the Army in Germany, Elvis took Priscilla Beaulieu, barely a teenager, from her parents and brought her back to Graceland. She claims they were not sexually active until she was of legal age. She became his wife (and ex-wife) and the mother of Lisa Marie Presley.

After she left him for her karate instructor, Elvis ordered a hit man to kill Priscilla’s boyfriend, but he was talked out it!!!

ELVIS — THE MUSICIAN

Elvis is the best selling solo music artist of all time, selling more than 500 million records worldwide. He won three Grammy Awards.

In the U.K., Elvis has the most #1 singles (21 — three of his early number ones topped the chart again in 2005.) He’s ahead of the Beatles (17), Cliff Richard and Westlife (14), and Madonna and Ed Sheeran (13).

And, in the U.K., he’s tied with Robbie Williams for the most #1 album (13) for solo artists. For all musicians, he’s behind the Beatles (15), tied with the Rolling Stones, and just ahead of Madonna and Bruce Springsteen (12).

Here in the U.S., Elvis is tied for sixth place for most #1 albums (10) behind the Beatles (19), Jay-Z (14), Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, and Drake (11).

As for #1 singles in the U.S. (Hot 100 and pre-Hot 100 charts), Elvis is in third place with 18. He’s behind the Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (19).

My three favorite Elvis songs:

“Kentucky Rain” (#16 — 1970)

“Suspicious Minds” (#1 — 1969)

“Blue Christmas” (#33 — first made commercially available the year I was born — 1964)

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — June 10, 2022

Hope your June is off to a great start as we’re already one-third of the way through it.

Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for checking out my random thoughts.

BREAKING NEWS….

CNN reports that President Biden is expected to announce Friday (June 10) the CDC “will end COVID-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country”.

This will go into effect midnight Sunday for U.S. bound flights.

Interestingly, I blogged about wanting this policy dropped just four weeks ago! And, it was just earlier this week that I tweeted the President, the White House, and the CDC! 🙂

I know this has nothing to do with the change, but it feels nice to think you might be heard!

GUNS! GUNS! GUNS!

It’s now been just over two weeks since an 18-year-old with no criminal record and no documented mental illness killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

His shooting spree also injured 18 others (fifteen students, two police officers, and his grandmother at home).

Since then, there have been more than three dozen mass shootings in the U.S.!!!

Democrats are screaming tougher gun control and Republicans want more done about mental illness. Well, both are right. But, nothing gets done from either side of the aisle with just talk, talk, talk and soundbites!

About gun control, I don’t want your damn guns. But, I don’t think civilians should have access to Glocks or AR-15-style rifles, which the National Rifle Association calls, “America’s rifle”! How sweet!

Just think of how many more mass shootings have been added to that list!

LET’S TALK MENTAL ILLNESS…

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter worked hard to bring mental health issues to the forefront.

President Jimmy Carter signed the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980 into law in October, a month before the 1980 presidential election.

Ronald Reagan, seven months after taking office, signed The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 into law.

This repealed most of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980!

ENTERTAINMENT & MASS SHOOTINGS

In the wake of the Texas school shooting, CBS pulled the season four finale of “FBI” because the storyline involved a suspected student’s participation in a deadly robbery.

This has happened many times in the past.

I was a huge fan of NBC’s “Hannibal”. In the spring of 2013, show producer Bryan Fuller decided to pull the original “fourth” episode of the first season, “Oeuf”, most likely because of the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting in December 2012. 

In this episode that aired in international markets and on streaming services, Molly Shannon plays the “criminal of the week”, a teacher who brainwashes foster kids into killing other kids and their old families.

At the time, my problem with this was that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings took place almost five months earlier. If the producers were that uneasy about the theme of this episode, they knew that back then and could have done some editing or re-shoots to maintain continuity in the show! 

I guess it worked out for them. I ended up buying the season one DVD just to see that missing episode!

“QUEER AS FOLK”

The eight-episode reboot of “Queer As Folk” debuted on Peacock Thursday.

I watched the first episode and it’s incredible. I loved the LGBTQ+ and racial representation that the two original versions lacked! I’ll be watching the rest of it this weekend.

Did you watch the 10-episode U.K. original in 1999-2000 with a very young Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy)?

Or, the five-season, 83 episode, U.S. version on Showtime from 2000-2005. (I watched the first few seasons of the U.S. version and finally caught the U.K. version.)

Okay, I digress.

I’m mentioning the new reboot for three reasons — it’s Pride month, it’s new programming, and because the storyline revolves around a Pulse nightclub-like shooting and rebuilding a community after a tragedy.

What are your thoughts on when entertainment is a little too close to reality?

DOING A DOUBLE TAKE!

Okay, let’s lighten the mood!

I posted my senior picture from high school last week on Facebook and I had someone say I looked like a young Keanu (Reeves). When I was younger, I heard that a few times — and thank you! 🙂

A few weeks back, my friend, Steve, sent me a photo and at first glance, I thought, when was that taken and who are those men?

Well, I clicked on it and realized it wasn’t me. Well, unless I’m a really young and muscular, sexy, porn star! (Or, so I’m told that he’s in the adult film industry!)

We sure like that high hair! 🙂 This was on my first trip to Vegas in the early-1990s!

THE PICK TO PLAY MADONNA

It looks like Ozark’s Julia Garner will be playing Madonna in the new movie following the early years of the icon’s life!

“What are you looking at? / Strike a pose / Strike a pose / Vogue (vogue, vogue)”

WHY THE RAINBOW FLAG?

When the LGBTQ movement took off in the 1970s, there was no widely accepted symbol.

Some used the Greek symbol for lambda, but not many knew what it meant. Others want to use the pink triangle, which is how gays during the Holocaust were branded. Yet, people that was too bleak.

Gilbert Baker decided to make a new symbol for the movement and debuted the rainbow flag at San Francisco Pride on June 25, 1978.

While there have been variations of the flag since then, six colors are readily acceptable today on most rainbow flags.

Baker’s original flag had eight colors.

“FIRE ISLAND”

I’ve never been to Fire Island and I’ll probably never go. If I could travel back in time and know then what I know now, I’d love to be there back in the late-1970s and early-1980s during my teenage years.

This Pride month, Hulu is offering a new LGBTQ movie following a group of friends heading to the gay mecca for what could be their last time together there.

The biggest names in the movie are comedian Margaret Cho, “Saturday Night Live” breakout star Bowen Yang, and Conrad Ricamora from “How To Get Away With Murder”.

While the movie is a romantic-comedy, it’s more of a buddy movie. It’s about friends looking out for each other and fighting for each other when the going gets tough.

And, it’s about flaunting what you’ve got.

After a sluggish start, the movie found its footing and ended up being enjoyable, even if the ending wasn’t all that believable!

It was great seeing very sexy Ricamora again (I’d so date him and his character) and the very adorable Charles Scully (“You”). And, “Fire Island”, thank you for introducing me to Zane Phillips and Miss Peppermint!

GRADE: B

MISS PEPPERMINT, “IF” YOU’RE NASTY

Okay, I had heard of Miss Peppermint before “Fire Island”.

Earlier this spring to celebrate Janet’s birthday (Miss Jackson if you’re nasty”), Peppermint released an incredible remake of “If”.

“If” reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1993. It’s still one of my all-time favorite Janet songs!

Here’s the original video.

And, I saw Janet on her “Unbreakable World Tour” in October 2015 in Omaha. Here’s some of “If” live!

SAL MINEO

Most people, if they remember Sal Mineo, know him from “Rebel Without A Cause” from 1955.

After just turning 17-years-old, in 1956, Mineo became the second youngest to get an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for “Rebel”.

Sal was nominated again in 1961 in the Best Supporting Actor category for “Exodus” — becoming the youngest actor, at that time, to have two nominations.

And, some might remember him as the actor stabbed to death outside his apartment in early 1976 after returning home from theatre practice with less than $22 in his pocket and a cupcake he’d bought for his dinner!

I recently read two books about the actor. He was much more successful than he’s remembered for!

Michael Gregg Michaud’s “Sal Mineo: A Biography” (2010) was a great book.

One of my favorite tidbits was a conversation between two of Sal’s girlfriends.

Susan Ladin told Jill Haworth: “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be the first Mrs. Mineo”. And Jill replied, “If it wasn’t for Bobby Sherman, you’d be the second Mrs. Mineo”. (Jill told the author that she walked in on Mineo and Sherman having sex ending her sexual relationship with Sal.)

The other book was by a writer that claims to have had ongoing sexual encounters with Mineo.

Here are some revelations from H. Paul Jeffers’ 2000 book, “Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery”.

While many thought that James Dean was having an affair with both of his co-stars from “Rebel Without A Cause” Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood, Mineo denies they had sex.

In 1973, Jeffers claims Sal told him, “If I’d understood back then that a guy could be in love with another one, it would have happened. But I didn’t come to that realization for a few more years, and then it was too late for Jimmy and me.”

DON JOHNSON & SAL MINEO

Also, from Jeffers book….

Future “Miami Vice” star Don Johnson acted in a 1969 Los Angeles theatrical production directed by Mineo. It was a gay-themed prison drama with nudity and Mineo’s character raping Johnson’s much younger character.

A few years later, in 1973, Johnson said, “Basically, I guess I’m an exhibitionist. I’m very proud of my body. I’m pleased with the way I look and the way I carry myself. I feel that it’s all there to be used — the looks and everything else. Some people have great minds, and they were given them for a reason. I have never been accused of having a great mind, but I do have my looks.”

Johnson lived with Mineo at the time and there were rumors that they were lovers.

Johnson says, “Of course there were some wild stories that went down because of us, which was fine, because they helped sell a lot of tickets. And there have been some outrageous stories about us! God, God, God!”

SUMMER BREAK

Like those that have the summer off, I’m taking a late spring break.

I hope it’s a nice one for you and I’ll be back soon with more random thoughts.

Bon Appetit this Pride Month!

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — June 3, 2022

June is here! While the calendar says it’s still spring, “meteorological summer” started June 1st, and Memorial Day weekend is the “unofficial” start to summer.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts. Have a great month ahead and be proud. I am 365 days a year!

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Cheers queers and cheers to all of my “straight, but not narrow” friends.

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Pride every June (some hotter places celebrate it in the cooler months of fall)? It all goes back to the “Summer of ’69”! Now, that should be a song!

Well, we owe a big thanks to the queens that stood up for what would be the forebearer of LGBTQ+ rights and gay pride!

Back in the day, gay bars weren’t popular like they were pre-pandemic. Those “safe havens” catering to the gay community were often targeted and harassed by police. 

“The Stonewall Inn”, a bar on Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, was owned by the Mafia.  Its clientele were the poor and those that faced rejection by a majority of society.

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, plainclothes policemen, uniformed police officers, and detectives arrived at the bar and yelled, “Police!  We’re taking the place!”

Well, one thing led to another. When an officer shoved a drag queen and she hit him on the head with her purse, the mood changed and people started throwing beer bottles. Word spread that people inside the bar were being beaten by police.

Within six months of that police raid on the bar, which became known as “The Stonewall Riots”, two gay activist groups were formed, and one year later, gay pride festivals were held for the first time in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

If you want more than just that little soundbite version of “Stonewall”, here’s the original blog I posted almost ten years ago. Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 53 years now!

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/push-comes-to-shove-43-years-ago-the-stonewall-riots/

“COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RIOTS”

And, let’s not forget about the Compton’s Cafeteria riot in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district three years before Stonewall.

This restaurant was a popular hangout for transgender women and drag queens. Sadly, even gay bars weren’t very welcoming to trans women and Compton’s was a place where they could meet publicly.

In August 1966, police were called because the women and the drag queens were becoming unruly. After roughhousing from police, a trans woman threw a cup of coffee in an officer’s face.

At that point, the place “erupted”. Sugar shakers, tables, and chairs were thrown, the front glass window was shattered, and the violence moved into the streets on the first night.

Even some San Francisco police said “unnecessary violence” was used by the department.

“LOGICAL FAMILY”

Armistead Maupin is one of my favorite authors and one of the leading advocates in the LGBTQ community. Yes, there were trailblazers before him and many came after him.

However, by bringing his “Tales of the City” adventures to readers of the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1970s, he showed them that we’re just like everyone else. Take that Anita Bryant! (Yes, she’s still alive!)

Since Pride month is here, I want to talk about his beautiful 2017 memoir, “Logical Family”.

You probably figured out what he means by “logical family”, but Maupin says, “Sooner or later, we have to venture beyond our biological family to find our logical one, the one that actually makes sense for us. We have to, if we are to live without squandering our lives.”

The book covers his conservative upbringing in North Carolina, his “discovery” that he was different, his military service in Vietnam, and his adventures once he moved to San Francisco.

I really loved the story of his history with the virulent homophobe that hired him for his first television job in North Carolina and how one day Armistead would publicly attack this man’s hateful antigay and anti-HIV politics in his home state at Pride.

Yes, that hateful man was none other than five-term U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, who served from 1973-2003.

I also loved his stories about Bryant, his FW (occasional) B relationship with Rock Hudson, and why he “outed” Hudson as gay when it was revealed he had AIDS.

And, there’s there’s the funny story about finding chewing gum on his pants during a meeting! That’s not the kicker. The kicker is what he did on his lunch break and how the gum got there! 😉

“TALES OF THE CITY”

Maupin’s “Tales of the City”, which aired on PBS in the U.S., is still one of my favorite miniseries and my favorite book series of all time.

I watched it for the first time, in early 1994, as I was getting ready to make my big move to Chicago from small town Kentucky — just like Mary Ann Singleton did in the series, moving from Cleveland to San Francisco! 

And, I was just as naïve as Mary Ann, too, also thirty years ago!

Yes, that’s a very youthful Laura Linney in the early-1990s!

If you’ve never read the nine-book series or watched the first three series, “Tales of the Cities”, “More Tales of the City”, and “Further Tales of the City”, and 2019’s Netflix “Tales of the City”, please do so.

So enjoyable! I’m going to read the books and watch it again!

“THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN”

And, there’s a documentary on the incredible man, too!

THANK YOU ARMISTEAD!

In a 2014 blog, I praised the author and activist for inspiring me to try one more time to kick off my television weather and news career in 1996.

At the time, I wrote, “Armistead, thank you for giving this small-town Kentucky boy the motivation and the courage to move to Chicago just four months shy of my 30th birthday, just as you allowed Mary Ann Singleton to leave Cleveland, Ohio, for San Francisco.“

Here’s Laura Linney as Mary Ann Singleton in the 1994 “Tales of the City” miniseries, almost 25 years before Ozark’s incredible Wendy Byrde!

Click here if you want to read that blog about my inspiration (it should open in a new window):

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

Here’s Armistead and his husband, Christopher Turner. They still live in San Francisco.

Oh, by the way, Happy Belated Birthday Armistead!

“SUMMER OF ’69”

Since I mentioned the Stonewall Riot and the “Summer of ’69”, why not share the incredible hit song from one of our LGBTQ allies.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams cancelled a concert in Mississippi in 2016 over an anti-gay discrimination bill.

“Summer of ’69” was Adams’ seventh hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #5 in 1985.

Now, in full disclosure, Adams isn’t perfect.

As the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping the world in the spring of 2020, he made a very racist social media post about having to cancel his shows.

He blamed it on “some fucking bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards”!

He apologized for his insensitive comment and the post was deleted.

“THE REACH OF A CHEF”

Last week, I posted a few interesting things from Michael Ruhlman 2006 “The Reach of a Chef”. Here are a few more just about my favorite city, Las Vegas.

When Vegas became a hot spot for famous chefs to open restaurants in casinos and hotels, the money started rolling in.

Rob Valentino, then president of the Venetian, which features many famous chef-fronted eating establishments, told Ruhlman that in 2005, they did $175 million in restaurant sales and another $100 million in banquet and bar sales.

Valentino says, “I don’t know another hotel in the world that does $300 million dollars in food and beverage.” On top of that, the casino and hotel brought in another $1.2 billion (that’s billions with a “B”), for a total of $1.5 billion!

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

Here’s my favorite picture from the last Chicago Pride I attended. I can’t believe it’s been ten years!

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — May 13, 2022

It feels like the seasons jumped right from winter to summer this week across Illinois with highs 90°-95° and heat indices around 100°!

Yuck, is it fall yet? 🙂

Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts.

Oh, Happy Friday the 13th!

THE PANDEMIC AND COVID TESTING

The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. We’re seeing another surge in infection rates and deaths.

Since masks and mandates are coming down, there’s still one change I hope happens soon.

I want the Biden administration and the CDC to drop its mandatory testing for American citizens returning from foreign countries by air. Currently, you have to have a negative COVID test one day before returning to the U.S.

This is from the State Department’s website: “The order relates to boarding a U.S.-bound aircraft and is meant to protect and preserve human life, as well as prevent further transmission of a highly contagious and often deadly virus.” 

This made more sense early in the pandemic when there were more uncertainties and no vaccine.

But, it doesn’t make sense to me now that foreign travelers have to go through the expense of being tested before returning. (Last October, it cost me 10 Euros in Greece and $40 in Costa Rica in April to be tested.)

This is silly because people can travel freely on domestic flights in the U.S. without being tested and this could just as easily transmit the “highly contagious and often deadly virus”.

Drop the testing policy now for Americans traveling internationally and just bring back the flight mask mandates!

I’ll still be wearing mine! Your thoughts?

MY COSTA RICA SOUVENIR

While I’ve been back from my spring trip to Costa Rica for over a month, I finally have the souvenir I bought myself on display.

It’s now part of my memorable mementos’ wall in my bedroom — my photo with President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter and with Hillary Clinton; the Moulin Rouge in Paris where I turned 50 at midnight sipping champagne sitting at the stage; one of my all-time favorite meals at Benny The Fisherman in Tel Aviv; and Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean from Old Jaffa, which I visited during the same birthday trip to Paris.

SHOCKED AND NOT SHOCKED…

When it was announced that Naomi Judd, of the iconic country music duo The Judds, died at the age of 76 at the end of April, it sounded suspicious. In the back of my mind, I suspected suicide because she had battled mental illness for years.

On Thursday, her daughter, actress Ashley Judd, told Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” that Naomi did take her own life. What shocks me is it was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound!

May is “Mental Health Awareness Month”. If you (or someone you know) are overwhelmed and thinking of taking your life, please make this call and talk!

FREE PREMIUM CABLE

Recently, I had free premium channels from my cable company, so I was able to watch “The Flight Attendant” and other series and a movie to take advantage of the free week!

“THE WHITE LOTUS”

If you need to recharge, but you can’t get away or don’t want to spend the money, there are two series you can check out covering relaxation (and drama) — one in Hawaii and the other in California.

The six episode HBO series, “The White Lotus” was interesting.

A group of Americans arrive in Hawaii and they bring all their drama with them. Geez, after watching this series, I really feel for those in the hotel industry!

While the series was great, there were only two likeable characters — a guest and one employee! Jake Lacy and Sydney Sweeney successfully make their characters very unlikeable! 🙂

Out Australian actor Murray Bartlett (“Looking” and the Netflix revival of “Tales of the City” in 2019) was incredible as hotel manager Armond. While dealing with the guests, he falls off the wagon after being “clean” for years.

And, when he falls off, some very interesting things happen. One scene was totally incredible (adult) and the other was nasty (yet, the person it’s directed at totally deserved it)!

Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge both won the Critics’ Choice Television Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited Series or Movie made for Television, respectively. Both were also nominated by the Screen Actors Guild.

I expect both to get Emmy nominations in July!

“The White Lotus” was renewed as an anthology series and Jennifer Coolidge will reprise her role as Tanya McQuoid in “The White Lotus: Sicily”.

GRADE: B

“NINE PERFECT STRANGERS”

This eight episode Hulu series is based on the book by Liane Moriarty (“Big Little Lies”).

While my girl crush Nicole Kidman was great (when isn’t she?), the standouts I expect to get Emmy nominations are Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, and Regina Hall.

And, I was totally mesmerized by Manny Jacinto as Yao and I wished he had a larger role.

After watching the series, I read the book. Both were enjoyable, but neither were “Big Little Lies”!

GRADE: B-

“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT” — THE BOOK

It was a year ago this week that I wrote about Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 bestseller, “The Flight Attendant”, and stated, “it’s incredible.”

I went on to say, “An alcoholic flight attendant wakes up in Dubai after hooking up with a hot man in first class on her flight.

The one night stand or doing the walk of shame would be the least of her problems. She wakes up and the bed is covered in blood! His throat has been slashed and she can’t remember what happened!

Did she do it????”

“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT” — SEASON ONE

Well, I finally got the watch the first season and it was fantastic. While the book was very bleak, which was fitting with the subject matter, the series took a more comedic-dramatic approach. It worked perfectly.

Kaley Cuoco (“The Big Bang Theory”) was incredible as the alcoholic Cassie Bowden (she’s in denial about being a drunk). And, the men, (soon to be murdered) Alex (Michiel Huisman), Buckley (Colin Woodell), Max (Deniz Akdeniz), and Van (Nolan Gerard Funk) are all beautiful to look at.

And, Zosia Mamet, as Cassie’s best friend and lawyer, was amazing.

The second season is now airing on HBO Max.

GREAT SEEING BANGKOK AGAIN!

While the pivotal murder scene in the book takes place in Dubai, it’s Bangkok, Thailand in the television series.

I was in Bangkok in the spring of 2019 and it was absolutely stunning to see the Chao Phraya River again and the city aglow in lights at night.

The top left photo above is “Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan” (try saying that!), also known as the “Temple of Dawn”, and in the bottom left is Iconsiam, a $1.5 billion mixed-use complex including a high end shopping mall, hotels, and residences.

“FROM HARPER VALLEY TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP”

“Harper Valley P.T.A.” was one of my favorite songs as a kid and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. Recently, I read Jeannie C. Riley’s 1978 autobiography, “From Harper Valley To The Mountain Top”.

Even if it was the late-1970s when the book was published, I was still shocked that she used a quote with the n-word in referencing the blues — a title her father used!!!!

Some of the other things I found interesting about her. I laughed when she talked about not wanting to be noticed one day when she doing something “undercover”, yet she was driving around in a lavender Cadillac. 🙂

Jeannie talked about her own hypocrisy and summed it up, “Not only was I Mrs. Johnson with her miniskirt, but I was philandering Bobby Taylor. I was the widow Jones with her window shades up, I was Shirley Thompson with the nip of gin on her breath. No one was as big a hypocrite as I was. But now, praise God, things are different.”

Jeannie was one of the celebrities welcoming President Jimmy Carter to Nashville in October 1980 at a “Town Hall Meeting” at the Grand Ole Opry House.

“HARPER VALLEY P.T.A.” (JEANNIE C. RILEY) (1968)

In a ranking of my 100 favorite songs in the first era of my life, “Harper Valley P.T.A.” was my #5 song.

“MY LIFE: THE FIRST 35 YEARS”

If you’d like to know the 13 biggest events of my first 35 years and take a walk down memory lane with my 100 favorite songs in those three-and-half decades (1964-1999), just click on the link below.

I had so much fun researching this blog and writing it. Obviously, many of you did, too, since it was one of my most viewed blogs over the past two years.

Click here: https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/my-life-the-first-35-years/

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 22, 2022

Oh, another weekend is upon us! Every Monday morning when I awake for work at 2:40 a.m., I start counting down to the weekend.

Have a great one and thank you for checking out my random thoughts this week!

FESTIVE EASTER!

My sister, Tammy, made a fantastic meal for Easter — an incredible ham with mashed potatoes, pinto beans, corn, macaroni & cheese, and deviled eggs.

Of course, I took a large container of leftovers home with me!

My contribution was a festive and very tasty FRUITY PEBBLES White Chocolate cheesecake!

I always make interesting flavors and have never made a traditional cheesecake. Here are some of my others!

And, last Christmas, I made a strawberry-banana pudding cheesecake! Yum!

PLANT-BASED (BEEF?)

While I gave up eating beef more than a decade ago, I loved burgers and prime rib. But, I just couldn’t see killing beautiful grazing cows for a few minutes of deliciousness.

Now, I can have the experience and not feel cheated anymore.

While Burger King’s “Impossible Whopper” is not new (it debuted in August 2019), I finally tried one and it was amazing.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t had a burger in more than ten years, but if you hadn’t told me this was a plant-based, protein-filled patty, I wouldn’t have known!

It won’t turn me into a fast-food junky, but I might cheat every once in a while!

COVID-19 ENTERTAINMENT MEMORY LAPSES

When the pandemic basically shut down the U.S. and the world, it hit Hollywood hard, too.

Now that productions are moving forward with safety measures and many of our favorite shows are returning (and sadly, coming to end), long recaps are necessary!

In January, when season four’s first seven episodes of “Ozark” dropped on Netflix, I had to think hard about what all happened in the third season that came out in March 2020.

But, who could forget that final scene?

“Ozark” fans, I know we’re counting down to the final seven bloody and deadly episodes April 29, 2022!

While everything came flooding back to me with “Ozark”, I can’t say the same about “Killing Eve”.

When I started binge watching the final season’s eight episodes earlier this month, I was totally lost. Season four started with a time jump and no recap (at least, on demand, it didn’t pop up) of season three that ended in the spring of 2020.

I’m definitely going to miss Eve (Sandra Oh)…

and Villanelle (Jodie Comer).

I’m making no plans next weekend to watch the end of “Ozark”.

Julia Garner is amazing and I love Laura Linney — love, love, love, Laura Linney!

And, while this is not a spoiler because I don’t know, I don’t think both will survive the series finale!

“BOOM! VOICES OF THE SIXTIES”

I just finished reading this 2007 book from former “NBC Nightly News” and “Today” anchor Tom Brokaw.

As an infant in the late-1960s, I didn’t understand any of the turmoil going on around me at the time – Vietnam, antiwar protests, assassinations, the peace movements, the women’s movement, and so much more.

This fascinating book looks at that decade (through the early-1970s with Watergate and President Nixon’s resignation) and Brokaw talks to politicians, entertainers, newsmakers, newscasters, and everyday people about growing up in that time.

And, then they reflect on how that time shaped today’s world and about what was learned (or not learned) from that turbulent time! (Hint: Iraqi War!)

REMEMBERING BARBARA BUSH (1925-2018) 

Former First Lady Barbara Bush passed away three years ago last week at the age of 92.

I thought of her because Tom Brokaw talked with the former First Lady for his book, “Boom!”.

He mentioned her 1990 Wellesley College commencement speech, which, ironically, I had written about in my blog less than two months before she died.

After it was announced she would be speaking to the graduating class, students started a petition to keep her from speaking since she became popular because of her husband and not on her own merits.

But, Ms. Bush said the most inspiring thing: “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the president’s spouse.  I wish him well!”

BARBARA STUNS THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT…

In 1990, former PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) President Paulette Goodman asked for support from the First Lady.

Ms. Bush sent a personal response, “I firmly believe that we cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country.  Such treatment always brings with it pain and perpetuates intolerance.”

Needless to say, the “religious right” went ballistic.

AND, DON’T MESS WITH HER FAMILY

During the 1984 campaign season, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro continued her attacks on then Vice President George H.W. Bush.

Barbara had had enough and referenced Ferraro by saying, “I can’t say it, but it rhymes with rich!”

The former First Lady apologized for that comment.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK (STILL ROCK)

Okay, I confess. When I was in my 20s, I was so drooling over NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) back in the late-1980s and early-1990s! Well, Jordan!

I saw them in concert three times.

This spring and summer, they’re hitting the road for the “Mixtape Tour” with special guests Rick Astley, Sal-N-Pepa, and En Vogue!

I haven’t been to a concert since December 2019 when I saw Paula Abdul in Las Vegas!

After seeing this fun new video throwback to the 1980s, I just might have to check them out!

“DEAR EVAN HANSEN”

Ben Platt won a Tony award on Broadway in 2017 for playing Evan Hansen, a high school senior that suffers from social anxiety. The musical also won a Tony.

However, critics sharpened their claws when it was announced that Platt, who was 22 in 2016 when he was playing Hansen on Broadway, would reprise his role in the movie version of the musical.

Well, those claws ripped into Platt, who was then 27, playing the high school senior in the movie.

Um, remember that Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta played teenagers in “Grease” and they were 30 and 24 respectively, when it hit theaters in 1978!

Hell, the “Glee” kids were mostly in their 20s when the series started and they were playing high schoolers.

Okay, focus. I enjoyed “Dear Evan Hansen” with a late-20s Ben Platt in the lead. It was my 12th favorite movie I saw in 2021.

GRADE: B

AND, THIS SONG… WOW

Ben Platt recorded a new song, “You Will Be Found”, for the movie version and it’s beautiful and so touching!

“DUNE”

This Oscar-nominated movie ended up being my 10th favorite movie of 2021.

I never saw the 1984 original and I never read the 1965 book it’s based on. And, I have to admit that I didn’t fully understand it, but maybe it’ll make more sense when part two is released.

But, I enjoyed it because I love Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, and Rebecca Ferguson (I’m still sorry about “The Snowman”!)

If you love science fiction, I think you’ll really like this movie.

GRADE: B

“THE UNFORGIVABLE”

I love Sandra Bullock and I want to watch “Speed” again.

She was great in this Netflix movie about a woman being released from prison for murder and trying to start her life over again.

The acting was great and the shocker (WOW!).

It was my #13 movie of 2021.

GRADE: B

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony

Behind the Scenes of My Costa Rica Holiday

We work to pay bills and live our lives. When we’re lucky, there’s extra money left to buy new clothes, furniture, homes, cars, or whatever you like spending money on.

I live a simple, no frills life, so I spend my money on traveling when I can.

After vaccinations became available and a majority of Americans protected themselves against the Covid-19 pandemic (before the Omicron strain stressed us out), I jetted off to Greece for my birthday in October 2021. It was amazing, even without seeing the gorgeous beaches (I’ll have to watch “Mamma Mia” again for that!)

Once I got back, a great deal on a trip to Costa Rica presented itself, so I booked it.

I didn’t get to mark another continent off my list since Costa Rica is in Central America. As for continents, four down (North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa) and three to go (Australia, Antarctica, and South America). For the record, Antarctica won’t happen and the other two are unlikely!

A couple of weeks ago, I added that new stamp to my passport!

While you may have seen some of the pictures, here are some stories behind those photos — one is scary (and hilarious) from my last night in the country!!!! 🙂

The Wikipedia page on Costa Rica perfectly sums up the country in a soundbite: “Costa Rica is a rugged, rainforested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Though its capital, San Jose, is home to cultural institutions like the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds.”

Surprisingly, because some people are loud when they should be quiet in nature, I did snap a few pictures of spider monkeys in the wild in the Arenal Volcano National Park…

and a cute little White-Nosed Coatimundi.

I posted that description of Costa Rica because it plays a big role in the beauty, yet the frustration of traveling there.

My Gate 1 Travel trip was the “9 Day Kaleidoscope of Costa Rica with Guanacaste”, which was a step up from the “7 Day Classic Costa Rica”. And, I’m so glad I did that because the two days in Guanacaste (Tamarindo) was definitely worth it for the gorgeous hotel, my room and balcony, and the Pacific Ocean sunsets.

However, of that “9 Day” trip, two were travel days, which were exhausting. Heading there, I drove an hour from Decatur to the airport in Bloomington, Illinois, for the first of three flights! It was a short flight to Chicago, three hours of sit time, then a three-hour flight to Miami, sitting three more hours, and then the final three hour flight to San Jose, Costa Rica.

The return trip was just as long: driving to the airport in San Jose, sitting three hours, a three-hour flight to Miami, trying to get through U.S. Customs in less than two hours to catch a three-plus-hour flight to Dallas. Once there, five hours of sitting before the flight to Bloomington, Illinois, and then the one hour drive home!

But, it was worth it to see Costa Rica. Here’s some of that biodiversity!

I absolutely love taking photos and the one below is one of my favorites. While the church in Zarcero was gorgeous, this is what captured my eye and my imagination!

In my travels, I’ve often talked about how much I love, love, love Mediterranean food and, especially, Mediterranean breakfasts.

This one is from Tel Aviv, Israel…

and, this one is from Greece.

Well, Costa Rican breakfasts are much simpler. One interesting staple of the diet there, even at breakfast, is beans and rice!

While I love beans and I love rice, I don’t eat them too often at home. But, since it’s part of the diet in Costa Rica, I had beans and rice each morning with my eggs. Also, the papaya was incredible!

My favorite meal there was a sea bass, which was preceded by a delicious shrimp and lobster bisque, and followed by pineapple cheesecake.

My favorite dessert was raspberry panna cotta, which came after a tasty Greek salad, and salmon with pesto linguine, my second favorite meal.

Costa Rica was my sixth trip with Gate 1 Travel. The other five were a Danube River cruise (2013), Scandinavia (2017), Morocco (2018), Bangkok, Thailand (2019), and Greece (2021). (My 2016 China trip was through another company and my 50th birthday excursion to Paris, France, and Tel Aviv, Israel was a trip I planned on my own.)

On many of these trips, I meet people that I’ve kept in touch with over the years! Hi Barbara, Maureen, Izzy, Katrina, Marcellus, Matt, Cortney, Shirley, and Robert.

In Costa Rica, I met four amazing people that I’ll be keeping in touch with from southern California. I spent most of my time socializing with Bill and Sandi…

and Kathy and Tim.

An interesting side note is that the four of them live within thirty miles of each other and Costa Rica brought them together!

The most scenic experience was the Arenal Volcano National Park, where I took this selfie.

One of coolest adventures was walking across eight hanging bridges, some of which were hundreds of feet long and hundreds of feet over the vast forest of trees.

Sadly, I was most disappointed with the Rio Frio River Boat Tour because of not seeing too many reptiles and creatures. We did see some small crocodiles, “Jesus Christ” lizards, birds, a sleeping sloth, and a few howler monkeys.

But, a stop for a bathroom break gave me the opportunity to see this beautiful macaw!

And, the flowers and plants were stunning. This was my favorite!

And, this one was the most intruiging!

One of the negatives to the trip was the horrible infrastructure. It took many hours to travel just a distance of 60-100 miles, and even longer in a large tour bus!

If you added up all the hours on the bus from one stop to another, we probably lost two to three days. But, we did see gorgeous landscapes along the way and sadly, forest fires that were burning up parts of Coast Rica.

One shocking (and interesting) thing I learned visiting the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum in San Jose on my last night in town was back in 1944, due to the fear of contagion from tuberculosis and leprosy, special currency was minted or pierced for internal use inside sanatoriums and leper asylums!

That’s just crazy!

But, there’s some justification to this paranoia. Almost a century before, in 1856, Costa Rica was under attack by a group of mercenaries led by American William Walker. Walker ended up dumping bodies into the wells which polluted the water supply. This caused a cholera outbreak that killed almost 10% of Costa Rica’s population (nearly 10,000 people)!

And, now that scary and funny story!

My trip started and ended in San Jose, the capital and most populous city (2.1 million of the country’s 5.1 million residents).

Since I had to get up at 2:30 a.m. for my return trip home, I went to bed around 9 p.m. While this may be TMI, it’s important to the story and adds the humor to it.

I sleep naked and usually I have my lounge wear on the bed with me. But, since it was a very early wake-up call, I had the clothes I was wearing home sitting out — across the room.

At 10:30 p.m., I woke up and I thought I heard a noise. I listened for a bit longer and I realized that someone had opened my door! In hotels, I always put the safety lock across the door and I’m so glad I did.

With the new visitors arriving at the hotel that evening, the reception desk must have programmed my room number onto the magnetic key for someone else.

Since I couldn’t reach my clothes, I yelled out, “Hello”, and I heard someone say, “There’s someone in there!”.

I’m totally convinced that it was a mistake downstairs and it scared them as much as it did me. If it had been burglars, I don’t think they would have responded and just left.

So, I almost had someone in my room, but not in the way I wanted! 🙂

Thank you for coming along to Costa Rica with me through this travelogue!

If you ever get a chance to visit the country, the people are very nice and it’ll make you appreciate all that you have even more.

Anthony

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