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

Random Friday Thoughts — March 11, 2022

The weekend is almost here and I hope you have fun plans or, at least, be able to chill out and relax.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts. If we disagree, that’s fine. Just do it diplomatically!

RUSSIA: CANCELLED!

As the conflict and tragedy rages on in Ukraine after the invasion by Russia, the world continues to speak out and governments are waging their disapproval toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Economic sanctions are in place and they should be. Anything that may hurt the aggressive Russian behavior should be mounted by world leaders.

However, with a country as vast as Russia, it won’t do much to quickly end the conflict. History proves that. It’s the people of the country that suffer more from them and the Russian people are already suffering.

In Russia, 13% of the population lives in poverty (which is similar to the U.S.). However, in Russia, the top 1% controls about 70% of the nation’s wealth. In the U.S., the top 1% have about 32% of the wealth.

I can guarantee that Putin is still living on caviar, champagne, and all of the exotic riches that money can buy.

But, businesses across the world and here in the U.S. are cancelling Russia.

Gate 1 Travel, a company that I love and have used many times, has cancelled all tours and cruises to Russia in 2022.

And, some stores are pulling Russian vodka from its shelves and some restaurants and bars are pouring out their vodkas made in Russia.

Stoli is the leading Russian vodka.

While it won’t make much difference in the scheme of things, it’s the principle behind it.

Less than 1% of vodka consumed in the U.S. is from Russia. More than half of all vodka drank in the U.S. is made here! (CNN)

Go Tito’s and Smirnoff! This one is my favorite!

The Distilled Spirits Council reports that Russian-made vodka only makes up a very small percentage of the roughly $7 billion in annual vodka sales.

NO TREATS FOR YOU, RUSSIA (FOR NOW)!

This week, Coke, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, and Starbucks announced it will temporarily suspend sales of their products in Russia during Putin’s aggression toward Ukraine.

CNN reports that at the end of 2021, there were 847 McDonald’s in Russia (108 more in Ukraine) and 84% are operated by the company. The others are run by franchise owners.

Starbucks says it’s not selling any of its products to Russia and has almost 2,000 employees in the country.

PepsiCo will stop selling sodas in Russia, but will continue selling its baby food, baby formula, milk, and other dairy options.

Russia makes up about 4% of Pepsi’s annual revenue compared to 1%-2% for Coke.

Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell are making similar decisions.

PEACE!

EXCITED ABOUT THIS MINISERIES

Since I don’t have Showtime, I won’t see it for a while, but I’m very excited about the series, “The First Lady”.

It’s so incredible that two of my favorite actresses, Gillian Anderson and Viola Davis, are in the series and I love Michelle Pfeiffer, too!

Gillian plays Eleanor Roosevelt, Viola portrays Michelle Obama, and Michelle is Betty Ford!

“The First Lady” will premiere on Showtime on April 17, 2022.

“BETTY FORD: CANDOR AND COURAGE IN THE WHITE HOUSE”

John Robert Greene’s 2004 book in the “Modern First Ladies” series was a fascinating read. I just love reading book after book about this fascinating woman!

Here are some of the takeaways from this book:

Her mother, Hortense Bloomer, was very strict. When Betty was a child, like most kids, she loved to snack between meals. Her mother hung a “Please Do Not Feed This Child” sign on her daughter!

When President Richard Nixon offered Gerald Ford the vice presidency, Ford told him that didn’t want to be the Republican nominee for President in 1976 because he had told Betty he would retire from politics in 1977. Nixon replied, “Well, that’s good, because John Connally is my choice for 1976.”

One thing I learned from the book was that Martin Luther King Jr.’s mother, Alberta Williams King, was shot and killed inside the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta by 23-year-old Marcus Wayne Chenault, a Black Hebrew Israelite, in June 1974 — just six years after her son was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. Georgia Governor and future President Jimmy Carter made the arrangements for Betty Ford to attend the funeral!

About her recovery from alcohol abuse, Betty Ford wanted people to know it’d always be a struggle. She said, “the disease is alcoholISm, not alcoholWASism.” (Notice IS and WAS!)

“KING RICHARD”

This movie, about how Richard Williams shaped the careers of his two daughters, Venus and Serena, to become two of the best tennis players ever, was compelling.

It’s nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Will Smith), and Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis).

Smith has already won the honor from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild and he deserved it!

GRADE: A-

“THE LOST DAUGHTER”

Oscar and Emmy Award winner Olivia Colman leads a stellar cast in this Maggie Gyllenhaal-directed drama.

While on holiday in Greece, Leda (Colman) has to come to terms with her earlier life and how she raised her two daughters after befriending a young mother (Dakota Johnson), who’s struggling to raise her own little girl.

The movie definitely turns edgy and very psychological when uneasiness creeps in from a taunting group of young men.

This was my 5th favorite movie I saw in 2021.

GRADE: A

“SPENCER”

This movie is about one particular period of the late Princess Diana’s life. It’s Christmas 1991 and Diana is torn over wanting to divorce Prince Charles and leave the royal family.

The movie was enjoyable, but the best part is the performance of Kristen Stewart as Diana.

The role earned her a Best Actress Oscar and Critics’ Choice Movie Award nomination, which are both still pending. She also got a Golden Globe nomination and she won the Hollywood Critics Association Award.

It was my 6th favorite movie of 2021.

GRADE: A-

“PIG”

Never in a million years did I think I’d outright love a Nicolas Cage movie. Okay, even WATCH a Nicolas Cage movie!

But, this one caught my attention and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Cage plays Robin Feld, a haggard man living in the woods, who earns money foraging and harvesting expensive truffles. When he’s beaten and has his pig kidnapped, Feld goes all “John Wick” to find the pig.

That’s when you learn his backstory.

The movie made my Top 20 list of favorite movies I saw in 2021 (#19)! And, Cage is nominated in the Best Actor category for a Critics’ Choice Movie Award!

GRADE: B

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Here are some interesting things I learned about our first President George Washington from authors James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn’s 2004 book in the “The American Presidents” series:

• Incredibly, Washington would trade some of his slaves for rum, molasses, and limes. WOW! Seriously, a man’s worth to him was nothing more than a little food and drink???

• And, he supplied his slaves with little: “scant clothing, few blankets, perfunctory medical care”.

• Even as he was winning the Revolutionary War as commander in chief, he was still a rude and condescending man. He confided to his friends that the army was comprised of “an exceedingly dirty and nasty people”.

• In his second term as president, in the summer of 1796, at the age of 64, Washington decided he would not seek a third term that fall. He was already losing his sight and his hearing and was showing signs of major memory loss.

• While he never spoke out against slavery in public since his slaves were instrumental in making him a very wealthy man, he left instructions to free his slaves upon his death or the death of his wife, Martha, if she outlived him.

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony