Jon Stewart's message to his viewers about the election

I closed Meyers, Colbert, and 'The Daily Show' take their last closer looks at the election before the votes are counted by writing "I hope election night doesn't turn into an election month, but I'm not optimistic." I should be careful what I wish for. Donald Trump, who is still a convicted criminal, beat Kamala Harris when he won first Pennsylvania then Wisconsin overnight to be the projected winner of the presidency, duplicating the feat of Grover Cleveland by becoming only the second President elected to non-consecutive terms. My reaction eight years ago was Kunstler said Americans would elect maniacs. That still works eight years later, so I'm not going to repeat it. Instead, I'm sharing Jon Stewart’s Election Night Takeaway | The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart shares his takeaways from Election Night 2024: A glimpse into the fate of the presidency and the mistakes that'll be made all over again.

That's a convincing list of lessons that people hoped would be right, but which ended up being wrong.

So, what are the lessons being learned that could turn out not to be true? MSNBC has one, ‘This will rewrite how the parties approach Latinos’ – Latino support for Trump increases from 2020.

Julián Castro discusses evolving Latino support for Donald Trump.

Latino support for Trump was even more pronounced in Michigan, where exit polling showed 62% of Michigan Latinos voting for Trump. That could be enough to swing the state to him. If the uncommitted movement does it, I'd know what my agenda would be, denounce Jill Stein and the Green Party and support a quality primary opponent to Rashida Tlaib, although if she wins the primary, I'll still vote for her in the general. I'm not going to be like my neighbors, who voted for the Republican nominee. I have limits and standards. For Latinos, there is nothing I can do that Trump and his core supporters would do more effectively except be a positive example. Who knows, Trump might actually overcome his bigotry and cater to his new voters. We should be so lucky.

Michigan still hasn't been called for either President or U.S. Senate as I write this, so stay tuned for those results tomorrow.

Meyers, Colbert, and 'The Daily Show' take their last closer looks at the election before the votes are counted

Today is the last day to vote in this year's election, so it's time for a final round of pre-election monologues from the late-night talk-show hosts, beginning with Late Night with Seth Meyers' Trump's Dark, Weird & Desperate Closing Message: Lies, Threats & Complaints About SNL: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at an exhausted and despondent Donald Trump closing out his campaign with rambling speeches to dwindling crowds, threats of violence, baseless allegations of cheating, vaccine ban possibilities and complaints about Saturday Night Live.

A Prius with a bumper sticker that reads "Science Is Real"? I feel seen! Speaking of science being real, I wish RFK Jr. thought so.

Being frustrated at the polls being tied is one of the themes of all the monologues, which is why the Des Moines Register's Selzer poll came as such a relief to Kamala Harris and her supporters. Stephen Colbert took it that way in Senior Women Back Harris In Iowa | America's Fresh Start | Trump vs. The Microphone.

A respected Iowa pollster predicts VP Kamala Harris will win big among that state's female voters, the Harris-Walz campaign promised a fresh start for the country if they win, and the former president had major trouble with a microphone at one of his rallies.

The other theme was convicted criminal Donald Trump's antics with the microphone. I'm recycling my reaction from Stewart, Meyers, and Colbert take closer looks at Trump 'working' at McDonald's: "I'm not happy about it. I'm sure Standards and Practices wasn't, either."

I close with Harris’s Star-Studded Closer, Trump’s Handsy Mic Moment & RIP Peanut the Squirrel | The Daily Show.

Jordan Klepper recaps the candidates' election closers: Kamala Harris's star-studded message of joy and Trump's "oral" presentation with his mic stand. Plus, Michael Kosta explains how Peanut the Squirrel's death could help Trump target niche undecided voters.

I don't like what happened to Peanut the Squirrel, either, but I don't see what it has to do with national Democrats beyond New York Governor Kathy Hochul being a Democrat. I guess that's enough for MAGA. Still, it's an example of the surest way to get Americans to act is to mess with their entertainm­ent.

That's it for today. Stay tuned for election results beginning tomorrow. I hope election night doesn't turn into an election month, but I'm not optimistic.

John Oliver and Bill Maher appeal to last-minute voters

The last day to vote in this year's election is tomorrow, so it's time for last-minute appeals to voters. I have two of them, beginning with Election 2024: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

A quick message ahead of Tuesday’s election. And the worst photo that’s ever been taken of anyone. Ever.

As my regular readers know, I live in Michigan — in fact, I live in Rashida Tlaib's district — so I'm quite familiar with the uncommitted movement. John's message is probably the best one for them. It's the one I wish I could make so that convicted criminal Donald Trump would finally become irrelevant, especially after he's sentenced and stands trial for his other crimes.

Bill Maher appealed to other kinds of undecided voters in New Rule: Christmas Eve Voters.

Bill has a message for the undecided voters who like to wait until the eve of an election to make up their minds.

I'm recycling my reaction from Bill Maher says 'Make the Mall Great Again' for Cyber Monday: "In the middle of all the 'Get off my lawn' sentiment and resentment over reactions to the pandemic, Maher makes some good...points," especially about the economy. If the economy is really the issue, then all of the headline measures, employment, economic growth, wages, and even inflation, should be a slam dunk for Kamala Harris and the Democrats. That it's not indicates other issues are important to undecided voters. I have to go to work, so I won't explore them today. Maybe tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Kamala Harris visits 'Saturday Night Live' during its cold open

Do I have a highlights post of last night's Saturday Night Live for you, my readers! As if the title and preview image haven't already spoiled the big surprise, Kamala Harris dropped in to the 2024 Pre-Election Cold Open.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins (Chloe Fineman) checks in with Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) and Donald Trump's (James Austin Johnson) campaigns on the eve of the 2024 election.

Also starring Bowen Yang as JD Vance, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as Joe Biden, and Vice President Harris as herself. That's an even better trick than the real Nikki Haley crashing the fake Trump town hall, especially since it reused the fake mirror props from 'SNL' plays Family Feud Election Edition as Ariana Grande hosts. I'm an environmentalist, so I approve of reusing and recycling. I'm also a fan of politicians having fun while laughing at themselves, and Harris was certainly doing that.

Convicted criminal Trump's stunt with the trash truck was one of the stories in Weekend Update: 2024 Presidential Election, Trump's MSG Rally.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like a comedian at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally calling Puerto Rico a "floating pile of garbage."

As I wrote yesterday, "all the garbage references...came out of Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden. That deserves a post of its own, but I don't know if I will have time before Tuesday." Thanks to Weekend Update, I don't think I have to write it.

I wrote "I'm rooting for a retro Subway Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees" on Sweetest Day and I got the result I was hoping for, Dodgers Win World Series, NYC Legalizes Jaywalking.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Sean "Diddy" Combs facing a new lawsuit.

I take perverse pleasure in Michael Che just skipping over the Dodgers winning the World Series. I also enjoyed Colin Jost turning the tables on Che; usually Jost the butt of the joke.

The news about Disney and Diddy — never thought you'd see those together — qualified this post as the Sunday entertainment feature, but follow over the jump for more entertainment news.*

Randy Rainbow sings 'MAGADU' plus the Marsh Family sings two songs about Trump and Harris

Spooky season is over. It's time to return to election season. Fortunately, Randy Rainbow returned with MAGADU - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody to make it entertaining.

Election drama is in full swing—how are you staying sane?
...
Parody of “Xanadu” (Music/Lyrics by Jeff Lynne)

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow

Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz

Vocal Arrangement - Brett Boles @thebrettboles

Lead and Backing Vocals - Randy Rainbow
Piano, Synths - Michael J Moritz Jr
Drums/Engineer - Billy LaGuardia
Sax - Andrew Snapp

I'm going to repeat what I wrote in Stewart, Meyers, and Colbert take closer looks at Trump 'working' at McDonald's.

I don't think convicted criminal Donald Trump learned one useful thing from this experience. He's too old a dog to learn new tricks.

Repeating the fiction of Haitian immigrants eating pets doesn't count as a new trick; it's just another example of his vulnerability to conspiracy theories. Woof.

Project 2025 doesn't count, either. That's someone else's new trick, which prompts Trump to do his best Sergeant Schultz impression, instead claiming Agenda 47 as his own. That's full of old Trump tricks as well. The possible exception is "freedom cities" to solve the housing crisis, one of the "cyberpunk villain ideas straight out of Snow Crash that I examined in Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences. JD Vance can certainly learn new tricks.

As for all the garbage references, those came out of Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden. That deserves a post of its own, but I don't know if I will have time before Tuesday. I'll dispense with it for now by remarking that the one in 1939 was enough.

Follow over the jump for two song parodies by the Marsh Family, who I featured in Randy Rainbow sings 'JD, JD... (Married Lady)'.

Monstrum on 'La Lechuza: The Shape-Shifting Witch-Owl' for Day of the Dead

Halloween is over, but spooky season continues for one more day with Day of the Dead. Like last year, I'm featuring one of Monstrum's examinations of Mexican monsters. Watch La Lechuza: The Shape-Shifting Witch-Owl | Monstrum from PBS Digital's Storied channel.

You're walking home, a little tipsy, guided only by the moonlight. Suddenly, you sense something watching you: an unnervingly large owl with a human face! This is La Lechuza, a malevolent witch-owl from Tejano and Mexican folklore.

After watching 'The 10 Unspoken Rules of Slasher Movies, Explained' by PBS Storied, where the villains are evil humans, but generally not supernatural monsters, I was glad to return to actual monsters from folklore instead of entertainment for today. I'm also glad Dr. Zarka created a second video about Mexican monsters during the past year so I could use it today. Here's to her and the team at Monstrum on PBS Storied uploading a third video about Mexico for next year's entry!

I didn't find an appropriate drink video for today from Secret of the Booze, but CBS Detroit uploaded Day of the Dead cocktails with Shankar Distillers earlier today. Since my blog is based in Metro Detroit and I enjoy sharing local content, I couldn't resist.

Michigan-based Shankar Distillers has several Day of the Dead cocktail recipes.

I appreciated the decorations that made the table look like an ofrenda. I also now understand why, when I searched YouTube for Day of the Dead cocktails, I retrieved videos for palomas. That was the cocktail made in this video.

So ends this year's spooky season. Stay tuned for non-holiday programming tomorrow. In the meantime, drink responsibly.

Vox explains 'Why Red 3 is still in your candy' for Halloween

Happy Halloween! I decided to post something serious and scary for today, Vox explaining Why Red 3 is still in your candy.

Red 3 has been banned for use in cosmetics and topical drugs since 1990. Why is it still in our food?
...
In 1990, the FDA banned the use of Red No. 3 in topical drugs and cosmetics. Their cited reasoning was that the color additive was “not shown to be safe,” because when fed to rats, Red No. 3 was found to slightly increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Today, that same dye is still found in candy corn, ring pops, Pez, and nearly 3,000 other foods that we eat, which raises the question: If it’s not safe to put on our skin … is it really safe to ingest? Many researchers, advocates, and now state lawmakers say no.

Last year, California passed a bill formally banning Red Dye No. 3 and several other additives from food in the state. The bill gives the food industry until 2027 to remove the additives from their products. The industry is already responding, with companies like Pediasure quickly removing the dye from their shakes.

The question remains, though: Where is the federal ban on Red No. 3 in food if the FDA deemed it unsafe for topical uses over 30 years ago?

California, which has an economy larger than India, might just get Red Dye No. 3 effectively banned nationwide. Yay for my old home state!

For today's drink, I'm sharing Secret of the Booze's Red Rum: "The Shining" Inspired Cocktail. A red drink for a red dye!

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
2 oz dark rum
½ oz jack honey
Muddled cherries
Orange zest
Cinnamon zest

INSTRUCTIONS
Muddle cherries in a pint glass.
Add whiskey, rum, cinnamon, and orange zest. Shake vigorously.
Strain over ice.

Drink responsibly and stay tuned as spooky season continues on this blog with Day of the Dead tomorrow. Trick or treat!

Broken Peach sings 'Call Me' & 'I Was Made For Lovin' You' for Halloween

I continue my Halloween tradition on this blog of sharing songs by Broken Peach with this year's Halloween Special, Call Me & I Was Made For Lovin' You.

"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie, and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo. Produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film and was released in the United States in early 1980 as a single. "Call Me" was Nº1 for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it became the band's biggest single and second Nº1.

"I Was Made For Lovin' You" is a song by American hard rock band ??Kiss, originally released on their 1979 album, Dynasty. It was released as the A-side of their first single from the album, with "Hard Times" as the B-side. I Was Made for Lovin' You" was Kiss's first songwriting collaboration with Desmond Child, who also wrote songs for the albums Animalize, Asylum, Crazy Nights, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, and Hot in the Shade. "I Was Made for Lovin' You" was the band's second Gold single, selling over 1 million copies. The single was certified Gold in the U.S. on August 16, 1979, and in Canada on August 1, 1979. The song was one of the band's few singles to chart in the UK in the 1970s, peaking at No. 50.

"Joker & the Thief" is a song by Australian rock band ?Wolfmother. The song serves as the sixth track and sixth single from the band's eponymous debut studio album. It was released in Australia on 28 October 2006 and in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2006. "Joker & the Thief" has been featured in several films, video games and TV shows including The Blacklist, The Hangover, Shoot 'Em Up, NHL 14, Rock Revolution, Jackass Number Two, Impractical Jokers: The Movie, The Out-Laws, Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2, Here Comes the Boom, MLB 07: The Show, Need for Speed: Carbon, Shrek the Third, Lego DC Super-Villains, Preacher, The Man from Toronto, Ted Lasso, and The Artful Dodger. It is also available as downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band.

After singing 'One Way or Another' from 'Hocus Pocus 2' last year, I guess Broken Peach realized that Blondie songs worked for them. Now I wonder which Blondie hit they might cover next. "Rapture" covers the right subject matter for a Halloween special — the man from Mars who eats cars and guitars — but I don't know if has the right musical style. Maybe "Heart of Glass" or "The Tide Is High" would work better for them — that or another KISS song. We'll see.

I'm going on a tangent with the encore, Man! I Feel Like A Woman! Is the band in costume? Sort of, as the singers are wearing black cat suits and black cat ears. Works for me.

"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain from her third studio album, Come On Over (1997). Written by Twain and her longtime collaborator and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who also produced the track, the song was released first to North American country radio stations in March 1999 as the eighth single from the album, and it was released worldwide later the same year. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is a country pop song with a lyric about female empowerment and remains one of Twain's biggest hits worldwide.

Meow!

This is Broken Peach's tenth Halloween special, beginning with "This Is Halloween" in 2015. I included that song and two others in my first Broken Peach post, Broken Peach: Singing Spanish goths and witches for Halloween from October 28, 2017. Today's drink recipe harkens back to it, Jack and Sally: Nightmare Before Christmas Inspired Shots by Secret of the Booze.

Jack and Sally are the most adorable of Halloween couples. In past episodes we make the Pumpkin King shot which honors Jack Skellington. Since we are re-making the drink we figure this one would also include his stitched up lady.

Each day we are creating a new drink for 31 days of Halloween inspired by iconic characters that go bump in the night.

RECIPE

JACK

INGREDIENTS
2 oz. pumpkin pudding
2 oz. spiced rum
2 oz. heavy cream
Whipped cream
Candy corn

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine pudding and liquid in a shot glass. Mix until well combined.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Top with whipped cream and a piece of candy corn.

SALLY

INGREDIENTS
2 oz. pumpkin pudding
2 oz. creme de cacao
2 oz. heavy cream
1 oz. blue curacao
Pumpkin whipped cream
Candy corn

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine pudding and liquid in a shot glass. Mix until well combined
. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Top with whipped cream and a piece of candy corn.

Candy corn in both recipes? Perfect, because today is Candy Corn Day!

As always, drink responsibly and stay tuned for more Halloween posts through the end of the month plus a bonus Day of the Dead entry. Trick or treat!

'Moonlight and Tombstones' and 'Blood Moon Dawning,' spooky songs from the Harp Twins for Halloween

I'm continuing my celebration of spooky season with music from Camille and Kennerly, the Harp Twins. I begin with the video they released on Friday the 13th last year, Moonlight and Tombstones (Celtic Gothic) - Harp Twins original.

MOONLIGHT AND TOMBSTONES is from our new dark fantasy ORIGINAL album, Twin Destinies! The companion dark fantasy novel was written by New York Times Bestselling author, Debbie Viguié!

The Harp Twins continue with the moon theme in Blood Moon Dawning (Gothic Celtic) - Harp Twins original.

BLOOD MOON DAWNING is from our new dark fantasy ORIGINAL album, Twin Destinies!

As I wrote last year, the Harp Twins have five more videos of songs from the Twin Destinies and Celtic Charms albums on their YouTube channel, but I'm saving them for future Halloween posts. I'm an environmentalist who conserves his resources, after all.

I close this post with a drink recipe, Slayer's Blood: A "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Inspired Cocktail to reflect the vampire allusions in the songs.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 oz vodka
1.5 oz pomegranate juice
1.5 oz blood orange juice
1 tbsp simple syrup
Half a lime

Red Candy “Blood” for Rimming Glass
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
red food coloring

Combine sugar, water, and syrup in a sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat until it reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir in food coloring. While the mixture is still hot dip in cocktail glasses. As the candy cools it will drip slightly down the glasses And harden in place.

Drink responsibly and stay tuned for more Halloween posts through the end of the month plus a bonus Day of the Dead entry. Trick or treat!

CityNerd's 'How Spirit Halloween Transforms Strip Malls Into Vibrant Wonderlands,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I included a program note in Big Lots! files for bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Friday the 13th.

As for what will fill the spaces left by the closed stores, there's always Spirit Halloween. I have a CityNerd video about the seasonal store chain to share for Spooky Season.

I repeated my promise in 'SNL' returns with Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris after winning six Emmy Awards, writing "Watching this reminds me that CityNerd has a fun video about Spirit Halloween that will make a good tale of the Retail Apocalypse, so stay tuned for that." Here it is, How Spirit Halloween Transforms Strip Malls Into Vibrant Wonderlands.

Spirit Halloween comes in for a lot of criticism for leasing vacant and often distressed strip mall space for a few months, and then packing up shop on November 1, leaving a moribund shopping center no better off than it was before. But is there more to the story? And is the success of Spirit's business model a symptom of much deeper problems in the way we've planned and designed our cities?

Another installment of the Investigating Heinous Land Uses series!

Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty remarked in one of his live streams (I think 2023 Year In Review + Q & A) that he found this video's viewership disappointing, but I enjoyed it enough to save it until today. Speaking of saving material for another year, both Company Man and CNBC have recent videos about Spirit Halloween, but I'm going to be a good environmentalist and conserve my resources.

I close with a video about a pair of characters I expect will be popular at Halloween this year, Secret of the Booze's Drinks For The Recently Deceased: Beetlejuice Inspired Cocktails • 31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN.

Say it once, say it twice, third times the charm. Today's episode is a drink perfect for the recently deceased. This Beetlejuice and Lydia inspired cocktail is perfect this Halloween Each day we are creating a new drink for 31 days of Halloween inspired by iconic characters that go bump in the night.

RECIPE

BEETLEJUICE

INGREDIENTS
2 blackberries
1 oz. black sambuca
1 oz. Irish cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Add berries to a shot glass.
Pour black sambuca into shot glass.
Using a barspoon, layer the Irish cream on top.

LYDIA

INGREDIENTS
2 oz. lemon vodka
4 oz. blood orange soda
Lime juice
Drizzle of grenadine

INSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients over ice and stir.

Drink responsibly and stay tuned for more Halloween posts through the end of the month plus a bonus Day of the Dead entry. Trick or treat!