Watch Joe Biden and Roy Wood Jr. at the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner

"Saturday Night Live" did not broadcast a new episode last night, but who needs one when "Nerd Prom" was last night? Watch highlights from 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner by NBC News for comedy about politics.

President Joe Biden and comedian Roy Wood Jr. poked fun at Trump's hush money case, Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit against Fox News, recent cable news firing and more at the 2023 White House correspondents' dinner.

Those are some of the best jokes and zingers of the night, but not all of them. I'm sharing both Biden's and Wood's complete remarks to see and hear every one of the jokes in context, beginning with Biden's 2023 White House correspondents’ dinner speech from The Washington Post.

President Biden's speech at the 2023 White House correspondents’ dinner tackled free speech, the 2024 election, and his GOP opponents.

I commented that I found the late night talk show host's segments on Biden's announcement that he was running for re-election underwhelming, so I wrote Amendment introduced to 'clarify' Florida's 'resign to run' law instead. This was the kind of comedy material I was looking for! Also, his mentioning the movie "Till" made this entry worthy of being the Sunday entertainment feature. He and his speechwriters cleverly connected "Till" to the Black press and to Roy Wood Sr., serving as a segue to Watch Roy Wood Jr.’s full set from 2023 White House correspondents’ dinner, which NBC News uploaded.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. joked about President Biden's and former President Trump’s classified documents cases and poked fun at CRT, Fox News-Dominion settlement and more as he headlined the 2023 White House correspondents' dinner.

After all the jokes about Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News, the Fox-Dominion settlement, Justice Thomas's unreported vacations, and Trump's arraignment — it's been a busy news month — Wood talking about his parents came as quite a mood change, but an appropriate one for a dinner recognizing journalists. I learned a lot about Wood's family and it's always a good day when I learn something new.

That's it for April's blogging. Stay tuned for a happy drum corps May Day.

Seth Meyers takes more closer looks at Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News

The story of Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News continued to develop this week while I looked at an amendment to Florida's 'resign to run' law and Disney suing DeSantis followed by celebrating Arbor Day and Superhero Day. Seth Meyers and his writers examined the story twice, beginning with Fox Allegedly Has a Secret Dossier of Dirt On Tucker Carlson Amid Messy Split: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at reports of Fox News' dossier of alleged dirt on Tucker Carlson amid its messy separation from the recently ousted host.

The top two comments quoted key lines of the skit: "Whenever something major happens involving Fox News, the last people to find out about it are the people who watch Fox News" and "If you're an employer collecting dirt on an employee but you're not doing anything about it unless you need it for revenge, that speaks badly of them and of you." Exactly.

Seth followed up the next night with Tucker Carlson Posts Cryptic Video Amid Reports He Was Axed Over Texts: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at Tucker Carlson's messy exit from Fox News as more revelations and speculation about what led to his ouster emerge.

Looks like we still don't really know why Fox News fired Tucker and this won't be the last we'll hear from him. If his non-compete clause allows it, he might go to Newsmax and have a lot of his audience follow him. If so, it might be time for a Newsmax label. Stay tuned.

TEDx talks presents 'Trees: The superheroes we’ve been waiting for' on Arbor Day, Superhero Day, and Flashback Friday

Happy Arbor Day and National Superhero Day on Flashback Friday! For today's observance of two holidays that celebrate some of my favorite topics, I'm sharing Trees: The superheroes we’ve been waiting for | Andy Lipkis | TEDxUCLA from July 7, 2015.

When is the last time you stopped and really looked at a tree? Sometimes the things we see everyday lose their profound importance as they seem so commonplace, ordinary, already understood. Andy Lipkis has dedicated his life to trees, and talks about the extraordinary, and untapped power of the tree.

Andy Lipkis if the Founder and President of TreePeople, a nonprofit organization that is growing a green and climate-resilient Los Angeles.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

This is at least the second time Andy Lipkis has appeared on this blog. The first time was Rocking the boat down the Los Angeles River, which included a brief interview of him. I didn't even mention him or his charity, TreePeople, then, but he made important points about water in "Rock the Boat" that he repeats in this video. I'm glad a gave him a chance to repeat them a decade later. It beats Captain Planet!


Follow over the jump for a retrospective about last year's holiday posts that became popular on Pinterest and Twitter.

Disney sues DeSantis

It's time to follow through on a footnote.

I need to follow up on DeSantis's reaction to Disney subverting DeSantis's replacement for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney World's own government; he's making himself look even worse while getting liberals to side with a big corporation. Nice trick, but not the one he's trying to pull.

The situation developed into a legal case yesterday, as 10 Tampa Bay reported Disney sues Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis yesterday.

The legal filing is the latest salvo in a more than year-old feud between Disney and DeSantis that has engulfed the governor in criticism as he prepares to launch an expected presidential bid in the coming months.

DeSantis, who has framed himself as a Republican firebrand able to deftly implement his conservative agenda without drama, has dived headlong into the fray with the beloved company and major tourism driver, as business leaders and White House rivals bash his stance as a rejection of the small-government tenets of conservatism.

“We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state,” said DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske. “This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law.”

10 Tampa Bay followed up this morning in Disney vs DeSantis: The latest with the lawsuit.

The suit was filed minutes after a Disney World oversight board appointed by DeSantis voted to void a deal that placed theme park decisions in the company's hands.

10 Tampa Bay reported on Disney's claims as well as DeSantis's response. Yahoo Finance emphasized the relief that Disney asked for in Disney files lawsuit against Florida Governor DeSantis.

Yahoo Finance legal reporter Alexis Keenan joins Yahoo Finance Live anchors to discuss the ongoing feud between Disney and Governor DeSantis, with the latest details surrounding Disney's lawsuit filing.

I hope that Disney gets its relief, but be patient, because the wheels of justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

Follow over the jump for reactions that put the conflict in context.

Amendment introduced to 'clarify' Florida's 'resign to run' law

While all indications are that Ron DeSantis will run against Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for President, he hasn't announced yet. In the meantime, candidates like Nikki Haley and Perry Johnson have already declared their candidacies. What's holding him up? Most likely a Florida law stating that holders of state office in Florida have to resign when they run for federal office. That looks like it will change, as CBS Miami reported Florida Senate to "clarify" state's resign to run law this morning.

The amendment would add language basically saying Florida’s "resign to run" law doesn't apply to those campaigning for President or Vice President.

WFLA had more on the proposed legislation as well as how the current law would apply in Florida lawmakers file amendment so DeSantis doesn't have to resign to run in 2024.

8 On Your Side Investigator Mahsa Saeidi has the latest.

Biden announcing he's running for re-election provides the context for the timing of this bill.* DeSantis is danger of being left behind, even though he's the clear Republican alternative to Trump. Speaking of whom, Chris Hayes performed a stand-up routine of sorts, While DeSantis wages a war on woke, Trump wages a war on him.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not having a good week. While he continues his publicity tour to 'end the woke' movement, Donald Trump is waging a war on him. Trump isn't just picking fights with DeSantis online, but he's beating him in the polls.

At this rate, while I still expect DeSantis to DeClare his candidacy as soon as he signs the amendment to Florida's "resign to run" law that allows him to remain Governor while he runs for President, I would not be surprised if he ends up not running. Stay tuned.

*I was originally going to blog about Biden's announcement, but I found the late night talk show host's segments on him underwhelming and didn't feel like posting MSNBC's cheerleading, so I looked for another story and found this, which I found more inspiring.

Seth Meyers and Joy Reid take closer looks at Tucker Carlson leaving Fox News

While Fox and Dominion settled without Fox News apologizing on-air, the cable channel paid an unexpected additional price yesterday as they fired Tucker Carlson. It's time for a silly to serious examination, beginning with Seth Meyers presenting Fox News Ousts Tucker Carlson in Shock Move Days After Dominion Settlement: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at Fox News abruptly cutting ties with Tucker Carlson less than a week after a massive settlement over the Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit.

"Let Them Eat Bugs" — I feel seen, but I also feel attacked. Tucker may be gone from Fox News, but I think the right-wing dislike of the idea and the conspiracy theories around it will survive. That is, unless The Former Guy starts talking about it. Remember, like Carlson's career, everything Trump touches dies.

That was the silly look. Now for a serious one from Joy Reid and her panel, Tucker Carlson undermined democracy through 'enormous platform' Lincoln Project senior advisor says.

Tucker Carlson’s reign as the top rated primetime host in cable news came to an abrupt and embarrassing end some say when Fox announced that the two had “agreed to part ways” and thanked him for his service to the network on Monday. Tucker Carlson has officially achieved something that some say no one else in the media industry can claim: being let go by all three major cable news networks. Joy Reid and her panel discuss.

On the one hand, Carlson being let go by all three cable news channels deserves a recycled meme.


On the other, the comparison of Carlson to Father Coughlin reminds me that I have never mentioned him here, but I have elsewhere. An entry from my LiveJournal included his church.

National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, Michigan

Our last Michigan destination, the National Shrine of the Little Flower, boasts a rich yet complicated history in the metropolitan Detroit area. Located at the northwest corner of Twelve Mile and Woodward Avenue, the instantly recognizable structure and its fascinating history are well worth a look.

This is an absolutely stunning structure and it lies almost halfway between the other two houses of worship in this article. However, its history is inextricably tied up with Father Coughlin, a forerunner of Rush Limbaugh who was a notorious radio demagogue, fascist sympathizer, and anti-Semite. I can never see the building and have a completely appreciative reaction.

I moved down the street from it the next year, which I mentioned in a comment to Down the Memory Hole at Kunstler's blog in 2014.

“The whole story vanished from the news media like the legendary D.B. Cooper — anyone remember him?”

There used to be a bar named after him just a mile away from me. I saw that and smiled that some criminal from the 1970s who got away with a backpack full of money was still remembered. This year, they changed the name of the place. It’s now “The Pour House.” I think they have an idea of what’s coming. We’re all headed to the pour (poor) house.

By the way, a mile in the other direction is Father Coughlin’s old church. If you remember Father Coughlin, he was the spiritual ancestor of Rush Limbaugh. To this day, the friends of mine who claim to be psychic get the chills when they drive by the building.

Vlad, the subject of Impaling Vlad, or With friends like this, Kunstler hardly needs enemies took me to task for comparing the two, saying that I couldn't tell non-leftists apart. I reminded him that I used to be a conservative, so I certainly could.

Impaler, with friends like you, the legacy of Father Coughlin hardly needs enemies.

As for my not being able to tell conservatives apart, I was a Republican for 22 years. I have lots of practice distinguishing the varieties of people on the American Right.

I've since moved away from the National Shrine (now Basilica) of the Little Flower and stopped reading and commenting at Kunstler's blog. I don't miss either, just like I won't miss Carlson. Good riddance!

Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I concluded 'The Klingon Hamlet' and Klingons quoting Shakespeare for Talk Like Shakespeare Day by telling my readers to "stay tuned for an update on Bed Bath & Beyond facing bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse." The other shoe finally dropped, as NBC News reported Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy after year of job cuts and store closures last night.

Home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond announced that it will begin “winding down operations” after filing for bankruptcy on Sunday. The news comes after a year of job cuts at the company and store closures. NBC News’ Kathy Park reports.

I wrote CNBC warns that Bed Bath & Beyond is 'facing extinction,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse, four years ago. I was fairly sanguine then, writing "the chain is facing a crisis, but it's not in imminent danger of going out of business," but I had no idea at the time how bad things were behind the scenes and of course no idea that the pandemic was coming. Bloomberg Television examines the chain's poor management decisions in Bed Bath & Beyond Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Bed Bath & Beyond has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, clearing the way for it to shut down hundreds of stores and lay off thousands of staff. Su Keenan reports on Bloomberg Television.

There is still some hope that a "white knight" might rescue the chain, but I'm not holding my breath. I expect every store will close by the end of the quarter.

This is a Detroit-based blog, so I'm closing with WDIV/Click on Detroit's Struggling Bed Bath & Beyond files for bankruptcy protection for a local perspective.

Bed Bath & Beyond — one of the original big box retailers known for its seemingly endless offerings of sheets, towels and kitchen gadgets — filed for bankruptcy protection, following years of dismal sales and losses and numerous failed turnaround plans.

It's interesting that the interviewee mentioned not only Amazon as a rival store, but also automation as a threat to jobs. I shouldn't be surprised; metro Detroiters have been losing jobs to automation for decades.

That's the latest on the Retail Apocalypse. I expect I'll be returning to this topic between now and the end of June. If nothing else, Erik of Retail Archaeology will be covering the shutdown of stores in Arizona and posting videos, which I will share here. Stay tuned.

'The Klingon Hamlet' and Klingons quoting Shakespeare for Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Happy Shakespeare's Birthday! For today's celebration, I'm returning to the conclusion of last year's Phantom Regiment's 'Juliet' for Shakespeare's Birthday: "[N]ext year I might examine Shakespeare in Star Trek. "The Klingon Hamlet," anyone?" That makes a perfect subject for the Sunday entertainment feature, so I'm using it today.

Stephen Fry acted in "The Klingon Hamlet," which BBC Studios featured in Can Klingon Be Accepted As A Language? - Stephen Fry's Planet Word from 2015.

One of the newest languages on the planet is Klingon, whi[l]st performing a Klingon version of Hamlet Stephen Fry meets a father who taught his son Klingon as his first language.

Fry makes an important point; communication with the outside world is what determines whether a language lives or dies. Who speaks Klingon? A subset of "Star Trek" fans. Given the size of "Star Trek" fandom, that may be more than one might expect, but it's still not much of the outside world.

Like much of "Star Trek" lore, a throwaway line or two inspired "The Klingon Hamlet." Watch Shakespeare in the original Klingon for that scene.

"You've not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."

Quote from Chancellor Gorkon (played by David Warner), from "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

Remember that this movie is an allegory about the end of the Cold War with the Klingons playing the role of the USSR, which they had done since the original TV series. One of the things the Soviets did was to claim the West's inventions and achievements as their own, and I took this scene as a satirical reference to that. It's not far off; a skim through the results of a search for "Soviet Shakespeare" showed that Shakespeare was popular during the Soviet era and the Soviets adopted him as one of their cultural icons.

The Shakespeare quotes continued in the movie. Watch Star Trek VI: Shakespeare Quotes.

The Shakespearean quotes from General Chang's assault in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The [sources] have been cited.

The video missed "Have we not heard the chimes at midnight" ("Henry IV, Part II") and "Parting is such sweet sorrow" ("Romeo and Juliet"), but those were not as dramatic. Otherwise, I think these are great clips.

Of course, the biggest quoter of Shakespeare in "Star Trek" is Jean-Luc Picard, played by Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart. I might examine his use of the Bard of Stratford next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for an update on Bed Bath & Beyond facing bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.

Three videos from Vox for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! I'm celebrating today with three videos from Vox about fighting climate change, both by reducing emissions and actually removing greenhouse gases.* I begin with the video I plan on showing my geology students next week and my environmental science students this summer, How solar energy got so cheap.

Cheap solar is a policy success story.
...
Since 2009, the price of solar energy has come down by 90 percent. That’s no accident. It’s the result of policy interventions from the US to Germany to China.

As policy analyst Gregory Nemet puts it, “No one country is responsible. It was a relay race rather than a competition.” The global flow of knowledge, people, technology, and policy helped bring down the price per watt from more than $100 in 1976 to less than $0.50 today, according to this analysis from the folks at Our World in Data...

If we can learn the right lessons from solar’s success, it could help us develop and deploy the technology we need to keep our planet habitable and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

That's good news, almost enough to make me post Professor Farnsworth — almost.

I'm also tempted to show The big problem with cement, and how to fix it to my students.

Concrete emits a ton of carbon. Here's how we get it to net-zero.
...
Cement accounts for 8 percent of our global carbon emissions. It’s also an incredibly difficult material to do without: It’s the glue that holds together the rock, sand, and water in concrete. And concrete is the building block of the world: It’s in our buildings, our streets, our sidewalks, and our infrastructure. Aside from water, there’s no material on earth we use more of.

In order to get to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, we’ll have to address how we build and how we make cement. Because cement production is so closely linked to urbanization and development, China accounts for a vast majority of today’s cement-related emissions. Other countries with more development in their future will need to emit more emissions to produce cement, too. All that means the whole world needs to figure out how to create cement without the emissions. This video goes into the steps developed by researchers for how to get there.

I lecture about cement and concrete in my classes, both as the most extracted earth materials and how concrete makes nuclear power requires a lot of both, making it less of a solution for climate change than it otherwise would be. Both of these make this video another candidate to show my students.

The second video lists carbon capture and sequestration as part of the solution to the problem of making cement and concrete production and use carbon neutral. The third Vox video I'm sharing today explores that, The tricky plan to pull CO2 out of the air.

Will carbon dioxide removal work? It has to.
...
In recent years, over 70 countries have committed to net-zero carbon emissions, aiming to become carbon neutral by mid-century. The 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and ideally limit it to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Despite global efforts, emissions are still rising, and achieving the 1.5-degree goal has become increasingly difficult.

Most pathways to keep warming below 2 degrees, and eventually return back to 1.5 rely on negative emissions, which involve pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods like enhanced weathering and direct air capture.

However, these techniques are still in early development stages, and require land, energy, and money. Critics argue that relying on CDR implicitly encourages governments and companies to postpone necessary emissions reductions because counting on CDR now means relying on future generations of leaders to deliver on those promises. Preventing emissions is broadly less costly than cleaning them up after the fact. But even with dramatic cuts to emissions, experts say some amount of CDR will still be necessary.

I'm not sold on whether highly technological methods of doing this will work. They're certainly not ready for prime time, which is why I'm not planning on showing this video to my students. I'm more confident about planting trees and turning carbon dioxide into stone, two "Nature knows best" solutions. Just the same, we need to try all of them.

*Vox is also uploading videos about A.I. That's even more of a science fiction is now idea, so I might return to it. Stay tuned.

Fox News didn't have to apologize, so 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' did it for them

Happy Flashback Friday! As I quoted "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in Fox and Dominion settle — silly to serious reactions from Colbert, CNN, and MSNBC, "After settling with Dominion for $787.5 million, Fox News will not have to acknowledge its election lies on the air." I found that disappointing, commenting that "This is probably the best outcome both companies could have achieved — Dominion gets the money while Fox doesn't have to publicly retract its statements on air — but not a good result for truth or democracy. Unfortunately, neither truth nor democracy are parties to the suit." However, not all entertainment value has been lost, as Colbert and his writers and editors created An Apology From Fox News.

The settlement in Fox’s defamation lawsuit doesn’t require them to apologize on their network, so Stephen makes them apologize on The Late Show! Elsewhere, the former president’s new NFT collection is out of this world, and the Iowa state senate passed a bill loosening restrictions on child labor.

Fox News didn't have to apologize, so "The Late Show" crew did it for them. It's the next best thing to the real thing, and I'll take it. Also, I hope CBS and the show submits this clip to the Television Academy for an editing nomination at the Emmys. The show deserves it.

Despite 'SNL' snickering at Trump's NFTs last December, he decided that they were enough of a money-maker that he issued some more. I think they're just as silly the second time around and so did Colbert and his audience.

I think relaxing child labor laws is not a good way to deal with a labor shortage. I prefer raising wages and improving working conditions so more adults will return to the workforce. Instead, Iowa has joined Arkansas and several other states in permitting teens to work more. I find that worrisome and a reversal of a century of progress.

I suppose I'll get to the coronation of King Charles III in a future post, but I'd rather have my readers follow me over the jump for a retrospective about all the political posts from the back catalog I haven't already covered.

PBS NewsHour and CNBC update marijuana legalization for a Throwback Thursday on 4/20

Happy Throwback Thursday on 4/20! For today's update on marijuana legalization, I'm sharing two videos on the subject, beginning with PBS NewsHour telling its viewers WATCH: Weed is legal in New York, but the illegal market is still booming. Here’s why.

Marijuana is now legal in New York, and the first dispensaries recently opened up. Legalization in the state goes beyond just how to purchase marijuana — it also carries hopes for social justice, as the first stores are run by either non-profits, or those impacted by the previous prohibition of cannabis.

But New York is grappling with the nationwide growing pains associated with turning an entrenched illegal market into a legal industry. The PBS NewsHour spoke to three marijuana industry experts to explore how New York’s booming illegal marketplace could hurt those hopes for social justice, and the nationwide struggle to move marijuana consumers to the legal market.

While I am still optimistic about marijuana legalization following in the tracks of marriage equality, it's frustrating that it's such a patchwork and federal decriminalization/legalization still hasn't happened.

CNBC examined the situation on the other side of the Hudson River in Inside New Jersey’s Legal Weed Boom.

As marijuana legalization spreads, states are looking at different ways to ensure those most affected by decades of racially biased anti-drug policies have a leg up.

Under a special program, New Jersey prioritizes granting licenses to dispensaries run by people with marijuana convictions on their records.

Lawmakers hope that by making equity a cornerstone of their newly legalized markets, those who dealt marijuana in the illegal, or “legacy,” market will be persuaded to go legit.

Looks like the illegal market may be coming around, but it's not there yet. At least both New York and New Jersey are thinking about reversing some of the harm from the previous legal regime.

Follow over the jump for a brief retrospective about last year's top post on the topic.

Fox and Dominion settle — silly to serious reactions from Colbert, CNN, and MSNBC

The Fox News-Dominion lawsuit ended with a settlement yesterday. I found that slightly disappointing, despite the huge sum Fox News agreed to pay Dominion. I'm not alone. Listen to the studio audience when Stephen Colbert told them the news in Fox Settles Suit, Begins Damage Control | DeSantis Attacks Disney Again | George Santos Needs Cash.*

After settling with Dominion for $787.5 million, Fox News will not have to acknowledge its election lies on the air. Elsewhere, Florida’s governor won’t stop attacking his state’s biggest employer, and New York congressman George Santos launched fundraising efforts for his re-election campaign.

They groaned. Both Stephen and his audience wanted a trial and they didn't get it. They wanted Fox to be humiliated publicly and to be entertained while watching it and now they're not going to get it. They're not alone. Watch and listen to CNN's panel this morning in CNN anchor worked at Fox for 16 years. Hear why she thinks Fox got out of Dominion lawsuit easy.

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, who previously worked at Fox News for 16 years, weighs in on the settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, explaining why she thinks Fox received the "best outcome" it could have hoped for.

This is probably the best outcome both companies could have achieved — Dominion gets the money while Fox doesn't have to publicly retract its statements on air — but not a good result for truth or democracy. Unfortunately, neither truth nor democracy are parties to the suit.

The panelists on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" had even more to say about the settlement in Danny Cevallos: The Dominion, Fox case was always going to settle.

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787.5 million settlement agreement Tuesday afternoon, the parties announced, narrowly heading off a trial shortly after the jury was sworn in. The Morning Joe panel discusses.

I've been in a defamation suit before and found that Cevallos is right the hard way; defamation claims are almost impossible to prove, trials are best avoided, and many potential defendants are essentially judgment-proof. So while I'm a bit disappointed that the case settled, I'm not surprised. Also, this is only the first legal action to reach a resolution; there are more to come, so Fox will likely pay out a lot more money, even if it never ends up making a retraction on air.

I conclude with Joe on the Dominion, Fox lawsuit: This is an American tragedy.

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reached a $787.5 million settlement agreement Tuesday afternoon. The Morning Joe panel discusses the outcome.

Like the CNN panel, Scarborough connected the suit to both the Big Lie and to January 6th. Fox News' lies not only harmed democracy and the truth, they led the participants in the failed coup attempt to harm themselves. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for them.

I have a brief retrospective planned for 4/20 on Throwback Thursday tomorrow. Stay tuned.

*I need to follow up on DeSantis's reaction to Disney subverting DeSantis's replacement for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney World's own government; he's making himself look even worse while getting liberals to side with a big corporation. Nice trick, but not the one he's trying to pull. Finally, my prediction that, as long as George Santos remains in the news, he will be an inspiration for comedy continues to come true.

Jordan Klepper on the NRA Convention, Clarence Thomas, and AOC

It's Tuesday, so it's time for some late-night comedy. I'm leading off today with Jordan Klepper Recaps The NRA Convention & Clarence Thomas's Corruption Scandal | The Daily Show.

Jordan Klepper takes the guest host seat to talk about the NRA Convention craziness, including Kristi Noem's 2-year-old granddaughter toting a gun, and Clarence Thomas's corrupt dealings with billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow.

Klepper opened with Justice Thomas's unreported vacations paid for by Harlan Crow, but guns and violence will be a recurring theme throughout this post, as all three videos examine the topic, including the next one I'm embedding, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Klepper on Trump, Clarence Thomas & Ending Violence | The Daily Show.

Jordan Klepper and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez meet at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx to discuss a program that addresses violence as a public health issue, as well as her take on Clarence Thomas accepting luxury gifts, the attack on abortion rights, and Donald Trump's indictment.

I enjoyed this interview of AOC. People who think she has no substance haven't listened to her. Instead, they're engaging with the imaginary woman in their heads, much like Clint Eastwood yelling at an empty chair was engaging with an imaginary Obama.  As for her introducing articles of impeachment against Thomas, I wish her luck. She'll need it.

Should he be impeached, convicted, and removed? It doesn't matter, because the Republican House majority will never vote to impeach Thomas. We'll have to wait until 2025 for a Democratic majority. Even then, I doubt the Senate would convict, even if the Democrats retain their majority. We'll just have to outlast him. Sigh.

That doesn't mean it isn't worth trying. I just don't think it will succeed.

Klepper previewed and promoted his guest hosting stint on "The Daily Show" on MSNBC with Jen Psaki interviewing him in Jordan Klepper on going inside the MAGA movement.

Jordan Klepper, a contributor for 'The Daily Show', joins Jen Psaki to discuss his time at gun conventions and what he's learned from his conversations with MAGA supporters.

Good insights, especially about not being able to change people's minds about who they are. As the saying goes, you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

I'm finishing by saying that Klepper is doing great so far. I'm looking forward to the rest of the week, especially his interview of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Go, Big Gretch!

Vox explains 'How America’s richest donate their money' for tax season

I closed CNBC explains 'Why The IRS Is Still Struggling To Fund The Government' for Tax Day by telling my readers "I plan on following that with another post about taxes, since the tax filing deadline is really April 18th." While the title of How America’s richest donate their money is about charity, it's really about taxes. Don't believe me? Watch.

Billionaires don’t give the same way we do.
...
Every year, publications like Forbes release lists detailing the generosity of society’s richest philanthropists. But the raw numbers of their donations don’t tell the whole story of how ultra-wealthy charitable giving tends to work. We took that data and put it on a big chart that highlights exactly how much of each billionaire’s personal wealth is going toward charitable giving.

This video outlines how wealth inequality creates a distorted view of the generosity of America’s billionaires. We examine the causes their money goes to support, like education and public health. And we break down the actual methods they use to move massive amounts of donated money around, like foundations and secretive donor-advised funds.

Measuring wealth and philanthropic giving is difficult and subjective. We relied on Forbes’s specific methodology for our chart, but lists like the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “The Philanthropy 50” use their own methods.

So, giving to foundations and donor-advised funds gives the donors immediate tax benefits, but delayed benefits to the eventual recipients. I didn't know that before watching this video, but I'm not surprised. I also didn't know that the income levels of people reporting charitable giving had changed over the past 30 years, changing the institutions that benefited from donations. One of the patterns I noted was that the relative contributions of the wealthy jumped in 2018. I wouldn't be surprised if that was a result of the 2017 tax bill, which disincentived itemizing deductions for middle- and low-income Americans, while preserving the utility of itemizing deductions for the wealthy. Vox didn't mention that, but it makes sense to me.

Finally, it's always a good day when I learn something new, even if it's not always pleasing. I hope my readers agree.

Classified documents leak headlines 'Weekend Update' on 'SNL'

Happy Sunday! I begin the highlights of last night's "Saturday Night Live" episode with Weekend Update: Trump Claims Police Cried at His Arrest, Biden Downplays Pentagon Documents Leak.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the suspect in the Pentagon classified document leak getting arrested.

I begin my reaction by being a good environmentalist and recycling one of my comments from Colbert's monologue examined security leaks, Justice Thomas, and Tennessee expelling two legislators.

[T]his is the kind of bad behavior that might have induced [Discord] to change its privacy policy (H/T Infidel753). The participants in 2017's Weimar moment in Charlottesville used Discord to organize as well. I should research this change, but I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that Discord made it either at the behest of law enforcement or to discourage people from using its service for criminal activity — maybe both.

This story reminds me that I run a Discord server for this blog and one of my New Year's resolutions was to get more users. I have to do some more work with roles and channels first. Still, if you're interested, leave a comment below or send me a message on Facebook through the Crazy Eddie's Motie News page.

Readers interested in my Discord can also follow the Crazy Eddie's Motie News account on Twitter and send me a message for an invite. I'm not opening up my messages to just anyone!

I observed that "MSNBC has been all over...a ruling reversing the FDA's approval of mifepristone, which I don't recall 'Saturday Night Live' mentioning in the clips I shared yesterday. Huh..." in James Austin Johnson's 'Trump' hijacks the Last Supper on 'SNL' for Easter. I'm glad they finally got around to making a joke about it, even if the situation isn't all that funny. I also wrote "I'll get to that story later." I will, but it's still developing.

As for The Former Guy including the detail about people, particularly, "big, strong men," crying, I consider it a tell that he's BSing or lying (there is a difference, but both involve not telling the truth) right up with with them addressing him as "Sir." Not only that, but both also mark this as a story in service to his ego and image. Don't believe any story that contains either.

Weekend Update continued with NYC Hires First-Ever "Rat Czar," Rescuers Save Lost Hikers on Mushrooms.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the New York City Department of Sanitation releasing a new campaign.

All those stories were hilarious and nearly all the punch lines were in bad taste. SNL's writers would probably take that as a compliment.

Follow over the jump for the rest of Weekend Update, the host's monologue, and the cold open.

CNBC explains 'Why The IRS Is Still Struggling To Fund The Government' for Tax Day

"Happy" Tax Day, at least for my readers in the U.S.! I'm observing the day by sharing CNBC explaining Why The IRS Is Still Struggling To Fund The Government.

The Internal Revenue Service brings in approximately 96% of the federal government’s funding every year. In fiscal year 2021 alone, the IRS collected $4.1 trillion dollars in gross taxes. But funding for the agency declined by more than 20% between 2010 through 2019 when adjusted for inflation. This budget squeeze corresponded with a decline in tax audit rates across all income brackets, with the highest earners seeing the largest percent change. In August 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which set aside nearly $80 billion for the IRS to be used over the next 10 years. Watch the video above to learn more about how the IRS works and how budget cuts have affected the agency.

Why am I not surprised that the "Satan Sandwich" budget sequestration deal and 2017 tax bill both played major parts in the shrinking of the IRS, that the Inflation Reduction Act is restoring that lost funding and staffing, and that the Republicans in Congress are seeking to reverse the IRA's increased funding of the IRS as part of raising the debt ceiling? Because I've been watching Washington long enough to see history rhyme, if not repeat. The situation resembles 2011 with a Democratic President and Senate and a Republican House, and the "Satan Sandwich" came out of that. Ugh. May we not get what I feared twelve years ago, when I channeled Monty Hall.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for today’s Big Deal. Today’s Big Winner can keep the sugar-coated Satan sandwich he just won, or he can trade it in for what’s behind our three doors. Behind one of them is a clean raising of the debt ceiling and the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Behind another is a balanced budget amendment. Behind the third is a sovereign default. So, Big Winner, will you keep your prize, or trade it in for what’s behind Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3? Which do you choose?”

I followed up the next day by writing "We decided to keep the Satan Sandwich...Maybe next time we'll pick what's behind Door #3." Good lord, I hope not, but it looks more likely than a dozen years ago.

Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature in the form of the highlights of tonight's "Saturday Night Live" episode. I plan on following that with another post about taxes, since the tax filing deadline is really April 18th. In the meantime, I leave my readers the following meme, which I use whenever the U.S. is about to bump its head on the debt ceiling.

PBS Terra asks 'Can Green Energy Make The Grid SAFER?'

Happy Flashback Friday during Earth Month! The themes of today's retrospective are climate change, energy, infrastructure, and technology — connections! Before I review last year's top posts on those topics, I'm sharing a video that covers all of them, PBS Terra asking Can Green Energy Make The Grid SAFER?

The climate community has gotten pretty loud about telling us that we need to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which is fast approaching. And in order to do this, we’re going to need to electrify pretty much everything and green the grid. But this raises some pretty big questions. What will this clean, green future look like? Can we pull off this massive transition in time before some seriously dire tipping points are reached? And will our power grid even be able to handle it, considering how much more extreme our weather is getting due to climate change?

In this episode of Weathered, we speak to four different experts about this topic and dig as deep as we can to answer the question posed by the title: is the clean energy transition even possible with all this weather?

Last year, PBS Terra asked 'Could The Next Blackout Be More Deadly Than Katrina?' That was the DOOM video. This year, the channel offered some hope. I'm glad to share it, especially given all of the scary climate and energy news that my readers found compelling during the twelfth year of this blog. Follow over the jump for those stories and how they got their readers.

'Adam Driver asks NASA about asteroids' for Apophis Day

Happy Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space! I begin today's entry with Adam Driver Asks NASA About Asteroids.

The dinosaurs went extinct by an asteroid impact many years ago. Here at NASA and around the world, there are teams of experts making sure we can actually do something about it if an asteroid were to ever threaten Earth. We’re studying these rocky, airless remnants to better understand the early formation of our solar system.

“65” actor Adam Driver and NASA Planetary Defender Kelly Fast discuss how we find, track, and monitor near-Earth asteroids, as well as test technologies that could one day be used to prevent a potential impact, should a hazardous asteroid be discovered in the future. The duo also talks about the OSIRIS-REx mission and the asteroid sample the spacecraft will bring to Earth this September.

I enjoyed this cross-promotion of the "65" movie, which I will probably write more about when the next Saturn Awards come around, with NASA's planetary defense work. Star power!

For a slightly more serious take, watch last month's NASA's DART Mission Confirms Crashing Spacecraft into Asteroids Can Deflect Them.

Since NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully impacted its target on Sept. 26, 2022 – altering the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by a whopping 33 minutes – the DART team has determined that the mission's kinetic impactor technique can be an effective way to change the trajectory of an asteroid.

These findings were published in four papers in the journal Nature on March 1, 2023.

Between yesterday's Stephen Colbert interviews the Artemis II crew for Yuri's Night and today's entry, I've covered two of the top space stories in 2022 has been another great year in space. DART has been as successful in its own way as the James Webb Space Telescope, the top science story of 2022. Here's to hoping humanity builds on DART's success so "Don't Look Up" remains fiction.

I conclude today's entry with this meme I got from my friend Nebris to remind my readers of the importance of a space program to protect against threats coming from outside the planet.


Stay tuned for a Flashback Friday retrospective tomorrow.

Stephen Colbert interviews the Artemis II crew for Yuri's Night

Happy Yuri's Night AKA International Day for Human Space Flight! As I wrote seven years ago, this is the day of the year when I celebrate the promise of space. I'm celebrating this year by sharing Stephen Colbert interviewing the Artemis II crew, beginning with Why We’re Going Back to the Moon - NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Astronauts.

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II moon mission, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, join Stephen Colbert to discuss how they’re preparing for their mission, and why they have their sights set on Mars as the next frontier for human exploration. Stick around for more with the Artemis II crew!

That's a great statement of purpose from the commander along with fun and informative responses from the rest of the crew. Stephen helped by asking good questions in the middle of geeking out over the astronauts.

Stephen and the Artemis II crew returned in The Overview Effect: Seeing Earth with the Whole Universe in the Background.

Christina Koch, appearing with her Artemis II mission crewmates Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen, tells Stephen about the flood of emotions that can accompany an astronaut’s view of Earth from space, a sensation that is known as The Overview Effect.

I think this was a successful PR appearance for the astronauts and they deserved their "mission patches" from "The Late Show" for a job well done. Now, for the actual mission next year.

I conclude with Artemis II: Meet the Astronauts Who will Fly Around the Moon (Official NASA Video).

Four astronauts have been selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission: Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.

I like this video both for its information and its dramatic photography. It works for me!

As I promised, I didn't miss Yuri's Night this year! Now stay tuned for Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space.

Colbert's monologue examined security leaks, Justice Thomas, and Tennessee expelling two legislators

I opened MSNBC interviews ProPublica about Justice Thomas's unreported vacations paid for by Harlan Crow with a reminder.

I left a note for myself in the middle of James Austin Johnson's 'Trump' hijacks the Last Supper on 'SNL' for Easter when I wrote "This clip covered lots of news, including Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni taking trips on Harlan Crow's yacht and the expulsion of two Tennessee legislators for protesting gun violence, that I should blog about."

Stephen Colbert examined both of those topics and more in Top-Secret Pentagon Docs Leak | Clarence Thomas Didn’t Report Gifts | Tennessee GOP Denies Racism.

Leaks of government intelligence reports have created a full-blown international crisis, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appears compromised by decades of undisclosed luxury gifts from a Hitler-loving GOP donor, and the Republican-led legislature in Tennessee claims race played no factor in the expulsion of two Black lawmakers.

After sharing MSNBC's serious takes on Clarence Thomas and his suspect ethics yesterday, it was time I found some humor in the situation. It was also time I devoted some blogging space to the antics of the Tennessee legislature. As for Discord, this is the kind of bad behavior that might have induced the service to change its privacy policy (H/T Infidel753). The participants in 2017's Weimar moment in Charlottesville used Discord to organize as well. I should research this change, but I wouldn't be surprised if I found out that Discord made it either at the behest of law enforcement or to discourage people from using its service for criminal activity — maybe both.

This story reminds me that I run a Discord server for this blog and one of my New Year's resolutions was to get more users. I have to do some more work with roles and channels first. Still, if you're interested, leave a comment below or send me a message on Facebook through the Crazy Eddie's Motie News page.

Stay tuned, as I plan on returning tomorrow with Colbert interviewing the Artemis II crew for Yuri's Night. I won't miss it this year!

MSNBC interviews ProPublica about Justice Thomas's unreported vacations paid for by Harlan Crow

I left a note for myself in the middle of James Austin Johnson's 'Trump' hijacks the Last Supper on 'SNL' for Easter when I wrote "This clip covered lots of news, including Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni taking trips on Harlan Crow's yacht and the expulsion of two Tennessee legislators for protesting gun violence, that I should blog about." MSNBC has been all over both stories, as well as a ruling reversing the FDA's approval of mifepristone, which I don't recall "Saturday Night Live" mentioning in the clips I shared yesterday. Huh. I'll get to that story later. Right now, I'm concentrating on Thomas not reporting Crow's hospitality, beginning with MSNBC's latest upload to YouTube covering it, Bombshell Thomas reporting renews call for SCOTUS reform.

ProPublica's Jesse Eisinger joins Katie Phang to break down the stunning report examining Justice Clarence Thomas' lavish, globe-trotting vacations and who actually paid the bill.

That was the editor who oversaw the story. To see and hear the reporter who wrote it, watch ProPublica: Justice Thomas' decades long friendship with Republican donor from last Friday.

According to the report, for more than 20 years, Clarence Thomas has been gifted luxury trips by billionaire businessman Harlan Crow. None have appeared on his financial disclosures. Justin Elliott -- one of the reporters who broke the story -- joins to explain it all.

I'm recycling a passage from CNBC examines 'How The Supreme Court May Threaten Democracy' for the first part of my reaction.

[T]he Supreme Court needs more accountability and transparency. I'm less clear about which reforms Congress can and should implement. The bills for a greater transparency and compliance with ethics rules would certainly be a good start.

That's the long-term structural response to this incident, which shows that these proposed reforms are definitely needed. The short-term response is to ask what to do about Justice Thomas. Should he resign? Abe Fortas resigned for something similar although involving less money, even after inflation. Will he? Ha! No, not unless the situation gets much worse for Justice and Mrs. Thomas. Should he be impeached, convicted, and removed? It doesn't matter, because the Republican House majority will never vote to impeach Thomas. We'll have to wait until 2025 for a Democratic majority. Even then, I doubt the Senate would convict, even if the Democrats retain their majority. We'll just have to outlast him. Sigh.

James Austin Johnson's 'Trump' hijacks The Last Supper on 'SNL' for Easter

Happy Easter! I'm opening today's holiday post with Trump Easter Cold Open - SNL.

Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) interrupts a recreation of The Last Supper.

Even a fictional version of The Former Guy couldn't resist making it all about himself. Also, "Saturday Night Live" couldn't resist making fun of TFG's arraignment and the reaction to it, both in the cold open and as the featured story in Weekend Update: Donald Trump's Arraignment, Marjorie Taylor Greene Slams NYC - SNL.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Ron DeSantis signing a bill that allows Florida residents to carry concealed guns without a permit.

This clip covered lots of news, including Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni taking trips on Harlan Crow's yacht and the expulsion of two Tennessee legislators for protesting gun violence, that I should blog about. In the meantime, I'm glad I mentioned them here; they deserve attention.

Weekend Update wasn't done with Ron DeSantis or the NCAA Women's Basketball championship, but only after Weekend Update: Rupert Murdoch Calls Off Engagement, Pope Francis Praises Sex - SNL.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like a YouTuber getting shot in a mall after recording a prank video.

I already have a post planned for the Artemis II astronaut announcement for Yuri's Night. I won't miss it this year!

DeSantis's reaction to Disney subverting DeSantis's replacement for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney World's own government provided the premise for Weekend Update: Jafar on Ron DeSantis ' Attacks on Disney - SNL.

Jafar (Bowen Yang) stops by Weekend Update to discuss Ron DeSantis stepping up his attacks on Disney.

*snort* I hope 'SNL' submits that to the Television Academy for Bowen Yang's third Emmy nomination. He gave DeSantis what he DeServed.

The NCAA Women's Basketball championship returned to Weekend Update: LSU's Angel Reese on Her White House Invitation - SNL.

Angel Reese (Punkie Johnson) stops by Weekend Update to discuss being invited to the White House after LSU's win over Iowa in the NCAA women's basketball championship.

This segment and the previous one both qualify this entry as the Sunday entertainment feature.

Normally I'd skip the last segment of Weekend Update, but I found Co-Worker Who's Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing on Returning to the Office so hilarious that I'm embedding it.

A co-worker who's extremely busy doing seemingly nothing (Heidi Gardner) stops by Weekend Update to discuss Americans returning to the office in person.

Welcome to post-pandemic work life.

I close the highlights section of this entry with CNN App - SNL.

A commercial advertises an app where reporters detail Trump's indictment and arrest in a new way.

As I first wrote in 'SNL' on Thanksgiving and repeated in 'SNL' shares scary news for Halloween 2022, "This clip serves as another demonstration of the commercials parodies being one of the best parts of 'SNL.' When they're on, they're on, and this one was ON!"

Follow over the jump for the retrospective of the most read holiday posts from the back catalog that I promised in PBS Eons and SciShow on Piltdown Man for April Fools Day, a Science Saturday holiday special.

Vox explains 'The Trump investigations you should actually care about'

The Former Guy is facing legal jeopardy beyond his indictment and arraignment in New York. Vox lists and explains all of the criminal cases in The Trump investigations you should actually care about.

The four criminal investigations into the former president, explained...

Donald Trump is now the first former US President to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

This case involves hush money that Trump’s lawyer paid to an alleged former sexual partner. But it’s actually just one of four criminal investigations into the former president. The other three investigations focus on his behavior after the 2020 presidential election.

A Georgia team is examining Trump’s efforts to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” more Trump votes after the votes had been counted and Raffensperger had declared Joe Biden the winner.

Federal special prosecutor Jack Smith is heading up the other two investigations. One group is looking at the Trump team’s attempts to persuade officials in a handful of states where Biden won not to certify his victory, and instead to claim Trump won the state despite the vote counts.
The other federal investigation is focused on classified documents that Trump brought with him from the White House to his Florida estate after losing the 2020 election. According to reports from the Washington Post and the New York Times, when the FBI searched his estate in August 2022, they found documents related to nuclear weapons, as well as files containing information that could put US informants in the field in danger.

As president, Trump didn’t just say outrageous things, he acted in unprecedented ways. Now that he’s out of office, investigators in a variety of jurisdictions are trying to figure out if he broke the law, too.

As I wrote, "New York today, Georgia and the Federal Government tomorrow. Stay tuned."

Since three of the investigations are about election interfererence, broadly construed, follow over the jump for a retrospective of the top posts about the 2022 election.

Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Indictment for Flashback Friday

Happy Flashback Friday! Before I look back at the top posts from last year about today's topic, I'm returning to Trump's indictment and arraignment with The Daily Show's Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Indictment.

We made Desi Lydic watch Fox News and chug Logan Paul's energy drink for six days straight so she could explain what's really going on with Trump's indictment.

Thank you, Desi, for watching Fox News so the rest of us don't have to.

I can see why Desi Lydic earned an Emmy nomination for for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for "Desi Lydic Foxsplains." She put on quite a performance. Here's to hoping she receives another nomination. In the meantime, I'm recycling what I wrote about the first post that featured "Desi Lydic Foxsplains," which was also the most read entry about awards show nominations.

The most read entry about January 6th during the blogging year just ended did not feature Colbert. Instead it was Desi Lydic, an Emmy-nominated performer, Foxsplains the January 6th Committee Hearings, written on August 8, 2022. It was the number one post of August 2022, earning ~1,860 default and 2,114 raw page views that month after I shared it at the Coffee Party USA Facebook page. It continued gaining page views, ending calendar year 2022 with ~2,110 default and 2,201 raw page views, and blogging year twelve with the same ~2,110 default but 2,228 raw page views, good enough to rank fifth according to default page views, sixth among entries posted during the previous blogging year and seventh overall accoring to raw page views. It was also one of three pins from the current blogging year saved during September 2022. Look for me to recycle this paragraph when I write about top posts covering awards shows.

It was also the most read entry about awards show nominations. I like posts that do double duty!

Follow over the jump for a retrospective about the rest of last year's most read entries about awards shows.