A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
I'm looking ahead to tomorrow night's Vice Presidential debate for the final entry of September as well as following through on telling my readers to "Stay tuned for two or three posts about Emmy Award winners, another topic that will be good to share next month" with The Daily Show's Emmy Awards. Nothing like two birds with one stone!
People think vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is nice. But is he... too nice? From his dangerously folksy upbringing, to the National Guard, to teaching America's future enemies in China, Tim Walz's "nice" act isn't fooling anyone. This is the Dailyshowography of Tim Walz.
*Snort* No matter how hard The Daily Show's writers try to make Tim Walz look sinister by imitating a right-wing attack ad, his niceness shines through.
JD Vance grew up in a community of forgotten men and women. He left it behind for an Ivy League education and a career as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, before leaving that behind for a career as a never-Trump literary success, and then leaving that behind to become Trump's running mate. How did it all happen? This is The DailyShowography of JD Vance: The Forgettin' Man #DailyShow #JDVance #DailyShowography
On the other hand, Vance's opportunism and misogyny shine right through this satirical biography. As for Hillbilly Elegy, it's one of the rare films that earned both Oscar and Razzie nominations. While I'm not sure about Glenn Close's Razzie nomination (fortunately, she didn't win), I am sure about Worst Screenplay, which earned Vanessa Taylor, but not Vance, a nomination. I think leaving Vance off the nomination was an oversight.
Who is Tim Walz, and why is he putting tampons in the boys' bathroom? Desi Lydic has taken a break from watching Fox News in her Cybertruck and is ready to Foxsplain Kamala Harris's running mate.
I'm rolling my eyes at all the Faux Noise scaremongering over China. I think having a Vice President who speaks the language and understands the culture would be a good thing.
May the better man win tomorrow night's debate and I'm pretty sure Walz is the better man.
News anchor David Muir (Andrew Dismukes) checks in with Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph), Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan), Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg), Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), JD Vance (Bowen Yang) and Joe Biden (Dana Carvey) at Harris' and Trump's campaign rallies.
That was a hilarious contrast between the two campaigns portrayed by an all-star cast for the speaking roles! Welcome back! The audience, including me, missed you this summer!
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like SNL kicking off its 50th season and New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams indictments.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a scientists (sic) saying an asteroid will become earth’s mini moon.
John Oliver discusses why disability benefits can be hard to get and easy to lose, how getting them can turn people’s lives upside down, and why John fucking hates mimes. Ya, you heard us. John Oliver fucking hates mimes. Spread the word.
Project 2025 and Trump on Social Security and Medicare concentrated on retirement benefits and found no explicit cuts to them, but did find proposals that would likely weaken the services and implicitly cut them, like raising the retirement age. On the other hand, the fact-checkers did find explicit cuts to Medicaid, which ties into disability benefits, as people on Social Security Disability use Medicaid. However, the sources I found said nothing about Social Security Disability Insurance. After watching this video, I'm having a hard time imagining how it could be made worse, but I know it can be. It's bad enough that 2011's Satan Sandwich is still being served, which earned this entry the anti-austerity label. I think it's time to take that off the menu and increase the asset cap and revise the job list. 1977 was nearly 50 years ago.
On a more personal note, watching the PSA with the mime reminds me that I'm planning on retiring within two years. I'd better find my card or get a replacement by then — another item to add to the to-do list!
In this episode we're joined by a leading political scientist to help us figure out the complex psychological and social factors that motivate us to vote… or not to. We discuss how and why our decision whether or not to vote might not be a rational one. And why it is important to understand that. And why it’s important to vote!
Visit Vote.gov to learn how and when to register and vote.
Hearing Hanson and Donald Green discuss how rational choice theory fails to explain why so many people do vote reminds me of an exercise I do with my students that makes the point that a significant number of scientific disciplines use the comparative method and/or modeling to test hypotheses instead of the experimental method. I ask them to name scientific disciplines and then raise fingers on my right hand if those disciplines primarily use the experimental method and fingers on my left hand. Almost every time I lead that exercise, someone mentions a field of knowledge that I don't consider science, usually astrology, which the students confuse with astronomy. Hey, they're only off by a few centuries; the two were connected to each other, if not the same discipline, until the Renaissance through Enlightenment.*
Occasionally, a student will mention economics. My response is that economics has the potential to be science, but I think its subject matter, money, motivates rich and powerful people to try to influence the ideas being examined, the methods, and the results in ways that hinder the field actually being or even becoming a science. This relates to the second and third objections to economics being a science Investopedia lists in Is Economics a Science?
Economics is generally regarded as a social science, although some critics of the field argue that it falls short of the definition of a science for a number of reasons, including a lack of testable hypotheses, lack of consensus, and inherent political overtones.
I think economics has testable hypotheses that economists examine through the comparative method and especially modeling, although I think the models and assumptions behind them have issues. One of those assumptions is the rational choice theory, which fails to explain voter turnout. I should probably add that to the reasons I tell my students why I don't consider economics to not yet be a science. As it is, I already tell them that anyone performing experiments in economics is really doing psychology, which I do consider to be a science.* Notice that psychology provided a satisfactory answer to why people vote when economics couldn't.
That's a wrap for today's subject, the science of elections. Stay tuned for two or three posts about Emmy Award winners, another topic that will be good to share next month.
*Those would be good subjects for their own posts, but not today.
Usually portrayed as a lanky man wearing a long-handled pot on his head and spreading apple seeds, the real Johnny Appleseed was a shrewd businessman and religious zealot who played an important role in U.S. westward expansion effort. The History Guy explores the reality underlying the character of American folklore. This is the forgotten history of the man, John Chapman, behind the legend of Johnny Appleseed.
Did you ever learn the story of Johnny Appleseed as a child? What did he actually do for the growth of apples in America, and what has this taught us about apple genetics? Join Olivia Gordon for a new apple-tastic episode of SciShow!
First history, then science. That's very much my spin on things.
I conclude by repeating what I'm fond of writing, that I learned a lot from these videos and it's always a good day when I learn something new, so today is already a good day. I hope my readers agree.
This video was inspired by the episodes from Wild Hope, like The Frog Ark about Panamanian frogs, and One Golden Chance about the story behind the golden lion tamarin recovery. Watch those episodes now, and many more from Wild Hope, right here on YouTube-or follow @wildhopetv on Instagram to discover countless more stories of changemakers working to restore biodiversity around the globe. Change is closer than you think.
Even when a species has officially gone extinct, there's sometimes still hope of saving it. Scientists keep insurance populations of endangered animals all over the world with the goal of one day reintroducing them to the wild.
Many of the world's most beloved frogs and amphibians are headed for extinction, but inside "The Ark" in Panama, some of those threatened species are given a fighting chance. Using innovative technology and breakthrough genetics, researchers have ignited a cadre of solutions to save these rare and cherished species.
The Ark at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama houses hundreds of large, captive communities of frogs, some of which no longer exist in the wild. Here, scientists hope to bring these species back from the brink of extinction and solve the world's worst wildlife pandemic: an amphibian-killing fungus known as chytrid.
In a quarantined lab, these biologists bathe frogs in fungicide and hope to spark a viable immune response from the captive animals. Meanwhile, in the field, other researchers use artificial intelligence to listen to frog songs and identify so-called "lost frogs" that survive chytrid in the wild - any of which may hold the key to fighting the disease. Safeguarding a future for frogs isn't easy, but these tactics in Panama have been so successful that they're being replicated in facilities across the globe. The effort may seem monumental, but the safety and preservation of amphibians worldwide hangs in the balance.
This video is a bit on the long side, but I find it both informative and inspiring enough to show my biology students later this semester, when I lecture on chytrid fungi and the effects it has on amphibians. It also reinforces a point I've already made to them, that amphibians are already at the most risk of mass extinction for any group of vertebrates. Only cycads exceed them among major groups of organisms in danger of extinction, another fact I've shared with my biology students. Should I show this video to my biology students, it will become another example of blogging as professional development.
The golden lion tamarin stands as a beacon of hope and survival in the face of extinction after an outbreak of yellow fever led to a loss of nearly a third of their wild population.
In the 1970s, their population dwindled to fewer than 200 individuals. However, a decades-long captive breeding program, spanning 150 zoos globally, successfully reversed their decline. This journey continued as over 800,000 native trees were planted, establishing vital forest corridors to reconnect fragmented landscapes within the unique Atlantic Forest, their sole habitat on Earth.
Regrettably, a recent yellow fever outbreak led to a significant loss of over 1,000 tamarins, imperiling a meticulously managed genetic recovery program. Fortunately, virologist Marcos da Silva Freire pioneered a groundbreaking approach. He rapidly adapted a human vaccine to inoculate almost 400 tamarins, a pioneering endeavor among wild animals. Today, the tamarin population has soared to 4,800 individuals, nearly doubling their numbers before the yellow fever outbreak. This journey from the brink of extinction to recovery exemplifies the potential of conservation and scientific intervention, providing renewed hope for this iconic species' future.
People tend to focus on the Amazonrainforest, but Brazil's coastal rainforest is even more endangered. I first heard about it 35 years ago when I moved to Michigan and the professor of the first class I was a teaching assistant for described how one tree species was saved because it served as a good shade tree for coffee plantations. Otherwise, it would have been logged and possibly exterminated. That's a story someone told me when I was a student.
Despite the profound changes we’ve made here in recent history, the epic saga of Los Angeles' natural history is still visible - and even striking - if you know where and how to look for it.
This video has even more geology than paleontology, which is probably why Sage shared it and reacted to it for her audience. I'm glad I passed this on to her. It also gave me an opportunity to revisit Rancho La Brea, which I haven't done in detail here since Kunstler, K-Dog, and I discuss prehistoric mammals for Darwin Day... That post featured the second video I shared. Watch it there. As for the third, stay tuned. I'm being a good environmentalist and conserving my resources for a future entry.
This video was inspired by the episode from Wild Hope: The Great Ocean Cleanup. Watch that episode now, and many more from Wild Hope, right here on YouTube – or follow @wildhopetv on Instagram to discover countless more stories of changemakers working to restore biodiversity around the globe. Change is closer than you think.
We've all heard about microplastics, but where do they come from? And what can we do about ocean plastics? We'll follow a single water bottle on its journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and beyond.
Inventor Boyan Slat is on a mission to rid oceans of plastic. His team at The Ocean Cleanup designs and deploys systems that pull trash from the open ocean. Now, he’s stopping the pollution at its source: rivers where plastic is easier to catch, like those in Kingston Harbor, Jamaica.
Each year an estimated four million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans, killing thousands of marine creatures and accumulating up the food chain. The plastic gathers in five massive ocean gyres, the largest of which, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, holds 87,000 tons of trash. After years of research, The Ocean Cleanup has created a system that removes 7000 kilograms of trash from the sea every day and a half; the team aims to remove 90% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2040.
But plastics keep flowing into the ocean, largely from the world’s polluted rivers. In Jamaica, Boyan’s team has teamed up with Alecia Beaufort and a local group cleaning up their waterways. Together, they’ve deployed a new system to trap plastic at the source as it flows downriver during a storm. Their success has inspired others to join the effort, creating a virtuous cycle of citizen action.
While I thought SciShow's video to be informative, I felt Wild Hope's video to be inspiring. Both thought and emotion are necessary for people to act, so I'm glad I found both videos to inspire myself and readers to act.
Since plastic pollution is as much a problem for rivers as it is for oceans, consider today's post to be a late celebration of World Rivers Day.
Every year on the fourth Sunday in September, World Rivers Day highlights the many values of rivers and streams. It’s also a day to encourage the improved stewardship of rivers around the world.
Here's to remembering to celebrate World Rivers Day on time next year. That shouldn't be difficult, as it will fall on a dayspecial to me.
That's a wrap for today's topic. Stay tuned for another entry worth sharing in October tomorrow.
I enjoyed Robert's recounting of hobbit history, even though I didn't learn much new from it; I've been watching his videos since I found his recaps of Westworld nearly eight years ago, so I've heard much of it before, scattered among various videos. Just the same, I hope my readers learned something new from it. Also, as long as I've been watching Robert's content, I'm surprised I haven't shared it here before. That's nearly as astounding as not sharing NativLang's videos until La Llorona and Malinche, two connected tales for Day of the Dead. It was about time.
About The Rings of Power Season 2: Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.
Season 1 earned Emmy nominations for Main Title Design and Main Title Theme music. It lost the first to The Last of Us and the second to Wednesday. This is a different enough title sequence that it could be nominated again next year. It worked forWestworld, twice!
Depending on the eligibility period, I expect The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power to be nominated for Best Fantasy Television Series at the next Saturn Awards. Its first season lost to Wednesday and I think it will lose to House of the Dragon at the upcoming ceremony, whenever that will be.
Contrary to online claims, Project 2025 doesn’t call for ending Social Security benefits. But the Heritage Foundation has advocated for changes to the program.
By fact-checking for "eliminating Social Security benefits," Verify minimizes the risk to the program and its beneficiaries. To their credit, they do point out that people behind Project 2025 have advocated raising the retirement age and privatizing Social Security. Both of those will weaken Social Security and harm its beneficiaries.
CNN's Abby Phillip breaks down what former President Donald Trump has said about federal entitlement programs in the past after Trump suggests he is open to making cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Then, she is joined by former Obama adviser Dan Pfieffer.
Pay attention to what Trump has done, not just what he said. As Phieffer noted, his administration proposed cutting Social Security and Medicare in every budget he proposed. Fortunately, Congress didn't go along then, although the current Speaker of the House favors them. Here's to hoping we don't have to find out if the next Congress would go along with that plan.
Follow over the jump for the latest on Trump's ideas on Social Security and Medicare.
I promised "an entry that will be good to share in October, like Emmy Award winners" and I'm following through, but it won't be Emmy Award winners. I'm not feeling like writing about entertainment today. Instead, I'm sharing Vox explaining Exactly how Trump could ban abortion.
Whether the US bans it completely is basically up to the next president.
...
For decades, the anti-abortion movement in the United States worked toward one major goal: the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that established a federal right to abortion. In 2022, they finally succeeded, and states across the country began banning abortion immediately. Today about half the states either ban or severely restrict abortion. But now the anti-abortion movement is regrouping around a new goal: using the federal government to ban abortion in the rest of the country.
If Republicans take control of Congress in the 2024 election, it’s very possible they could pass a national abortion ban law. But experts don’t consider that the most likely way a national abortion ban could come about, for two reasons: Polling shows it would be extremely unpopular, and it would require the elimination of the Senate filibuster. Instead, they point to a different branch of the federal government — the president’s office and all the federal agencies it oversees.
In the federal agencies, opponents of abortion could fashion a de facto abortion ban by chipping away at abortion access in numerous ways, for example limiting access to medication abortion, which now constitutes two-thirds of all abortions in the US. The biggest way that the president’s office could limit abortion is by deciding to enforce something called the Comstock Act: a 150-year-old abortion ban killed by Roe v. Wade and brought back to life by its repeal.
The final way the next president could determine the future of abortion rights is through federal court appointments. The anti-abortion movement’s “next Roe v. Wade” is the national legal recognition of fetal personhood, an idea that would by definition outlaw all abortion. The current Supreme Court isn’t yet right-wing enough to endorse this idea. But after another Trump term, that could change.
Watch the video above for the details of how this all could happen.
No surprise, the plan involves the revival of the zombie Comstock Act through Project2025. Follow over the jump for more.
OooOOooOooOOOoo Pirates is very hands off in it's storytelling method OooOOOooOOOooo spooky. And to be honest, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. What are the best ways this ride TELLS you a story without TELLING you a story?
Since he appeared in the video, I'm closing with a meme for the holiday featuring Jack Sparrow.
That's a wrap for today's post celebrating pirates in entertainment. Stay tuned for an entry that will be good to share in October, like Emmy Award winners. More entertainment!
I got a record number of comments on my recent video on what Project 2025 means for cities and transportation, and a shocking number of them were abjectly stupid. Let's review.
Seeing Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty's advice to check voter registrations and register if one hasn't already also reminded me that yesterday was National Voter Registration Day, an event I've been supporting since I was a director for the Coffee Party. Consequently, I second CityNerd's suggestion!
The 2008 recession halted construction projects around North America, some of which would never get going again. The Bloomfield Park, master planned community was one such project. It began as a dream to bring New Urbanism to Michigan and build a spectacular, multi billion community. But following a legal and financial mess, the project was put on hold and would ultimately fall into disrepair. Join me today as we look into this fascinating, failed construction project and what happened to it!
I drove past the decaying white elephant of Bloomfield Park twice a month during 2015-2017 when I attended union local meetings and merely thought it was an abandoned shopping center. I knew it was abandoned after the real estate crash and Great Recession, but I didn't know any of the rest of the history that Jake presented. If I had, I wouldn't have merely marveled at the waste, which was already apparent at the time, but alternated between anger and despair at what could have been but never would be — a New Urbanist community in Oakland County. What a lost opportunity! Even a lifestyle center, which Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty derides as a "heinous land use," would have been an improvement. Sigh. At least the land got redeveloped, even if it wasn't into something nearly as inspiring as the original plan.
I'll get to CityNerd and his thoughts about urbanism some other time. Right now I am thanking Jake for teaching me about a formerly abandoned place in my own backyard. It's always a good day when I learn something new and I learned a lot from this video. I hope my readers agree.
I woke up this morning not feeling like covering the Emmy winners today. Instead, I'm examining a "SciFi is Now" topic, the possible end of physical media through a Retail Apocalypse story. I begin with Bright Sun Films' Bankrupt - Redbox.
From its origins as a convenience store kiosk created by the McDonald's corporation, Redbox grew to become a massive DVD rental brand with tens of thousands of locations across America. However in 2024, the company came crashing down and will soon be lost to time forever. Join me today to find out what happened to this beloved brand.
Rebox could have been another Netflix, but it declined instead. Its succession of parent companies didn't help, especially toward the end. The pandemic played its part, too. Just the same, I learned a lot from this video and it's always a good day when I learn something new, even if it's a bad day for Redbox.
This is a bigger story than just the bankruptcy and liquidation of Redbox's parent company. Erik of Retail Archaeology responded to the end of Redbox by asking Is Physical Media Dead?
In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at the state of physical media at Target and Walmart and the demise of Redbox.
His answer is that physical media is still alive at Walmart, but it appears to be endangered elsewhere.
Vox's answer is "not exactly" and "reports of physical media's death may be greatly exaggerated." That's a lot better than what I was expecting to write, which was "not dead yet." I'm relieved.
I told my readers to "Stay tuned for one last installment of Emmy nominees tomorrow for the Sunday entertainment feature" at the end of 'The Bear' leads comedy winners and nominees at the Emmy Awards, so I begin by noting that, unlike comedy and drama series, the nominee expected to dominate at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards did not come out of the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards with the lead in awards. The big winner last Sunday was Ripley with three Emmy Awards so far, Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special, and Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode, as the image above shows. Baby Reindeer, which is favored to walk away with five Emmy Awards tonight, came in second with two statuettes for Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Four limited series nominees earned one Emmy Award each. American Horror Story: Delicate acquired the award for Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Feud: Capote vs. The Swans swept off with Outstanding Period Costumes for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Carlos Rafael Rivera of Lessons in Chemistry came away with Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score). Masters of the Air flew away with Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Congratulations to all the winners!
Follow over the jump for celebrations of the Creative Arts winners for limited series and looks ahead to the limited series nominees contending at tonight's ceremony.
I'm continuing my Emmy Awards coverage with the comedy series winners at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards and the comedy series nominees at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Unlike drama series, where Shogun completely dominated its competition, its co-leader at the Gold Derby TV Awards, The Bear led comedies in awards, but didn't sweep them, winning seven. Only Murders in the Building won three Creative Arts Emmys, four if one counts its short-form spinoff, How I Met Your Father won two, and Palm Royale and The Gentlemen each won one. To top it off, Only Murders in the Building beat both Shogun and The Bear for two of its awards and Palm Royale beat Shogun for its Emmy Award. Don't underestimate the quality of streaming comedies!
Jon Bernthal – The Bear: "Fishes" as Michael Berzatto (FX)
Matthew Broderick – Only Murders in the Building: "CoBro" as Matthew Broderick (Hulu)
Ryan Gosling – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Ryan Gosling" as host (NBC)
Christopher Lloyd – Hacks: "The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular" as Larry Arbuckle (Max)
Bob Odenkirk – The Bear: "Fishes" as Uncle Lee (FX)
Will Poulter – The Bear: "Honeydew" as Luca (FX)
Gold Derby's editors and top 24 users have divided opinions about the likely winner. The editors are split five to five between Jon Bernthal and Christopher Lloyd with one editor picking Ryan Gosling as a dark horse. The experts are even more evenly divided among the top three nominees with four backing Bernthal and three going for Gosling, leaving two for Lloyd. On the other hand, the top 24 users display more consolidation with 18 behind Bernthal, three voting for Gosling, only two for Lloyd, and one brave user making a long shot bet on Bob Odenkirk.
Between my writing the above and showtime, one of the editors switched from Lloyd to Gosling, giving Bernthal a plurality. That same editor is almost certainly also an expert, as one of the experts also switched from Lloyd to Gosling, tying Bernthal and Gosling at four. The users called it, the editors backed into a win, and the experts are demonstrating why I like the editors better. Congrats to the users and editors, as well as Bernthal!
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Olivia Colman – The Bear: "Forks" as Chef Terry (FX)
Jamie Lee Curtis – The Bear: "Fishes" as Donna Berzatto (FX)
Kaitlin Olson – Hacks: "The Roast of Deborah Vance" as DJ Vance (Max)
Da'Vine Joy Randolph – Only Murders in the Building: "Sitzprobe" as Donna Williams (Hulu)
Maya Rudolph – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Maya Rudolph" as host (NBC)
Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Kristen Wiig" as host (NBC)
The editors, experts, and top 24 users have unanimously chosen Jamie Lee Curtis. After seeing how she won an Oscar for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, I think the prognosticators at Gold Derby have been convinced of Hollywood's love for Curtis so they agree she'll win an Emmy to go with her Oscar. To reiterate, electorates matter.
Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Comedy Guest Actress for "The Bear" at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys.
Four things from this interview stuck out to me. First, the questions about winning an Oscar and an Emmy in consecutive years and what that meas for an EGOT, which occured to me as well. Curtis may not be able to sing, but she can certainly do spoken word and narration, which could earn her a Grammy, so she can still get an EGO. I'm surprised she's never been on stage, but I'm not surprised she doesn't want to stay up late. She is less than a year older than me, and I can relate. Second, her feminism doesn't surprise me, either, and good for her. Third, a sequel to Freaky Friday! The original earned several Saturn Awards nominations, so I'm looking forward to voting on the sequel next year. Finally, Curtis knows how to make an exit! Also, congratulations!
The Bear also won Emmys for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. Gold Derby has interviews of nearly all the winners from the first season, but I could only find one definitely from this season, 'The Bear' editor Joanna Naugle: 'I loved being able to push the limits of how stressed we could be'.
'The Bear' editor Joanna Naugle: 'I loved being able to push the limits of how stressed we could be.' The Emmy winner discusses character-specific styles, editing for audio clarity and more. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this webchat as part of the 'Meet the Experts' panel for editors.
This was fascinating discussion about how editing enhances the story and character development. Congratulations to Naugle on her second Emmy for editing The Bear and congratulations to the rest of the winners who worked on the series!
Follow over the jump for the rest of the comedy series winners and odds for the nominees at tomorrow night's ceremony.
Discount retailer Big Lots Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to sell the business to Nexus Capital. But Bloomberg's Eliza Ronalds-Hannon says this could wind up being a positive story.
At least Big Lots has a chance to survive under new ownership. That's what I hope happens to RedLobster, but didn't happen to 99 Cents Only Stores, the last two Retail Apocalypse stories I covered.
In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at a closing Big Lots store.
Listening to Erik recount how the number of stores closing just kept increasing made me realize how much trouble Big Lots! is in and how much worse its situation was becoming, even before the chain declared bankruptcy.
Big Lots is raising big concerns in Citrus Heights as word got out that the store is closing up shop.
At least it wasn't Big Lots! management blaming homeless people for the closing, but the store's employees and customers. I'm not surprised the claim got amplified on Nextdoor; that site is notorious for its users making racist posts. I'm not surprised they would reinforce other stereotypes as well.
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. In the meantime, expect me to cover the limited series and comedy nominees at the Emmy Awards over the weekend. Stay tuned.
Fargo: "The Tragedy of the Commons" – Maggie Phillips (FX)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "A Breakup" – Jen Malone (Prime Video)
Only Murders in the Building: "Grab Your Hankies" – Bruce Gilbert and Lauren Marie Mikus (Hulu)
True Detective: Night Country: "Part 4" – Susan Jacobs (HBO)
There is a lot less unanimity at Gold Derby for this award, as seven editors, six experts, and 20 users fell for Fallout . Three editors, one expert, and one user broke for Baby Reindeer, while two experts expect Only Murders in the Building to upset, one expert and one user found the music for Fargo fascinating, and one editor made Mr. & Mrs. Smith their choice.
How music supervisor Trygge Toven captured 'Fallout's' different tones through vintage songs. The Emmy nominee deployed post-World War II tunes by Cole, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como and more to ironic effect. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this webchat.
Joyce Eng and Trygge Toven reminded me that many of the people who made Westworld are creating Fallout. That's good and bad, because Westworld started out great but then fell apart during the fourth season, resulting in HBO canceling the show before its planned final season. That was a disappointment. I hope that same fate isn't awaiting Fallout. Just the same, I'm looking forward to finishing this season and watching next season.
Fallout: Vault 33 on Prime Video beat four series on Meta and/or Facebook, Emperor, The Pirate Queen with Lucy Liu, Red Rocks Live in VR, and Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway. Congratulations to the series and Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who beat Meta's Mark Zuckerberg by proxy.
In addition, Fallout earned twelve more nominations in eleven categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards that it lost to other drama series, Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), Outstanding Main Title Design, Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series (two episodes), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour), Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie, and Outstanding Stunt Performance, all won by Shogun, Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Drama Programming, won by Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, which Ahsoka pleasantly surprised me by winning. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Ahsoka on their Emmys, which I will revisit when I cover Shogun's expected wins at the main show.
Follow over the jump as I shift focus from Fallout to Shogun.
Jon Stewart goes live after the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Filled with face-offs over abortion access, border control, and for some reason eating cats? Jon breaks down what this all means for the election.
Jon Stewart is taking full advantage of the live show by dropping f-bombs on air. Standards and practices? What's that? Just the same, it's working, or at least not getting in the way. This clip has more than 2 million views!
Stephen Colbert delivers his LIVE monologue following the first debate between VP Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
The only fact Harris failed to drop when she attacked Hoover Cleveland over his inviting the Taliban to Camp David to negotiate the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that eventually resulted in the fall of Kabul was that he planned on doing so on the anniversary of 9/11. Otherwise, *chef's kiss,* which TaylorSwift also deserves for her endorsement.
Jimmy breaks down the debate of the decade between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and it was quite the beating, Trump spent the day posting cat memes after a debunked story that Haitian immigrants are eating pets, VP candidate JD Vance can’t stop bringing attention to these stories, Trump keeps intentionally mispronouncing Kamala Harris’ name, he seems to KNOW and NOT KNOW a lot of things, and Jimmy checks in with our panel of political experts for their thoughts on the debate: Gavin Newsom (Josh Meyers), MyPillow Mike Lindell (James Adomian), and JD Vance (Haley Joel Osment).
While Dick Cheney endorsing Harris made Stewart ill, it made Kimmel recognize his pragmatism. I'm with Kimmel right now. Cheney almost certainly deserved his portrayal in Vice, which is not flattering, but he's a smart political player. Not only is he endorsing Harris because she has the gun that will stop the charging rhino that is Trump, but he also would like his old political party back and stopping Trump is the only way to get it. I think this is necessary but not sufficient, so he and his daughter will be disappointed, but I'll take his support for Harris regardless of his motives.
As for Trump AKA Hoover Cleveland repeating the fiction of Haitian immigrants eating pets, it's another example of his vulnerability toconspiracy theories. He still hasn't learned that the voices he's listening to aren't reliable sources. This includes JD Vance.
That's a wrap for the silly takes on the debate. Stay tuned to see if I return with serious or more silly reactions to the debate tomorrow, or I stick with my plan to cover Fallout's Emmy wins and nominations for National Video Games Day tomorrow.
James Earl Jones, an award-winning actor whose career spanned seven decades, died at the age of 93, according to his agent, Barry McPherson. CNN’s Richard Roth and Elizabeth Wagmeister report.
As my readers can see and hear, Jones's passing is personal for CNN. He was a member of their family, having been the voice of the cable channel's slogan. I can relate. I'm a Star Wars fan and I feel the loss of the voice of Darth Vader, too.
As CNN predicted, tributes poured in. I'm sharing three of them, beginning with Entertainment Tonight reporting James Earl Jones Dead at 93, which gave a more complete picture of Jones's life and career.
James Earl Jones has died. The EGOT-winner was best known for his iconic deep voice in films, provided the voice for Darth Vader in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. Jones was also known for roles in 'The Lion King,' ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ ‘Claudine’ and ‘Field of Dreams.’ He was 93.
While it's a sad day, it's also a good day for me, as I learned new things about Jones's roles, especially his comedic ones. Any day I learn something new is a good day, even today.
After James Earl Jones passed away at 93, many in Hollywood pay homage to the legendary actor including Mark Hamill, LeVar Burton, Octavia Spencer and more. Days prior to James Earl Jones' passing, 'Fight Night' star Terrence Howard recalled meeting the iconic star in an interview with E! News.
Stars across Hollywood are mourning the death of film and theater icon James Earl Jones, who has died at the age of 93. The legendary actor passed away on the morning of Sept. 9 at his home surrounded by family, his rep confirmed to Access Hollywood. James was known for his resonant voice and many iconic movie roles, famously voicing Mufasa in “The Lion King” and Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy. He also memorably appeared in “Field of Dreams,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Sandlot,” “Coming to America,” and “Dr. Strangelove,” among other films. Access takes a look at some of the many tributes that poured in following the sad news of Jones’ death.
His fellow actors and other Hollywood creators loved Jones. He will be missed. May he rest in peace.
*The Emmy winners can wait until next week, after the main ceremony. Shogun alone will make for a diverse group of awardees.
Now for the Gold Derby odds. The editors and top 24 users agree that Jim Henson Idea Man is the favorite with five of twelve editors and 21 of the users voting for it. The experts aren't on board that bandwagon, as only one expert voted for Jim Henson Idea Man.
The editors and the users were right while the experts weren't. Some experts! This is one of the reasons I pay more attention to the editors.
Now for the categories below the line, beginning with Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program.
Other than The Jinx - Part Two, the nominees are all archival documentaries about entertainment. That's both good and bad. On the one hand, if the voters all coalesce on one choice, it will win. On the other, they might end up splitting their votes so The Jinx - Part Two wins. Right now, I can't tell.
The voters lined up behind Jim Henson Idea Man for this award, like they did for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score), a category I passed on other than to say about its score that "I like the variety of emotions in this track!" I then talked about all the rest of the composers because I know them and some of them have paid attention to me instead of discussing the merits of their music. Oops. May I not make that mistake again. I'm sharing David Fleming (Best Music Composition, 'Jim Henson Idea Man') 2024 Emmys press room interview to make up for it.
David Fleming won Best Music Composition (Documentary) for "Jim Henson Idea Man" at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys.
Now I know to take Fleming seriously.
When I looked at Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, I observed "I find it interesting that the one category where I could find a promotional image for the film. I hope that confidence isn't misplaced." It wasn't. Jim Henson Idea Man won.
Combined with the juried award for Outstanding Motion Design it won before Saturday's ceremony, Jim Henson Idea Man went home with five Emmy Awards, more than any other documentary or nonfiction nominee. Congratulations!
I thought Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program would be between Ron Howard and Rob Reiner, the two biggest names among the nominees. Instead, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss won for Girls State. This is a case where I'm glad to be wrong. On the other hand, I was right about Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program: "This is one case where I think Girls State has a better chance than Jim Henson Idea Man because it has more original photography instead of archival footage...Good luck, Amanda, Jesse, and Laura!" All three won. Congratulations!
Follow over the jump for the other documentary or nonfiction winners.
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)
Avatar: The Last Airbender: "Legends" – Tim Kimmel, Luke Gibleon, John Matter, Bradley C. Katona, Justin Helle, Micha Liberman, Stefan Fraticelli, Jason Charbonneau, and William Kellerman (Netflix)
Fallout: "The Target" – Sue Gamsaragan Cahill, Daniel Colman, Joseph Fraioli, Jane Boegel-Koch, Sara Bencivenga, Jonathan Golodner, Karen Triest, Randall Guth, Christopher Kaller, Clint Bennet, Nancy Parker, and Katie Rose (Prime Video)
Shogun: "Broken to the Fist" – Brian J Armstrong, Benjamin Cook, James Gallivan, John Creed, Ayako Yamauchi, Mark Hailstone, Ken Cain, Melissa Muik, Matt Salib, and Sanaa Kelley (FX)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: "Hegemony" – Matthew E. Taylor, Michael Schapiro, Sean Heissinger, Kip Smedley, Ian Herzon, Deron Street, Clay Weber, John Sanacore, Rick Owens, and Jesi Ruppel (Paramount+)
3 Body Problem: "Judgment Day" – Tim Kimmel, Paula Fairfield, John Matter, Tim Hands, Bradley C. Katona, Justin Helle, David Klotz, Stefan Fraticelli, Jason Charbonneau, and William Kellerman (Netflix)
Look at all the genre series nominated — science fiction, fantasy, and action/adventure! These are all shows I expect to see nominated at the Saturn Awards. That makes me happy. Unfortunately for the only live-action Star Trek series nominated at these awards, it's not likely to win. I think that's because I think it's between 3 Body Problem and Shogun, the former on merit (I watched the entire first season and was impressed) and the latter because it's likely to achieve a sweep or near-sweep. Shogun won the one category it was contending in last night, Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series for Shogun – The Making of Shogun. I thought it would be between Hacks: Bit by Bit or Saturday Night Live Presents: Behind the Sketch. Nope. Watch for the broom as Shogun tries to pull off a sweep tonight and next Sunday.
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation
Ahsoka: "Part Four: Fallen Jedi" – Matthew Wood, Bonnie Wild, David Acord, James Spencer, Vanessa Lapato, Stephanie McNally, Trey Turner, Kimberly Patrick, Tim Farrell, Joel Raabe, Chris Tergesen, Ronni Brown, Heikki Kossi, and Shelley Roden (Disney+)
The Bear: "Forks" – Steve "Major" Giammaria, Andrea Bella, Evan Benjamin, Jonathan Fuhrer, Annie Taylor, Jason Lingle, Jeff Lingle, Leslie Bloome, and Shaun Brennan (FX)
Blue Eye Samurai: "All Evil Dreams and Angry Words" – Myron Nettinga, Paulette Lifton, Sam Hayward, Jared Dwyer, Andrew Miller, Johanna Turner, Justin Helle, Iko Kagasoff, Stefan Fraticelli, and Jason Charbonneau (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building: "Sitzprobe" – Mathew Waters, Danika Wikke, Taylor Jackson, Meredith Stacy, Erika Koski, Micha Liberman, Sanaa Kelley, and Iris Dutour (Hulu)
Star Trek: Lower Decks: "The Inner Fight" – James Lucero, Drew Guy, Mak Kellerman, John Wynn, and Michael Britt (Paramount+)>
This is the one category where Star Wars and Star Trek are competing against each other. I think the advantage goes to Ahsoka, but I'm not confident it will win here, as The Bearwon last year and I expect it will win this year, too, as part of a near-sweep of its nominated categories. As a genre television fan, I find that a bit disappointing, as The Bear would also win a game of "one of these things is not like the others" in this field full of science fiction, animation, and thriller/mystery nominees. At least Blue Eye Samurai isn't walking away empty-handed; it won four Emmy Awards last night, one for Outstanding Animated Program and three for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. Congratulations!
Follow over the jump for the rest of Ahsoka's Emmy nominations plus a combined brag and whine about my picks for the Hugo Awards.
