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.
Has Trump converted these Gen Zers into MAGA true believers, or is this just a rebellious phase? In this half-hour special, Jordan Klepper is ditching the rallies and heading to Texas A&M, a UFC fight, and spring break in Florida to ask young right-wingers why they've turned toward Trump, Charlie Kirk, and even Andrew Tate.
My wife and I watched this and were simultaneously amused at how much Klepper was trolling the college students and their not realizing it and appalled at how they liked Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump and other right-wing influencers because they think they're "cool." It reminds me of a prediction Archdruid John Michael Greer made in Conversation as Commons four years ago.
But what about those ideas that most people consider Bad? Ahem. You can’t get rid of those by censoring them. That’s been tried, over and over again, and it always fails. What’s more, it quite often guarantees that the censored ideas become the cool new notions of the next fashionable counterculture. Decades of Victorian censorship of sex, for example, simply made the Decadent movement and the Sexual Revolution inevitable. If today’s woke ideologues want to make racism, sexism, and posthumous reverence for Donald Trump the foundation of the hot new avant-garde youth culture of the 2040s and 2050s, in other words, they’re going about it the right way.
We didn't have to wait twenty years for Greer's prediction to come true. As the young people Klepper interviewed demonstrate, it's happening right now, while Hoover Cleveland is still alive. Sigh.
Follow over the jump to watch the trailers and other Emmy nominations for the nominees in Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.
100 Foot Wave leads this field with four nominations, followed by Chef's Table and SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night with three each and Simone Biles Rising and Social Studies with just this one nomination. Gold Derby handicaps this field differently; all of the experts and 80% of the editors have chosen SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night as the winner, while 20% of the editors and 3.4% of the users picked Chef's Table, 6.5% of the users believe in Simone Biles Rising, 4.5% of users are surfing 100 Foot Wave, and a mere 2.4% of users think that Social Studies will earn the top grade. This resembles my reasoning for why Gold Derby's prognosticators have Pee-wee as Himself and Will & Harper leading their choices for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, "all things being equal, the Television Academy voters would rather vote for one of their own...." The cast and crew of Saturday Night Live are definitely the Television Academy's own and the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live is a celebration of television. They can't resist. Electorates matter.
Synopsis: SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is a four-part documentary series honoring the legacy of SNL, with over 60 contributors, including SNL alumni, and covering decades of SNL history. Spotlighting some of the show’s most iconic elements, each episode delves into the rich history of SNL and pulls back the curtain on the audition process, the writers’ room, the fan favorite "More Cowbell” sketch and the pivotal season 11.
As I wrote, "a celebration of television...they can't resist."
"Chef's Table: Legends" will pay tribute to the culinary icons who have helped shape the modern world of food. This season, which coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the “Chef’s Table” franchise, will feature a lineup of legendary celebrity chefs whose influence has transcended borders (and mediums) and inspired generations of cooks and food lovers alike.
I can see why a minority of editors think it should win. I can also see why the rest of the editor and all the experts disagree. True, Jamie Oliver is a TV chef, but his constituency would be at the Daytime Emmys, run by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which also runs theNews & DocEmmyAwards, not here. Just the same, I can recommend this show, especially the episode featuring Alice Waters, to my students, just like I can Omnivore, which won Outstanding Graphic Design – Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
Witness unprecedented access to the most powerful comeback in sports, in Simone Biles Rising. Journey into the world of Simone as she grapples with vulnerability and self-doubt, redefining what it means to be a champion on her own terms.
The waves are bigger, the stakes are higher, and the chase is far from over.
This is the exhilarating and scary trailer I've embedded for this show. Season 3 may not win the program award, but I think it will win a craft Emmy, which I've already predicted and will repeat over the jump.
FX’s Social Studies is a new documentary series created by Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Lauren Greenfield that follows a group of teens as they navigate the complexities of growing up with social media.
Two documentaries lead the nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Pee-wee as Himself and Will & Harper, both by total nominations and in the Gold Derby odds. Will & Harper and Pee-wee as Himself tie for the lead in nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards at five. The two documentaries are competing directly against each other in Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program. Will & Harper's other two nominations are for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics while Pee-wee as Himself earned additional nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program. Deaf President Now! and Martha follow well behind with two nominations apiece. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) only has the program nomination. Deaf President Now! is also competing against Pee-wee as Himself and Will & Harper for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program. Martha's second nomination is for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program, where none of the other nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special are competing.
Gold Derby's odds break the tie in favor of Pee-wee as Himself with 100% of experts, 80% of editors, and 71.5% of users currently picking it to walk off the podium with the Emmy. Only 20% of editors and 24.3% of users so far think Will & Harper will win. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) is in third, but well behind with the support of 1.6% of users, while Deaf President Now! and Martha are tied at 1.28% of users. Their choices are despite Will & Harper having the much stronger awards history, including tying with Super/Man for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. I think that's a result of Pee-wee as Himself being released on May 23, 2025, just a week before the end of the Emmy eligibility period, while Will & Harper first played at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, so it's had a lot more time to be recognized. I also think it's a recognition of what I wrote about last year's nominees for this award, "I think that, all things being equal, the Television Academy voters would rather vote for one of their own...." Both Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens and Will Farrell were or are television and movie people. Between the two, the sympathy vote would be for Reubens. As I also wrote last year, "Martin is still alive, while Henson has been dead and missed for decades." Reubens is only recently deceased, but the principle still applies. Remember, electorates matter.
For the first time, meet the man behind the character.
That was touching and brought out all my fond feelings for Pee-wee the character and Reubens the man. Also, seeing a brief clip of Reubens as Pee-wee dancing to "Tequila" reminds me that today is National Tequila Day. Perfect timing!
Will Ferrell and his close friend, former head writer at SNL, Harper Steele embark on a cross-country road trip together after Harper comes out as a trans woman. Watch Will & Harper on September 27 on Netflix.
That's moving as well and not what I expected. I can see how it tied Super/Man for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
Dive into the enigmatic, electrifying world of Sly Stone, the visionary musical genius who changed the face of funk, soul, and rock forever. SLY LIVES! is a gripping documentary that delves deep into the life, music, and legacy of a man whose brilliance and struggles have captivated generations.
Through rare archival footage, intimate interviews, and powerful storytelling, this film explores the complex journey of Sly Stone—from the meteoric rise of Sly and the Family Stone to his battles with fame, addiction, and the pressures of breaking barriers as a Black artist in a turbulent era.
Mentioning that it shares its producers with Summer of Soul is a smart move that indicates the film's quality. It may not be enough for it to win an Emmy, although it probably helped it get nominated, but it might help it win some of Summer of Soul's other awards, particularly Best Archival Documentary and Best Music Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and Best Music Film at the GRAMMY Awards. I'm looking forward to covering both awards shows.
From Academy Award-nominated producer, co-director and Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco, and Academy Award-winning producer and co-director Davis Guggenheim, “Deaf President Now!” recounts the eight days of historic protests held at Gallaudet University in 1988 after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates. After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university’s first Deaf president. The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “Deaf President Now!” features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement, including the DPN4 — Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok — alongside I. King Jordan, as well as archival and scripted elements. The film also incorporates an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.
As I wrote about Girls State last year, it "stands out, winning a game of 'one of these things is not like the others' in a field of documentaries about entertainers and entertainment..." I'd heard about these protests while I was a student at CSUN, a center of deaf higher education in California, but it's another thing to see them. This is another documentary that I expect to see nominated at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, this time for Best Archival Documentary and Best Political Documentary.
By the way, if I were more concerned about earning page views should I share this as an evergreen entry in August or September, I might have featured this over the entertainment documentaries, but, thanks to my Vietnamese readers, I'm getting far more than enough page views this month. I'm not worrying about sharing this and it bombing.
This definitive documentary on Martha Stewart pulls back the curtain on one of America’s greatest self-made icons, from her start as a teenage model to her stint as a Wall Street stockbroker to her reign as the grand dame of entertaining and good taste. Directed by R.J. Cutler (Elton John: Never Too Late, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, The September Issue), Martha draws on hundreds of hours of intimate interviews with Stewart and those from her inner circle, along with Stewart’s private archives of diaries, letters, and never-seen-before footage. The film illuminates Stewart’s upbringing in a working-class family, compels us to reconsider the scandal that sent her to prison, and heralds her post-prison reinvention as the original influencer who’s still captivating new generations of fans.
I agree with Martha; learn something new every day and when you're through changing, you're through. It helps that this documentary looks like fun.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominations for these films.
Slight change of plans — I am resuming my EmmyAwards coverage but I'm not blogging about the nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. That's for tomorrow, I promise. Instead, I'm blogging about the nominated nature documentaries, which compose most of the nominees for Outstanding Narrator.
Sir David Attenborough – Planet Earth: Asia: "The Frozen North" (BBC America)
Idris Elba – Erased: WW2's Heroes Of Color: "D-Day" (National Geographic)
Tom Hanks – The Americas: "Andes" (NBC)
Barack Obama – Our Oceans: "Indian Ocean" (Netflix)
Phoebe Waller Bridge – Octopus!: "Part 1" (Prime Video)
The two most nominated series are Planet Earth: Asia and The Americas with two nominations each, one in this category and another for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score). Erased: WW2's Heroes Of Color, Octopus!, and Our Oceans have just this nomination for their narrators. If this were a program category, those numbers might mean something. Instead, this is a performer category, so I defer to Gold Derby, where every expert, 60% of the editors, and 68.4% of the users have picked Sir David Attenborough to win this award again. Former President Barack Obama is the choice of 40% of the editors and 21.4% of the users. Only 5.1% of the users think Tom Hanks has a chance, followed by 2.7% of the users for Idris Elba and 2.4% of the users for Phoebe Waller Bridge. That's certainly an all-star field of nominated narrators!
Besides blogging about science and the environment, one of my other justifications for my awards show coverage is examining the diversity of the performers nominated. Theblkscript on Instagram made that easy for me by creating the following image to celebrate just that. Thank you!
If you think you have seen the best the natural world has to offer, think again! Join Sir David Attenborough as he takes you across our planet’s largest continent.
I could have waited until International Tiger Day to share this, but it works better for me today.
The world will never be the same once you've seen it from below.
Dive into Our Oceans, a thrilling five-episode series, narrated by Barack Obama, that invites you to join Emmy winning wildlife filmmaker James Honeyborne on an awe-inspiring adventure. This groundbreaking show will whisk you away on a global journey, uncovering the mesmerizing stories of our planet's five majestic oceans. Each episode delves into the unique characters of the creatures within these ecosystems, from playful and cunning to resilient and mysterious. Ride along the world's great current as we reveal nature's most spectacular aquatic personalities and breathtaking wonders.
Netflix certainly knows how to put together a trailer!
From Idris Elba, whose grandfather fought in WW2, this landmark series reveals the untold stories of soldiers of color in the war. By mixing war sequences with character portraits, this series restores the role of these soldiers and their units to their rightful place in the narrative of WW2 and reveals how these heroes inspired Civil Rights Movements in America and across the world.
I may not be able to recommend this to my students for extra credit, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a worthwhile subject.
This trailer lacks a video description I find worth sharing (it's all advertising for Prime Video), but it has 12,499,221 views. Wow! I think I will see this and maybe The Americas at another awards show, whether it's the EMA Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, or even next year's News & Doc Emmy Awards. Either way, this and the other nature documentary nominees look like good recommendations for my environmental science and biology students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
Follow over the jump for the other nomination Planet Earth: Asia and The Americas earned plus the winner of Outstanding Nature Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards.
I slept in today and have an appointment this afternoon, so I'm postponing the entry about the nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards I've already created a preview image for. In its place, I'm sharing Howtown explaining How half the US lost part of their minds.
Leaded gasoline, paint, and pipes left a toxic fingerprint in the baby teeth of half of all Americans — and those tiny clues reveal how silent doses of lead rewired IQ scores, crime rates, and mental health for decades. In this Howtown episode we laser-scan my own baby teeth with “tooth detective” Manish Arora, revisit Herbert Needleman’s 1970s Boston study, and track economist Jessica Reyes’s state-by-state link between tetraethyl lead’s phase-out and the 1990s crime drop. New data from New Zealand’s Dunedin Study (analyzed by Aaron Reuben) show how early exposure still shapes Gen X brains, personalities, and social mobility, framing one of the largest environmental injustices in U.S. history.
The story Adam Cole and Joss Fong told complements the one related in SciShow explains the connection between the age of the Earth and unleaded gasoline plus more about lead with more of an emphasis on how lead affected and still affects public health, long after the U.S. and other countries stopped using leaded gasoline and lead paint. I had no idea how persistent the effects of lead exposure were and still are, including loss of IQ points through adulthood. I also learned how and why lead is so dangerous; it imitates calcium because its ions have the same charge (valence) and nearly the same size, so it gets incorporated in bones and teeth and interferes with nerve function. As I'm fond of writing, it's a good day when I learn something new and I learned a lot of new information from this video.
Speaking of learning new things, I'm trying to figure out when I might show this to my students. Since my students and I live in Michigan, home of the Flint Water Crisis, which Cole and Fong mention, I could show it when I lecture about waterpollution. The video concentrates on leaded gasoline, which is an air pollution problem, so it would make more sense to show it then, especially since I talk about the health effects of air pollution. Besides, that part of the story focuses on the role Charles F. Kettering, who worked for General Motors, played in developing leaded gasoline. That's also a Michigan story. Either way, if I show this video, it will become another example of blogging as professional development.
That's a wrap for today's evergreen environmental topic. Stay tuned to see if I resume my EmmyAwards coverage tomorrow, or postpone it again.
That's a wrap for the Retail Apocalypse today. Come back tomorrow as I plan on posting an entry about the nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Stay tuned.
Immediately after WWII, numerous agencies and groups within the United States recognized that space was the next frontier. Plans to conquer that frontier began to proliferate. Some ideas were promising, while others were, perhaps, little more than pipe dreams.
Listening to The History Guy talk about how inter-service rivalries influenced early plans for space and the Moon makes me wonder what the Air Force, Army, and Navy would think of SpaceForce. An idea out of science fiction, no doubt. Then again, so were their plans for space in general and the Moon in particular. Project Horizon strikes me as especially ambitious, much more so than anything proposed for Artemis, the current NASA program to build a Moon base. That, at least, would be for peaceful purposes, including supporting a crewed mission to Mars, not military ones.
The History Guy has more videos about lunar missions, which I'm saving for future posts. I'm an environmentalist; not only do I recycle, I conserve my resources.
That's a wrap for today's holiday. Stay tuned for the next installment of my examination of the Emmynominees.
Their audiences would likely protect them against direct government action, but not the parent companies of their networks. Other than boycotts, I don't know how their viewers can pressure the media corporations. Being number one in late night certainly didn't help.
Follow over the jump for reactions for CNN, PBS, and MSNBC, plus an observance of National Daiquiri Day.
The secret life of a young World of Warcraft gamer is vividly reimagined when his online friends contact his family after his death.
My wife and I are gamers, as any reader who has paid attention to my posts about Star Wars: The Old Republic, which we've been playing since December 2011, can tell. I can say first-hand that everything shown in the trailer about the social aspects of gaming is totally true. For that reason alone, I am rooting for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin to win. That Gold Derby thinks it will win is just icing on the cake.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I AM: CELINE DION gives us a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness. Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit.
This is the most watched trailer of all the nominees with 6,244,930 views. The trailer for Patrice: The Movie currently has 3,154,405 views, while the trailer for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin has 731,294 views. Celine Dion has a lot of fans, and they're rooting for the documentary about her to win. One of the fan accounts on X is promoting the nomination with this screenshot from the official nominations list.
I think this is part of what half of Gold Derby's experts and 30% of the users are basing their choices on. I also expect the experts think like I do about the entertainment professionals who vote for the Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards; they will vote for a good nominee about themselves if all else is equal. Celine Dion isn't really one of them, but she's close enough. I'm not sure all else is equal. For starters, I Am: Celine Dion has the lowest rating at IMDB of all the nominees, 7.7, while The Remarkable Life of Ibelin has an 8.2 rating right below Patrice: The Movie's 8.3, the highest rated of all the nominees. In addition, IMDB lists 14 wins and 31 nominations for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, including five Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations to two Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations for I Am: Celine Dion, part of only seven nominations and no wins. That's what half the experts and all the editors are responding to; The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is the critical choice and thus the professional choice.
‘Patrice: The Movie’ – a documentary rom-com about the next phase of marriage equality – disability. Streaming Sept 30th only on Hulu.
This is right up there with Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story for being moving, and it's about an issue that affects my family, so I care a bit more. Is it enough to beat Blink? I don't know, but this trailer has 3,153,880 views! People are watching and they care! Speaking of which, if the U.S. is "pro-family," should we support disabled Americans in marriage through maintaining their benefits the way we support able-bodied married Americans through the tax code? I say yes.
I was wondering why Patrice: The Movie only got one nomination for its trailer at the News & Doc Emmy Awards; it was eligible for this award here. Too bad it won't win it. That's O.K. Like Blackfish, the movie prompting successful activism would be more important than any awards.
"Batman vs. Bateman" – Hungry Man and Highdive (State Farm)
"The Boy & The Octopus" – Hungry Man and adam&eveDDB (Disney)
"Brian Cox Goes to College" – O Positive and Special US (Uber One for Students)
"Flock" – Smuggler and TBWA\ Media Arts Lab (Apple Privacy)
"Heartstrings" – Smuggler and TBWA\ Media Arts Lab (Apple AirPods Pro)
"So Win." – Somesuch and Wieden+Kennedy (Nike)
Shogun leads action nominees with four nominations, one in each category for which it's eligible. It's followed by Black Doves and The Day of the Jackal tied at three, then 9-1-1, Reacher, and The Gentlemen with two apiece. These are all good shows, but Shogun should win easily.
The same is true of Anna Sawai, although her competition is stiffer on paper. Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, and Zoe Saldaña all have Oscars, even if Bassett's is honorary, Keira Knightley was nominated for two Oscars, and Lashana Lynch won a BAFTA Award. Sawai's most prestigious awards are an Emmy and a Golden Globe for this role; she didn't win the main Critics Choice Award for this role, losing to Kathy Bates. Fortunately, Bates isn't nominated here — Knightley is — so my reminder that electorates matter still applies.
I think Farrell is the favorite to win as a villain protagonist, but my favorite villain I love to hate is Michael Emerson from Evil. I'm glad I got to boo him again as a guest star in his wife's show Elsbeth. That was fun to watch and I bet the two of them have stories!
This is the one category I think Shogun won't win, so it won't be a complete sweep. Only Emerson and Farrell earned nominations for Best Actor in their respective genres in addition to Best Villain, so I think one of them will win. I want Emerson, but I think it will be Farrell.
There is no shortage of action shows for the Saturn Awards. 9-1-1, Black Doves, The Day of the Jackal, G20, Lioness, Paradise, and Reacher should all be eligible, although 9-1-1 has never earned a Saturn Awards nomination despite my submitting it. Also, G20 is a movie, so it would be eligible for Presentation on Television. Just the same, there are plenty of action and thriller shows, including The Night Agent and The Handmaid's Tale. There is no need to cannibalize the superhero series category to fill out the action nominees, although there might be no other category for them to go. Sigh.
That completes my series on the Critics Choice Super Awards nominations. I plan on returning with the winners next month. In the meantime, stay tuned as I begin Emmy coverage tomorrow.
Previous entries about the 5th Critics Choice Super Awards
I closed 'The Last of Us' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards by telling my audience "The next day I could continue this series would be Tuesday the 15th, but that's when this year's Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy nominations will be announced, and I might prioritize those." The Emmy nominations won't be announced until 11:30 A.M. EDT and I don't want to wait that long to start blogging, so Super Awards it is.
The next category with series that have the most nominations is Science Fiction/Fantasy, where there are two shows with four nominations each, Severance and Fallout. All of Severance's nominations are in Science Fiction/Fantasy, while three of Fallout's are in Superhero, where video game properties also reside, so Severance wins the tiebreaker. Besides, Fallout isn't even nominated in this category, just Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Andor and Black Mirror both have three nominations, followed by Doctor Who and Fantasmas tied at two, and Dune: Prophecy with just this one. I think this is between Severance and Andor with Black Mirror as a spoiler.
Walter Goggins is having a moment — I expect he will earn a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards for his role in The White Lotus by the time I post this (ETA: he did) and he has a second nomination for this role at these awards in Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie — but I don't think he's going to win this award. Instead, I think it's between Diego Luna and Adam Scott.
I'm sharing this image not because I think Caitriona Balfe will win — she might and I would be happy if she did, although I think a couple of actresses have a better shot — but because she appears to have the one campaign going for this award. It's from her fans, not the studio, but at least they believe in her. I think Cristin Milioti, who has another nomination for The Penguin (and she just got an Emmy nomination for it), Kathrin Hahn, and Britt Lower have better odds to win. Michelle Yeoh is an Oscar winner, but I'm not sure Star Trek: Section 31 is the best vehicle for her.
No science fiction or fantasy show earned a nominee for its villain, so on to what these nominations mean for the Saturn Awards. Severance, Andor, Black Mirror, Doctor Who, Dune: Prophecy, Outlander, and Star Trek: Section 31 should all earn nominations, although not all as Best Science Fiction Series. Season One of Severance landed in Horror / Thriller Series, Outlander moved from Fantasy to Action/Adventure/Thriller, and Star Trek: Section 31 could be a Science Fiction Film or Presentation on Television. It wouldn't surprise me if Superman & Lois competed in Science Fiction again. It has and it won.
I have one more genre to cover, Action, which I expect will be a sweep or nearly so for Shogun. Now excuse me while I watch the Emmy nominations announcement.
Previous entries about the 5th Critics Choice Super Awards
The George Gershwin classic, "An American in Paris," performed by Phantom Regiment four different times over 40 years — Who did it best?
The consensus among those leaving comments at the video is 2015 and I agree. It helps that 2005 was the highest placing year, third. 1976 was fourth, 2015 was seventh, and 1975 was tenth. That written, I have a certain fondness for 1975. Not only was it the first year I saw the corps on the PBS broadcast, I marched in a youth band that played "An American in Paris" while performing the scatter drill into a company front in 1977. The band also played the French National Défilé, which I featured in France 24 English asks 'France and the US: Best frenemies?' for Bastille Day 2022. I'm in a sharing mood today.
Speaking of sharing, I observed the following in 2021.
With this video, I've featured five different years of Phantom Regiment in three differentposts to celebrate Bastille Day. That makes them by far my favorite for this holiday.
While 2015 is a repeat, although the part of the show is new to this blog, 1975, 1976, and 2005 are new, so it's now eight years in four posts for Phantom Regiment on this holiday. I think they're still second behind the Madison Scouts overall.
This video details a copycat recipe for the Grand Marnier orange slush from Epcot’s France pavilion. The creator explains why they distrust most online recipes for this drink and shares their personal recipe, which uses Planter’s rum, Grand Marnier, Grey Goose orange vodka, and orange juice. The video concludes with a tasting of the slush and a discussion of how well it matches the original.
To recycle what I wrote in 2023 and 2021, "Vive la France (Pavilion)! Liberté, Egaliteé, Fraternité!"
That concludes today's celebration of a fake holiday. The next fake holiday is Wester, which inspired Greer to create both Souther and Norther, on October 12th. In the meantime, stay tuned for Bastille Day, the third patriotic holiday I celebrate during July.
“The Last of Us” leads this year’s television nominees with 6 nominations overall including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie and Best Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Pedro Pascal received nods for both Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie and Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie, while Bella Ramsey earned nominations for both Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie and Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. (Superhero categories also include Comic Book and Video Game Inspired series.)
The Last of Usswept all of its nominated categories last year, so I wouldn't be surprised if does so this year. As I'm fond of writing about awards shows, electorates matter, and this is the same electorate. That written, The Last of Us is neither the most nominated show solely in the categories of horrorseries nor in superheroseries. Follow over the jump to find out what shows those are.
Birthrates are falling fast—and the impact could reshape the future of economies, families, and entire nations.
In this episode of Blind Spots, we explore the global fertility crisis, from Japan and South Korea to the United States. Why are fewer people having children? How do economic pressure, changing cultural norms, and government policy play a role? And what happens when aging populations outnumber the young?
Singles Pandemic breaks down one of the most urgent demographic trends of our time.
It was time to put the world back in World Population Day after concentrating on U.S. trends since 2020. Japan and especially South Korea have it worse than the U.S., while the French seem to have it better.
Speaking of focusing on the U.S., I'm looking at the other side of American population equation before examining birth rates with TODAY reporting U.S. life expectancy rose to 78.4 years in 2023 early this year.
U.S. life expectancy rose to 78.4 years in 2023, hitting its highest level since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Well, that's good news, although U.S. life expectancy still hasn't risen to its 2014 value of 78.9 years. It sank most of the years since, which I started blogging about in 2016, before collapsing during the pandemic and recovering afterwards. If U.S. life expectancy reaches 80 years, I might post Professor Farnsworth. That might be awhile.
Follow over the jump for videos about the situation in the U.S., including what, if anything, can be done about it, plus a video about National Mojito Day.
While Civil War and The Fall Guy tie for the lead in Best Action Movie with three Critics Choice Super Awards nominations apiece, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning with two nominations is my choice to win this category. Tying Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning at two nominations each are Monkey Man and Rebel Ridge, while Warfare has only this one nomination.
Just like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is my pick to win Best Action Movie, its star Tom Cruise is my choice to win Best Actor in an Action Movie. I don't think it's even close. Sorry, Taron Egerton, Ryan Gosling, Dev Patel, Aaron Pierre, and Jack Quaid are all great actors, but they don't have Cruise's star power.
Without a nominated actress from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning to create the likelihood of a full sweep, Best Actress in an Action Movie is much more open. Emily Blunt, Ana de Armas, Kirsten Dunst, and June Squibb all have Oscar nominations, Anya Taylor-Joy has an Emmy nomination, and Cailee Spaeny has a second nomination at these awards for Alien: Romulus. Since electorates matter, I'm giving the edge to Blunt because she has the most Critics Choice Award nominations and wins, including winning Best Actress in an Action Movie for Edge of Tomorrow when this award was part of the main ceremony before the Critics Choice Association split off the Super Awards. Besides, like Cruise, I think she has the most star power.
Emma Corrin really chewed the scenery in Deadpool & Wolverine, making for a good villain one loves to hate, but I'm not going to pick a winner yet. I have until August 7th to do that, so I'll hold off until I look at the rest of the categories.
As I wrote above, Austin Butler has a better chance to win Best Villain in a Movie and might do so as part of a Dune: Part Two sweep. Still, I think there are better villains, or at least villains played by more well-known actors, like Hugh Grant and Denzel Washington, so I'm not getting out the broom just yet.
I'm going along with Hunter and picking Grant over Washington. Why not?
This is the only nomination for Gladiator II, which qualifies it for consideration in the next paragraph.
Like Best Horror Film, there are plenty of nominees for action/adventure and thriller film at the upcoming Saturn Awards among the movies nominated here, although I have to include all the acting nominees to say so. Joining Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Warfare from the movie category would be Carry-On, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and Gladiator II from the acting categories.* That's a full slate for one category right there.
Box Office Mojo's top grossing films of 2024 adds in one other possible nominee, September 5 — Red One is also an action movie, but I think it's more likely to be nominated as fantasy — while Box Office Mojo's top movies of 2025 adds F1: The Movie, The Accountant 2, Karate Kid: Legends, The Amateur, A Working Man, Den of Thieves: Pantera, Flight Risk, Black Bag, Last Breath, Babygirl, and The Phoenician Scheme in the top 50. There are 150 movies with lower box office totals that I didn't even look at! Furthermore, Box Office Mojo's Calendar lists Sovereign, She Rides Shotgun, and The Naked Gun upcoming between now and August 10th. While they are likely to be split among three categories, action/adventure, thriller, and independent film, there are still enough to fill all three and then some. There is no need to sacrifice the superhero film category to add Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World to Best Action Film!
July 10 recognizes a sweet, rum-based cocktail on National Pina Colada Day. Today, we are anxiously waiting for the end of the work day to enjoy the cream of coconut and pineapple juice with a dash of run cocktail.
This concludes my examination of the movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards. I think I'll begin blogging about the television nominees on Saturday, for an early Sunday entertainment feature because Sunday is Souther. In the meantime, stay tuned for a joint celebration of World Population Day and National Mojito Day.
*I predicted "I expect Gladiator II will be nominated for Best Action/Adventure Film at next year's Saturn Awards" last December. As I wrote then, "You read it here first."
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Is global warming just part of Earth’s natural cycle? In this episode of Weathered, we break down why that’s not the full story. From ice ages and Milankovitch cycles to the role of CO2 and fossil fuels, today’s climate change is unlike anything in Earth’s deep past. Learn why the speed of warming matters and how we can bring our temperature down.
I have mentioned several times that I'm a paleontologist who studies Pleistocene fossils, particularly snails. What I don't mention is that I used data from the snails, clams, and plants of Rancho La Brea to reconstruct the late Pleistocene climate of southern California, so I'm quite familiar with natural climate change. That's why I was able to respond intelligently to Ed, the troll who was better than a spammer, when he snarked "Maybe you can tell us what the climate is supposed to be so we will know if it's changing too much."
Ed, actually, I can. The average temperature of the Northern Hemisphere should be almost two degrees Fahrenheit cooler than it is today based on the pre-1900 temperature trend, three degrees based on the progress of previous interglacials. If you want the reasoning and evidence, you will have to wait until I put together an entire entry with links; it will take more effort than a simple comment is worth. In the meantime, count your blessings that you stumbled onto someone who actually knows the answer to what you may have thought was a rhetorical question too hard to answer.
That was back in 2015.
I'm glad to see Maiya May and Jessica Tierney of the University of Arizona confirm both what the climate would have been doing naturally and what it's doing instead. It shows what I told Ed was (and still is) correct.
I teach Milankovitch cycles to my geology students, both on the first field trip where I ask them to describe a display at a museum which summarizes the effects as "stretch, wobble, and tilt (eccentricity, precession, and obliquity)" and in a lecture about glaciers and glacial features, where I reinforce my point with The History of Climate Cycles (and the Woolly Rhino) Explained from PBS Eons.
Throughout the Pleistocene Epoch, the range of the woolly rhino grew and shrank in sync with global climate. So what caused the climate -- and the range of the woolly rhino -- to cycle back and forth between such extremes?
I've been showing this video since just before the pandemic; I'm surprised I haven't embedded it here until now. I guess I just needed the right opportunity.
As Dr. Tierney points out, carbon dioxide is at levels not seen for 3.6 million years so the Earth is on track for much warmer temperatures even if humans stop putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Because of the fossil foolishness in the BigBrutal Bill, the U.S. alone will continue emitting carbon dioxide and methane for years. Worse yet, as Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth described, it will take 400,000 years for natural processes to remove the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That's four more Milankovitch cycles! Maybe that will make our distant descendants less subject to ice ages, but it's going to mess up the near future for us and progeny down to our great-grandchildren.
I'm returning to the the Critics Choice Super Awards nominations once again, this time to examine the nominees for Best Horror Movie. The most nominated horror film is Sinners with four nominations, one each in all the categories in which it's eligible, followed by Heretic and Nosferatu with three each and Bring Her Back, Longlegs, and The Substance with two nominations apiece. I think this award is among Sinners, Nosferatu, and The Substance with Sinners as the nominal favorite by a nose, although I admit being influenced by Jim Hunter, critic at WEHT-ABC and WTVW-CW in Evansville, Indiana, who picked Sinners over The Substance.
Hunter's choice is Michael B. Jordan for his double role in Sinners. That's not a gimme, as Jordan is contending against heavy hitters Nicolas Cage in Longlegs, Hugh Grant in Heretic and Bill Skarsgård in Nosferatu and up-and-comers David Dastmalchian in Late Night With the Devil and Justice Smith in I Saw the TV Glow. I'll go with Hunter's pick after noting that Nicolas Cage won Best Actor in a Film at the Saturn Awards. I doubt the Critics Choice Association will go along with that; electorates matter.
While Demi Moore won Best Actress in a Film at the Saturn Awards, she also won Best Actress at the main Critics Choice Awards. Electorates matter, which is why I had her picked to win even before I heard Hunter.
Emma Corrin really chewed the scenery in Deadpool & Wolverine, making for a good villain one loves to hate, but I'm not going to pick a winner yet. I have until August 7th to do that, so I'll hold off until I look at the rest of the categories.
As I wrote above, Austin Butler has a better chance to win Best Villain in a Movie and might do so as part of a Dune: Part Two sweep. Still, I think there are better villains, or at least villains played by more well-known actors, like Hugh Grant and Denzel Washington, so I'm not getting out the broom just yet.
I'm going along with Hunter and picking Grant over Washington. Why not?
Unlike Superhero Film, where the best nominees have yet to premiere, and Science Fiction Film, where the best nominees have already been honored at the last Saturn Awards, these nominations yield a rich field of possible nominees for Best Horror Film at the next Saturn Awards, including Bring Her Back, Heretic, Nosferatu, and Sinners.* Box Office Mojo's top movies of 2025 adds Clown in a Cornfield, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Heart Eyes, Until Dawn, and Wolf Man, along with several more than I care to name. Box Office Mojo's Calendar lists Skillhouse, Abraham's Boys, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Bambi: The Reckoning, House on Eden, Ick, and Weapons between now and August 8th. There is no shortage of horror films!
I have one more movie genre, action, to cover before I move on to the television nominees. I expect to get to that Thursday or Friday. Stay tuned.
*For what it's worth, I've been looking forward to this category since April, when I wrote, "Nosferatu [is] my co-favorite so far with Sinners for Best Horror Film at the next Saturn Awards." Still is.
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