For World Wildlife Day, Be Smart asks 'What's REALLY killing all the birds?'

Happy World Wildlife Day! For another bonus holiday post, I'm sharing Be Smart asking What's REALLY killing all the birds?



It's not wind turbines, despite what Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump thinks; it's cats that are the threat to biodiversity.

Now that's a wrap for today's posts. Stay tuned for Marching Music Day.

Closer looks at Iran from Stewart, Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel

It's the first Tuesday of the month, so it's time for closer looks at the weekend's news, beginning with Jon Stewart of the The Daily Show reporting Trump Launches War with Iran and Refuses to Explain... Anything.

Jon Stewart dives into America and Israel’s impromptu attack on Iran, Trump’s laid-back war announcement from the Mar-a-Lago basement, and MAGA’s refusal to sell the American people on the plan, purpose, and duration of the war. Plus, Jordan Klepper reveals America’s calculated war strategy: winging it.

Twenty-five years ago, one of my reactions to 9-11 was to look at Bush the Younger's administration and be reassured that at least these people, particularly Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Colin Powell, knew how to fight a war, no matter what my other opinions were of them. It took me two years, after it became obvious they were botching the occupation of Iraq, to figure out that they didn't really have a plan for an occupied Iraq beyond shock doctrine. I have no such illusions about Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump and Pete Hegseth; it's obvious from the get-go that they don't have a plan at all beyond being so intimidating that Iran just backs down. That's not happening. Once again, the voices Trump listens to, both inside and outside his head, are not reliable sources. Speaking of unreliable sources, watching all these people, particularly Tulsi Gabbard, praise Hoover Harding Cleveland for being the "peace candidate" has aged really poorly.

Next, Stephen Colbert's monologue, America At Whaaa? | Seeking Regime Change | Hegseth: No "Stupid" Rules Of Engagement.

President Trump still hasn't told the American people why he's bombing Iran, the U.S. and Israel have sent mixed messages about whether the goal is regime change, and Secretary Hegseth boasted that the military will disregard customary rules of engagement during this campaign.

Stephen is right; Bush the Younger did sell the Iraq War to the American people and the world and got an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) the year before we invaded. Hoover Harding Cleveland didn't bother. Democracy? Representative government? Rule of law? Who cares? Not Hoover Harding Cleveland!

Not only does Hoover Harding Cleveland have neither a plan (maybe Benjamin Netanyahu does) nor respect for process, he can't even decide on a pretext. I suspect all of his excuses are equally valid or invalid to him. He'd be more honest if he said "I felt like it." That's an emotion, not a reason, but at least he and I would believe it.

It wouldn't be a closer look without Seth Meyers, so I'm sharing Trump’s Iran War Plan and Timeline Keep Changing, Trump Gets Distracted by Drapes: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at the Trump administration launching a war with Iran without any clear strategy for how it would end, how long it would last or who would take over.

"I don't get bored." Oh, then why is he talking about ballrooms and drapes? Because he's been doing that since Surviving at the Top, the sequel to The Art of the Deal.

In a Yahoo News essay, Leerhsen describes the Trump he worked with from 1988 to 1990 as mostly "bored out of his mind," a "failing real estate developer who had little idea of what he was doing and less interest in doing it once he'd held the all-important press conference."

Trump was making huge, outrageously leveraged, financially ruinous deals, but day-to-day, he spent "surprisingly large" amounts of time "looking at fabric swatches," Leerhsen writes. "Indeed, flipping through fabric swatches seemed at times to be his main occupation," and "some days he would do it for hours," probably because fabric swatches "were within his comfort zone — whereas, for example, the management of hotels and airlines clearly wasn't."

Leerhsen elaborated Thursday evening on CNN. "At this time, like, things were really going to hell in his business," but "in the center of that was this quiet office where he was going through fabric swatches most of the day, and in the middle of all this Sturm und Drang, he was oblivious to it," he told Erin Burnett.

Nearly 40 years later, he hasn't changed, except to get older and more set in his ways.

Jimmy Kimmel had time for more stories than just Iran in Trump Goes to War with Iran, Bill Clinton Testifies About Epstein & Boebert Explains Inflation.

Early Saturday morning just after midnight the Pentagon launched “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran, Trump monitored the attack from his bunker at Mar-a-Lago, he claims that the operation in Iran could last four to five weeks or longer, six Americans were killed in the counter-attacks, even Ted Cruz said that he saw “no indication” that Iran was close to getting nuclear weapons, we all thought he was supposed to be the President of Peace, Trump is all of a sudden about toppling regimes even though he thought not being able to make a deal was seen as a negative, he rambled about drapes during a Medal of Honor ceremony, Melania was in New York to preside over a meeting of the UN Security Council, former President Bill Clinton testified for more than six hours about Jeffrey Epstein, and Lauren Boebert explains inflation.

In addition to not having a serious plan, Hoover Harding Cleveland and his maladministration have terrible opsec. That's nothing new.

I made enough fun of the First Lady in Randy Rainbow sings 'The Fate of Melania' and other parodies, so I'll move on to Lauren Boebert. She caused trouble with the Clinton depositions and couldn't define inflation. As Jimmy K pointed out, she never graduated high school and doesn't follow the rules. She should be happy there are worse Republican politicians, otherwise, I'd make a label for her. Maybe I should anyway.

I close with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cold open from last night, Book Your Next Event At Mar-a-Lago.

Whether you're launching Benjamin into manhood or missiles into the Middle East, Mar-a-Lago has all the amenities!

Marjorie Merriweather Post, who build Mar-A-Lago, wanted it to be the Winter White House. That eventually happened, but I wonder if Post would be happy about how that came true and what Hoover Harding Cleveland uses it for. Maybe not, but I'm not holding a seance to find out.

That's a wrap for this post, but not for today. Stay tuned for two more holidays, Marching Music Day, which I remembered, and World Wildlife Day, which YouTube reminded me earlier today. Another bonus post!

Holi, Purim, and lunar eclipse

An early happy Purim and Holi, two usually coinciding holidays! I begin with i24NEWS English reporting Indian Embassy blends Holi & Purim holidays in Jaffa festival.

India Naftali reports from the Jaffa port, where the Indian Embassy in Israel and Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality have organized a special Holi-Purim festival to celebrate both holidays.

To paraphrase what I wrote three years ago in India Naftali's first appearance on this blog, I don't celebrate Purim or Holi anywhere else but this blog, but I'm all in favor of fun holidays and both qualify.

Both holidays happen during the full moon, very often the same one. Another event that happens during the full moon is a lunar eclipse. Watch WDIV/Click On Detroit/Local 4 report Michigan to see total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning -- what to know.

Early Tuesday morning, the moon will go red and we will witness a total lunar eclipse.
At around 3 a.m. on March 3, we will see March’s full moon pass through Earth’s shadow, turning it a copper color for 58 spell-binding minutes.
Shannon Schmoll, the director of Abram’s Planetarium at Michigan State University, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the eclipse.

It might be clear enough to see the Moon early this morning. I'll probably be asleep, but if I'm up, I'll look.

So ends today's bonus holiday post. Stay tuned for Marching Music Day, closer looks at the Iran war, and more Saturn Awards coverage.

'Last Week Tonight' examines ICE & DHS and police body cameras

I made a hopediction in the middle of 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update.

Looks like Netflix buys Warner Brothers turned out to be wrong while NBC and CNBC report on likely Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turned out to be wrong. I'm not happy about that, but not as unhappy as John Oliver will be. I'm looking forward to see what he says tonight. If it's about this deal, I'll post it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Oliver had two comments about Paramount purchasing Warner Bros. Discovery, but the first one didn't get uploaded to YouTube and the second is buried deep inside last night's main story. I'll embed that after the season premiere, ICE & DHS.

John Oliver discusses ICE’s repeated atrocities over the past months and explores the massive entity overseeing it all: the Department of Homeland Security. How it started, who runs it, and how many hats Kristi Noem owns.

I knew DHS was big, but I didn't know it was the third largest federal government department by number of employees behind the Department of Defense (not War, not until Congress acts) and Department of Veterans Affairs. By size of budget, DHS is sixth behind Health and Human Services, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Transportation. Welcome to the US government being an insurance company with an army. That's still a lot of money. As the graphic below shows, ICE alone has a budget larger than militaries of Turkey, Spain, and the Netherlands and just smaller than Canada's.


All of those are facts I didn't know before watching this segment, which meant that I learned three new things, making today a good day.

Now for the sequel, last night's Police Body Cameras. Watch carefully for the remark about Paramount; blink and you'll miss it.

John Oliver discusses why police body cameras can be useful, or useless, depending on whether they’re used properly, and yeah, he also discusses what it looks like to arrest a giant mouse. Because of course he does.

In theory, body cameras are a good thing, but we should be careful, if not downright vigilant, about how police use them in practice. This includes review of body camera footage, the equivalent of which Oliver seems to be daring Paramount to do to his show. Looks like he will have an even more hostile relationship with Paramount than he had with AT&T. That should be entertaining.

Since I haven't featured Oliver since 'Last Week Tonight' examines police chases, I'm closing by recognizing an award the show won, Best Variety Series at the Critics Choice Awards.


Congratulations! May the new ownership keep Oliver around for the awards the show wins, although that didn't save Stephen Colbert. Then again, Paramount renewed The Daily Show, so there's hope.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for three holidays, Purim, Holi, and Marching Music Day, closer looks at the Iran war, and more Saturn Awards coverage.

'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update

I told my readers to stay tuned for highlights of last night's Saturday Night Live as today's Sunday entertainment feature to commence March's blogging. I wrote "SNL has lots of news to laugh at so we and they don't cry" and they didn't disappoint, beginning with Trump Iran War Address Cold Open.

President Trump (James Austin Johnson) and Sec. Hegseth (Colin Jost) speak after the United States launched a series of military strikes against Iran.

I was hoping for a mocking of the State of the Union, but, no, Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump had to top himself just four days later. The result was this cold open with whatever the writers could come up with in one day. They weren't happy about it, either.

Colin and the attack returned in Weekend Update: U.S. Launches Attack on Iran; Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Killed.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like Hillary Clinton's Jeffery Epstein testimony.

At least the State of the Union got covered here. So did the Epstein Files, which became the subject line of Picture of Stephen Hawking in Epstein Files Goes Viral.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like American Girl Doll collectors complaining about alleged changes to the dolls.

Looks like Netflix buys Warner Brothers turned out to be wrong while NBC and CNBC report on likely Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turned out to be right. I'm not happy about that, but not as unhappy as John Oliver will be. I'm looking forward to see what he says tonight. If it's about this deal, I'll post it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

I wish I were surprised at Hawking being in the Epstein files. If I have learned nothing else from this scandal, it's that Epstein was relentless in cozying up to rich, powerful, and influential men and a lot of those men not only didn't resist his efforts, but seemed to enjoy them. Hawking was one of them. Surprised, no. Disappointed, yes.

Follow over the jump for Weekend Update's interviews and the monologue.

Randy Rainbow sings 'The Fate of Melania' and other parodies

I told my readers, "Stay tuned for an entertainment entry I will share next month. Randy Rainbow just uploaded a new song!" Watch and listen as Randy performs The Fate of Melania.

Parody of “The Fate of Ophelia’” (Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback)

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz

Vocal Arrangement by Brett Boles @thebrettboles
All Vocals: Randy Rainbow
Piano, Synths -Michael J Moritz Jr
Drums - Tom Jorgensen

Of course the Melania documentary inspired Randy, but so did Taylor Swift. Watch Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia (Official Music Video) to see who else Randy is parodying.



The official music video for "The Fate of Ophelia"
I'm looking forward to seeing this song and video nominated for multiple GRAMMYs later this year.

This is not the first time Randy has mocked Melania Trump. The first time was nine years ago in RANDY RAINBOW Interviews MELANIA TRUMP!.


"A woman whose initials, when spoken aloud, not only describe her mind but her body and soul." *Snork* She hasn't changed these past nine years, inside and out.

That interview needed a song, which Randy provided his second time around with her in Just BE BEST!



THE RANDY RAINBOW SHOW: "Just Be Best!"
Randy has changed; he didn't include that this a parody of "Be Our Guest" in the video description, although maybe he didn't need to; it's exactly what I expected.

That's a wrap for today and the month of February. Stay tuned for highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature to begin March's blogging. SNL has lots of news to laugh at so we and they don't cry.

PBS Terra asks 'Is This the ABSOLUTE Worst Case Tipping Point?'

I had other plans for today's post, but then my wife and I watched Weathered on PBS Terra asking Is This the ABSOLUTE Worst Case Tipping Point?*

What happens when a planet crosses a climate tipping point it can’t recover from? Venus may hold the answer.

Scientists think Venus once had oceans, water, and a climate that may have resembled early Earth. But something pushed the planet past a threshold. Water evaporated, greenhouse warming spiraled, and Venus became the hottest planet in our solar system.

So what was that tipping point? And could anything like it happen on Earth?

In this episode of Weathered, Maiya May explores the science behind runaway greenhouse effects, ancient volcanic carbon releases, and one of the most surprising climate wildcards scientists have discovered: the potential collapse of stratocumulus clouds.

From crocodiles in the Arctic during past hothouse climates to cutting-edge models of cloud loss under extreme CO2 levels, this episode investigates what keeps Earth’s climate stable and what could push it toward irreversible change.

Earth isn’t turning into Venus anytime soon. But Venus reveals something more important: what happens when a planet loses its brakes.

My wife and I found this fascinating because we're both scientists who are concerned about climate change and interested in space. While my wife is a psychologist who uses the experimental method, I'm a paleontologist who uses the comparative method and modeling. That was enough to get me to blog about this video today, since it ticked off so many of my boxes.

One of those boxes is that it referred back to PBS Terra warns 'There's Something MUCH Bigger Than Yellowstone. And It Will Happen Again.' I enjoyed it except the way Maiya May presented it seemed to imply that the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was associated with the eruption of the Columbia River Basalts. That happened during the Miocene, not the terminal Paleocene and earliest Eocene. The original video made it clear that the PETM is contemporaneous with the North Atlantic Igneous Province, just in case my readers were as confused as I was.

That was something I learned back in November. The new fact I learned today was about how stratocumulus clouds, which form at the top of the marine layer, work and what the model predicts would happen when carbon dioxide levels go about 1200 ppm. That makes today a good day, as any day I learn something new is a good day.

This wraps up today's evergreen educational entry. Stay tuned for an entertainment entry I will share next month. Randy Rainbow just uploaded a new song!

*I was planning on writing this week's version of Lydic, Meyers, Kimmel, and Colbert take closer looks at the 'Melania' documentary and other news, but the comedians didn't have a common theme to their monologues and my wife found a shinier object. Besides, Saturday Night Live will cover the week's news tomorrow night, so I'm not worried about missing anything.

'Andor' vs. 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' and 'Severance' for Best Science Fiction Television Series at the Saturn Awards

I told my readers to "stay tuned for this year's version of Star Trek vs. Star Wars at the Saturn Awards as I examine the nominees for Best Science Fiction Television Series" twice, so I'm following through with the nominees in this category.

Best Science Fiction Television Series:

Andor
The Ark
Foundation
Severance
Silo
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

As Deadline Hollywood reported, Andor leads this category with five nominations, followed by Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with four, Severance with three, and The Ark, Foundation, and Silo with just this one. Both Andor and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are previous Saturn Award winners, the former Best New Genre Television Series in 2024 and the latter Best Science Fiction Television Series in 2022, making both fan choices. Andor would also be a professional choice, as it earned five Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Of course, the real professional choice is Severance, which won eight Emmy Awards this season, so I voted for it. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it wins; I think Andor and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are more likely to take home the trophy of the planet with film for its rings.

There are two more categories with Star Wars nominees. I'll get to them after horror and fantasy. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th
• 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dust Bunny' leads Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards
• Animation and International Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dexter: Resurrection' leads television nominees at the Saturn Awards

CNBC explains 'How America Got Hooked On Cars,' a driving update

I promised a driving update for today, so I begin with CNBC explaining How America Got Hooked On Cars.

Americans drive much more than in any other country – twice as much as the average German, for example. And the actual experience of driving isn’t quite as romantic as the image. Drivers are often stuck in traffic. Cars pump out pollution. Less walking means less exercise. Cars also can kill people. Some skeptics say, indeed–cars are awesome. But they got a lot of help from favorable policies and strong lobbies. CNBC spoke with some researchers and looked at numbers to get the full picture of why Americans became so dependent on cars.

This video reminds me of both CityNerd explains 'All the Ways Car Dependency Is Wrecking Us' and CityNerd explains 'Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?)', both of which I used as regular posts and not as driving updates. It also reminds me of the history of suburbia in The End of Suburbia, which I last wrote about in depth in CNBC explains the problems of suburbia and their possible solutions. I don't miss the movie — "Treasures of the Earth: Power" is much more up-to-date, accessible, and positive — but I still want to explore its issues about transportation and land use. At least CNBC explored solutions in an encouraging way.

That's the general situation. Follow over the jump for my personal update.

'Dexter: Resurrection' leads television nominees at the Saturn Awards

I promised coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as this week's Sunday entertainment feature, but technology didn't cooperate twice, then the router arrived today and my wife set it up while I was at work — thanks! — so I'm uploading it today.

I begin by returning to Deadline Hollywood, which reported "Among the TV nominees, Showtime/Paramount+’s Dexter: Resurrection led the way with six nominations, followed by Andor, It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things with five apiece." This list, which passed my accuracy check, sets my agenda for the first four posts examining the television nominees, so I begin with Dexter: Resurrection and the shows nominated against it.

Best Thriller Television Series:

Dark Winds
Dexter: Resurrection
The Lowdown
MobLand
The Rainmaker
Your Friends and Neighbors

As Deadline Hollywood reported, Dexter: Resurrection leads both all television nominees and the nominees in this category with six nominations, while the rest of the nominees in this field have only this one nomination, so it's the favorite. It helps that at least two accounts on Twitter are mounting an awards campaign for Dexter: Resurrection. I didn't vote for it. Instead, I voted for Dark Winds, which my wife and I are fans of. I won't be disappointed if it loses to Dexter: Resurrection. In fact, I expect it.

I won't complain about the quality of the field, but I'm making a note to myself to submit my own list of thriller and mystery TV series next December. If I had done so last year, it wouldn't have changed my vote or the likely winner, but I might at least know who the other nominees are.

Follow over the jump for the actors from Dexter: Resurrection nominated at the Saturn Awards.

Still no Sunday entertainment feature

My wife turned her phone into a mobile hot spot and I was able to connect my desktop to it and read my blog, but I could not upload my post.  At least we tried. The router should arrive tomorrow and I have one entry ready to share and two more at least half-written. I'll be ready when I can do more than post from my phone. Stay tuned!

No Sunday entertainment feature today

 I have the post written, but my router failed last night, so I can't upload it from my desktop. I'm writing this on my phone. My wife and I have ordered a new router that will be shipped overnight. When it arrives and is installed, I will upload the entry. Stay tuned.

Bright Sun Films 'Toys R Us 2026 Update,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I haven't written a blog post dedicated to Toys R Us since 2021's The history of the Times Square Toys R Us and evolution of Geoffrey the Giraffe, tales of the Retail Apocalypse, although Erik of Retail Archaeology mentioned the Toys R Us stores within a store as the second video in 2022's Company Man asks 'The Decline of Macy's...What Happened?' for Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse. Neither of those served as a full update to The death and rebirth of Toys R Us, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day seven years ago. Without any further ado, I'm sharing Jake Williams of Bright Sun Films giving his Toys R Us 2026 Update.

Since it's complete liquidation in 2018, the Toys R Us brand was seemingly dead. However, following its revival in 2019 with brand new stores, it appeared that the brand had a new lease on life. But, even that resurgence was plagued with issues and now with new owners, Toys R Us is back for a third time! Join me today for this updated look on what has happened with the iconic Toys R Us company.

While I'm happy to see Toys R Us return to the U.S., I'm sad to see what's happened to the brand in Canada and Australia. The Retail Apocalypse is not just an American phenomenon; just ask Hudson's Bay Company.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature.

Animation and International Film nominees at the Saturn Awards

As I promised twice, I'm completing my coverage of the movie nominees at the Saturn Awards before moving on to television. I'm shuffling the order of categories a bit to feature Best Animated Film first.

Best Animated Film:

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
The Bad Guys 2
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants
Zootopia 2

The professionals' choice is KPop Demon Hunters, which won Best Animated Feature at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes plus a GRAMMY for "Golden" and leads the Gold Derby odds to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. I voted for it. That doesn't mean it will win here. As I last wrote in 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards, "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." It's the last criterion that I think might sway the vote to Zootopia 2. I predicted that Finding Dory would beat Zootopia in 2017 (it did) and something similar could happen here. That the Saturn Awards Instagram account made an image for Zootopia 2, reproduced above, but not for Kpop Demon Hunters. Things that make me say hmm.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films instituted a new award this year, Best International Animated Film, and here are its nominees.

Best International Animated Film (New Category)

Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
The Colors Within
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Ne Zha 2
Stitch Head

This is a category where I didn't pay attention to expert/professional opinion. I voted for Ne Zha 2 because it was the highest grossing movie in the world released during 2025. On the other hand, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle had a much higher gross in North America and earned a Golden Globe nomination. On those bases, I think it's more likely to win, although Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack has the highest IMDB rating of all the nominees in this category. I would neither be upset nor surprised if either of the latter win.

The next logical category and the last one today is Best International Film.

Best International Film:

40 Acres
Bring Her Back
Dead of Winter
Night Call
The Ugly Stepsister
Sisu 2: Road to Revenge

I voted for Bring Her Back because it was the one I'd heard the most about and it has the highest IMDB rating of all the nominees in this category. That doesn't mean it will will win. The original Sisu won two years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if its sequel wins this year.

That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned for the television nominations next, either tomorrow or Sunday.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th
• 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dust Bunny' leads Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards

Flux City returns to Fairlane Town Center, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I promised "another short evergreen educational entry," but my readers will have to settle for a follow-up to Flux City and Eric C Productions examine Fairlane Town Center, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Boxing Day. Watch Eddy of Flux City give a Walking Tour of Fairlane Mall After Court Intervention ($3.4M in Missing Rent, $1.4M in Tax Debt). Enjoy the chill music and read the captions.

In this video, Flux City takes viewers inside Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan—just days after Crain's Detroit Business reported that a court-appointed receiver was announced for the second time in less than a decade.

Once a regional shopping destination that opened in 1976, Fairlane now finds itself at the center of mounting financial distress: millions in unpaid property taxes, alleged missing tenant rent, deferred maintenance, and a history of ownership instability since the start of the COVID-19 era.

As the mall faces potential foreclosure and an uncertain future, this walking tour captures the real-time condition of the property and the broader implications for Dearborn, retail real estate, and legacy suburban malls across the country.

Watching the video open and close with Eddy being ejected for recording inside the mall reminds me of one of my earlier mall entries, Steampunk fans ejected from San Diego area mall. As I quoted KPBS four years later, "Malls are private property. They have the right to determine who shops there." This means you (and Eddy, too)!

Here's to receivership saving Fairlane Town Center.

Stay tuned for the final installment of my coverage of the movie nominees at the Saturn Awards tomorrow.

'Dust Bunny' leads Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards

I wrote "I plan on resuming the series Wednesday with the nominees for Best Independent Film" near the end of 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards, so I'm following through today with the nominees in this category.

Best Independent Film:

Adulthood
Eden
Dust Bunny
Good Boy
The Rule of Jenny Pen
The Plague
The Toxic Avenger

As the preview image shows, Dust Bunny leads with five nominations, while the rest of the field have just this one. On that basis, it's the favorite and I voted for it. As a "professional's choice," it's acceptable, as it had two nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, including for Best First Feature. However, if I hadn't counted its total nominations at the Saturn Awards, I might have voted for The Plague, which earned three nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, one of which resulted a win for Kayo Martin as Best Breakthrough Performance. It also earned a nomination at the Critics Choice Awards for Everett Blunck as Best Young Actor/Actress. That might have been a better "professional" choice, but it doesn't have the weird factor most of the other nominees, including Dust Bunny, have, which would make them more attractive to a group of genre film fans. For what it's worth, Good Boy also earned a nomination at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. It has the weird factor and a dog for a protagonist. Good boy, indeed — woof!

I close with DUST BUNNY | Official Trailer from Roadside Flix.

In visionary creator Bryan Fuller’s (“Hannibal,” “Pushing Daisies”) fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut Dust Bunny, a 10-year-old girl joins forces with her hit man neighbor to confront each other’s monsters.
Ten-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters. He’s a hit man for hire. So, when Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services. Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, Aurora’s neighbor guiltily takes the job. Now, to protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins - and accept that some monsters are real.

My wife and I viewed this trailer and put Dust Bunny on our watch list.

I have one more post planned for the movie nominees before moving on to television. That's scheduled for Friday. In the meantime, stay tuned for another short evergreen educational entry tomorrow.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th
• 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards

Happy Lunar New Year and a solar eclipse on Fat Tuesday/Paczki Day!

So long Year of the Wood Snake! Welcome, Year of the Fire Horse! Watch ABC News (Australia)'s Lunar New Year 2026: The Year of the Horse explained.

It's time to say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and hello to the Year of the Horse. What do you know about the Year of the Horse? 0:00 Kai Feng, reporter for ABC Chinese, explains the significance of the horse in Chinese culture and history, 0:49 why 2026 is a 'fire' year, 5:10 and how people across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year.

Not only did ABC News (Australia) explain Lunar New Year, it explained the importance of horses to humans. Bonus educational content!

This is a U.S.-based blog, so I usually include how people celebrate the holiday here. Instead of a Disney parks video, I have two shorts on my YouTube channel that do just that, beginning with Lion Dance at Hudson Yards for Lunar New Year 2026 2/7/2026.

Lion Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026
#nyc #lunarnewyear
https://www.twitch.tv/aprylanonymous

I couldn't resist the lions unfurling the banner of the New York Chinese Cultural Center as a finale.

Next, Ribbon Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026.

Ribbon Dance at Hudson Yards for #LunarNewYear2026 2/7/2026
#nyc #lunarnewyear
https://www.twitch.tv/aprylanonymous

That's more culture than I'm used to seeing in a mall!

Follow over the jump for Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday and a solar eclipse.

PBS Terra lists '5 Warning Signs of Collapse We're Ignoring' plus presidential pets for Presidents Day

I promised the sequel to PBS Terra explains 'This Is How the World Ends According to Science', so I'm sharing 5 Warning Signs of Collapse We're Ignoring.

Is this how civilizations end? As climate disasters intensify, some cities survive — and others collapse. So what makes the difference?

In this episode of Weathered, host Maiya May investigates what history reveals about system collapse, failed cities, and civilizations that didn’t survive climate shocks. Were they doomed? Or did they miss warning signs we’re seeing today?

With climate disasters and global warming accelerating, researchers Luke Kemp and strategic climate risk expert Laurie Laybourn break down the common patterns behind civilization collapse — and the 5 strategies that can help modern societies avoid the same fate.

If you’ve ever wondered:

Is it the end of the world?

When do systems collapse?

Can cities survive climate change?

How do we prevent total societal collapse?

This episode explores what history teaches us — and why it’s not too late to change course.

Because collapse isn’t inevitable. But survival isn’t automatic either.

When I created this blog, I called it "A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it." I've shifted away from that, making this more "A blog about sustainability with a science fiction slant and a Detroit perspective," as it says on the Crazy Eddie's Motie News Facebook page (if you're still on Facebook, please follow), but I've never changed the description here after 15 years. That's because, deep down, I still believe in the mission I set for myself in March 2011.

On that note, here are the five strategies Maiya May and her guests propose to avoid collapse: situational awareness, adaptation, speed, democracy, and storytelling. On this blog, I'm sharing and telling stories to make people more aware of the situation, get prepared for the future, and encourage speedy responses and democracy. The last two seem like contradictions, as democracy is not known for rapid decisions, but I agree with May and her guests that both are necessary, if not easy. I hope my readers and I are up for the task.

Today is also Presidents Day, but I decided sharing the above was more important and productive than writing this year's version of John Oliver on 'Trump 2.0' for Presidents Day. Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump gets enough attention and I want to starve him of his narcissistic supply. Instead, I'm sharing National Day Calendar's PRESIDENTS DAY | Third Monday in February.

On the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates the federal holiday known as Presidents Day. The day takes place during the birth month of the country's two most prominent presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While the day once only honored President George Washington on his birthday, February 22nd, the day now never lands on a single president's birthday.

Across the country, most Americans know the day as Presidents Day. More and more of the population celebrates the day to honor all of the past United States Presidents who have served the country. Throughout the country, organizations and communities celebrate the day with public ceremonies.

Marlo Anderson celebrated all the Presidents' pets, which reminded me that Hoover Harding Cleveland is in fairly sparse company. As Wikipedia notes, "Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office" — something else Hoover Harding Cleveland has in common with Andrew Johnson besides having a majority of Senators vote to convict him after being impeached!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more holidays, as tomorrow is a triple celebration of Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, and a solar eclipse on Tuesday.

'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards

I closed The History Guy remembers Charles Darwin and chocolate for Valentines Day by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards — Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning vs. One Battle After Another!" Here are the nominees in this category.

Best Action / Adventure Film:

Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Novocaine
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
One Battle After Another

As the preview image states, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned seven nominations. The rest of the field earned just this one, so Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the favorite.

Before I reveal my vote, I'm re-examining what I wrote in Drink to the action movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards on National Piña Colada Day.

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!

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and F1: The Movie all made the cut, while Warfare, Carry-On, Gladiator II, and the rest didn't. That's because this year's Saturn Awards ignored releases from the final months of 2024, so no Carry-On or Gladiator II, and Now You See Me, Now You Don’t and One Battle After Another were better movies than Warfare, either as entertainment or as art. For the first time in this series, I'm quoting my standard rant about the Saturn Awards — "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." That's why I'm sure Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will win this category. It's great, spectatcular entertainment, but it has no Oscar nominations; its most prestigious award so far is a Critics Choice Award for Best Stunt Design. The Motion Picture Academy instituting a casting award before a stunt award hurt its awards chances.

On the other hand, One Battle After Another earned 13 Oscar nominations. Gold Derby thinks its on track to win Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. As my default position is to go with the expert/professional opinion when I vote in the Saturn Awards unless I have good reason to vote otherwise, I voted for One Battle After Another, even though I expect it to lose to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. At least the Critics Choice Association and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film will agree on the best action film, which would be a validation of expert opinion, not a rejection of it.

That's a wrap for today's installment. I plan on resuming the series Wednesday with the nominees for Best Independent Film. In the meantime, I have the sequel to 'Weathered' explains 'This Is EXACTLY How Much Poorer Climate Change Will Make Every Person on Earth', last year's most read entry (ETA — actually PBS Terra explains 'This Is How the World Ends According to Science') — scheduled for tomorrow and a triple celebration of Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, and a solar eclipse on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th

The History Guy remembers Charles Darwin and chocolate for Valentines Day

A late happy Darwin Day on Valentines Day — two holidays at once! I begin today's double celebration with The History Guy remembering Almost Not History: Darwin and HMS Beagle.

February 12 represents the 214th birthday of Charles Darwin, a scientist whose ideas transformed human understanding of the natural world, and undoubtedly one of the most influential scientists in history. But that history may have been different, as Da[rw]in’s career altering voyage aboard HMS Beagle almost didn’t happen.

First, The History Guy uploaded this video three years ago, so last Thursday was Darwin's 217th birthday. Second, I had no idea Robert Fitzroy, captain of the Beagle, was himself an accomplished scientist. Third, I knew that Fitzroy wanted a gentleman scientist companion, but I didn't know Darwin was essentially his third choice; I certainly didn't know the names of the two men who could have gone in Darwin's place. Still, Darwin turned out to be the best person available. Fourth, the video reminded me that Darwin was the grandson of Josiah Wedgwood, the founder of Wedgwood & Sons; I had heard that before, but couldn't have remembered that off the top of my head. I think I'd heard, but had forgotten, that his uncle Josiah II had finally allowed him to go. While not mentioned in the video, I did know that he married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, daughter of Josiah II. Talk about a close family!

By the way, I recall being a member of the Paleontological Research Institute back in the late 1980s. I've long since let my membership lapse, along with the rest of my professional association memberships. I've been concentrating on teaching instead of research the past 30 years and didn't have the time, and sometimes the money, for meetings and membership dues.

The History Guy has several videos about Valentines Day. Today's is Chocolate: A History.

From The History Guy archive for Valentine's Day, a brief history of the food of the Gods.

That was fascinating, from cacao's prehistory in Mesoamerica to today, including mentions of almost all of today's big names in chocolate, including Cadbury, Lindt, Nestle, Hershey, Reese, and Mars — sorry, no Godiva. I learned a lot from both videos, making today a good day. The second video also made me hungry. Lunchtime!

That's a wrap for today's educational holiday post. Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards — Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning vs. One Battle After Another!

'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th

I closed Randy Rainbow sings 'Lyin' and Spinnin' (and Cheatin' and Hidin')' by telling my readers to "Stay tuned as I plan on examining horror movie nominees for Friday the 13th. Frankenstein!" Time to recycle the relevant sentence from Deadline Hollywood: "Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein followed with 11 noms..." followed by an examination of its competitors.

Best Horror Film:

28 Years Later
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Frankenstein
The Monkey
Weapons

In addition to Frankenstein's eleven nominations, Weapons has five, 28 Years Later has two, and The Conjuring: Last Rites, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and The Monkey have just this one. Weapons is obviously Frankenstein's competition and I wouldn't be surprised if it wins, but I voted for Frankenstein for Best Horror Film. I also voted for Jacob Elordi as Best Supporting Actor in a Film and Frankenstein for Best Film Make Up. While I voted for Wicked: For Good in Best Production Design, Best Film Costume, and Best Supporting Actress in a Film, it could easily lose to Frankenstein in the first two categories and Weapons in the third.

By the way, I found out the answer to a question I posed most recently in Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day.

Speaking of Saturn Awards and what they consider science fiction, I wrote the following two years ago.

That Frankenstein is considered to be the first work of science fiction means that horror is its sister genre, not fantasy, as the movie and television versions of Frankenstein are portrayed as horror. This reminds me of what I wrote most recently about M3GAN and Prey at the Saturn Awards; "if the terror is technological, not supernatural, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films considers it science fiction, not horror." Now I wonder how the Saturn Awards would classify a new movie or TV show about Frankenstein. Hmm.

We'll find out soon, unless they dodge the issue by nominating it for Best Presentation on Television. They did something like that for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, nominating it for Best Animated Television Series or Special instead of Best Animated Film, so I wouldn't be surprised.

The Saturn Awards decided Frankenstein is horror. The tradition begun during the Golden Age of Movie Monsters continues!

I close this post with Alexandre Desplat Performs the Music of Frankenstein Live | Netflix to recognize its nomination for Best Film Music.

Composer Alexandre Desplat performs the Frankenstein score live at the Frankenstein Exhibit Space in Los Angeles.
...
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley's classic tale of a brilliant scientist and the creature his monstrous ambition brings to life.

I think I first found a video like this for Chef's Table, which I embedded in '100 Foot Wave' leads Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in nominations, but could lose to 'SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night'. It worked; Chef's Table won Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score). I don't know if it will work for Frankenstein either here or at the Oscars, where Gold Derby has it last in its odds, but I appreciate the performance just the same.

That's a wrap for today's post. I plan on continuing this series for the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film. That's after a double celebration tomorrow, a late celebration of Darwin Day on Valentines Day. Two holidays at once!

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards

Randy Rainbow sings 'Lyin' and Spinnin' (and Cheatin' and Hidin')'

I told my readers to "stay tuned for Randy Rainbow's latest to[day]. Laugh at the news so we don't cry." Watch and list to Lyin' and Spinnin' (and Cheatin' and Hidin') - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody.

Parody of “Wishin’ and Hopin’” by Burt Bacharach and Hal David

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr

It has been almost two months since Randy Rainbow sings 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like F This' and it was worth the wait. Bravo, Randy!

That takes nothing away from the Marsh Family, who filled for Randy during his holiday break. They have a new song, "Peter Mandelson" - Marsh Family parody of "Mrs Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel on Epstein Files.

Here’s a weeknight speedy turnaround musical parody (missing Tess and Alfie cos unavailable) on the UK fallout linked to the Epstein files, and specifically the former US Ambassador and British Lord, Peter Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein, and the bigger implications of his omissions and appointment rippling through Westminster. Naturally we picked a song from a movie about proteges, covert relationships, virtues and vices, which is another toe-tapping Paul Simon favourite, “Mrs Robinson” – recorded with Art Garfunkel in 1968. The song became the duo’s second number one, and the first rock song to win the Grammy award for Record of the Year. Apparently when the melody was first written there was no name in it, so it could be suited to any three syllable name – which helps explain why Mandelson seemed to fit so well.
...
A “SPAD” is a special adviser to UK politicians (usually a high-level civil servant) – and two resigned in the last day or so who were central to Starmer’s government operation.

The British government seems to be facing consequences faster than the American government. I wonder why that is?

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned as I plan on examining horror movie nominees for Friday the 13th. Frankenstein!

'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards

Yesterday, I asked, "Wicked Wednesday, anyone?" On that note, I'm repeating the key clause from Deadline Hollywood, "Wicked: For Good picked up nine [nominations]," then looking at its competition.

Best Fantasy Film:

Freakier Friday
Hamnet
How to Train Your Dragon
The Life of Chuck
Lilo & Stitch
Wicked: For Good

Following Wicked: For Good's nine nominations are How to Train Your Dragon with three nominations, The Life of Chuck and Lilo & Stitch tied at two, then Freakier Friday and Hamnet with just this one. Based on the number of nominations, Wicked: For Good is the favorite. If I were stricter about voting for the "professional" choice, I'd have voted for Oscar nominee for Best Picture Hamnet, which qualifies for this category because of its magical realism elements. Instead, I voted for Wicked: For Good because I really wanted to vote for Wicked, but the Saturn Awards ignored the films that were released during the last two months of 2024, so I transferred my votes for Wicked to its sequel. Besides, I think it's going to win anyway. Since the Oscars completely snubbed Wicked: For Good, these count as double protest votes.

Speaking of transferring votes, Wicked won the equivalent Oscars for Best Film Costume Design and Best Film Production Design, so I voted for the sequel in those categories. I also voted for Ariana Grande in Best Supporting Actress in a Film, a total of four. Add in my vote for the original Wicked in Best 4K Home Media Release and that's five votes for the franchise, second only to my seven votes for Sinners.

Today's music selection to recognize Wicked: For Good's nomination for Best Film Music is Wicked: For Good The Soundtrack - The Girl In The Bubble (Official Lyric Video), the one song from the movie nominated at both the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes.

The official lyric video for "The Girl In The Bubble" from 'Wicked: For Good - The Soundtrack'.

That's a really pretty song, and one that probably should have earned an Oscar nomination. I'd have to listen to the nominees to figure out which one it should have bumped, but I'm sure it's better than at least one of them!

That's a wrap for today. I plan on examining horror movie nominees for Friday the 13th. Frankenstein! In the meantime, stay tuned for Randy Rainbow's latest tomorrow. Laugh at the news so we don't cry.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards

Vox explains 'The House of Representatives is too small. Here is one way to fix it.'

For today's "brief evergreen educational entry worth sharing next month," I'm sharing Vox explaining The House of Representatives is too small. Here is one way to fix it.

For more than a century, the size of the House of Representatives has been frozen at 435 seats; in that same period, the US population has tripled. This means that today, the average representative is responsible for more than 750,000 constituents. Scholars and politicians say this imbalance is why many Americans feel like Congress is disconnected from them.

So what if we…added more seats? That’s what Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) is proposing in a new bill because he believes it’s closer to what the country’s founders originally envisioned. While expanding Congress could make our ratio of voters to representatives smaller, it also raises a difficult question: Can a larger, more crowded legislature actually govern, or are we just adding more voices to the gridlock? Vox dives into the math, the history, and the potential future of a "bigger" American democracy.

I find all three formulas converging on one district for every 500,000 people encouraging. It tells me that my support for the "Wyoming Plan," which has the population of every district being the size of the smallest population state, is well founded. It's also why I'm not terribly eager to add the U.S. Virgin Islands; their population would make the Wyoming Plan unwieldy, if not downright impracticable. Fortunately, the last referendum overwhelmingly supported territory status. It's also why I would be ambivalent about adding Prince Edward Island as the 62nd state, proposing it join Nova Scotia or New Brunswick first. Yeah, like that will ever happen. However, making the population of a district 500,000 and not that of the lowest population state would remove those reservations.

Vox advocating for multi-member districts and proportional representation is very on-brand for it. It's been doing so since Vox explains how proportional representation can solve gerrymandering and help minor parties in 2017 and again in Vox explains 'Why US elections only give you two choices' in 2024. I'm glad they're consistent on this issue; it will take repetition to get the idea to stick.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more Saturn Awards coverage tomorrow. Wicked Wednesday, anyone?

'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards

As I promised twice, I'm returning to Saturn Awards coverage today. There's no better way to begin than by recycling the relevant paragraph from Deadline Hollywood.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which snagged a record 16 Oscar nominations last week, landed 12 Saturn nominations, as did Avatar: Fire and Ash and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein followed with 11 noms, while Wicked: For Good picked up nine and Superman had eight.

Having examined Avatar: Fire and Ash and Sinners, it's time for me to feature Fantastic Four: First Steps, which leads Best Cinematic Adaptation Film, the successor to Best Superhero Film.

Best Cinematic Adaptation Film:

Black Phone 2
Captain America: Brave New World
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
A Minecraft Movie
Superman
Thunderbolts

In addition to Fantastic Four: First Steps leading with twelve nominations and Superman with eight, Thunderbolts* AKA Thunderbolts: The New Avengers has three, Black Phone 2 has two, and Captain America: Brave New World and A Minecraft Movie have just this one. Based on the number of nominations plus the Disney Marvel Cinematic Universe movies having a track record of winning the Best Superhero Film category, I think Fantastic Four: First Steps is favored. I didn't vote for it; I voted for Superman instead. It beat all other superhero films in the domestic and worldwide box office. Besides, I'm more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan and I've voted accordingly when DC films are good enough.

Speaking of box office, the leader in this category is A Minecraft Movie, about which I wrote, "The critics must have disliked it for being dumb fun, but it's the kind of movie the People's Choice Awards would love and the Saturn Awards would nominate just to stick it to the experts." I'm glad to see it nominated, especially in this category. It won't win — it is on WatchMojo worst movies of 2025 list — but it deserved this recognition.

The nominee that most surprised me was Black Phone 2. I had to dig through Wikipedia to find out it's an adaptation of "The Black Phone," a story in 20th Century Ghosts. I learned something new, which makes today a good day.

Next, the other category I haven't covered yet that both Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts* earned nominations in.

Best 4K Home Media Release:

Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning (Paramount)
Nightmare Alley (Criterion)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney/Marvel)
Thunderbolts(Disney/Marvel)
When Evil Lurks (Second Sight Films)
Wicked (Universal)

I wouldn't be surprised if The Fantastic Four: First Steps wins this category, too, but it was my one chance to vote for Wicked instead of Wicked: For Good, so I took it.

I close with The Fantastic Four: First Steps Main Theme Extended Version (From "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" to recognize the movie's nomination for Best Film Music.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal. The action-adventure also stars Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles and Mark Gatiss. Directed by Matt Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, Tim Lewis and Robert Kulzer, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” opens in theaters July 25, 2025.

Music video by Michael Giacchino performing The Fantastic Four: First Steps Main Theme Extended Version (From "The Fantastic Four: First Steps"/Audio Only).© 2025 Marvel Music, Inc.

I voted for Sinners, but I wouldn't be surprised if this upsets it.

I plan on resuming this series on Wednesday. In the meantime, stay tuned for a brief evergreen educational entry worth sharing next month.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards