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.
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.
