Meyers' and Colbert's guests on strikes and labor issues

I closed Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel turn their attention to Matt Gaetz by telling my readers to "Stay tuned, as I still plan on posting this week's best guests." Since I haven't written about the actors strike since WGA strike ends, actors still on strike, talk shows to return and the UAW strike since Biden to walk picket line and Trump to address auto workers, a UAW strike update, I'm featuring those guests who talked about labor issues this week, beginning with Chris Hayes Explains the Root of Labor Strikes Sweeping the Nation on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Chris Hayes breaks down the labor strikes, talks about recording his podcast, Why Is This Happening?, in front of a live audience and rants about minivans getting a bad rap.

As a union member who has gone on strike, I agree with everything Chris Hayes said.* Strikes are about more than wages and work conditions; they are responses to collective affronts to the dignity of workers. The Great Recession struck a serious blow against American capitalism (and labor) that neither has fully recovered from. The pandemic gave people, especially workers, time to contemplate what they really wanted to do with their lives. I know I changed my mind about work because of the experience; I decided to retire earlier than I had planned before 2020, although I'm still working.

Before I move on, Hayes's remarks about minivans and SUVs remind me that I have a driving update coming soon and I have a Vox video about SUVs that I might share for it. It's part of a series on transportation and design that includes cruise ships, trains, planes, and RVs — trains, planes, and automobiles!

Next, “AI Is All Around Us” - Neil deGrasse Tyson Says We Shouldn’t Worry About Artificial Intelligence on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

America’s most beloved astrophysicist, and host of the “Star Talk” podcast, tells Stephen not to fear the rise of artificial intelligence. Stick around for more with Neil deGrasse Tyson, and check out his latest book, “To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery.”

I saw the panic over ChatGPT and other AI chat programs being able to write term papers first-hand, so I know Neil deGrasse Tyson is not kidding about it. I also know he's right about the power of AI to find patterns in data, including the YouTube algorithm's ability to find videos and creators I would like, the latest being The History Guy tackles 'The Rise and Fall of the American Mall,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse. Remember, Big Data is watching you (and me, too)!

I conclude with another of Stephen's guests talking about the WGA strike, John Oliver Launches Strike Force Five Merch At Stephen Colbert’s Audience.

Stephen welcomes his Strike Force Five co-host John Oliver for a three-part conversation that kicks off with a rather dangerous stunt in the Ed Sullivan Theater.

John Oliver is right that prison healthcare isn't the best subject for a return to work show. I haven't watched it yet. I will, eventually, but it's a race between Last Week Tonight and Saturday Night Live for my covering the two shows' shared nominations. I suspect it will be SNL's return that does it.

Speaking of which, stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature, which will be about the Emmy Awards, whether the winners of the News & Documentary Emmy Awards to the nominees for the Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards. I haven't decided which yet.

*That's a story I haven't told here. Today's not the time, but maybe one of these days.

Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel turn their attention to Matt Gaetz

I'm shifting my focus from Kevin "Pickled Tongue" McCarthy being ousted as Speaker of the House to the person most responsible for removing him from the position, Matt Gaetz. I begin with Stephen Colbert's monologue, Sleazy Matt Gaetz Shared X-Rated Videos on House Floor | Trump For Speaker? | Rudy’s Booze Problem.

Everyone who works with Rep. Matt Gaetz thinks he’s a sleaze, the former president says he’ll go to Capitol Hill to help select the next House Speaker, and Rudy Giuliani’s alleged drinking problem is under the microscope.

My readers will see a lot of that CNN interview of Senator Markwayne Mullin as Trump "Open" to Being Speaker, Will Visit D.C. as Republicans Near Fistfights: A Closer Look, which Seth Meyers and his writers turn into a running joke.

Seth takes a closer look at Republicans going at each other's throats after a small group of hardliners ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Donald Trump considering a trip to pitch himself as a candidate.

To repeat my reaction from yesterday, "The former guy as Speaker? Never say it can't get worse. It always can."

I close with Jimmy Kimmel Live's Gaetz Faces Explosive Allegations, Trump Spills Top Secret Info & Lindell’s Got Money Trouble, which I would have put first because of the preview image except that the first half is a promotion for "The Golden Batchelor" disguised as a comedy routine. I didn't want to open with that.

It’s been unseasonably hot here in Hollywood this week, our very own Aunt Chippy made an appearance on “The Golden Bachelor,” ABC has already given the green light to another Bachelor spinoff, Matt Gaetz is the least popular guy in Congress right now and several GOP lawmakers want to get rid of him, Trump is being floated as a possible Speaker, Donny reportedly shared classified information with a guy at Mar-a-Lago, and we talk to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (James Adomian) who claims the IRS is trying to shut down his call centers.

Both McCarthy and Gaetz may think their misfortunes are examples of "no good deed goes unpunished," McCarthy for depending on Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown and Gaetz for leading the ouster of McCarthy, but I'll let history be the judge of whether either, both, or neither of them would be correct. In the meantime, I still find it amusing to see Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell together in one of my posts to create a Razzie reunion, even if they're not in the same clip. Thank you to not only Kimmel's writers for thinking up this segment, but ABC's standards and practices department for allowing this segment to air. It was hilarious, strategic blurring and all.

Stay tuned, as I still plan on posting this week's best guests.

Seth Meyers takes closer looks at Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker and what happened during the WGA strike

I'm still covering the ouster of Kevin "Pickled Tongue" McCarthy as Speaker of the House through comedy with Republicans Float Trump for House Speaker After McCarthy Is Ousted in Chaos: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at House Republicans descending into chaos after ousting former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and floating the possibility of Donald Trump replacing him.

The former guy as Speaker? Never say it can't get worse. It always can.

Speaking of which, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert opened with Wanted: New Speaker of the House.

Will Republicans find anyone willing to take the world’s worst job?

It must not be that bad a job if TFG is floating the idea of taking it.

Now to make good on my promise to share Seth Meyers' first closer look after returning from the writers strike, A Closer Look to the Max: Trump Fraud Trial, Biden Impeachment, House GOP Chaos.

Seth takes a closer look at Trump appearing in court for his civil fraud trial, the GOP's sham impeachment inquiry for Biden, Rudy Giuliani being sued by his ex-lawyer and more in an extended A Closer Look.

I begin my reaction by recycling from 'Stephen Colbert Recaps A Crazy Summer' as he returns from the writers strike.

Myself and others have suspected that Trump isn't worth as much as he says he is for years. After this trial, our suspicions will be confirmed, if for no other reason than he will lose a lot of his assets. Maybe he won't be a billionaire after all, if he even is one now or ever really had been!

I didn't have to wait long to see his loss of worth become public, as CNN uploaded Trump gets kicked off Forbes 400 list of richest Americans this morning. I'm outsourcing my reaction to Nelson Muntz.


Told you so.

Finally, look, Rudy Giuliani, his zipper, and Mike Lindell, a Razzie reunion, as if the past five months couldn't get any more absurd.

Stay tuned to see which of this week's guests I feature in the future.

Colbert, Kimmel, and Hayes on McCarthy's ouster as Speaker

Change of plans today. Instead of featuring Seth Meyers's return, I'm covering the ouster of Kevin "Pickled Tongue" McCarthy as Speaker of the House through comedy. I begin with Stephen Colbert's monologue, McCarthy Removed As House Speaker | Trump Slams “Talentless, Low Rated CREEPS” of Late Night.

Matt Gaetz was successful in his bid to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, and former president Trump posted a glowing review after watching The Late Show last night.

Oh, darn, McCarthy stopped being Speaker before my nickname for him caught on — not that I was trying very hard, as the last time I mentioned him was on June 1st, when I wrote "Play up the victory while you can, Pickled Tongue. This isn't the great win you think it is." Neither was avoiding a government shutdown, although it should have been.

Jimmy Kimmel reversed the topics in Trump Attacks “CREEPS of Late Night Television” & McCarthy Ousted as Speaker of the House.

It’s our second day back to work after 150 days on strike and our #1 fan Donald Trump took to the internet at 1:05am to voice his displeasure, Eric Trump spent his night desperately trying to win Daddy’s love on Hannity, today was day two of Donald’s big money fraud trial in New York, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was voted out in an effort led by Florida Congressvomit Matt Gaetz, Jimmy shares one of the great police pursuits of all-time on our local ABC7 news, NBA star Jimmy Butler debuted a new hairdo, and Forbes just released their annual list of the wealthiest Americans so we asked kids to give us their thoughts on this thing we call “money.”

Colbert and Kimmel and their writers all thought the former guy's rant made for a great promotion. Chalk that up to the talk show hosts thinking TFG is the right enemy.


I conclude with a guest on Seth Meyers' show, Chris Hayes Dissects Matt Gaetz's Resolution to Remove Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.

Chris Hayes talks about Trump appearing in court for his civil fraud trial, the GOP's anger for Matt Gaetz over his resolution to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House and why there is no challenger to Donald Trump.

Gaetz punished McCarthy for doing the right thing, averting a government shutdown. I don't like people who do that. I have a feeling a lot of other people don't, either.

I still plan on sharing Seth Meyers' first closer look after returning from the writers strike, followed by some of the other guests that were on this week. Stay tuned.

'Stephen Colbert Recaps A Crazy Summer' as he returns from the writers strike

WGA strike ends, actors still on strike, talk shows to return ended with "That's right, Bill Maher returns Friday, John Oliver resumes on Sunday, and everyone else follows on Monday. I can hardly wait!" I've had tabs open to the YouTube channels of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Late Night with Seth Meyers throughout the entire strike just for this occasion, so I was prepared. I begin with Stephen Colbert Recaps A Crazy Summer, Part 1: Trump’s Mugshot, Cocaine in The White House, the first half of Stephen Colbert's monologue last night.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is back, and our host has a special two-part monologue to catch everyone up on the stories we missed over the summer, including those Canadian wildfires, cocaine found in the White House, the government admitting aliens are real, the former president’s many indictments, and more. Stick around for Part 2 of Stephen’s monologue after this!

Stephen missed being on air the times the former guy was indicted. I think his fans missed him as much or more. As I wrote in Writers Guild reaches tentative agreement with studios, "I've missed Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and especially John Oliver. Randy Rainbow just doesn't put out enough videos to fill that void." Welcome back!

Now, Stephen Colbert Recaps A Crazy Summer, Part 2: Travis & Taylor’s Couple Name, Trump’s Fantasy Wor[ld].

After catching everyone up on the summer’s wildest stories, Stephen looks at the biggest news from today, including Taylor Swift’s reported romance with Travis Kelce, and the judge who told the former president he’s living in a fantasy world.

Myself and others have suspected that Trump isn't worth as much as he says he is for years. After this trial, our suspicions will be confirmed, if for no other reason than he will lose a lot of his assets. Maybe he won't be a billionaire after all, if he even is one now or ever really had been!

I close with the cold open, How Stephen Colbert Got Back To Work After The Strike.

After months on the open sea, our captain returns to shore just in time to host The Late Show.

Hey, Stephen's the sea caption from Seth Meyers' pandemic shows! Speaking of Seth, I plan on featuring his return next. Stay tuned!

'How to Survive a Pandemic' upsets 'Good Night Oppy' to win Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary

I was very confident that Good Night Oppy would win Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary and had a good shot at Best Documentary, especially after Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was removed from contention. It won neither category, being bested by How to Survive a Pandemic for the former and The Janes for the latter. The former surprised me; the latter did not, as I wrote "The Janes is Good Night Oppy's stiffest competition for Best Documentary at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards." Good Night Oppy did win two of the six categories in which it was nominated, Outstanding Sound and Outstanding Writing: Documentary. I'll get to those over the jump. Right now, I'm going to be a good sport and congratulate How to Survive a Pandemic.


Original at Sandbox Films on Instagram.
Just to remind my readers, I'm recycling How to Survive a Pandemic | Official Trailer | HBO.

Two years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, How to Survive a Pandemic takes viewers behind the scenes of the race to make a vaccine.

The effort to end the pandemic is certainly worthy of a nomination and also a video I'll recommend to my biology students.

Especially now that it's won. Congratulations!

Follow over the jump for Good Night Oppy's Emmy Awards.

'Super/Natural' wins Outstanding Promotional Announcement plus squirrel videos for Wester

Happy Wester, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Autumnal Equinox, which has a squirrel for a mascot. That leads to today's topic, which I foreshadowed in 'Super/Natural,' 'Wildcat,' and other nature nominees at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards for International Tiger Day.

Super/Natural leads with four nominations, followed by Wildcat with three, while all the rest of the nominees have only the one nomination in this category. I'll examine the nominees' odds of winning this category and the others after sharing their trailers, beginning with Super Natural | Official Trailer | Disney+.

If you think you know nature, think again. Experience a realm beyond human perception in #SuperNaturalSeries, from executive producer James Cameron and National Geographic, and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch.

This trailer is so good that earned its own nomination for Outstanding Promotional Announcement. Wow! Also, leave it to the voice of Doctor Strange, Khan Noonien Singh, and Sherlock Holmes to tell the show's viewers about superpowers. Those characters would know about abilities beyond those of normal humans. Speaking of which, I might find clips of flying squirrels from this show to share on Wester, which falls on October 1st this year. That would be the Sunday after the NATAS announces the News & Documentary Emmy Awards winners, so it would be an appropriately timed topic for a post.

Much to my surprise, Super/Natural beat my picks, Shark Week and Retrograde to win Outstanding Promotional Announcement. I was less surprised to find out that Wildcat took home the Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary. As I wrote on International Tiger Day, "I still think it's a contest between Super/Natural and Wildcat. The former has more nominations, but the latter's trailer has a lot more views, which means the show might have more viewers. That could give it an advantage." Apparently, it did, along with Wildcat being a far more human story than Super/Natural. I wasn't sure that would impress the journalists and documentarians as much as it would the Hollywood creatives, but now that it has, I'll remember it the next time I invoke "electorates matter."

I couldn't find an official Twitter image celebrating Wildcat's win, so here's one I whipped up.


Congratulations to both Super/Natural and Wildcat on their Emmy Awards! Now follow over the jump for the squirrel videos I promised.

MSNBC and FiveThirtyEight react to the second Republican debate

"I'm just not feeling that last one this cycle, so I might skip it." That's what I wrote twice about Wednesday night's Republican debate. I changed my mind yesterday, so I'm covering it for the last post of September*. I begin with MSNBC's Political analysts say GOP debate was ‘an absolute crap show,’ with ‘no joy’ and ‘negative populism’.

In the second GOP primary debate, Republican Presidential hopefuls fought for second place behind frontrunner former President Donald Trump, who stole the show even though he did not attend. Andrea Mitchell is joined by John Kasich, Robert Gibbs and Michael Steele to discuss main takeaways from the debate. “Last night was an absolute crap show. It was nonsense. There was nothing redeeming about it,” Steele says. “There just seemed to be no joy last night,” Kasich adds. “What Donald Trump has brought on the Republican Party is this negative populism.”

Note that Steele and Kasich, whose disparaging remarks MSNBC quoted in the video description, are Republicans. They are neither liberals nor Democrats throwing rotten tomatoes at the candidates on the debate stage or their party.

Speaking of throwing rotten tomatoes at people on the debate stage, my reaction to Nikki Haley telling Vivek Ramaswamy "Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber from what you say" was "Hey, that's my line!" It's what I think every time I hear Jim "Coach Gym" Jordan; he makes me feel stupider just listening to him. I'm not sure I'd say the same thing about Ramaswamy, but he does annoy me.

Haley's barb became a topic of discussion in It's Now Or Never For The GOP Candidates | FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast.

The crew reacts to the second Republican presidential primary debate in this late night podcast.

Galen Druke, Geoffrey Skelly, and Leah Askarinam, who I don't recall seeing before, all thought this was a spontaneous outburst of aggravation, not a prepared line. I think it turned out to be the line of the night. They also seemed to agree that the former guy won while not debating, while Skelly thought Ron DeSantis remained in the lead among those on stage. Galen thought Haley had a good night. The poll FiveThirtyEight took says both did well. The share of respondents saying they'd would consider voting for DeSantis went up slightly and kept him in second behind TFG. The number of participants responding that they would consider voting for Haley went up even more, keeping her solidly in third. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy remained in fourth, but he lost support after the debate. Looks like Haley's punch landed.

I'm continuing with FiveThirtyEight for the final video of the month, Voters React To The 2nd GOP Debate | FiveThirtyEight.

Galen Druke explored what voters think about Republican presidential candidates after the second GOP debate in Simi Valley, California.

The voters liked Haley, but when push comes to shove, they'll vote for Trump. Sigh.

That's it for September's blogging. Stay tuned for a celebration of Wester as the first post of October.

*What I'm not feeling is making graphics for the candidates' VoteView and On The Issues ideological scores, finding a drinking game, and selecting drinks for the candidates. I'm sure I'll get around to the first by the next debate. I already have an idea for the first post in that series, graphics for DeSantis and Mike Pence from Voteview; I already have one for Pence and promised to make one for DeSantis, so it's half-written.

SciShow explains 'How To Make The Best Coffee, According To Science' for National Coffee Day

Happy National Coffee Day! I'm celebrating today much the same as I celebrated National Diatomaceous Earth Day, with a SciShow video. Watch Rose Bear Don't Walk explain How To Make The Best Coffee, According To Science.

If you drink coffee, you might wonder if you're doing the most to make your absolute best cup of coffee. And fortunately for you, science has the answers, from getting the perfect grind to finding out the best beans for you. So pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of joe!

Lots of great science — biology, chemistry, and physics — in this video, as well as practical science-based advice for brewing a good cup of coffee. Yum!

I'm also sharing a National Day Calendar video, which I haven't done for this day before, National Coffee Day - September 29.

Whether getting one to go or lingering over a second cup, on September 29th be sure to observe National Coffee Day!

Ah, the perfect cup of java. According to an expert cupper (a professional coffee taster), there are four components of a perfect cup: aroma, body, acidity, and flavor.

From the moment the average coffee lover opens a fresh bag of coffee beans, the aroma beckons, percolating the senses. Even those who don’t drink coffee tend to enjoy the fragrance roasted beans cast.

The video itself barely relates to the SciShow video, but its description sure makes for a good match!

WGA strike ends, actors still on strike, talk shows to return

I'm in the mood for some good news, so I'm following up on Writers Guild reaches tentative agreement with studios with two videos beginning with Yahoo Finance reporting WGA strike ends with tentative deal while actors' strike continues.

The Hollywood writers' strike has come to an end after over 140 days. The tentative deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has still yet to be ratified with a vote, but writers have been given the green light to return to production. Despite this monumental deal, major productions are still halted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike. Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita joins the Live show to break down the details of the new contract between the writers and studio executives, as well as the current status of the actors' strike.

I'm recycling my reaction from Monday: "As I wrote, this is good news, but I'm not posting Professor Farnsworth until both the writers and actors have ratified their contracts and the studios and actors still aren't talking." Speaking of which, The Hollywood Reporter uploaded SAG-AFTRA Strike Continues After WGA and AMPTP Reach Tentative Deal | THR News on Tuesday.

While the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative deal on a new contract, SAG-AFTRA is still on strike. WGA members returned to the picket lines today in support of striking SAG-AFTRA members on Tuesday and spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how they're feeling following the news that the more than 140-day writers' strike could be coming to an end.

The actors are feeling optimistic, which echoes what I wrote on Monday.

I'm sure they will resume talking once the WGA gets back to work, but that won't be until October at the earliest. While that means that scripted series for the new fall network TV season will be delayed until January, which is one of the reasons why the Primetime Emmy Awards have been postponed until MLK Day, I'm hoping that talk shows will return as soon as the WGA strike is over. I've missed Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and especially John Oliver. Randy Rainbow just doesn't put out enough videos to fill that void. I'm hoping to welcome their return in time for National TV Talk Show Host Day on October 23rd.

I'm getting my wish granted earlier than I expected, as USA Today reported in WGA strike ends, late night shows resume as actors continue picketing | Entertain This!

The Writers Guild of America reached a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Here's what's next for Hollywood.
...
The Hollywood screenwriters' strike, one of two strikes that have stalled movie and TV productions for nearly five months, will officially end Wednesday.

The Writers Guild of America board unanimously voted Tuesday to affirm the strike-ending deal, announced Sunday, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations.

That's right, Bill Maher returns Friday, John Oliver resumes on Sunday, and everyone else follows on Monday. I can hardly wait!