from Bruce
Anecdotes
Mothers
• Early in his life, Bernie Mac knew that he wanted to be a comedian. His mother was crying one day, the television was on, and comedian Bill Cosby made an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bernie was present, hoping that his mother would stop crying, and soon he saw that she was laughing at Bill Cosby even though her tears were still on her cheeks. A little later, she was laughing hard, and no one could tell that she had been crying. Although Bernie was only about four years old, he told his mother, “Mama, that’s what I’m going to be. I’m going to be a comedian — so I don’t ever have to see you cry.”
• Lesbian comedian Judy Gold is a mother who is very happy that children today are growing up with less prejudice toward homosexuals than their parents had. One day, a child had a play date with her young son. After going home, the child complained, “Why can’t I have two moms?”
• Comedian Bill Hicks discovered that he could get away with a lot on stage if he had the right comeback line. For example, he would do a joke about cunnilingus, shocking nearly everyone, then say, “My mother wrote that joke.”
• Comedian Bob Hope’s mother was funny, too. One of the jokes his family told was that when Bob was born, his mother shouted to her husband, “William, get the doctor back. He’s taken the baby and left the stork.”
Movies
• Buster Keaton came up with good gags, but he had to throw some of them out of his movies. For example, in The Navigator, he had a gag in which he had to repair his ship underwater, and a school of fish came near him. A big fish had trouble getting through the school of fish, so Buster acted like an underwater traffic cop. He took a starfish and let it attach itself to his clothing like a badge, and he then stopped the school of fish to let the big fish go on its way. (The gag took three days to film, and it took 1,500 rubber fish attached to violin string.) Unfortunately, the audience did not laugh at the gag because it occurred at a place in the movie where the audience thought that Buster ought to be serious — he had to fix the ship in order to rescue the heroine. Because the gag did not get a laugh when he previewed the movie, Buster deleted it from the movie. Don’t feel bad for Buster, however — he put the gag in a trailer for the movie, and the gag got a big laugh.
• Occasionally, a comic movie star will be so popular and work so hard that he or she seems to be ubiquitous — appearing in every comic movie. For comic movie star Ben Stiller, that happened in the mid-2000s. In 2006, Mr. Stiller starred in Night at the Museum, which was written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant. When he was asked if Mr. Stiller was the actor they had in mind when he and Mr. Garant wrote the movie, Mr. Lennon replied, “We write every script with Ben Stiller in mind. If you work in Hollywood these days, you might as well.”
• Early in Lucille Ball’s career, she had a small role in a movie titled The Kid from Spain that starred comedian Eddie Cantor. In the film, Mr. Cantor ducked and one of the glamour girls behind him got hit with a pie that had been meant to hit him. Lucy is the glamour girl who volunteered to get hit with the pie — none of the other glamour girls wanted to do the job. Later, Mr. Cantor told celebrity interviewer Joe Franklin that he knew on that day in 1932 that Lucy would go far in the business. Why? He explained that Lucy “wasn’t afraid to be outrageous.”
• Opera singer Helen Traubel provided popular entertainment in addition to her better-known high-brow entertainment. She enjoyed both. For example, while making the film Deep in My Heart, she had the pleasure of working with the very funny Jim Backus, who was the voice of Mr. Magoo and a storyteller of renown. During a break, she laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face — a scene she filmed immediately afterwards had to be reshot because her mascara had also streamed down her face.
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Presenting
Michael Egan
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
BANDCAMP MUSIC
BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC
Music: "Awake in the Night"
Album: AWAKE IN THE NIGHT
Artist: The Lonesome Wilderness
Artist Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Info:
“The Lonesome Wilderness plays desert garage rock, filled with traces of surf, classic punk, and psychedelic rock — all mixed with sounds of the American Southwest. Formed in Phoenix in 2011, the band includes Joe Golfen, Paul Golfen, Andrea Golfen, and Brian Weis.
“The Lonesome Wilderness released with their first full-length record, "Awake in the Night," in Jan 2020. Produced by Ari Leopold, the album finds the band pushing their musical boundaries, exploring bleary-eyed folk rock, noise collages, swirling psychedelica and moody atmospherics while retaining their signature southwestern flavor.
"AWAKE IN THE NIGHT finds the band searching for hope in the face of growing older, political unrest and the general anxiety of our modern age. The joy and struggle of new parenthood also informs the record, offering a bright light along with brand new concerns. Through it all, the group finds passion and solace in their music.
‘[…] You can find them playing shows on ramshackle stages in dirt lots, backyards, and dark bars.”
Bass / Andrea Golfen
Drums / Brian Weis
Vocals, Guitar / Joe Golfen
Guitars / Paul Golfen
Price: $1 (USD) for track; $7 (USD) for nine-track album
Genre: Southwestern Psych Rock.
Links:
AWAKE IN THE NIGHT
The Lonesome Wilderness on Bandcamp
The Lonesome Wilderness on YouTube
The Lonesome Wilderness Official Website
Other Links:
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Reader Suggestion
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Twofer
New Venture
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BRUCE'S RECOMMENDATION
Recommended
Joe Biden
Franklin Foer: Biden Answered the 3 a.m. Call (Atlantic)
It’s hard to imagine that any of his rivals from the last election could have matched the president’s performance in this crisis.
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Reader Comment
Current Events
Linda >^..^<
We are all only temporarily able bodied.
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In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Back to mid-summer weather.
Rock Hall of Fame
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is still on the list of this year’s nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite the country icon asking to be removed because she hasn’t “earned that right.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement Thursday that, in effect, it is up to the voters to decide if Parton is elected.
“Dolly’s recommendation, along with the other 16 nominees for the class of 2022 was sent out earlier this month to our 1,200 general ballot voters, the majority of whom are artists themselves, for consideration for induction at our ceremony.”
Parton was named on the Rock Hall shortlist last month, alongside fellow first-time nominees Eminem, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran and A Tribe Called Quest.
Other artists and groups being considered for induction are Rage Against the Machine, Pat Benatar, Dionne Warwick, Carly Simon, Judas Priest, Beck, Kate Bush, DEVO, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5 and the New York Dolls.
Dolly Parton
Sends Damning Message
Arnold
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recorded a searing, inspiring, nine-minute message to the Russian people, soldiers and Vladimir Putin himself in which he aims to spread the truth about the war in Ukraine and combat the Russian government’s disinformation campaign.
“I’m sending this message through various different channels to reach my dear Russian friends and the Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine,” the Austrian-American’s message begins. “I’m speaking to you today because there are things that are going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things that you should know about.”
Schwarzenegger’s video message opens with him detailing his long-held reverence for the Russian people, and how his father – a member of the Nazi party – argued with him as a boy to take down a picture of Russian weightlifting champion Yuri Petrovich Vlasov.
The ”Terminator” actor then explained how he hopes his respect for the Russian people would allow them to sincerely hear his message. “Ever since I was 14 years old, I’ve had nothing but affections and respect for the people of Russia. The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me. That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine and what is happening there.”
In a move meant to remove perceived bias, Schwarzenegger drew a clear line of comparison between Russia’s actions in Ukraine and the January 6 insurrection in the U.S. “I speak with the same heartfelt concern as I spoke to the American people when there was an attempted insurrection on January 6 last year when a wild crowd was storming the U.S. Capitol trying to overthrow our government. There are moments like this that are so wrong and then we have to speak up. It is exactly the same with your government.”
Arnold
MusiCares Tribute
Joni Mitchell
Chaka Khan, Stephen Stills, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter and Beck will be among those performing in tribute to Joni Mitchell when she’s honored as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy.
The academy announced the latest additions to the lineup Thursday for the tribute concert and gala to be held in Las Vegas on April 1, two days before the Grammy Awards.
Other performers announced Thursday include Lauren Daigle, Angélique Kidjo, Allison Russell and St. Vincent.
They’ll join previously announced performers Brandi Carlile, Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock, Leon Bridges, Pentatonix, Black Pumas and Mickey Guyton.
The event, like the Grammy ceremony itself, was postponed from January to April over fears of the omicron variant and moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Joni Mitchell
Acquires MGM
Amazon
Amazon announced Thursday it has closed its acquisition of Hollywood studio MGM, two days after European regulators said the deal “would not significantly reduce competition” in European markets.
The retail giant had announced the $8.5 billion deal in May, making it the company’s second-largest acquisition following its $13.7 billion deal with Whole Foods in 2017. The latest acquisition was aimed at boosting Amazon’s streaming services to compete against Netflix and Disney+.
One of the oldest studios in Hollywood, MGM has been through bankruptcy and new sets of owners in the past decade while its new releases dwindled.
Amazon plans to draw on the vast MGM library, with famous characters such as Rocky, RoboCop and Pink Panther, to create new movies and shows.
Amazon
Calls Out Di$ney
Gabrielle Union
Ahead of the premiere of her new Disney+ movie, Cheaper By The Dozen, star Gabrielle Union has taken a firm stance against Disney for its donations to Florida politicians who support the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and for its weak response after the bill passed in Florida’s Senate earlier this month.
“Somebody asked me, ‘Are you disappointed?’ I’m disappointed when my order isn’t right at In-N-Out. I don’t even think that’s a word that you could use for something like this, where children’s lives are literally hanging in the balance,” Union tells Variety. “We need to own that if you truly are taking stands against hate and oppression, you should not fund hate and oppression. Period. The damage is done.”
A report by the Orlando Sentinel recently revealed Disney has donated funds to each and every sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill, which prohibits “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity” in schools and other educational environment. The company has since halted all donations to Florida politicians in an effort to prove their allyship.
“There are so many states that are following suit [with Florida’s legislation], because there is no pushback, because no one in positions of power [or] corporations are taking a hard stance,” Union continues. “Let’s look who’s donating to what and let’s call people out… I think a lot of people like to confuse accountability and consequences for cancel culture. And as long as you have a microphone and a stage that’s not cancel culture, honey… We have to campaign and fund for those people who stand for all of us.”
Gabrielle Union
Challengers Losing Lots
Corporate Cash
In the days after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, dozens of companies said they would suspend political donations to Republican lawmakers who had backed then-President Donald Trump's baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
More than one year later, Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to challenge the election results have so far collected about half as much corporate cash as they did at this point in the previous election cycle, a Reuters analysis of campaign finance records shows.
By contrast, corporate donations are up about 10% to House Republicans who voted to certify President Joe Biden's victory over Trump.
The results indicate that the corporate boycott is not just limited to the dozens of companies that announced a halt to donations after the attack. Hundreds more have also scaled back their support, the Reuters analysis shows.
The shift illustrates the growing gulf between business interests and the right wing of the Republican Party, which under Trump's presidency grew more anti-establishment and more open to curbs on global trade and technology that would have been anathema in previous years.
Corporate Cash
Offers Refuge
California
California could provide legal refuge to displaced transgender youth and their families under a proposal announced Thursday that joins a growing list of initiatives from the nation’s most populous state aimed at counterbalancing actions in Texas and other conservative places.
Democratic state lawmakers said they will introduce legislation to offer California as a safe haven for parents in other states who risk having their transgender children taken away or from being criminally prosecuted for supporting their children’s access to gender-affirming procedures and other health care.
The measure is a response to moves in several Republican-dominated states and particularly Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to consider removing transgender children from their families and placing them in foster care. A Texas judge last week temporarily blocked that effort, although the state is appealing.
California Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener said his bill would ensure that “California is a place of refuge for transgender children and their parents as a wave of criminalization sweeps through Texas and other states.”
The bill to provide refuge to transgender youth and their families is the latest effort by California officials to counter moves on generally liberal vs. conservative issues like abortion and gun control in other states.
California
Nothing To Do With Gas Prices
Keystone XL Pipeline
Americans seem especially gullible to misinformation when they’re bleeding at the gas station.
With the Russia-Ukraine war pushing gas prices well above $4 per gallon, motorists are looking for somebody to blame—and President Biden’s critics sense an opportunity. Leading Republicans such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy say Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline last year explains why gas prices are so high now. Former Vice President Mike Pence is running ads claiming killing Keystone XL made the United States more dependent on Russian oil. Fox News tells viewers gas prices would fall if Biden would only reverse the Keystone XL decision. Here at Yahoo, people write in frequently to echo these claims.
It's all nonsense. The Keystone XL pipeline would have been a new way for one Canadian energy firm to ship oil to the United States. But the nation still gets all the oil it needs from Canada, its own producers and many other countries.
“People have this idea that because Keystone XL was not completed, the oil just disappeared. It didn’t,” says Samantha Gross, director of the energy security and climate initiative at the Brookings Institution. “That oil got produced anyway and is still getting to market through trains and other pipelines.”
Had the pipeline been built, it would have delivered 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to the Gulf Coast, where refineries would process it into gasoline and other finished products. TC Energy never said where those products would end up. They could have been sold in the U.S. market, or loaded on tankers for export to other nations. It’s flawed logic to assume this would have represented a huge boost in U.S. gasoline supply that would have lowered prices.
Keystone XL Pipeline
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