Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Helaine Olen: Nancy Pelosi is the heroine the resistance to Trump needs (Washington Post)
As for Pelosi, it's likely that whatever remaining chances her opponents had of toppling her from the speakership ended on Tuesday, as her televised master class in getting the better of Trump went viral. (In fact, as I am editing this piece, word is coming down about a possible compromise to settle the dispute.) After Tuesday's meeting, she returned to the House and said, "It's like a manhood thing with him - as if manhood can be associated with him. This wall thing." For good measure, she added, she was "trying to be the mom." Oof. Trump, on the other hand, acted like the toddler Pelosi so clearly thought he was …
Jonathan Chait: Don't Blame Trump for Losing the Shutdown Battle to These Legislative Geniuses (NY Mag)
3. Trump loudly and repeatedly claimed responsibility for shutting down the government. This is really the key step in the sequence. It is tricky to blame the opposing party for a shutdown when you say things like, "I will take the mantle," "I'm not going to blame you for it," and, "I will take the mantle of shutting down, and I'm going to shut it down for border security." At this point, it would have been hard for Democrats to take the blame for the shutdown even if they wanted to.
Matthew Yglesias: It's ridiculous that it's unconstitutional for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president (Vox)
But more to the point, the really awful thing about being old is that you just keep getting older over time. We're sitting here in the winter of 2018 talking about filling a presidential term that won't start until 2021 - with an inevitable reelection campaign in 2024 for a term that wouldn't end until early 2029. With youth, by contrast, it's the exact opposite situation. You might worry that a new youthful president is underexperienced (but then again, which president hasn't been a little underexperienced), but lack of experience is guaranteed to improve with time. Things are as bad as they'll ever be during the campaign, so voters can judge for themselves without worrying about lurking problems.
Paul Waldman: The contradiction that will bedevil Trump for the next two years (Washington Post)
Trump had made America a paradise. Also, you should be angry and frightened at how terrible things are.
Peter Bradshaw: Incredibles 2 review - riotous return of Pixar's superhero immortals (The Guardian)
The sequel to the animated masterpiece about a family with world-saving superpowers is just as thrilling and just as much fun.
Peter Bradshaw: Avengers: Infinity War review - colossal Marvel showdown revels in apocalyptic mayhem (The Guardian)
Supersized set pieces, sharp one-liners and surprising deaths abound in the Russo brothers' utterly confident comic-book movie mash-up.
"After All These Years" (Wordpress)
Written & performed by George J. Raymond.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog #1
David Bruce's Blog #2
David Bruce's Blog #3
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has over 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
Presenting
Michael Egan
took the day off.
has returned to semi-retired status.
In memory.
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
from Bruce
Anecdotes
• Lewis Black and Ron, his brother, occasionally had arguments about politics. For example, Lewis was shocked when Ron told him that he was going to vote for H. Ross Perot for President. They started shouting at each other, and the argument ended with Lewis shouting, "Okay, you do that. You vote for H. F**king Ross Perot. And you know what I'm going to do? I'M GOING TO TELL MOM!"
• The citizens of the former USSR hated the government and the shortages of goods that Communism resulted in. According to one underground joke, if the Soviet Communists ever came to power in the Sahara Desert, the Soviets would soon suffer from a severe shortage of sand. Similarly, the Cubans would know that they had achieved Socialism when they were forced to import sugar.
• Antonio López de Santa Anna lost much of his left leg below the knee while fighting the French in Mexico. A man of great ego, he held a funeral for his leg. Unfortunately, he was often unpopular with the people of Mexico-despite being the President of Mexico five times-and in December of 1844 some Mexican citizens dug up his leg and burned and pulverized it.
• Barbara Bush, the wife of one President and the mother of another President, called her parents Daddy and Mommy until she got married. Her father did not care for anything fake. Once Barbara went on a date with a boy and said, "Good night, Father." Daddy answered, "Good night, Bobsy. Keep your nose clean." (By the way, she hated the nickname "Bobsy.")
• Communism has some major faults, including giving way much power to petty bureaucrats. One city official insisted that musicians paid to perform in a park must play for eight straight hours with no intermissions. When the musicians protested, the official stated, "The Government knows best what is and is not possible."
• Winston Churchill was a long-time opponent of Communism, but when Adolf Hitler attacked Russia in 1941, he gave a speech in favor of the Soviets. When asked how he could do this, Mr. Churchill responded, "If Hitler invaded Hell I would at least make a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons."
• While in China in 1969, Mother Teresa was asked what she thought a Communist was. She replied, "A child of God, a brother, a sister of mine." Asked where she had gotten that idea, Mother Teresa said, "From God himself. He said, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me'" (Matthew 25:40).
• Maury Maverick, Jr.'s grandmother was hard of hearing. Once his father tried to introduce her to a famous economist, but she misheard him and thought that he had said "communist," so she ordered him to get the man off her property.
• In a scene from Diamond Lil, Mae West's escort says that he is a politician. She replies, "I don't like work, either."
• Comedian Bill Hicks was worried when God told Pat Robertson to run for President - until he realized that God hadn't told him to vote for him.
• Controversial filmmaker John Waters started voting in 1968 when he opted for a write-in candidate: "Any pig will do."
***
© Copyright Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved
***
Bonus Links
Jeannie the Teed-Off Temp
Reader Comment
Current Events
Grumpy Cat & Christmas
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
JD is on vacation.
Visit JD's site - Kitty Litter Music
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Traffic was extra awful.
2019 Inductees
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The latest batch of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced Thursday morning on SiriusXM's Volume channel, and the class of 2019 is a straight-A lineup, featuring deserving - and sometimes ludicrously overlooked - luminaries of R&B (Janet Jackson), post-punk (the Cure), metal (Def Leppard), alternative (Radiohead), glam (Roxy Music) and classic rock (the Zombies, Stevie Nicks).
Janet Jackson's inclusion is especially exciting. In the #MeToo era, it seems like all the world has been rallying around Miss Jackson - whose career stalled after the "Nipplegate" scandal at Super Bowl LII (reportedly due to the dastardly scheming of disgraced CBS executive Les Moonves), while her equally responsible halftime duet partner, Justin Timberlake, walked away unscathed. Jackson's recent politically charged "State of the World" tour was a massive success; she recently received the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards; and she's finally being rightfully heralded as the forerunner to triple-threat divas like Beyoncé and Rihanna. Her hall induction is the perfect way for the three-time hall of fame nominee to complete her comeback story arc.
Another trailblazing woman in music, Nicks - who entered the hall as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1998 - also makes history, as the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice.
The Cure have been shortlisted for the hall twice, but were passed over; in general, the hall has snubbed what one anonymous insider snarkily dubbed the "mascara bands" of the early-'80s new wave era (Depeche Mode, Joy Division, the Smiths, Duran Duran). But the induction of these goth godfathers, who just celebrated their 40th anniversary at London's Hyde Park, could (and should) open doors for bands of the 1980s.
The nominees that were passed over this time around, on one of the coolest and most competitive ballots in years, were Todd Rundgren, LL Cool J, Kraftwerk, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, John Prine and MC5.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Refused Advances
Cybill Shepherd
Illeana Douglas isn't the only actress who claims to have been punished after rejecting sexual advances from former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who left the network in disgrace this fall after Douglas and others came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
In an interview for SiriusXM's The Michelle Collins Show airing Thursday, actress Cybill Shepherd shared her own experiences working with Moonves when she filmed the CBS sitcom Cybill. The award-winning show aired from 1995 to 1998, but was canceled in what Shepherd now claims was a punishment for her refusal to go home with Moonves.
"His assistant and my assistant made a dinner date, and we went to it and he was … telling me his wife didn't turn him on, some mistress didn't turn him on," she told Collins. "And I'm watching him drink alcohol and I'm going… He says, 'Well, you know, why don't you let me take you home?' I said, 'No, I've got a ride,' and I had my car outside with a good friend of mine who is an off-duty LAPD officer."
Shepherd believes that CBS ultimately pulled the plug on the show because she rejected Moonves. Had she accepted, she told Collins, "it would have run another five years."
Designing Women creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason has also accused Moonves of torpedoing her career, though her claims didn't involve sexual harassment.
Cybill Shepherd
25 Titles Added
National Film Registry
The Library of Congress has announced the 25 films joining the National Film Registry in 2018. The most well-known titles in this year's group include Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca," Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park," and James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News." Films that make the cut have been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and will be preserved under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act.
"The National Film Registry turns 30 this year and for those three decades, we have been recognizing, celebrating, and preserving this distinctive medium," said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. "These cinematic treasures must be protected because they document our history, culture, hopes, and dreams."
With the 25 new additions, the National Film Registry now has a total of 750 titles. "Brokeback Mountain," released in 2005, is the most recently released film to be added to the Registry this year. Other films included in 2018 are Disney's animated "Cinderella," Kasi Lemmons' 1997 thriller "Eve's Bayou," and classic noir films such as Orson Welles' "The Lady From Shanghai," and John M. Stahl's "Leave Her to Heaven."
The oldest film added to the Registry this year is the "Dixon-Wanamaker Expedition to Crow Agency," a pair of films showcasing Native Americans from 1908. Native American representation is seen again with "Smoke Signals," the 1998 indie from director Chris Eyre, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
National Film Registry
(Almost) Quits Drinking
Keith Richards
Keith Richards, the hard-partying lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, has quit drinking - almost - saying he "just got fed up with it."
"It's been about a year now," Richards told Rolling Stone magazine in an interview. "I pulled the plug on it. I got fed up with it."
Richards, 74, who has said his favorite tipple for decades has been whiskey or vodka, said he still had a glass of wine occasionally and a beer.
"It was time to quit. Just like all the other stuff," he told the magazine, referring to his past addiction to cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs. Richards has said he quit drugs after a 1977 arrest in Canada for heroin possession.
Bandmate Ron Wood, who battled alcoholism for years, said Richards was easier to work with since giving up drink.
Keith Richards
CBS Paid $9.5 Million to Settle Harassment Claim
Eliza Dushku
CBS agreed to pay Eliza Dushku a multimillion-dollar settlement in January following her complaint that she was written off the drama "Bull" after she confronted series star Michael Weatherly about multiple instances of inappropriate behavior.
On Thursday The New York Times broke the news about the $9.5 million settlement, citing a draft of a report by independent law firms investigating the culture at CBS at the request of the company's board.
"The allegations in Ms. Dushku's claims are an example that, while we remain committed to a culture defined by a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace, our work is far from done," the network told TheWrap in statement. "The settlement of these claims reflects the projected amount that Ms. Dushku would have received for the balance of her contract as a series regular, and was determined in a mutually agreed upon mediation process at the time."
Last year, Dushku, best known for her work on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," was tapped to play a major role in three episodes of "Bull," with the possibility of becoming a full-time cast member.
But Dushku was soon written off the show after she confronted Weatherly, the series' star, over comments she said made her uncomfortable, according to the report.
Eliza Dushku
Outrage In Kentucky
ProPublica
Kentucky Gov. Matt Beven (R) was OUTRAGED when he learned that ProPublica would be supporting investigative journalism at a local newspapaer over the course of the nxt year and posted a befuddling video on Wednesday evening attacking The Courier-Journal and ProPublica's funding model, complete with a dig at a billionaire George Soros.
In his tirade against The Journal, Bevin described Soros as "George I-hate-America Soros" and encouraged "everybody to just disregard the nonsense that comes out of this biased, left-wing organization."
ProPublica disclosed that the George Soros' Open Society Foundations "fund less than 2%" of its operations in an article published in August. The article also acknowledged its ties to Soros could be viewed as controversial but maintained that its journalistic integrity was not compromised.
"Those who bring to light uncomfortable truths are dismissed as 'fake news' or, in our case, the work of the 'Soros-funded' ProPublica, the all-purpose, vaguely anti-Semitic epithet meant to connote left-wing bias," editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg wrote.
It was unclear what exactly prompted the governor's remarks against The Journal and ProPublica, aside from his accusations of bias and his suspicion against its financiers. However, The Journal has published numerous investigations of Bevin as recently September, including one in which he allowed a 134% salary increase - or $215,000 - to an Army friend and business associate who worked as the state's chief information officer for 10 months.
ProPublica
Highest Level In 20 Years
Gun Deaths
A steady rise in suicides involving firearms has pushed the rate of gun deaths in the US to its highest rate in more than 20 years, with almost 40,000 people killed in shootings in 2017, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC's Wonder database shows that in 2017, 39,773 people in the US lost their lives at the point of a gun, marking the onward march of firearm fatalities in a country renowned for its lax approach to gun controls. When adjusted for age fluctuations, that represents a total of 12 deaths per 100,000 people - up from 10.1 in 2010 and the highest rate since 1996.
What that bare statistic represents in terms of human tragedy is most starkly reflected when set alongside those of other countries. According to a recent study from the Jama Network, it compares with rates of 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people in Japan, 0.3 in the UK, 0.9 in Germany and 2.1 in Canada.
Jama found that just six countries in the world are responsible for more than half of all 250,000 gun deaths a year around the globe. The US is among those six, together with Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala.
That America is sapped by a continuing epidemic of gun deaths is hardly news. But the new CDC data raises concern that even within that relentlessly consistent story of bloodletting, the carnage continues to worsen.
Gun Deaths
Top 20
Global Concert Tours
The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of November 28, 2018:
1. Taylor Swift; $8,311,611; $125.72.
2. Jay-Z / Beyoncé; $6,855,357; $128.12.
3. Ed Sheeran; $5,841,468; $92.31.
4. U2; $4,976,018; $132.29.
5. Drake; $4,158,144; $116.46.
6. Bruno Mars; $3,696,156; $148.42.
7. Eagles; $3,521,938; $178.62.
8. Britney Spears; $3,349,135; $204.64.
9. Billy Joel; $3,295,709; $121.16.
10. Elton John; $2,804,263; $134.47.
11. Roger Waters; $2,603,628; $79.14.
12. Phish; $2,332,796; $66.32.
13. "Springsteen On Broadway"; $2,104,486; $509.59.
14. Phil Collins; $2,092,876; $150.65.
15. Metallica; $2,054,031; $126.82.
16. Arctic Monkeys; $2,049,447; $76.17.
17. Justin Timberlake; $2,032,942; $111.89.
18. Journey / Def Leppard; $1,847,854; $104.81.
19. Fleetwood Mac; $1,660,489; $131.64.
20. Shakira; $1,587,987; $105.10.
Global Concert Tours
In Memory
Sondra Locke
Sondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actress and former partner of Clint Eastwood, died last month at the age of 74, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Locke earned her Oscar nomination in 1968 for her supporting role in the adaptation of Carson McCullers' "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter," starring alongside Alan Arkin. It was Locke's first acting role, which led to star turns in films like "Willard" and "The Second Coming of Suzanne," the latter being her first title role.
Her career then took a big turn in 1975 when she starred alongside Clint Eastwood in "The Outlaw Josey Wales." She played the love interest of Eastwood's character and began dating him soon after. During their 14 year relationship, Locke and Eastwood made six films together, including the highest grossing installment of the "Dirty Harry" franchise, "Sudden Impact," in 1983. Their relationship ended with a palimony suit in 1989 after Eastwood locked Locke out of their house, and was discovered to have fathered children with another woman during their relationship.
Locke and Eastwood reached a settlement in which Eastwood helped set up a development and directing deal at Warner Bros. in exchange for dropping the palimony suit. But Locke eventually sued Eastwood for fraud in 1995, asserting that the deal was a sham designed to destroy her career - Warner Bros, Locke said, had rejected every single project she pitched. She also sued Warner Bros. in a separate suit. Eastwood and WB both settled with Locke for undisclosed amounts of money, and the case has since been cited in law textbooks to illustrate of the legal concept of good faith.
In 1986, Locke made her directorial debut with "Ratboy," which starred her as a failed window dresser who tries to adopt a human-rat mutant she discovers while dumpster diving. While the film was a flop in the U.S., it became critically acclaimed in Europe. She went on to direct the 1990 crime film "Impulse" and the 1997 thriller "Do Me A Favor."
In 1967, Locke married actor, sculptor and artist Gordon Anderson, her childhood friend. Anderson was gay and Locke described their relationship as essentially siblings. In 1996 during her lawsuit against Eastwood, she explained their relationship and why they married. "It's funny the sort of cultural changes, but in those days males and females never lived together unless they were married," she told the jury, according to the Los Angeles Times. Locke also said that Anderson was "more like a sister to me."
Locke and Anderson never divorced and remained close throughout their lives.
Sondra Locke
| CURRENT MOON lunar phases |
