This morning, I was listening to the rebroadcast of last weekend’s Midnight Special broadcast on WFMT.  And they played Pete Seeger’s rendition of “We Shall Overcome” at his Carnegie Hall concert in June, 1963.  I’d heard this version before, but not for a very long time.  And…it’s spectacular.
 
Everyone here knows “We Shall Overcome.”  Everybody has either heard it or sung it, and probably most have done both.  But even though you know the song intimately, this is still an enthralling, emotional performance.
 
It’s not all the verses.  Or the big crowd joining in.  Mostly, it’s Pete Seeger singing his ethereal harmony that soars throughout.  Yes, it’s all of that together.  But keep your ear honed to Seeger’s voice.  It’s really special.

And it's made even more special from the perspective of knowing the time we live in, with the voting rights bill just failing in Congress with zero Republican votes.
 
After a bit of an introduction, the song lasts five minutes, and it just sucks you in.  I know that it says this goes on for over eight minutes, but that’s only because when the song finishes, there is a roaring ovation for literally a minute-and-a-half!  (In fairness, I don’t think that’s only for this song, but it seems like it’s the end of the concert.  But it’s still the way you want this performance to end.)

The four NFL games over the weekend were remarkable -- all four games ended regulation on a field goal, either to win or send the game to overtime.  And all the better, both Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady lost their games.  

All of which leads to this tweet that I think is hilarious.

Tomorrow on TCM at 3:45pm Eastern time (12:45 on the West Coast), they have THE LAST OF SHEILA, a good murder mystery with an all-star cast, and a screenplay full of twists written by, of all people Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim.  (They were friends who shared a great love of puzzles.  And so, they decided to write one.)

This is the original trailer.  It's not great -- and begins poorly -- but it eventually gets to the heart of the matter and gives a semi-passable sense of the movie.  Along with, of course, who all is in the cast.
​

I have a feeling I’m far behind the curve on this, and that many people who read these pages already use GoodRx.  However, because I also suspect that are at least people who – like me – “know about” GoodRx from their TV ads but never paid much attention, they might not have any idea if it’s worth ever using.  To me, GoodRx seemed like an auxiliary insurance or something, so the ads have washed past me.  But it all sort of fell into my lap the other day, and was somewhat amazing.  If you do know all about it, then never mind, you can stop here and wander elsewhere more interesting for the time being, and come back later for other festivities.  Or it just may not apply to you.  But in case you do have any prescriptions, and are one of those who (like me) weren't aware how it actually works, this is what happened: 
 
I have a couple of prescriptions (each on a 3-month order).  One is very low cost.  However, I’ve started a new prescription that’s solidly higher – when I filled my first 3-month prescription of it a few months back, the cost about $130 for the three months.  That’s not terrible per month, though much more than my other one.  But I was fine with it.
 
When I went to refill the prescription at my pharmacy last week, the pharmacist’s assistant looked at the price and said, ‘Hmm, let’s see if there’s a coupon for this.”  She checked her computer, and said that she found a “GoodRx” coupon, so the cost for the full three months will only be about…$21.  I quipped back, “Oh.  Well…okay, that’s less, then.”
 
She said that in the future when I get my prescription refilled for this one medication, I should just tell them to apply the GoodRx coupon.  And that’s what stood out even further to me – I didn’t need to have a coupon or…well, anything.  Just say “Please apply the GoodRx coupon.”  The pharmacist came over and said (if I understood him correctly) the only downside is that they can only apply the discounted price to insurance to be applied toward my deductible.  But that’s fine.  For now, I don’t expect to reach the deductible anyway, so this is far better.  A savings for $110 on a $130 bill seems fine by me…
 
I later skimmed the GoodRx website, and have a cursory idea now of how it works.  It says there’s no cost, and there’s no need to even sign up for their discount card (since as long as you only have to tell your pharmacy to apply the GoodRx discount, that’s all that’s needed.)  That said, it’s probably used by most people who perhaps go to different pharmacies and therefore do print out the coupons – whose discounts differ from pharmacy to pharmacy – but since my pharmacy said to just tell them to apply the discount, even the coupons aren’t necessary, at least with them.
 
I brought this up to my doctor, and he was aware of it.  And he said that sometimes it seems too good to be true.  His nurse assistant said she uses it all the time for friends to tell them where the best deals are. 
 
Basically, you go on their website (or download the app), type in the drug you’re interested it, and it returns a list of the different member pharmacies and what their cost to you will be.  With a link to print out a coupon.
 
To show you how it works, I did an Internet search for the most popular drug medications, and #1 is Vicodin.  So, I went to the GoodRx website, typed in “Vicodin”, hit <Enter> and this was the result it came up with. 

​
​Assuming your pharmacy is on the list, you can print out the coupon for it, or – if you have the app – show this result to your pharmacy.  Or, I suppose like mine, just tell them to apply the GoodRx discount.  And if it’s not a drug where you have a prescription, you could just use the pharmacy with the best price.  Or change pharmacies.
 
The sense I get is that for many people, the app is a good thing to have in order to check out the best deals.  But in my case, it doesn’t even seem necessary – because a) my costs are generally pretty low, b) I get my prescriptions from one pharmacy, and c) most importantly, that pharmacy told me I only have to tell them to apply the GoodRx discount when I pick up my prescriptions!
 
That’s what’s so bizarre about this.  It seems great under any condition – but for many people (including me), it’s even better since you don’t even have to do quite literally anything.  Other than say, “Please give me the discount.”
 
Getting the GoodRx card probably gives a greater discount, but there’s no way of knowing how much.  And since they ask for a bit of personal information, it wasn’t worth it to me, and I let it pass.
 
If one’s prescription costs are low to begin with, there likely won’t be any benefit.  But if a person has any medication that does take a bit of a bite, the benefits seem significant.
 
As my doctor said -- “Sometimes it does seem too good to be true!”
 
I haven’t downloaded the app yet, though may, just because there’s really no downside and maybe there’d be some instance where it’s helpful if you go to get your medication and there’s a screw-up.  So, we’ll see.
 
The website is at www.goodrx.com.  You can type in a medication and see how it works.
 
As I said, some of you may know about this and how it works.  Many may.  But I wanted to pass it along to any others who, like me, have let it slip by, just in case.

We have a new one this week, and the contestant is John Mundy of Wabasha, Minnesota.  I thought I might have a chance with the composer style, but I was wrong.  As for the hidden song, I wasn’t sure, but thought I might possibly have it right – and happily, I did.
 

On this week’s episode of 3rd and Fairfax, the official podcast of the Writers Guild of America, the guest is screenwriter-director Sian Heder, whose recent film for Apple TV+, the wonderful CODA, explores the coming-of-age of a teenage girl growing up as a Child of Deaf Adults, torn between family obligations and the pursuit of her own dreams.  Her other works include the feature Tallulah, and “The Silence” episode of the anthology series Little America, as well as serving as story editor of Orange is the New Black.
 

By the way, as a bonus, this is the trailer for CODA.

(If you didn't get the hint, I really liked CODA...)
​

On this week’s ‘Not My Job’ segment of the NPR quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the guests are Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks and Robin Lopez Orlando Magic – the first twin 7-footers ever to play in the NBA.  Their good-natured chiding of each other – along with their mutual love of Disney – make for a fun interview with host Peter Sagal.
 
This the full Wait, Wait… broadcast, but you can jump directly to the “Not My Job” segment, it starts around the 18:20 mark.

This is from several weeks ago, so it's not the current story it was at the time, but it's still an interesting discussion.  And at least it's timely for being in the final stages of the NFL playoffs.  As Team Stewart puts it, "Fantasy football legend Jon Stewart sits down with real football legend Keyshawn Johnson to discuss coach Jon Gruden’s leaked racist emails and how the power structure of the NFL enables such behavior. Jon is also joined by Kris Acimovic and Kasaun Wilson, who don’t hold back on the Gruden controversy."

Most people know Harry Anderson from his starring role in the series Night Court – or perhaps even before that in a recurring role on Cheers as the con man Harry “The Hat” Gittes.  (Or even before, from a few appearances on Saturday Night Live.)
 
To those who know his early work, you know that he actually got his start as a magician.  And he not only was wonderful as a magician, but his act was extremely funny.
 
If you’ve never seen his act – or haven’t for a long time but remember it fondly – this is as good as it gets.  It’s a wonderful 1986 TV special he did for Showtime, Hello, Sucker!  That was his on-stage persona, which was reasonably close to his Cheers character, a fast-talking street magician, out to scam you, often in as "geek" a way as he could.

Though this shows you his work at its roots, it came from after he hit the big time with Night Court, that premiered in 1984.  And in a nod to that, one of his guests is the show's co-star, John Larroquette.  (It also features one of my favorite, if lesser-known comedians, the low-key, odd and wonderful Rich Hall, who doesn't do any comedy here but just has a brief appearance as a bartender.)

​This runs about 50 minutes, blending stage work and sketches and it's a joy.

​Okay, under normal circumstances, not being a lawyer, I’d be on legal overload from all the various legal news out the last couple days.  But the depth of it all has additionally put me on sensory overload, as well.  And I am sure this is only the very tip of the tip of the iceberg.
 
From the Supreme Court ruling slamming down Trump’s request of Executive Privilege, to the Fulton County, Georgia D.A. requesting a special grand jury, to requests to Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump to testify before the New York Attorney General, to requests to Ivanka Trump to testify before the January 6 House Select Committee (in an incredibly-detailed, 8-page letter), to the release of the first batch of material coming into the House Select Committee as a result of the Supreme Court ruling, to stories of Rudy Giuliani being the leader of Trump’s efforts to get states to violate the law by putting together illegal slates of electors to help overthrow the government…and…well, there’s probably more, but that whole “sensory overload” thing is kicking in.
 
Because of all that, including my lack of actual legal training, I’m not going to get into the details of it all.  But there are some important perceptions that I think can be taken away from this activity.
 
First, I think Trump must be very concerned that not only did the very heavily-conservative Supreme Court – with three members he himself nominated – rule against him 8-1, but it did so bluntly, in no uncertain terms.  So much so that Trump can’t just look at this as a loss on this one issue (and it’s a huge issue, releasing presidential documents he wanted hidden), but also as something that puts all future decisions related to the insurrection at risk.  To be clear, I’m not saying the Supreme Court will ever rule against Trump in the future – they may or may not – just that Trump now knows he can’t rely on them, can’t rely on their “Trump loyalty,” which is the sort of thing like likely drives him crazy.
 
I also think that the minutiae of detail in the House Select Committee’s letter to Ivanka Trump was there to serve notice about how much information they already have – and this is only the hints they’re willing to give out.  This lets people who have already refused to testify (or who plan to) know that their testimony is not necessarily needed, at least in part.  That the Committee already knows a lot, in minute detail, so not testifying doesn’t keep that material hidden.  But by testifying you have a chance to put that material in as good a light as possible and to defend yourself.
 
It also, as lawyer Dan Goldman (who served on the impeachment teams) said, puts pressure on Ivanka Trump to testify.  That’s because, by including so much information about her presence at the center of activity during the insurrection, if she refuses to testify then her absence stands out even more.
 
And I also think all this legal news and release of known-information puts the Fear of God into all lower-level people involved in order to save their necks.  And by “lower-level” I don’t just mean secretaries and assistants (who might know a lot), but also even more notably high-ranking people underneath the center of the inner circle.  When anyone other than those who are instigators of the coup see the deep level of information that has overwhelmed their own lives and threatens to suck them in the whirlwind vortex of subpoenas, indictments, criminality and just simply legal costs, I think many if not most of them will start to think they don’t want to go to jail or have their financial lives destroyed on behalf of perhaps the most criminal, malignantly narcissistic, pathological lying con man they’ve ever come across who they know (from being on the inside) will never lift one finger of even concern for them.  And even though the House Select Committee has already done over 400 interviews, that may be nothing compared to what could possibly be coming.  The floodgates may now open wide as these insiders rush in to save themselves.  And not just contacting the House Select Committee, but calls to the Department of Justice, along the lines of, “Hi, I don’t know if you’re actually investigating any of this, but on the likelihood that you are, who do I talk to about a deal to protect myself?...Yes, I’ll hold.”
 
As for the specifics of what all this news the past two days – and all that’s to come – well, that brings up back to the whole “sensory overload” thing.