This isn't about sports. Really. Honest. The background explanation requires sports, but that's it. The video is not about sports. Honest. On Thursday, the NBA had its college draft. And the Chicago Bulls selected Coby White of the University of North Carolina as their top pick and the #7 player overall in the entire league. This is a big deal. And one would understand his emotion wanting to talk about himself being such a high draft choice -- at any time, but especially in this era of Look at Me personal hype. So, watch his reaction in this -- his personal moment of glory when he sat down to meet with the press immediately after being drafted as the seventh top player in America to talk about himself, his moment in the sun upon moving from college life into the adult world, being a top draft choice in the National Basketball selection, his chance to front and center and talk about himself -- when he is told by a reporter about his college teammate Cameron Johnson who had moments before been selected as the #11 selection. Even if I wasn't a Bulls fan, I'd love this guy. But happily, I am. Even forgetting how good he is -- good enough to be the #7 draft choice in the nation -- what person wouldn't want him as a teammate? Or a friend?! Or just to know that somewhere on the planet Earth he exists?!!
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I've told this story here before, but since it's officially the first day of summer, I figured that it would be an appropriate occasion to tell it again and post a song I co-wrote a while back, since it's titled -- "Summer Hot." The music is by Andy Marx. (Several years ago, I posted another song we wrote for the Showtime movie Wharf Rat, written and directed by Jimmy Huston -- who wrote the wonderful movie, Running Scared with Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. I mention this, too, though because it was performed on the soundtrack by Lynn Mills and the endearing Shelly Goldstein, oft-mentioned around these pages. For thems interested, you can hear it here.) "Summer Hot" has a bit of an odd history. Oddest of all is that I can remember what I was thinking when I wrote it. That isn't always the case. Anyway, during my dark days when I did movie publicity, I was working in Maine on the Stephen King film, Pet Sematary. (So, that would mark this song as around 1989.) Having some time on the set, I wrote a bit of doggerel one day that some fun wordplay It was offbeat enough that I wondered if I could expand it to an entire song lyric. I ended up coming up with a way to do that, with that doggerel becoming the chorus, and it turned into a lyric about unexpected contradictions that come at us throughout our life. Andy put it to music, and here we are. We recorded a demo, with Andy singing. I don't know the words will all be clear, so I've posted the lyrics. Besides, that will allow you to sing along. Or to bring the neighbors and friends in for a group sing. Just follow the bouncing beach ball... And I must admit that of all the the things we wrote together -- most of all I have loved the harmonica that comes in at the 3:33 mark. Go figure. We always live in the days of Summer.
Summer good days, Summer not. We make the best of what we've got. Summer cold days, Summer hot. Early morning, the sun also rises. Eyes open brightly, what you first realize is The new day before you is full of surprises. And biggest of all, it's exactly the same. Struggling forever to get where you've gotten, You've filed all the papers and you've picked all the cotton. You've done all you can, gave it all your best shot, an' You find, without trying, that you've lucked into fame. We always live in the days of Summer. Summer good days, Summer not. We make the best of what we've got. Summer cold days, Summer hot. Shadows grow long, and your good reputation Has allowed you to rise to an eminent station. And you've even been honored by a most grateful nation. If only they now would remember your name. Deep beyond midnight when the light's far behind you, You dream in the dark of the days that remind you Of losing and winning and all that defined you. And you smile at the joy of just playing the game. We always live in the days of Summer. Summer good days, Summer not. We make the best of what we've got. Summer cold days, Summer hot. (Repeat chorus twice) This video from a British TV show isn't as good a rendition as the original recording but seeing Nat King Cole singing "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer" is a great treat. It should be added that when the government's lawyer Sarah Fabian made this argument before the 3-judge appellate panel, two of the judges responded -- “Are you arguing seriously that you do not read the agreement as requiring you to do something other than what I just described: cold all night long, lights on all night long, sleeping on concrete and you’ve got an aluminum foil blanket? I find it inconceivable that the government would say that that is safe and sanitary.” -- Judge William Fletcher. “You’re really going to stand up and tell us that being able to sleep isn’t a question of ‘safe and sanitary’ conditions?... You can’t be sanitary or safe as a human being if you can’t sleep.” -- Judge Marsha Berzon Quite a bit has been made of the news on Wednesday when Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) announced that she supported an impeachment hearing. Lawrence O'Donnell had her on his show last night to talk about it. Among other things, she said that she had discussed her decision beforehand with Nancy Pelosi who did not try to talk her out of it -- although Schakowsky made clear that this shouldn't be taken to mean that Pelosi gave her tacit approval.
I mention all this because I've been a big fan of Jan Schakowsky for almost 15 years. When my folks moved to their independent living residence in Glenview, the representative of their district was...Jan Schakowsky. Actually, she wasn't at first -- it's an odd area that's split, and Schakwosky represented the other part that overlapped with Glenview. And that was something that deeply disappointed me: so close, yet so far. But then, after redistricting, my folks joyously fell into her district (or did she fall into theirs?), which is now the Illinois-9th. But I've paid attention to her for a long time, even before she represented them, as I said, and have thought from the start that she was wonderful, and even wrote her a few years back. One thing to note. In her conversation with O'Donnell she talked about how she had overwhelming support among her constituents for her decision, and added that it was a progressive area. And that true. But there is still a strong conservative undercurrent there -- not long ago, before the redistricting, that seat was held by Republican Mark Kirk, who later became one of the U.S. Senators from Illinois (until he had a stroke and was later defeated by Tammy Duckworth). So, while Schakowsky is very popular -- she won in 2018 with about 73% of the vote -- and the district is Democratic and progressive, the general area is a mix of politics. The Republicans there may not be of the far-right religious persuasion, but more of what we consider "traditional" Republicans (a rare breed these days) with a cross between being moderate Republican (an even rarer breed) and rock-solid, die-hard conservative. One of my folks's dear friends there is a staunch Republican, probably for 70 years dating back to learning it from her father -- though when you talk to her, she will slam Democrats in general as a species, but when you discuss issues, it would be shocking to find he concerns so often liberal. But she'd deny the label and always, always, always vote Republican. Even though the party had drastically changed since the days of her father. But that's the area -- progressives and rock-sold Republicans for life. So, while Jan Schakowsky does have the cover of knowing she's popular and strongly supported, she is surrounded by a wide range of conflicting views. So, it's good to see her come forward so vocally and have the backing for it that she does. And I think the reaction in the news to her specifically speaking out for impeachment hearings is that she's always been considered a very thoughtful, fair-minded representative. And if her foundation is progressive, she has had to work closely with a conservative voice that overlaps with her. By the way, before we wind things up, a brief digression: be grateful that I didn't go with the title I initially thought of, which was going to be "Schak-IL -- Oh, Kneel." But I thought that was stretching things far too much for a joke. James Corden has been doing his talk show from London this week, and had a new "Crosswalk: the Musical" on Tuesday. Somewhat oddly though he didn't do the sketch from around London, But being so close to France, they went across the Channel and performed on the streets of Paris. And it worked really well because what musical did they put on? Mais, c'etait Les Miserables, n'est-ce-pas? There were no celebrities involved this time, as is often the case, but the public added a great deal of fun. It's one thing to do the bit in Los Angeles, where people in Hollywood are somewhat used to weirdness on the streets and largely accept it -- especially considering that they're next door to CBS at Television City, so the public (and army of tourists) not only accept it, in some ways they almost expect it. But this is clearly most-definitely not something Parisians are prepared for. By the way, if my memory serves,when they aired this on CBS, the last part got cut off for time. I believe it ended after he thanks his fellow-cast members and says he's going to get a croissant. What happens next didn't make it on TV, and is exclusive to the video. Here then is what they referred to instead as "Crosswalk: Le Musical." |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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