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On this week’s Naked Lunch podcast, co-hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild catch up with Donny Osmond with whom they also appear in an episode of the Netflix's series Somebody Feed Phil for, as the show writes, "a fun, funny and far-ranging conversation including some of your fan questions and eventually, Phil’s wife Monica Rosenthal joins the party."
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The guests on this week’s Al Franken podcast are former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden and MSNBC/MS NOW senior enterprise reporter Brandy Zadrozny. As the show writes, “Trump picked RFK Jr. to take over the Department of Health and Human Services, and chaos has ensued. So far, RFK Jr. is ignoring the advice of experts and bringing along his cronies to push vaccine skepticism. It could have a devastating impact on the health of Americans for years to come. “We're joined by Dr. Tom Frieden, who currently heads global health organization Resolve to Save Lives, and Brandy Zadrozny, who has covered RFK Jr. for over a decade. Together we discuss the dangers that RFK Jr. poses to Americans’ health and how the “MAHA” movement is NOT making America healthy again. “We also talk through Trump and RFK Jr.’s latest announcement declaring Tylenol a contributing factor in the rise of autism, despite numerous studies saying otherwise.” We have a new one this week. The contestants are Lyle and Donna Jaffe from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I really didn’t have a clue, even though at least for the hidden song I could tell it was one I should know. And I knew I’d be in trouble when I saw the episode was 15 minutes long. That usually suggests a lot of discussion and playing the piece again to give a second chance. Which was the case, because the contests were at a loss. The best I can say is that I at least got the period of music right, for the composer style, but that’s not saying much. And yes, the hidden song is well-known (just very well-hidden for me, even when told was song it was and played again) – as is the composer style, but not one I would (nor did) recognize. On this “The Weekly Show” podcast with Jon Stewart, his guest is Kamala Harris. The show writes, “Nearly a year after her presidential campaign ended in defeat, Jon is joined by former Vice President Kamala Harris to reflect on the realities of running for the highest office and the state of Democratic politics. Together, they explore the challenges she faced on the campaign trail, discuss how Democrats can rebuild trust in their party by delivering for people, and examine how crises can create opportunities for change. Plus, Jon talks about the changes at CBS News and Trump’s White House souvenirs.” As I’ve noted, the show provides a "breakdown" of when specific topics are covered during the conversation, so you can jump to the sections that most interest you. If you watch the video on YouTube, those time codes are hyperlinked to the video and will jump you automatically to the right spot. 0:00 - Intro 2:34 - Kamala Harris Joins 5:05 - What Americans Should Know About Elections 10:22 - Outdated Election Processes 17:07 - Cost of Living 20:34 - America's Trust Issue 24:55 - Is Competence the Antidote to Fascism? 28:30 - Should Democrats Rethink the Healthcare System? 32:34 - Democrats Need to be More than Anti-Trump 40:50 - Rural Broadband & Taxpayers Not Getting Value 47:30 - Disruption vs Destruction 50:16 - The 2024 Election 1:00:00 - Kamala's Complicated Relationship with Biden 1:04:15 - Distrust can Quickly Lead to Cynicism 1:07:31 - Democrats Want to Know Who the Leader Is 1:14:38 - Breaking Down the Discussion We haven't gone "Out and About" with Jiminy Glick for a while, so let's rectify that. He sits down to talk with Elijah Wood, and it's wonderful, going far off-track as he tries to figure out who the actor is, and relentlessly trashing him for what Jiminy considers a lapse in his upbringing -- all of which the actor plays along impeccably. Other than him unable to contain his laughter... But also, we finally learned how Jiminy got his name. I posted this here a decade ago -- and originally wrote it for the Huffington Post almost two decades ago, back in 2006. But since we're now past Thanksgiving and the Awards season has opened -- when studios send screeners of their movies to members of the creative Guild in hopes of getting nomination -- and holiday movies are soon about to inundate us, I was reminded of the article and thought it would be a good time to post it for the season. Besides, it's the day after Thanksgiving, so not only do I not want to sit down today and write about the disastrous group of incompetents in charge of the country, I am sure few people want to read about it today, still reveling in the joy of the start of the holiday season. So, here 'tis again. Or as they say when TV rerun season comes along -- If you haven't seen it yet, it's new to you... Today is the first day of Summer -- and that means the Summer Movie Season ™ is officially here. Cries of "How worse movies are today" ™ will permeate the land for the next several months...but they should be ignored, because such lamentations arise every Summer along with the jonquils, forgetting that the entire point of the Summer Movie Season ™ is specifically to appeal to the widest, youngest and lowest common denominator. Movies aren't worse: you're one year older. (Here's how the equation works -- in 10 years, movies will seem 10 years worse.) Ultimately, it's all the Hollywood equivalent of a slot machine: dump as many of these movies into the Summer opening as possible, and pray that one pours out a goldmine.
Now, to be fair, there is a related problem, and it's that far fewer movies are made each year, so there's less a chance that a good movie that got made once upon a time won't have the same chance to be made today. But the same is true for a bad movie. And with fewer movies, there's more a need to make films for the widest range of audiences that actually go out to theaters. (Alas, it sort of becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: when you don't make movies intended for a certain segment of the audience, they stop going, and therefore you stop making movies for that segment of the audience, so they stop going, and so you don't make...well, you get the point.) Ultimately, it’s all the Hollywood equivalent of a slot machine: dump as many of these "tent pole" movies into the mix as possible, and pray that one pours out a goldmine. Still, with the options to chose from and taste not always being a requirement, it has become a challenge to sift the chaff from the wheat and find the treats that are there. As an public service, therefore, which I originally wrote in the Huffington Post, here are important tips on figuring out what films to be sure to pass by. 1. The movie's ad line includes the words, "wacky." 2. You think its coming attraction is mediocre, and then realize that these are actually what the studio considers the best scenes. 3. The producer, writer, director, editor, cinematographer, music composer, co-producer, associate producer and costume designer all have the same last name. 4. It's billed as "From the makers of..." and you didn't like that movie. 5. After the title are the words, ": The Movie." 6. It has one of those audience-leaving-the-theater television ads, and two people standing together say, in unison, "We loved it!!" 7. A newspaper can't get any of its regular critics to review it, so they assign the person who usually writes about mall openings. 8. The studio refuses to let any critic see it before it opens. They try to keep the cast out, too. And executives. 9. Its rave review quotes come from newspapers in Buffalo, Dayton, Fort Worth, Birmingham or Salt Lake City. 10. Its main…rave…review has a…lot of…dots…in it. 11. It stars anyone you have ever seen competing on either “Skating with Celebrities” or “Celebrity Cooking Showdown.” 12. It has been pulled back from its scheduled release in order to re-shoot "just a few scenes." 13. Its credits list five or more screenwriters. 14. Only one week after the movie opens, it changes its advertising campaign from being an action thriller to "the comedy ride of a lifetime." 15. It is a remake of a terrible movie. 16. It is a remake of a great movie. 17. After the title, it has the number "4" or higher. 18. Its newspaper ad states, "Featuring the hit single..." 19. The plot is so muddled that it takes half of the movie's poster to explain it. 20. It's based on anything by Marcel Proust. 21. The cast features a former sports star in the lead role. 22. Blazoned across its ads, there's a banner which reads, "All New!" 23. It is directed by “Alan Smithee,” the Directors Guild's official pseudonym. 24. During talk show interviews, the movie's star keeps changing the subject whenever the host brings up the film. 25. Though just now being released, it completed production over three years earlier. 26. Reviews mention the music, costume designer and set painter. 27. Audiences stand and boo its coming attraction. 28. Despite glowing reviews, a close friend tells you to not to see it and adds, "I know your taste. Trust me on this. As God is my witness." 29. The only place you see any ads for it is on buses. 30. It calls itself "The Feel-Good Movie of the Year!" |
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 
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