60 Minutes & Pride Month!!

 60 Minutes has been gutted once and for all as Bari Weiss and this Nick Bilton guy fall all over themselves to please the authoritarian asshole. Just in the last few weeks, Weiss and Bilton have 86'd Celia Vega, Sharon Alfonsi and two 60 Minutes staffers for doing their jobs. Reporting on scandals and wars and power grabs and frauds, in other words Trump, Weiss has probably gotten a list of "miscreants" directly from the White House to deep six. Alfonsi was the reporter whose Cecot prison story was delayed because Weiss felt that the story about an El Salvadoran shithole prison, where Trump's goons were sending so called "illegals", including Americans of good standing, gay hairdressers and fathers of children needed some bullshit both sides response from the White House. Alfonsi resisted, publicly, and was then sent packing. At the same time, Vega was let go a year short of her contract expiration and two staffers were also let go. Now that is bad enough.

Scott Pelley, veteran 60 Minutes correspondent, a man with no fucks left to give and a lot of fuck you money, let the 60 Minutes killers have it. Pelley stood up for Alfonsi, Vega and the rest. Pelley, again a veteran reporter and 60 Minutes legend, wouldn't take the let's meet in private later bullshit from typical middle managers to take the pressure off themselves. Pelley continued, refused to accept the corporate horseshit, and pressed on. Weiss and Bilton ran away, plotted, and fired Pelley the next day "for cause". Good luck on that lawsuit you fucking Maga lumps. CBS is now Fox Lite. The Tiffany network of Murrow, Cronkite, Rather, Paley and other greats is dead. It's now just another suck up bottom-line oriented parrot of one Donald Trump. Your turn, Bill Whittaker, Leslie Stahl, and Jon Werthheim. Stay or tell them to fuck off. You all have fuck you money. Use it, it's the American dream to tell your boss to GFY cuz you have enough money to survive without them. 

This is Tennessee twat, Andy Ogles, with his Pride Month "wisdom". This seems to be the trend in Hillbilly America, aka red states, of declaring June to be Happy Nuclear Family and Have More White Babies Month instead of Pride Month. We here in Hillbillyaska, aka Nebraska, have a philandering drunken Governor who does anything he's told by former Governor and current Senator Pete Ricketts (Trust Fund Baby-Ne) and declared here in Nebraska to be Happy We Hate Homos Month.

Pillen is a disaster here. He turned a budget surplus into a $600 million deficit. He gave a no bid contract to a female "acquaintance" he "travels" with for $2.5 million. He accepted Trumps order to open "Cornhusker Clink" by closing down a work release minimum security prison and installing a facility to be used for the undocumented. He's often in public in what appears to be an altered state. I personally witnessed him slurring and stumbling over a swearing in ceremony for Nebraska National Guard recruits. Not sure it even was legal with his stumblebum oath.

But Pillen, like most "Christian" fanatics, hates the gays, wants Nebraskans to pray for rain, signs all sorts of anti-trans bills, tries hard and fails to eliminate our Blue Dot, and is obsessed with bathrooms and who uses them. Pillen is running for re-election and will be pushed by Democrat Lynn Walz. However, I am not confident this human lush will lose. The rural voters of our infamous Third District, a vast open wasteland of cows, dying towns and professional Republicans, always just marks in the person with the R next to their name cuz grandpappy voted R and Daddy voted R and by gawd I vote R, it's a family must. Vote against your interests cuz the libtards might say "woke" or something.

It's Pride Month, and all your political denial of that is irrelevant. Enjoy haters, and just hope nobody checks y9our hard drives.

Lucy Darling!

 Trump Trump Trump 24/7 who doesn't need a break? Carisa Hendrix brought her character Lucy Darling to the Orpheum Theater last night and she killed all Trump vibes in the sold-out crowd's minds for a good hour and 40 minutes of hilarity, magic and the greatest crowd work I may have ever seen.

Lucy is the character, a kind of drag queen magician naughty girl who can gut a front row attendee with some of the best insults the person doesn't even know just happened. Lucy began with her story. Australia, Covid, Tik Tok, and the accidental discovery of crowd work when she had no material. Lucy will kill you with a velvet hammer and most people welcome the killing.

She began the show with a short monologue, a slam on the new Omaha skyscraper that looks like a well ya know. We do seem to have a phallic fascination in this state with the State Capitol and this new Mutual of Omaha shaft. Lucy hammered her previous stop in Des Moines by insulting Des Moines (and tonite in KC she will hammer Omaha Im sure). She began her crowd work with a couple who'd only met a month ago yet looked like a couple married for 20 years. She then bantered with a young male music teacher who showed up alone. Poor "Wheel" as he became the theme of the night. She moved on to a young lady with multicolored hair and then realizing the comedy gold in this young guy's play along sweetness she went back to "Wheel" the middle school music teacher. And she never let it go. I think this young man had the time of his life while at the same time dreaded being her muse for the night. Like I said her crowd work is unparalleled. So quick and so spontaneous. It really was phenomenal to watch.

The magic was very good, yet there wasn't much of it. Somewhere during the first act, Lucy mentioned to her piano player, The Hebrew Hammer as he called himself. that the crowd work had gone so well that they were running over the time limit. This may have limited the magic because the crowd howled and screamed and applauded and obviously loved the interaction. But the whiskey bottle magic act was pretty pretty pretty good.

The crowd was energetic, young, gay, and hip. Some of the jokes went over this old straight white man's head but considering Max's Mom and I may have been the oldest people in the theater that's to be expected. A pineapple joke that drew a serious gasping reaction, I looked up in the car going home and THEN I laughed.

Lucy Darling is such a pleasant surprise. You probably never heard of this act. But please see it if you get a chance. She is a treasure.

As she said at one time during the show, "the gay people laughed at that, then the straight people thought hey they're laughing I guess I should too". That's it folks. Funny is funny.

Slush Funds and Mass Murder!

 

Wrongly prosecuted. Victims of government oppression. Poorly treated in prison. Just a bunch of patriots, tourists and great guys angry over a "stollen" election. Uhhhhh Bullshit. Every one of these violent white trash traitors belongs in prison in El Salvador.

This septic tank of an administration is putting all its rotten eggs into a slush fund of $1.776 (how "clever") to pay these pieces of shit for their "troubles". I am not going to rewrite history here and argue because these people are lunkheads and traitors, period. Their Dear Leader sent them to kill Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and every other person who wronged Kim Jong Moron.

These people were convicted by juries of regular people, indicted by grand juries of regular people, pleaded guilty to crimes, were sent to prison by Trump appointed judges and went through the legal system that has worked for 250 years. But now? Thes criminals are "patriots", the violent are "tourists", Trump is a god, and the 2020 election was not legit (even though Republican senators were all reelected and Republican House members-maintained control).

Iran Contra, Watergate, Teapot Dome, Boss Tweed and the Iran War were all scandals that pale in comparison to THIS blatant corruption. Ya know, political crooks USED to do their dirt in secret. These political crooks do it right out in the open and the other two branches of government take a powder as it happens. If this blatant payoff of tax money to a bunch of birdbrains without the self-control to act normally when their orange deity tells them to riot and stop the certification of the election goes forward, it's time for action.  The normal Americans need to stop it. Never ever let up on the resistance to this graft. Why give these convicts money? They'll just spend the cash on meth, trucks and new merch like Trump flags to put up in front of their trashy property. Until their demigod orders another touristy invasion of the very existence of America. Fuck all of this and because a building burned in Minneapolis doesn't justify this. Unless they want to include those vandals in the settlement too.

Yesterday in yet another sketchy mass murder, a mosque in San Diego was attacked by a couple of teens with guns who killed 3 people, including a security guard who may have fought them off and kept these two Columbine type freaks from killing children. Not only did they attack the mosque, kill three adults trying to stop them, they fled and decided to shoot at landscapers as they drove. Then fortunately for all of us on Earth, they killed themselves making the world a better place.

Not much is known about these two incels, other than it has been called a "hate crime" by the police. Reports say there were hate messages written on the guns, The mother of one had called police saying her son was "suicidal", had stolen her car and was armed probably with a friend. Yep, that about sums it up. Attack a mosque, kill kids, and kill selves. Why not reverse that timeline? 

Meanwhile, Republicans from coast to coast are silent. Waiting for the Demon in Chief to speak on how they should feel, he said it was "terrible", and to them it's silence. The goons might get mad and death threat them again. Sorry Andy Ogles (Bigot-TN) no Islamic children were killed. 

I hate to get into guns again since that's a losing battle, so I won't. Go buy all the guns you want America. I don't care any longer. You paranoid freaks go ahead and keep killing your own kids, wives and innocents who knock on your door. But when you gun enthusiasts stick up for a 17- and 18-year-olds "right" to own weapons of mass murder it's really a bad look. You are justifying a couple of losers with broken brains because no girls want anything to do with them raiding mosques and synagogues and schools with intent to kill. It's a disgusting attitude.

What next? Financial compensation for murderous scum because they were treated badly in prison?

The real question here is this. How much of the $1.776 billion will the Despot in Chief skim off the top? Oh, I know the "settlement" states that the Tyrant in Chief and his crime family get no money, but since when has the Swindler in Chief ever paid attention to the fine print?

So just another day in the Racketeer in Chief's America. Graft, slush funds, paying off criminals and dead people in a mass shooting. 

Since WHEN is this fucking normal?

Mrs.Doubtfire!

 The touring musical of Mrs. Doubtfire blew into town last night and anyone who didn't know it sure as hell did after the LOUDNESS of this stage production hit the stage. This thing is LOUD. 

I never saw the 1993 film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field. Williams was a genius, but his comedic roles exhausted me. His dramatic roles were his true talent, not the cocaine fueled manic nonstop talking. But Robin was an original and making a musical about one of his roles may not have been a good idea.

The story is concerning the Hillard family. Daniel Hillard is a man child father of three. Nothing this guy does is normal. He screams, he makes bad jokes, he screams some more, screams yet again and quite frankly I hated his guts within 5 minutes. When his wife, Miranda, asks for a divorce within 15 minutes, I about screamed myself, 'WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?". She's no prize either, an uptight "career girl" complete with 1993 stereotypes. Their three kids are upset. The oldest, Lydia, is sick of Dad's constant inability to act his age, Christopher is the middle kid, and he just loves his dad. Natalie is the youngest and she also just wants normalcy.

Daniel Hillard loses custody, gets help from his gay brother and his husband, and becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, a nanny who is hired by Miranda to look after the kids. He acts much like his real self, lies and lies, and is also loved by the kids of course cuz Mrs. Doubtfire is dear old Dad. The kids figure it out; cover up the true identity of Mrs. Doubtfire and chaos occurs. Daniel is juggling chainsaws here between the court, the job seeking and his attempts to be a good Dad in drag. Yeah, it fails.

Look I have no problem with the performers. They are all quite good. Craig Allen Smith is a wonderful slapstick performer as Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire. His quick changes onstage are quite remarkable. Melissa Campbell is fine as the long-suffering wife, Miranda. She has a great voice and kind of gets buried in the craziness. Then we have the characters I wanted more of. Brian Kalinowski as Frank Hillard, Daniel's brother and his husband Devon Buchanan, Andre. Their few scenes were a highlight. The children, Lydia, played by Alanis Sophia, has a wonderful voice for a kid. Christopher, played by Chance Challen, was the glue who always loves his Dad. Natalie, played by Vivian Atencio, can sure sing for a 10-year-old. 

I didn't despise this as much as Max's Mom and Max himself. They would have left at intermission if I'd have agreed. I was hoping for a better Act 2. I got that. Act 2 shines at times. The Dancing Mrs.Doubtfires with vacuum cleaners was a cool scene. The Marx Brothers like restaurant scene where Daniel juggling chainsaws come crashing down is also good. But the musical as a whole? No. The music is not memorable, the LOUDNESS of the screeching is annoying, the story itself is interesting, but they can't pull it off. The entire experience is kind of exhausting and could have been a one act musical.

The sound problem at the Orpheum is back. It may have because they YELL so much you can't understand the lyrics. Not that it matters, I guess. This is hardly Les Miz or Hamilton.

Anyway, the crowd seemed to agree with me. Awkward laughs in Act One, and much more involvement in Act 2. You like the movie? I guess you'll like this then. Though why will be beyond me.

Theres a reason this lasted only 83 performances on Broadway before it was shut down and turned into a touring madhouse. New Yorkers know what's good and what's not. They were right.

Cosmic Ball!

 Baseball is baseball. It's either your life or it's not. It is mine. But I am old, grew up when the box scores were the gospel, and going to a game live was the most relaxing 2-3 hours of my life. It still is. But baseball has a demographic problem. The young really aint into it. It's too slow, it's too boring, and they have endless other forms of entertainment that aren't. 

Baseball has always survived in various forms. There were barnstorming teams like the House of David and the Indianapolis Clowns. There was Max Patkin. There were the Negro Leagues and Bill Veeck. Baseball survives racism and free spirits. But as much as the billionaires and hedge fund creeps wanna squeeze every cent out of the sport and screw over average people by charging ridiculous amounts for a single freakin ballgame. Add on overpriced concessions and parking and a family is screwed. The days of me sitting in the bleachers at Turnpike Stadium for $4 and watching the shitty Texas Rangers every night is over. I once paid $10 for a season pass, yes, a season pass, for Omaha Royals games. It was a glorious childhood.

Cosmic Baseball came to town last night. The place was full of kids in glow in the dark t shirts and jerseys and enormous energy. What's Cosmic baseball you ask? Well, the two pictures above sum it up. One hour of crazy baseball in the light, an intermission, and then even crazier baseball in the dark with everybody in neon, including the bat and ball. It was the best I've seen a baseball in play maybe ever. They run the bases backwards, they have a 45 second Home Run Derby between innings, and they have an armed cop pitching. But it's still baseball and the purists be damned. It's fun. Yeah, baseball can be fun.

What goes on off the field is the true appeal. The players are interactive with fans, tossing hundreds of baseballs to the crowd, coming into the stands to sign autographs and interact, they juggle with fluorescent bowling pins , they play catch with the crowd with a football, they send a cow into "space"

and they play 3 minutes of "chaos baseball" where 3rd base becomes first base and any foul balls into the stands are still in play and loud ass music plays the entire game. 

Now as Max said, it's so intense its almost sensory overload. It really is. There's so much going on it is hard to know what to concentrate on. The baseballs constantly being tossed into the stands can take attention away from the 22-12 game going on because who wants to get hit on the noggin with a yellow baseball? The little girl in front of us got a ball and after that what else is left. The family took off. Mission Accomplished!

Cosmic baseball is fun. It's the Savannah Bananas for people who like glow in the dark stuff like me. Next month we will experience the Banana Ball. If that's half as fun as this was, it will be a success. But in the meantime, I will suffer through the 2026 San Francisco Giants.

Suffs!

 

 Suffs made its Nebraska debut last night at Lincoln's Lied Center. The Broadway musical from 2024 that won Tonys tells the story of the last stages of the women's suffrage movement that resulted in the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. Well white women anyway.

This is a story of persistence with the same problems that we have now. Older activists say patience while the young have no patience. When the "old fogie" Carrie Chapman Catt tells the young Alice Paul to have patience Paul blurts out "it's been 60 years" Touche'. Paul organizes other young suffragists to start the ball rolling. They are firebrands. Inez Millholland, Doris Stevens, Lucy Burns, Reza Wenclawska. and Paul come together to march, pressure President Woodrow Wilson, and get beaten and arrested for sedition for opposing America's entry into World War I. Eventually progress always wins (until recently) and the 19th Amendment passes.

This musical has a number of catchy relevant tunes. Let Mother Vote. If We Were Married, Great American Bitch and the rousing closer Keep Marching. Standing ovations were earned.

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The performances were epic. Maya Keleher as Alice Paul keeps the play together like a good point guard. Monica Tulia Ramirez as Inez Millholland is the suffragist whose picture on a horse becomes the movements sign. She was tremendous. Marya Grandy as Carrie Chapman Catt is perfect as the old guard. Abigail Aziz was an understudy playing Ida B Welles, the black woman who tries for equality for black women. She was a force. Marissa Hecker as the Polish socialist, Ruza Wenclawska, was also hard to ignore. The entire cast is solid including a sort of song and dance portrayal of Wilson complete with top hat and cane. Jenny Ashman fills the role with gusto and you kind of wish there was more of her up there.

This musical will be at the Lied in Lincoln thru next Sunday. The opening night was about half full which surprised me. Maybe it's too "woke" for Nebraskans or maybe it was a Tuesday night, and people have to work the next day I don't know. 

We saw Suffs on Broadway a couple of years back and this touring company is comparable. Go see it as you might learn something much like Hamilton and Come From Away. The music is sort of a combo of both of those classics. Bravo Ladies.

Michael!

 It's a phenomenon. Who would have thought that a biopic of the biggest pop artist perhaps of all time would be a hit? Well, if you are a thinking person anybody would. 

You want a biopic warts and all? This isn't for you. This movie is the story of an abusive father, a codependent mother, and 5 sons (and LaToya no Janet) who dear old Dad pressures into becoming a big musical act. He works them like slaves, beats on them (the scene of him beating young Michael with a belt is kind of disturbing) but it worked. The Jackson 5 took the world by storm. Young Michael became the face of the group, and it was inevitable he would become a solo artist. Led by a manager played by Miles Teller, Michael fires Dad, works on his first solo album, obsesses over lyrics and album song placement and slays the world. But Michael is a disturbed man. Haunted by the abuse, he becomes a friendless man child with a monkey, a snake, a giraffe and a Driving Miss Daisy bodyguard who could be counted as his only friend. It's kind of a tragedy even before the actual tragedy occurred.

Is Michael a great movie? No. Is it a good movie? Absolutely. The music is addicting, the concert footage seems real, and the story is never ever boring. Michael is played by Jaffar Jackson, Michael's actual nephew (Jermaine's kid) and if you didn't know better, you'd swear it was actually Michael Jackson. He looks like him, he sounds like him and he sings like him. He's fantastic. He could tour right now as Michael Jackson and you wouldn't know any better. He's that good.

Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson is his usual solid self. Played with a sense of cruelty and tremendous pride, Domingo nails Joe. He both wants his sons to be successful AND he wants to dominate them forever. Nia Long is Katherine Jackson who plays her as the silent wife who witnesses the abuse until she wakes up and says no more.

You want a child molester movie, this aint for you. You want a solid story with a bit of bad but a whole lot of good this is for you.

It surprised me. Go see it in a theater for the full effect of the music. We saw it in Imax. Man was it loud. Bring your ear buds.