The Wiz!

 

There is white joy and celebration and then there's black joy and celebration. The Wiz is the black joy and celebration. While the Wizard of Oz, in all its various versions is a classic story of. family and love and doing the right thing, The Wiz is simply the black version of the same story.

The all-black cast is never not moving. The ensemble is portraying tornados and poppies and Ozians (residents of Oz) and Khalidas at every lull in the show. This is the most talented ensemble I've ever seen and got applause after each and every dance number. Now the story itself.

Oh hell we all know the story. Dorothy is played by 21-year-old Dana Cimone, a fireplug of energy who reminds one of a young Quinta Brunson of Abbott Elementary. She has a voice that ranges from tiny to powerful as hell. She belts out the opening number, and you immediately know this woman is going places. Along the way comes the Scarecrow, a rubber legged Elijah Lewis who reminds you of the OG Scarecrow Ray Bolger. Lewis is funny and boisterous and as I stated, quite the flexible bean pole. The Tin Man, played by D Jerome, has a great opening number and then kind of fades into the background. The Cowardly Lion, played by a flamboyant Cal Mitchell, also has a great introductory number but seems to maintain his presence throughout.

The Wiz is played by what is obviously the most experienced actor on stage, Alan Mingo Jr, whose very presence dominates the stage.

But let's talk about three women who just kill.

Amitria Fanae plays two roles. Addaperle, the Witch of the North AND the Oz gatekeeper. Her sassy attitude is the comedy of the show. She is such a natural comedian it's really a joy to see.

When we first see Kyla Jade, she is playing Aunt Em and blows it up with her first and only song. Wow! She was a finalist on The Voice a few years back and how she didn't win baffles me (I don't watch so I have no idea how the winners are chosen). She comes back as the Wicked Witch, Evillene, and she controls the musical at all times. Her voice is amazing, and her range is out of this world. When she is melted by Dorothy, her demise is both funny and sad cuz you know she won't be back.

Sheherade is Glinda and is really given little to do. But when she's out there you damn well know it. Another powerhouse voice.

Look, the talent onstage is undeniable. In fact, top to bottom it may be the most talented cast I've ever seen in a touring company. But the story is so familiar there's really nothing new. I understand the appeal of the Original Wizard of Oz since I am a white kid from the suburbs. Those people looked like me. But the Wiz could be the black kid's memory of the story and that's fine too. The music is certainly funkier than the original. The lyrics are certainly more appealing to black audiences. So, it's all a matter of taste and culture. If I had to choose, I wouldn't even try. One is as relevant as the other.

Now my mandatory complaint about the Orpheum. The sound sucks. The band often overwhelmed the singers and they were indecipherable. This happens there a lot. And it will probably always be that way. But that doesn't mean it can't be improved. Strive for it please.

The Wiz is a joy. A great fun time. Plus, you always know what is going on due to the ubiquitous story. of the Wizard of Oz. See it.

All Her Fault!

 Yeah, it's all her fault. And his and hers and etc....

An 8 part series on Peacock features a whole lot of great actors, none of whom are really lead actors but make everything they're in better than it should be.

6-year-old Milo is missing. He was snatched off the street by a mysterious man. Milo's parents, played by Sara Snook as Marissa and Jake Lacy as Peter are frantic. Was he kidnapped? Taken by traffickers? Is there a ransom demand coming? But we see that Milo is alive, living in a hotel with his kidnappers, one of whom was Jenny Kamininkis (Dakota Fanning) nanny. Oh Marissa and Peter have a nanny also, because rich people living in huge houses must have all the perks of being rich. They all work long hours, neglect their children as toys to be played with when convenient and shunned when not. 

Marissa's nanny is a suspect, Marissa is a suspect, oh hell EVERYBODY at some point is a suspect because this series is so twisty and turny, you'll be sure the perpetrators are this bunch or that guy or that woman. The press hounds the rich people and implies it's all a hoax to get attention. Meanwhile the cop, played by Michael Pena, is dogged in his pursuit of Milo. He seems like the only honest person in this series, until he's not.

Jake is a control freak. He supports his drug addicted sister (Abby Elliott) and his handicapped brother (Daniel Monks). He supports his wife and child with the control of a master. Secretive and with problems of his own, Jake is creepy from the start. You think he had something to do with it, then you don't. It's this way with everyone in the cast.

The story shows it's cards a little bit per episode until it comes to a head in episode 7 when the actual story of Milo's kidnapping is scratched. In episode 8 it's all laid out, and the results are preposterous but very very entertaining.

If you want a shaggy dog story about a crime against a child, though he's safe at every moment, this is it for you.

All Her Fault is a feminist tale at its core. That women are blamed for tragedies first and sometimes it never stops, even after the facts are known. Women, in this series, whether it be Snook, Fanning, Elliott and even Sophia Lillis as Carrie Finch are the bad guys, even when they are not. The men of this series are not who they seem to be and the women pay the price. Until they don't.

It's good.

We Got Him!!?

 The government shutdown is over due to the cowardice of 8 Democratic Senators. None of whom are up for re-election in 2026. This is so smelly from a political view that you can't help but think the feckless Chuck Schumer sold out behind the scenes in exchange for cover. Fuck Chuck Schumer and the rest of the pussy Democrats who kowtowed to a monster and his goons like Grindr Mike Johnson. I am fed up with comfortable people folding and then claiming they care about you. Spoiler alert. They don't.

Then came the emails. The Epstein emails. 3 days after the Democrats surrendered, the emails come out. They say the following in a nutshell.

1) Trump was fucking young girls

2) Trump was compromised on Russia

3) Trump is an incompetent boob

4) Trump is going to tank the world economy

5) Epstein had the goods on Trump and a sick fuck like Epstein thought Trump was dirty

6) 2 months after Epstein said he had the ability to "take him down" he was dead

Do we have him? So many things would have taken down ANYBODY else that's it's hard to believe this piece of shit will ever go away until the Grim Reaper comes and sends his ass to hell. But this?

Despite Lyin Karolyn Leavitt and her constant defense of a guy who would molest her child given the chance, the defense put forward by the X ho, Megyn Kelly that 15-year-olds aren't children and thus could be banged by a 79-year-old man without consequences I guess, and the Jesse Watters Greg Gutfeld team of dunces stating it's all a hoax parroting their master, this fucking pig Trump is definitely in danger. Once Tiny Mike swore in Adelita Grijalva, the winner of an Arizona special election, there were 218 votes to release the Epstein files.

The Pervert in Chief sprang into action. Calling in Colorado rep and hand job artiste', Lauren Boebert to a meeting in the White House situation room along with crooked Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI grifter Kash Patel and shyster lawyer Todd Blanche, he put the screws to Boebert. Don't give Thomas Massie a win he pleaded, be my friend and I'll pardon your rotten kid, and as long as you're here. give me a handie. All of that was possible said. But as far as I know, the dope Boebert held steady. Meanwhile, Nutty Nancy Mace failed to pick up her phone, perhaps the smartest thing she's ever done. So as of this moment it appears the Rapist in chief may be cooked.

However, I do know that the GOP led Senate would probably kill the bill, but I just wanna see Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer (our esteemed toadies) vote to protect a pedophile. That would be epic to know that Nebraska's elected Senators are a pederast's pet rocks. We know they already are but that would be proof.

Other scenarios involve a resignation, and then a JD Vance pardon. Or perhaps because Americans are notoriously dense, it all blows over.

But my favorite scenario involves a bunker and a smoking gun,

California Day 5! Mazel Tov Beach!

 The final day. The beach at Santa Monica. The Annenberg house (former home of Marion Davies, a real stretch of a relative) and the beach. The ocean is not something us flatlanders see often. Today at the beach, I discovered the power of mother nature as I stood in the ocean too far out, and damn near got knocked down by the waves and tide. I knew after that, had I decided to swim in the ocean, I'd be dead in 2 minutes. Either from the tide or the bacteria as this particular beach is close to the Santa Monica sewer runoff. JFC I hope I had cuts on my feet. 

People sit on the beach and contemplate life. Another place I could sit for hours thinking about shit. Or at least until the fog lifts and the sun begins to kill me.

All of a sudden, a gaggle of high school and younger kids were all over. And they all had yarmulkes, school uniforms, and slices of kosher pizza in their hands. It was a "just because" day for the local Hebrew school. They had boxes of pizza, boxes of snacks and chaperones making sure they were behaving and probably safe. They were all well behaved, commenting on Max's brother's Halloween orange hair and Max's Dad's Hassidic like side curls. Shalom.

The Warner Brothers Studio tour was next. We went on the TCM classic movies tour. This involved a tour of the back lots, lots of cool stories, a knowledgeable guide and a walk thru of the props department. You saw props on hold for future TV shows and movies. Chandeliers, pianos, clothes, you name it they had it. 

Houses made famous in various movies, the New York street you've seen many times and for moderns, the actual school used in Abbott Elementary. The Friends fountain, the houses and storefronts used in so many different films. It really was a movie geeks heaven.

The museum had the Central Perks set from Friends, the Big Bang Theory set, the DC universe and Harry Potter Experience. Lots of Batmans and Supermans, lots of Harry Potter and the actual trench coat from Casablanca along with the suit worn by Ingrid Bergman. For the moderns, the uniform worn by Chadwick Boseman in 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic. The suit worn by Lex Luthor in the latest Superman movie, the Christopher Reeve Superman suit, the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman suit. It was glorious.

Finally a meal at a restaurant called Portos which had some of the tastiest looking desserts I've ever seen. And then it was over.

I was exhausted.

California Day 4!

The thing about November is despite being autumn and damn near winter in the Midwest (it was 34 in Omaha) the desert still exists. Palm Springs is the desert and its freakin hot.

Palm Springs Pride Parade wasn't really any different than the Pride Parade in Omaha. Lots of love, lots of allies, lots of drag and lots of horses. Lots of doggos, lots of stories and lots of older men and women who remember when a parade such as this would have been impossible without cops breaking it up and arresting everybody. It was long and featured so many talented dancers, bands and regular folks and businesses who wanted the LGBTQ community as customers. In this day and age of fascism and MAGA it's really phenomenal to watch. It was fun to watch until the heat and sun would drive you into the shade.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was next. Taking you on a tram packed with people from 85 degrees to the top of a mountain and 58 degrees was such a relief. I hate heat, sun and sweating. I love cool temps and scenery. This was a revelation of beauty. The view from the top is breathtaking. I could stand there for hours taking in the beauty. I may be one of the few people who think beaches and heat pale in comparison to a mountain and the cold. But that is what I feel.

The traffic in So Cal is just awful. Sunday night with everyone coming back from whatever the hell they did during the weekend was bumper to bumper. On a freakin Sunday night. But Max's brother, a wily veteran of So Cal traffic, knows what he's doing. I would have been still stuck there saying bad words to this day.

I was exhausted again.

California Day 3! The Rose Bowl!

 The Huskers in the Rose Bowl. Well actually it's UCLA's home field so it's inevitable Nebraska plays there.

But first we go to San Bernadino to see the world's first McDonalds. Well, its a museum so no Big Macs were for sale. It's got it all. Ronald McDonald, the arches, the Scooby Doo bus, wait what? Seems the owner collects anything he can get his hands on. You have statues of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil, the Hamburglar, you loved it as a kid? It is here. The museum is full of  old McDonalds uniforms , matches, ash trays, 1984 Olympic contest tabs, the cast of the Founder, a movie that proved Roy Kroc as a moral challenged vulture capitalist. It was well worth it but don't touch anything outside or you'll leave skin as a souvenir (its fucking hot).

The Rose Bowl is in Pasadena. Being from Nebraska I have no idea where that is. So we took the Matro Rail, LA's version of the Chicago L or the NYC subway system. It's a train (sort of) that moves quickly through the shitty neighborhoods a lot of cities. After 45 minutes or so you get off at Memorial Park in Pasadena. You follow the crowd about a half mile to the shuttle buses which will take you to the Rose Bowl, another couple miles or so. You get off and the Rose Bowl looks tiny. Max informed us it's built into the ground. Max knows it all.

The staff at the Rose Bowl was so damn nice. It put Nebraska Nice to shame and since Minnesota Nice doesn't exist (see previous post), it was pleasant surprise to hear "Welcome to the Rose Bowl" numerous times. Being in Max's 15 jersey, I was subjected to a good natured "Hey Raiola you'd better get out there" instead of the ""Hey Raiola, how many tampons you got in" after Minnesota kicked our ass.

The Bowl itself is older than dirt. The steps up are HUGE (thank gawd its in the ground so to get to row 61 was only 20 or so rows) and the climb is exhausting for decrepit old Nebraskans. But we made it and again once I reached our seats I wasn't moving.

The spectacle at the Rose Bowl was great. The sight of the mountains in the background was every bit as great as described. The place is gargantuan, but they tarp off the end zones to make it look less empty. There were 20,000 Nebraskans there making it a faux home game. The UCLA fans live in Los Angeles where there's stuff to do so when they lost it was like, hey great game huh? Had Nebraska lost it would have been the walking dead back to the train.

The train. Oh that train. It didn't work. So we sat there for a good 45 minutes waiting for something that wasn't coming. Being entertained by a rich looking nice man who wouldn't shut up about how fucked up Los Angeles government was, along with San Francisco and New York. His "Ya know Trump is right" lost me and Max as Max's Mom continued to listen. Thank goodness we found a bus to go to the next station, or the guy might have started in why Social Security was communism or something. The bus took us to the Lake Street station, located outside between the freeways so you had to watch LA traffic wizz by on both sides while freezing your ass off,

But the train came and we rode back with Husker fans and the homeless to Pomona.

I was exhausted.

California Day 2!

 The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is someplace in Los Angeles. I have no idea where because once there I can't tell what's west east north or south so it could have been in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for all I know.

The museum is a movie nerd's wet dream. And to boot, the Jaws 50th anniversary exhibition is currently showing. Along the way is the famous Brady Bunch house which to me is iconic. But, in all reality, it's just a house. And unlike the crazy person who owns Walter White's house in the ABQ, who put up a fence, a monitoring system AND stands outside videoing you  looking at it, this is really just a house. I was actually more fascinated by the television set of some HBO show filming in the neighborhood called I Love LA. I have no idea what that is, but it said it on the equipment. 

The museum is multiple floors and even with the Jaws exhibition, it had a tribute to women in the movies. Called from Anna Karenina to Barbie, it featured a Barbie car which you could pose in, driving it like Fred Flintstone. Though it was fascinating, what I remember is that I need to see Anna Karenina.

The Jaws exhibition is the greatest. If you idolize that movie like I do, to see the Orca (or what's left of it), the pictures of the stars, the backstage stories, the actual set where the USS Indianapolis story was told (yes Robert Shaw was shitfaced) , the barrels, the ability to do your own zoom in shot like when Roy Scheider saw the blood in the water, the actual buoy that Chrissie grabbed onto before being devoured, and the only remaining Bruce the shark hanging from the ceiling. Just epic!

Theres also the actual office desk from the Godfather, which you can sit behind trying to look like Marlon Brando (no cat provided). The Godfather AND Jaws in one place? I could barely stop from screeching in delight.

You have lots of other stuff in there also. Captain America's shield, the Donnie Darko rabbit, a C3PO, and a history of why Jewish folks started movie studios. How did they transform Dr Jekyll into Mr. Hyde in 1931? They will show you. And the actual piano used in Casablanca.

OK, Jaws, The Godfather AND Casablanca.....Now I'm screeching!

Finally, a nighttime trip through LA. The El Coyote featured in Once About a Time in Hollywood and then the Grove mall. The classic Dupars restaurant where a stack of pancakes will keep you full for a week. 

I was exhausted yet again.