Bama Llama

From the Alabama Reporter: "Secretary of State John Merrill announced on Wednesday that he would not seek any public office in 2022 and admitted in an AL.com interview to an extramarital affair. Merrill was expected to announce his candidacy for Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat, which will be vacated by the retiring of Sen. Richard Shelby. But on Tuesday, an obscure, far-right website published details of an affair Merrill had with a Montgomery woman, Cesaire McPherson. The website, National File, included an audio recording of an interview with McPherson, who went into graphic detail describing her numerous sexual encounters with Merrill. Late on Tuesday, Merrill released a statement denying the affair. In the statement, he called McPherson a stalker and said he had to block her on social media. But on Wednesday, McPherson provided AL.com with what is reported to be a recording of her and Merrill discussing some of their encounters and the physical acts they performed." Good old Ollabomma Fambleh ValyahS. Scratch another pious ass Repub. If his lady friend had not recorded that call, this story would have died on the vine. Maybe he and Matt Gaetz can buy a time share unit and write memoirs.

The world needs someone clever to find 5% of the Avatar budget and faithfully adapt The Legend of Zelda, right down to the last detail, music, story, quirky secrets, the whole schmeer. Tell the truth, when you first controlled a video game allowing four directions movement rather than left to right only, wasn't it like discovering a new world? Back in the late 80s-early 90s, on the original Nintendo playing Zelda with my young daughter was a real joy, a test in logic, memory and eye-hand coordination unlike most games. It would be a welcome alternative compared to the dreck generally available today. A well-done Zelda would kick all kinds of ass in filmed entertainment.

Thanks. I spend too much time in a cave. IMDB gives it 8.2, a very high rating. I'll give it a watch. History doesn't want to be changed. That line always bothered me but it's very Stephen King.

Green Book Rewatched this with my wife and daughter (two different people, Biff T), and thoroughly enjoyed it and sharing the experience with them. The growth of symbiosis between Doc and Lip, individuals with so little in common, was mighty fine. Attention to period detail was very well done. The comeuppance of the surly racist stage hand in Indiana was a very good scene. Feelgood film based on true events - we need some more of these.

Hallelujah! My bride and daughter had a ritual of watching KOTH at 10:30 after the news and I mean every night. They would not miss it if it's done my Mike Judge. Can you imagine Hank postulating on the Cowboys and how Tom Landry wouldn't approve of this and that?

Amor Towles' A Gentleman In Moscow is a fine read or listen. An aristocrat is arrested after the revolution and placed under house arrest for decades in the Metropole Hotel. Much intrigue, debauchery and humor ensues.

Oh yeah, and James Lee Burke books narrated by the great Will Patton are superb.

Audiobooks of John Sandford books make the trips pass quickly. If you like WW2 era espionage with a cool flair, Alan Furst novels on audiobooks all have been good for me. I'm addicted to the Jack Reacher series as well. Those can get you to Marfa and back a bunch of times.

This thread takes me back to the mid 70s, when my teenage bibliophile niece, out of the blue, gave me Stephen King's anthology Night Shift. I've been a zombie for his work ever since. Still waiting for someone to adapt 11.22.63. Back on thread, Ridley Scott, the Coens and Tarantino are three of my favorite automatic watches. Bravissimo fine films and their makers, spice of life variety and all.

Hoist on his own dotard, eh?

A house with a defective foundation will have problems from day one. Fixing education begins with the youngest. If a student has a solid foundation in basic subjects, he has a fighting chance at comprehending plane geometry, algebra and physics. We should triage education and save the elementary schools first.

Very well done film. Anyone who was alive in October of 1962 has to be in thrall of Thirteen Days. I vividly recall the terrible moaning of late night London Blitz-type air raid siren drills in my hometown. We knew it was only a drill but it scared the living shit out of my young ass just the same. I begged my Army Air Corps WW2 vet father to put a fallout shelter in the back yard. He asked me what I would do when my neighbor pals Jim and Robert came tapping on the door to be let in, given that there would be only enough food, water and space for our family. That one stumped me. Then I thought, "Those little shits will block our air tubes." Thank God Nikita blinked and we had a base in Turkey to trade.

And evidently a source of inspiration for John Kricfalusi, creator of "Ren and Stimpy." In one of the classic cartoons, an irate Ren, upon learning that Stimpy had given away $37 million, did a dead-on Peter Lorre chastising Sidney Greensteet for the falcon switcheroo, saying, "Yew-w-w-w FAT, BLOATED EEEEDIOT!"

Watched and thoroughly enjoyed Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with my dear bride last night. She had resisted watching or even reading about this film because previous QT work grossed her out. I persuaded her to watch it but didn't give anything away. She loved it, LOVED it. I graduated from high school in 1969 and she in 1971. Tarantino absolutely captured and cloned the vibe of 1969 - music, style, the bizarro world circus, men's and women's hair adventures, media before streaming, chain smoking. The reimagined history "happy" ending. If only, if only. In any case, we enjoyed it very much.

Enthusiastically recommend just about anything by any of these guys: John LeCarre Nelson DeMille Alan Furst James Lee Burke Martin Cruz Smith Carl Hiassen Totally agree with above post about A Gentleman In Moscow - fine writing about an aristocrat under house arrest in the Metropole Hotel in Moscow for decades following the 1917 revolution.

Ellison was such a creative yarn spinner and short story guy. I've been combing the internet trying to refind an Ellison story I first read years ago, about an ancient sound recording embedded in the grooves on the side of a (Sumerian?) urn. Also, The Basilisk, the reading of which will get you hood and high. There are some good H. E. rants on theYouTube. Guy was a trip.

They're everywhere, man! Then why can't we see them?! (slowly looks up) Ohhhh, shit . . .

Sacrilege

'Scuse me for going slightly off-topic. He wasn't in the 8th AF (was in 15th AF) but George McGovern flew 35 missions in WW2. Stephen Ambrose's The Wild Blue, a fune read, was a good McGovern bio but had much, much more. Cast my first prez vote for GMcG in 1972. He was strong antiwar but had no chance vs Tricky Dick, alas.

Especially in dimly lit stairwells. Agree, Trumbo is a very good film. McCarthyism bad juju.

This thread could be captioned Darwin Awards Tryout Qualifying although on further review, the Ex-Buckeye Hot Grad Student should actually win a Darwin. I wager she did not accelerate to her rendezvous with destiny. Her foot simply came off the brake pedal and the vehicle idled forward until crunch time. Such an impatient world we live in. Jesus, put the car in park, turn off the motor, wiggle that slender ass out a window or hop out the other door and retrieve the credit card. C'est dommage.

I can almost smell the fresh popcorn in the little paper bag and feel the sticky stuff from spilled soft drinks on the soles of my Keds. TravelTalk reminds me of the Saturday morning movies of my kid-dom (credit Jean Shepherd), complete with newsreels, Flash Gordon serial segments and best of all, full color cartoons. Fitzpatrick's nasal voice and musical but monotone delivery start to grow on you after a while. Totally agree with OP - the series provided a window to a world that seemed larger and so much more benign than this one, and in such brilliantly grainy color. Bravo TCM for introducing TT to us and how appropriately, on Saturday mornings. "Here we are in lovely Rio de Janeiro, playground of the globe, overseen by majestic Sugarloaf mountain and the 98-foot tall soapstone statue resting high atop 2,300 Corcovado mountain, Christ the Redeemer . . ."

This thread is so full of pain. There is a clear choice for me and it's not even close. I can still hear those assholes chanting, "PUNT, Bama, PUNT!" over and over, ad nauseum, ad infinitum. Witnessing the loss in person magnified it by 1,000. Bama was undefeated, taking on much-hated Auburn in Birmingham. We were up 16-3 with about four minutes left in the game. Auburn's offense had not crossed the 50 yard line that day. Their field goal had come after a fumble recovery in Bama territory and three plays lost ten yards. And then, . . . IT happened. Twice. The same player blocked consecutive punts. The same guy caught the blocked punt on the first hop and ran it in for a touchdown. The second extra point made it 17-16 a score which lives in Alabama sports infamy. That is was Auburn on the winning side made this my most heartbreaking football memory. The Aubies didn't celebrate, they wallowed in the moment, and it continued for years. I hope they lose every game in every sport and look bad in the losing. Forever.

Recently rewatched Yesterday with my Lennonphile adult daughter. Thoroughly enjoyed it again, especially watching her enjoy it. At "the" moment, she was rendered mute and wide-eyed, then had some tears. A good film can do that for you. If you enjoyed the Beatles and the positive effect they had on music and humankind, this is a good way to spend a little screen time. Good cast, good editing, excellent musical performances with admittedly superior material to begin with.

If he actually is put in the dock, Tatertown will plead the Fifth Amendment while wagging the thumb and fingers of his right hand. Asshole.