pop culture

The Shows Tell

“One Battle

After

Another”

and

“Sinners”,

both

Oscar

winners,

neither

of which

excited me,

still 

invited me

to cheer

the resistance

to the various

nefarious

forces

that resurface

to undermine

from time 

to time.

That Hollywood

would

create

a spate

of movies,

and include

a Brazilian ,

after a million

and one

heinous

acts had

been done

by the current

administration,

is validation

that all

is not lost,

though the cost

increases

daily.

Movies

reflect

and inspire,

which

is why

the vampire

genre

won’t die.

White nationalism

and supremacism,

dystopian

and historic,

with the allegoric

vampire

never dying,

always

vying

to take 

over,

lives

among us

forever.

One battle

after

another

describes

reality,

not just

the movie.

It feels 

like only

recently

the tragedy

of the strategy

of evil

and chaos

would be

possible.

We thought

we won

after WW2.

Humanity

was saved

and would

inevitably

evolve.

But humiliation

and fear

always

reappear

in the form

of aggression

and oppression.

We relaxed

and became

too confident,

never imagining

a modern president

like this one.

Hollywood

has finally

begun

to confront

white nationalism

and supremacy

as democracy

and the world

are now

in peril.

Interestingly,

the supremely

talented

Timothée 

Chalamet,

(who knows

a thing or two

about ballet),

was denied

his Marty

Supreme

Oscar

dream,

perhaps 

because

the theme

was 

him

being

a jerk.

It would

appear

the good 

guys

won

in Hollywood

this year.

In the face

of fear,

it’s clear

that the

real sinners

will reappear

to fight

one battle 

after another.

All in the Family

* This piece was written before news of Nick Reiner’s arrest. The title is even more loaded now.

Meathead

is dead.

Found inside

his home

with his wife

alongside,

so far

it seems

a double

homicide.

I nearly cried

because

of the sense-

lessness

of the mess,

not just

because 

he was 

terrifically famous.

You know

Reiner’s 

bio,

though

I thought

there’d be 

more

to come

from 

the actor, 

director,

charitable, 

political

voice

of liberal

democracy

(Democratocracy?).

Just

what happened

has yet

been determined,

but another

moment

of violence

against

innocents

should 

test our

tolerance.

This happens

each day,

to the not

so famous,

without

the same

attention.

Shame 

on us

for acting

helpless;

for not

trying

to prioritize

ways to

minimize

crimes

of violence.

Like an

estranged

family,

we

disagree

grossly,

to such 

a degree

that we

no longer

see

commonality

or humanity.

The Reiners’

political activism

was party

driven

with the intention

of improving

the lives

of each American.

They believed

in an American 

family;

that

ALL

in the family

are worthy.

Our family

needs therapy.

Our family

needs policy

that reflects

reality,

not inspired

by conspiracy

theory.

The irony

is that

MAGA country

is a horrible

Archie,

and the real

Meathead

is the POTUS

instead.

Carr Alarm

The noise

around

silencing speech

may reach

a tipping

point.

The joint

astonishment

and grief

may be

brief

as the next

one to fall

will call

our attention.

While there’s

no comparison

between the firing

of a comedian,

or two,

and the firing

of a gun,

we can’t run

from this

crisis.

Opinion

has been

the dominion

of the comedian,

even mocking

the politician.

It’s free speech

in action

and a cultural

tradition.

But the addition

of retribution

to our polity-

once

the contribution

only

of the most

violently

disturbed-

comes from

the top guy,

perpetually

perturbed.

The Federal

Communications

Commision

is now

on a mission

to stifle.

Instead of

a rifle,

or other

violence,

the way

to silence

criticisms

is to fire

the guys

whose

wittisms

are bothersome

to some;

or maybe

just

to one.

Carr’s action-

Kimmel’s subtraction-

in reaction

to the comic’s

wit,

is every bit

a lack of

grit

and merely

a fit

of alarm

of the president

who sees

speech

as harm

and uses

it

to harm others.

Is this retribution

or fear?

Who can hear

over the alarm

over the act

of commission?

Love Island

The Epstein isle,

now a classified

file

of those

attached 

to the vile

pedofile,

can even

revile

the most

MAGA.

The saga

has a 

lifespan

that began

years ago

and you 

know who

was a fan.

The Donald

fondled

whoever

he wanted

and taunted

throughout

his life.

But the current 

strife

within his

coalition

is based 

on the position

he put 

himself in 

in order 

to secure

the win.

Is the cover up

worse 

than the crime

this time?

Stay tuned

for the reality

show’s

finale.

Or maybe

there’ll be

a sequel.

Few,

if any,

will equal

Epstein

in all of his

pure evil,

but guilt

by association

in this

constellation

could be

a revelation

of consequence.

In this instance,

the dissonance

as Trump

tries to distance

himself from

evidence

revealed

long ago,

that they

partied

together

(birds of a feather),

at least

somewhat,

from what

we know.

But clearly

there’s more

that would

be revealed

if these

classified

documents

became

unsealed.

He’s concealed

his perversions

of laws and norms

and forms

tales—

ok, lies—

on a whim.

Will Epstein’s

ghost

harm him

the most?

I’m curious

to know

what reality

will show.

This might

be the most

watched episode

yet.

The Late Show

Defund PBS.

Extort CBS

to obey

in advance

and pay

in advance

to dance

with 

the devil.

Making 

a show

of 

The Late Show

just 

to let you

know

that speech

won’t be 

free

even in

comedy.

The dissolution

of an institution 

of American

culture

shows how

the culture

of cancelling

is now cancelling

culture.

And:

each branch

of government,

and education,

the Kennedy Center,

public radio 

and television,

in addition

to science-

the environment,

weather,

and medicine.

Let’s not forget

women

who have lost

the right 

to legal

abortion.

Everything

is being 

scrapped

and crapped 

on,

as of late,

making a show

of how great

America was.

The Sopranos and The Base

Fuggedaboutit!

Back at 

The Bing

after 25 years

since The Sopranos

premiered,

those

good fellas

and those

big haired,

long nailed

gals 

revealed 

almost all,

and unsealed

the sociopath’s

psyche.

Americans

love 

gangster

shows

and anti

heroes.

And prestige

tv 

started

with

The Sopranos.

The culture

exposed

in each

episode,

showed us

the familiar

family

ties

but also

the lies

that most

of us

would never

encounter

otherwise.

Fitzgerald

and Puzo

knew

so well

that Americans

love

excess

and power.

The Gatsby

type

disguise

and the wise

guys

do whatever

they want.

They have 

it all

and all

they want

is more.

And 

respect.

Gatsby,

nearing 100,

the Don

(Corleone)

over 50,

and The Sopranos’

25th

anniversary

are certainly

testament

to great art.

But what sets

them apart

is their

familiarity-

despite 

distance-

as stories

of the American

experience.

They live

the American

Dream

in unseemly

fashion.

And what 

is the

reaction?

Adoration.

Now look

at the blob

whose mob

stormed 

The Capitol.

Running

to be made

POTUS 

again,

he ups

his ante

being anti

everything

except 

the base.

The Sopranos

touched

high notes

consistently

for years,

while

Trump veers

lower and lower

toward 

tyrant;

defiant

as the base

is compliant.

Nikki Hailey

won’t criticize

as she has

her eyes

on 

I don’t know

what

prize.

But as 

I watch

The top notch

Sopranos,

I’m uncomfortably

aware

of the American

love

affair

with gangsters

and their 

base.

The Madonna’s Face

Too tight,

too plump,

too weird,

to recognize

the well-known

mother of

invention

of herself

and style.

The changed

name

to ironically

subvert

The Virgin

overtly

with

underwear

as 

outerwear

and the 

semiotics

of the

feminine

as sex.

Baby voiced,

a female

Elvis,

the material

girl,

Marilyn 2.0,

(minus 

any innocence),

creating a verb

from the word

Vogue,

imposing

herself

constantly,

she demands

that the pop

culture

demands

her.

When all

is performance

(and monetized

of course),

why expect

aging

with grace?

Now

her face

consumes

this space

for discourse

about

youth,

and age,

relevance,

the feminine,

sex,

beauty,

legacy,

resistance,

performance,

and art.

She still

has the

ability

to miraculously

hold

the attention

of the masses

when 

attention

is a deficit—

now a cultural

disorder—

that

we obviously

need

to face.