I can't say whether or not it ever happened, of course. I can only point to the contemporaneous account reported by CBS Evening News back in 1971.
Delmar Pickett Jr. said that it happened back then. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but a lot of people say that the mythology started back with First Blood (the first one), when, for what it's worth, the mythology started over a decade before.
(And, no, that's not the speech. The speech that got my roommate's Dad was the "I want what they want" speech at the end of the second one.)
Wait, do you want me to answer the question you asked or tell you what I think about something?
Because if those things are at odds and I start to explain why and I get the response that I'm being non-responsive, I find myself in a place where I have no idea what it is in the hell that you want.
I'd love to change the rules to how I'd have it instantiated.
Is that on the table?
Because, lemme tell ya, if we go back to "we'll use your rules for me and we'll use my rules for you", that's worse than "we'll use the same rules we used yesterday".
My favorite involves the Lenny Randle bunt. Bob Johnson throws behind Lenny Randle, Lenny Randle takes exception, does a bunt, the pitcher only has eyes for the ball, Lenny wallops Bob, a fun little riot ensues.
It hailed about 5 minutes before we left the theater last night. We walked outside and saw a half inch of white on the ground and were astounded. Then we got the lightning and, less than two seconds later, the thunder and realized that it was ice, not snow.
Back in the late 80s, Mom took us to see an off-Broadway Big River. It was amazing. They blew the roof off of the joint. We bought the Original Broadway Soundtrack and were stunned to discover that the soundtrack, while technically perfect, didn't have anywhere near the oomph that we had just seen. It was like the soundtrack was done at the dress rehearsal instead of in front of a live audience. It was skilled but there was no energy.
And so I wondered "is Big River somewhere?" and there's a youtube of a show in San Jose back in 1999.
This looks like it cost a buck and a half to do. They just set up a camera and zoomed in or panned out as appropriate.
In the current year, you wouldn't even have to zoom in. Just have a fixed 6K camera set up balcony level and zoom in on the footage as appropriate when you're editing it (*MINIMALLY* editing it). Just make sure the sound is synched and you've got yourself a record.
I mean, Big River isn't currently touring anywhere, as far as I can tell (it had a revival in 2004). I'm glad that we've got a copy of San Jose's 1999 Production... they should do that for a lot more stuff. Hooking up the camera, recording the sound, making sure it's synched, and minimal editing time... that can't cost *THAT* much.
First, they should admit that their party mishandled Mr. Biden’s age. Leading Democrats insisted that he had mental acuity for a second term when most Americans believed otherwise. Party leaders even attempted to shout down anybody who raised concerns, before reversing course and pushing Mr. Biden out of the race. Already, many voters believe that Democrats refuse to admit uncomfortable truths on some subjects, including crime, illegal immigration, inflation and Covid lockdowns. Mr. Biden’s age became a glaring example. Acknowledging as much may be backward looking, but it would send an important signal.
Second, Democrats should recognize that the party moved too far left on social issues after Barack Obama left office in 2017. The old video clips of Ms. Harris that the Trump campaign gleefully replayed last year — on decriminalizing the border and government-funded gender-transition surgery for prisoners — highlighted the problem. Yes, she tried to abandon these stances before the election, but she never spoke forthrightly to voters and acknowledged she had changed her position.
Even today, the party remains too focused on personal identity and on Americans’ differences — by race, gender, sexuality and religion — rather than our shared values. On these issues, progressives sometimes adopt a scolding, censorious posture. It is worth emphasizing that this posture has alienated growing numbers of Asian, Black and Latino voters. Democrats who won last year in places where Mr. Trump also won, such as Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, adopted a more moderate tone. They were hawkish about border security and law enforcement, criticizing their own party. They did not make the common Democratic mistake of trying to talk about only economic policy and refusing to engage with Americans’ concerns on difficult social issues.
Third, the party has to offer new ideas. When Democrats emerged from the wilderness in the past, they often did so with fresh ideas. They updated the proud Democratic tradition of improving life for all Americans. Bill Clinton remade the party in the early 1990s and spoke of “putting people first.” In 2008, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Clinton and John Edwards offered exciting plans to improve health care, reduce inequality and slow climate change. These candidates provided intellectual leadership.
The main part that got me was "Already, many voters believe that Democrats refuse to admit uncomfortable truths on some subjects".
You'd think that there'd be money in that sort of thing.
One (or three) fixed cameras, just showing the stage as if you were in the audience. I was sure that I remembered PBS doing Les Mis multiple times but I was remembering the Dream Cast Concert (which was 80% as good, really).
Hrm. BroadwayHD exists but it seems to only have a handful of plays at all (and there definitely are some Hollywood movies in there)...
I'm guessing that there is a very vocal contingent of purists doing what they can to keep the transient stage pure, I guess. Huh. They have HMS Pinafore.
I've heard someone say that the only problem is that Snow White is a post-George Floyd movie in a post-post-George Floyd world and so OF COURSE it'll bomb.
But Disney's flops used to mean stuff like "Million Dollar Duck" (which cost a buck and a half).
If you get a kitten, you will find yourself amazed at their destructive capabilities.
An older cat? (Like, defined as 5 or older?), those tend to have calmed down quite a bit (and doubly so for the female ones). A warm lap, a warm blanket, a houseape who is just doing some crochet work might get a swat or two but, hey, it's warm and let's go back to purring.
Good luck on the painting!
And it feels nice being able to run out of tp again.
There's nothing but speculation on the point but the static seems to date back to stuff like the Variety red carpet interview where Zegler mocked the original.
I suspect that Gal Gadot was tasked with mentoring Zegler and explaining that part of the job of being a movie star is buttering up the rubes to make them buy a ticket.
I know for a fact that one of the producers flew out to talk to Zegler and explain how the industry works to her (that's the comment that kicked all this stuff off).
In more recent months, Zegler has made dismissive comments about her co-star and Disney did what they could to keep them away from each other in public (such as Zegler calling Gadot a "professional pageant queen" in an instagram post following their appearance at the Oscars).
On “A Working Man Reviewed”
I can't say whether or not it ever happened, of course. I can only point to the contemporaneous account reported by CBS Evening News back in 1971.
Delmar Pickett Jr. said that it happened back then. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, but a lot of people say that the mythology started back with First Blood (the first one), when, for what it's worth, the mythology started over a decade before.
(And, no, that's not the speech. The speech that got my roommate's Dad was the "I want what they want" speech at the end of the second one.)
On “Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For”
I actually answered the question and then asked you a question.
Wait a second... is this one of those things where you get to ask me questions but I don't get to ask you questions?
Like, our relationship is that of lawyer versus person on the stand?
Wow, that would explain a lot!
I don't like that dynamic and I refuse to play by it, by the way.
"
Wait, do you want me to answer the question you asked or tell you what I think about something?
Because if those things are at odds and I start to explain why and I get the response that I'm being non-responsive, I find myself in a place where I have no idea what it is in the hell that you want.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25”
Michael Kotlikoff is trying to do some light damage control: I’m Cornell’s President. We’re Not Afraid of Debate and Dissent.
It's a good essay. I don't know that it will *WORK*, necessarily, but it's probably the best play available.
On “Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For”
"Would you have it otherwise?"
"Yes, I would have it otherwise. Is changing it to how I would have it on the table?"
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!"
On “A Working Man Reviewed”
My roommate when I was a college freshman told me that his dad took him to Rambo: First Blood Part II and wept during that final speech.
"I came here for explosions, why the room so dusty?"
On “Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For”
I'd love to change the rules to how I'd have it instantiated.
Is that on the table?
Because, lemme tell ya, if we go back to "we'll use your rules for me and we'll use my rules for you", that's worse than "we'll use the same rules we used yesterday".
On “A Working Man Reviewed”
It's one thing to say that to any given antagonist. It's quite another to say it to The Devil.
On “Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For”
"Private companies can do whatever they want".
"
He was fired because he committed what even academics consider a sin: He embarrassed the institution.
On “A Working Man Reviewed”
Sure, he made mistakes in the past. A lot of them. But he's different now. He's trying to do things right.
On “The Greatest Strike in History”
My favorite involves the Lenny Randle bunt. Bob Johnson throws behind Lenny Randle, Lenny Randle takes exception, does a bunt, the pitcher only has eyes for the ball, Lenny wallops Bob, a fun little riot ensues.
On “Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For”
I know: Columbia should appeal to the importance of the academy being a place where difficult ideas need to be wrestled with, not smothered.
On “Weekend Plans Post: Pantherine Vandals”
It hailed about 5 minutes before we left the theater last night. We walked outside and saw a half inch of white on the ground and were astounded. Then we got the lightning and, less than two seconds later, the thunder and realized that it was ice, not snow.
But still, it was *CRAZY*.
On “A Working Man Reviewed”
Rotten Tomatoes has the critics' score at 52% and the audience score at 90%.
Personally, I think that the critics' score should be in the 40s, but otherwise I am pleased with those numbers.
On “Weekend Plans Post: Pantherine Vandals”
Brief review of A Working Man:
It's Stallone saying "Yeah, John Wick was pretty good... here's how *I* would have done it."
"
Thinking about this some more.
Back in the late 80s, Mom took us to see an off-Broadway Big River. It was amazing. They blew the roof off of the joint. We bought the Original Broadway Soundtrack and were stunned to discover that the soundtrack, while technically perfect, didn't have anywhere near the oomph that we had just seen. It was like the soundtrack was done at the dress rehearsal instead of in front of a live audience. It was skilled but there was no energy.
And so I wondered "is Big River somewhere?" and there's a youtube of a show in San Jose back in 1999.
This looks like it cost a buck and a half to do. They just set up a camera and zoomed in or panned out as appropriate.
In the current year, you wouldn't even have to zoom in. Just have a fixed 6K camera set up balcony level and zoom in on the footage as appropriate when you're editing it (*MINIMALLY* editing it). Just make sure the sound is synched and you've got yourself a record.
I mean, Big River isn't currently touring anywhere, as far as I can tell (it had a revival in 2004). I'm glad that we've got a copy of San Jose's 1999 Production... they should do that for a lot more stuff. Hooking up the camera, recording the sound, making sure it's synched, and minimal editing time... that can't cost *THAT* much.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
From the NYT: The Democrats Are in Denial About 2024
Here's stuff from the middle:
The main part that got me was "Already, many voters believe that Democrats refuse to admit uncomfortable truths on some subjects".
On “Weekend Plans Post: Pantherine Vandals”
You'd think that there'd be money in that sort of thing.
One (or three) fixed cameras, just showing the stage as if you were in the audience. I was sure that I remembered PBS doing Les Mis multiple times but I was remembering the Dream Cast Concert (which was 80% as good, really).
Hrm. BroadwayHD exists but it seems to only have a handful of plays at all (and there definitely are some Hollywood movies in there)...
I'm guessing that there is a very vocal contingent of purists doing what they can to keep the transient stage pure, I guess. Huh. They have HMS Pinafore.
"
Date Nite With Maribou was "Wicked". I'd never seen it, never seen the musical, never heard the soundtrack.
It was really good. I told Maribou that we could see Part II in the theater when it came out.
Seriously, if you like musicals/Oz at all, you should check this one out. It's on Peacock.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
You know how, periodically, there's a situation in California that results in house insurance companies leaving the state?
Well, it looks like they're working on a way to make health insurance leave the state: Proposed California ballot initiative ‘Luigi Mangione Act’ would make it harder for insurers to deny medical care
On “The Holdout”
Is it just thumb wrestling and something you say before the match?
It's not a rhyme and googling it hasn't helped me.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
I've heard someone say that the only problem is that Snow White is a post-George Floyd movie in a post-post-George Floyd world and so OF COURSE it'll bomb.
But Disney's flops used to mean stuff like "Million Dollar Duck" (which cost a buck and a half).
On “Weekend Plans Post: Pantherine Vandals”
If you get a kitten, you will find yourself amazed at their destructive capabilities.
An older cat? (Like, defined as 5 or older?), those tend to have calmed down quite a bit (and doubly so for the female ones). A warm lap, a warm blanket, a houseape who is just doing some crochet work might get a swat or two but, hey, it's warm and let's go back to purring.
Good luck on the painting!
And it feels nice being able to run out of tp again.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
There's nothing but speculation on the point but the static seems to date back to stuff like the Variety red carpet interview where Zegler mocked the original.
I suspect that Gal Gadot was tasked with mentoring Zegler and explaining that part of the job of being a movie star is buttering up the rubes to make them buy a ticket.
I know for a fact that one of the producers flew out to talk to Zegler and explain how the industry works to her (that's the comment that kicked all this stuff off).
In more recent months, Zegler has made dismissive comments about her co-star and Disney did what they could to keep them away from each other in public (such as Zegler calling Gadot a "professional pageant queen" in an instagram post following their appearance at the Oscars).