10 "Perfect" Movies (and why)

No preamble needed. See the list below:

1.  Raiders of the Lost Ark- Easily Spielberg's finest hour, this is the perfect marriage of he and Lucas. The plot is compelling, the main protagonist is an instant legend, and the shooting style feels very old school with its use of shadows and slow tracking shots. The action is also unmatched and catapulted adventure films onto a whole new level.
2. Casablanca- Movies that are written by more than two people have no right to be watchable let alone arguably the greatest movie ever made. But the changes to the script for "Casablanca" did nothing but make it better with each iteration. Inspired casting, direction, music and acting make this is a film without a single wasted moment.
3. Top Gun: Maverick- I'm not sure who decided sequels are automatically inferior to the originals but they were wrong and this film is why. There's never been a more pitch perfect sequel to a movie nobody expected to ever get one. There's reverence for the original without the plot descending into a by-the-numbers retread and the emotional stakes are off the scale. Another film without a wasted moment.
4. The Empire Strikes Back- Here's another one for sequel haters. No film before this one had ever taken a relatively skeletal first installment and developed it so beautifully in all areas. The characters are better fleshed out, the fight feels more urgent, the acting is stellar and the many reveals feel organic to the world Lucas created. 
5. Blazing Saddles- Few comedies age as beautifully as this one has. The jokes still work, the message is still as poignant as ever, and there's a real story being told with characters who seem like actual people despite the absurd goings-on around them. Also, Mel Brooks was born to direct westerns.
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- Paying attention, sequel haters? A brilliant sequel that shows how easily superhero stories can be adapted into other genres such as political suspense thrillers. 
7. Beverly Hills Cop- Proof that a script can sometimes serve as a framework for the ideas of a brilliant young comic at the height of his creativity, this is another movie that shouldn't have worked. If you don't believe me, take a look at "Cobra" starring Sylvester Stallone which was based on the same screenplay. That movie was ass. "Cop" was a perfect blend of comedy, gritty realism and social commentary.
8. Django Unchained- Although it's my second favorite Tarantino film, it's the one with the best execution. The acting, the setting, the action are all top notch and this is maybe the only filmmaker who could make you root for the hero to kill unarmed people.
9. Dark City- A true forgotten gem, Alex Proyas' film tells the story of a man who awakens with no memory of who or where he is. The mystery deepens until the Big Reveal which is about a shocking as it gets.
10. American Beauty- This one get maligned a lot nowadays because it's become fashionable to say it was overrated. It's not. It's a perfect snapshot of late Nineties ennui and the acting and direction are as good as it gets.

Next up: Imperfect Movies that are Still Great

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From Fascism to Pandemics, Mom Knew Best

 

For those too young to know, "V" was one of the most watched and discussed mini-series of the 1980s. Before Independence Day, this was the first time we witnessed giant mile-long spacecraft arriving over every major city simultaneously. However, instead of reigning death and destruction, they came as friends who needed our help. At least, that was how it seemed. 

In reality, the "Visitors" as they came to be called by the people of Earth, only appeared to be beautiful humanoids. They were, in fact, venom-spitting reptilian beings who saw us as a perfect food source. Not everyone knew this and many were willing to cooperate with what eventually became an allegory for Nazi Germany.

Characters we came to care about had their hearts broken by people they thought they could trust. An underclass comprised of Earth's scientists became the minority that needed to be controlled and censored lest they figure out the Visitors' secret. Soon there was even a youth group of makes in brown shirts acting as assistants to the orange-clad soldiers patrolling the streets. One such character even turns in his own grandfather, a concentration camp survivor.

During one of the times the mini-series was rerun on local TV, my mother and I got into a deep discussion about the people we knew and cared about and how we thought they would react in the same situation. It was a tough conversation because some of those people, individuals we loved, were also ones we knew would turn against us. Mom and I knew we wouldn't cooperate but we also knew we were related to people who would find their comfy lives more alluring than resistance. 

 I think about that conversation often. I wonder how she would have reacted to how COVID revealed so many true natures. I wonder if she would have been disappointed or if she would have just shaken her head in that knowing way she often employed when unpleasant things were confirmed.

It seems as if she was preparing me all those years ago for the moment when people would disappointment me on a level I'd never before experienced. I often think she prepared me too well, as it was nearly impossible for me to feel that way. Having observed the growing self-absorption in the U.S., almost nothing surprises me with the possible exception of lunatics calling medical workers "crisis actors." And that's the one thing "V" never addressed; how bone-chillingly stupid human beings can be.

So many people seem to have learned nothing as they continue coughing from their uncovered mouths into the air and clicking laughing emojis on scientifically vetted articles about viral spread. I think if COVID were an alien race, those of us who still mask up indoors would be targeted like the scientists in "V." If that day comes, I'm ready.

Thanks, Mom~

The Literal-Mindedness of Evangelicalism

 

"Why pay for movies when you can pay me?"

You would think someone who operates exclusively on faith would be able to grasp abstract concepts in lieu of being suffocatingly literal-minded. And while that is, perhaps, true of some true believers out there, it's not true of your typical Evangelical Christian. They don't view anything they believe as metaphorical or representative of some greater, impossible to define truth. They take it all at face value and, even worse, they project that mentality onto the rest of us.

Especially those of us who dare write fiction.

Recently, I saw a video clip of an Evangelical preacher admonishing people for watching horror movies. His bone of contention was that the films somehow convince us that the entities they feature are more powerful than they actually are when all one really needs is Christian faith to essentially stomp these beings into the ground for Jesus. This preacher went on to decry all horror films as an attempt to deceive people from the truth of the Gospel. That's all well and good. He can believe whatever he wants, but what he can't do is speak as an authority on something he clearly knows nothing about.

This certainly wasn't the first time a preacher arrogantly proclaimed his knowledge about the so-called "secular world" and it sadly isn't anywhere near to being the last. It's yet another in a long line of misconceptions uttered by someone who entire existence is informed by magical thinking. It's a fascinating contradiction to be both literal-minded and entirely lacking in logic, but when one's false sense of righteousness is backed up by the bubble they operate within, it is unavoidable. 

"We're lookin' for the guy that called us weak and defeated."

First off, horror is so much more than movies featuring demonic entities of the Judeo-Christian variety. There are several sub-genres, some of which don't include the supernatural at all. Secondly, the preacher's assertion that demons are defeated beings living under our feet is a provincial one at best. Not everyone believes that and not every culture's demons are former uppity angels who got their comeuppance. In some belief systems, angels are indeed equal to their counterparts. Thirdly, the preacher's woeful ignorance of the genre and its history is on full display because he has no idea what traditions are being drawn from. You think he knows about Lovecraft's Ancient Ones or Clive Barker's pleasure/torture vision of Hell? 

Most importantly, he misunderstands (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the entire point of horror, which is to provide much-needed catharsis for the audience watching it. Fear is only a bad thing if it's given more power than it deserves. By proclaiming all fictional horror part of some greater conspiracy to perpetrate a lie about Christian-centric demons, he stands revealed as little more than a peddler of ignorance desperately trying to understand a word that makes little sense to him otherwise. The sad part is there are millions of Americans are not only willing but also happy to follow along.

I can't think of anything more horrifying that that.

Why Your Jive Doesn't Jibe with the True Definition

 

The greatest gift social media has given us is the ability to know just how many people not only don't know what they're talking about more than half the time, but also the fact that they don't even know the correct words to use when they don't. Forget about misspellings, those run rampant these days. And with the absurd rationale that enforcement of good grammar is somehow based in colonialism or that it's a symbol of being old, don't except it to get much better. This post is all about usage.

Some of the ones that really grind my gears:

• All the Sudden
• Few Far and In-Between
• Should of/Would of
• Jive instead of Jibe

That last one is the source of all my pain and suffering, the very origin of all that is empty and wrong in the world and, possibly, the universe and its many multiversal equivalents. I will move on at the risk of indulging in hyperbole.

For whatever reason, many people tend to automatically turn unfamiliar words into familiar ones based on fascinatingly obtuse biases. For instance, "Few and Far Between" may make sense to those of us who possess a literary bent, but those who do not look at and see a phrase that looks incorrect. The term refers to something that rarely occurs. To add "in-between" is to create a phrase that no longer means that but sounds more like a description of physical location. To be fair, I'm not convinced that the people misusing the term don't also believe the latter meaning is the one that applies. The same is true for "Jive" vs. "Jibe."

According to the Chicago Tribune, "Jive means either a type of music or loose, meaningless chatter. Jibe means to be in accord; agree. To confuse matters, jibe also means to shift your sail from one side of the vessel to the other (sometimes spelled gybe). And gibe, which means to make taunting, heckling remarks, can also be spelled jibe."

So, if you're using "jive" to mean something doesn't go along with your beliefs or those of someone else, stop it. You look uneducated. 

I had someone who moderates a page on scientific accuracy argue with me about this. Discounting the inherent superiority analytical types feel when dealing with creative people, this is an individual who appears learned and to be a good researcher. Yet in this case, where language is often regarded as secondary to opinion, they relied on a single source and then tried to spin the incorrect usage itself. When that failed, they tried to say the original wrong definition was correct. No amount of proof seemed to sway them.

On second thought, if you wanna use "jive" to mean what it doesn't mean, have at it. Just try not to vote. Or Procreate. Or work with the public. Or run for office. 

Or become a pet owner.

It just wouldn't jive with what makes a well-rounded person~

Excerpt from "2012/21," the First-Draft-Completed-Editing-in-Progress-Novel

This is not where I truly belong. This is a nightmare of epic proportions, the kind of bad dream brought on by late night drinking and total despondency. 

The smell is the first thing to hit me, followed by the sight of bodies stacked as high as the eye can see. I shouldn’t be able to smell anything in this state and I for damn sure shouldn’t be able to handle such a smell without gagging. That means I’m being allowed to experience the stench of death and decay without becoming overpowered. Unlike me, the living walk around in those yellow containment suits you see in movies when there’s been some type of outbreak. 

Somewhere not too far away, somebody cries. It is impossible to tell the sex or age of the person because the despair they express transcends any of that. The grief stretches throughout the street as refrigerated trucks are loaded with body after body. The loaders aren’t even using gurneys, they’re just grabbing the dead people from both ends and tossing them inside the truck into the storage beds like sacks of wheat.

Someone yells, “Christ, Craig! This one’s still alive!”

I can’t see who said this or who they are talking about, but the flurry of activity points to one of the trucks further down the line. 

“What the fuck, Craig?” a female voice says. “How many times do I need to tell you to check them before you shuck them?”

Craig utters a sheepish, “Sorry.” 

That’s the last thing I hear before the scene shifts to what appears to be the outside of a hospital where, if I’m not mistaken, a group of angry people are brandishing protest signs and yelling at medical staff. What could these people have possibly done to incur such rage?

“Fucking crisis actor!” the big guy in the red baseball cap nearest me says, spit flying from his mouth.

The woman in scrubs standing like a statue before him wears a surgical mask and says nothing as he keeps accusing her of lying to the American people and calling her a pedophile.

Where the hell did that come from?

None of the medical folks are reacting to the angry men screaming in their faces like demented toddlers. It’s probably the bravest thing I’ve ever seen, except I don’t know what the hell is going on.

Where is my guide? I don’t care how hideous it is, I would welcome its presence right now. It would be far less nightmarish than what I’m witnessing from my fellow human beings. 

I decide to walk on, past the unmoving medical staff, past the angry, mostly unmasked protestors, past the news crews who are obviously eating all this shit up. I need sanity, peace, something that makes sense. I find the exact opposite on the next block.

Pamphlet-waving, saliva-spewing men and women beckoning all of us who pass by to come hear what they have to say. Most of them want us to sign their petitions for this group or against that group or for no group at all. They have markedly different beliefs but they all somehow sound the same. This whole scene feels less like reality and more like metaphor, but there’s a gritty realism to the whole affair that stubbornly keeps me from dismissing it as such.

Ignoring the shouting would-be activists, I glance to my right and stop dead in my tracks. On the side of an abandoned brick building, somebody has painted, in giant red letters: THE MAYANS WERE WRONG!

It’s all too much. I don’t feel myself hit anything when I pass out, but everything goes black

 

Excerpt from "This Evil Sky" a Novel-in-Progress

 Sleep does not come easy for a killer with a conscience. In fact, it remains ever elusive following a job. The more successful the job, the less likely there will be sleep. Alan is no exception to this rule, which is the only reason he isn’t rudely awakened by the pounding on his door. Throwing on a bathrobe and grabbing a nearby pistol, he walks to the front door of his apartment and stands off to the side as he gazes through the peephole. 

Wonderful. 

He opens it and breathes a heavy sigh.

Detective Moran. To what do I owe the displeasure?

The detective sneers and looks Alan up and down. Still awake, huh?

I’m a light sleeper.

Moran nods and asks if he can come in. Alan tells him he can, but may he?

Moran sneers again, his bearded face a mask of annoyance. How about we cut the crap?

(Shrugging) Fine. Let me just open my robe up nice and wide.

(Face contorted) Excuse you?

Well, if you’re gonna bust my balls as usual, I might as well grant total access.

Why "Andor" is Basically Terrible

So, imagine you invented something truly revolutionary. Picture all the people who were there when you did it, who helped and supported you and were part of it. Interesting people, I'm sure. Now imagine the person who stamped the paperwork so your patent was pending. 

That's who Andor is.

I'll admit I didn't have the highest anticipation for a "Star Wars" Disney+ series about a character whose imprint on the franchise was basically as a homicidal pile of ashes. He was meant to be an expendable Rebel whose actions aided in obtaining the Death Star plans so other people could blow it up and nobody would ever mention the names of the team he was on again; they were little more than a means to an end.

It's the most unnecessary origin story since Dumb & Dumberer. Why anyone cares about such a dull, detached character is truly baffling, as is the apparent need of screenwriter and creator of the cannon fodder character Tony Gilroy to provide a backstory to the backstory that feels like something from a very old, cheesy short story. It is even duller than Andor himself, if that's possible.

There seems to be a trend when it comes to streaming TV series to go at least two episodes without anything of note happening before rewarding the audience with some much needed, well-choregraphed action or suspense. Such was the case here where we waited an interminable amount of time and to entire episodes for something, anything, to happen to break up the monotony of the snail's pace and the constant need to world build a universe that has already been world built.

By the time the end of the fourth and once again totally eventless episode had ended, I found myself laughing at the abrupt ending.

As of this writing, I have watched four episodes of this dreadful waste of gigabytes and have no intention of continuing. It's too slow, there is only one interesting character, Stellan Skarskgard's Luthen Rael, a character who starts out like something out of a classic spaghetti western and slowly devolves into a cliché-riddled playacting chameleon. There is literally not one other character of note, including the droid.

Andor's troubles with the law after killing a guy for sitting on the ground don't make for riveting TV, nor do they make the protagonist anything less than a ruthless psychopath with a puppy dog face. He deserves to be caught and locked up if not worse. Anyone who's seen Rogue One knows he deserves even more than that because of what he does to the rebel with the bad leg. Andor is a lowlife who walks around looking innocent and pretending to be a victim. If ever there was a "hero" for the new age, it's him. 

So, to sum up we have a morally bankrupt screw-up joining a rebellion so he can one day murder an innocent man without the slightest twitch and nearly kill a young woman's father with a sniper rifle after lying to her. We also have a pace that is agonizingly slow, a soundtrack that is slumber-inducing, and not a Jedi to be seen. There are people who think the lack of Jedi is a good thing. I find that viewpoint idiotic.  

I find Andor idiotic as well. Bring on Asoka!

Fanaticism at War with Creativity (and it's winning)

 

It's obvious now in the U.S. that we got used to thinking all the censorship and persecution was in the past. Movies are made about it and tons of books have been written on the subject. Most of these presumed an evolved, more aware society looking back on a terrible time with the perspective of those who have learned "the lesson" and moved forward. 

It turns out the religious fanatics were quietly getting themselves into positions where they could enact sweeping censorship across the entire nation, the South in particular. This is not an altogether surprising event to me. I have been tracking the Religious Right's mostly successful strategy since the 1990s. Once they realized Ronald Reagan was not the Evangelical-friendly president they'd been hoping for, they set their sites on more realistic targets. Local school boards, City Councils, small-town mayoral elections and even courtrooms were slowly infiltrated by them until the time came for them to begin enacting their agenda for social control in the name of spiritual salvation.

And they were really, really good at it too.

"Questionable" books began to be challenged in school libraries. Laws were passed that would never have withstood the light of day a mere decade before. Harmful deprogramming techniques aimed at gays gained popularity in certain circles and there was a bizarre shift from blaming Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus to hailing them as wonderful because in their view, these people needed to be slaughtered in order to bring on those wonderful End Times. But that's okay because they will be given a second chance to accept Christ as the messiah and everybody will live happily ever after for a thousand years because ancient people couldn't conceive of a number larger than that.

But let's take a quick step back. This is a highly motivated, resentful and frighteningly large group of Americans who have felt marginalized and disrespected for generations. And, to be fair, they kind of were. Most mainstream so-called "secular" Americans saw them as little more than a pack of ignorant hayseeds, members of a vocal minority whose predilection for following flawed, charismatic nutjobs had descended into self-parody. And, to be fair, they kind of had. 

So, where did that leave us? Simply put, with a two-sided coin sitting on its side in the middle of a field of general apathy. On one side of that coin sits a large, angry, delusional minority of religious zealots whose entire lives have been spent in a veritable echo chamber of self-righteousness and magical thinking. On the other sits their opposite extreme, far left social engineers with an alarming level of self-interest pushing various agendas with no real awareness of what they are up against. Meanwhile, on that field of apathy, we have small groups of people just starting to open their eyes and realize what's happening while they watch their streaming shows and stupidly put the names of their children on signs outside their houses complete with the names of their schools as celebration. 

The demands for censorship we are seeing are primarily but by no means exclusively coming from the Right. The difference is the Right's agenda is far more organized because Right-wingers tend to think alike whereas one of the strengths and weaknesses of Left-wingers is their lack of constant, mindless agreement with one another. But where exactly are these calls for book banning coming from and who is initiating them? You might be surprised by the answer:

Surprised? You probably are. Who would have expected school and library boards to issue more challenges than political and religious groups? Who expected the number of elected officials doing it to be lower than the percentage of librarians and teachers? The second column tracks with conventional wisdom, however, as does the third one. It is interesting to note how much importance is placed on the written word vs. other types of media. No matter what, words on a page (or a screen) still cause more discomfort than images and songs. The reason for that should be obvious. Their entire worldview is based on the written words in a book they believe is the only one anybody needs because all of the answers are found in its pages.

Here's the part so many non-believers and rationally minded believers do not get about these people. They indulge in constant magical thinking. In their minds, all fiction is based on belief, most of it running contrary to theirs. They are a bizarre combination of irrationality and literal-mindedness that makes it nearly impossible for them to grasp metaphor and subtlety, let alone allegorical social commentary. In fact, those words are meaningless to them because their over-simplified worldview is based on the most basic concept of good vs. evil resulting in simplistic reward or punishment. There is no nuance there.

This is why when these groups are challenged to present one specific example of why they consider a book unacceptable, they either cannot do it or can't be bothered to even try. What's the point in offering specifics when the entire thing is based on Satanic appeasement? Trust me, when they use the word "Worldly," it's not a positive thing. The actual definition of that word is someone who is well-rounded and educated, but they use it to mean someone who is by default in league with the devil because they are "of the world." The world is evil because of humanity's fall from Grace, despite the efforts of Jesus in the New Testament to usher in an Age of Grace.

It is this very contradictory nature that makes it impossible to reason with book banners who are doing it for religious reasons. Reason is just another way of moving away from God in their estimation. Science is the devil's religion, at least that's what a similar-minded friend once said to me in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.  Funnily enough, following the tiny bit of logic contained in that mentality, one would think politics would be the devil's playground. Yet Evangelicals have been infiltrating local government for decades so they could enact their peculiar brand of American Christianity. Library boards, school boards and city councils were just the beginning. They are well beyond that now and their lack of willingness to engage in the realm of ideas is slowly affecting our lives in ways that are becoming more and more apparent.

(If you wish to join the fight against library censorship, contact these fines folks and make your voices heard)

Pondering my Novel

 As I am now 6,000-8,000 words away from finishing my novel, "2012/2021" I have begun noticing the themes that I wasn't necessarily consciously aware of until I'd been working on it for several months. My intent was always twofold: To write my own Vonnegut-type of novel and to write the novel I wish I'd written when I published "Dreamers at Infinity's Core." And all it took was a global pandemic, idiots who thought it was fake despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and unbelievable amounts of selfishness and self-entitlement.

Funnily enough, the COVID pandemic is only mentioned sparingly in the novel and never by name. I felt keeping it more abstract and ominous worked better as a plot device. Besides, the main protagonist is from the year 2012, so he really has no idea what's coming in 2020. This is a novel packed with ideas and images and connections that bridge time, space and reality itself. Making it about COVID would defeat the purpose and run the risk of becoming preachy. This is not a preachy book. It doesn't slow down long enough to preach.

It does, however, deal with themes that are sure to make some people uncomfortable. It also offers answers that many would resoundingly reject for fear of feeling as if their entire lives were pointless. Others will feel emboldened by the purposefulness they find in the narrative.

Without going too deeply into the story itself, here is a list of themes I have noticed as I close in on the novel's intentionally 

• Selfishness
• Greed
• Lack of Empathy
• Self-righteousness
• Corporate dominance
• The nature of creation
• Cult-like mentalities
• Doppelgangers
• Regret
• Redemption
• Helplessness
• Courage
• Dream logic
• The soul-crushing experience of retail work
• The inherent shallowness of thoughts and prayers
• Revolution
• The death of objective thought

And that's just off the top of my head! "2012/2021" isn't so much a story as an unraveling that feeds on itself like my own mind.

I can't wait to see it get rejected over and over!

My Emmy Picks for 2022

 Below is a list of the nominees for Emmy Awards for 2022. I have highlighted my choice for each section. Keep in mind, some of my selections are based on having only seen that series or that actor and none of the others.

• Outstanding Drama Series

  Better Call Saul
  Euphoria
  Ozark
  Severance
  Squid Game
  Stranger Things
  Succession
  Yellowjackets

• Outstanding Comedy Series

  Abbot Elementary
  Barry- A very close second but it's not really a comedy.
  Curb Your Enthusiasm
  Hacks
  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  Only Murders In The Building
  Ted Lasso
  What We Do in the Shadows

• Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series

  Dopesick
  The Dropout
  Inventing Anna
  Pam & Tommy
  The White Lotus

• Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

  Brian Cox — Succession
  Lee Jung-jae — Squid Game
  Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul
  Adam Scott — Severance
  Jeremy Strong — Succession

• Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

  Donald Glover — Atlanta
  Bill Hader — Barry
  Nicholas Holt — The Great
  Steve Martin — Only Murders In The Building
  Martin Short — Only Murders In The Building
  Jason Sudeikis — Ted Lasso

• Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

  Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  Quinta Brunson — Abbott Elementary
  Kaley Cuoco — The Flight Attendant
  Elle Fanning — The Great
  Issa Rae — Insecure
  Jean Smart — Hacks

• Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

  Nicholas Braun — Succession
  Billy Crudup — The Morning Show
  Kieran Culkin — Succession
  Park Hae-soo — Squid Game
  Matthew Macfadyen — Succession
  John Turturro — Severance
  Christopher Walken — Severance
  Oh Yeong-su — Squid Game

• Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

  Anthony Carrigan — Barry
  Brett Goldstein — Ted Lasso
  Toheeb Jimoh — Ted Lasso
  Nick Mohammed — Ted Lasso
  Tony Shalhoub — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  Tyler James Williams — Abbott Elementary
  Henry Winkler — Barry
  Bowen Yang — Saturday Night Live

• Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

  Patricia Arquette — Severance
  Julia Garner — Ozark
  Jung Ho-yeon — Squid Game
  Christina Ricci — Yellowjackets
  Rhea Seehorn — Better Call Saul
  J. Smith-Cameron — Succession
  Sarah Snook — Succession
  Sydney Sweeney — Euphoria

• Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

  Alex Borstein — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  Hannah Einbinder — Hacks
  Janelle James — Abbott Elementary
  Kate McKinnon — Saturday Night Live
  Sarah Niles — Ted Lasso
  Sheryl Lee Ralph — Abbott Elementary
  Juno Temple — Ted Lasso
  Hannah Waddingham — Ted Lasso

• Outstanding Variety Talk Series

  The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
  Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
  Late Night With Seth Meyers
  The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

• Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series

  The Andy Warhol Diaries
  The Beatles: Get Back
  jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
  100 Foot Wave
  We Need To Talk About Cosby
  My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman
  The Problem With Jon Stewart
  Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy
  Vice

• Reality Series (Structured)

  Antiques Roadshow
  Fixer Upper: Welcome Home
  Love Is Blind
  Queer Eye
  Shark Tank

• Animated Series

  Arcane
  Bob’s Burgers
  Rick And Morty
  The Simpsons
  What If…?

• Short Form (Animated)

  The Boys Presents: Diabolical
  Love, Death + Robots
  Robot Chicken
  Star Wars: Visions
  When Billie Met Lisa

• Categories where I hadn't seen or heard of the nominees were omitted. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments.

The Difference Between Understanding Fiction and Wanting to see Your Juvenile Fantasies Play Out

 

*Stolen with gratitude from Facebook

Sticktoitiveness

 

This has been me for many, many years. Obviously I'm not alone or nobody would have created this meme. Okay, maybe I would have, but nobody else.

This year I resolved to begin and complete my novel "2012/2021" and I am on track to see do. All other ideas and short stories have been set aside and this book is literally the only fiction I have worked on since the year began. 

I fully expect to be finished with the first draft by no later than mid-June.

The writing of "2012/2021" has been incredibly rewarding, perhaps the most rewarding writing experience I have ever had. It is the novel I've always felt I had in me but was not yet able to capture it the way I wanted. The pandemic changed that. 

So, if anyone still reads this blog and was wondering why I don't post as often as I used to, that's the reason. 

Some Chapter Titles from my Work in Progress "2012/2021"

 

Chapter One: Those Wacky Mayans

Chapter 4: Displacement, Dat Placement or de udder Placement

Chapter 5: From Better Best to Sweater Vest

Chapter 6: Ain’t Nobody Got Time for DAT

Chapter 8: Opinions are Like Maskholes...

Chapter 11: Memories & Other Things That Never Happened

Chapter 13: At the End of the World Resides Myrtle

Chapter 15: Absolute Truth Ain’t Always Absolute Proof

Chapter 16: Symmetry at the Cemetery

Chapter 20: What are you doing, Daves?

Chapter 22: A Tale of Two Psychos

As you can see, I've been rather busy. Nearly 60,000 words as of this writing and I couldn't be having a better time. This is the novel I've been wanting to write for years without actually knowing it and I hope, when the time comes, it will be well-received and given a chance to be read by others.