I may be broiling in the Summer heat, but I must be good to blog... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Stranger, Newer! Look, let's just get this out of the way... it is highly unlikely that ANY show is going to eclipse Andor, The Residence, and Poker Face in my #1, #2, and #3 spots for the best television of 2025. They're just too phenomenal. But if any show has a shot at it, that would be Strange New Worlds. It managed to eclipse the original series as my favorite Trek, and the third season looks like more of the awesome I've come to expect...

   
• Cricket! GAH! I've been replacing some of the outlets in my home with Eve smart outlets. This morning I was replacing the outlet for all my television devices because I want to know how much electricity I'm drawing to be sure I'm not overloading the breaker. The outlet ended up having dual black & white wires, which meant the wire nuts that came with the switch were too small. I quickly ran to the electrical kit to get bigger ones while my Uninterruptible Power Supply was beeping angrily because it had no power. As I was running through the garage, I saw a clump of dirt that must have fallen off the gardening tools I was using this morning. I kicked it under the car so I could sweep it up later. BUT THE CLUMP OF DIRT CRAWLED BACK FROM UNDER THE CAR! BECAUSE IT WASN'T A CLUMP OF DIRT, IT WAS THE LARGEST CRICKET I'VE EVER SEEN! After screaming GAAAAAH! I ran into the house for a paper cup to drop over the insect while I wired the outlet so I could get power back to my UPS. Then I slid a piece of board under the cup and took the cricket out to a nice shady spot in the rock wall behind my home. Sorry, cricket, but I don't want you chirping in my home.

   
• Dip! A friend called and asked what I'm up to. After telling her the killer cricket story, I told her I was making my grandmother's chip dip recipe... except I'm using vegan cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese, vegan mayo instead of regular mayo, tamari sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce, and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Then I add a little ground black pepper and chili powder to help make the taste of the veggie mayo more palatable. She said "If you're changing all the ingredients, you're not really making your grandmother's recipe tho..." And I was like "Well, the lemon juice in it is still lemon juice... I just substitute vegan ingredients for the non-vegan ingredients. Which is most of them, I guess. Which is to say that I'm not actually making my grandma's recipe after all. Except... I totally am, I think.

   
• Big, Bold, and Beautiful! Well this looks wonderful. A movie that's right up my alley...

Doesn't hurt that the cast is so good.

   
• a-ha! I've never understood the one-hit-wonder status for a-ha. Their debut album and lead single Take on Me are great. Love it. Definitely a hit. But they created a lot of amazing music after. Including Holyground, a beautiful song that defies description...

Lead singer Morten Harket has announced he has Parkinson’s disease.

I flew to New York to see the band on their farewell Ending on a High Note Tour (they were only playing NYC and Los Angeles in the USA). After that they slowed down, but I was so happy they actually kept going.

   
• Pick Me! Lock company sues McNally for showing how easy their locks are to pick. They claim that he "altered" their lock. McNally orders a fresh lock and films himself retrieving the lock from an Amazon locker, opening the sealed box of the lock, cutting an aluminum can to make a pick for the lock, then picks the lock... all without the filming being interrupted. The entire video is two minutes and thirteen seconds long...

I laughed and laughed and laughed. Because this lock company just made things far, far worse for their reputation. He should pick one of their locks live during the trial, assuming the lock company is stupid enough to go through with it.

   
• VARIETY NEWS: ‘Andor’ Creator Says Disney Spent ‘$650 Million for 24 Episodes’ and ‘We Fought Hard’ for Money After Being Told in Season 2: ‘Streaming Is Dead. We Don’t Have the Money We Had Before’ — And every fucking cent is on the screen. This is budget filmmaking. Disney should be thrilled that Tony Gilroy handed them 8 feature films at a budget of only $80 million each. Because every three episodes IS the equivalent. And who makes feature films for only $80 million any more that are this fully-realized and have the talent and dazzling special effects that made them this great? Andor is easily one of the best TV series ever made. It’s the best thing to come out of Star Wars period...

Disney should be begging the guy to do more Star Wars. They should be filling a dump truck with money and backing it up into Gilroy’s driveway to get him to do more Star Wars. This series was an absolute gift to Disney, Star Wars fans, and people who relish great storytelling. Fuck the Empire.

   
And now I'm off! Off the internet Because I'm trying to free up space in my garage.

Happy Pride Month to all my LGBTQ+ friends out there! The world is better because you're in it! Soon I'll be watching a movie themed to this month's topic, but that will have to wait... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• BEES! NEWSFLASH: Millions of bees escape, start stinging after crash in Whatcom County. The first thing I did was go running to Maps to find out how far away these 250 million bees are from my house. Answer? About 3-1/2 hours, minimum. So no need to panic. Yet.

   
• Disney Be Expensive, Yo! “No we’re not going to Disneyland. We’ve got Disneyland at home!”

Absolutely classic.

   
• Sloppy! Peacock TV should just renew Poker Face for ten new seasons to be filmed twice a year. The latest episode Sloppy Joseph is phenomenal, as usual. But it leaps ahead of the pack for one reason. The child actor leads they got for this episode are amazing. AMAZING... and also, in one case, amazingly disturbing. Whomever cast them deserves a raise...

Plus it was deftly directed by ADAM ARKIN? And is that DAVID KRUMHOLTZ?!? Sweet! — I wish they could clone Natasha Lyonne so she could appear in more stuff. Then make a second clone and put her into suspended animation so we have a spare in case we lose the original two.

   
• Wes! If anybody has $400 that they're trying to get rid of... give it to The Trevor Project or Trans Lifeline. But if you have $400 more that you need to get rid of, you could always buy this for me...

Sure I already own all these movies in digital format (and more than a few on DVD and Blu-Ray), but 4K off of Blu-Ray is a considerably different experience than "4K" off of digital streaming.

   
• Linguistically Yours! I love this...

Language is ever-changing and ever-evolving. This is just the latest thing.

   
• Cursed! Sage, sage wisdom being dropped here...

I wish I could reclaim all the time I wasted trying to please people who don't care about me.

   
• Yummy! This video came up in my Facebook memories. So much more clever than Baby Shark...

CHEESE! CHEESE! CHEESE!

   
• Drag News Hour! Yet another drag queen endangering our children! Oh... wait a second... nope! Not a drag queen... color me un-shocked! NEWSFLASH: MAGA Influencer And Fox News Guest Indicted On Child Sex Abuse Charges.

   
And, on that note, it's time for me to make dinner. Until next Sunday...

I was working outside, decided it was way too hot, then decided it was a great excuse to come knock out some bullets... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• New Marriott! New James Marriott is here! Weird video, as usual, but the song is one of my favorites he's ever done. It's always a pleasant surprise when musical artists keep pushing forward like this...

His previous release was darn good too...

His new album, Don't Tell the Dog, will be released on June 13th.

   
• Holiday Road! Even if Rogue One sucked (spoiler alert, it most definitely does not suck), we'd still have one of the most terrifying scenes to come out of Star Wars. And it loses none of its impact no matter what you do to it...

That's Darth Vader unleashed as you'd always imagine him. And, hey, isn't Holidy Road a great song? Makes me want to rewatch Christmas Vacation for the hundredth time. But here's an interesting factoid... Holiday Road was played in all the National Lampoon's Vacation movies EXCEPT Christmas Vacation. And, here's another one for you... did you know that Kesha covered the song last year?

I always love it when somebody decides to make a cover song their own by putting some kind of spin on it that's different from the original.

   
• Justice for Luko! Mickey 17 came to HBO Max and it's surprisingly good, which I wasn't expecting given how it failed hard at the box office, not even making back the money it cost before marketing. I didn't know much about it other than I wanted to see it because Bong Jo Hoon is a genius...

It's a great story that's expertly told (which I did expect). It's also got something to say. Worth a look if you're into thoughtful sci-fi.

   
• 5+5=10!
Well this is interesting...
"That'll be five dollars, mate.'
"Do you have change for a tenner?"
"I do not."
"No worries, mate!"
RIIIIIIP!

You really do learn something new every day.

   
• New Fraser? I kinda lost track of Man Can Cook because while it was fun at first, it ended up being always the same thing... a guy cooking while his dog (Fraser!) sat there. But the other day Facebook had this video in my feed...

Dan is likely not planning on trading in Fraser permanently, but it's nice that he realizes he needs to try different things from time to time.

   
• Young Hotness! Nothing quite like running across an old driver's license to make you realize how old you've gotten!

Dang. so hot back then. No idea what happened. I'm talking about my signature, of course. I'm just as hot as I've always been! My signature is a complete mess now.

   
• Feed. Hungry. Kids! I'm going to put this riiiiight here...

The fact that lunch programs in schools aren't free to any child, regardless of money or paperwork, is abhorrent. The fact that there are people who are perfectly happy to let children starve says all you need to know about where humanity is at right now. These kids have absolutely no control over their circumstances, and people need to stop acting as if they've somehow done something wrong just by existing.

   
And now back to our regularly-scheduled nonsense.

I may be back from a few days vacation and mentally preparing myself to return to work, but the bullets cannot be stopped... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Andor! The first thing I did after getting home from vacation was take a nap. I had been up for 23 hours and needed sleep. The second thing I did? Watch the final three episodes of Andor...

And, yes, this is officially the best thing to ever come out of Star Wars in my humble opinion. So as not to spoil anything, I'll wait a while before breaking down my thoughts (and I do have them). Suffice to say that you should watch this. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not.

   
• Murdery Goodness! The second thing I watched? Murderbot on AppleTV+. I was surprised that they are deviating from the excellent source material like they are... but I don't hate it. The show is just a separate thing. Not always in a bad way. Especially with the opening credits, which looks like it was made with dolls...

I can see where some diehard fans of the books will not like it, but I still think it's worth a watch.

   
• Super! The final Superman trailer has dropped...

This looks so good. I may actually end up in the theater for this one.

   
• Blast From the Past! Something that got brought to my attention... somebody has an old Blogography Bad Monkey hat for sale on eBay...

Wasn't expecting that! And $25... I think I sold them for half that?

   
• Duke's! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't have lunch at Duke's, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

That Falafel Sandwich was ever so dreamy!

   
• Puka Dog! If you think that I went all the way to Honolulu, Hawai‘i and didn't grab a Puka Dog, just like the good ol' days, you don't know me at all...

I mean, yeah, it's called "Hula Dog" outside of Kauai now, but it's still a delicious veggie Puka Dog.

   
• Maters! When I got home, I noticed that tomatoes were starting to grow on my AeroGarden. At last...

I'm still not convinced that AeroGarden is feasible for anything but herbs, but here we are.

   
And now? Back to my post-vacation blues.

I'm in the middle of cleaning my filthy house, but rushing through a few things I saw this week seems inevitable... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• New Old! The Old Guard (on Netflix) is one of the best comic book adaptations of all time. I was thrilled we were getting a sequel. Though I was really hoping to get back-to-back sequels, darnit...

Now if only we could get a sequel to Atomic Blonde.

   
• 97%! Has anybody seen the 2023 Hulu movie BlackBerry? It's insane. It's just insane! I knew quite a bit about the rise and fall of BlackBerry, but seeing it told like this is nuts. This movie has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 97%... NINETY-SEVEN-PERCENT... and I've never even heard of it!

First of all, Glenn Howerton is remarkable. Frickin' DENNIS from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is remarkable. I had no idea he was even capable of this kind of performance. Just watch it and marvel at a good story told exceptionally well.

   
• Shoot the Moon! I recently saw this image of the true distance from earth to the moon, as taken by the OSIRIS-REx probe at around 3,181,420 miles away from Earth...

This is very cool, because most people think that the moon is quite close to the earth. Good thing for us it isn't, or we'd be in a serious gravity-related nightmare.

   
• First Love! Wait. I've watched this video for a song I love by Father Tiger dozens of times. And I am just now noticing... IS THAT NOAH CENTINEO?!? (not in the thumbnail, in the video). Pretty sure it is...

I remain pissed that The Recruit was canceled. Centineo was exceptional in it.

   
• Money! If the government was actually interested in saving American taxpayer dollars instead of padding the wallet of its biggest doner...

We keep being told about all the billions of dollars that's being saved. So where is it? Where has that money gone? Anyone? Anyone?

   
• Science! Just in case, you know, the God-given miracle of mRNA vaccines is not yet understood, here you go.

   
• Renaissance! The only season of The White Lotus that I enjoyed was the first one. Everything since has just been a boring slog that doesn't have a worthwhile payoff. That being said, the opening credits and theme song are pretty great. This rendition of Renaissance is pretty great...

That vocalist just went for it, and it was a joy to watch.

   
Back to cleaning my home. Dangit.

I'm not exactly sure why I'm taking time to fire off some bullets given how much stuff I have to get done today, but here we are... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• The Hawk! I had just finished rewatching Hawkeye, easily my favorite Disney+ Marvel Studios series, and was commenting how I wanted a second season so badly. Then this happened...

Well, shit. The guy was literally a part of billions of dollars in profit for Disney, and they want to pay him half of what he got for the first season? It's beyond shitty that this is how he was treated. Especially given how brilliant his series was.

   
• Unkerned! What is it with all these letter kerning crimes against humanity? This is atrocious. The Catholics couldn't get a designer for a tomb THIS important to them?

Literally "FR A NCISC VS" on that marker.

   
• Use The Force! Oh yeah, before I forget... May The 4th Be With You today!

Every once in a while I wonder what the world would be like if Star Wars never happened. It's honestly impossible to imagine. So much of sci-fi hinges on this one film. Sure there was the Star Trek TV series that came before it, but that was seen as a failure at the time (kept alive only by force of will from Lucille Ball and Desilu Studios). It was Star Wars that redefined what it means to be a blockbuster, and paved the way for so much of the science fiction we ended up getting. Sure, there might have been some other sci-fi movie that filled the void that the absence of Star Wars would have left... but I cannot even fathom what it might have looked like.

   
• Five Year Mission! And speaking of Star Trek... whenever I find an ad that I willingly want to watch, it makes me loathe bad ads even more. This ad is gold, and I love that the actors were game to do it...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the show that basically sells itself with its genius (and I cannot wait for the upcoming season), but it's nice to know that when they have to sell it they're trying to be interesting about it.

   
• Construction! Oh man. If you like carpentry, watching an American-style house get built by a Japanese carpenter is your new bliss...

I'm not saying that the final result is the design direction I would have taken... but the artistry that was involved in creating this incredible structure can't be denied. What a cool video.

   
• Elevation! Here's what's possible when you don't hand over the bulk of your country's GDP to the industrial complex that supplies your war machine...

It's proposed that the 2026 Military budget will be increased to $1 TRILLION DOLLARS. It's so absurd how modern warfare has changed so radically when it comes to how battles are fought, yet we're still throwing money into building this vast military force like it's the 1980's. I don't get it. I really don't. A trillion dollars?!? And we've got $92 million going to go into a fucking military parade on the president's birthday? What the fuck?

I mean, when you think about it, this is hardly surprising. But we're cutting NPR and PBS funding for this senseless crap? Seriously? We're cutting childhood cancer research for this shit? THIS?!?

   
• NEWS: CDC reports 216 children died this flu season, the most in 15 years — Congratulations anti-vaxers... things are looking up for you! Just think of how successful your campaign will be now that RFK is championing your cause! Maybe you'll go from hundreds of child deaths in 2025 to thousands in 2026! I mean, that's what you want, isn't it? That's the goal?

   
Not exactly sure how to wrap this up after delving into childhood cancer and easily avoidable child deaths. So... see you next week. I guess?

This may be the 900th installment of Bullet Sunday, but the bullets are as fresh as ever... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• The Devil of Hell's Kitchen! I've been ridiculously busy and didn't manage to get past Episode 02 of Daredevil: Born Again until today. When I binged the entire rest of the series. It was better than I had even hoped. Came very close to eclipsing Hawkeye as my favorite Marvel Studios television series. What's surprising is how they managed to keep it as dark and edgy and its Netflix beginnings while toning it down just enough to fit under the Disney+ banner. I thought they would ruin what they had, but they pulled it off...

Highest possible recommendation. Like Hawkeye, they were beautifully source-material accurate. And between Charlie Cox's pained portrayal of Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio's intense take on Wilson Fisk, the series couldn't help but be good (and lest we forget Ayelet Zurer's deliciously cold and ruthless turn as Vanessa Fisk!). The great story just sealed the deal. I'm betting the second half in the second season (currently in production) will tie things up with a heck of a bang. Here's hoping that Disney has a plan for the Devil of Hell's Kitchen after that.

   
• Papal! Just throwing this out there...

I was baptized in the Catholic Church. And I am a man. Apparently that's all the qualification I need...

One thing's for certain. If I were Pope, priests and nuns who assault people, particularly children, would have no place to hide.

   
• Niamos! The Official Star Wars YouTube Channel has officially released a one hour video of Mon Mothma dancing to that absolute banger of a track from the end of Andor Season 02E03...

Now... if you haven't seen the episode, you have no idea what's happening, why she's dancing, or just how brilliant this series is. What happened just before the dance started will haunt me for a very long time. If you're not watching Andor, you are missing one of the best TV shows of all time... Star Wars or no Star Wars.

   
• Worth Fighting For! It's one thing to have read the infamous NSFW South Park letter. It's quite another to have the incomparable Matt Berry read it live...

I will never be able to see Matt Berry and not be mad that What We Do In The Shadows was canceled.

   
• Industry! Earlier this week Variety, whose bread and butter is covering the entertainment industry, had a headline of this: "Sinners" has amassed $61 million in its global debut. It's a great result for an original, R-rated horror film, yet the Warner Bros. release has a $90 million price tag before global marketing expenses, so profitability remains a ways away. This headline this early is blatantly manipulative and an obvious attempt to define a narrative which supports big budgets exclusively for IP-based films. Fortunately, Variety was immediately and rightfully called out on it. And one particular source caught my eye...

Bravo. And, just an FYI, as of this writing Sinners has a global box office of $121,726,427. With stellar reviews, great press, Ryan Coogler's fan following, and some serious momentum, The movie will, at the very least, break even at the box office. Then any home-video sales and streaming rights will be gravy. This movie will very obviously hit profitability, and the fact that Variety's shitty headline didn't bother to wait before questioning it's ability to get there is very, very telling. They aren't covering the entertainment industry... they're attempting to influence the entertainment industry. The question becomes why? Conclusions are pretty easy to draw, but the important take-away from all this is that no media is safe from having an agenda. Never have been. The difference is that now they're blatantly obvious about it.

   
• DOOM! Just an FYI... Avengers: Doomsday starts filming tomorrow.

   
See you at Bullet Sunday No. 901.

Hold onto your Easter bonnet... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Home Video! I was going to buy Captain America: Brave New World because I haven't seen it. But the price is THIRTY FUCKING DOLLARS? Are Disney and Marvel Studios out of their damn minds? THIRTY?!? Well, guess I'm waiting until a sale to watch it. Wonder if Disney+ will stream it for free before then or before I remember? I swear... the clueless morons in charge of these studios bitch about how they didn't make enough money in the theater for whatever reason... then charge an amount nobody will pay so they will instead stream it for free so then they can bitch about how they didn't make any money from home video sales? Get fucked, dumbasses. THIRTY DOLLARS?!?

   
• Baby Shark! I love videos of people taking time to be kind to creatures of this earth...

And now Baby Shark is going through my head. Not fair.

   
• Potato! Poppy Cooks finally released The Potato Book. As a vegetarian, the potato is an invaluable part of my diet and finding new ways to cook them is always a plus...

There's plenty of recipes with meat, but enough meat-free options and idea to make it worthwhile.

   
• In Today's News! ISPs and robocallers love the FCC plan to “delete” as many rules as possible — Oh yay! I think what we're all hoping for is more text spam and robocall spam! Thank God we now have an FCC giving Americans exactly what they dream of! Who the fuck thinks this is a good idea?

   
• Here Comes Kayla! I loved the first season of Hacks at HBO Max. Hated the second season. It was a meandering mess that felt like absolutely nobody knew what the heck they were doing or where they were going. Then the third season recovered nicely. I loved it more than the first. They had a clear direction and each episode moved towards it beautifully. And now the fourth season just started. It's delicious. I hope they don't drag everything back to the status quo too quickly so it can marinate for a while. I mean, yeah, I know that a common foe will have to manifest to return to where we were because that's how these things go... but how brave would the show be if the conflict ran the whole season? That might be interesting!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go back to praying for Kayla to get run over by a fucking bus. Her character isn't funny. It's a never-ending distraction that goes too far over the top in every damn scene and any time she's doing her stupid shit I marvel that every other character seems to be handled with care to make sure there's some grounding to be had, but Kayla's just in outer space being an idiot 24/7. How does that help the show? Nobody in the history of the world would hire this fucking zero, let alone make her a partner. Every time I think something genius is going on in the writer's room... HERE COMES KAYLA! Lord.

   
• Six Days And Counting! If you've been eyeing Plex as you home media server, you may want to buy their lifetime pass at $120 before it over doubles in price...

This is what I use and have had a lifetime pass for many years. Just be sure the features of the lifetime pass are something you really need before investing the cash.

   
• Always Take a Screenshot! I have wanted a Le Creuset Dutch Oven for decades. But they're always so incredibly expensive (even on sale) that I just can't afford it. The price has gone from $340 to $390 over the years. I have no idea what the tariffs will be for France in 90 days, so when I saw the 4.5-quart of my dreams for $276 total including tax and free shipping (it's even the red one to match my kitchen!) I pounced on it. I don't have the money, but it's the cheapest I've ever seen it. Placed my order at Bed Bath & Beyond. Their order screen with free shipping said $275.94... their ApplePay screen weirdly said $253.79 (that's the price not including tax). So I foolishly assumed I would be charged $275.94. Silly me... I was actually charged $300.36! AND... there's NO WAY TO GET MY ORDER DETAILS TO KNOW WHY! Clicking on "Order Details" doesn't tell you anything. So... that's what... $24? $25? difference? Yes. That's $90 less than the usual cost, but I want to pay what I was told it would cost me!

I screenshot absolutely everything when I order stuff now-a-days, because this seems to happen a lot. Everybody should screenshot their order process because you pretty much have to.

So anyway... a half hour on the phone with Bed Bath & Beyond Customer Service and I'm offered store credit?!? Oh hell no. I WANT TO PAY THE PRICE I WAS TOLD I'D BE PAYING... CREDIT THAT OVERCHARGE BACK TO MY CREDIT CARD, BECAUSE I DOUBT I WILL EVER SHOP WITH THIS SCAM COMPANY EVER AGAIN. I honest-to-God do not understand how this is even remotely legal. Charging more money than you say you're charging? How does that even happen? Isn't that theft? I don't give a crap about why something went wrong. I don't. It should not take A HALF HOUR to get this resolved. I HAVE THE RECEIPTS! And what would have happened if I hadn't taken screenshots to prove this was a scam? What if I hadn't noticed I was overcharged? I guess I could have canceled the order... but come on. Just charge the price I was told. This is not rocket science.

Is this an issue for the Better Business Bureau? No idea. But I tell you what... I should receive compensation for the time I wasted trying to resolve their mistake. This call should have been me saying "I was overcharged and have the receipts to prove it." And them saying "Sorry to hear that, I will credit the overcharge back to your card immediately, then I will insist that this gets looked into, because we don't want to charge people more money that we say we're charging them... that would be illegal."

   
You may now resume eating eggs.

Spring cleaning may be in full effect, but I'm not letting that be my entire day... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Genius! Hearing that Val Kilmer has died was a real hit. I know that he's most famous for his roles in Tombstone, Batman Forever, and Top Gun and the like, but it's his earliest work in Top Secret! and Real Genius that I loved the guy for. Especially in Real Genius, because that role was a terribly fine line to walk. Had to be deadpan-serious while being hilarious. Had to be a genius while being relatable. Had to be aloof without being a fool. And he had to have enough emotional depth for a serious conversation that the entire movie hinged on. He made it look effortless. WARNING: This trailer inexplicably summarizes the entire film and spoils absolutely everything. If you haven't seen Real Genius I am begging you to watch the film before watching this...

I can't even guess how many times I've watched this movie. It is one of my favorites of all time. And it lead to my becoming a massive Val Kilmer fan. Rest in Peace, sir.

   
• DEATH TO NICKELS! Politicians who actually want to save money, instead of just pretending they are by lying about it, may want to ake a look at this video...

Look, I'm not advocating for a cashless society. I think that cash needs to exist because it takes money away from credit card companies and banks and puts it back into the cash registers of the retailers. It also ensures that people who can't get credit are able to make purchases. What I am saying is that cash needs to make some fucking sense. The system we have now absolutely does not. Kill the penny and the nickel and round to the nearest 10 cents. It'll all even out in the end.

   
• Not Your Average Television Series! I'm late to the party on Netflix's Adolescence, but holy crap is it riveting television. I am so accustomed to most child actors being pretty bad (with many being truly awful) that I never know how to react when there's one who is this exceptional in the role. The young actor playing the lead, Owen Cooper, is mind-blowingly good. How did they find him? Every episode is shot in just one take. And if that's the case... they not only had to find a kid who can carry the emotional weight of a very difficult part, but he had to be able to memorize all his dialog? HE WAS FOURTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN THIS WAS SHOT! THERE ARE ADULTS WHO CAN'T DO THIS!

Highest possible recommendation if you haven't seen it yet. Even the poster is frickin' perfect...

I'm now obsessed with how they managed to make this series. How long did the actors have to work on memorizing their dialogue? How much rehearsal was there? How did they map out these insanely complex shots? This is more orchestrated than a ballet! I can only imagine that there HAD to be some kind of improvisation going on that allowed the actors to inhabit their roles so if there was a bit of a screwup it wouldn't ruin a take. I've got one last episode left and am afraid of spoilers or else I would be Googling all these questions.

UPDATE: The final episode was not what I thought it would be, but one of the most important parts of the story. This will easily make my best television series of 2025 and should seriously be mandatory viewing for kids to watch with their parents. Mostly as a warning. But partly to show consequences for your actions extend beyond you.

   
• More Television to Love? THEY MADE A SERIES OUT OF THE MURDERBOT DIARIES?!??? ZOMG!

Thank you, AppleTV+!

   
• Three for Three? To me Star Trek, as a franchise, has been in the toilet for ages. The only thing I've really liked after The Original Series were a few Original Series movies, Lower Decks, and the first season of Discovery (which was phenomenal before turning to total shit). And then came Strange New Worlds, which I've been enjoying even more than The Original Series, which is unreal. And now we're at Season 03, which is looking every bit as good as the previous two...

It is boldly refreshing that the people currently in charge of Star Trek actually know what makes the concept work... but aren't afraid to push it into new directions.

   
• Still Standing! Need a distraction from the horrors of reality? This is a lovely little story...

In a day and age when small businesses are struggling, it's nice to see stories of some that are managing to push through.

   
• It's really difficult to not be a fan of Giancarlo Esposito. He seems like an incredibly nice guy that just happens to also be an amazingly talented actor. I'm really glad that he's being given such a wide variety of acting roles because if you saw him in The Residence, you know that he's more than the villains he's played...

I haven't seen Captain America: Brave New World yet, but I'm sure he was good in that as well.

   
• Lying for Dollars! I absolutely loathe these "food health experts" who have no idea what they're talking about. Or, even worse, they know, but tell lies anyway. Just look at this ignorant asshole spreading misinformation and bullshit about fucking teabags for clicks...

If all food everywhere is so terrible, then just eat shit! Eat your own shit! Because at least then you'd know it's "organic and healthy" and will fit your idiotic narrative of bullshit and lies.

   
And now for that final episode of Adolescence. Until next Bullet Sunday then.

Ooh! Spring is finally here! But am I going outside to enjoy it? No... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Stuck on You! Betty White's social media advertised that the US Postal Service tribute stamp to her was finally released. As my favorite celebrity of all time, of course I wasted no time heading to the USPS website to buy a sheet and also get the cancelation release...

Note the paw print earring. I also picked up some of the Keith Harring "Love" stamps which I had no idea existed.

   
• Close to You! Okay. First of all... how could you have never heard Karen Carpenter before? Second of all... I wish I could erase my memories of Karen Carpenter's phenomenal voice so I was able to hear her for the first time again...

What's interesting is searching YouTube for this topic. There are a LOT of reaction videos. And all of them go about how you think they would. If you've never heard Karen Carpenter with the music stripped away... you need to do that.

   
• Tariffs, Anyone? Aerogarden is shutting down, so their hydroponic systems are on sale for half price in a variety of places. I had one at my old place and loved being able to have fresh herbs available... but it broke when I moved.

So I just bought two of them (they only seem to have the small 6-pod units left @ $60, though I'm told they can be had for $50)...

I also bought a boat-load of seed pods (third party, because the Aerogarden has always been crazy expensive). Given how groceries aren't going to get cheaper any time soon... or ever, given how much of our food is grown in Mexico or harvested in the US by migrant workers who are getting deported... I need to do what I can to afford to make meals I love more affordable. Cilantro, which I eat a ton of, has reached $1.70 a bunch. Parsley $2 a bunch. Basil $3 a package. Thyme $3 a package. Jalapeños are 50¢ each. Butter lettuce is $4 a head. It goes on and on.

My $120 Aerogarden investment plus cheap seed pods will end up paying for itself in under a year. Now I'm considering growing my own tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumbers, and peppers outside to save money. The problem is that I work so much I won't be able to tend to them as they need. I dunno. I should try and find a way, because holy shit is eating expensive.

   
• Nice Beaver! Yeah, baby beavers are about as cute as it gets. Around the 90-second mark you can really hear them crying and squeaking. My heart. The total video is 10-1/2 minutes long, and the babies are just in the first two minutes, but you'll want to watch it all...

Half the video was a beaver eating avocado and beaver chow. I couldn't stop watching.

   
• License to Kill... A Studio! So I don't get accused of misogyny by hammering away at another incompetent female movie exec (the first being LucasFilm's Kathleen Kennedy) I'm going to let a woman do it in this video (oh man how I love Nerd Cookies!)...

But I am going to chime in and say "Amazon Prime Video... WHAT. THE. FUCK. TOOK. YOU. SO. LONG?!?" Jennifer Salke made so many moronic and expensive mistakes that it's beyond shocking she lasted this long. Usually you have to be a straight white man to get a pass on being this bad at your job. Hopefully Amazon will get their shit together and hire somebody who knows what the fuck they're doing and take advantage of their many amazing IPs. Because MGM deserves better.

   
• M'Baku to the Future! The Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement video was fun, I guess. But the only addition that truly made me want to happy-dance was Winston Duke as M'Baku. Don't care about the X-Men, but I've wanted a Disney+ M'Baku series since we've had Disney+, and it boggles my mind we haven't gotten one yet...

No Daredevil. No Moon Knight. No Blade. No Eternals. No Marvels. No Spider-Man?!? Strange. Oh... and no Doctor Strange?!?

   
• U-S-A! U-S-A! Thank heavens anti-vaxers and RFK are intent on bringing back preventable diseases by presenting misinformation about vaccines! The companies who makes iron lungs could use the business after the polio vaccine was developed and wiped out a need for their product. To get a look at what future generations of Americans may be in for, here's an interesting (but sad) look...

I remain absolutely floored at how anti-science rhetoric and "alternate facts" are fucking up this country. And I'm mortified that kids who have no say in getting vaccinated are going to pay the price for it.

   
And, on that happy note, I'm going to go enjoy this fine (albeit a bit overcast) Spring day... by cleaning my house.