I've made no secret of my utter loathing of the "Snyderverse" series of films based on DC Comics characters. It was a dark, bored, joyless slog. Man of Steel was a horrifically bad take on Superman, which was a bitter pill to swallow given how much I loved Henry Cavill for the role. Then we moved on to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice which somehow ended up being even worse. There was a brief reprieve with the exceptional Wonder Woman flick, but then we got Justice League which is one of my most hated movies of all time.

And that was that. Other than a cameo in the atrocious Black Adam and a kinda-cameo in the even more atrocious Shazam!, Superman was done.

Until now.

As I said yesterday, I liked the movie quite a lot. I watched it again yesterday so I could write up a running commentary while my first reactions were fresh in my head.

If you're on the fence about watching the film, here's a look at one of the best comic book fight scenes you'll see on the silver screen...

Needless to say, I'll be spoiling the movie completely...

• The opening exposition was done in a way that sets anticipation for the film, which is a pleasant surprise from how we usually get a full book of information that has you bored before the movie even begins.
• This Krypto is a bit of a troublemaker and scamp, just like the earlier comics. It's a lot more fun and interesting than the later, super-smart canine which was more like a person in a dog suit than an actual dog.
• This Fortress of Solitude is a fantastic take on the crystal structure from the 1979 Superman movie. It's so strange that The Fortress in the comic book source material is so radically different, and yet the movie version is what I always think of.
• The Superman robots! Straight out of the comic book era I love! And of course we're getting Alan Tudyk voicing Number Four.
• Bradley Cooper as Jor-El is pretty fantastic.
• In the comic books, The Engineer is a shiny metal hero. Here she's a human-looking regular person. I think this is probably a good call, because we don't have a CGI-based character walking around all the time. And yet... I can't help but feel she's a downgrade here.
• Krypto being Krypto is going to steal every scene in this movie. I can feel it. Lovable mutt.
• It's been criticized online, but I actually like the flying effect they've given Superman. The perspective makes him feel faster.
• I was highly dubious about casting Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. But dang does he own the role from his first minute on-screen. Such a vast, vast improvement over the inexplicably stupid take that Zach Snyder had with Jesse Eisenberg.
• The fact that super-villains never seem to lack the ability to get a never-ending supply of evil henchmen has always been strange in the comics. And here we are. These psychos working for Luthor are nicely comic book accurate.
• The design of The Daily Planet building is awesome.
• The true test of a good Superman actor is how they play Clark Kent. David Corenswet may be my favorite since Christopher Reeve.
• Amazing. The casting for Ma and Pa Kent is flawless. They feel like they actually could be Kansas farmers.
• In the new DCU, Lex created The Engineer? Odd choice. I'm guessing it's to play up how smart he is, so... okay.
• "Planetwatch?" So we're a stepping stone away from getting Stormwatch then?
• I rather like that James Gunn didn't waste time with your typical Lois Lane subplot where she's trying to figure out Superman's secret identity. Done to death.
• Rachel Brosnahan has a modern interpretation of Lois that completely nails the character.
• This "interview," while probably important to define the complex world in which Superman exists, is dragging on in an uninteresting way.
• That being said. This is a real showcase as to why the actors playing Clark and Lois were cast.
• It seems weird as to why Superman would announce he's an alien to the world. Don't his god-like powers make him far enough removed from humanity? Seems this could have been better handled if Lex discovered he was an alien and used it against him.
• Valerie Perrine as Miss Teschmacher in the 1978 movie was a delight. This one is coming across as grating.
• Well. This is brutal. Poor Superman Robots.
• How does The Engineer know this is his parents?
• You can tell that this is not the Real World because in this reality these meta-human battles are so normalized that people are recording them instead of running away.
• Nice callbacks to the incredible John Williams original score keep popping up, but the music itself is fresh.
• "Justice Gang"... okay. I can only guess that eventually this will morph into the Justice League. Very smart of Gunn to not use "Justice League" right away given what a shit-show the last movie was.
• I like the way that they decided to make Green Lantern's energy constructs a bit more grounded. Not wildly glowing but more like glass or something.
• Awwww. Poor kaiju. That's awful. It's like... why kill him?
• Guy Gardner is perfectly captured by Nathan Fillion. Painfully comic book accurate. Except his hair is more blonde than orange-red, and I'm not sure why.
• Oof. Jor-El and Lara are not such good people in this universe.
• Pretty stupid that people immediately turn against Superman when they were just cheering him a minute ago? For all they know, this is AI fakery.
• Stagg Industries! Metamorpho Easter egg!
• "There's no way this message in unauthentic." Well, there you have it. WTF?
• The President of Boravia is suitably creepy. And... oh boy... working with Lex Luthor to boot.
• If the Fortress is keyed to Superman's DNA, I guess that means UltraMan is a clone?
• Hoult is flawless as Lex. Flawless. He's a bad, bad man.
• Peacemaker! Sweet cross-promotion!
• James Gunn having this scene between Lois and Clark taking place in front of a window where the Justice Gang are battling a "space imp" is genius. Just keeps driving home how weird a world with actual super-heroes would be.
• Okay... Superman's concern for Krypto is darn touching.
• The CGI in this movie is pretty impressive.
• Metamorpho is... bad?!? The Engineer I could forgive, but this?!? And how does he know the molecular structure of Kryptonite? Has it landed on earth? Does Luthor have access? If he does, why does he need Metamorpho. These are some bizarre choices.
• Wow. James Gunn has gone full-on comic book with this pocket universe /slash/ outrage farm monkeys /slash/ Krypto containment idea.
• Yikes. Miss Teschmacher is not just annoying, she's bonkers.
• And I am absolutely not a fan with this whole Jimmy Olson, ladies man, take on the character. It just keeps getting worse.
• So Metamorpho isn't bad, he's being forced to be bad? Except he's still being more bad than he really has to be with torturing Superman like this.
• Hypno-glasses. Perfect.
• God. How cool is Mr. Terrific? Edi Gathegi is getting the redemption of all redemptions from the shitty way his character Darwin was treated in X-Men: First Class. Incredible how flawlessly he's been translated to the screen.
• Good Lord. Killing the falafel vendor was a dark, dark turn of events. Seems so unnecessary.
• Ummm. These prisoners have no privacy to use the toilet?!? Sadistic.
• Alrighty then. Mr. Terrific just completely stole the entire movie with this fight scene. The way he gives zero shits about all these bad guys hanging around... treating them like they're not even there... is beyond cool. And having one of them say "It's just the smart one." right before he completely wrecks everybody is brilliant. Lois's reaction to what's happening is all of us.
• Of course the music choices are on-point. It's all James Gunn.
• Yeah. When Krypto can even manage to upstage Mr. Terrific, you know you've struck gold.
• Krypto looks wonderfully fluid when flying. He should look ridiculous, but he just doesn't.
• "The controls are easy and intuitive." They'd pretty much have to be if Lois is going to have to fly it.
• Oh Krypto. Don't ever change.
• Yep. Yep. Yep. The casting of Clark's human parents is genius.
• An otherwise near-perfect film is really close to getting sabotaged by this whole Jimmy Olson situation. That's a shame.
• GAH! Krypto is so adorable right now!
• AND NOW AGAIN!
• How James Gunn is able to transition from balls-out action and weirdness to scenes so remarkably human like this one between Clark and Pa Kent is what makes him such a great fit for comic book movies. It's a rare talent.
• Yeah, the parallels between what's happening in the Real World and the fictional situation in this movie are not lost at all.
• When you have meta-human battles and comic book weirdness going on in your reality, city-wide evacuation is probably a normal happening.
• Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard is great casting. If not for Jimmy Olson, I'd almost like to see a The Daily Planet limited series. UPDATE: Annnd... I'm told that the rumor is there's a Jimmy Olson limited series in the works?!? WTF?
• Okay, the CGI fight here is not so great.
• Yeah. Few people could have pulled off this look of sheer evil the way Nicholas Hoult managed to do it. Worth the money to cast him, I'm sure.
• Ultraman is a Superman clone. I prefer this to my first assumption... which was that he'd end being Bizarro.
• The little kid clinging to his Superman flag is just oddly manipulative at this point.
• Yeah. This is peak Guy Gardner right here. Love it. How they managed to get this movie rated PG-13 between the head-shot to the falafel cart vendor and these middle-finger Green Lantern constructs is kinda a mystery to me.
• A lot of Snyder fanboys made a huge deal over Hawkgirl's unhinged screaming. I, on the other hand, think it's darn smart. Especially if this is the version of the character that's from Thanagar. Making her a frickin' alien for heaven's sake. Of course she's going to have weird, alien things about her.
• "I'm not like Superman." That's for sure. I can't help but think that if asshole world leaders were regularly dropped from the sky when they do evil shit, we'd have less evil shit going on in the world.
• Yeah. This is totally Krypto's movie, and I'm not the least bit mad about it.
• Goddamn Mr. Terrific is going to save the day.
• And... James Gunn totally has a bead on the character here.
• Krypton beating the ever-loving-shit out Luthor is in my top-five scenes in the entire film. Good boy.
• Aw, James Gunn cast his brother as Maxwell Lord. Classic.
• Welp. If Lex didn't hate Superman enough... he sure does now. And he's off to visit Amanda Waller at Belle Reve. How nice.
• WELL OKAY THEN! Since Krypto is Supergirl's dog, that means he'll be in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie. Now I'm doubly looking forward to it.
• Yep. Gunn found the perfect ending to the movie. Yes he did.
• So... if Krypto left with Supergirl, this mid-credit scene of Superman and Krypto on the moon must just be for fun. Cute.
• The post-credits scene isn't much, but it does allow us to see Mr. Terrific one last time. No complaining about that.
• Boy. That two hours just blows by. Even the second time around.

And now we wait for June 26, 2026.

Still recovering from a trip to the coast and back yesterday, but that's no excuse... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Super, Man! I loved pretty much every frame of Superman. Thank you, James Gunn for giving us a fantastic spectacle of a comic book movie that has me excited for new DC films. The one thing I don't get is how he could get everything so right with all the characters and the story... but saddle us with one of the most insanely weird takes on Jimmy Olson I've ever seen. I guess no movie is perfect... but damn. So close. And is it wrong that the reason I'm most looking forward to the Supergirl film is to see more Krypto?

And, oh yeah, I will be *very* upset if we don't get a Mr. Terrific series on HBO or HBO Max or whatever. NOT "The Terrifics"... I'm so done with "Team Arrow" and "Team Flash" and "Team Supergirl" and "Team Whatever" series... just Mr. Terrific. Maybe with an occasional guest star. But anyway... I'll put up a post with my full comments when I've had a chance to watch it again.

   
• Have it Our Way! Remember when Burger King actually let you "have it your way" instead of just saying you can "have it your way" but not really? BECAUSE MY WAY IS WITH EXTRA MAYO... AND YOUR NEW APP DOESN'T ALLOW THAT. You either get "regular" or nothing...

And notice how you can't see the ingredient you're altering. I can only guess that some bean-counting dumbass at corporate thinks that not allowing somebody to put an extra 2¢ worth of mayo on their fucking $8.19 Impossible Whopper is a good financial move. Well, it's making me not want to eat at your restaurant any more, so congratulations. I wonder if this dipshit is the same one in charge at Chipotle who thought raising prices and lowering portions at the same time would make their customers happy? What's so fucking stupid here is that I just asked for two packets of free mayo so I could add it to my burger myself, which most certainly costs more than just adding it from the giant mayo bucket. And speaking of this new app... did anybody at BK beta test it? I am assuming this third option is Coke Zero because the one before it is Diet Coke and there's 0 calories in it... but who the fuck knows?

There's absolutely no way to confirm it. And so I had to order for pick-up instead of drive-thru because I knew they'd hand me a cup and I could fill it with the correct Coke myself. Good Lord. Pathetic. This is the whole Sonos app disaster all over. Do these fucking companies ever learn?

   
• Via Variety: PETA Urges Nintendo to Remove ‘Mario Kart World’ Cow’s Nose Ring: ‘It’s-a Mean!’ To think there was a time I actually supported the dumbasses at PETA. What a fucking joke.With each new idiotic act, they make me want to go out and buy a steak...

And since I'm a vegetarian, that tells you about all you need to know.

   
• Pop Quiz, Hotshot! Take a guess...

And now I want Taco Bell. Which is about the only fast food restaurant left to me after this stupid Burger King fiasco.

   
• Via People: Plus Size Park Hoppers' Say Brutal Backlash Over Their Experiences at Disney Theme Parks Won't Stop Them. What is it with people? Just leave them alone. One of the more difficult things I witnessed at a Disney Parks was a couple who stood in line for over an hour to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Car Ride. But when they got to the front of the line, the woman couldn't fit in the car. She asked if they could ride-swap so she could ride in a row by herself then her boyfriend could ride the next time, but they wouldn't let her because of the way the seats are built. — First of all, you'd think that Disney would have one row in just one car that is built for a larger person. And second of all, if the woman could have only visited a website which would have told her if she could fit, then she wouldn't have wasted an hour of her life for nothing and have to leave embarrassed and upset. — You'd think that assholes who make fun of these ladies or insult them would instead support them sharing this information, because you just know that they're in line complaining because they have to wait for larger people who are trying to see if they fit into the ride car.

   
• More Lies! As if we needed yet another video to point out how full of crap Ben Shapiro is. But here you go...

What a lying little shit stain. I have to wonder if he has ever been anything except disingenuous with his audience. This take-down is beautifully done. Elegantly pointing out that all Shapiro does... all he ever does... is lie.

   
• Via PBS: South Carolina lawmaker in jail on child sex abuse material charges resigns from office. Damn. These drag quee— WHAT? Yet ANOTHER anti-LGBTQ Republican asshole caught assaulting children? You know what... I'm beginning to think that drag queens aren't quite the threat that anti-LGBTQ Republicans say they are! They're just a convenient scapegoat!

   
And there you have it. I'm all out of bullets this fine Sunday.

Cannot get my hands to stop smelling like the onions I just cut, but I'll try my best not to throw up on my keyboard... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Plague Doctor! I was researching the bubonic plague (don't ask). Eventually I got to Alexandre Émile John Yersin, the Swiss-French doctor who co-discoverer of the cause of the plague and figured out it was being spread by rats. He's a pretty amazing guy with some amazing accomplishments. But here's the thing... he's also a total snack. JUST LOOK AT THIS PHOTO!

He was apparently celibate, dedicating his entire life to making other people's lives better. Which he probably did by melting ovaries as he walked down the street. — And here's where it gets interesting... I remember the "American Market" in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which is also called "Yersin Market" because it's on Yersin Street, named after our boy here because he ended up moving to Vietnam for the remainder of his life of research (where he founded the Medical School of Hanoi, and was a pioneer in cultivating rubber trees!). When it comes to heroes of history, this guy is definitely on that list.

   
• Neverending! Nothing quite finding a cover of a song that you prefer over the original. This is pretty cool...

Not that the original Limahl track was bad by any means...

I just like the new synth arrangement of the material better.

   
• Addams! The first half of the second season of Wednesday is fun. And there's a couple cameos that are so flawlessly cast that I almost didn't believe it. Yeah, yeah, I know there are people who are big mad that it isn't faithful to the source material, but it can be its own thing and still be entertaining...

Though, to be honest, I still prefer the two films starring Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci over any adaptation of the original The Addams Family comic.

   
• It's Doug! All the Jeopardy and Black Jeopardy sketches on SNL are hilarious, but I find myself watching this one at least every-other month...

The fact that Tom Hanks was willing to make fun of himself this badly makes it even more funny than it already was. And, of course, Mr. Hanks is no stranger to Jeopardy sketches... he has a hilarious role on Black Jeopardy...

Though Eddie Murphy's impersonation of Tracy Morgan in front of Tracy Morgan remains one of the funniest things I've ever seen...

You know it's funny when you can break Tracy Morgan while playing Tracy Morgan.

   
• Unhappy! Watched Happy Gilmore 2 last night. Good Lord. Was looking forward to something charming, nostalgic, and funny to distract me from the day... instead Netflix approved a two hour mess that's more depressing than funny. Adam Sandler is an alcoholic ass-hat who accidentally killed his wife at the very beginning of the movie? Hilarious...

You know you're in deep, deep trouble when you're looking forward to seeing Shooter McGavin more than the main character. Hell, you're happy to see anybody except Happy on the screen (Bad Bunny continues to surprise me with just how good he is... just like in Bullet Train, his character is a highlight). Fortunately, there's some genuinely funny moments and a lot of great cameos which allowed me to get through the film on nostalgia alone. But... come on... in a day and age when life is depressing enough, can we not do this? Killed his wife in the first two minutes? Really? This is where we're at?

   
• Just Fuck Off Already! Precious few people are a bigger piece of shit than Bill Maher. I have never understood his popularity. He has bad take after bad take based on misleading statements and outright lies, and has shown himself to be a dick of the highest order every chance he gets. I ignored him forever... until he was taken to school by Ben Affleck, of all people, over his shitty fucking Islamophobia. From then on I actively loathed him. Which is why Big Joel's latest video really hit for me. Well worth a watch...

Lord. If you want to be dishonest with your audience so you can be a self-righteous douche, nobody's stopping you. But if you actually think that's makes you a better person, who the fuck are you?

   
• Slop! I reported a Facebook page that is nothing more than fake AI-generated bullshit about Dolly Parton dying...

Anybody willing to lay odds on Facebook hitting back with "We didn't delete this page"... because Facebook is ALSO run by fake AI-generated bullshit? In all seriousness, fuck these AI scammer pieces of shit. Dolly Parton deserves far better than this stupid crap.

   
• NEWSFLASH: Tim Cook appeals to Trump’s love of gold with a 24-karat base for Apple plaque. So what's next? Tim Cook just flies the Apple jet to DC and blows Trump on the White House front lawn at a press event? I don't know what's more embarrassing... the fact we have a president who requires you suck up to him personally so you can keep your company in business, or the fact that CEOs are lining up to do it.

   
And now I'm back to smelling like onions.

Last night I was trying to figure out the last time I saw a movie in a theater. I ended up thinking that it was probably the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie back in 2023. It was my first time seeing a movie after the pandemic started, and I haven't wanted to go back since.

Which is not surprising given how much I loathe the theater "experience." People are rude assholes, and paying big money to be trapped in a building with a bunch of them is not my idea of fun. At least not any more. Back in the 80's and 90's I went to the theater all the time. After that, it had to be a really good film to drag me to the cinema. Eventually I was mostly only going for the latest Marvel movies, and that was the end of it.

Except for Taylor Swift, of course.

And I'd probably grant an exception for this "COSM Shared Reality" experience if it ever came to town...

Right now there's two films in release that seem almost inconcievable that I'm skipping... Superman and Fantastic Four. Both of them look to encapsulate everything I love about movies. But, much as I'd love to see them ASAP, I'm content to wait it out because the idea of having to go to the theater fills me with a dread and loathing that's insurmountable.

And that got me to thinking what would be a film that could get me to leave the house to see?

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues? Or Project Hail Mary? Or Avengers: Doomsday? Or Avatar: Fire and Ash? Maybe. But... probably not.

One movie that most definitely won't be enticing me to the theater is Now You See Me: Now You Don't which looks even more stupid than the previous two installments (something I didn't think was possible). There's no magic here. It's just shitty special effects with even shittier dialogue...

It's like they're not trying to provide even the illusion of magic.

Remember the amazing series Deception which was a magic-based caper show that actually gave a shit about making the tricks look possible?

Dang was I sad they canceled that show.

Instead we get millions of dollars poured into piles of shit like another Now You See Me flick.

Oddly enough, if they ever made a Deception movie to tie up the cliffhangers they left us with, I actually would go to the theater.

Speaking of comfort films... last night I watched the Oh, God! trilogy.

Now, the original was a remarkable movie to behold. Mostly because of the casting. George Burns was flawless as God. An easy choice. But how did they think about John Denver for the lead? He was perfect for the part, but where did he come from? I would have thought of dozens of names before I ever got to him. Maybe even hundreds.

It was such a clever movie for the day, especially in particular scenes which were written so beautifully. I wish there was a higher quality clip of God answering the questions of the "religious council" that was given to the guy who was claiming he was speaking with God (to prove he was actually speaking with God), because this is as good as it gets...

Oh, God! Book II was a big step down from the first one, but it still tackled some profound questions we might have for God and was a fun watch...

The franchise's third (and final) film made a move so obvious that it seemed almost inevitable... because in Oh, God! You Devil they had George Burns playing both The Almighty and The Devil. I remember an interview with George for the film had him talking about what a stretch it was for him to play The Devil. He said something like "Yeah, I smoke cigars and chase women!" which I still find incredibly funny. The movie itself rebounded a bit from the second one, mostly because of George Burns playing every scene to perfection...

And do you want to know what put these movies on my radar? It was an old Burns and Allen skit that popped up on YouTube...

Say goodnight, Gracie.

I've been rewatching Silicon Valley.

I always seem to find myself rewatching "comfort shows" when times are stressful, and times have been pretty stressful as of late. I've also been doing the ultimate stress-reliever that actually makes stress worse: Buying things I can't afford. Like picture frames to hang up all the souvenir stuff that's been sitting in boxes in my garage.

But anyway, back to Silicon Valley...

I finally made it to the episode with the guys debating over whether to let Blaine die over a miscalculation (or not!) by weighing the pros and cons...

Writing this clever would die on the page if you didn't have a cast capable of pulling it off. Between Martin Starr and Kumail Ali Nanjiani, it's already an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent. But then you add in Dustin Milligan's hilariously subtle douchebaggery playing Blaine... and... well... now you know why I'm rewatching Silicon Valley. Again.

Now here's where things get interesting.

There's an article on Medium by Rhett Allain called The Physics of Blaine’s Car Stunt from HBO’s Silicon Valley written in 2023 (the original show aired in 2015). Now, it's behind a paywall, which is fine because I'm not a big physics lover who can appreciate it if I read it anyway... but I find it fascinating that the article exists in the first place.

Because I always find it interesting when there's math and science commentary on fictional television series which are actually trying to get the math and science right. Futurama is legendary for this. And that's a cartoon! I can't tell you how many articles I've read about the science on The Expanse. And what about the movie Primer with its mind-bending time travel antics? Or, good heavens, what about Christopher Nolan's movies like Interstellar, Tenet, and Inception?

It's a huge achievement to make entertaining fictional TV series and films while also attempting to add an entirely new level of math, physics, or science accuracy to it. Because odds are that only a handful of people will ever be able to appreciate it.

But even when I don't, it makes me happy to know it's there.

For the life of me I cannot figure out why The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare flopped so badly at the box office... not even earning back half of its $60 million budget.

It is a fantastic film. I'm watching it now for at least the sixth time. It's hilariously funny. It's incredibly smart. It's based on a true story. And it's got Nazis being mercilessly taken out in droves. What more could you want? This opening scene will forever be one of my favorites in cinematic history...

And it just keeps getting better from there.

There's a reason this was my fourth favorite film of 2024.

Though, in retrospect, it probably should have been No. 1 given how often I find myself watching it.

I'm way too tired to blog, but here I am again... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Memories Do Pass. It seems so strange that two more musicians from my youth have passed... namely Ozzy Osbourne and Chuck Mangione...

As if that weren't enough, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, most known for playing Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show also died in a tragic drowning accident. I prepared for getting to the point where all the people from my memories were going to start dying, but I wasn't prepared for how quickly they're passing. Every month a couple more seem to leave us, and I can't help but wonder how many more will go before I do.

   
• McMissing McPies! I don't give a shit how "unhealthy" McDonald's fried pies were... I want them back. Who eats at McDonald's to be healthy?

Of course McDonald's is so fucking expensive now that I can't really afford to eat there any more, so it's not like it matters. Though I might be willing to take out a second mortgage if it meant I could have a fried McPie again.

   
• Perfect 'Maters! When I had to transfer my tomato plants outside, I was certain that they would be pecked at by birds and spoiled by bugs. But no....

Am I just phenomenally lucky? Because the biggest problem I have is to wash off the water spots. They tomatoes themselves are beautiful.

   
• Ares! The original Tron is one of my favorite films of all time. The sequel was okay but hardly in the same league. About all I could say was that the special effects were darn good. And now another sequel has landed and... well... the special effects look darn good...

It looks far removed from the initial concept, though the idea of computer constructs from the digital world being able to make their way into our world was where the sequel ended up, so here we are. If nothing else, I hope it's at least entertaining.

   
• Mickey Kicked the Bucket? ZOMFG! WHEN DID MICKEY MOUSE DIE?!??

When I was at the Walt Disney World Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party last year, I saw that there are people lining up to buy dozens of the special event popcorn buckets and sipper cups. That's some big business on eBay, apparently.

   
• Leaving Las Vegas! Pre-pandemic, I had several work trips to Las Vegas for the charity I volunteered with. But over the years there were fewer, because we were finding the number of conventions wanting to hold events in Vegas were fewer. This video offers some interesting insight into the many problems which make Sin City a less-desirable vacation destination...

#1 on my list? Fucking "resort fees." I personally avoid Vegas for this one reason. I hate being lied to about the rate I'm paying. Hotels country-wide should be forced to list the TOTAL PRICE YOU WILL BE CHARGED at the time you book your lodging. And those absurd fucking "Restaurant Fees" and "CNF Fees" are #2 on my list.

   
• Republican Speaker of the House Just Loooooooves Pedophiles! Well this should shock absolutely nobody... "Speaker Mike Johnson said he would send lawmakers home early for their summer recess in order to head off Democratic demands for votes on calling for the release of files from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein." Gotta protect pedophiles at all costs, I guess. There must be some huge donors and very important politicians on that list. Why else would you protect pedophiles?

And now we just wait for Ghislaine Maxwell to give an interview with the FBI where she says that no Republicans were on the list, names a few token Democrats, then gets mysteriously pardoned by the President of the United States for finally "telling the truth to the American people." Because keep in mind that only the President can pardon her crimes of supplying underage girls to Epstein Island.

   
And on that depressing note, off I go to try and get some sleep before facing the horrors on a new news day.

Picture it...

There I am, finishing up an email and pulling up my blog to write today's entry. I start blathering on about Apple's new iOS beta update that dropped today, when my YouTube video ends on the television and something very cool appears in my "up next" suggestions.

It's the only news that matters today...

Not saying that I'm going to head to the theater to see it... but I will be anxiously awaiting the home video release!

It's 911. The world may be ending, but I'm not sending this blog with it just yet... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• IN THE NEWS: Historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire. This is awful. I've never stayed at the Grand Canyon Lodge because it was way out of my price range, but I've eaten dinner there with my mom and it's a wonderful place. Or was...

Image from a news story taken from somewhere on Twitter

The world being both figuratively and literally on fire is really starting to wear on people. Starting with me.

   
• IN THE NEWS: 1 person dies of the plague in northern Arizona. And guess what? The current administration is GUTTING our research and defense against shit like this. All so he can give billionaires more tax cuts while the country goes trillions more into debt. The rest of us just get to die of the plague, I guess.

   
• IN THE NEWS: Mexican volunteers rushed in to help after floods in Texas. Some want to continue recovery efforts. "Oscar Morales is part of the volunteer-led recovery team International Tlatelolco Azteca Rescue Brigade, which was created after the 1985 earthquake that left thousands dead in Mexico City. The group is better known as 'Los Topos,' which translates to 'the moles,' because members search for victims after natural disasters. But the part of the above story which is adding a new level of horrible to an already horrific situation? On social media, Gov. Greg Abbott has thanked almost a dozen states for sending help after the catastrophic floods, but he hasn't publicly mentioned the help of Mexican volunteers. Because of course not. And yet Mexico showed up anyway, even though they knew this would happen. And despite the fact that there could have been seriously harmful consequences for showing up to help a neighbor... like getting deported to a prison in El Salvador. I was holding my breath when I heard they came, just waiting for some stupid racist shit to go down, because that seems to be what this country is all about now.

   
• IN THE NEWS: From Mackintosh Braun on Instagram. "Our independent album The Sound was removed from all streaming and stores by TuneCore because Warner Sync UK Warner Music has claimed they own a song on the album. We made this record broke, sharing a studio apartment back in 2006. This is why the music industry is broken. They’ve effectively removed our music from existence for no reason… if you can write someone do it, no idea how to fix this." This is horrible, but so typical of the abuse which huge companies can unleash whenever they want, and rarely face consequences... even nearly 20 years later. This is an incredible debut album from MB (Macintosh Braun), one of my all-time favorite bands. I've been hoping for a new album for a decade now, but have taken consolation that their old albums are still out there to be enjoyed. Except when they're not.

   
• End of an Era! The Rivers of America has been removed from Walt Disney World's maps. That's where the new Cars attractions are going to go...

The Rivers of America in Disneyland is still there, so that's nice.

   
• PC Mini! If you're looking to kill some time and are mesmerized by electronics videos like I am, here's your next watch...

It's remarkable how much of the work is done by hand. I would have sworn that these would be 90% automated by machine. Also remarkable? How everything is being made to look like a Mac mini now, right down to the packaging.

   
• Hello Depression! Am I the only one who can no longer watch movies about the total fantasy of what this country could be without being filled with abject despair over how it is?

I just wanted a feel-good movie to play while I had a sandwich, so I put on Dave, which I normally love. Now it just makes me depressed.

   
And now we can continue with the ongoing nightmare of our existence.