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.
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.
I've been sick all weekend with a stomach bug, but have no fear about going bullet-free this Sunday... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Claws Out! I have a treasure trove of old memorabilia that I've been collecting over the decades. The most prized stuff I have is all the junk I saved from when I was ten years old during my first visit to Disneyland. And there's a lot of other Disney stuff collecting dust too. Prints and brochures and tickets... the list is endless. And then there's the travel stuff. And the comic book stuff. Boxes and boxes of it. And do you know why it hasn't been taken out and framed for display. Partly it's the cost. But mostly it's my scathing hatred of hanging stuff on the wall. It's way too difficult to even things up and get them to end up where you want. Enter CLAW drywall hangers by 3M...
And it really is that simple. The included positioning stickers make getting things where you want them pretty easy. Though I put the hook in the hanger, then put the positioning sticker under the hanger. That way when I position the frame on the wall and the sticker it set, I just put the hook above it... no pencil marks needed. And, yeah, I'm still not a fan of actually doing the hanging (nor the framing cost), but at least now I'm actually willing to do it.
• Heated! Preach, Elmo...
We're at the point where just taking out the garbage is a horrible ordeal where I live.
• Death After Life! It's no secret that Death: The High Cost of Living is one of my all-time favorite graphic novels. From the minute I saw Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death in the first season of The Sandman, I was dying to see an adaptation of the story. Well... be careful what you wish for... because this adaptation was a complete waste. They took pieces of the story, but missed the entire point of what it was saying. I know that time was limited to an hour and they couldn't put in everything it, but surely they could have been more selective than this?
A few better choices here and there would have made a world of difference. Netflix failed utterly after the absolute perfection of everything that preceded it.
• De Niro's Still Waiting! Bananarama, one of the most celebrated "girl groups" on record, has continued to put out great music for decades after their big hits dropped. What I didn't know is that Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward rejoined with original bandmate Siobhan Fahey for a series of tours in 2017-2018. But I found out when this gem appeared in my YouTube feed...
And it turns out, yes, Robert De Niro knew of the song and took the band out for a drink when he met them after its release...
And, yes, Dallin and Woodward are still out there performing to crowds who still know every word to their songs...
If you're a fan, their YouTube Channel is worth a look. They take a look back at their old fashion, revisit old songs, and have their new music available for a listen.
• Morphin Time? Please, Lord. Please let this photo get back to the woman who was cosplaying Pink Ranger who didn't know she was standing next to the Pink Ranger...
I love stuff like this.
• Mourning in Cincinnati. And, lastly, I was just. talking about how all the people from my childhood are passing, and today got a gut punch when I learned Loni Anderson died. Her playing receptionist Jennifer on WKRP in Cincinnati was such a defining television memory for me...
But the thing that most impressed me when it came to her acting, was playing the title role in The Jayne Mansfield Story (opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger!), which is available in full on YouTube (for now)...
Rest in Peace.
And now it's time for more Pepto Bismol and a nap.
Running across an unexpectedly good television show is about as it gets now-a-days in this toxic shithole we call life.
As a huge David Mitchell fan, I was curious when I saw an ad for the series Ludwig on "BritBox."
He plays a recluse renowned puzzle-maker who happens to be a twin brother to a police detective who's gone missing under strange circumstances...It's already been renewed for a second season. I can't wait. And if you enjoy good television, you can't wait either.
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.
I'm entirely too tired to blog because I'm working on four hours sleep, but that's no excuse for missing new bullets... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• Emmy! It is un-fucking-believable to me that Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, and Genevieve O'Reilly didn't get nominated for their roles in Andor. It's likewise unbelievable that Denise Gough and Kyle Soller didn't get nominated. The only actor getting a nod is Forest Whitaker (who absolutely deserved it)? I don't even know what the fuck to say here. At least Andor managed to get some writing love, directing love, and a drama series nom, which ain't nothing. But it's also not enough. — In other news, I really hope that Uzo Aduba wins for The Residence. No shade to the other talented actors, but she was next level. And it would be a nice cherry on top of the Netflix cancelation sundae.
• The Puppy List! I find it incredibly difficult to argue with this list...
@weratedogs Top 10 Cartoon Dogs! #weratedogs ♬ original sound - weratedogs
Except to say... my order would be different and I'd probably drop Scooby Doo and Courage in favor of Pluto, Zero (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Sam (Sam & Max: Freelance Police), Ren (Ren & Stimpy), Jake (Adventure Time), Seymour (Futurama), and Brain (Inspector Gadget)...
• Spite House! To explain how crazy the Seattle housing market is... this tiny house (in two stories!) just sold for $745,000. The first part of the video repeats, but it's worth watching to the end, because this is a truly remarkable house!
Perfectly livable. And very cool.
• imperson-AI-tion! People getting impersonated by shitty AI slop is not surprising. What's surprising is that people are falling for it. Now. But all too soon AI will likely be impossible to spot... even for a discerning eye...
@adamtots El Tortuga you will answer for your crimes
♬ original sound - Adam Ellis
One can only hope that AI detection tools get better at a faster rate.
• That Took a Turn! When it comes to up-and-coming comedy talent, there's quite a lot making the rounds in social media. One of my favorites at the moment is the crowd-work by Will Burkart...
How he was quick enough to roll with those punches is a mystery!
• Maladapted! Lord how I loathe Apple TV's Foundation... as an adaptation. As a TV show it's fine. I just wish they would have left Asimov's book out of it and done their own thing, since they're doing that anyway.
In the books, The Mule is an amazing plot device because Hari Seldon is dead. All that's left of him are recordings. So when The Mule comes along to throw a wrench in absolutely everything, both the First and Second Foundations were in a total panic. The Universe is falling and there seems that there's nothing they can do. They have to come up with a plan that will get the universe back on track.
But in the show Hari Seldon is kept alive. He's actively working on a way to stop The Mule. This completely defeats the entire premise of the book because the Foundations have lost their agency. But the book is ruined anyway, because they keep dragging the same fucking characters back again and again over hundreds of years... either through suspended animation or cloning. This sabotages the entire concept of a story which must pass through the generations to be told. What makes the story in the books unique is that they don't focus on a single set of characters. Humanity lives and dies and history marches on so that new characters can find their own way to deal with the crises at hand.
It drives me crazy what a missed opportunity this show was. They could have followed the book and had a series of guest stars come each season to play a character... then die. That would have been so cool. But, alas...
• Cancelation! This video is over an hour long. It's frickin' amazing. The more it went on, the more you see exactly how these disingenuous assholes manipulate a narrative to force their awful values on society... and kids. They're "Christians" and yet they outright lie because of a faux persecution complex to get people on their side....
Keep in mind that this is the same asshole who used the modern banana as definitive proof of God because it had angles to conform to the human hand, had an easy-open tab, and was curved towards the mouth. Except bananas have been cultivated by man and wild "bananas" have zero resemblance to his "proof." Not to mention the fact that the human hand conforms to four sides, not the five on a banana... bananas are actually easier to open from the bottom... and the magical curve disappears after two or three bites. It takes all of two minutes of rational thought to debunk this nonsense, but they don't give a shit because they have a series of videotapes to sell. This time it's children's books, but the idea is the exact same.
And now it's time for me to say an early good night.
I may be laying here dying of a sunburn, but never you fear about this blog... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...
• The Life List! If you too are laying on the couch trying not to move so your sunburn won't give you grief and you're looking for a rom-com to watch, here you go...
Ever since I lost Hallmark Channel, my consumption of rom-coms has been dangerously low. Fortunately they are in endless supply.
• Melancholy! There's a new Google commercial showing how you can use your phone's camera to get help via a photo AI search. The song they have in the background is very clearly On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz. Then, at the very end, the tune takes enough of a turn that you know it's not...
It's a bummer, because every time it comes on, I'm thinking that Google licensed the track from Damon Albarn, who has crafted some of my favorite music of all time (lead by Silent Running which remains one of the most achingly beautiful songs I've heard (link in comments).
• Correlation? And yet you see it on social media practically every day. Multiple times a day...
Which is bad enough, except you see it in the news as well. Politicians just love this shit.
• Cancelation Rage! One of my favorite shows of 2025 has been The Residence on Netflix. The character of Cordelia Cupp is amazing, the story they came up with for her is fantastic, and the mystery in the show is pretty great. Which is why I was hoping so badly we'd get a sequel. But of course Netflix canceled the show...
It's beyond frustrating that good shows get canceled before their time. And I guess I'll just add this to the pile of shows I'm mad about losing.
• Immortal Cat Tales! Matt Damon has more than a few stories which make me like him as a person. And here's one more...
Cats are such mythical creatures. Maybe that's what I like about them.
• NEWSFLASH: ‘Sinners’ on Max Will Include a Black American Sign Language Version. The fact that there is a laugh-react to this enrages me to the point of meltdown. Adding accessibility for a group of people DOES NOT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM YOU. The Black Deaf Community has developed a language to better communicate their shared-experience. Everybody should be thrilled to know that HBO Max is putting in the work and money necessary to make sure that this masterpiece film has the best experience possible for everybody. But no. The fact that BASL is an option is somehow hilarious. Get fucked. Go back to your bigot bubble where absolutely everything is just designed exclusively for you and leave those who advocate for their inclusion alone.
• Make it Sparkle! LET'S GO TO THE MALL EVERYBODY!
I've been rewatching How I Met Your Mother, but the number of times I've watched this episode go way beyond the number of times I've watched the series.
And now back to nursing my sunburn.
The other day I happened upon a series that I thought had long since been canceled: Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction. It's a show where Jonathan Frakes introduces these outlandish stories, then you have to decide whether they are true or not. Then they tell you what stories were true. I actually remember James Brolin being the host before Frakes did it.
Apparently it was canceled back in 2002, then revived in 2021 because it's popular in Germany. And it's still going, or was as of last year.
But anyway...
When I Googled to see how it was still being made, I came across this...
It's weird how things have a completely different vibe when taken out of context like this.
Which is true about a lot of things in life, I suppose.
After my horrific disappointment with The Old Guard 2 on Netflix last night, I was more than a little nervous to tune into the second season of The Sandman today.
Turns out there was no reason to worry. It's every bit as amazing as the first season, and they've done a phenomenal job of adapting this phenomenal story...
The problem remains, of course, the piece of shit responsible for this phenomenal story. Neil Gaiman may be a creative genius, but he's also an asshole with decades of sexual assault in his history.
Which is to say that after every episode, I feel like screaming. Cursing its creator for inventing something so wonderful then turning out to be a sack of shit who makes it impossible for me to view his work the same way that I used to.
On July 24th there's five more episodes to complete this adaptation of The Sandman.
On July 31st there's a single episode adapting Death: The High Cost of Living, one of my most favorite comic book series of all time and something I've been dying to see. Especially once we got to see Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death in The Sandman.
After that we have Colleen Doran's lovely adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet's Good Omens that I pre-ordered ages ago.
And after that we have the Good Omens Netflix wrap-up movie (in lieu of a third season that got canceled after Gaiman's misconduct surfaced).
And after that?
I can finally put Gaiman and his bullshit behind me and try to be glad that I got to enjoy his work for as long as I did.
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