Recent Entertainment Commentaries

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Let’s Talk About Football
Let me say at the outset that I’m not going to win friends or influence many people with this commentary. Football . . . is a beautiful game. With the unexpected death of Pittsburgh Steelers Franco Harris last month, the media refreshed all our memories of “The Immaculate Reception,” the play that not only defined Harris but remains one of...
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January 6, 2023
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No Magic in Florida
For decades, Florida’s Walt Disney World has been spreading joy and magic to billions who visit from around the world. And for decades, the Disney organization has pretty much remained politically neutral. Now, however, the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” has become yet another political battlefield. It all began when Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed HB 1557 into law. As...
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April 22, 2022
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It’s Over!
With the rate of vaccinations continuing to rise and the number of COVID-19 cases declining, Americans are jumping back into life. Yesterday, California’s governor announced that the state was open for business with a few guidelines. “Californians who are two weeks removed from their last vaccine dose will be allowed to go mask-free in nearly all settings,” The L.A. Times...
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June 16, 2021
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Ship of Fools
This remake of the classic 1965 Stanley Kramer film is filled with everything you’ve come to expect from a memorable masterpiece of scandal and treachery. Based on the incredible playbook by Donald Trump with a cast ripped from the halls of Washington. Starring Senator Josh Hawley, the ignoble mate who put out a fund-raising message telling supporters of his planned...
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May 3, 2021
Featured image for “It’s… GROUNDHOG DAY!”
It’s… GROUNDHOG DAY!
Phil Connors (morose): OK, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties cause it’s cold out there. It’s cold out there every day. Every year…EVERY year, I unplug from the world’s problems, take a few hours, and watch Bill Murray in Groundhog Day repeat himself over and over until he finally abandons his self-centered ego and enjoys living a...
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February 2, 2021
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The Pope of Hope
Many are acquainted with Dan Piraro’s day job as an artist/satirist who tries to make sense of our world through his cartoon images. However, in real life, he’s a philosopher who motivates us to… are you sitting down… actually think. What has this got to do with ethics? During times of high-stress, we all need to be responsible for our...
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July 1, 2020
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SGN*
With the United States now the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, tough times have fallen hard on millions. However, as these stories illustrate, that’s when Americans step up. Georgetown, Tennessee teen, Elizabeth Taylor, a cashier at a local grocery store, stepped up when Layne McKeel was short of cash at her check-out counter. As reported by a local NBC affiliate...
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April 17, 2020
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Stairway to the Ninth Circuit
“No amount of money is worth having to sing ‘Stairway to Heaven’ like you mean it, night after night, after night, after night….” – Robert Plant, co-author, Stairway to Heaven, on refusing to reunite with rock band Led Zeppelin for a world tour. While the lyrics (largely obscure) are magical and mystical, (especially if you’re having an enhanced reality experience),...
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March 11, 2020
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Two Uplifting Stories
Two recent stories prove two things: first that there is much more to the news than what happens in Washington; second, that sportsmanship and compassion are alive and well. In the 5000-meter race of the Track and Field World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Jonathan Busby of Aruba, near exhaustion, was helped by another competitor in the race. “…it was so...
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October 7, 2019
Featured image for “1969: The Good, the Bad, the Politics, the Music, Two Miracles and a Principled Stand”
1969: The Good, the Bad, the Politics, the Music, Two Miracles and a Principled Stand
In 1969 — fifty years ago, today — I was driving a 1965 blue Mustang while attending my second year of college as turmoil swirled in the country. While I didn’t know it at the time, the country was more divided then at any time since the Civil War. The Good: miniskirts… lots of them. The Bad: the Manson family....
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September 24, 2019