Saturday, February 9, 2019

Randy Newman channeling Albert Brooks

Newman's performance of "My Life Is Good," from his 1983 album, Trouble in Paradise, reminds me of Brooks at his most comically excited and/or desperate in his movies as (co)writer-director-star, especially 1985's Lost in America. It wouldn't surprise me if they're old friends, but I have no idea. (Messrs. Newman and Brooks, if you're reading this, please confirm or deny the existence and/or length of your friendship by leaving a comment.)

Monday, February 4, 2019

We like the way you move, pop stars, not the way you discuss social justice.

The traditional pre-Super Bowl press conference for musicians performing at the halftime show was canceled last Tuesday by the NFL, which stated that "the artists will let their show do the talking."

During last night's halftime show Maroon 5 played three songs from their first album, which became a hit in 2003, while Big Boi sang "The Way You Move," also a hit that year.

And oh, what a year it was!

L.A. Rams quarterback Jared Goff turned nine years old, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was on his way to winning his second Super Bowl, and no one outside of central California knew who future ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was, thereby allowing our nation's conscience to be clean—until we discovered that our nation's government had lied to us about its reasons for invading Iraq that year.

But all is forgiven, because bringing a foreign country to its knees is still less offensive to many Americans than taking a knee to protest police officers who bring black men to their knees with physical force or even bullets.