I went on about Max Ernst at the Bayou Brief so I decided to post another Ernst image here at First Draft. It’s surrealism at its finest. I don’t see a literal bird but that’s one of the things that makes it surreal. It’s weird, man.
I originally planned to put the bite on y’all for our annual fundraiser but I don’t have to. We met our goal so the tin cup rattling stops here and now. Thanks to everyone who donated. Our readers not only rock, they rule.
This week’s theme song was written by Neil Young in 1969 and was the title track of his second solo album. It’s old but still fresh; sort of like me.
We have three versions of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere for your listening pleasure: Neil’s original followed by covers from Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs, and Dar Williams.
While we’re in Nowhereville, here’s a song that you may have heard. If not, climb out from under that rock:
Now that we’ve submerged, let’s splash to the break. Do submarines splash? Beats the hell outta me. I’m claustrophobic so I’ll never be a submariner like our old pal Jude who was the Prince Namor of First Draft.
It’s good to be back on dry land. It’s too fucking hot to wear a wet suit, y’all. Before starting our second act in earnest, one more nowhere song for the road:
We begin our second act with a piece about weather and politics.
Weather With You: Donald Trump isn’t the first person to politicize weather forecasting. It happened at the dawn of the forecasting era in the United Kingdom. Cynthia Barrett has the details at Politco Magazine.
The last word of the segment goes to Crowded House:
I admire and respect Aaron Sorkin’s work despite his pompous tendencies. Was there ever a more insufferable windbag than Will McAvoy in The Newsroom?
Sorkin Speaks: Sorkin sat for an interview with Vanity Fair’s Joy Press. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of The West Wing’s premiere. He denied reports of a Newsroom reboot and dished on the origin of the walk-and-talk:
“The walking is a result of the talking. Tommy Schlamme, both with Sports Night and The West Wing, recognized that basically I write people in rooms talking, and that there needed to be some visual interest on television. So he would say to me, “Hey, this scene that’s all in Brad’s office, would it be okay if they left the office, walked down here, got a cup of coffee, dropped this report off on a desk, walk by Leo’s office, and then came back?” That’s how that started, and then I started writing the scenes that way.”
It may be Saturday but there’s always room for a feature from CBS Sunday Morning.
When Mo Met Angie: I love Mo Rocca but I love Angie Dickinson even more. She was one of my first celebrity crushes and she’s still awesome at age 87.
We’ll close our second act with a Gershwin tune dedicated to the woman who played Pepper Anderson in the Seventies teevee series Police Woman:
While we’re at it, why not add a Springsteen song?
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth: Drew Brees has taken a beating recently. First, there was the Focus On The Family mishigas. Then there was the injured thumb that will keep him off the field for six to eight weeks and hinder his hitchhiking. I thought it was time to cut him some slack with this pairing with my favorite Muppet, Gonzo.
The image comes from a 2012 Buzzfeed piece that pairs NFL quarterbacks with their Muppet dopplegangers. It’s weird, man.
In case Drew decides to hitchhike with his big thumb, John Fogerty has some advice for him:
It’s movie time. Please pass the popcorn and the big ass soda.
The Classic Movie List: This week we feature one of the greatest players of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Katharine Hepburn. Her film career went from 1932 to 1994. For such an unlikely movie star, that’s an amazing run.
My Top Ten Favorite Katharine Hepburn Movies:
- The Philadelphia Story
- The African Queen
- Adam’s Rib
- Bringing Up Baby
- Woman Of The Year
- Holiday
- The Lion In Winter
- Sylvia Scarlett
- Suddenly, Last Summer
- Love Among The Ruins
The great George Cukor directed half of the films on the list. No wonder they were top ten worthy.
Saturday GIF Horse: Speaking of West Wing walk-and-talks here’s one of the most memorable as it features the unique way Martin Sheen dons his suit jacket.
Weekly Vintage Music Video: I paid tribute to the late Ric Ocasek earlier this week, so it’s only fitting to post a Cars video. Vroom, vroom.
Let’s close things out with some Americana.
Saturday Classic: Taj Mahal’s eponymous debut album is as bluesy and rootsy as it comes.
I suspect you won’t be shocked that Taj Mahal is a stage name. His real moniker is Henry St. Claire Fredericks.
That’s it for this week. The last word goes to the Cars.
