I don’t have much to report on the health front. I’m slowly but surely getting better. My doctors warned me it could take this long but I hoped my progress would be swifter. In an email to my doctor, I described the status quo in five words: No bleeding, no head whacking.

As it often does in May, summer has arrived to punch us in the face. We’re not having peak heat, but the humidity is high. What can ya do?

This week’s theme song was written by Ray Davies for The Kinks album of the same name. Sleepwalker just missed making The Kinks Dozen in 2022. I must have been asleep.

Ready for some more sleep songs? You have no choice. This first one was also written by Ray.

It’s impossible not to Sleep Warm during a New Orleans summer. Here’s some advice from Francis Albert:

We begin our second act with a link to an important series about the law.

How Originalism Ate The Law: I’ve quoted Slate legal writers Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern countless times. Slate has a six article series about originalism. The series is an excellent read for lawyers and lay people alike.

I’m not surprised that originalism has such a ravenous appetite. Sam the Sham Alito has a lean and hungry look about him like a wolf on the prowl.

Let’s confer with Exene Cervenka and John Doe:

How dare I discuss wolves without posting this Los Lobos classic:

While we’re at it, I might as well play this monster hit:

Speaking of wolves, let’s move on to a teevee adaptation of a 1998 novel by the great Tom Wolfe.

A Man In Full is about dicks, both metaphorical and real. The bull goose dick in the story is Charlie Croker played with gusto by Jeff Daniels. He’s a sleazy Atlanta real estate developer fallen on hard times.

This adaptation by David E. Kelly squeezes Tom Wolfe’s 724 pages in to six episodes. The girth of the novel is one reason it’s never been put on screen before. Wolfe was also leery of Hollywood after The Bonfire Of The Vanities fiasco. Kelly focuses on two stories and delivers a fine series.

The A-story is Croker’s attempt to avoid business failure by fair means or foul. The B-story involves a run-in Croker’s secretary’s husband had with the cops. It’s white cop versus Black suspect, which ended in a beat down for both. No spoilers from me, you have to read the book or watch the series.

The acting is superb, especially Daniels, Diane Lane, Lucy Liu, Tom Pelphrey, and Ami Ameen. I know William Jackson Harper as nerdy Chidi from The Good Place, so his performance as the devious and ruthless mayor of Atlanta is a revelation.

Here’s the trailer:

Grading Time: I give A Man In Full 3 1/2 stars and an Adrastos Grade of B+

The last word of our second act goes to Little Feat:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.

Separated At Birth Casting Edition: I’m back in the pulp fiction groove. Tomorrow, I’ll take a look at The Big Knife, which was directed by Robert Aldrich. Aldrich also directed Whatever Happened To Baby Jane and was played by Alfred Molina in Feud: Bette and Joan.

Your Weekly Oscar: I still have sleep and insomnia on my mind. The latter was Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson’s inspiration for this song.

Hit it, Oscar.

Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?

The Best Of SNL: Chris Farley was loud, obnoxious, and hilarious. It’s a shame that he died so young. At least he got a decent night’s sleep in this commercial parody narrated by Phil Hartman.

Saturday GIF Horse: See Olive Oyl sleepwalk. Sleepwalk, Olive, sleepwalk.

Where the hell is Popeye when you need him? I hope he wasn’t cruising for burgers with that pest Wimpy instead of saving Ms. Oyl:

The Junk Drawer: If you know of a stranger celebrity endorsement than this, leave a comment.

d-CON is still in business. Who knew? Kitty Perry Mason is my personal roach killer. Unfortunately, he only eats bugs, not roaches. What can ya do?

Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.

Saturday Closer: Here’s a 1977 set by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on KSAN, Jive 95 on your FM dial.

That’s it for this week. The last word goes to cast of A Man In Full: