We got a Time Traveler, a new Matrix that like Batman is Unburied, plus 2 movies from the mid-80s and the return of Kids In The Hall. If you feel Old reading this week’s #SetTheVCR that’s covered as well.
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The First Yo of The Day.
“Down here, it’s just winners and losers and “Don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line”
Well, I’m tired of coming out on the losing end.” ~ Bruce Springsteen // Atlantic City
Plusaversary //Disney+ Day
As for today’s cover image: Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings drops on Disney+ on November 12 as well as Plusaversary an original short from The Simpsons. “Springfield hosts a Disney+ Day party, and guests from across the service are invited, except Homer.”
(And as a bonus Canadians on their Disney+ get Hulu’s Dopesick. So that’s dope…)
All of this is the exact same day as Netflix’s Red Notice. Huge day in the streamer wars. #SetTheVCR for all this.
Dave Chappelle’s Jay-Z Speech
Read the full text of Dave Chappelle’s speech at the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to induct Jay-Z.
The 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast on HBO on November 20 at 8pm. #SetTheVCR (for true! There’s an LL Cool J performance where’s joined by Eminem. mmm.)
Curry In A Hurry
The Goal Is Soul.
Just because Steph Curry pulls up from 30 feet doesn’t mean it should become fashionable. Or even acceptable.
Talent is not and has never been evenly distributed.
He’s good; that doesn’t mean you are or you can be. Know your limits and play within it.
Leading Scorers By Distance, Last 25 Years pic.twitter.com/dogDoNw1xe
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) August 31, 2021
Who You Gonna Call?
Confirmed! I am 100% Out: Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The reason this one is called Afterlife is because the last Ghostbusters movie (Chickbusters) was so wretched it rightfully got killed.
This is not an improvement; this is like the latest Terminator movie (also inferior). So Nope. I’m ghosting Ghostbusters.
Want #GhostbustersAfterlife tickets?
This exclusive clip will fire it up: https://t.co/RyotKe5WcH pic.twitter.com/rMEi3giv26— Fandango (@Fandango) November 1, 2021
New Day; New Stephen King Adaptation
The Boogeyman from King’s 1978 collection Night Shift is gonna become a Hulu movie.
This’ll be the third adaptation for this short story…last one was in 2010.
We’re lived long enough to see an era of Stephen King movie remakes now.
#SetTheVCR: The NBA 75th Anniversary Season
The #NBA75 celebrates the Toronto Huskies (awful name!). The first game in NBA history between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks was played 75 years ago: November 1, 1946. Woah, yo.
Marty Glickman Marv Albert before Marv Albert was immortalized by Jack Kerouac in On the Road:
“Man, have you dug that mad Marty Glickman announcing basketball games — up-to-midcourt-bounce-fake-set-shot, swish, two points,” Kerouac wrote. “Absolutely the greatest announcer I ever heard.”
Today (November 1) marks the 75th anniversary of the first game in league history, in 1946! The schedule called for the Toronto Huskies to host the New York Knicks to open the season at Maple Leaf Gardens. ??#NBA75 pic.twitter.com/V8aeeDWjAx
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) November 1, 2021
#TrailerAlert: The Doors – Live At The Bowl ’68
I honestly truly believe with the firm robust certainty of the Pope’s faith that Jim Morrison successfully faked his own death. Many will enter and few will succeed.
Also? The Doors Live At The Bowl has been fully restored. And “The Doors” opens in Toronto this week!
#SetTheVCR…PSA: One of Us Is Lying
For Canadians another Peacock Original: One of Us Is Lying airs tomorrow night on the W Network (about a month after it debuted in the US on October 7, 2021). Which is taking a break from their usual Hunk Month programming?
Based on a popular YA novel this show is a murderous Breakfast Club: 5 high school students enter detention; only 4 of em walk out.
One of Us Is Lying | November 3 |W Network 9 p.m.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
The First Yo of The Day.
All the monsters have been slayed. It’s Monday and it’s a Halloween hangover.
Go forth and score that discount candy. Best way to make a Monday taste sweet.
Derrick Henry Injury
As for today’s cover image: I’m not an NFL guy though I’ve been paying more attention the last few seasons.
Derrick Henry is a bulldozer and fantastic to watch. Does adding more games to the NFL season impact injury reports?
A team’s record still matters (because winning will always matter) but is it possible for some players to return in time now that the season is longer?
When The Garden Is Eden Part 2: This Time It’s Personal
It’s not just the return of the Knicks: the NYC story is truly the return of the glorious Garden.
I’ve been to NBA games in Toronto, Cleveland, Memphis, LA etc. and Madison Square Garden is one of the most sacred locations with one of the brightest fanbases.
It’s a joy to go to an MSG game. So yeah: Bing Bong!
Hello My Name Is Morbius
My So-Called Life according to Jared Leto in this Morbius featurette.
You can drop as many trailers as you want I’m 100% Out. There’s just no way this’ll be good. I mean vampires are known to suck…
Who is #MORBIUS?
Meet the brilliant Dr. Michael Morbius (@JaredLeto) and his powerful alter-ego, from the 50th anniversary of his Marvel comic debut to his first ever big screen appearance.
A NEW TRAILER IS COMING TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/pNuXPTTc0d
— Fandango (@Fandango) November 1, 2021
Mi Batcave es Su Batcave
Long live the giant penny and the T-Rex in the Batcave.
inside the batcave: did you catch all the easter eggs on your first watch? #DCTitans pic.twitter.com/HI1TARlzvs
— DC Titans on Max (@DCTitans) November 1, 2021
Write On!
Literati tweeted: “Happy National Author’s Day to the wordsmiths, the alchemists, the magicians with a pen. You’ve transported us to our wildest dreams and written us whole again in our weakest moments. Thank you.”
Especially since it’s November 1st and NaNoWriMo has sorta kinda just started.
A blank page is so inspiring it can instantly be transformed into anything…a poem, a screenplay…a novel and so much more.
That’s fresh.
#SetTheVCR: The NBA 75th Anniversary Season
Today the #NBA75 celebrates the Toronto Huskies (awful name!). The first game in NBA history between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks was played 75 years ago: November 1, 1946. Woah, yo.
But don’t forget about this Toronto-ish NBA moment: In the early 80s the Cavs owner was that era’s James Dolan.
He was so hated in Cleveland he almost…so close almost moved the Cavs to Toronto. Crazy. All those Jordan battles. History is wild.
Fast facts on the first game in NBA history between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks 75 years ago (Nov. 1, 1946)!https://t.co/0JvUTwT4eS
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) November 1, 2021
#TrailerAlert: Black Friday
God Bless America. Black Friday the Movie.
This trailer made me laugh…this is exactly how the rest of the world sees America.
I’ll see this.
#SetTheVCR: The Book of Boba Fett
Boba Fett didn’t have his helmet on for half that trailer. Yo, man. I ain’t paying for Telly Savalas when it’s called Boba Fett.
Nobody goes to Spider-Man movies excited to see Peter Parker. Like W-T-Fett is going on…
The Book of Boba Fett | December 29 |Disney+
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
According to Film Ratings a movie called Venom: Let There Be Carnage is rated PG-13 and not hard R. How is that logical? How much Carnage can you pull off with PG?
Mainstreaming Venom like it’s the MCU is weird.
Venom is not gonna sell happy meals. Economics due to the budget perhaps?
Spider-Man can’t go R; understandably that makes sense but Venom? That’s a weird choice.
Butts in the seats? Perhaps. The first Venom was also PG-13 and hauled more than $854 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million. So economics says PG-13 is good business but the box office of Joker and Deadpool for example say otherwise.
(Considering the success of Deadpool and the failure of Suicide Squad I’d bet a hard Rated R for Right On Batman movie would work.
If Twilight-Sparkle Batman isn’t rated R then any talk is about being raw or dark or grim or violent is just cheap marketing talk. Buzzwords.)
Oh and The Suicide Squad. Though The Suicide Squad shoulda never been on HBO Max in the first case: such a bad call. Still what was a good call was dumping David Ayer’s wretched Suicide Squad what tragically was rated PG-13. DC went soft…again. No guts no glory.
So for James Gunn’s super dope The Suicide Squad they went hard R and it worked…the violence made sense; as did all the jokes. The movie benefitted from that R-freedom (“drug use, brief graphic nudity, language throughout, some sexual references, and strong violence and gore”); it’s lots of fun. (Not as much heart as Guardians of the Galaxy but that was expected; still excellent soundtrack as always.)
Or…Yo Joe!
If the studio was serious about making Snake Eyes more like a proper G.I. Joe movie and less like a Nicolas Cage/Brian De Palma remake aim for Rated R for Ruckus: ninjas, Storm Shadow, motorcycles, guns, Cobra: so much goodness to play with. Wouldn’t that make a better movie? And a better movie “brings all the boys to the yard.”
Mash It Up, Mash It All. Snake Eyes was rated PG-13 and still bombed: it rolled the dice and came up Snake Eyes: the economics play or butts in the seats didn’t work out.
Just something to contemplate as you consume your Venom Happy Meal, right? “Oh…I got Carnage! What did you get?”
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
My Summer Lair Chapter #208: What Makes An 80 Year Old Woman Wonderful?
It’s Wonder Woman Day here at My Summer Lair. Though that’s everyday at the Cartoon Art Museum who are currently hosting The Legend of Wonder Woman. This exhibition celebrates 80 years of the superb superhero with a range of artwork and insights and even focuses on her villains. (If you’re lucky you might be able to see her Invisible Plane.
While in October 2021 Wonder Woman will celebrate her 80 year old debut in All-Star Comics in 1941 this isn’t the only anniversary we’re celebrating. Andrew Farago is an avid writer of pop culture slash books about comic characters while his day job is the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.
He’ll be celebrating his 20th anniversary at the Museum having curated and arranged a variety of exhibitions in the past: a Spider-Man 40th anniversary exhibition, an American Splendor showcase. Raw Fury: The Art of Mike Zeck and the 80th Anniversary of The Dark Knight.
Like Batman Andrew operates in the shadows and like Wonder Woman Andrew relies on his wits and talents to make this world a better place.
As you’re about to hear, The Legend of Wonder Woman is “drawing” generations of fans; a preview of what to expect at the exhibition and so much more including why Andrew believes Disco Stu should be in an old folks home but oh man we’re gonna start this whole conversation by talking about the jaw dropping G. I. Joe two-parter Worlds Without End from November 4 and 5 in 1985.
A handful of Joes wake up in an alternative reality where Cobra has won. As a kid it was mind blowing and wildly unsettling. It later formed a massive cornerstone of my imagination. So yeah we’re so gonna start with that and then talk about the superhero from the mysterious island.
From Batman to Burt Reynolds to James Bond? This week’s #SetTheVCR has a lot of action to offer. And BONUS! We’re moving #SetTheVCR to Monday, so have two Sundays this week. All that extra #couthworthy goodness, just in time for the inaugeration. Thanks, Obama – er – Biden.
Tiger: Docuseries Part 2 (9 p.m. / HBOMax & Crave)
TIGER is a two-part documentary offering a revealing look at the rise, fall, and epic comeback of global icon Tiger Woods. Part 2 is the conclusion.
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Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie (10 p.m. / PBS)
The TV special Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie profiles the prolific British author and creator of such classic literary as sleuths Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.
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Batwoman: Season 2 (8 p.m. / The CW & Showcase)
Javicia Leslie takes over as BATWOMAN in the second season of the CW drama.
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Former British SAS soldier Alfred Pennyworth forms a security company and goes to work with Bruce Wayne’s billionaire father, Thomas, in 1960s London.
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The Canadian Debut: Alfred Pennyworth is no longer in Batman comics (RIP!) but he lives on in TV with all kinds of EPIX adventures. “In Pennyworth: Season 2 civil war has erupted in London, leaving Alfred in the middle and looking for an escape route.” Season 2 will feature the introduction of Lucius Fox (Simon Manyonda) who if you’ve read DC Comics will make you say oooo. (Please Note: in Canada Pennyworth: Season 2 debuts tonight on Showcase. It premiered in America on December 13 on EPIX.)
Jazz iconoclast Nina Simone, Emmy and Tony winner Cicely Tyson and action star Pam Grier are among the Black female entertainers celebrated on a new AMERICAN MASTERS.
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Although Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier are among the entertainers celebrated in the latest episode of American Masters: the highlight is of course: Nina Simone. Keep her alive and keep her relevant: she’s so good. A stunning talent who truly demonstrated How It Feels to Be Free.
A 4-part true crime docuseries exploring a killer’s harrowing legacy – of tragedy, grief, responsibility and redemption – through the eyes of those closest to the killer and his victims whose lives he altered irrevocably.
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I did not know about any of this. (How does serial killer marketing work? Why do we know some names/crimes and not others?) “From 1959 to 1963, a mysterious attacker terrorized Perth, Australia, committing random and extraordinarily violent crimes. Determined to find the culprit, the Perth police arrested two different suspects. And in a climate of fear, both men were convicted. But the violence didn’t stop. Even when the actual killer was caught and confessed to all the crimes, the first two men remain behind bars.” Woah. Did you know about all this? New Day, New True Crime. There are four episodes in the docuseries and they’ll drop weekly on Sundance Now.
Presidential Inauguration (Anytime / All The Channels)
Broadcast networks and cable news outlets will offer live coverage from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., of the “Presidential Inauguration” of Joe Biden.
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The spy game is a serious business, and throughout history, the tools and technologies developed for it have mattered as much as the spies themselves.
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Q (the good one…the best one) was Desmond Llewelyn and oh how he tolerated James Bond. He worked hard to make Bond look good; and do his duty for Queen and Country. His passing in 1999 was sad; so think of this docuseries Spycraft as a tribute. This eight-episode series gives viewers an unprecedented look at the incredible spy gadgets and the agents that put them to use with accounts from ancient history to modern day intrigue. If you’ve ever visited the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. one of the startlingly rooms is the bug room: old school bugs were so big (how did that work?) eventually they got smaller and better, even becoming cameras. We tend to think of technology we use: phones getting smaller, better…improving with each iteration. Spy gadgets do as well. So this is your mission if you choose to accept it!
PS: What does it say that the only way to find an official trailer for this series is from Netflix Uzbek. Hmm….
Walker: Season 1 (8 p.m. / The CW)
A reimagining of the long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” WALKER follows the adventures of Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code, as he returns home to Austin after being under cover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home.
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BATMAN BEYOND, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, and a number of other popular DC titles are finally heading to HBO Max
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True Story: When Batman Beyond debuted on January 10, 1999 I was like: no thanks. I did not enjoy seeing how the Batman story “ends.” The show slowly steadily won me over: I’ve even read some of their DC Comics. Still Batman’s legacy will always include these 2 special shows. Batman: The Animated Series is one of the best representations of Batman: especially stunning episodes such as Almost Got ‘Im. It’s worth a revisit. The 4 seasons of the Animated Series while the 3 seasons of Beyond have been added to HBO Max including a number of associated movies.
WandaVision (Anytime / Disney+)
Living idealized suburban lives, super-powered beings Wanda and Vision begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
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The Sister: Season 1 (Anytime / Hulu)
Almost a decade into his new devoted married life Nathan is rocked to the core when Bob, an unwelcome face from the past, turns up on his doorstep with shocking news, triggering a series of catastrophic decisions.
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Fate: The Winx Saga (Anytime / Netflix)
Fairies attend a magical boarding school in the Otherworld, where they must learn to master their magical powers while navigating love, rivalries and the monsters that threaten their very existence.
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IN & OF ITSELF chronicles conceptual storyteller Derek DelGaudio’s attempt to answer one deceptively simple question: Who am I?
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This is magic! Yes! But it’s also the spark magic ignites…it’s the same spark we’ve seen in Justin Willman’s Magic for Humans. Know that DelGaudio’s remarkable one-man show, which enjoyed a lengthy Off-Broadway run between 2017 and 2018, is brimming with card tricks, optical illusions, and even teleportation. What?! However, echoing Magic for Humans DelGaudio transforms the usual magic hustle into a powerful meditation on existential yearning and his own bumpy quest for meaning in life. I mean what’s more important? The magic or the magician? The story or the writer? Oh this’ll be a solid cup of tea.
Burt Reynolds was the epitome of American macho. Known for his charm, his iconic mustache and penchant for women and cars. His career includes more than 200 films and TV series, a nude photo on a bearskin in Cosmopolitan, but also a fight against drug addiction due to stunt injuries. Through rarely viewed archive material and interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, an intimate portrait of one of America’s most beloved stars is drawn.
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Burt Reynolds is cool. I don’t know if it’s the mustache or the swagger but Burt Reynolds is cool. And while I enjoyed him in many movies; I don’t know that much about him. The latest in the Paramount Network’s I Am documentary series is I Am Burt Reynolds. Previous I Am documentaries include MLK, Patrick Swayze, Evel Knievel, Paul Walker, Jackie O and it all began with Richard Pryor in 2019. It’s their version of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries. (The Paramount Network is a cable TV channel with an app so most Americans have access to it. However in Canada we’ve gotten the bulk of their I Am documentaries via Crave.)
Written, directed and produced by Edward Burns, this dramedy series set in 1980 revolves around a group of college grads setting out to pursue their dreams in Manhattan while still clinging to the familiarity of their working-class Long Island home town.
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Bridge and Tunnel is written, directed and produced by Edward Burns…remember him? This dramedy is set in the 1980s and focuses on a group of recent college grads setting out to pursue their dreams in Manhattan. However they are clinging to familiarity of their working-class Long Island hometown so that’s the tension. As I can personally attest growing up in the 80s is not easy.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
TWILIGHT OF THE SUPERHEROES: ALAN MOORE’s Never-Published Proposal to Finally Be Released by DC
I like my comic book stories dark…not grim but dark. It’s a subtle distinction. And writers sometimes err or veer into grim.
So DC Through the ’80s: The End of Eras sounds wonderfully dark…I mean this decade prompted Crisis on Infinite Earths which was wonderfully dark not grim (suck it
Barry Allen!!).
And bonus! The book “features the complete text of Alan Moore’s legendary, never-before-published Twilight proposal!” The best way to become a comic writer is to study the greats. Though poor Alan Moore DC continues to cash in on him; proving his low-opinion of them is indeed correct.
Thankfully there’s lots in this hardcover including essays J.M. DeMatteis and Andy Kubert and so much more. This should be a fascinating read as much as it’s a time machine back to a “simpler time.”
DC Through the ’80s: The End of Eras is on sale December 15, 2020. I’m in!
~ Sammy Younan
Sammy Younan
Girth Radio Presents…
Is this good?
Will this be good?
Every movie trailer answers or challenges those 2 questions. The ham-fisted rebuttal comes swiftly, however: no you don’t need to always see a movie to know it’s tank.
Do you really need to sit through a Michael Bay Transformers movie to know for sure? Tank is Tank. And Fresh…well Fresh is always Fresh. I’m down like I’m Brown for that.
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