New Poem WINNING UGLY 2020

Inspired by a Rolling Stones song from thirty-five years ago.

Pour my endless money into TV commercials
Hope voters stay low information
Respond like lab rats to stimulation
Give them some exhilaration
>
Watch me put Tweedle-Dum down
As I, Tweedle-Dee, paint him as lying clown
Though he says the same things about women
And people of color that I do
>
In a debate, I’ll defend my misdeeds
Then, I’ll pay for a video carefully edited
Making me look like the winner I wasn’t
>
I’ll spend my way to the top
I’ll make liberals cry in despair
I want no taxes raised on me
As a billionaire, I consider this fair
>
If you dare get in my way,
I’ll force you to sign a NDA
And I’ll have you stopped and frisked
On your way home after you’re disinvited
From taking part in my reboot of America

Older Poem: SHAKEN

Originally published in a 2016 issue of POETIC DIVERSITY.

SHAKEN

sitting at sixth grade desk

but shoulders and back

at too low an angle

so the homeroom teacher

came up to me

and fiercely expelled

the physical demons

she thought I possessed

punctuating this with shouts

about my bad bad behavior

as other students looked 

and did nothing

for fear of teacher

striding to the closet

and pulling big wooden paddle

off its hook

  

this was recorded for posterity

by nondigitized memory

and may never be erased

Donald Trump’s Impeachment Summatized

Last night’s pre-acquittal debacle was brought to you by Nancy Pelosi’s dithering, Mitch McConnell’s cynical machinations, John Roberts’s cowardice and Donald Trump’s autocratic de-evolution of the presidency.

And let’s not forget the DNC and RNC, who each have their preferred candidates and (especially with the DNC) are maneuvering towards primary/convention results that will have little bearing on the will of the people who aren’t cheated (RNC) out of the right to vote in a 2020 election which appears likely to be the most vituperative/volcanic of all.

Finally, progressives/centrists should stop fantasizing about John Bolton showing up on the Senate floor to become a profile in courage. It won’t happen.

Best Film/TV of 2019: Final Draft

THE IRISHMAN
THE REPORT
THE SOUVENIR
LES MISERABLES
HER SMELL
US
PARASITE
ONE CHILD NATION
APOLLO 11
CHARLIE SAYS
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
LITTLE WOMEN
MARRIAGE STORY
CLEMENCY

Honorable Mention:
KNIVES OUT
ONCE UPON A TIME....IN HOLLYWOOD
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
AD ASTRA
JUDY
WILD ROSE
FORD V FERRARI
THE MUSTANG
UNCUT GEMS
HALSTON (Director’s Cut)
PAIN AND GLORY


MUST-SEE TV:
WHEN THEY SEE US
CHERNOBYL 
THE MORNING SHOW (Episode 8)
COUNTRY MUSIC
THE ACT
ESCAPE FROM DANNEMORA
LEAVING NEVERLAND

UNBELIEVABLE 

QUALIFIED (Janet Guthrie ESPN documentary)

FLEABAG
AT THE HEART OF GOLD 

Donald Trump’s Greatest Impeachment Hits Deluxe Edition

1. This Rusher Thing
2. My Lester Holt Interview (spoken word)
3. Putin On Line 1
4. Ukraine Do Me A Favor
5. Rudy Don’t Fail
6. It Was A Perfect Phone Call
7. Bill Barr Said I Can Do Anything
8. Mueller On My Mind
9. Two Story White House (duet with Melania)
10. Wag The Middle East Dog
11. Blame Hunter Biden
12. Let’s Get This Acquittal Started
Bonus Tracks:
13. Who’s Lev Parnas?
14. Don’t Speak (No Doubt cover dedicated to John Bolton)
15. No Witnesses

2020 Oscar nominations summarized.

There’s still a huge gap between the critical community at large//publicists/festival programmers and the voting members of AMPAS.  Women remain excluded from key behind-the-camera nominations. Big studio buzzy behemoths are still prioritized: JOKER could be this year’s GREEN BOOK.  And Netflix is allowed to have a few more seats at the table—but won’t be allowed to win too many trophies because it would be a bad look for the big studios who have chosen to abandon mid-to-high budget prestige films for mid-to-high budget hotrror/sci-fi/superhero movies.

2019 Cinematic Disappointments Second Draft

QUEEN & SLIM
DOCTOR SLEEP
JOKER
LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
THE DEAD DON’T DIE
THE KITCHEN
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE
CAPTAIN MARVEL
GLASS
THE GOOD LIAR
AFTER THE WEDDING
DOMINO 

Best Movies/TV of 2019: Third Draft

THE IRISHMAN
THE REPORT
THE SOUVENIR
KNIVES OUT
HER SMELL
US
PARASITE
ONE CHILD NATION
APOLLO 11
CHARLIE SAYS
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
LITTLE WOMEN
MARRIAGE STORY
CLEMENCY

Honorable Mention:
ONCE UPON A TIME....IN HOLLYWOOD
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
AD ASTRA
JUDY
WILD ROSE
FORD V FERRARI
THE MUSTANG
AT THE HEART OF GOLD
UNCUT GEMS
HALSTON (Director’s Cut)
PAIN AND GLORY


MUST-SEE TV:
WHEN THEY SEE US
CHERNOBYL 
THE MORNING SHOW (Episode 8)
COUNTRY MUSIC
THE ACT
ESCAPE FROM DANNEMORA
LEAVING NEVERLAND

UNBELIEVABLE 

QUALIFIED (Janet Guthrie ESPN documentary)

FLEABAG