Stocking Stuffers

Fall semester grades are always due a few days before the holidays.

You know what that means for me in the last weeks of 2024?

Stress eating?

Reading a lot of original screenplays and TV pilots with post-apocalyptic, historical or contemporary end of the world scenarios where occasionally we are left with some small ray of hope at the end.  But only if we choose to look for it.

And who says Gen Z is not paying attention to the world these days?  

Olivia knows

Good. For. Them.  

Gen Z,  I mean.

As for this baby boomer, I had to stop reading at some point for the palette cleanser of Saturday Night Live this weekend with guest host Chris Rock.  Somehow he managed to do socially relevant, edgy and sometimes even dangerous comic commentary about the past, present and future all through his monologue and in each sketch he was in.  

How did he pull it off?

As far as I can tell, it took three things:  

  1. Talent
  2. Smarts
  3. Not giving a f-ck what the powers-that-be think.

Which is more than I can say for the TWO multi-BILLIONAIRE founder/owners of Meta (Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp blah, blah blah…) and Amazon/Blue Origin/The Washington Post blah, blah, blah… 

Like a bad Lex Luthor casting call

But what’s $1 million apiece to the 2025 inaugural party for the  new POTUS/Time 2024 Man Of The Year, that NOT ONE of my smart, talented friends (Note: Which means ALL of them) will be watching in January because we love democracy and  truly don’t give a….

Well, you know.   You really do.  

And so do many, many, MANY more.

What I’ll be doing on Inauguration day

But back to SNL.  Again.

If like me and my friends, and their friends, you too need a palette cleanser – and a Christmas stocking stuffer for the family – try the Chair’s repeat shameless self-promotion. Yes, repeating once again this week instead of writing one more word about politics.

Hello again, gorgeous

Order here either new, on Kindle or….used!

It will take you through 50 years of a lot of funny, smart and sometimes even dangerous social commentary.  And bring you back to many years quite different than 2024.

Some of them were good or great.  And a few of them were….well, none were exactly like this year.

As for the most recent Chris Rock episode there was a brilliant sketch about a car. 

But my fave was the mindless, disgustingly side-splitting (Note: Almost literally) hospital sketch with a great former Not Ready For Time Prime Players cameo.

Because I, like many of the rest of you, are kinda sick these days.

As you’ll see….

#GodBlessAmerica.

Easter Eggs

This Easter, my brain feels split in two: with one part warbling In your Easter bonnetttt a la Judy in Easter Parade, and the other part researching the Easter eggs in Beyonce’s newest album Cowboy Carter (hello Dolly! hey Willy! Wait, is that a Beach Boys sampling??).

Either way, finding my way through this pop culture landscape has me tired and weary. I don’t know how to feel about anything… and you know it’s hopeless when I waffle back and forth on Sarah Sherman’s latest Weekend Update foray as Central Park’s beloved owl Flaco’s grieving widow (say that five times fast). Here it is for you to ponder as well:

OK it is pretty funny, but also who? Anyway, the Chair will be back next week, Beyonce and Judy still in tow, and new pop culture and politics to consider and reconsider. Or we just give it all up like Lizzo (what is THAT about?). Till then…