2024: The Year In Review

 2024, as a year, wasn't very funny,

But we got it, babe, just like Cher had Sonny.

Kamala and Tim carried the ball from Joe,

But we have four more years of that other shmoe.

Israel and Hezbollah agreed the fire to cease,

But, once all the hostages come home we'll truly know peace.

New York's WCBS 880 stopped reporting the news,

And the Giants and Jets kept giving loyal fans the blues,

But, in college sports, the Columbia University Football Lions,

After more than sixty long years of unsuccessfully tryin',

Won their second Ivy League championship,

But, alas, they can't make a postseason National Champ trip.

The Yankees, all year, gave hope to a divided New York City,

But the Dodgers won the Series, and more is the pity.

Madison Square Garden, The World's Most Famous Arena,

Undoubtedly had never ever seen a

Rally like the one held by, I won't say his name,

But GLADIATOR II, set at the Second Most Famous Arena, won the box office game,

As did WICKED, which caused quite the social media crush.

At least you can't say they got the Baum's Rush!

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD, I mean DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE,

Was another box office hit that caused quite a scene.

New York loves the energy of the Garden's Knicks,

And the Rangers may very well satisfy their Stanley Cup fix.

The charts were populated by Sabrina Carpenter, and  Jelly Roll too.

And fickle fans started asking, "Taylor Who?"

No matter what happens in Twenty Twenty Five,

May you and your loved ones be happy and thrive.

Pay no attention to the trolls and their tricks.

And I hope we all make it to Twenty Twenty Six!

Good News, Bad News

 In the indiepop classic "Closing Time," the group Semisonic sings, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." 

After 23 years on 1050 AM and 12 years on 98.7 FM,ESPN New York, operated under licence granted by The Worldwide Leader In Sports by Good Karma Brands, is moving up the New York radio dial to the clear channel frequency of 880 AM,previously occupied by legendary all-news station WCBS, effective Monday,August 26.

As the leader of the Temple Emanu-El Gather Sports Fan Group and a long time fan of ESPN since it adopted a 24/7 program schedule in 1980, I should be happy that ESPN New York is moving down the dial and gaining a larger presence on the radio band along the Eastern Seaboard, bringing local personalities like Michael Kay, Don LaGreca, Rick DiPietro,and Anita Marks  and Knicks, Rangers, and Mets games to a larger audience,and providing a strong argument for AM/FM car radios in 2024 or later model automobiles, and I am.

But, and that's a very big BUUUUUUUUT,it comes at the expense of 57 years of broadcast history as All-News 88 says goodbye. Not only will I miss WCBS because it was my link to the world during Nixon's resignation,the reign of Donald Trump,and the tragedy of 9/11, among others, (and because, on a more personal level, my friends Mary Alice Williams, Patty Steele, and Anita Bonita, graced it with their intelligence, humor, and news savvy) but also because of the sports expertise of Pat Summerall, Spencer Ross, Jared Max, and, one of the few holdouts from the old order, Howie Rose, to name but a few. I understand that even radio giants like Audacy, WCBS' parent company, are struggling as new sports news media arise and professional sports  teams try to stay current, but too many of the stations that made radio the important medium it has been have been falling by the wayside and too many talented people must either seek employment elsewhere or retire. WCBS was that trusted New York neighbor, who told us what modifications we had to make on our way to school or work, or whether to just skip a day and wait until things blew over.

To those writers,reporters,producers,and engineers who always made sure WCBS was "More Than Just The Headlines," may God bless you and protect you in your future endeavors. To Team ESPN, good luck filling WCBS' Wilt Chamberlain-sized shoes. Something tells me you MIGHT need it.

FOLLOW UP: Saw the 2011 remake of FOOTLOOSE. What I said about the original stands. It's STILL a classic. Nuff said.

Steve out.

FOOTLOOSE (1984) An Appreciation

 When my congregation, the gorgeous Emanu-El of New York City, announced they would close out their summer movie series with FOOTLOOSE, I was of two minds. I mean, this was FOOTLOOSE, an 80's movie classic with a top-notch cast, a ton of Billboard Hot 100 hits, and the inspiration for a musical that sold out night after night on Broadway before flying across the Big Pond and bringing   West End audiences to their feet, I mean, what's not to love?

I thought, plenty. The bad guy, played by John Lithgow who plays them the way Louis Armstrong played the trumpet (like a master), is your standard Bible-thumping fire and brimstone preacher, and his daughter, played by Lori Singer with the sturm und drang that was also perfected by Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and the Brat Packers of the day,is a rebel who prefers the degenerate rock and roll of the time to Reverend Daddy's lessons from Scripture.

But then, I had an epiphany, while we're using religious analogies: This movie was a stinging, scathing, and well-produced indictment of the conservatism that had swept the USA since Ronald Reagan took office. The hold Lithgow's character. the Rev. Shaw Moore, had upon the local school and the library, was not only very real back then, but also reminiscent of the Louisiana government making posters of the Ten Commandments mandatory in every school, religious or public, and banned books (and,in a few areas, book burnings), are still a thing. (If I may digress, #VelshiBannedBookClub has a lot of, as the kids say, awesome recommendations of books that Louisiana and Florida deem too hot to handle.You can also get them on Ali Velshi's self-titled MSNBC weekend gabfest, or wherever you get your podcasts.) Kevin Bacon, of Six Degrees fame, delivers one of his all-time great performances as Ren McCormick, a Chicago kid who moves with his mom to this boring town, and his best performance in the entire movie, bar none, is when he makes a case for dancing and rock and roll by quoting Scripture, i.e., Ecclesiates. ("It's OUR time to dance.")

While FOOTLOOSE is one of the quintessential 80's movies, it also resonates with today's audiences, as evidenced by the kids who were brought along to the screening at Emanu-El last night who couldn't help but move while sitting. (As one of the big kids in attendance, I certainly agreed.)

You can get loose with FOOTLOOSE on Paramount +, Freeform (ironically, formerly CBN Family Channel. That's a tale for another time.)or Prime Video. Don't worry, Mom and Dad, it's rated PG,which doesn't make it one of those pornographic pieces of trash Rev. Moore wants banned. Great movies never go out of style, and, despite my initial qualms, I believe FOOTLOOSE qualifies as one of them.

Steve out!

ANGELic or Just Plain Ick? You Decide This Summer!

 As I write this, Angel Studios, the scrappy independent studio that rose from the ashes of VidAngel, a streaming service that showed major motion pictures without all the sex,violence and cuss words, much to the chagrin of the Big Boys,is livestreaming ILLUMINATE 2024, the annual meeting of the Angel Guild whose members greenlight motion pictures and television shows that tell "stories that amplify light," and buy tickets for people who can't otherwise afford movie tickets through an initiative called "Pay It Forward." Having enjoyed most of those stories, the first three seasons of the award-worthy THE CHOSEN, the biography of New York 's original wonder woman,Mother Francesca CABRINI,YOUNG DAVID,a prequel to Angel's Thanksgiving 25 musical about the boy king,and HIS ONLY SON,a retelling of the story of Isaac, I anticipate SIGHT, starring Gregg Kinnear and telling the incredible story of a Chinese opthalmologist who escaped the Maoist regime and continued his practice on this side of the world,but the other Angel Summer of 24 release? Not so much.

Unfortunately,not even a studio named Angel is perfect,and they turned out a huge clunker in THE SHIFT, turning the Book of Job into a multiversal mishmash and nearly ruining the careers of otherwise talented people like Liz Tabbish and Sean Astin. It WAS approved by the Angel Guild which lends credence to the phrase, "Nobody ever lost money underestimating the American public." That could also be applied to the Halo-wood studio's 4th of July release,SOUND OF HOPE,a defacto sequel to the controversial SOUND OF FREEDOM,which, despite its noble intent to tell the story of the American lone wolf who broke up a Colombian child sex trafficking ring,espoused the QAnon agenda and received high praise from He Who Must Not Be Named. From what I have seen in the trailer despite HOPE 's subject matter,a sex trafficking ring in Possum Trot,TX,it seems to me like a case of Same Stuff Different Day. While I recommend SIGHT,and I can't wait to use my Angel freebie tomorrow to see it,(Full review to come!) stay FAR,FAR AWAY from SOUND OF FREEDOM. You'll thank Heaven you did!

Steve out!

2023 The Year In Review

 As the calendar pages head Back To December,

Here are the events we will always remember.

Elon Musk did once again try

To become Bigger Than The Whole Sky,

But, as usually has been the case,

Look inside his head, you'll find a Blank Space.

This year there was a lot of Bad Blood

Between actors and producers, both should be called mud,

And those producers and writers who words make us smile,

But their stoppage has stopped. Late night is back in true Style.

The weather really gave us a Cruel Summer,

And the Yanks and Mets combined? One big bummer.

Dear Reader, we must say a prayer

For Israel and the innocent hostages there

As the Star of David flag is proudly unfurled

And the Jews ever search for A Place In This World.

Donald Trump,once America's Anti-Hero,

Has been knocked down to a giant zero.

But his election rhetoric he still will cough.

Hey, Don Baby, Shake It Off!

Ron deSantis, You Need To Calm Down

And let the Mouse be the Man in Orlando Town.

As you all know, 'Tis the Damn Season

To wish you the best, whatever the reason.

And Ms. Taylor Swift, a few words for you.

Glad you had a great year, but Look What You Made Me Do!

Steve

Two Things I Should Never Blog About

 There are two things I have been told I should never blog about, but this week I will:

Religion and Politics.

We' a ll get to Religion in a minute, sorry, Lord, but first...

I would not allow a canine-American to endure what this country, Heck, this whole world, has gone through in the past thirty days. Unless you've been living in a cave, (in which case, are you taking in boarders?) you've heard that the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas chose October 7, the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, little more than a month ago as I write this, to deliberately attack the young attendees of a music festival in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv just for the crime of being Jewish. And all this while the House of Representatives bobs in the water like a ship without a captain until they name a MAGA-centric speaker in Mike Johnson of Louisiana. As the season of "Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards All" grows ever closer,this blog, which stands with Israel, hopes that the terrorists will see the evil of the ways and that Israel and Palestine will continue to live and work in peace.

As for Religion,Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York,of which I am a proud member,has many exciting programs, one of which is  a Zoom course on"Women of Faith," and not only are we examining Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah and all those sheroes who followed in their footsteps,but also New Testament characters, such as one particular Saint Mary of Magdala, better known as Mary Magdalene. To make sure I don't sound like a world champion dork when I get the urge to ask questions either on camera or in chat,I'm currently binging a historical drama which has been lauded by the Christian community, but which also resonates with many Jewish viewers, myself included. I refer to THE CHOSEN, described by its creator and executive producer Dallas Jenkins as the first multi-arc portrayal of the life of Jesus Christ, or,as we Reform Jews call him, "Our boy the late great JC of Biblical fame." Jonathan Roumie doesn't play Jesus as a Superstar, or a Super-Salesman,   but as a Super-Rabbi,one well-versed in the ways of Torah, but willing to add his, or as they like to say on the show, His own special modifications, and he leads an impressive cast including Shahar Isaac as Simon Peter,Erick Avari as Nicodemus, and Elizabeth Tabish as the subject of this upcoming class, Mary Magdalene. Unlike other portrayals that cast Mary as the ultimate Fallen Woman, Elizabeth plays Mary as an ordinary woman who just makes a few BIIIIG mistakes, none the least of them being possessed by demons. (I HATE when that happens!) Assuming the name of Lilith, she falls in with the underworld until Our Boy JC rides to her rescue and she becomes an invaluable member of his group of followers.

THE CHOSEN is clearly up there with Zeferelli's 1970's miniseries JESUS OF NAZARETH (Full disclosure; Rabbi Albert Friedlander, an old friend of the family, was a historical advisor for Zeferelli's production.), a low-budget musical by a little-known composer named Andrew Lloyd Webber, and, believe it or not, Mel Brooks' HISTORY OF THE WORLD,PART 2, a hilarious mashup of the lives of Jesus and John Lennon, who claimed to be bigger than poor old Hey-Zeus,when it comes to a retelling of the New Testament in an entertaining manner. You may not totes agree with the message, but if you enjoyed the aforementioned entertainment entities, or just want to know either how the other half worships, choose THE CHOSEN which happens to be available on its own website, http://www.thechosen.tv, http://www.angel.com, Netflix,Tubi, Amazon Freevee,Fubo,Philo,Peacock,YouTube,YouTubeTV,Hulu,FOX Nation, Crackle, and your local The CW station. (WHEW!) No matter how you find it, find it, Worth the trip, and pardon my bad taste, but it WON'T make you cross. (Sorry, just couldn't resist!)

Until next time, shalom shalom. (Twice the peace, which, I believe we can ALL use!)

Steve

It Sure Looked Good On Parchment

 A baby is sent to a strange land by victims of a dying civilization to become a champion of good. A man possessed of incredible strength shirks his responsibility and dedicates himself to righting wrongs no matter what the odds. A princess uses her wits to take down one bad hombre and a femme fatale and becomes a shining example for her people and women everywhere. 

Scripture? Pop culture? If you guessed either the stories of A) Moses, B) Samson, and C) Esther or the stories of A) Superman, B) Spider-Man, and C) Wonder Woman, you're right. That's how much of an impact Scripture has on our culture, our politics, OUR LIVES. That's the general idea behind the Museum of the Bible, one of the top tourist attractions in Washington, DC,and one boasting the largest collections of Torahs and New Testament Bibles in the United States, a Broadway-quality auditorium equipped with the latest tech,(The musical on the writing of "Amazing Grace" had an out-of-town tryout there.)a Kosher cafe,a Nazarene village inspired by Colonial Williamsburg,even a ride through American history inspired by "Soarin' Over California" at Disneyland. Your Obedient Servant and his Dear Old Mom are scheduled to make Amtraks (A nod to the late, great Guardian of the Grammatical Galaxy, NBC News correspondent Edwin Newman.) to the aforementioned Washington,where the Union of Reform Judaism is holding its first in-person conference since the Pandemic. I thought it would be cool if I broadcast one of the Daily Sunset Services I conduct for GORGEOUS Congregation Emanu-El in the City of New York (Sunday-Thursday at 5:30 PM Eastern on http://emanuelnyc.org/broadcast and search emanuelnyc on Facebook Watch and YouTube,no purchase necessary,your mileage may vary.) live from the Museum (In the interest of fair,balanced, impartial journalism, here's a link to their site: http://www.museumofthebible.org .) with a sermon on the topic of Judaism's role in American history and a heads-up on upcoming Museum events with one of the "villagers", but our fearless leader Jonathan Slaff regretted to inform me it was financially,if not technologically (or so I thought) impossible. I still thought it was a great Museum (or,at least, idea for a Museum in the right hands. More on that in just a few.) and the idea of a self-produced TikTok  that I could send to the Rabbis and my fellow Emanu-El members kicked around in my head,but Mom had seen an article in the New York Times, not exactly the newspaper of choice for the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene,Lauren Bobert,Ron (deSanctimonious) deSantis,outgoing (And the quicker going out, the better!) Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy,or attempted President Tronald Dump ,(Thank you, Chris Christie, for calling him Donald DUCK, although I believe a word that rhymes with that, which I will refrain from using because I love my audience, is more appropriate.) laser-focusing on the Museum's connection to people who subscribe to that school of thought,particularly its founder Steven Greene, its principal sponsor Hobby Lobby (which Greene founded), and members of the board of directors including Dump-era Secretary of (Under)Education Betsy DeVos (Google her!) and expressly forbade me from visiting that particular institution. (Truth be told, given the reams of information available on that institution, anybody who really wants to visit that institution oughta visit another kind of institution, as in Bellevue.) I can't honestly say I blame her! True, a museum of the Bible  and its influence on the world is a noble idea and one worth supporting,buuuuuuuut as long as it's led by a consortium of legitimate governing bodies for the world's religions (INCLUDING the Muslim faith, to address a major criticism of the Museum) and not by a blustering battalion of blowhard buttheads who get their news from the alt-right press and obviously don't get the whole concept of "separation of Church and State". It has been said, the saddest words are "what might have been",but, in this instance, I'm happy what "might have been" never was! My feelings about this kinda crowd could be best summed up in a classic scene from Norman Lear's GOOD TIMES when a preacher who almost fleeced the Evans family was knocked off the air by technical difficulties and Florida (the incredible Esther Rolle) made a power fist and said, "RIGHT ON, LORD!"

For now, friends, the Blog is over. GO IN PEACE!

Steve