PB & Julie + Julie C. Trivia

PB&J Year One

It’s Groundhog Day – again – and that means it’s my blogiversary. One year ago today, I sat down to write my first blog post (ICYMI: https://wordpress.com/post/peanut-butter-and-julie.com/57). On that chilly February morning, I didn’t yet have a clear idea of what my format would be. When I realized it was Groundhog Day, the format instantly became obvious.

I’d thought about writing a blog for as long as blogs have been a thing. As my reward for surviving 2020, I decided the time was right. No more excuses. I was so nervous about anyone actually reading it that I didn’t even tell my family what I was doing until I’d written a few posts. I worried whether people would be interested in what I had to say. I wondered how much of myself I should reveal.

I’ve learned a lot in the past year. I’ve learned I am a much better writer than I ever gave myself credit for. I’ve learned that my posts are actually better when I reveal more of myself. I’ve learned that I still have so much more to say.

To that end, some personal news: Friday was my last day at the part-time job where I’ve worked for the past seven years. I’m going to devote myself to my writing and perhaps make some money doing the thing that I love the most. I’m exploring other options for building my brand. Podcast? Perhaps. YouTube channel? Maybe. A book? Hell yes. In the meantime, I’ll continue to create interesting content for you right here at the OG PB&J.

I want to thank you all, dear readers, and ask you a huge favor: if you are enjoying Peanut Butter & Julie, please like, subscribe, comment and share, share, share. Here’s to year two!

In Memorium

We’ve lost so many beloved celebrities in the last month. From the First Lady of Television to America’s Dad, here are a few of the ones we’ll miss.

Betty White

Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois on January 17, 1922. Her family moved to the Los Angeles area when Betty was just a year old. She graduated from Beverly Hills High School, where she discovered a love of performing. She served in World War II in the American Women’s Voluntary Services. After the war, she began working in radio and then television, hosting talk/variety shows as well as starring in sitcoms such as Life with Elizabeth (which she also co-created, at a time when very few women found work behind the camera). In the early 60s, White began making appearances on game shows like Password (which is how she met the love of her life, Allen Ludden), To Tell the Truth, and Match Game; during this time she also had a long-running gig as co-host of the Rose Parade broadcast on NBC. In 1973, she began co-starring on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the cynical, man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens; for her efforts, she won two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In 1985, she was cast as Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls. Yes, you read that right; originally, White was to play Blanche and Rue McClanahan was cast as Rose Nylund. Director Jay Sandrich, feeling that Blanche was too similar to Sue Ann Nivens, suggested the two swap roles, and the rest is history. For her portrayal of the sweet, naive Rose, White was nominated for seven Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – one for every season of the show – and won once. In 2009, White had a career resurgence with the one-two punch of her hysterical supporting performance in The Proposal and a Super Bowl Snickers commercial. On May 8, 2010, White became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live, at the age of eighty-eight; she won her fifth and final Emmy for her efforts. White’s final series, Hot in Cleveland, aired on TV Land from 2010-2015 and garnered White another Supporting Actress Emmy nomination. White was an advocate for animal rights, racial justice and LGBT equality. She was the First Lady of Television, a comedy legend, and a god damn national treasure. On New Year’s Eve, Betty White passed away in her sleep seventeen days shy of her 100th birthday. We love you, Betty; thank you for being our friend.

White ended up in television because studio execs told her she wasn’t photogenic enough for movies.

Peter Bogdanovich

Peter Bogdanovich was born July 30, 1939, in Kingston, New York. He studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory, but initially found work as a film critic and programmer. In 1966, inspired by French New Wave directors like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, Bogdanovich moved to Hollywood with his wife Polly Platt. He struck gold with his third feature, 1971’s The Last Picture Show. Based on Larry McMurtry’s novel of the same, The Last Picture Show is a gorgeous black & white coming-of-age film that starred heavyweights like Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson, Ellen Burstyn and Eileen Brennan. The film was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Bridges and Johnson, and Best Supporting Actress for Burstyn and Leachman (Johnson and Leachman won in their categories). The Last Picture Show also introduced Bogdanovich to Cybill Shepherd, with whom he began an affair that would end his marriage to Platt. His next two features, 1972’s What’s Up, Doc? and 1973’s Paper Moon, were also highly regarded, with Paper Moon earning ten-year-old Tatum O’Neal an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (O’Neal still holds the record for youngest competitive Oscar winner ever). Though the quality of Bogdanovich’s films dropped off after Paper Moon, he had a bit of a comeback with 1985’s Mask, which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival and won an Oscar for Best Makeup. Cher won Best Actress at Cannes, and she and Eric Stolz both received Golden Globe nominations for their performances in the film. In the 2000s, Bogdanovich did more acting than directing, often appearing as himself; his credits include Kill Bill, The Simpsons, The Sopranos, and a personal favorite of mine, How I Met Your Mother (if you’ve seen the episode, you’ll never hear the name “Willem Dafoe” the same way again). On January 6, Bogdanovich died from complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of eighty-two.

Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd in *The Last Picture Show*

Bogdanovich, far right, on the set of 1985’s Mask

Sidney Poitier

Bahamanian Sidney Poitier was born in Miami on February 20, 1927 (his parents were farmers who traveled to Miami frequently to sell their produce, and Sidney was three months premature). At age fifteen, Poitier went back to Miami to live with his brother’s family; unable to tolerate Jim Crow-era Florida, he made his way to New York City the following year. He lied about his age to enlist in the Army and was trained to work with psychiatric patients at a Veteran’s Administration hospital. Once out of the Army, Poitier returned to New York City and auditioned successfully for the American Negro Theater. He landed his first film role in 1950’s No Way Out. His big break occurred in 1957 with a role in Martin Ritt’s Edge of the City. The following year, Poitier co-starred with Tony Curtis in Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones, for which he became the first black man to be nominated for an Oscar (Curtis was also nominated for Best Actor; they both lost to David Niven). Poitier received a Tony nomination in 1959 for A Raisin in the Sun, and in 1961 he starred in the film adaptation. In 1963, Poitier appeared in the film that would finally win a black man an Oscar, Lilies of the Field. In 1967, he had his most successful year yet, starring in three highly acclaimed hits: To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Poitier was actually the top box office draw that year, with his three films earning more than $100 million (as well as seventeen Oscar nominations). In 1972, he made his directorial debut with Buck and the Preacher. He would go to direct several financially successful films, including 1980’s Stir Crazy, which – adjusted for inflation – is the most successful movie by a black director ever. He continued to act and direct in the 80s and 90s; his final film role was in 1997’s The Jackal. That same year, Poitier began a ten-year stint as the Bahamas’ ambassador to Japan. Aside from the many rewards he received for his acting – including the Oscar, the BAFTA and the Golden Globe – Poitier’s honors include the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was bestowed on him by President Obama in 2009. Sidney Poitier passed away at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of ninety-four. His cause of death was heart failure, with Alzheimer’s and prostate cancer listed as contributing factors.

With Katharine Houghton in *Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner*

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in *Stir Crazy*, which Poitier directed

Bob Saget

Robert Lane Saget was born May 17, 1956, in Philadelphia. After graduating from Temple University’s film school, he made his way to Los Angeles. Early success in stand-up comedy led to his big break as widower Danny Tanner on ABC’s Full House. Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, who found the series saccharine and trite, Full House found massive success as part of ABC’s TGIF programming block. In 1989, Saget landed a second gig with ABC, as host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. Inspired by a Japanese variety show called Fun TV, AFHV showcased home videos sent in by viewers; the clips were introduced by Saget, who also interacted with audience members and the occasional guest star. Between the two series, Saget earned the moniker “America’s Dad”. The dad image, though, was in stark contrast to his raunchy stand-up routines and Saget eventually grew restless. In 1997, after eight seasons on AFHV, Saget left the show to pursue other projects. First up was directing his feature film, 1998’s Dirty Work; though the movie was a critical and box office disappointment, it has attained a cult following. Next, an extremely NSFW cameo in Half Baked. After starring in Raising Dad, which only lasted for one season on The WB, Saget landed another long-running sitcom gig, as the voice of future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother. He made an appearance in the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats, where he told one of the filthiest renditions of the legendary titular joke. Saget appeared in fifteen episodes of Netflix’s Full House reboot, Fuller House. All the while, he continued to perform stand-up; he was in the midst of a tour at the time of his death. On January 9, Saget was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando; he was just sixty-five years old. His cause of death is not known at this time; an autopsy was performed but it will likely be several more weeks before the results are in.

Meat Loaf

Marvin Lee Aday was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 27, 1947. He was given the nickname Meat Loaf as a kid (he apparently weighed 240 pounds by the time he was in the seventh grade). After Aday’s mom died of cancer in 1967, he moved to Los Angeles. He found early success in music with his band Meat Loaf Soul and he joined the LA production of Hair a short time later. Eventually, he made his way to New York City and reprised his Hair role at a Broadway theater. He hired an agent and auditioned for the show that would change his life, the Public Theater’s production of a musical called More Than You Deserve. The composer of the show was Jim Steinman, who would go on to collaborate with Meat Loaf on several projects, including the Bat Out of Hell trilogy (more on that in a minute). In late 1973, Meat Loaf joined the original Los Angeles cast of The Rocky Horror Show; shortly thereafter, The Rocky Horror Picture Show began production, and Meat Loaf was asked to reprise his role as Eddie in the film. During this time, Meat Loaf and Steinman were working on the album that would become Bat Out of Hell. Released in October of 1977, Bat Out of Hell would go on to sell more than 43 million copies worldwide (in the US alone, it is certified 14X platinum by the RIAA). Meat Loaf continued to record and tour throughout the 1980s without much success, but he reteamed with Steinman for 1993’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell and its monster single “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”. The song was Meat Loaf’s only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its over-the-top, Michael Bay-directed video made him a mainstay on MTV. Although Bat Out of Hell II didn’t achieve the success of the first album, it was still a huge hit, selling more than 14 million albums worldwide, and it put Meat Loaf back in the public eye. His acting career saw a resurgence in the 90s as well, with parts in films like Wayne’s World, Spice World, Black Dog, and most notably, Fight Club. Meat Loaf continued recording and touring; in 2006, he released the final album in the Bat trilogy, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. The album included his version of Steinman’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”, which was made famous in 1996 by Celine Dion. Meat Loaf had not recorded or toured since 2016; this past November, he announced plans to record a new album but never made it into the studio. In early January, Meat Loaf’s daughter posted to Instagram that some of her family had tested positive for COVID-19. It is unknown whether or not he was vaccinated, but he publicly opposed mask and vaccine mandates. Back in November, Meat Loaf told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “If I die, I die, but I’m not going to be controlled.” On the evening of January 20, Meat Loaf was rushed to a Nashville hospital; he died later that evening at the age of seventy-four. Although no official cause of death was announced, it is presumed that he died of COVID complications.

As Eddie in *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*

As Robert Paulson in *Fight Club* with co-star Edward Norton

Louie Anderson

Louis Perry Anderson was born on March 23, 1953, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the second-youngest of eleven children. Early success in stand-up led to a 1984 appearance on The Tonight Show. The following year, he was cast as Lou Appleton on Perfect Strangers, opposite Bronson Pinchot. After the pilot was filmed, the producers decided that the chemistry between the two actors wasn’t right, and Anderson was replaced by Mark-Linn Baker (and the character’s name changed from Lou to Larry). In 1988, Anderson had a memorable role in Coming to America (fun fact: the studio told the producers they needed at least one white person in the cast, and Anderson was the funniest white person they could think of). In 1995, Anderson created and produced Fox’s Life with Louie, a Saturday morning animated series based on his childhood. Anderson won two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for Life with Louie. Anderson was then hired to host the syndicated reboot of Family Feud, a job he held for three years. In 2003, he began a nine-year residency in Las Vegas with a stand-up show called Louie: Larger Than Life. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in scripted series such as Ally McBeal and Scrubs, and on game shows like Hollywood Squares and To Tell the Truth. For four seasons beginning in 2016, Anderson played Christine Baskets on FX’s Baskets; this time, he won a Primetime Emmy for his performance. On January 21, 2022, Anderson passed away of complications from large B-cell lymphoma at the age of sixty-eight.

Howard Hesseman

Howard Hesseman was born in Lebanon, Oregon, on February 27, 1940. He attended the University of Oregon and eventually made his way to San Francisco, where he performed with The Committee, an improv troupe whose members included Larry Hankin, Rob Reiner and David Ogden Stiers. In the late 60s, Hesseman found work as a radio DJ, experience that would serve him well several years later when he joined the cast of CBS’s WKRP in Cincinnati as DJ Dr. Johnny Fever. After WKRP ended, Hesseman landed at One Day at a Time as a love interest for Bonnie Franklin’s Ann Romano. In 1986, he was cast as out-of-work actor turned substitute teacher Charlie Moore in ABC’s Head of the Class. After he left Head of the Class in 1990, he reprised his role as Johnny Fever on The New WKRP in Cincinnati. Hesseman worked throughout the 1990s and 2000s, finding roles in movies like Gridlock’d and About Schmidt and television series such as That ’70s Show, House, ER and CSI. Hesseman died on January 29 in Los Angeles from complications of colon surgery; he was eighty-one years old.

“Give it to me straight, Doctor, I can take it!”

Happy Birthday, Michigan!

This post was originally published in 2022 and has been edited for content and clarity.

My beloved home state is celebrating its 186th birthday today, and to mark the occasion, here are a few of my favorite Michigan-born artists and Michigan-set media.

Stevie Wonder

Any number of Michigan-born musicians could have topped this list; Motown Records is just an embarrassment of musical riches. But no single artist has brought me more joy over the course of my lifetime than Stevie Wonder. Born Stevland Hardaway Morris in Saginaw, Wonder moved with his mother and siblings to Detroit when he was four. He was signed to Motown Records at age eleven; Berry Gordy gave him the moniker Little Stevie Wonder. Wonder had his first #1 hit at the age of thirteen with “Fingertips”. He made several of the definitive albums of the 1970s and in the process, won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times in four years (Paul Simon, receiving the award for 1975’s Still Crazy After All These Years, jokingly thanked Wonder for not releasing an album that year). He has won twenty-five Grammys and an Oscar (though the less said about “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, the better), and is an inductee to the Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, and Songwriters Halls of Fame. He is a legend and an icon and simply one of the greatest artists of all time.

My personal favorite Wonder album, Songs in the Key of Life earned Wonder his third Album of the Year Grammy in 1977

Freaks and Geeks

My all-time favorite series would still be so if it were set in another state; the metro-Detroit setting is the extra cherry on top of this ice cream sundae. Paul Feig, who was born and raised in Mount Clemens, created this lovely paean to the rare highs and often excruciating lows of high school life. The cast of then-unknowns included Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillips, and John Francis Daley. The producers’ insistence on original, era-specific tunes meant that the music – by artists like Van Halen, Styx, and Rush – took up a considerable chunk of the show’s budget (and resulted in a frustratingly long delay in getting the series to home video), but it was money well spent. If you’ve never seen this beautiful little one-season wonder, you can stream it on Hulu or Paramount Plus.

“Detroit Rock City” – KISS

“You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City“

The third single from KISS’s 1976 album Destroyer, “Detroit Rock City” failed to chart; somewhat surprisingly, the single’s B-side, “Beth”, became KISS’s best-selling song, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. But “Detroit Rock City” has been a fan favorite for decades, particularly among the band’s fans in the Mitten. The incident the song describes – the death of a fan who was killed in a car accident on his way to a KISS concert – didn’t take place in Detroit; it actually took place in Charlotte, but “Charlotte Rock City” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Madonna

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, and grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. She attended the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship but dropped out in 1978 to move to New York City. Though dreams of becoming a professional dancer brought her to New York, she eventually found herself drawn to music. Her first album, Madonna, was released in 1983; by the end of the decade, she was the top-selling female pop artist in the world (and a movie star to boot). Now in her sixties, Madonna continues to record and perform; her most recent album, 2019’s Madame X, was her ninth #1 in the United States (a subsequent tour was cut short in March 2020 due to COVID). She is a fashion icon, maverick, badass, and the undisputed Queen of Pop.

Madonna and *Desperately Seeking Susan* co-star Rosanna Arquette

Madonna is considered the top video artist of all time; several of her clips, including 1989’s “Express Yourself”, were directed by David Fincher

Grosse Pointe Blank

Budget constraints prevented the filming of this Gen-X cult classic in Michigan, though one aerial shot of Lakeshore Drive was filmed on location in Grosse Pointe. The story centers around John Cusack’s Martin Blank, an assassin who returns to his hometown for his ten-year high school reunion – and to complete one last job before retiring. Come for the lovely chemistry between Cusack and Minnie Driver and the KILLER soundtrack (which includes ’80s bangers like “Blister in the Sun”, “Under Pressure” and “We Care a Lot”); stay for the hilariously unhinged performance by Joan Cusack as Blank’s assistant Marcella.

“America” – Simon and Garfunkel

“‘Kathy’, I said
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now

It took me four days
To hitch-hike from Saginaw
‘I’ve come to look for America‘”

Taken from their #1 album Bookends, Simon and Garfunkel’s gorgeous road trip ode was inspired by a real-life trip Paul Simon took in 1964 with his then-girlfriend Kathy. “America” is one of the duo’s most enduring songs, though it only made it to #97 on the Billboard Hot 100; it enjoyed a resurgence in 2000 when it was used – brilliantly – in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. “America” is one of my all-time favorite songs, combining despair and hope in equal measures; the lyric “I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why” reduces me to tears every time.

The White Stripes

Garage rock has always been a Detroit-area staple (MC5 and Iggy Pop, among many others). In the late 1990s, The White Stripes – former spouses Jack and Meg White – led a garage rock revival, and became one of the defining artists of the 2000s. Their big break came in 2002 when V2 Records reissued their third indie album, White Blood Cells; buoyed by the single “Fell in Love with a Girl” – and its brilliant stop-motion Lego video – the album made it to #61 on the Billboard 200. I had the pleasure of seeing The White Stripes live at the Royal Oak Music Theater that year (on my birthday, no less!); it was astonishing how much noise they could make with just vocals, guitar, and drums. Their subsequent albums, particularly Elephant with its iconic single “Seven Nation Army”, kept them at the forefront of rock throughout the 2000s. Their sixth effort, 2007’s Icky Thump, would be their final album; the duo officially dissolved in 2011. Jack White has continued recording with The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather and as a solo artist. The White Stripes were named the sixth greatest duo of all time by Rolling Stone; the band will be eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

Out of Sight and No Sudden Move

Steven Soderbergh’s delightful crime caper Out of Sight was based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, the so-called “Dickens of Detroit”. Soderbergh returned to a Detroit setting more recently with No Sudden Move. Out of Sight was filmed at several locations in and around Detroit, including the iconic State Theater on Woodward Avenue. No Sudden Move brought Detroit center stage, filming at locations like Rosedale Park, Wayne State University, and Detroit’s Masonic Temple.

“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot

“In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald“

The shipwreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, is the stuff of legend; if you ever find yourself in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point is a must-see. Lightfoot’s song took some artistic liberties with the details of the sinking (for example, the ship was bound for Detroit, not Cleveland), but “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” nonetheless pays touching tribute to the twenty-nine men who lost their lives that day.

Jeff Daniels

Jeff Daniels is the pride of Chelsea, Michigan, one town over from my hometown of Dexter (both cities are west of Ann Arbor). Daniels moved to New York in 1977, where he performed in plays on and off Broadway. He made his film debut in 1981’s Ragtime; he’s co-starred in films such as Something Wild, Dumb and Dumber, Pleasantville, The Hours, Looper, and The Martian. But Daniels has found his greatest success on the small screen, starring in such acclaimed series as The Newsroom, Godless, and The Looming Tower. Daniels moved back to Chelsea in 1986 and has maintained his primary residence there ever since. In 1991, he formed the Purple Rose Theatre Company, named for his 1985 film The Purple Rose of Cairo.

*Speed*, my personal favorite Jeff Daniels movie

Beverly Hills Cop

Obviously, the majority of this 1984 comedy classic is set in Beverly Hills, California, but the event that kicks off the plot – the murder of Detective Axel Foley’s childhood friend Mikey – takes place in Detroit. And unlike many movies set in Detroit, Beverly Hills Cop actually filmed there. The producers even hired Detroit PD Homicide Inspector Gilbert Hill to play Foley’s boss, Inspector Todd, which gave the Detroit scenes even more authenticity.

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley and James Russo as Mikey Tandino

“Especially in Michigan” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Deep in the mitten / Where lions and tigers come running, just to steal your luck”

Lead singer Anthony Kiedis was born and raised in Grand Rapids; he moved to Hollywood at the age of twelve to live with his dad. “Especially in Michigan”, off the Peppers’ 2006 album Stadium Arcadium, is a lovely little ode to Kiedis’s home state. I particularly love the “lions and tigers” line, which is clearly a reference to Detroit’s respective NFL and MLB teams.

Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key was born in Southfield and raised in Detroit. After graduating from the University of Detroit Mercy, he attended Penn State, where he received his Master of Fine Arts. In 2004, he joined the cast of MADtv, where he first met Jordan Peele. After MADtv ended, he and Peele created and starred in Key & Peele for Comedy Central; the legendary sketch comedy show earned two Emmys and a Peabody. Key and Peele also appeared in season one of Fargo. Key has co-starred in films such as Role Models (a favorite of mine), The Lego Movie, and Pitch Perfect 2. He made his Broadway debut in 2017 in Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower and he’ll have a role in the upcoming Willy Wonka adaptation with Timothée Chalamet.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown

This 2002 feature-length documentary about The Funk Brothers, the legendary Motown house band, came about as a way to celebrate the previously uncredited session musicians. Using interviews with the surviving members, archival footage, and performances by the band with guest artists like Joan Osbourne (a personal favorite), Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Gerald Levert, and Ben Harper, Standing in the Shadows of Motown will grab you by both your feet and your feels.

Fun fact: The Funk Brothers recorded more hits than The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley COMBINED.

“Panic in Detroit” – David Bowie

“He laughed at accidental sirens that broke the evening gloom / The police had warned of repercussions, they followed none too soon“

This track off Aladdin Sane was inspired in part by Bowie’s friend Iggy Pop’s experiences during the 1967 Detroit race riots.

Detroit

And finally, while we’re on the subject of the Detroit race riots, we have this criminally underrated Kathryn Bigelow feature about the Algiers Motel incident that occurred on the night of July 25-26, 1967. A terrific young cast is headed by John Boyega and Will Poulter, who is absolutely terrifying as a racist, murderous cop. According to Melvin Dismukes (portrayed by Boyega in the film), Detroit is “99.5% accurate”.

As I was researching this piece, I stumbled upon this playlist created by Interlochen Public Radio (located in the northern lower peninsula, Interlochen is home to a well-renowned arts program whose graduates include Ben Foster, Ed Helms, Norah Jones, Terry Crews, and Anthony Rapp). All of my song choices appear on this list; thought y’all might enjoy it too.

Quick Hits: January 20

Season one of Yellowjackets wrapped on Sunday, and what a doozy it was. As with any great finale, it answered a few of our questions (did Jackie make it back? who emptied Travis’s bank account? will Misty free Jessica?) but left us wanting so much more. The series has already been renewed for a second season, which honestly can’t come soon enough. Stay tuned to Peanut Butter and Julie for complete coverage of my newest obsession.

Sophie Nélisse (teenage Shauna) and Ella Purnell (Jackie)

My husband and I started watching Six Feet Under last week. Neither one of us had ever seen it (having not had HBO until a few years ago, we are now working our way through the streamer’s back catalog). A lovely, macabre meditation on life and death and grief, Six Feet Under perfectly balances the drama with often absurd humor. The performances are fantastic; I especially love Peter Krause as eldest son Nate, who is struggling to find purpose in his life. The writing is top-notch; Alan Ball, then fresh off his Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay for American Beauty, created a complex, fully realized world. I can’t wait to see where this show takes me.

From left, Lauren Ambrose, a pre-*Dexter* Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause and Frances Conroy

The Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this week. The biggest surprise was the omission of Oscar-favorite Kristen Stewart, whose portrayal of Princess Diana in Spencer was one of the best-reviewed performances of the year.

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/2022-sag-awards-nominations-list/

David Lynch was born on this day in 1946. Filmmaker, writer, musician, artist, maverick and all-around wonderful weirdo, Lynch has made some of the most iconic films of the past forty-five years (yes, it’s been that long since his surrealist debut, Eraserhead).

Kyle MacLachlan and Dennis Hopper in *Blue Velvet*

George Burns was born Nathan Birnbaum on this day in 1896. Burns made the transition from vaudeville to radio to television and films, and had a late career resurgence in the 1970s when he starred in films such as Oh, God! and Going in Style. Burns died in 1996 at the age of one hundred.

Burns with wife and frequent collaborator Gracie Allen

I absolutely adored this movie as a kid; it’s available for streaming on HBO Max

Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski were married on this day in 1968. The two met when he directed her in the 1967 film The Fearless Vampire Killers, and though they initially weren’t terribly impressed with each other, they eventually fell in love. Their happiness was cut short when a very pregnant Tate was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult on August 9, 1969.

Meet the Beatles!, The Beatles’ second American album (and the first to be released by Capitol Records) was released on this day in 1964. The week ending February 1, Meet the Beatles! entered the Billboard album chart at #92; two weeks later, after the band’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Meet the Beatles! was the #1 album in the US.

On January 20, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat at a concert in Des Moines, Iowa. Osbourne apparently thought that the bat, which had been thrown onstage by a fan, was a plastic toy. Mark Neal, the fan that brought the bat to the show, claims the bat was dead; Osbourne, who ended up being treated for rabies, has always contended that the bat was not only alive but actually bit him. In 2019, Osbourne commemorated the anniversary of the event with sales of a bat plush toy with detachable head.

2022 Preview, Part II

The Gilded Age

I’m generally not a fan of costume dramas; they tend to be too stuffy for my taste. But with Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, Downton Abbey) at the helm, The Gilded Age should offset any potential stuffiness with a heavy dose of razor-sharp humor. The stellar cast of this HBO series, which premieres on January 24, includes heavy-hitters like Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Donna Murphy, Audra McDonald and Carrie Coon (a personal favorite of mine). SOLD.

Russian Doll Season Two

It’s been nearly three full years since Russian Doll debuted on Netflix. The response was rapturous; the series holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for thirteen Emmy awards. Russian Doll put an inventive spin on the time loop trope, with just enough genuine pathos to balance out the absurdity. And it was all anchored by an astonishing performance from co-creator Natasha Lyonne. Russian Doll was almost immediately renewed but filming was delayed due to the pandemic. Details are few at this time, but we do know that Schitt’s Creek‘s Annie Murphy and District 9‘s Sharlto Copley will join the cast in undisclosed roles.

Elvis

Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet) has a flair for the visually dramatic, so don’t expect this to be a standard musical biopic. Former Disney Channel star Austin Butler (pictured below right) whose most recent film role was Manson family member Tex Watson in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, will play The King. But the movie’s big draw will be Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker. Elvis will open in theaters on June 24 and be available for streaming on HBO Max forty-five days later.

Shining Vale

Shining Vale, scheduled to premiere on Starz on March 6, is a horror-comedy co-created by Jeff Astrof and Catastrophe‘s Sharon Hogan. Courteney Cox, who has experience in both comedy AND horror, stars as Pat Phelps, a writer who moves her dysfunctional family out of the city and into a possibly haunted small-town house. Pat is hoping the change of scenery will provide inspiration for her writing and we all know how well that usually turns out for horror characters. The fabulous supporting cast includes Greg Kinnear, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey, Sherilyn Fenn and Judith Light.

https://youtu.be/tPBLCV41_mI

The way Sherilyn Fenn says “She’s probably not used to having people inside of her” sends shivers down my spine.

Lightyear

Pixar’s upcoming animated feature will explore the fictional origin story of Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger who inspires the action figure in the Toy Story films. Chris Evans will provide the voice of our hero; Taiki Waititi will also appear. Lightyear is scheduled to open on June 17 and will presumably be available on Disney+ later in the year.

The use of David Bowie’s “Starman” here is *chef’s kiss*

From

Science fiction-horror hybrid From will premiere on Epix on February 20. Harold Perrineau, Eion Bailey and Catalina Sandino Moreno will star as travelers who find themselves trapped in a Lovecraftian town with some terrifying nocturnal creatures. From features a Lost reunion between Perrineau and director Jack Bender, while the Russo brothers serve as executive producers.

https://youtu.be/11ngcrNjE2A

The First Lady

Showtime’s The First Lady is an anthology drama series centered on the better halves of the Oval Office occupants. The series will star Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. The supporting cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Dakota Fanning, Kiefer Sutherland, Judy Greer and Lily Rabe.

Disenchanted

The long-awaited sequel to Enchanted will finally arrive on Disney+ this year. Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden and Idina Menzel, reprising their roles from the original film, will be joined by Yvette Nicole Brown, Maya Rudolph, Jayma Mays and Oscar Nunez. Adam Shankman will direct and Alan Menken, who earned three Oscar nods for Enchanted, will compose the score. I adore Enchanted, and I also love the idea of exploring what happens after the “happily ever after”. If you’ve never seen Enchanted, stream it on Disney+ now.

The perfectly cast, Golden Globe-nominated Amy Adams with Patrick Dempsey in *Enchanted*

The Old Man

The Old Man, based on Thomas Perry’s 2017 novel, will star Jeff Bridges as the titular character, an off-the-grid former intelligence officer who is thrust back into his former life when he is targeted for assassination. The outstanding supporting cast includes John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman and Alia Shawkat. Co-creator Jonathan E. Steinberg is best known for the beloved 2006 series Jericho, so expectations will likely be high for this thriller. The Old Man will stream on FX/Hulu sometime this year.

2022 Preview, Part I

We’ve said goodbye to 2021 (good fucking riddance), and now that a new year has arrived, it’s the perfect time to look ahead at what’s to come in the world of pop culture. Partway through this piece, I realized it had gotten too long for a single post; I’ll publish part two in a few days.

Here’s a list of highly anticipated books releasing in the new year, including memoirs from Bob Odenkirk and Hannah Gadsby, novels by Emily St. John Mandel and Emma Straub, and sequels to Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad (a book I highly recommend) and Tom Perrotta’s Election.

https://ew.com/books/most-anticipated-books-of-2022/

Stranger Things 4

There isn’t a single piece of media that I am looking forward to more in 2022 than the long long LONG awaited fourth season of Stranger Things. Season three was released on July 4, 2019; three years is way too long to keep us waiting. Filming on season four originally began early in 2020, but the production was shut down due to COVID-19. Filming finally resumed that fall, but didn’t wrap until just this past summer. In the meantime, fans latched onto every detail we could, from casting (Robert Englund!) to episode titles (what IS “The Hellfire Club”?). Teasers were released throughout 2021 which filled in some of the blanks but always left us wanting more. We still don’t have an actual release date; the final teaser, released on November 6 to coincide with “Stranger Things Day”, just said 2022. Fingers crossed for a spring or summer release.

Knives Out 2

Rian Johnson returns as director and Daniel Craig will reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc. The film will not be a direct sequel to Knives Out, but rather a standalone story à la Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. The new all-star cast of potential suspects includes Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Ethan Hawke, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista. Filming took place over the summer; no word yet on an exact release date.

The Midnight Club

Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Netflix series is an adaptation of Christopher Pike’s YA novel of the same name. The Midnight Club tells the story of a group of terminally ill teens at a hospice who make a pact that the first of them to die will attempt to make contact from beyond the grave. When one of them passes away, well…you can probably guess what happens next. The supporting cast includes frequent Flanagan collaborators Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan and Matt Biedel, as well as Heather Langenkamp. After watching Midnight Mass, I will follow Flanagan anywhere. Production was completed last September; no release date yet.

Babylon

Damien Chazelle’s next feature, set to be released on Christmas Day, is a period drama set in Hollywood’s “Golden Age”. The to-die-for cast includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Katherine Waterston, Olivia Wilde and the incomparable Jean Smart (seriously, can she just be in all the things, please?). If Babylon is as sumptuous as La La Land, we’re in for a real treat.

How I Met Your Father

HIMYM creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays signed on as executive producers of the sequel series, which features Hillary Duff and Kim Catrall as younger and older versions of Sophie. Similar to HIMYM, the older Sophie is telling her kids the story of how her younger self met their dad; unlike HIMYM, whose narrator Bob Saget (RIP) remained unseen for the duration of the series, we will actually see the older version of the character. Sophie’s friends will be played by, among others, GLOW‘s Chris Lowell, Grown-ish‘s Francia Raisa and Life of Pi‘s Suraj Sharma. HIMYM‘s Pamela Fryman directed the pilot (and serves as executive producer), which will be available on Hulu on January 18.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of David Grann’s brilliant true crime book is certain to be one of the year’s best films. The story centers on the murders of Native Americans in Osage County, Oklahoma in the 1920s, and the birth of the FBI in response. Among the stars of the film are Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow. Oscar-winner Eric Roth adapted the screenplay and the legendary Robbie Robertson will compose the score.

Daisy Jones & The Six

One of my favorites of the past few years, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel tells a documentary-style story of bandmates and sometime lovers Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne (think Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham). The casting is spot-on; Riley Keough (Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) is a particularly inspired choice to play Daisy. The book included lyrics to the titular band’s songs; I’m anxiously awaiting the announcement of who will compose the music for those songs. Daisy Jones & The Six will stream on Amazon Prime; no word on a release date yet.

The Woman King

A historical epic set in the Kingdom of Dahomey (located in West Africa in what is now the country of Benin), Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King will star Viola Davis as Nanisca, a general in Dahomey’s all-female military (Dahomey’s male population was depleted by slavery and frequent warfare with neighboring West African countries). The Woman King is scheduled to be released by Sony Pictures on September 16.

Under the Banner of Heaven

Based on Jon Krakauer’s brilliant non-fiction book, which interlaced the origins of the LDS Church with the story of a modern-day murder committed in the name of God by a pair of Mormon fundamentalist brothers, Under the Banner of Heaven will star Andrew Garfield as the devoutly Mormon detective whose faith is shaken by the case. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk), who was raised in the Mormon church, developed the series and adapted the screenplay; Hell or High Water‘s David Mackenzie will direct. The series will air on FX and be available for streaming on Hulu; no release date yet.

Untitled David O. Russell project

Scheduled to be released on November 4, the untitled period film will feature Christian Bale in his third collaboration with Russell, as well as Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldana, Michael Shannon, Chris Rock and Anya Taylor-Joy. Plot details are being kept under wraps at this point, but Russell has made some of my favorite movies of the 21st century so I know this one will be on my “must-watch” list.

Don’t Worry Darling

Olivia Wilde, out to prove that the lovely Booksmart wasn’t a fluke, will direct her second feature film, a 1950s period piece about a young housewife (the divine Florence Pugh) who discovers that the idyllic experimental community in which she and her husband reside harbors all sorts of secrets. The cast of this psychological thriller includes Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, KiKi Layne and Wilde herself. Don’t Worry Darling is set for release on September 23.

My Pop Culture Year

Me, one year ago: “2021 HAS to be better, right?”

2021: “Hold my beer.”

Yeah, I’ll say it – 2021 was a giant dumpster fire. I was happy to say goodbye to it. Obviously, there were some bright points, the brightest being writing Peanut Butter & Julie for you lovely people. But much of 2021 sucked a fat one. As usual in years fraught with anxiety and tension, popular culture – in all its wonderfully diverse forms – was what got me through the day-to-day. So as I look back on 2021, these are some of the stand-outs. This is not by any means a “Best Of” list; some of these weren’t even released in the past year. This is simply a list of some of the movies, series and books that I enjoyed for the first time in 2021.

Mare of Easttown

What to say about HBO’s crime drama that hasn’t already been said? Probably nothing. But every aspect of this limited series – from the writing to the production design to the editing – is just so fucking good. Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) is watching her personal and professional lives fall apart as she attempts to solve the murder of a local teen. Though the central mystery is interesting, the most intriguing facet of the series is Mare herself. Winslet, in a spellbinding, Emmy-winning performance, is masterfully supported by a cast that includes Guy Pearce, her fellow Emmy winners Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson, and the peerless Jean Smart.

Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel

Almost two years into the pandemic, I broke my COVID-era rule about pandemic-related media to finally read Mandel’s gorgeous, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel. Am I ever glad I did. Unlike most post-apocalyptic stories, Station Eleven focuses not on the survival of humanity, but on the preservation of human culture. Spanning multiple timelines and featuring a cast of interconnected characters, Station Eleven is both heartbreaking and uplifting (it’s also the first novel I finished since 2019). My husband and I are four episodes into the terrific HBO Max adaptation, and while he is getting a little antsy for some Mad Max-style action to happen, I am content to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

Soul

Pixar’s Soul is a lovely ode to finding your spark. Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a music teacher who hasn’t given up on his dream of becoming a jazz pianist. On the day of his biggest break yet – a gig with Angela Bassett’s Dorothea Williams – Joe falls down a manhole and finds himself headed to the Great Beyond. Not content to leave his earthly business behind, he escapes to the Great Before and is paired with 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who has spent millennia avoiding being placed in a body. In the film’s funniest scene, we see some of 22’s historical mentors, including Archimedes, Copernicus, Marie Antoinette, Carl Jung, and Muhammad Ali (“You are the greatest…pain in the butt!”). The animation is gorgeous, of course, and the voice work spot-on, but my favorite aspect of Soul is the music. An ambient score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and the jazz sequences were written by Jon Batiste; the three shared the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for their efforts.

The Queen’s Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit was released in the fall of 2020, but we didn’t get around to watching it until early 2021. To be honest, I was skeptical that a series about chess would be all that interesting, but I was so very wrong. Based on the 1983 Walter Tevis novel of the same name, The Queen’s Gambit is exhilarating. The chess sequences, which most experts agree are quite accurate, are electrifying. Every last period detail – costumes, hairstyles, set decor -is exquisite. And it’s all anchored by Anya Taylor-Joy’s riveting performance as Beth Harmon, our extraordinarily gifted and heartbreakingly damaged protagonist. I simply could not keep my eyes off of her. In a rare case of critics and audiences agreeing, The Queen’s Gambit won eleven Primetime Emmys and became one of Netflix’s most-watched series of 2020.

Don’t Look Up

Don’t Look Up is one of the most divisive films of the year, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, the satire is heavy-handed at times, but the A-list cast – led by Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio – more than sells the material. Although Don’t Look Up is clearly intended as a climate change cautionary tale, I couldn’t help but see the similarities to our COVID response: craven, anti-science politicians looking for ways to enrich themselves, their cult-like followers chanting mindless slogans, the vacant-eyed tech billionaire who swoops in with a flashy fix. It’s over-the-top for sure, but it worked for me.

Midnight Mass

Mike Flanagan’s elegy to love and loss and faith overwhelmed me. Critics of the series complained it was too talky, but I was blown away that long sequences of dialogue could be that thrilling – or that unsettling. Midnight Mass is not perfect; the makeup used to age the actors is laughably bad and even I’ll admit that fewer monologues would have improved the pacing. But the series delivers a slow-burn dread – and a few brilliantly placed jump scares – that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. And the cast, led by Zach Gilford and Kate Siegel, more than makes up for any flaws in the material; Hamish Linklater, in particular, gives a mesmerizing, career-defining performance as Father Paul.

No Sudden Move

Steven Soderbergh’s latest is a twisty crime caper with a top-notch cast, including Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Jon Hamm, David Harbour, Ray Liotta and Brendan Fraser (as well as an uncredited cameo from one of Soderbergh’s most frequent collaborators). The storyline kicks off when two gangsters are recruited as part of a blackmail scheme; the target – an accountant for General Motors – seems an unlikely one, at least at first. It all becomes clear in the end, but don’t doze off because the pace is brisk. In the end, No Sudden Move might suffer from one twist too many, but it’s a hell of an entertaining ride nonetheless.

Palm Springs

Groundhog Day meets Bridesmaids, with healthy doses of both sweetness and raunch, Hulu’s Palm Springs is a rom-com with a metaphysical twist. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play stuck-in-time soulmates Nyles and Sarah, who are reliving Sarah’s sister’s wedding day over and over (Nyles is a guest of one of the bridesmaids, Sarah is the maid of honor). Samberg and Milioti are so charming together; their chemistry is authentic and when their characters inevitably fall in love, it feels earned. Unlike Groundhog Day, the two can’t “become a better person” their way out of the time loop, so they play with the boundaries of it instead: they steal an airplane, learn a dance routine, get revenge on Nyles’ cheating girlfriend and a skeezy groomsman, and give each other some very NSFW tattoos. It’s hilarious and heart-warming, and I loved every minute of it.

SERIOUSLY VERY VERY NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK

Fargo series

Fargo debuted in 2014, and I was initially reluctant to watch it; television adaptations of iconic films typically fail to live up to their source material, and Fargo is a film that I LOVE. But then I learned that creator Noah Fawley pitched the series to the Coen brothers, who were so impressed that they signed on as executive producers. Gorgeously shot, flawlessly acted and shockingly violent, Fargo pays perfect homage to the Coens’ darkly comic vision while also maintaining its own unique point of view. The series, which has received more than two hundred nominations and won fifty-one awards (including the prestigious Peabody), is simply one of the best of the past decade.

Yellowjackets

The less you know about Showtime’s bonkers-in-the-best-way Yellowjackets, the better. The series takes place in two timelines: one in 1996 as a girls’ soccer team from New Jersey embarks on an ill-fated trip to nationals and the other in the present, where the now middle-aged women remain haunted by the demons of the past (let’s just say the plane crash isn’t the worst of it). The younger and older versions of each character are perfectly cast; I especially love Christina Ricci and Sammi Hanratty as the team’s bullied (and deliciously sociopathic) equipment manager Misty. And Juliette Lewis is giving an award-worthy performance as Natalie, whose badassery masks a profoundly damaged psyche. One part Lord of the Flies and one part Heathers, Yellowjackets is twisted and terrifying and absurdly entertaining. Word is the creators have a five-year plan for the series and I worry about its shelf life over that many seasons. But for now, I just can’t get enough.

Season’s Greetings

Hello, dear readers. I hope this finds you all safe and healthy. I know I’ve been quiet recently. I had all sorts of fun things planned for the past couple of weeks (including a 50th-anniversary retrospective for A Clockwork Orange, coverage of Christmas-themed films and television episodes, and a list of my favorite Steven Spielberg films in honor of his 75th birthday***). Unfortunately, a plague descended on my house, rendering all non-essential activities moot. Christmas packages went unsent. Laundry and hair went unwashed. Emails went unanswered. Blog posts went unpublished.

Christmas Eve morning, I sent my husband off to spend the holiday with his mother and went to get a COVID test; it was negative, thankfully, and I’m starting to feel like a human being again. I’m finally able to walk my dogs, eat normally, sleep through the night.

In the meantime, the pop culture world kept turning. The incomparable Joan Didion passed away. Oscar-bait films were released (Don’t Look Up features five Oscar winners – Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Mark Rylance – and two more nominees, Jonah Hill and Timothée Chalamet). Spider-Man: No Way Home became the first movie to pass the $1 billion mark since the pandemic began. Mr. Big had a heart attack on a Peloton and Twitter lost its collective mind. The Golden Globe nominations were announced.

*Spider-Man: No Way Home* stars Zendaya and Tom Holland

Rather than try to play catch-up, my plan is to just move forward from this point. So stay tuned, and happy holidays!

*** For the record (in chronological order): Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can.

Quick Hits: December 14

Author Anne Rice passed away over the weekend at the age of eighty. Rice, born Howard Allen Frances O’Brien, sold more than 100 million copies of her books and made the world safe for sexy vampires (no Lestat and Louis = no Edward Cullen, no Angel, no Eric Northman).

Michael Nesmith has died at the age of seventy-eight. At a later time, I’ll delve more into my childhood love of The Monkees and Nesmith specifically; for now I’m struggling to find the right words.

Nesmith (with guitar) with his Monkees bandmates

https://youtu.be/ZkL-w7Q1gvw

That wink at the end is *chef’s kiss*

Not much makes me happier than a holiday-themed baking competition, and Peacock’s Baking It is a recent pleasure. The show is hosted by Andy Samberg and the divine Maya Rudolph, who randomly break into song and generally act like the wonderful goofballs that they are. The judges are a panel of grandmas who drink dirty martinis while the competitors finish their bakes. Baking It is a god damn delight and I highly recommend it.

Speaking of Andy Samberg, today is the fifteenth anniversary of the release of “Dick in a Box”!

On this day in 1969, the Jackson 5 made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Michael, at age eleven the youngest member of the group, stole the show on his way to becoming the undisputed King of Pop.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered on this day in 2015. The film – which earned more than two billion dollars globally – introduced us to a new generation of heroes, including Rey and Finn, while satisfying the Gen-X nostalgia machine with old favorites like Leia, Han and Chewy.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) with BB-8

Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet was released on this day in 1959. Featuring the smash hit “Take Five” (the biggest selling jazz single of all time), Time Out made it to #2 on the Billboard album chart and became the first jazz album to sell a million copies.

“Take Five” is a musical marvel in 5/4 time.

Ocean’s Twenty

“Ten oughta do it, don’t you think? You think we need one more? You think we need one more. All right, we’ll get one more.” – Danny Ocean

“The Eleven”, from left: Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Shaobo Qin, Scott Caan, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner

Steven Soderbergh’s smart, twisty, ludicrously entertaining Ocean’s Eleven came out twenty years ago this week, a fact I can hardly believe (I still think it should be the 1990s for some reason). Ocean’s Eleven is my favorite film of 2001, by a long shot. The performances, the snappy dialogue (the screenplay was written by Ted Griffin), and the brisk pacing (seriously, there is not an ounce of fat in this film) all add up to a movie that delights and entertains from the first frame to the last.

Soderbergh was coming off a pretty awesome 2000; two of his films – Traffic and Erin Brockovich – were released that year to much critical acclaim, a box office total of more than $460 million, and a combined ten Oscar nominations and five wins (Traffic won Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing; Julie Roberts earned the Best Actress prize for her endearing portrayal of the titular character in Erin Brockovich).

Best Actress winner Julia Roberts with *Erin Brockovich* co-stars Conchata Ferrell and Albert Finney

Soderbergh with Michael Douglas on the set of *Traffic*

The point is, Steven Soderbergh was riding high in Hollywood, and after more than ten years as an indie darling, he was now on the A-list. He could choose any project he wanted, and what Soderbergh wanted was to make a film with zero social importance. Ocean’s Eleven felt like a perfect fit, and Soderbergh set about assembling an absurdly talented and likeable cast for his retelling of the “Rat Pack” classic.

Danny Ocean – a handsome, charming con man played by the handsome, charming George Clooney (honestly, could anyone else have played this character?). Danny is looking to make the score of a lifetime – with a heaping side of revenge.
Rusty Ryan – Danny’s friend and right-hand man, Rusty (Brad Pitt) runs logistics for the team. Pitt suggested to Soderbergh that a busy man like Rusty would always be eating on the go, so in almost every scene Rusty is consuming food or a drink. For the scene where Rusty and Linus watch Tess descend down the staircase, Pitt reportedly ate about forty shrimp.
Linus Caldwell – pickpocket and son of legendary conman Bobby Caldwell, Linus was almost played by Mark Wahlberg. Fortunately, Walbergh had a scheduling conflict with Planet of the Apes and chose to star in the latter (he chose…poorly), and Matt Damon landed the role.
Basher Tarr – the munitions man. Some undisclosed behind-the-scenes stuff caused Don Cheadle to request his name be taken off the film, but he returned for the sequels nonetheless. Now about that absolutely terrible Cockney accent. Oof.
Virgil and Turk Malloy – drivers and mechanics. The brothers were initially going to be played by Owen and Luke Wilson, but the two decided to devote their energy to The Royal Tenenbaums; Casey Affleck and Scott Caan were cast instead.
Frank Catton – the dealer, played by the late, great Bernie Mac.
Reuben Tishkoff – the money man, Reuben (Elliott Gould) is retired but Danny and Rusty talk him into joining the team by mentioning Terry Benedict, who had previously muscled Reuben out of Vegas.
Saul Bloom – the old pro, played by the legendary Carl Reiner, who was hired five days before filming his first scene.
Livingston Dell – technical support and surveillance (Eddie Jemison in just his second film role).
“The Amazing” Yen – the greaseman, portrayed by real life professional acrobat/contortionist Shaobo Qin. Qin has never appeared in a movie outside of the Oceans franchise.

From left: Cheadle, Qin, Affleck, Clooney

The main character outside of “The Eleven” is Tess Ocean, Danny’s ex-wife and the current girlfriend of casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Benedict is Danny’s target, but Danny has neglected to divulge Benedict’s relationship status to the rest of the team. Tess is played by Julia Roberts, whose chemistry with Clooney is off-the-charts. Surprisingly, Roberts and Clooney had never met in real life, but George was certain Roberts was the right person for the role. Having just become the first woman to command $20 million for a movie (for Erin Brockovich), Roberts was charmed by Clooney, who sent her a $20 bill along with a note that said “I heard you’re getting 20 a picture”.

Another pair with amazing chemistry is Clooney and Pitt. One of my favorite scenes has Pitt’s Rusty teaching poker to a group of actors playing themselves, including Topher Grace (who’d co-starred in Traffic) and Joshua Jackson, which leads to this fantastic sequence where Rusty and Danny con the gullible group out of several thousand dollars.

An aside: actors LOVE working with Soderbergh. He’s known for his relaxed but swift directorial style; he’ll change a scene’s set-up on the fly, but you better get your lines in one take because Soderbergh is already moving on the next shot. This freewheeling style has actors lining up to make film after film with him. Matt Damon, with nine, has the most Soderbergh collaborations under his belt. In second place, with seven Soderbergh collabs, is Joe Chrest (I know, who? Best known as Stranger Things‘ Ted Wheeler, Chrest made his film debut in Soderbergh’s King of the Hill). Several more actors have made at least five films with Soderbergh, including Damon’s Ocean’s co-stars Clooney, Roberts and Cheadle, as well as Channing Tatum. The actors’ love for each other and for Soderbergh is likely the reason for the absolutely unnecessary but still pretty enjoyable Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.

Cheadle, far left, with Ray Liotta and Benicio del Toro in *No Sudden Move*, Soderbergh’s most recent film

Ocean’s Eleven was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2001 (and Soderbergh’s most commercially successful film ever), with a worldwide box office total of $450 million, and twenty years on it holds up beautifully. From the costumes and production design (both of which were nominated for their respective guild’s year-end awards) to the jazzy score by David Holmes (plus a brilliant pop music soundtrack, with songs like “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley) to the crackling chemistry of the cast, Ocean’s Eleven still hits all the right notes.

One of my favorite uses of classical music in film, “Clair de Lune” is the perfect choice for the fountain scene

Postscript – just a few examples of Rusty eating food: