Blarf, “Film Scores for Films that Don’t Exist” (Spotify)
On Fridays when I take a bath, I like to go through a list of albums that came out that day and find one with a name that jives with my brain and listen to it… with as little research as possible. The first Friday in May, I found this.
Full disclosure: because I use Spotify, I did a quick Google search to make sure this wasn’t an AI band or AI music. It is not. It is exactly what it sounds like, and the “band” Blarf is formed by comedian Eric Fucking Andre.
You read that correctly: Eric Andre. This album might be a masterpiece y’all. It’s so full and chaotic and lives up to its title completely. I would go see this on tour, which I really hope he does.
Roasted Vegetables
Mickey is going out of town for work again (spoiler alert: that job did NOT last, and now the Professor Haus truly lives up to its name), and the first week he was gone, I did something I never do. I ate the exact same thing for lunch and dinner every single day. On the Monday he left, I carried myself up to the local Middle Eastern grocery and got a pan of chicken and rice and a fuck ton of root vegetables (and also some ice cream sandwiches, okay?).
The first night I had chicken and (all of the) rice. I used the chicken to make chicken salad for lunch the rest of the week. Then I chopped up all the root vegetables and roasted the heck outta them. THEN I used the chicken bones and veggie scraps to make two Cool Whip containers full of stock.
Every afternoon I had chicken salad and crackers, and every night I had a big ol bowl of roasted veggies.
It was so yummy, y’all.
“Stumble” (Peacock)
I watched this show in two days, and the next day it got canceled. I was really bummed because this show was GREAT. I try to make an effort to watch at least one traditional Network Comedy every year, and this was it. My fingers are crossed that some other network picks this up.
Oscar Montoya (“Gladlands”, DropoutTV)
This was a 6-episode bop of a Dimension 20 season, y’all. During those roughly twelve hours, I fell in love with Oscar Montoya. What a damn talent! I’d seen him on other Dropout shows, but something about the care he gave his Gladlands character touched me deep down inside.
British TV Shows Set in Florida (Britbox)
This is a phenomenon I noticed during my short-lived Britbox subscription. They have a healthy number of British shows set in Florida. The first one we watched, “Living the Dream,” was about a family who moved to Florida to own and run an RV park. Of course, the park wasn’t as advertised, and the inhabitants were Floridians. This is two seasons and worth a watch. It’s not great or award-worthy, but it is fun as hell to see how Brits depict Floridians.
Now, the other show we watched IS awards-worthy. It’s called “Twenty Twenty Six,” and I chose it solely because of the incredible cover image. It just tickled my brain just right, so we put it on. It’s about the World Cup planning committee and is set in Miami. This was GREAT. Quick watch, one season, and had me repeating lines for days.
“The Warriors” (AMC+)
Just a good movie. I will never tire of this film and am really excited to see Lin-Manuel Miranda bring his concept album to Broadway. I can’t wait to see who gets cast as Luther, cause Luther has the best songs.
“Suffs” (Broadway Pro-Shot on PBS “Great Performances” YouTube Channel)
Pause whatever you’re doing for 2.5 hours and watch this. It’s incredible, and sad to know just how recent all this history was. I love live theater, and I’m thrilled that more and more shows are getting Pro-Shots. I’d much rather a pro-shot theatrical production than a movie version of a play or musical.
I mean, obviously, I’d much rather high-quality theater productions be more affordable and accessible to the masses, but we can barely make Oscar-winning movies without the aid of AI (Looking at you, “The Brutalist”), so there’s not much hope there.
All of the performances in Suffs were breathtaking, and I was teary-eyed within the first 5 minutes.
I stayed that way throughout the entire viewing. I also gained a healthy dose of Woodrow Wilson hate because of this show.
Kimchee (“Kim’s Convenience“, Netflix)
I’ve watched this entire series at least twice through, and this time Kimchee really hit me in the feels. He’s so positive and a good friend to everyone… even his roommate’s parents.
I will say that the final season was kind of trash and didn’t match the vibe of those that led up to it.
Canton, Ohio
You might have spied all my blog posts from a couple weeks ago and discovered (much like I did) that I love Canton, Ohio. I still owe y’all the blog of my final day in Stark County that includes trolls and one of the best meals of the trip.
Michael Rappaport on “Boston Public”
Look, I know Michael Rappaport pretty much sucks nowadays. I used to always have a really soft feeling for him until he just got too squicky to be a fan. I couldn’t, however, remember why I even liked him in the first place.
When he showed up in season 2 of “Boston Public,” I sighed aggressively. I didn’t want this asshole in my socially conscious high school show. But then, I kind of fell in love with his rough-around-the-edges character, Danny Hanson. His first season was rough; he did some out-there lessons with his students, but throughout, one thing has stayed the same. Danny Hanson has a good heart and truly wants the best for his students. And Michael Rappaport’s portrayal is genuinely good. This might be the role of his career. I still don’t like modern-day Rappaport, though, which now makes me sad all over again.
I’m midway through the final season and have loved this trip down memory lane so much, y’all.
“I Love Boosters” (Theaters, worth the money)
Boots Riley is one of my current favorite filmmakers and television makers and music makers and troublemakers, I guess. Go see this one in the theaters if you can. If you haven’t seen “Sorry to Bother You” yet, I recommend watching it first so you get a feel for the Boots Riley Style.
“Every Brilliant Thing” (HBOMax)
This show is currently running on Broadway, currently starring Marska Hagerty, formerly starring Daniel Radcliffe and, uh, futurely starring Tracee Ellis Ross. I was looking for pro-shot Broadway shows the other day and saw that the 2014 off-Broadway run was on HBOMax; I put it on immediately.
This is an incredibly written show. I was emotional almost immediately and spent the entire hour(ish) on a symphony of emotions. Any talented actor could play this role. Just a brilliant piece of art. Highly, highly recommend.
Jam (my kitchen)
I came into a wealth of apricots the other day, ate a couple, then made some jam. I have never made jam, despite that being my initials for my entire life. It was easy, messy, and delicious. The process also broke my candy thermometer somehow. No worries, though. I ordered a new one and then another new one (with less features) that I will use exclusively for jam.
Because y’all, I’ma be making a lot of jam, I think. Got any fruit suggestions?
“The Audacity” (AMC+)
I got three episodes into this show and messaged one of my “good TV taste” friends with this message: “I am three episodes into this show, and I think it might be truly great”. Like in the same vein that “Halt and Catch Fire” was great, even though there is no Nick Pupo in “The Audacity”.
That’s okay, though, cause there is a Rob Corddry in what might be the role of his life. He plays a vet, in a serious drama role, and just knocks it out of the park. It is a stressful AF show, but my body and brain enjoy that very much. It was great to look at; all of the performances were stellar, and I was INTO the story the entire time.
Season 2 ASAP, plz.
