We have to do better, America. We can do better.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized


It’s Monday and it is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

(Visit Morgan Freeman’s page today for his readings from some of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most inspiring speeches.)

I’m putting the political news to the side today. I don’t want anything to diminish what this day is and about, especially right now in this powder keg of a moment in American history. Instead, I am trying to find hope in these children, competing in the 25th Annual Foley & Lardner MLK Jr. Oratory Competition, here in Houston, Dallas, and Chicago. 

Houston Winner Vivianna Serna:

I know that it is facile to believe that we might be able to find our way out of this mess one day just because these kids are so eloquent and hopeful while also being clear-eyed about the world around them. I also know that it is not their responsibility to fix this problem “someday” — it’s our problem, right now, for us to confront for them. But I am grateful for their passion and their optimism, and I hope they keep both of those flames alive in spite of a world that will want to crush them.

It’s a long hard road ahead of us — longer than I believe some of us were willing to admit before the events of January 6. But we can’t ignore the fact that White Supremacy is alive and well in our country and we can’t afford to pretend it’s not actually a threat to the very existence of the great American experiment any longer. It’s not enough to tweet out a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. and forget about him for another year, it’s time for some very difficult, painful conversations and real action and reforms. I genuinely hope that when the Democrats take leadership of the Senate sometime this week, the first piece of legislation they pass is House Bill 1, which addresses voter access and registration, election security and integrity, political spending and ethics reforms for all three branches of government, and which has been sitting untouched on Mitch McConnell’s desk since March, 2019. Let’s stop talking about making change and do it already.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, America. It’s long past time to get our shit together.

Going Viral

According to Johns Hopkins, we will probably surpass 400,000 American deaths sometime in the next 24 hours. (According to Worldometer, we already have.)

Hey, remember when the Orange Stain Administration promised they were going to release all the vaccines immediately (after President-Elect Joe Biden announced that they were going to do so on Day One)? Yeah, it didn’t have any more doses to distribute. It was all a lie.

Oh, and this is amazing: Plenty of small business owners were stiffed on PPP loans last spring, but five organizations — the National Vaccine Information Center, Mercola Com Health Resources, Informed Consent Action Network, the Children’s Health Defense Co., and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center — received a total of over $850,000 in PPP loans. Here’s the punchline: these are all anti-vaxxer organizations. GOING INTO MY ZEN PLACE WHERE I COUNT DOWN THE HOURS UNTIL JOE BIDEN IS INAUGURATED. 45 HOURS AND COUNTING.

But now some good news:

National treasure Steve Martin has been vaccinated (and made a joke about it that some people are mad about but they can just stay mad as far as I am concerned):

As has Houston’s George Foreman:

And, thank God, Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn have both received the first dose:

And now less positive news (or … actually … MORE positive news — just not in a good way)

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns has tested positive, just nine months after losing his mother to this virus.

Liv Tyler revealed that she had the virus:

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called out rapper Bow Wow for holding a maskless concert here in town on Friday night:

And then Bow Wow took it personally and whined that Mayor Turner “hates” him.

So it turned into a whole thing:

Hey, Bow Wow? Grow up unless you want us to go back to calling you “Lil’ Bow Wow” again.

And Tiffany Haddish? Spreading COVID conspiracy theories and attacking the doctors who call you out on your bullshit? NOT HELPFUL.

The United Kingdom has removed TV and film productions from their travel exemption lists.

All Other TV News

Look, technically the inauguration news should probably be left under “Political Crap,” but I don’t want to sully it there and also, the inauguration is going to be a televised event so get off my back. Anyway, you missed the “We the People” concert yesterday, featuring performances by Cher, James Taylor, Ben Harper, Barbra Streisand, Will.i.am, Fall Out Boy, and DJ Cassidy, among others. And by “you,” I mean “me.”

On Wednesday, following the swearing-in, “Parade Across America,” a virtual event will replace the traditional Inauguration Day Parade:

Tony Goldwyn will host, and other performers include The New Radicals, reuniting for the first time in 22 years; DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic, featuring Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Kathy Sledge, The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, The Washington Chorus and The Triumph Baptist Church Choir; Olympic athletes Nathan Chen, Allyson Felix and Katie Ledecky; skateboarder Nathan Apodaca, also known as DoggFace; a Dance Across America, led by Kenny Ortega with 275 participants in 30 states and two territories; the Ryan Martin Foundation, a wheelchair basketball program; and the United States Coast Guard Band and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. Day’s performance will feature figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders, known as The Skate Kid

This is happening:

John Barrowman stirred up Twitter last week by visiting the shrine to Ianto. Don’t worry if that sentence means absolutely nothing to you, it’s fine, I promise, it just means you’re not a Torchwood/Doctor Who nerd.

The You’re The Worst cast is reuniting on January 31 for a table read to raise money for Feeding America. I miss those terrible kids.

Happy to see Dr. Dre back at home after a terrible health scare.

Cancellations

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • Young Rock will debut on NBC on February 16.

  • Kenan will premiere on NBC on February 16.
  • Game of Talents will premiere on Fox sometime in March.
  • The Walking Dead has announced everything coming out in 2021.

  • A Closer Look with Brian McKnight will premiere on ALLBLK on January 21.
  • HBO Max has announced dates for Godzilla vs. Kong: March 26; Mortal Kombat: April 16 and The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It: June 4. They will be released on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously.
  • Crikey! It’s the Irwins will debut on Discovery+ on February 7.

R.I.P.

Neil Mahoney, Emmy-nominated editor of Drunk History and Key & Peele

Philip Smith, Former CEO of Broadway’s Shubert Organization

Phil Spector, Murderer and music producer

WATCH THIS

9-1-1: The crew has to rescue passengers from a bus that has crashed into a building several stories in the air. 9-1-1 is back, y’all! Season premiere. 7 p.m., Fox

9-1-1: Lone Star: Meanwhile, in Austin, a tank is on the loose downtown (hey, remember when that actually happened in San Diego that one time?) Season premiere. 8 p.m., Fox

All American: An interview Spencer gave is published and it upsets his old teammates in the season premiere. 7 p.m., The CW

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Alex Rodriguez, Spike Lee, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis featuring Babyface
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: James Spader, Anthony Atamanuik, Julia Michaels, Sarah Thawer
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Sen. Cory Booker, Infinity Song
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Dua Lipa, Cynthia Erivo, Local Natives featuring Sharon Van Etten
  • Conan: Bob Newhart
  • Watch What Happens Live: Isabelle “Izzy” Wouters, Elizabeth Frankini
  • A Little Late with Lily Singh: Gitanjali Rao

MON. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Bachelor
(new)		 The Good Doctor
(new)
CBS The Neighborhood
(new)		 Bob ♥ Abishola
(new)		 Let’s Make a Deal Primetime
(new)		 Bull
(new)
CW All American
(new)		 Batwoman
(repeat)		 Local
FOX 9-1-1
(new)		 9-1-1: Lone Star
(new)		 News/Local
NBC Ellen’s Game of Games
(new)		 The Wall
(new)		 Weakest Link
(new)

Leave a Reply