Retro Television Reviews: Hang Time 5.9 “Tolerance” and 5.10 “Big Brother Blues”


Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing Hang Time, which ran on NBC from 1995 to 2000.  The entire show is currently streaming on YouTube!

This week, many important lessons are learend.

Episode 5.9 “Tolerance”

(Directed by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on November 13th, 1999)

Even though none of them have ever been seen or mentioned over the course of the previous 87 episodes, the episode reveals that Deering High is home to several students who dress in black, wear black eye-liner, and who hang out at a coffeehouse called The Morgue.

I know what you’re thinking.  They’re Goths, right?

No, according to Hang Time, they’re called Grotes, which is short for Grotesques.  Uhmmm …. okay.  Was Grote actually a term that was used in 1999?  Maybe it’s an Indiana thing.  Who knows?

Anyway, everyone at school is scared of the Grotes, which makes it awkward when Kristy is assigned to work with one of them for her science class.  At first, Syd (Alicia Lagano) dismisses Kristy as just being a typical popular cheerleader but she’s impressed with Kristy actually shows up at the Morgue.  Kristy learns that the Grotes are human underneath all of their dark makeup and she also realizes that her two best friends are incredibly shallow when they start making fun of the Grotes.  While it’s in character for Mary Beth to be judgmental of someone else’s fashion choices, I was a little bit surprised to see that the show portrayed Julie as being equally close-minded.  Usually, Julie is portrayed as being a near-saint.  You would think that, with all trouble Julie has supposedly had getting people to accept her as a basketball player, she would be a bit less …, well, mean.  Mary Beth makes fun of the Grotes for wearing too much makeup.  Julie goes as far as to say that the Grotes should expect to be picked on if they’re going to insist on being so different.

Kristy decides to teach her friends a lesson by dressing up like a Grote.  At first, Julie and Mary Beth are shocked to see Kristy dressed in black and wearing too much eyeliner.  Later, they’re stunned to learn that Kristy has been beaten up by two non-Grote bullies.  At the homecoming dance, Mary Beth is elected Homecoming Queen and she spends her acceptance speech apologizing for judging the Grotes.  She gives her crown to Kritsy as way to thank Kristy “for teaching me about tolerance.”  The audience goes, “Awwwww!” but it’s hard not to notice that none of the Grotes are at the dance.

Meanwhile, Eugene is dating a woman who has graduated from college!  It turns out that he lied to her about his age.  Despite the fact that everything about Eugene screams “High School Sophomore!,” Eugene convinces her that he’s a college student.  But then Eugene’s girlfriend (Veronica Lauren) is hired to teach at the school!  Uh-oh!  Is Deering about to become a crime scene?  Fear not.  It turns out that Eugene’s girlfriend is a genius who graduated from high school when she was 12 and is only 16 years old.  Uhmm, okay.

This episode aired a year after “A Guy and a Goth,” the episode of City Guys where Chris dated a goth girl and briefly dressed up like a goth himself.  This is actually a rare example of City Guys handling a topic better than Hang Time.  First off, City Guys actually used the term “goth” as opposed to “grote.”  As well, there’s something painfully self-congratulatory about the Hang Time version of this story.  Mary Beth apologizes to the Grotes but there aren’t any Grotes at the dance so it’s not really going to do them a lot of good.  In the end, the audience said “awwwww,” not because Mary Beth was being tolerant but because Kristy, Mary Beth, and Julie agreed to still be friends.

How much you want to bet that we’ll never see Eugene’s girlfriend or the Grotes again?

Episode 5.10 “Big Brother Blues”

(Directed by Miguel Higuera, originally aired on November 20th, 1999)

The Tornadoes are one victory away from making the playoffs!

Yes, apparently, the Tornadoes have been having another successful season.  Up until this episode, we really haven’t heard much about Deering’s latest season.  I imagine this is because Season 5 and 6 were originally meant to be one season before NBC decided to not only split the show’s final 26 episodes into two seasons but also to show the episodes out of order.  Just judging from the episode descriptions that are available on Wikipedia, it appears that most of the basketball episodes were moved to the sixth season.

Anyway, as I said, the Tornadoes are once again one game away from making the playoffs.  However, they have to defeat the Mustangs, a team that Deering hasn’t defeated in over 11 years.  The team is convinced that they’re jinxed.  Coach K. brings in a “jinx exorcist” who works with the NBA.  He dramatically banishes the jinx from the locker room.  With their confidence intact, the Tornadoes dominate the first half.  However, at halftime, they discover that the jinx exorcist was just some random guy that Coach K paid to fool them.  The Tornadoes lose their confidence and nearly lose the game.  In the end, thanks to Silk’s final shot, the Tornadoes win by …. you guessed it …. one point!

Meanwhile, Michael and Silk sign up for the Big Brother program and are assigned to spend time with a kid named Daniel.  Daniel loves hanging out with Michael and Silk but it turns out that Daniel’s mom is a racist who doesn’t want her son to hang out with anyone black.  Daniel still comes to the game but, after the Tornadoes win, he’s dragged away by his mom.  Daniel runs back into the locker room to give Silk a hug but it’s pretty clear that the two of them will never see each other again,

What a sad ending!

This episode featured both Mary Beth and Julie talking about how much they hate it when people are judged by how they look.  Interestingly enough, no one says, “You mean like how you judged the Grotes?”  That said, it was a heartfelt episode with a good message and Danso Gordon does a good job of portraying Silk’s anger and sadness.  The final scene was far more moving that what one would typically expect of a Peter Engel-produced sitcom.

Next week: the team gets cocky!

Monday Live Tweet Alert: Join Us For Parts: The Clonus Horror and Men In Black!


As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We snark our way through it.

Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be 1979’s Parts: The Clonus Horror I picked it so you know it’ll be good.

Following #MondayActionMovie, Brad and Sierra will be hosting the #MondayMuggers live tweet.  We will be watching 1997’s Men In Black!  The film is on Prime!

It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in.  If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, pull up Parts: The Clonus Horror on YouTube, start the movie at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag!  Then, at 10 pm et, switch over to Twitter and Prime, start Men In Black, and use the #MondayMuggers hashtag!  The live tweet community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.   

What If Lisa Marie Had All The Power: 2023 Emmys Edition


The Emmy Nominations are due to be announced tomorrow so it’s time for the Shattered Lens to play a game that should be familiar to our longtime readers, What If Lisa Marie Had All The Power.

Below, you’ll find my personal Emmy nominations.  Keep in mind, these are not necessarily the shows and performers who I think will be nominated, though a few definitely will be.  Instead, these are my personal picks.  This is what would be nominated if I had all the power.

Now, there’s a lot of Emmy categories.  I went through the Emmy submissions and I picked nominees for every single category.  However, in the interest of space, I can’t list all of them in this post.  Instead, below, you’ll find my picks for the major categories.  If you want to see the complete list of my nominees, you can see it by clicking here!

Looking over my full list of nominees, you’ll see that there are some shows that I really, really liked.  Those shows include A Small Light, Poker Face, The English, Andor, The Traitors, Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, Making the Cut, Wednesday, Better Call Saul, Barry, The Bear, Bob’s Burgers, South Park, Beef, Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe, Black Bird, Atlanta, Five Days At Memorial, Daisy Jones and the Six, Prey, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, The Amazing Race, and The Last Thing He Told Me.  Interestingly enough, a lot of my favorite shows aired their final season over the past year.  I look forward to seeing what replaces Barry and Better Call Saul in my annual Emmy line-ups.

Here are my picks for the major categories, with my winners in bold!

Animation

Outstanding Animated Program

Archer — “The Big Con” (FX)

Bob’s Burgers — “Plight Before Christmas” (FOX)

Harley Quinn — “Batman Begins Forever” (Max)

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butthead — “Meditation Suck/Polling Place” (Paramount Plus)

Rick & Morty — “Night Family” (Adult Swim)

South Park — “World Wide Privacy Tour” (Comedy Central)

Documentary

Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special

Bama Rush (Max)

Elmore Leonard: But Don’t Try To Write (PBS)

Inside High Noon (PBS)

Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix)

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)

The Princess (HBO)

Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (Apple TV+)

Serial Killer Capitol: Baton Rogue (Peacock)

Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl (Netflix)

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series

American Masters (PBS)

Artful (BYUTv)

Cold Case Files (Netflix)

Cold Justice (Oxygen)

Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields (Netflix)

MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (Netflix)

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (Hulu)

Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 (Netflix)

The U.S. and the Holocaust (PBS)

Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix)

Host

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program

Alan Cumming for The Traitors (Peacock)

Cat Deeley for So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)

Phil Keogan for The Amazing Race (CBS)

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn for Making The Cut (Prime)

Jennifer Nettles for Farmer Wants A Wife (Fox)

Jon Taffer for Bar Rescue (Paramount)

Outstanding Host For A Game Show

Wayne Brady for Let’s Make A Deal (CBS)

Brooke Burns for Master Minds (GSN)

Drew Carey for The Price Is Right (CBS)

Pat Sajak for Wheel of Fortune (CBS)

Performer

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Utkarsh Ambudkar in Ghosts (CBS)

Donald Glover In Atlanta (FX)

Bill Hader in Barry (HBO)

Ralph Macchio in Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Steve Martin in Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Jason Segel in Shrinking (AppleTV+)

Martin Short in Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Jason Sudiekis in Tad Lasso (AppleTV+)

Jeremy Allen White in The Bear (Hulu)

William Zabka in Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Penn Badgley in You (Netflix)

Jeff Bridges in The Old Man (Hulu)

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone (Paramount)

Harrison Ford in 1923 (Paramount Plus)

Diego Luna in Andor (Disney+)

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us (HBO)

Matthew Rhys in Perry Mason (HBO)

Michael Shannon in Waco: The Aftermath (Showtime)

Dominic West in The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited or Anthology Series

Steve Carell in The Patient (Hulu)

Joe Cole in A Small Light (National Geographic)

Taron Egerton in Black Bird (Apple TV+)

Jesse Eisenberg in Fleishman Is In Trouble (Hulu)

Jake Lacey in A Friend of the Family (Peacock)

Eric McCormack in Slasher: Ripper (Shudder)

Ewan McGregor in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)

Kumail Nanjiani in Welcome to Chippendale’s (Hulu)

Chaske Spencer in The English (Prime)

Steven Yeun in Beef (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Movie

Bryan Cranston in Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount)

Josh Duhamel in Shotgun Wedding (Prime)

Andy Garcia in Father of the Bride (Max)

Kelsey Grammer in 12 Days of Christmas Eve (Lifetime)

Dennis Quaid in On A Wing and Prayer (Prime)

Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Christina Applegate in Dead To Me (Netflix)

Rachael Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime)

Quinta Brunson in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Linda Cardellini in Dead To Me (Netflix)

Anna Gasteyer in American Auto (ABC)

Selena Gomez in Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Natasha Lyonne in Poker Face (Peacock)

Rose McIver in Ghosts (CBS)

Jenna Ortega in Wednesday (Netflix)

Melissa Rauch in Night Court (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Tawny Cypress in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Juliette Lewis in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Melanie Lynesky in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Helen Mirren in 1923 (Paramount Plus)

Sophie Nelisse in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Kelly Reilly in Yellowstone (Paramount)

Charlotte Ritchie in You (Netflix)

Keri Russell in The Diplomat (Netflix)

Imelda Staunton in The Crown (Netflix)

Roselyn Sanchez in Fantasy Island (Fox)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited or Anthony Series

Emily Blunt in The English (Prime)

Lizzy Caplan in Fleishman Is In Trouble (Hulu)

Whitney Cummings in Accused (Fox)

Vera Farmiga in Five Days At Memorial (Apple TV+)

Jennifer Garner in The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV+)

Riley Keogh in Daisey Jones and the Six (Prime)

Elizabeth Olsen in Love and Death (Max)

Bel Powley in A Small Light (National Geographic)

Naomi Watts in The Watcher (Netflix)

Ali Wong in Beef (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Movie

Annette Bening in Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount Plus)

Danai Gurira in Richard III (Great Performance) (PBS)

Jennifer Lopez in Shotgun Wedding (Prime)

Amber Midthunder in Prey (Hulu)

Angourie Rice in Honor Society (Paramount Plus)

Sidney Sweeney in Reality (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Benjamin Bratt in Poker Face (Peacock)

Anthony Carrigan in Barry (HBO)

William Stanford Davis in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Harrison Ford in Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Thomas Ian Griffith in Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Brian Tyree Henry in Atlanta (FX)

James Marsden in Jury Duty (Freevee)

Stephen Root in Barry (HBO)

Tyler James Williams in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Henry Winkler in Barry (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama

Jonathan Banks in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Timothy Dalton in 1923 (Paramount Plus)

Giancarlo Esposito in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Cole Hauser in Yellowstone (Paramount)

John Lithgow in The Old Man (Hulu)

Johnny Lee Miller in The Crown (Netflix)

Jonathan Pryce in The Crown (Netflix)

Stellan Skargard in Andor (Disney+)

Kyle Soller in Andor (Disney+)

Elijah Wood in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited or Anthology Series

Murray Bartlett in Welcome to Chippendale’s (Hulu)

Hayden Christensen in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)

Colin Hanks in A Friend of the Family (Peacock)

Paul Walter Hauser in Black Bird (AppleTV+)

Richard Jenkins in Monster: Dahmer — The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)

Greg Kinnear in Black Bird (AppleTV+)

Ray Liotta in Black Bird (AppleTV+)

Robert Pine in Five Days At Memorial (AppleTV+)

Stephen Rea in The English (Prime)

Liev Schrieber in A Small Light (National Geographic)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In Movie

Julian Black Antelope in Prey (Hulu)

Marchant Davis in Reality (HBO)

Dane DiLiegro in Prey (Hulu)

Josh Hamilton in Reality (HBO)

Cheech Marin In Shotgun Wedding (Prime)

Rainn Wilson in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Zazie Beetz in Atlanta (FX)

Alex Borstein in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime)

Sarah Goldberg in Barry (HBO)

Janelle James in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Danielle Pinnock in Ghosts (CBS)

Sheryl Lee Ralph in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Kristen Schaal in What We Do In The Shadows (FX)

Juno Temple in Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Lisa Ann Walter in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Rebecca Wisocky in Ghosts  (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Amy Brenneman in The Old Man (Hulu)

Carol Burnett in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Elizabeth Debicki in The Crown (Netflix)

Denise Gough in Andor (Disney+)

Samantha Hanratty in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Lesley Manville in The Crown (Netflix)

Christina Ricci in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Rhea Seehorn in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Sophie Thatcher in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Olivia Williams in The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited or Anthology Series

Annaleigh Ashford in Welcome to Chippendale’s (Hulu)

Maria Bello in Beef (Netflix)

Billie Boullet in A Small Light (National Geographic)

Ashley Brooke in A Small Light (National Geographic)

Clair Danes in Fleishman Is In Trouble (Hulu)

Li Eubanks in Mike (Hulu)

McKenna Grace in Friend of the Family (Peacock)

Cherry Jones in Five Days At Memorial (Apple TV+)

Juliette Lewis in Welcome to Chippendale’s (Hulu)

Anna Paquin in Friend of the Family (Peacock)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Movie

Jennifer Coolidge in Shotgun Wedding (Prime)

Gloria Estefan in Father of the Bride (Max)

Spencer Grammer in 12 Days of Christmas (Lifetime)

Melissa Joan Hart in Dirty Little Secret (Lifetime)

Julianne Nicholson in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Evan Rachel Wood in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

Matthew Baynton in Ghosts (CBS)

Jon Bernthal in The Bear (Hulu)

Eric Berryman in Atlanta (FX)

Adrian Brody in Poker Face (Peacock)

Paul Walter Hauser in Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Luke Kirby in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime)

Joel McHale in The Bear (Hulu)

Tim Meadows in Poker Face (Peacock)

Nick Nolte in Poker Face (Peacock)

Matt Walsh in Ghosts (CBS)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series

Murray Bartlett in The Last of Us (HBO)

Bryan Cranston in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Timothy Dalton in The Crown (Netflix)

Tony Dalton in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Bruce Davison in 1923 (Paramount Plus)

Joel Grey in The Old Man (Hulu)

Greg Grunberg in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

Nick Offerman in The Last of Us (HBO)

Aaron Paul in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Andy Serkis in Andor (Disney+)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series

Ellen Barkin in Poker Face (Peacock)

Clea DuVall in Poker Face (Peacock)

Ayo Edebiri in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Lisa Gilroy in Jury Duty (Freevee)

Sian Heder in Barry (HBO)

Taraji P. Henson in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Judith Light in Poker Face (Peacock)

S. Epatha Merkson in Poker Face (Peacock)

Chloe Sevigny in Poker Face (Peacock)

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Wednesday (Netflix)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series

Betsy Brandt in Better Call Saul (AMC)

Claire Foy in The Crown (Netflix)

Christine Hakim in The Last of Us (HBO)

Vanessa Kirby in The Crown (Netflix)

Melanie Lynseky ih The Last Of Us (HBO)

Natascha McElhone in The Crown (Netflix)

Nico Parker in The Last of Us (HBO)

Ashley Platz in Yellowstone (Paramount)

Ella Purnell in Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Fiona Shaw in Andor (Disney+)

Program

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Atlanta (FX)

Barry (HBO)

The Bear (Hulu)

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Ghosts (CBS)

Jury Duty (Freevee)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime)

Poker Face (Peacock)

Wednesday (Netflix)

Outstanding Drama Series

Andor (Disney+)

Better Call Saul (AMC)

The Crown (Netflix)

House of the Dragon (HBO)

The Last of Us (HBO)

1923 (Paramount Plus)

The Old Man (Hulu)

Perry Mason (HBO)

Waco: The Aftermath (Showtime)

Yellowstone (Paramount)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Program

Beef (Netflix)

Black Bird (Apple TV+)

Daisey Jones and the Six (Prime)

The English (Prime)

Fives Days At Memorial (Apple TV+)

Fleishman Is In Trouble (Hulu)

A Friend of the Family (Peacock)

The Last Thing He Told Me (Apple TV+)

Slasher: Ripper (Shudder)

A Small Light (National Geographic)

Outstanding Television Movie

Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe (Paramount Plus)

Father of the Bride (MAX)

Honor Society (Paramount Plus)

Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount Plus)

On A Wing and Prayer (Prime)

Prey (Hulu)

Shotgun Wedding Prime)

Sick (Peacock)

The 12 Days of Christmas Eve (Lifetime)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku)

Outstanding Talk Series

Hart to Heart (Peacock)

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

The Talking Dead (AMC)

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

Outstanding Scripted Variety Program

Amazon Music Live (Prime)

Studio C (BYUTv)

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna (Fox)

Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (Netflix)

The Oscars (ABC)

29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (YouTube)

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks (Netflix)

The Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (Shudder)

Richard III (Great Performances) (PBS)

South Park: The 25th Anniversary Concert (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series

I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson (Netflix)

The Party (YouTube)

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series

A Look Inside Five Days At Memorial (Apple TV+)

Tasting Wild (National Geographic)

Yellowjackets: Behind the Buzz (Showtime)

Yellowstone: Tales From The Bunkhouse (Paramount Network)

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series

History’s Greatest Mysteries (History Channel)

On Patrol: Live (Reelz)

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow (PBS)

Bachelor in Paradise (ABC)

Bar Rescue (Paramount)

60 Days In (A&E)

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

Intervention (A&E)

Married At First Sight (Lifetime)

Naked and Afraid (Discovery)

Selling Sunset (Netflix)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race (CBS)

The Circle (Netflix)

Dancing With The Stars (Disney+)

Farmer Wants A Wife (FOX)

The Floor is Lava (Netflix)

Hell’s Kitchen (FOX)

Making the Cut (Amazon Prime)

So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)

Survivor (CBS)

Traitors (Peacock)

Outstanding Game Show

Let’s Make a Deal (CBS)

Master Minds (GSN)

The Price is Right (CBS)

Wheel of Fortune (CBS)

Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott reunite for the Napoleon Trailer!


With a little help from Radiohead’s The National Anthem (off Kid A, a fantastic album in its own right), Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix are back in the saddle. The trailer for Napoleon seems to be pretty epic in scope. I’m hoping this is will be more along the lines of Gladiator and my favorite, Kingdom of Heaven.

Napoleon also stars Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible: Fallout), and will premiere in theatres this Thanksgiving. The film is produced by Apple Films.

Music Video of the Day: Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio (1995, directed by Antoine Fuqua)


Michelle Pfeiffer not only starred in Dangerous Minds but she also appeared in the subsequent music video for Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise.  It looks like she found an even worse school than the one from the movie.  How many schools have people lifting weights in the middle of the hallways?

For a while, in 1995, this song was everywhere.  It never recovered from being parodied as Amish Paradise.  Director Antoine Fuqua has gone on to have a notable career as feature film director.

Enjoy!