More about the Queen

 

Since I am still excited about Bill's show, I thought I would share some fun facts.

The Queen's Gambit is the No. 1 program on U.S. Netflix

The girl who plays Beth in the orphanage has never acted before.

Beth's black friend is a student at Yale Drama School.  This is her first part.

If you look closely in Episode 6, you will find Bill at the piano wearing hat and sunglasses.  And, he wrote the song!

Stephen King, yes that Stephen King, tweeted that it is the best show he has seen all year.  He has millions of followers.

Hope you enjoy The Queen's Gambit.

Get Me Rewrite!

 My first clue that this film was going to be "off" was the title.  No one in Chicago called it the Trial of the Chicago 7.  It was always the Conspiracy 7.  A small point.  But it lets you know what kind of mood I'm in about this.

When I was in a movie discussion group, I was the one who stood up for artistic license when my colleagues would complain about inaccuracies in films about real events.  And now here I am.

I'm here because when facts are discarded as "fake news" and fake conspiracy theories are fed into the mainstream to the point that well meaning people start to believe, I see deliberate distortions of history from an alarmed perspective.

I'm not going to give away the plot.  I hope you will watch the film on Netflix.  I hope you will let me know what you think.

I heard Sergio Mims of the Black Harvest Film Festival tell this story about that time in history.  Abby Hoffman appeared on the Merv Griffin late night talk show.  He was wearing his trademark American flag shirt under his jacket.  When he revealed the shirt for Merv, CBS actually blacked out the TV screen to cut off Abby.  

If only the movie had captured more of that. 

Another Kind of Orange

 

Carole watched Burnt Orange Heresy and sent this enthusiastic note. I'm emailing it.

Gerry's blog this week talks about what happens in a relationship when one person changes.  We can always learn from Gerry's insights.  I'm emailing the blog.

You know one of my favorite sites is The Discoverer.  It satisfies my urge to travel from my couch.  This time it introduces Valparaiso, Chile.  I'm emailing so you can enjoy.

Today I am taking a zoom class with Phil Zawa.  He finds articles that make for very interesting discussions.  The one I'm anxious to talk about is titled: How to Live Without Irony.

New on Netflix

 

Here is an editorial from the New York Times about The Queen's Gambit, produced by Bill, and opening on Netflix on October 23.  The editorial gives you a glimpse of how much goes into a production and the twists and turns that often happen before a production reaches its destination: us.  The series sounds really intriguing.  I can't wait!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/arts/television/queens-gambit-chess-netflix.html

Another Netflix production that I'm excited about opens today.  It's The Trial of the Chicago 7.  I wasn't in Grant Park but I was close to the action, working for the ACLU.  The other day as I was watching the Judicial Committee hearings, I was longing for Abby Hoffman.  I bet you know what I mean.

Virus Free

 

Basketball fans, and for that matter all of us, owe the NBA a huge vote of support and "thank you" for successfully conducting their playoffs and championship in pandemic time.  Players, coaches, staff, hotel employees, and many, many more gave up their "freedom" and "liberty" to enter a tightly controlled bubble for months.  The players adjusted to playing with no fans and no civic fanfare.  They even managed to impress upon the country their devotion to social justice.

Of course, there were surprises.  That's what makes sports the ultimate reality show and accounts for my devotion.  The Clippers disappointed and the Heat turned it up way beyond our expectations.

Can we emulate the NBA and finally lock ourselves down with masks, distancing and a devotion to getting this right?  I'm certainly a fan of that approach.

Another Worthwhile Voice

 

My favorite public intellectual right now is Anand Giridharadas.  I hope he'll be okay with me referring to him now as A.G.  I first came across A.G. when I read his book Winners Take All.  It's an intriguing look at philanthropy as practiced by the billionaire class.  He pops up on TV occasionally and I'm always glad I'm watching when he does.

A.G. is on the internet at The.Ink.  Here's an excerpt regarding today's crazy Trump news.

What is dying now is so much bigger than him. It is this fantasy, this masquerade, of strength. This old, empty, puffed-up way of being a man. This economic philosophy that murders human potential in the name of birthing it. This insistence on doing one’s thing, listening to no authority ordering you to cover your orifices, and preferring death on a genocidal scale to your own yielding. This clinging to the kind of freedom that kills you.