by John Walters

Starting Five

1. reSUrrection

The lads in orange from Syracuse trailed No. 1 seed Virginia 35-21 at the half. They trailed by even more, 54-39, with 9:33 to play after London Perrantes (he’s from Los Angeles, you know) buried his sixth three of the game.

Then it was all SU, “back from the dead” on Easter Sunday, as Kevin Harlan said. The Orange went into a full-court press and the Cavs began pressing. Syracuse went on a 25-4 run and wound up shushing all the doubters who didn’t even believe they belonged in the tourney.

Your men’s Final Four: Syracuse and North Carolina, Villanova and Oklahoma. The Syracuse women have also already advanced tot the women’s Final Four, along with Washington and nation’s leading scorer Kelsey Plum, whose father is not a professor as far as we know.

2. Horror in Lahore

On Easter Sunday, 72 dead, 29 of them children, as Christians are targeted celebrating at a park in Lahore, Pakistan. What is wrong with these people? And will CNN/MSNBC/FOX cover this even one-fifth as much as Brussels? Also, does humanity appreciate the inherent foolishness of arguing over whose monkey-god is supreme? We’re all dead in the end, folks. Whoever you think is responsible for your creation really doesn’t care any more about you than anyone else. That’s the fact, Jack!

3. Gooooooooooooal! of the Year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv0xlQjN5RM

This is South Africa in yellow, and Cameroon in green. And that’s Hlompho Kekaha (which, if you saw The Lion King, you know means “No worries”) scoring from his own end after firing what Dr. Evil would refer to as “a laser.” Kekaha’s goal evened the score in this African Cup of Nations qualifier.

4. Abrupt Eruption

Let’s go now to our affiliate in the Aleutian Islands, the sting ray’s tail of Alaksa, where the Pavlof Volcano blew its top and spewed ash up to 20,000 feet skyward, If you were planning on spending Easter Break in the Aleutian Islands, call your travel agent. You may have to cancel.

5. Reedus and Weep?

Is Daryl dead? That’s what fans of The Walking Dead are wondering after last night’s penultimate episode of this season ended with Daryl (Norman Reeds) being shot in a classic example of double-crossing and crossbow aficionado. Of course, after the Glenn death-not-death, does anything really even matter on that show anymore?

Sepinwall is ready to break up with the show heading into next week’s 90-minute season finale.

Music 101

Fight Song/I Am Woman

So, I noticed on Friday that Rachel Platten’s girl power anthem of recent vintage has 160 MILLION views on YouTube. And, yes, it’s got a great chorus. It peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard charts last year.

And then I noticed that Helen Reddy, the progenitor (progenitress?) of the female power anthem, has less than 40 THOUSAND views for the original video for I Am Woman, one of the most influential songs of the 1970s. The Australian’s anthem hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart in December of 1972 and became the first tune by an Aussie artist to hit No. 1. It still sounds good.

Inspired by these girl power songs, I wrote a cat power song (but not a Cat Power song) titled “I Am Kitty.” Enjoy.

I Am Kitty

I am kitty, hear me roar,

Cuz that’s my tail caught in the door,

But I know just how to trip you on the stair,

You will treat me like a pet,

I’ll cost you thousands at the vet,

Every coat of yours is littered with my hair,

Oh yes, I am wild,

But I’ll just pretend I’m tame,

Yes, I’ll scratch your child,

And treat you with disdain,

If I have to, I can nap anywhere,

I am vile (vile!),

I’ll vomit on your rug (on your rug!),

I am Kitty!

Remote Patrol

Better Call Saul

10 p.m. AMC

Last week’s preview implies that this may finally be the week when Jimmy McGill goes rogue. The colorful suits suggest that perhaps he’s once again going into business for himself? Or will he and Kim hang up a shingle together? Listen, there’s no show on TV that  grooves between hilarious and deadly better. It’s, as you already know by now, my favorite show. Enjoy!