by John Walters
Tweet Me Right
Starting Five
Favoring Curry
Between Steph’s game-high 37 points, Seth’s career playoff-best 16 points off the bench, and an in-game interview with parents Dell and Sonya, last night’s highly entertaining Game 2 featured more Curry than an Indian restaurant (I chose not to tweet this because we live in highly ratio’d times).
Moments after Seth buried a go-ahead three in the final minute. It’s not that Mom and Pop have a favorite son, but rather it was refreshing to see kid brother knock one down. By the way, why name your only two children names that sound nearly identical?
Dubs go on a 14-3 spree to end game, overcome the majesty that is Meyers Leonard, and pull out Game 2, 114-111. It’s 2-0 now. Fans of the series blame the show runners for not letting the Blazers win.
Last Bang
The ironic thing about the Big Bang Theory—the scientific concept, not sitcom—is that it is ever ongoing. The CBS show only lasted 12 seasons. The BBT was always amusing, but given that most of us (me, too) stopped paying attention to what was on prime-time network television more than a decade ago, it was more like being Norwich City: the best team in the England’s second-best league.
We don’t know what happened in last night’s series finale but we imagine that Sheldon got off a “Bazinga!” or two. We feel as if this show is the most science—the only science—that many adults in the land have willingly exposed themselves to in the past dozen years.
A Star Is Zorn
Two weeks ago in Charleston, South Carolina, The Citadel held commencement exercises. This year’s graduation was unlike any that the military school has undertaken since it was founded in 1842 (a great year for the founding of schools!) as it was the first to feature a female regimental commander. That post, appointed by the school’s faculty leadership, is akin to being the student body’s team captain, and it went to Sarah Zorn, a native South Carolinian whose mother died when she was 16 and moved in with an aunt.
Zorn, 22, is now a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army and The New York Times did a terrific photo essay of her in today’s edition (this is going to be a conundrum for some friends of ours who love the military but loathe The New York Times).
Back, But Not On Track
Erstwhile high school running sensation Mary Cain is now 23. On Sunday, in a cold and steady rain in Central Park, the Bronxville native ran her first race in 2 1/2 years—and won. Cain, who now lives in the East Village (not known as a haven for serious runners, but it’s a great spot to find cheap ramen and dive bars), ran and won the Japan 4-Miler in Central Park in a time of, as you see above, about 21:50.
Records that Cain still holds, for high schoolers: 800 meters, 1,000 meters, 3,000 meters and 2 miles. She set records in the 1,500 and 5,000 that have since been broken. The Runner’s World article does not say what else Cain, who attended Fordham, is doing with her time now.
I Stan, You Stan, We All Stan For Kyrgyzstan!
There are no shortage of -stans in the area south of Russia and west of China: Uzbeki-, Paki-, Afghani-, Kazakh-, Turkmeni- and even Tajiki-. But the most unpronounceable, and arguably the most beautiful, is Kyrgzystan. And how cool will you look later this summer when you tell your friends, “I just got back from Krygzystan!” and they’re like, “Is that even a place?”
Interested? Then watch this 22-minute film by Jenny Tough, who has a pretty interesting website. And I have no idea if that’s her real name. But it’s nice to know there are people out there like this.
Music 101
Mr. Rock and Roll
We always thought these were super-precociously wise and insightful lyrics from such a young musician. Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald was only 19 or 20 when she penned this hit that went to No. 12 on the UK chart in 2007. It’ll long outlive her, which is a testament to her.
Remote Patrol
Game Of Thrones
Sunday 9 p.m. HBO
When an explosion in Building 4 of the Harrenhal Nuclear Plant blows the reactor to bits and sends radioactive graphite spewing everywhere as Uranium-235 forms into a giant cloud above, all of Westeros becomes an apocalyptic hellscape. Or at least it will unless Jared Harris, Emily Watson and Peter Dinklage can use their massive crania to solve the problem and end the threat. This, my friends, will be the final episode of GOT. Either that or I’ve been watching too much HBO this month.
Questions for you jdubs – when you bartend, either at one of your restaurants or a private party, how do you keep track of the liquor consumption of all your customers? And do you worry that apparently YOU (as the alcohol provider) could be arrested/tried/CONVICTED (!) for MURDER if one of your drinkers then kills somebody or him/her self? Also, would the bartender be responsible when the customer sat at a group dining table & YOU never even saw him/her & just filled the drink orders for the waiter? Wouldn’t the waiter/waitress be the more “responsible”? How do you feel about this? Are the actual ADULTS who CHOSE to drink to excess no longer responsible for ANYTHING?!
I guess I do agree that a bar that willingingly serves a fall-down drunk just to keep making money should be punished in some form but arrested for “MURDER”? I figure you must have thoughts on this.
I’m waiting for the ’30 for 30′ on Mary Cain.
And no, NOT EVERYONE relies on Netflix, etc for their prime time TV viewing! It’s true that I rarely seem to watch half-hour shows much anymore but that’s my loss. I actually watched 2 back-back repeats of TBBT the other night & laughed nonstop. And yes, it reminded me that I could have been laughing at least one night a week all these years & boy, do I regret not tuning in. At least I know TBBT will be in repeats till the NEXT “Big Bang”. 🙂
Finally, since I’ve never seen GOT, I can hardly offer a critique, but from what I’ve seen online/heard on the radio, it seems you are NOT in the majority about this last season. Whoo, people seem pissed! What exactly about this series makes it so great? It just seems brutal/graphic from the things I’ve read/heard over the years. And why do you rate it so highly while you denigrate the Marvel movies? I know, I know, can’t seem to drop that, but it surprised me & that surprise has lingered. I’ve never been a, er, hardcore “fangirl” of those movies & don’t think I’d ever read one of those comics (my comic book years were more geared to Archie & the gang & Richie Rich, I was age 7-11) but YOUR somewhat hoity-toity (when’s the last time you saw THAT phrase? 🙂 ) takedown has made me want to watch more than the 10 or so that I have. And honestly, I think it’s a pretee damn masterful endeavor; to connect & semi-connect many multiple characters & movies over YEARS. 22 movies so far. It’s FASCINATING! Also, you would have been the perfect writer for the Tony Stark character, he was oh-so-smart & sarcastically funny!
Susie B
Thank you for the compliment. I did see Ironman. And liked it mostly. As for GOT, before this season it was closer to The Godfather than to any Marvel film. All about family and warring factions battling for turf. This season it was incumbemt on them to wrap up with big battles.
Just saw that Herman Wouk died. He was 104(!) & wrote The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, Marjorie Morningstar, & The Caine Mutiny among others. If you ever want to read how war & the fate of the world was & can be at least partially dictated by LUCK (&/or fate?), read his dramatized version of the Battle of Midway in War & Remembrance. I had not known how close to total annihilation was the American fleet in early WWII until I read his pages. I’ve never really been a lover of the military/war parts of history but Wouk brought that battle & the FATE of AMERICA & THE WORLD to seat-griping dramatized life (note : the book is a work of fiction but includes historical facts). Weather & one decision by the top Japanese Admiral which seemed right at the time but turned out drastically wrong for them are what largely determined the outcome in our favor. It STILL makes me panic when I think about all the “what ifs”.
The Curry’s have three kids: Wardell Stephen, Seth and Sydel, who played volleyball at Elon and is married to current Warriors G-Leaguer: Damion Lee.
No Bazingas, the last one was uttered in Season 9
I read Jersey Boys. It was quite good and reminded me of my grandfather who fought on Okinawa in World War II.
Can I provide a book recommendation for you? How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, by Daniel Immerwahr. Interesting, insightful and funny. I highly recommend it.
Thank you, Kirt (“Jersey Brothers” ; everyone makes this mistake, it’s okay). Thank you for the recommendation! I’ll look for it.
JW
I read Jersey Boys, a very good book that reminded me of my grandfather’s experience at Okinawa in World War II.
Do you accept book recommendations? If so, then How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, by Daniel Immerwahr is excellent. To channel Jackie Chile’s, it’s intelligent, insightful, interesting. It’s a winner.
Marjorie Morningstar is possibly my favorite book ever. Winds of War/War and Remembrance- so unbelievably good.
I’ve come around on the GOT penultimate ep- like basically everyone, I was crushed at first, but I had to admit, damn if that didn’t upset the applecart, and it’s not like that’s a new thing for the show to do. Plus all the memes about it were so funny. Lots of superfans feel seasons 6, 7 and 8 have abandoned character in place of plot, to which I say, what’s wrong with that? I even thought there was too much dull stuff in the first 5 seasons- full disclosure, I even buzzed through sometimes- that gomer who worked in the library? No thanks. Seasons 6 and 7 were spectacular, and The Long Night was stupendous.
I stopped watching the Marvel movies about 600 movies ago because I’m old and can’t handle loud things, but I love them anyway and here’s why (sappy alert!): Molly explained to me they’re basically her childhood, and she feels about them the way I feel about the original Star Wars movies. Nuff said. She was wrecked after the last one, and had to see it again and sit with her feelings and have herself a good cry, and movies that do that are a beautiful thing. I will defend the Marvel movies and American Idol ’til end of days.
Conan O’Brien’s tweet, “I can’t believe this is the last Marvel movie until the next one comes out”- LOL