Select All Images with Speakers [#110]
The absurd House floor drama is entirely predictable, mortifying, and gripping TV. Plus other links :)
Happy 2023!
I’m snapping out of my holiday existential dread, how about you? And how about those C-SPAN cameras getting much more access to the House floor than usual?! For a couple of days there I was actually watching a lot of C-SPAN again.
Reading
The best reading on the House fracas was Alexandra Petri’s column:
“This is like electing a bunch of clowns to office and being disappointed when they put on a magnificent clown show for you. Here is precisely the clown show you ordered!”
Kevin McCarthy’s now in a straitjacket, the context. Incidentally, “To err without correction” was selected as the idiom of 2022, in Korea. Explaining the misogyny to fascism pipeline. Content creation is an endless slog: the influencers are not all right. Heavy is the head that wears the Blues Clues host crown. Evocative writing in Scenes from an Open Marriage. Is this really happening, are Texas grocery chain HEB’s flour tortillas now available nationwide?
Werk Werk Werk
I posted my list of books read in 2022, a year I admittedly didn’t do that much reading. Aaaaand it’s officially my publication year, so I’m spending time reading the final final pass and thinking through how to spread the word about FLAWLESS. If you want to get involved by having a conversation about it on your own newsletter, podcast or your public radio station (I know some of y’all are in media), hit me up. I do not do kid birthday parties, but that’s about my only boundary. Also, if you haven’t already, subscribe to the Flawless insider list.
Watching
The Split, Season 3. Until Hulu reminded me, I totally forgot about this British series about divorce lawyers and their own family lives, from creator Abi Morgan, who led another short-lived series I loved, The Hour, about the early days of the BBC.
Girls 5 Eva. I know I’m late to this, but I subscribed to Peacock because of this show.
Recommendations
This Exclusion Principle poem writing exercise. Extremely grounding. h/t Malaka Gharib, via Wendy MacNaughton
Comedian Morgan Jay! As y’all know I’m a Sheng Wang superfan (HOUSTON REPRESENT) and the other night we went to the Hollywood Improv to see him, and this up-and-coming musical comedian Morgan Jay closed the show. His crowd interaction is brilliant, so he’s best to see live. But apparently he taped his Netflix special three weeks ago, so, be on the lookout…
In these cold months of winter, I have been playing a beach club playlist recommended by my friend Esther. Enjoy.
All right that was a long one, thanks for reading until the end.
Until next time,
E
What a sweet note, and thank you!
I hope you and your family have a great 2023, Elise! I appreciated the 'speaker' verify grid as a brief, small measure of humorous relief from the ongoing madness, which will continue on for the next 2 years.
You mentioned c-span cameras showing more than usual - the PBS Newshour was able to show their seat in the circus when the House was a free for all as well! It's always interesting to see a different perspective.
Cheers, and all the best to you as FLAWLESS trundles its was through the last steps approaching publication.