They were (not) the world.

A friend recommended “The Greatest Night in Pop,” a documentary now airing on Netflix, about the making of the “We Are the World” single in 1985. I took his recommendation, and found his summation fairly accurate: Suffer through the first 30 minutes of showbiz bullshit, and you’ll be rewarded with an hour of watching musical superstars feeling and acting very superstar-y, which is to say, often like spoiled brats and other bad-behaving archetypes.

I have to confess my prejudice up front: “We Are the World” and its predecessor, the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single out of the U.K., ushered in an era that got on my nerves, the time of ’80s/’90s feel-good “philanthropy” that required nothing of the philanthropist more taxing than a trip to a record store. Or affixing a particular color of ribbon to your clothing. Or joining hands in some sort of stunt to “raise awareness” of homelessness. And the song was terrible, too; at least the British song had a Christmas-carol sound to it, with all those bells. “We Are the World” was syrupy treacle, made for linking elbows, swaying back and forth and proclaiming not that others were in mortal peril, but that we, the singers, are the ones who… well, let’s just paste the chorus here:

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me

Beyond a few references to “people dying,” it’s entirely self-congratulatory. Which is to say, it’s got the smell of Michael Jackson all over it. He wrote the lyrics, Lionel Richie the music. And Richie is the one who leads the narrative lookback, although there are other talking heads, too, including Bruce Springsteen, Sheila E., Cyndi Lauper and the most surprisingly amusing of the bunch, Huey Lewis.

The hero of the whole project is Quincy Jones, who had to herd all these cats toward their common goal, and to do so in the course of one marathon overnight session. Part of the showbiz-bullshit portion of the film talks about simple steps toward that goal as though they’re brainstorms unique to the brilliance of Quincy — i.e., to have all the soloists record in a big circle, facing one another, rather than retreating to booths where they can complain quietly and nitpick their performance to death. I guess that was a brainstorm for a field that requires no small amount of diplomacy, but if there’s one thing we know about divas of all kinds, it’s that treating them like normal people will work, at least for a little while. (It’s such a new experience for them.)

There were some amusing moments, as when Stevie Wonder suggested they should sing at least a few lines in Swahili, presumably because Africa. This led to Waylon Jennings walking out, but honestly, I was in full agreement (with Waylon). Then someone pointed out that Ethiopians, the presumptive recipient of this charity project, don’t even speak Swahili anyway.

And there’s always the shock of seeing how many of these famous, or semi-famous faces have had serious work done since 1985. Smokey Robinson’s mug is tight as a drum, and Richie’s lower face looks so plumped with fillers it appears to have become a balcony extending from his forehead. All forgivable, because we all have our vanity.

But I was most surprised by my reaction to Jackson, who is painted, as per usual, as a genius, an icon, a magical sprite who was simply too special and talented for this dirty world. I have a long-standing policy of not confusing artists with their art, but Jackson tests it too much for me to look away, as I do about, say, Miles Davis’ history of abusing women. Jackson was a pedophile, period, which makes all his lyrical references to children deeply creepy. I find it hard to enjoy, or even listen to, most of his catalog today. Sorry.

Also, see above for my feelings about the song he co-wrote.

Worth your time? Sure, if you’re into pop music and remember the era. There’s a lot of sic transit gloria mundi on display — hey, Kim Carnes! — and a few good lines. My fave was Paul Simon’s: “If a bomb falls on this place, John Denver is back on top.”

Finally-finally, I’d really like to know more about where the millions this project raised were spent. Did it go directly to food aid? That’s key, because we tend to gloss over the fact that in the modern world, there is enough food for everyone, even with crop failures, drought and other natural causes. There is more than enough, but getting it to people who need it remains problematic, and the Ethiopian government bears at least some responsibility for what happened. That was another thing I disliked about the project, that it led the rest of the world to believe the solution was as simple as raise money > buy food > give food to starving people. When it absolutely wasn’t, and isn’t.

OK, the weekend is almost here! Back to listening to the SCOTUS hearing on you-know-who and hoping against hope.

Posted at 11:25 am in Movies, Popculch |
 

62 responses to “They were (not) the world.”

  1. LAMary said on February 8, 2024 at 12:22 pm

    I second everything. The song was lame, what did it accomplish and there Michael Jackson was a creep. Here in LA there is a big deal ceremony today as Kobe Bryant’s statue is unveiled. He was a rapist. Here he’s a freaking saint.

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  2. Suzanne said on February 8, 2024 at 12:26 pm

    We watched that documentary last week. I, too, thought that Michael Jackson was treated too kindly and that Lionel Richie’s face didn’t even look like his face but like some weird parody of his face.
    It was fascinating to see how quickly this whole project was thrown together. It gave me great respect for Quincy Jones who had to herd cats for hours without killing any of them. It was interesting to see some of the singers that were popular at the time but I couldn’t even identify now. I did love Huey Lewis, who was self deprecating and even all these years later was still kind of wondering how he was there, getting a solo part, in front of all these superstars. Sheila E had a bit of a nasty dig in her interview about what she was or was not asked to do, but seriously, I barely even remembered her. Prince sounds like he was a jerk and Stevie Wonder seemed like he didn’t have a clue most of the time.

    I agree that it is worth watching.

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  3. Jeff Borden said on February 8, 2024 at 12:27 pm

    I share your scorn for performative philanthropy. One of my favorite “Seinfeld” episodes is when Kramer participates in an AIDS walk, but refuses to wear the ribbon all other participants are sporting. He figures walking for the cause is more than enough to demonstrate his commitment to the cause, but winds up being beaten for his beliefs and he literally crawls across the finish line. Fuck those stupid ribbons. I’m also in your camp with Michael Jackson. I heard one of his disco era songs at the gym the other day and wondered why he’s still being played. Yeah, he’s a tragic case twisted by his evil father, but that’s no excuse for pedophilia. The parents who allowed their kids to spend time at Neverland Ranch should’ve lost custody.

    I’m hopeful the Extreme Court will do the right thing with tRumpy the Loser, but after four of those fuckers agreed Texass can ignore the federal government and slice asylum seekers to ribbons with razor wire in the Rio Grande, who knows? The court is so full of shit with a majority of justices appointed by preznits who lost the popular vote. Thanks, Electoral College!

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  4. susan said on February 8, 2024 at 12:39 pm

    Ketanji Brown Jackson believes the President is NOT an officer…

    And Thomas did not recuse. Of course he didn’t.

    This specious and corrupt court will rule 9-0 against Colorado.

    Elie is beside himself.

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  5. ninja3000 said on February 8, 2024 at 1:34 pm

    I hated the song when it was released, but it was hard to escape, played all the time on mainstream music radio stations as well as MTV. I recall the wonderful comic actress Marsha Warfield did a stand-up bit [paraphrasing]: “I liked the song, oh, the first five or six million times I heard it. Then it started to piss me off.”

    Needless to say, I will not be watching the doc.

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  6. Sherri said on February 8, 2024 at 2:33 pm

    When I first read the headline of this story about another group of musicians doing a charity single, I thought it referred to the age, not the number, of the musicians.

    https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mark-knopfler-60-guitar-gods-charity-single-1234963178/

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  7. jcburns said on February 8, 2024 at 3:07 pm

    May I recommend you drop by traderjoesprices.com if you’d like to see whether you’re paying more for your Organic Fair Trade Wake Up Blend Ground Coffee or not.

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  8. brian stouder said on February 8, 2024 at 5:05 pm

    Yeah yeah yeah!…. But what’s their price for Diet Pepsi?!!

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  9. LAMary said on February 8, 2024 at 5:58 pm

    No diet Pepsi at TJ’s
    Lots of sparkling water or wine. Get the peanut butter pretzels.

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  10. SusanG said on February 8, 2024 at 6:15 pm

    My fave? Bob Dylan’s befuddlement, “what am I doing here?” Also, Waylon Jennings, “I don’t have time for this weird shit.”

    I confuse the song with the one for the Coke commercial.

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  11. brian stouder said on February 8, 2024 at 6:21 pm

    You could talk me right into the peanut butter pretzels!

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  12. Brandon said on February 8, 2024 at 6:24 pm

    No, Swahili is not really spoken in Ethiopia, where Amharic and Omoro predominate. But it is an African lingua franca.

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  13. Icarus said on February 8, 2024 at 7:15 pm

    I need to find a reputable source but my understanding is a lot of the money raised went to a warlord/dictator instead of the people it was intended for.

    @Tajalli from a previous thread…sent you an email, check your spam folders if you didn’t get it

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  14. Sherri said on February 8, 2024 at 9:53 pm

    On the enshittocene:

    https://on.ft.com/49sScOn

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  15. Dexter Friend said on February 9, 2024 at 2:29 am

    I traded Hulu ad-free($20 month) for ads. I save $12 per month. I hate it, so spoiled I am with ad-free.
    I passed on that old music history show. I just finished “Beau is Scared”. Part “Jacob’s Ladder”vibe, hints of Kubrick’s direction, Homer’s “Odyssey” chimes in, what a movie. Tense, long, Joaquin at his very best. I highly recommend it.
    I have been winning $4, $10, $1, every day on the Ohio Lottery for a week. I’ll surely top it off with a jackpot very soon.
    SCOTUS…did you listen to those justices? The audio was broadcast. Kagan, Coney-Barrett, Thomas, Kavanaugh, and more all just sort of dissed the whole idea. So why did the fuckers even take the case? Trump wins big when the decision is handed down shortly.
    I just celebrated my 10th anniversary drinking only Bustelo ground coffee, with gifted boxes of K-cups of Peet’s and Starbucks, of course. But I only buy Bustelo.

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  16. Jason T. said on February 9, 2024 at 10:42 am

    I was in elementary school when “We Are the World” came out. We had to learn to sing the song in music class. I think even then it seemed weird to me, like “Why are we doing this? For that matter, why are these rock stars doing this?”

    We also had to learn “Hands Across America.” It is burned into my brain cells:

    We are the river of hope that runs through the valley of fear
    And there’s a lady whose smile shines upon us, saying
    “All are welcome here”

    (Yeah, sure, we say it, but f-ck off, immigrants, America is full.)

    The Reagan years really were the dawn of the era of performative social justice in lieu of actually doing anything to help people.

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  17. Jeff Gill said on February 9, 2024 at 11:50 am

    I’ve been down this road before
    Alone as I can be
    Careful not to let my past
    Go sneaking up on me
    Got no future in my happiness
    Though regrets are very few
    Sometimes a little tenderness
    Was the best that I could do

    ~ John Prine, “I Remember Everything” (2020)

    [I just needed to flush some other song lyrics out of my head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww1SenQwaMg ]

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  18. LAMary said on February 9, 2024 at 12:21 pm

    John Prine was brilliant
    Angel From Montgomery gets me every time

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  19. Brandon said on February 9, 2024 at 1:19 pm

    Hands Across America

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  20. David C said on February 9, 2024 at 1:46 pm

    At least with Hands Across America they had to get off their dead asses and do something. Now you’ve done your part if you change your profile picture on Facebook.

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  21. MarkH said on February 9, 2024 at 4:58 pm

    What Jeff Gill and LAMary said.

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  22. Little Bird said on February 9, 2024 at 5:18 pm

    I was five when that song came out and I remember liking the tune, but the lyrics were mostly lost on me because I was so young. I knew there was a point to it, and it was supposed to be some kind of coming together thing, but honestly it just didn’t factor in my life so much.
    I vividly remember Hands Across America, standing in the street in front of my school holding hands and thinking it was rather anticlimactic. I didn’t know until today there was a poem or song associated with it.

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  23. MarkH said on February 9, 2024 at 5:46 pm

    Meantime, on a more positive note, a mass-casualty event was likely averted when a brave 14-year old at this school blew the whistle on his 14 year old classmate/culprit, despite specific threats to him and his family if he did.

    Most of my formal education was in Cincinnati. This was my high school; our home was right behind it up the hill in the photo.

    https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/08/student-facing-conspiracy-to-murder-charge-in-mariemont-schools-threat/72523223007/

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  24. Jeff Borden said on February 9, 2024 at 6:09 pm

    This is my favorite John Prine song. I try to live up to the title.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgngl4aVe9g

    So…Is this special prosecutor report on Joe Biden, which goes far beyond simply recommending he not be prosecuted for the classified docs in his possession to speculate on his fuzzy memory, going to be the Coney memo on HRC’s emails for this election? Biden has always been a gaffe machine, some of it related to his lifelong stutter and some of it to his being Joe Biden. And, true, I am not thrilled to be supporting an 80-year-old man. It’s the toughest job in the world and it takes a huge toll on anyone who holds the office. But the hue and cry over Hur’s opinion is unlikely to abate so long as there’s enough electricity to power the Fox propaganda machine.

    Dear dog, it’s going to be a long fucking year.

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  25. Sherri said on February 9, 2024 at 6:16 pm

    The NYtimes sure seems to be trying to turn it into Hillary’s emails.

    Nobody is thrilled about an 80 year old man as president. But at least he hasn’t been indicted for 91 felonies. And more importantly, that 80 year old has done a good job of appointing qualified and competent people, unlike the grifters and horrible people the last guy appointed.

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  26. brian stouder said on February 9, 2024 at 7:11 pm

    I have no reservations about supporting President Biden’s re-election, 100%. It’s a double win, because if awful-awful happens, we get President Harris, and I think she’ll run circles around the MAGAts

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  27. jcburns said on February 9, 2024 at 10:46 pm

    Biden Harris 2024. Ask for them by name.

    Also, this comment was brought to you by TJs Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets. Ask for them by name, too.

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  28. brian stouder said on February 9, 2024 at 11:17 pm

    I shall make a note of it! (Possibly our IU-student daughter down there can secure a bag of ‘em for me)

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  29. Julie Robinson said on February 10, 2024 at 10:42 am

    Hmm, I haven’t tried the TJs version, but I have happily helped finish some from Costco. I don’t recommend buying them if you are weak on self discipline. Oh, Lordy. Plus they come in a huuuuuuge bin.

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  30. jcburns said on February 10, 2024 at 10:49 am

    that’s what’s nice about the TJs—it comes as a small-ish bag that you could enjoy in (for example) the car. Human-sized!

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  31. Julie Robinson said on February 10, 2024 at 11:14 am

    Like their dark chocolate version of Reese’s cups? Yup, they sell that one in a bin too, but up at the checkouts there’s a small bag for .99; perfect for sharing at the movie theatre. If one goes, what with streaming and big screens and Covid.

    House next door is up for sale and you bet we’re going to be Lookie-Lous at the open house this afternoon.

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  32. amy bown said on February 10, 2024 at 11:45 am

    That same year,”Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears” came out. Looking back now, I realize it was the antithesis of “We Are the World”. It was not generic or treacly. It didn’t sound like a Pepsi commercial, and it started with that divine, sweepinguitar li

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  33. amy bown said on February 10, 2024 at 11:53 am

    That same year,”Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears” came out. Looking back now, I realize it was the antithesis of “We Are the World”, and a much better song that gives me chills to this day. That divine guitar lick! Even back then, I thought “We Are the
    World” was a self-congratulatory superstar fest and a really crap song. I tried the documentary, but I couldn’t watch it. Seeing MJ gives me the creeps, for one thing. But I wasn’t into any of those mainstream superstars back in the day. I was, and still, am more of a new wave girl.

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  34. Sherri said on February 10, 2024 at 1:26 pm

    Rick Perlstein shows what the NYTimes could be focused on instead of Ivy League plagiarism and Joe Biden’s age.

    https://prospect.org/politics/2024-02-07-real-threat-at-our-border/

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  35. LAMary said on February 10, 2024 at 3:33 pm

    I respectfully suggest that Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzels are better than Costco’s. I love both places but TJ’s are better.

    And this is another great John Prine song.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFvenjll1Bk

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  36. Julie Robinson said on February 10, 2024 at 4:02 pm

    Since they’re available in a small size, I’ll have to give them a try. Maybe chase them with a dark chocolate fake Reese’s?

    The house next door is asking 775K and everyone we saw at the open house was a neighbor. Chatting with people afterwards we all thought it was too high.There’s a nice pool and a wonderful view of the lake, but a tiny kitchen and a few other issues. At least it’s not likely to be a tear-down, I hope.

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  37. Jeff Gill said on February 10, 2024 at 6:11 pm

    I’ll see your John Prine, LAMary, and raise you a Laurie Lewis.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDaEjoD0cqM

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  38. Deborah said on February 10, 2024 at 8:48 pm

    This is strange, but to be honest I haven’t been the least bit interested in the Superbowl for ages and ages but this year I kinda am. As embarrassing as this is to admit it’s all because of Taylor Swift and her boyfriend. I’ll admit I’m even kind of rooting for the Chiefs.

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  39. brian stouder said on February 10, 2024 at 9:07 pm

    Deborah – BEWARE!!! There is a technically unexplainable and frankly flat-out looney CONSPIRACY THEORY regarding the Super Bowl and Ms Swift…….I’d say more, but honestly I simply don’t get it (even allowing for the suspension of disbelief and the granting of any and all “what if”s…..). For a (dark) chuckle, google ‘.Taylor Swift conspiracy’

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  40. LAMary said on February 11, 2024 at 11:55 am

    Thank for that song, Jeff. I’m going to share it with my son, Tom. He’s not the roadie. He’s the guy who drives my former neighbor around to interesting places most weekdays. Former neighbor is 92, still sharper than most people half his age, and is bored at his retirement village. My son takes him to his lunch meetings with former NASA, JPL, CalTech and Boeing buddies, to concerts and museums, and also to get his hearing aids adjusted. Tom also plays mandolin and guitar at weddings, funerals, whatever, mostly at a Methodist church in Hollywood.Tom will probably never be rich but he sure has some interesting experiences. The song you shared is his style. You should hear him do “I’ll Fly Away.” Freaking brilliant.

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  41. alex said on February 11, 2024 at 12:48 pm

    Couldn’t give a rip about football or the Super Bowl, but it sure is a great excuse to make chili. And since I’ve been making Sunday dinner for the family and I’m out of ideas and chili is easy that’s what I’m going to do. And it’ll be a white bean and chicken chili because I’m serving it alongside a ground beef spaghetti casserole made from leftovers that need to be used up.

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  42. Julie Robinson said on February 11, 2024 at 2:57 pm

    None of the three women here have any interest in the sportsballs event, and two of us don’t care about Usher either. Let me know if they have any marching bands. There is a screen in another room for our resident male.

    We have a Girl Scout troop meeting at church and they came today to sell cookies. (So much better than in my youth, when we were dropped off around town with our big heavy boxes of cookies and expected to make cold calls.) They talked about sisterhood and supporting each other, and one very adorably said she wewy liked helping people. I bought four boxes.

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  43. Jeff Borden said on February 11, 2024 at 3:07 pm

    If you haven’t read about tRump’s rally in South Carolina yesterday, it goes beyond crazy and straight into madness. He told the drooling, mindless sheep in the crowd that if reelected, the U.S. will not aid any NATO nation he deems “delinquent” in paying for its defense. But that suppurating hemorrhoid didn’t stop there: He said he’s actively encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to those countries without fear of the U.S. abiding by its treaty.

    What the fuck will it take for Americans to see what a bleak future this menace is promising? He’s literally talking about dismantling the post World War II order. He’s madder than a hatter.

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  44. Deborah said on February 11, 2024 at 3:33 pm

    This Robert Hur guy is disgusting, what an asshole. I’m sorry not sorry, I’m supporting Biden all the way and I will do whatever I can to make sure he wins.

    What Trump said about NATO is horrendous, for that alone never mind the million other reasons, he has no business whatsoever of being president like rape, indecency, incompetence, lies, fraud, whatever.

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  45. David C said on February 11, 2024 at 4:33 pm

    He was pResident for four years and doesn’t know fuck-all about how NATO works. He thinks the US does everything and sends the other countries a bill that they don’t pay. They’re supposed to spend a certain percentage of their GDP on military. Some make the target, some don’t. They all, except France (mostly) and Germany (somewhat), because they have their own arms industries, spend a lot of that money on US made arms. The company I work for makes a lot of money from foreign military sales and direct military sales to European countries. He’s also stupid enough to think that Russia could take Europe in a cakewalk. NATO, even with active resistance from a fascist regime in the US would clean Russia’s clock.

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  46. Jeff Borden said on February 11, 2024 at 5:33 pm

    The QOPers are out doing damage control. “Little Marco” Rubio was making excuses for Lumpy and lamenting why we don’t all just stop worrying. “He doesn’t talk like a traditional politician, and we’ve already been through this. You would think people would’ve figured it out by now,” sayeth Rubio.

    Oh, fuck you, junior. We have figured it out. tRump is a traitor and so is the alleged political party supporting him.

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  47. Julie Robinson said on February 11, 2024 at 7:05 pm

    Jake Tapper’s head tilt while Rubio made excuses was priceless. No words needed.

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  48. Sherri said on February 11, 2024 at 8:18 pm

    Robert Kennedy, Jr paid $7 million to run a Super Bowl ad that basically just said Kennedy over and over again.

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  49. Jeff Gill said on February 12, 2024 at 8:24 am

    “Old enough to know, young enough to do.”

    A line from the JFK ad oddly recycled last night: it was a good line for a (checks notes) 42 year old running for President on a youth platform in 1960; odd line for a (checks again) 70 year old running against a 78 and 81 year old (on Election Day).

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  50. alex said on February 12, 2024 at 9:10 am

    I’ll give RFK points for having one of the top weirdest ads of the Super Bowl, not to mention one of the ads least likely to motivate the public to buy what he’s selling.

    Dinner was a success and I actually sat through the game from start to finish and enjoyed it.

    Temu (“shop like a billionaire”) must have spent like a billionaire, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of it other than the incessant barrage of spam e-mails for the past year or so informing me of the status of my innumerable Temu orders that I never placed.

    Beyonce was on a rocket ship selling I don’t know what. And Bud Light is back trying to reclaim its lost share of the piss beer market.

    There was one ad that resonated for me, even though I don’t remember what the product was, in which people’s overloaded brains couldn’t make room for new information.

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  51. Jenine said on February 12, 2024 at 9:43 am

    Thanks for the song links, y’all. Temu has been linked to using slave labor of imprisoned Uyghurs. I had a neighbor who is a Uyghur and fled in order to finish her PhD. She brought her husband and 2 sons to the US as well.

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  52. alex said on February 12, 2024 at 10:12 am

    I wiki’d Temu and it sounds like something to steer clear of. It’s a Chinese company that lets Chinese vendors sell merchandise directly to the public. If you don’t care about things like product safety or fair labor practices, you can assume the risks to your body and soul and save a few bucks. Freedumb!

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  53. Julie Robinson said on February 12, 2024 at 10:35 am

    In addition to using slave labor, Temu is also known for never delivering orders and letting your credit card get hacked.

    Didn’t watch the game, halftime, or commercials. Did enjoy the Wicked movie trailer online. D kept us up to date from the other room and enjoyed it.

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  54. Heather said on February 12, 2024 at 10:54 am

    Not into football at all but I actually watched the Super Bowl with a friend, but mostly as an excuse to drink wine, eat pizza, and see the commercials. Thought the ads were so-so (I didn’t realize Jesus needed the publicity) but Usher was pretty good. Some great moves from the backup dancers as well.

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  55. Jeff Borden said on February 12, 2024 at 12:03 pm

    At $7 million per 30-second spot, the pro-jesus advertisements cost $14 million, which would probably feed, clothe and house quite the real people the real jesus ministered to back in the day.

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  56. Scout said on February 12, 2024 at 12:35 pm

    Couple of thoughts about the Super Bowl that I didn’t watch. If “Jesus” has $14m to spend on Super Bowl ads then He should be paying taxes. RFK Jr has been trying to backpedaling that awful ad after his entire family publicly denounced it. So glad Taylor Swift’s boyfriend’s team won and all the Broflakes are losing their shit. And the best thing on Threads last night was this shade from POTUS. https://www.threads.net/@joebiden/post/C3O7DelND00

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  57. Brandon said on February 12, 2024 at 2:11 pm

    Recently, this blog discussed a giant cruise ship. What about an artificial, sailable island?

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  58. Julie Robinson said on February 12, 2024 at 4:18 pm

    Off topic: just went through the kitchen and found some ancient wheat straw lager our son must have left behind. Also some ginger ale and club soda in small cans. Tried the ginger ale and it was nasty, saved the club soda for stains, poured all the ale down the sink and now I want to puke from the smell. Never liked beer.

    Come to think of it, I never liked football either. No wonder true Murricans hate my ilk.

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  59. Jenine said on February 12, 2024 at 4:53 pm

    I loved the Wicked spot. But then I heard that it will be split in to two movies… Can’t approve of that.

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  60. Sherri said on February 12, 2024 at 6:41 pm

    We were puzzled by the Wicked spot. Where was the music? It made me wonder if it was a film of the musical, or if they were going back to the original source material. I had read Wicked many years before the musical, and it had not seemed like material for a musical to me (much darker than the eventual musical.)

    The RFK Jr ad made us think “Connor Roy”.

    Most of the ads were pretty forgettable, but it seemed odd that two unrelated ads for two different companies both played off Flashdance.

    The game, on the other hand, was very good. Patrick Mahomes is otherworldly.

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  61. Julie Robinson said on February 13, 2024 at 8:00 am

    Leaving the songs out of musical trailers seems to be a new thing from the distributors, Asia they can trick people into buying tickets. They did the same thing with Mean Girls, and apparently some people were upset to find out it was a musical once it started. But they sold the tickets, which I guess is all they care about.

    Gregory Maguire’s book is verrry dark. I didn’t think it would work as a musical, so it was a pleasant surprise when it did.

    And why is the movie of Wicked two parts? Greed.

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  62. Dorothy said on February 13, 2024 at 8:40 am

    I’ve watched the BMW commercial with Christopher Walken more than a couple of times and love it more every time. It’s a hoot! From a creative viewpoint, I’d love to have inside information about how some of the ideas evolve.

    I think to put a lid on my ever-growing anxiety about the November election I’m going to have to cut back on following the news in many formats. Next week when I’m breathing in all of the gorgeous quilts and listening to lectures at QuiltCon in Raleigh the news will be the last thing on my mind. It’s a good start on new habits.

    Back to my sewing studio to clean up my cutting table and start a new project!

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