God's Favorite Idiot (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

God's Favorite Idiot (TV 2022): Workplace sitcom. Clark is struck by lightning and begins to glow as God's messenger. Cast is diverse and talented, but not even Melissa McCarthy can save this. Show gets credit for treating believers favorably while gently mocking religion. C-

Uncharted (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Uncharted (2022): Serviceable adventure movie. A series of set pieces to solve puzzles and fight bad guys in search of lost treasure. Dialog uses wisecracks to indicate no one should take this too seriously. If there's any doubt, the climactic scene is completely over the top. C+

Review: Uncontrolled Spread

From Uncontrolled Spread by Scott Gottlieb, MD:

Watching the scenes unfold—of Elmhurst Hospital being overrun with COVID patients, of refrigerator trucks parked outside, and of doctors and nurses describing their harrowing experiences—was hard to bear. It was stunning, and it was shocking. But above all, it was terrifying."
	Amazon

Book Review: Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic. A former FDA Commissioner and Trump White House advisor gives us his view of COVID-19. A balanced, neutral look at the things we did right and the things we got wrong. A-

POTD: Saying Goodbye to Egypt

From 2019 11 23 Luxor

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Egypt. It's a look at the sun setting behind the Valley of the Kings across the Nile River from Luxor, Egypt. It's also my last photo-of-the-day from Egypt. Egypt was such a treat that photos from there kept the blog's pages full all during the pandemic, when travel to new places was on hold. The world is open for business again.

POTD: A Museum That's Fit for a Museum

From 2019 11 24 Egyptian Museum

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It's where antiquities have been on display for a hundred years. It's not the new "Grand Egyptian Museum" where all the antiquities have been moved since our visit to Cairo in 2019. That wasn't open yet when we visited. I'm glad. The old museum has the look and feel, even the musty smell of what a history museum should have. It's a museum that belongs in a museum. It's full of treasures like this, cabinets with stacks of mummies, more than even the British Museum, which looted the ancient world in the 1800s and has never returned the stolen treasures. So, sure, visit the British Museum, but don't let it keep you from visiting Cairo, too. There are still enough treasures there to keep you occupied strolling through the museum's galleries for hours. But unfortunately, you will have to see the treasures in Cairo's new museum, not this treasure in itself.

Bonus photos after the jump.

The Monuments Men (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Monuments Men (2014): Dramatization of real-life frantic effort to recover stolen artwork during the last days of WWII. Watched this on a vacation in Europe, which added some interest to this otherwise predictable march to a known end. Cast of stars distracts from story. C+

#VeryTardyReview

Loot (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

Loot (TV 2022): Maya Rudolph plays a snobbish billionaire looking to fill her days after her husband cheats. She volunteers at her own charitable foundation. Does it change her? Do we care? Her problem is not money. A one-note sitcom that can't even get that one note right. C-

More Trouble For Laura (Maczka) Jordan

Former Richardson Mayor Laura (Maczka) Jordan was sentenced to six years in prison for bribery and tax fraud. Assuming she reports to prison in October, as ordered, she'll have a new lawsuit to deal with from her prison cell. Law firm Munck Wilson Mandala LLP, is suing Mark Jordan and others, including Laura (Maczka) Jordan, for "an ongoing scheme to defraud or otherwise enrich themselves at the expense of the Plaintiff." The law firm occupied an office building purchased by Jordan. They accuse Jordan of "submitting false invoices, demands, and statements regarding the operation of the firm’s office space in Dallas." Because it's a civil suit, the Jordans aren't facing additional jail time, but if they lose the lawsuit, their pocketbooks could take a big hit. Munck Wilson Mandala LLP seeks more than $1,000,000 in relief.

P.S. One fascinating coincidence in this case is that in 2020, Munck Wilson Mandala LLP hired Mabel Simpson, former Richardson City Council member. There's no indication that Simpson is involved in the lawsuit, but she did work for Munck Wilson Mandala LLP while the Jordans were being investigated and tried by the federal government. The lawsuit claims that the Jordans "used these offices as “war rooms” for meeting and working with their criminal defense attorneys in defending themselves." So it's conceivable that Mabel and Laura might have occasionally been in the same building at the same time. Imagine them running into each other on the elevator. Awkward.

The Old Man (TV 2022)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Old Man (TV 2022): Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow share secrets from a distant past in Afghanistan. When an assassin tries to kill Bridges in the present, events are unloosed in which those secrets gradually emerge in this cerebral thriller. Great work by two old actors. B+

Catherine the Great (TV 2019)

Rotten Tomatoes

Catherine the Great (TV 2019): Hellen Mirren's turn as The Great. 4-part series covers only the last half of Catherine's life, which is the less interesting part. Mirren plays her as needy, which undercuts her greatness. Helen and Catherine both deserve more. B-