Greatest Song Evah 5/17/24

Two Of Us

The way that listeners absorb a song doesn’t always match the intentions of the songwriter. Two Of Us, the leadoff track from the final Beatles album to be released (although NOT the last that they recorded as a group) sounds like an upbeat coda to the Lennon/McCartney relationship. With their timeless harmonies matching the pleasant imagery of the lyrics, it feels like a nodding wink to the fans. We’ve been through a lot together, and although our relationship is somewhat frayed, we choose at this moment to remember the good times.

It’s not a blood brothers to the end song, however. Paul McCartney’s lyrics are actually written as an homage to the travels that he and Linda had taken. It’s about marital love, not about the fraternal love that many assume it does. But so what? Once a song is out there, it belongs to the listener as much as it does to the creator. In this case it’s not as if the differing interpretation of the song’s intentions is a radical misread. The essence of the sentiments are largely the same.

And what a wonderful song this is. Those harmonies are impeccable, and you can’t help but tap your toes while listening. Ringo’s distinctive swing gives the song the perfect amount of kick. I know a lot of people take issue with the Phil Spector mix of the Let It Be album, but for this song both the stripped down version and the version with Spector’s embellishment work equally well. As far as earworms go, to this day when I hear or read the phrase “phase one” I can’t help but immediately hear “in which Doris gets her oats” in my brain.

The Beatles produced many songs that were more musically or culturally significant than Two Of Us. Despite that, this one always holds a special place in my heart. The feelings of someone for whom you have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead are hard to beat. Best wishes go out to Charles Hawtrey & the Deaf Aids.

My Upcoming Weekend

It’s fitting that this week’s selection is a nostalgia filled ditty, because this weekend I will be attending my high school reunion. I could lie and tell you all that is my 15 year reunion, but I make my age fairly obvious in these postings, so I will admit that it’s my 40 (!) year reunion. Several of my classmates are subscribers, so I’ll see you dudes tomorrow.

Since I have a tendency to go off on tangents, this is where the anticipation of the reunion leads me. My 10 year reunion took place on June 17, 1994, better known as the night of the Bronco chase. Going into the evening a lot of us were concerned over the fact that this was the same night as the crucial Game 5 of the NBA Finals, with the Knicks & Rockets tied at 2 games apiece. Remember, this was years before smartphones, so some of us semi-seriously were hoping that someone would wheel a TV into the auditorium so that we could at least keep an eye on the game.

One of the priests that was attending would intermittently go up to the teacher’s lounge and come back to us with updates. At one point he said something to the effect of “guys, there’s something else big going on right now.” So, my classmates & I were among the few people that did not witness the O.J. chase as it was happening live. Fingers crossed that this year’s reunion will be considerably less tumultuous.

The Oscar Mulligan - 1983

The Best Picture - Terms Of Endearment

Other Nominees - The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies

Doing a hypothetical revote on the 1983 Oscar race is the most difficult one that I’ve done so far. Even though up to this point each time I have selected a “deserving“ champ that was different than the actual winner, all things being equal I would prefer to stick with the original choice. Which brings us to 1983. Terms Of Endearment was a worthy selection - it checks many of the important boxes, and more crucially, it stands the test of time. And yet, one of the other nominees is one of my all-time favorites. How to choose?

Terms Of Endearment was an ideal actor’s showcase, with wins for Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson to go with nominations for Debra Winger and John Lithgow. It’s a well-told story which hits multiple emotional high notes. It’s funny at times, gut wrenching at others. The soap opera elements of the plot aren’t too exhausting; for the most part they feel quite natural. I find the ways in which it sharply veered towards tragedy were played perfectly. And Jack was rarely as quintessentially Jack as he was here. “I was this close to a clean getaway” is a quote that I still use.

The Right Stuff is just as much of an ideally conceived Oscar movie. An epic tale of an important moment in history, it also runs the complete gamut of emotions - humor, bravery, tragedy, etc. Partially due to its length, I don’t rewatch it as often as I do Terms Of Endearment, but it is a rousing adventure equally deserving of winning the big prize. (Let me also pause to defend The Big Chill. It’s a polarizing movie, as its haters point to this is a prime example of Boomer navel-gazing. True enough, but the actors were so good that they made the introspection tolerable.)

The Right Stuff as a movie serves as an interesting historical footnote as well. Adapted from Tom Wolfe’s book it tells the story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts along with Chuck Yeager. (More accurately, 4 of the 7. Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Deke Slayton were largely overlooked in the movie.) It was released in late 1983, just as the race for the Democratic Party nomination for President was beginning to get into gear, and John Glenn was regarded as the front runner. Observers felt that a big budget movie which depicted his personal heroism would serve as a de facto campaign ad. As a bonus, this was the first indication of Ed Harris’s greatness for many people. For some reason however, the movie did not take off - no pun intended - as a box office hit, which also served as a metaphor for Glenn’s unsuccessful Presidential run.

So, 2 great movies that hit their marks in their own ways. Which one is the deserving champ? Do I go with my head or with my heart? As much as I love The Right Stuff, Terms Of Endearment deserves to keep its trophy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, and if I’m being honest it has left a more significant cultural footprint than The Right Stuff has. I don’t think the voters could have gone wrong either way 40 years ago, and had The Right Stuff been the winner back then, it too would have earned the same squatter’s rights. In the real world, Terms was the champ then and remains the champ today. But this does remind me that I really need to rewatch The Right Stuff.

The NBC Olympics Dilemma

As the opening of the Olympics draw closer, NBC is starting to provide more specifics as to how they will cover the games. This is a big games for the network; it’s no secret that the ratings for the past few Olympics have taken a downward trend. Despite that drop, it still draws audiences larger than any non-NFL TV event, but it’s safe to say that with all the money the network invests they wish to pump the brakes on that decline as best as they can. There are multiple reasons for those worrisome numbers, starting with COVID. That meant that not only were the Tokyo games held without fans in the stands; which cut down on the excitement, but that Olympiad was delayed a full year, which meant that the Beijing winter games took place only 6 months later, which created a bit of viewer fatigue. It also did not help that 3 consecutive Olympics were held in Asia. If you’ve looked at a globe recently, you can see how far away it is from the United States. There’s a big time difference and everything. An Olympics in Paris means that as a welcome change the majority of the competition will not take place while most of America is asleep.

That doesn’t mean that there’s no time zone issue. Think back again to those last 3 Olympics - Pyeongchang, Tokyo, and Beijing. An event which was held in the morning in either of those locations coincided with evenings stateside. So, NBC was able to present a lot of live action in their primetime programming. That will not be the case this year. When NBC signs on for the primetime show, it will already be after midnight in Paris. That means no live action will be seen. Well, there is one possibility. The coast of France is not known for being a hotbed of surfing, so the surfing competition will be held in Tahiti. Yes, Tahiti. Theoretically NBC could choose to air live surfing in primetime. (Narrator: NBC will not show live Olympic surfing.) The indication has been that the morning and daytime programming blocks will be heavily devoted to the actual competition, whereas primetime will be presented with the understanding that most of the audience will already know the results, so there will be more of an entertainment vibe felt in those hours. That’s why NBC has hired the likes of Snoop Dogg as part of the broadcast team.

Anyhoo, NBC Universal has made a few major changes to its cable infrastructure since the Tokyo Olympics. The NBC Sports Network and The Olympic Channel have both been shut down, which will necessitate other cable outlets for the massive amount of inventory. USA Network had taken over as the major cable annex as of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. That will continue for Paris, but there are so many events in the program that one additional cable channel is not enough. CNBC on weekends and E! will also set aside some of their hours for the Olympics. I’m also assuming that the Golf Channel will once again air the golf competitions in their entirety.

In addition, NBC is giving Peacock another big push. The streamer will run every single competition live. Keep this in mind if you plan on using Peacock as a resource. In the past what you find on Peacock is the international feed, not the NBC one. That means that you would not hear the familiar voices you are used to, nor will there be the Americentric feel to the proceedings.

Bottom line, as fun as it is to complain about NBC’s coverage, they realize that different people choose to experience the Olympics in their own way. Throughout their various outlets audiences have the ability to essentially choose their own adventure, and that is a good thing.

A Couple Of Brief Updates

Following up on topics that I have discussed in previous editions… Cher has finally confirmed that she will in fact attend her Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Her inclusion will add significant star power to the festivities, regardless of if she performs or not. (I continue to presume that she will not perform.) And there has been more news concerning WNBA expansion. The Golden State franchise that will begin play next season as the league’s 13th team revealed their nickname and logo - presenting the Golden State Valkyries. In addition, the league has confirmed that a new Toronto franchise will join the W in the 2026 season. The long range goal is to expand to 16 teams by 2027; there is a possibility that team #15 will enter the league together with Toronto. Multiple cities are vying for those last 2 slots.

SNL Season Finale Preview

Season #49 comes to a close with Jake Gyllenhaal hosting for his third time. He is a classic example of a Serious Actor who cherishes the opportunity to tap into his goofy side - see his appearance as Mr. Music in John Mulaney’s Sack Lunch Bunch special. The curiosity over season finales comes with the ambiguity over which cast members are making their final showings as regulars, whether we know ahead of time or not. Will there be any announcements either today or tomorrow stating “BTW, this is ____’s last episode?” Or will this year’s round of departures come by quiet press releases over the summer? (To recap my thoughts - I’m fairly confident that Kenan will want to still be around for season 50. The most likely of the veterans to leave are Mikey, Heidi, Che & Jost. If I’m wrong, forget I said anything.)

It Was A Hell Of A Run

Finally, a tip of the hat to Paul Lukas who will bring his Uni Watch column to a close at the end of this month. 25 years ago he started blogging about sports uniforms and from that niche he made himself into a one-man cottage industry with an extended run on ESPN.com before running things independently. I didn’t always agree with his takes - I’ve got opinions of my own about what I consider to be proper uniform aesthetics - but he’s always been an entertaining read and I’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for a man who discovered such a focused topic that he loved to write about. The Uni Watch blog will remain active under different hands, and Lukas himself intends to continue writing (about different topics) after a short break. Congrats on an epic run.

Closing Laughs

Finally Friday. Have an outstanding weekend everybody, and let’s meet back here once again on Monday. Thanks as always for supporting Tending the Herd.