‘The Many Saints of Newark’ airs tomorrow

Commentary

For ‘Sopranos’ fans, this prequel is “must see TV” even if the reviews are mixed

I’m not sure about you, but as I write this on September 30, I have only one thing on my mind.

No, not my usual blathering about Ron DeSantis or Marco Rubio. Or immigration. Or our dysfunctional political system. Or…

No, today, the one thing I have on my mind is tomorrow. And specifically, that tomorrow, October 1, HBO Max will, air for the first time, the feature film, ‘The Many Saints of Newark.’ Sorry, you Cory Booker fans, it’s not a story about New Jersey’s junior senator. But it is the prequel to one of the greatest, if not the greatest, show in television history, ‘The Sopranos.’ (BTW, the film will also air in theaters. But why would you want to watch what is essentially a TV show, in a movie theater?)

The film looks at the formation and destiny of a young Tony Soprano and includes many of the usual, but younger, ‘Sopranos’ characters including: Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli in narration voice-over); Livia Soprano (Tony’s therapy-inducing mother, played by Vera Farmiga); Uncle Junior Soprano (Corey Stoll); Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt in the original, John Magaro, here); and two previously mentioned, but never seen ‘Sopranos’ characters, Aldo Moltisanti, Christopher’s grandfather (played by Ray Liotta – can you actually make a mob movie without Ray Liotta?); and Dickie Moltisanti, Christopher’s father (played by Alessandro Nivola).

Michael Gandolfini, left, and Alessandro Nivola in ‘The Many Saints of Newark.’ 

Of course, in what hopefully will end up being the casting coup of the century, Michael Gandolfini, the late James Gandolfini’s son (Tony in ‘The Sopranos’) will play the young Tony. I say hopefully because the younger Gandolfini, not yet an accomplished actor, has an almost impossible burden. Early reviews suggest he nails it…and, according to Jen Chaney in her New York Magazine review, “looks so much like his dad that it makes your heart ache.”

Of course, how can you see a ‘Sopranos’ prequel without thinking back to the original’s final episode which left us all wondering, what happened? Is Tony dead? Did the TV break? Was there a power blackout? Huh?

This week, in Vanity Fair, the aforementioned Steven Van Zandt shed some light on those questions. According to Van Zandt, here’s the true story:

Years later, Vanity Fair did a retrospective on the show and talked to actors and writers. Inevitably, the reporter got to the big question: “How did it really end? What happened?”

“OK,” I said. “I’ve been asked this a thousand times, and I’m gonna settle it once and for all right now. You are going to get the scoop! This is the last time I will ever answer this, so sharpen your pencil.”

The reporter got visibly excited.

“You wanna know what really happened?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Alright. This is it. Are you ready?”

He was.

“The Director yelled cut and the actors went home.”

Thanks, Steven, very helpful.

Tomorrow’s the day however, not to get the answer to how ‘The Sopranos’ ended, but to how it began. I, for one, can’t wait!

Another Viewpoint – Florida’s new surgeon general is not just reckless; he’s dangerous

Commentary

Please be aware, while this story focuses is about Florida, it’s really more than that. It’s about the sorry state of affairs in this country.

I’ve noticed that when I write about Florida-specific issues, I tend to get fewer views. As an example, my recent piece, “Rubio’s pandering knows no bounds,” (https://around-the-block.com/2021/09/15/rubios-pandering-knows-no-bounds/) received about one-half my typical readership. This, despite the fact that while the focus was on Florida’s senior senator, the issue, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley’s warning to China, that he would prevent an attack if ordered by an increasingly unstable Trump after January 6, should have been of interest to all Americans.

With that in mind, I’d like to share an Op-ed I submitted today to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in response to their damning editorial about Florida governor, Ron DeSantis’ appointment of a new state Surgeon General.

Continue reading “Another Viewpoint – Florida’s new surgeon general is not just reckless; he’s dangerous”

Rubio’s pandering knows no bounds

Commentary

Given his history, Marco Rubio’s cynical opportunism in calling for General Milley’s removal is not surprising

Initial responses to difficult situations are often the best measure of a man. In his response to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley’s alleged “undermining of former President Trump,” Senator Rubio showed he’s not a man but a craven opportunist, calling for the firing of the general for treason. Why? Because Milley had the audacity to warn one of our adversaries, China, that he would prevent an attack if ordered by an increasingly unstable Trump after January 6. 

Who is Rubio pandering too? His base, of course. But in this case, it’s a base of one: Donald John Trump. In Rubio’s cynical, unprincipled mind, currying favor with the man who consistently humiliated him during the 2016 presidential primaries seems to be the best way to gain Trump’s support for his own presidential run in 2024 in the event Trump doesn’t run himself. 

But Rubio needs to be careful; he’s running for reelection in 2022. His disgraceful statements about a courageous general doing what was right would suggest that if Floridians had any sense, they wouldn’t send this obsequious panderer back to Washington.

My criticism of Florida’s senior senator goes way back, even before I moved to the Sunshine State.

In a December 2015 post entitled, Washington Post Pulls Cruz Daughters Cartoon – Candidates Consider Putting Their Families in Ads Hoping For Political Gain,  I riffed that Cruz’s opponents were envying his ability to take advantage of his daughters. Regarding Rubio, I wrote, satirically,

“…he was still weighing whether his ‘hijos’ could be used in tasteful and/or tasteless communication, waiting for some signal as to which would be more politically advantageous.” (BTW, just to show equality in sarcasm, I also wrote, “Senator Bernie Sanders angrily tweeted, ‘I’m so old, I don’t remember if I have any children.'”)

In a piece from January 2016, Sarah Palin to endorse Trump – Rest of field scrambling for reality show endorsements,

I suggested that Rubio:

“…is seeking the endorsements of the entire cast of the reality show Cuban Chrome. Unfortunately, due to Rubio’s virulent anti-Castro rhetoric and his constantly shifting positions on immigration, it is unclear whether any of the show’s stars will be able to endorse Rubio without being either jailed in Cuba or deported from the U.S.”

Also that January, in Religion dominating Republican presidential race – Cruz and Rubio trying to “out-Christian” each other,

I quoted Marco:

“The presidency of the United States is an extraordinary burden and you look at some of the greatest presidents in American history. They were very clear. They were on their knees all the time asking for God, asking God for the wisdom to solve, for the strength to persevere incredible tests.”

Then moved on to the satirical punchline:

Although Rubio said it was very clear, it is actually not very clear which of the “greatest presidents in American history” were “on their knees all the time” praying to God for wisdom. When pressed to name some of the presidents to whom he was referring, Rubio, channeling one of Sarah Palin’s most famous interviews, said, “Most of them. All of them.” Around the Block reached out to the Rubio campaign for clarification. Rubio’s spokesperson for Christian matters, Billy Bob “Bud” Powell said, “We are on our knees praying for guidance from above on this matter and will provide a list as soon as that guidance is received from on high.”

In a February 2016 post, Rubio becoming multi-religionist – Changes religions as often as he changes shoes,

I riffed:

In a clear demonstration that he will pander to almost any group in order to secure the Republican presidential nomination, Florida senator Marco Rubio said today that while he is officially a Roman Catholic, he and his family also attend Evangelical services and, that when he was younger, he was a Mormon.
Speaking at the Reform Jewish Center of Greenville, SC, where he was the only person in the building wearing a kippah, the traditional Jewish head covering, Rubio indicated that he was going to adjust his schedule and begin attending Shabbat services “every Friday night from now on”. “Judaism is very important to me and my family,” Rubio said as his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, distributed challahs she had baked that morning. Rubio went on to say that starting next weekend his four children, Amanda, Daniella, Anthony and Dominic would start attending Sunday school at Temple Israel of Greater Miami and that Amanda who is 15 and Daniella, 13, would celebrate a B’not Mitzvah together in the fall. Later in the day, when asked, given his religious flexibility, whether he would consider adopting any other religions, Rubio answered, “I’ve been looking at many other religions with an eye towards which ones would be most politically advantageous for me from a pandering point of view.” When queried, the Rubio campaign, ever wary of denunciations from Donald Trump, indicated that Islam was not one of the religions the senator was contemplating.

Then, in March 2016 in Rubio wins BIG in Puerto Rico/Loses BIG on Super Tuesday 2 – Suspends campaign to become King of Puerto Rico,

I reported (tongue firmly in cheek):

In a stunning development, Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced today that he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination to become the King of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Rubio’s made his announcement after he overwhelmingly won the Puerto Rican Republican primary with 71% of the vote but came in third in both Idaho and Hawaii and fourth in Michigan and Mississippi on Super Tuesday 2. Puerto Rican rules require a 70% vote threshold to become king.
On Tuesday night, Rubio made an emotional speech in San Juan in front of his Puerto Rican supporters, saying, “I am thrilled by the results here in Puerto Rico, so much so that rather than continue to be rejected by the voters of almost all the U.S. states, I intend to embrace the people of Puerto Rico by becoming your king.”

More recently, in April 2021, in Rubio y Cruz: Como dos guisantes podridos en una vaina – Rubio and Cruz: Like two rotten peas in a pod,

I noted the similarities between these two senators of Cuban heritage including, despite the fact that they were both savagely attacked and demeaned by their then opponent for the GOP nomination in 2016, Donald Trump, and despite the personal insults heaped on them, and despite the animus both had to have had to Trump, both became over-the-top Trump sycophantic toadies once Trump acceded to the presidency. With regard to Rubio:

  • Trump dubbed Rubio, “Liddle Marco;”
  • Trump accused Rubio of wearing make-up at one of the debates, suggesting it was applied “with a trowel;”
  • Trump ridiculed Rubio’s need for drinking water and, at one rally sprayed a crowd with a bottle of water saying, “It’s Rubio!”
  • Trump poked fun at Mr Rubio’s sweating habits, calling him a “nervous basket case” who “perspires more than anyone he had ever seen.” 

I concluded that column with this:

Yes, he’s not as outrageously flamboyant as his wicked colleague from Texas, but, demonstrated by his positions, he’s equally evil. As one of Florida’s Senators, he’s cast some pretty disturbing votes. Most recently, he voted AGAINST the latest COVID-19 relief bill. He also voted:

  • AGAINST humanitarian aid at the US/Mexico border;
  • AGAINST reversing a Department of Education regulation on student loans;
  • FOR the rushed nominations of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett;
  • AGAINST the conviction of the impeached Donald Trump; and more…

Speaking of positions, there’s one thing that you can be assured of: when it comes to taking a stand, opportunism is more critical than conviction for Señor Rubio. Not only is his post-disparagement support of Trump evidence of this, his opportunism during the 2016 campaign was legendary. 

I know there’s more to write and say about Florida’s shameless, opportunistic senator, but you get the point: Florida deserves a lot better than Marco Rubio!

Can you say, Val Demings?

No way to run a railroad…er, an election

Commentary

While voter suppression remains at the top of the news, and rightfully so, we seem to have lost track of the fact that elections are all about money.

As the daily barrage of election donation solicitations clog my email inbox, I finally decided to attempt a completely unscientific survey; I counted how many of these solicitations I receive in a typical day. The results? 101 this past Friday; 141 yesterday (Sunday).

Continue reading “No way to run a railroad…er, an election”

Reflections on the “Days of Awe”

Commentary

As many of us “celebrate” the Jewish High Holidays, I wonder, “What’s God have to do with it?”

This colunm might be offensive to some readers. For that I apologize in advance.

Today marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. Beginning with Rosh Hashanah, literally “the head of the year,” or more commonly, “the New Year,” and ending ten days later with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. The ten days in between are known as the “Days of Awe,” (Yamim Noraim) or the “Days of Repentance.” According to Jewish custom, this is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

It is believed that one of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that God has “books” in which he/she/they writes our names, determining who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter God’s decree. The actions that change the decree are “teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah,” repentance, prayer and good deeds (usually, charity). These books are sealed on Yom Kippur and the concept of writing in them is the source of the common greeting during this time, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

The Jewish High Holy Days have been for me, for many years, problematic. Problematic because this God, this “King of the Universe,” this almighty deity that determines our fate for the next year based on our actions during an arbitrary 10-day period is, frankly, something I cannot abide.

What, or who, is God? According to Merriam-Webster, it is the “perfect and all-powerful spirit or being that is worshipped, especially by Christians, Jews, and Muslims, as the one who created and rules the universe.”

A traditional Jewish view of God is that it is omnipotent (having unlimited power and potential); omniscient (having the capacity to know everything); and omnibenevolent (having unlimited or infinite benevolence, or good will).

I don’t recall when I stopped believing in any of that…or, if I ever believed in it. But, I did what I had to do to be a good Jew. I was 17 when my father died. After his death, to honor him and to appease my mother, I went to a minyan at our synagogue five evenings a week for a year to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish (and, to develop my taste for the post-minyan schnapps). That year so ingrained the Kaddish into my brain that today I’m generally one of the only people at a funeral who doesn’t need to rely on the transliterated “cheat sheet” when the Kaddish is recited. But here’s the thing. What was ingrained were the Hebrew words and the mystical cadence of that prayer; I never thought about what the words I was reciting actually meant. Here they are:

May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised,  glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated and luaded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he – above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen. 

He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen.

What does any of that have to do with my dead father, who was taken from his family at the age of 49? Or my dead son, who was taken from his family weeks before his second birthday? Why, may I ask, should I exalt, sanctify, glorify, extoll, honor, elevate and laud this entity that subjected me and mine to such pain and sorrow?

On my first visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem I asked the rabbi who led our group the question that I’m sure thousands of Jews ask after their visit, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” If she provided an answer, it was so insipid that I can’t remember it. Google the question now and you’ll get many equivocal answers, perhaps as insipid as my rabbi’s.

And, where was God during the Armenian and Rwandan genocides? During the lynching of African Americans in the south and the ironic cross burnings at their homes? During the “troubles” in Ireland (where there were, apparently, competing Gods)? During the pandemics and plagues (black and other) that have ravaged humanity? And more and more and more. Where was this benevolent God? Was he punishing the sinners? Were all these innocents, sinners?

As many Around the Block followers know, I’m not supposed to be posting columns like this now. I’m supposed to be on “book leave.” But, interestingly, all this “God stuff” actually dovetails with a part of what I’m writing about…a group of stories called “Beshert.”

In colloquial Jewish vernacular, beshert essentially means “from God” or the consequence of divine intervention. When someone refers to an event as beshert it is an assertion that the invisible Hand of God was intimately involved in its fruition. 

Since the fatalism implied by beshert doesn’t sit well with Judaism’s emphasis on free will and responsibility for actions, Kabbalistic sources have modified the simple idea of beshert, stating that we may have more than one, and that we can lose or gain a beshert by our good and bad actions and prayers.

My stories have, indeed, more than one beshert; in fact they have five…and counting. And, whether preordained or the result of actions, those five besherts include both good ones and bad ones. But let me be clear: God had nothing to do with any of them.

L’shana Tovah! Wishing you all a sweet, safe and healthy New Year.

Supreme Court’s egregious Texas abortion law decision

Commentary

And my Congresswoman’s response – a fund raising email disguised as SCOTUS outrage

Yes, I know, I know – I said I was going to take a break from Around the Block for a while to focus on some other writing projects. But sometimes I simply can’t help myself. In this case I was aided by the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas’ new, cruel and most probably, unconstitutional, abortion law go forward.

Since there’s been plenty written and discussed about this egregious decision, why did I feel compelled to write? Because my Congresswoman, Lois Frankel (D-FL 21) sent an email blast out about the decision, an email blast that was, in essence, a fund raising message disguised as SCOTUS outrage. So, I wrote to her…twice.

Continue reading “Supreme Court’s egregious Texas abortion law decision”

The Graveyard of Empires

Commentary

The colossal Afghanistan screw up has added one more nail to America’s coffin

You might have noticed that I’ve been silent as the botched American withdrawal from Afghanistan has been dominating the news. My silence is not because I have nothing to say or because I don’t have an opinion. No, it’s not that. It’s because I am so livid, so angry, so disgusted by what I’m seeing, what we’re all seeing, every day and every hour, that I truly needed some time to calm down lest I write something I’d regret.

This week has been a blot on America and everything this country is supposed to stand for. The Afghanistan debacle, going on 20 years now, has been so misguided, from the start, that there are just too many categories of blunder to deal with in one short column.

Continue reading “The Graveyard of Empires”

“What’s the deal with governors?”

Commentary

If only Seinfeld was still on the air to riff on our current slate of State Chief Executives

Back in the early days of Seinfeld, Jerry would start the show off with a scene from one of his stand-up acts. And invariably, at least one bit would begin with his signature intro line: “What’s the deal with…”.

Alas, the Seinfeld show is gone, so you’re going to have to make do with me to opine on our current, ridiculously bad, group of governors.

Continue reading ““What’s the deal with governors?””

The cynical, hypocritical and deadly politics of the GOP

Commentary

Heather Cox Richardson nails it and opens my eyes

Reading Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter this morning, it finally dawned on me: The Republican, Red State, Fox News push for no masks, lukewarm, if any, support of Covid vaccinations (in Fox’s case, even false allegations that the vaccination is dangerous) and general disdain for CDC and NIH admonitions, is actually a well designed, if perverse, attempt to not only hold onto the power they have, but to retake Congress in 2022 and the presidency in 2024.

Continue reading “The cynical, hypocritical and deadly politics of the GOP”