Thinking is obstructive.

Today's Tids Issue 4,274

Brain-Freezing:

One of the great things about now in the cold north is that your body is pretty much inured against the frigid changeover and it generally feels pretty great outside in freezing temperatures. Bodies are great at adjusting. It’s the mind that is often the problem. I’m going for a walk.

I’d pick Chris Christie as new Trump Chief of Staff. Think of the humor, the headlines; the pure political entertainment.

If you study the opinions of over 80% of “United Nations” countries, you would get the sense that they would prefer changing the name of the Organization to “One Nation”.

One thing that has bothered me since I awoke one day thinking I was an adult is the number of people who die each year from drugs. Maybe it all started with the movie “Man with a Golden Arm”, and sine its impact in those teen years I have always feared for all those people hooked. They now say that Legal drugs like OxyContin have passed illegal drugs in overdoses. But, of course most of those death related legal drugs were gotten illegally. Ten assault against these killers is never ending. You read about a government in a bust taking $20 Million in heroin out of a market one day, and nothing seems to happen to the supply. People keep buying, keep dying. Addiction is incredibly difficult to shake. Common sense makes no sense to someone looking for the next high. The possibility of death is not a deterrent; the possibility of losing a family or loved ones means nothing. It is insidious, and anything that tips the scale in favor of getting used to getting high should be a concern not taken lightly.

Another thing that bothers me continually is why “Spell-Check” doesn’t understand that when I begin a word with “p-e-o”, there’s a 99% chance I’m going to type people, and not peep or peel. S-P never guesses people, which is odd when you consider that in the dictionary there are only Peon, Peony and People and their plurals and a very few derivatives like peopled, peoplehood, peopleless and peopling. I don’t get it.

The Question:

While most movie legends don’t want the public to believe it, they do get old. But many leave great films to remember. Name five of the best from Teri Garr.

The Headlines:

--Stocks Headed Up On News Of Trade Talks Discussions With China; Optimism Increase That China Will Cut Auto Tariffs.

--China Urges Nations Consumers To Buy Huawei Instead Of Apple; Canadian Diplomat Disappears In China After Arrest of Huawei CEO.

--Google DEO Sundar Pichar To face Congress Grilling; Will be Asked Why Google Won’t Support Military; Political Bias Will be Discussed.

--Iran Confirms Missile Test to Defy US.

--Time Mag Names Jamal Khashoggi And Imprisoned Journalists As Its People Of the Year.

--Long Time Host and Personality Kathy Lee Gifford Leaving Today Show.

The iTunes Sales Rankings for The Voice performances last night will be more than meaningful tonight when the field gets cut from 8 to 4. The top seller at #4 on iTunes was the good old-fashioned country girl Chevel Shepherd. Also in the Top 10 was Kirk Jay at #6. The rest in the Top 100 were Kennedy Holmes at #11, Reagan Strange (#12), Chris Kroeze (#14), MaKenzie Thomas (#18), Sarah Grace (#49), Last week’s Sarah Grace (#79) and last week’s Kirk Jay at #99. Looks like “Country” continues to be strong.

So, what about last night? Sarah Grace opened and I thought she was quite good. Have always liked her innate talent and last night she was better. But she is into blues and voters seem to have a problem there. I also liked Chris Kroeze and his old rocker. As his coach Blake said, you need his voice in the finals, just because some others sound similar. Kennedy Holmes continued to impress me, and you could see how good she is in the duet compared with Reagan Strange. Speaking of strange, it is odd that Reagan, cute an all, gets very high in iTune sales but to me is not that great a singer. So, fan bases are important in this coemption, and she has one. Kimberlee and Makenzie are very similar, so one will cancel out the other, or could split an audience cancelling out both. I have been a big fan of Kimberlee but she was not up for me last night. Makenzie I appreciate but  didn’t gravitate to her. Everybody loves Kirk Jay, but I sometimes don’t get it. And then there is pure country – Chevel Shepherd. Her opening to LeAnn Rimes “Blue” stopped the house cold. You could hear an intake of breath. The kid has it, and will be on the Grand ole’ Opry stage very soon. Of the four duets, I liked Kroeze-Grace by far. The rest of the duos were just Ok to me.

So who goes tonight? Kirk Jay seems a lock. And I believe that Kennedy Holmes will be there too. I’m also betting on Chevel Shepherd. So that probably leaves a threesome for one place – Kimberlee, MaKenzie and Chris. Now, I would prefer Chris, an he may make it because of the Country vote. But Makenzie and Kimberlee are very good. I’m thinking that MaKenzie will be #4. Reagan is bubbly and nice but her singing is suspect. Sarah’s talent wise could have been in the #1 or 2 slot but she never connected with a big fan base. So that’s about where I am. Too close to call. And then, Reagen always does well in iTune sales. So, basically, anything can happen.

A lot of people who like movies don’t watch he Oscars because they have become political torture. So, Pat Sajak has an Idea –make it two days, one to honor excellence in the profession and the second for a pollical rally.

A reader sends in this migration pun – “We’ve been romaine through Mexico for a month and now Trump won’t lettuce in.

Nuclear based energy is still the most environmentally friendly and cost-efficient source a round. They just have to get rid of the “N” word to help the unknowledgeable get to the facts.

In a speech here last night, one of the most passionate partisan politicians, Joe Biden, said that America has to get beyond partisan politics.  

In an interview following the embarrassing last second loss to the Miami Dolphins, Patriots coach Belichik said to anxious sports journalists: “Look, it’s the National Football League. Nobody died.”

If you don’t think that Journalists look for negativity almost all of the time, consider that Ocasio-Cortex representing a very small district big NYC, and essentially a non-centric American agenda, gets press on just about anything she says that’s bad about our great country.

Did you know that the Kavanaugh accuser was on Time’s short list for Person of the year? Amazing!

The Answer:

Teri Garr came from a theater family and had her name in credits on the big screen for over 70 movies. He was a trained dancer and quite the comedienne. Her instant breakthrough was as Inga in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, followed quickly by a good spot in The Conversation.  Her first high profile role was in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This comedic actress could actually do it all as you can see from the variety of her films. Mr. Mom and Tootsie (Received Oscar nomination for Best Supporting) were two of her first after Close Encounters. After those she was in After Hours  and others like One From the Heart, The Player, Dumb and Dumber And Perfect Alibi. In the early nineties she contracted MS an became a valiant survivor. You would then see her often on Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Tina Fay says Teri was her comedy inspiration and she was lauded by others in the field, including Paula Kael who said she was, ”The funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.”

The stock market is confusing at best. I have yet to inure my brain to that.