Why I Watched "Coyote vs. Acme"

 

On Friday evening, I attended a screening of Coyote vs. Acme at the AMC Boston Common 19 Theatre. 

I am normally not one for big budget movies much less attending movies at big chain theatres due to all the commercials and coming attractions. But I made an exception for Coyote vs. Acme for one special reason.

My maternal grandfather.

I don't talk much about my family, but I think a brief note on my maternal grandfather is warranted here. Jack Marconi lived most of his life in Coleman, Alberta in the Crowsnest Pass spending 43 years of his life as a coal miner starting at the age of 15 during The Great Depression.

We would usually see him and my grandmother Anna once a year when they would visit Thunder Bay during the summer. There were a couple of occasions when we visited them in Coleman during my Dad's sabbatical year in Victoria, B.C. 

During his visits, my grandfather was the one who spoiled us with candy and treats and would take us out on walks. What I also remember about my grandfather is that one of the things he truly wanted in life was for the Coyote to capture the Roadrunner. Because of this I always rooted for the Coyote and felt sorry for him when he came up short.

Of course, the Coyote isn't meant to capture the Roadrunner. A little over 15 years ago, Seth MacFarlane envisioned a scenario in which the Coyote captured and ate the Roadrunner only to become depressed and suicidal before finding Jesus Christ. Wile E. Coyote must have a purpose in life even if that purpose in life will never yield success.

The genesis of Coyote vs. Acme came more than 35 years ago in a fiction piece which appeared in The New Yorker written by Ian Frazier:

The sequence of collisions resulted in systemic physical damage to Mr. Coyote, viz., flattening of the cranium, sideways displacement of the tongue, reduction of length of legs and upper body, and compression of vertebrae from base of tail to head. Repetition of blows along a vertical axis produced a series of regular horizontal folds in Mr. Coyote’s body tissues—a rare and painful condition which caused Mr. Coyote to expand upward and contract downward alternately as he walked, and to emit an off-key, accordionlike wheezing with every step. The distracting and embarrassing nature of this symptom has been a major impediment to Mr. Coyote’s pursuit of a normal social life.

The film was supposed to have seen the light of day in 2023, but Warner Bros shelved it as a tax write-off in favor of Barbie. Following significant backlash, Warner Bros opted to sell the distribution rights which was purchased by Ketchup Entertainment last year. Needless to say, there has been great anticipation for this film.

While the film's script isn't quite as clever as Frazier's original treatment, there is still plenty of humor and wit to go around. After yet another failed attempt to capture the Roadrunner, the Coyote hears a TV ad from a personal injury law firm called Avery Jones Maltese (a nod to Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese who were responsible for creating many of the Looney Tunes cartoons). 

But as it turns, the firm's main attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) is going through the motions and settling cases with Acme for three figures as he is no match for Acme's top attorney Buddy Crane (John Cena). But Avery has never had a client quite like the Coyote. 

Before viewing the film, I was thinking of the Coyote as Sisyphean type of character. Lo and behold, a central plot to the film is Acme having a secret operation called Project Sisyphus in which products meant for humans are tested on cartoons. And no more is more of a test subject than the Coyote.

Coyote vs. Acme is a very enjoyable film. However, I'm not sure if my grandfather would have cared for it. Although the Coyote is pursuing the Roadrunner for the purpose of eating it, as it turns out the Roadrunner is portrayed as needing the Coyote as much as the Coyote needs the Roadrunner. 

The pair have a symbiotic relationship bordering on friendship notwithstanding the objective of cannibalism. My grandfather simply wanted the Coyote to catch the Roadrunner and be done with it. Nevertheless, I wish he was here so I could watch it with him.

Trump Threatens to Tear Down Kennedy Center Unless His Name Appears on the Building

Here is something which truly exemplifies the character of President Trump or, more aptly, lack thereof.

The DoJ, which now acts as President Trump's personal law firm, has filed a motion in federal court demanding that Trump's name be placed somewhere on the premises of The Kennedy Center or that it be torn down.

The motion claims that the Kennedy Center is "decrepit" and "dilapidated”. Let's say that this is true. If the Trump Administration genuinely cared about the future of The Kennedy Center, it would not attach naming it after Trump as a condition.

As usual, this is all about Trump. The public good means nothing to him. If it's not putting Trump's name on the Kennedy Center, then it's naming a Naval Carrier after Trump while erasing the heroic contribution of Doris Miller because it is too DEI for their taste or the construction of the so-called "Arc de Trump" between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

That Trump wants to put his name on the Kennedy Center is a desecration and an obscenity. After all, The Kennedy Center is a "living memorial" to President Kennedy.

Of course, President Trump does not care about such details. He cares only for his own glory and if that means tearing down the Kennedy Center then so be it.

Don't be surprised if the Kennedy Center is bulldozed in the dead of night.

If President Trump is prepared to tear down half the White House and get away with it while he still occupies it then what makes anyone think that he wouldn't do the same to the Kennedy Center?

With Trump being humiliated on the international stage by both the Iranian regime and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he needs a win. Anything where Trump can get his way would count as a win. In which case, the destruction of the Kennedy Center could come sooner than you think.

Dolly Parton Was a Kind Woman Who Happened to Sing Beautiful Songs

 

Like many people, the news of Dolly Parton's death hit me like a thunderbolt. 

While I did not grow up a fan of her music in particular or country music in general, I was very aware of who she was at a young age. She was a larger-than-life figure, and her resonance went well beyond her music. That resonance was grounded in her kindness, warmth and self-deprecating wit which kept her humble despite the fact she was among the most recognizable people in the world.

I found out about her death during a late lunch. Upon my return to the office, I shared the sad news with my colleagues who were genuinely saddened and stunned. Over the next couple of hours, I played YouTube videos of her appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson during the late 1970s. Her disposition and temperament were the same nearly half a century ago up until the day she died.

I suspect that if Dolly Parton hadn't become a world-famous country music singer, she would have probably become a successful businesswoman in Tennessee, sung songs in church and given her time and money to those in her community. As it stands, Dolly Parton was a kind woman who happened to sing beautiful songs known in every corner of the world and used her platform to help people on a very large scale in the areas of literacy, disaster relief and medical research including funding for the Moderna vaccine against COVID. She also consistently stood up for the LGBTQ community, a group which has often been treated less than kindly.

Dolly Parton lived a good life and strived to spread that goodness to as many people as possible. R.I.P.

El-Sayed Cannot Distance Himself From Piker After Stating Jews Who Support Israel Are Inviting Violence

 

Last Thursday, left-wing darling Hasan Piker claimed Jews who support Israel are inviting violence against themselves:

People don’t f*** with Israel any longer. If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action, not against the State of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.

I don’t know how people don’t recognize how dangerous this predicament is, how dangerous this is for Jews. You’re running around basically tying your entire identity to a country that inevitably will be seen as Jewish ISIS and you’re saying, as Jews, this is all we care about. You’re making antisemitism worse.

Mind you, as Piker was saying this, he held up a picture of Jeremy Moss, the Jewish Democrat who is running to succeed Haley Stevens in Congress. Moss has notably declined to endorse Abdul El-Sayed who defeated Stevens for the Democratic nomination in the Michigan Senate race. Of course, Piker was a key supporter of El-Sayed and Moss' unwillingness to support El-Sayed evidently set off Piker.

Piker's threat towards American Jews and Moss, in particular, angered Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Hilary Scholten who issued this statement which read in part:

Hasan Piker's talk of violence against American Jews, and directly naming a Michigan elected official, and future member of Congress, Jeremy Moss, is unacceptable. Full stop. Piker is a hack who thrives on hate, shock and awe because he lacks substance. It's dangerous for everyone. We should all be calling out this disgusting rhetoric so it loses its grip on our politics once and for all. It has no place in Michigan, and no place in our country.

The only problem with Scholten's statement is that her party has welcomed Piker with open arms. Possible Democratic presidential candidate AOC is more than happy to be in his company. College Democrats effusively embraced Piker. Don't be surprised if Piker is a keynote speaker at the 2028 Democratic National Convention and is greeted with even more enthusiasm.

As for El-Sayed, although he said "anti-Semitism is a scourge" he did not denounce Piker. On the contrary, El-Sayed stated:

But I wanted to be crystal clear, nobody speaks for this campaign beside me and my campaign spokespeople.

And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we're going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare. Because that's what Michiganders keep asking about. It's why I'm fighting to get money out of politics, money in your pocket, and Medicare for All.

No, Abdul, politicians and pundits didn't make this race about a Twitch streamer. You did.

No one forced you to campaign with him. 

You were more than happy to share your space with him just this month.

And why not?

You share Hasan Piker's values.

You support Hamas and want Israel destroyed.

You make excuses for those who attack Jews in their houses of worship in your own state.

Let's not pretend otherwise.

Without Piker, you are not your party's nominee for the U.S. Senate.

Hasan Piker owns you.

It is why you cannot condemn him by name any more than you could condemn Hamas by name.

Hasan Piker made you and he can break you. So can Hamas.

If we want to break free of Trumpism, we cannot support a Democratic Party which embraces its own brand of illiberalism which willfully promotes hatred against Jews. Piker, El-Sayed and those who aid and abet them are every bit as poisonous as Trump and Trumpism. 

Replacing one poison with another is not antidote. On that note, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is practicing bad medicine when he pushes Piker's poison.

Astros Let Go GM Brown While Espada Will Hand Over Managerial Reigns at End of Season Despite Chance to Make Playoffs

(Houston Astros manager Joe Espada (L) & former Astros GM Dana Brown (R) when they were hired in November 2023)

The Houston Astros enter tonight tied for first place in the AL West with the Texas Rangers.

First place or not, as of today, the Astros no longer have a GM, and their manager will step down at the end of the 2026 season.

The Astros began the day by parting ways with GM Dana Brown. They nearly did the same with manager Joe Espada but he was given the option of remaining as manager for the rest of this season which he accepted.

Despite being tied atop the AL West, the Astros do have a losing record of 65-66. Up until recently, however, the Astros had played well. After being swept by the Baltimore Orioles after the All-Star Break, Houston would win 11 of their next 12 games. Between July 20th and August 14th, the Astros went 16-6. As of 10 days ago, the Astros were 63-60 and had a 3-game lead in the AL West.

However, since August 14th, the Astros have lost 6 of their last 8 games falling to inferior AL West rivals such as the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics. Yesterday, the Astros had a 6-0 lead on the Athletics and lost the game 7-6. The Astros are off today and head to New York for a six-game road trip against both the Yankees and the Mets.

It sounds to me like Astros owner Jim Crane was looking for a reason, any reason, to dump both Brown and Espada. The question is what is it that would satisfy Crane?

Let us remember that after the Astros won the World Series in 2022, Crane fired both GM James Click and Assistant GM Scott Powers. If winning a World Series isn't enough to satisfy Crane, then I think he is in the wrong line of business. 

Click would hook on with the Toronto Blue Jays as their VP of Baseball Strategy prior to the 2023 season and would return to the Fall Classic last year. The Blue Jays didn't fire Click after the team didn't prevail against the Dodgers. As for Powers, he decided to go into academia and accepted a position at Rice University in their Department of Sport Management.

Espada had the unenviable task of succeeding future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker prior to the 2024 season. The Astros would start out slow in 2024, By mid-July the Astros were atop the AL West and would win the division although they would be ousted by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card round led by former Astros skipper A.J. Hinch.

In 2025, the Astros missed the post-season on a technicality. The Astros and Tigers had identical 87-75 but Detroit got to play October baseball and Houston didn't because the Tigers had won the regular season series. It antithetical to the spirit of competition and one of the reasons I have soured on baseball.

The best-case scenario for Joe Espada is if the team rallies around him. Despite Crane's history of firing personnel despite winning the World Series, it is one thing to fire a member of the front office it is another to fire the public face of the organization. If the Astros were to win the World Series under Espada, there would be public calls for Crane to allow him to remain skipper. 

Not that Crane would listen. But if he let Espada walk after winning the World Series, Crane would be the most hated man in MLB while other big-league teams would offer Espada a chance to manage their team. That is assuming there is no prolonged lockout by Crane and the other owners. Of all 30 MLB teams, I think the Astros would probably be the worst place to work given Crane's mercurial disposition. 

Yet over the next month or so, the Houston Astros have a chance of becoming the most interesting team in all of baseball. Perhaps this time for a good reason.

Catherine O'Hara at Her Best & Most Mighty

 

This afternoon, I went to the Somerville Theatre to watch a double feature of Best in Show and A Mighty Wind as part of a weekend long tribute to Catherine O'Hara who passed away in January. 

A great deal of Catherine O'Hara's legacy is tied with that of Eugene Levy. The pair collaborated for the better part of half a century. This collaboration began at Second City & SCTV and ended with Schitt's Creek. In the middle were a series of movies directed by Christopher Guest which he co-wrote with Levy.

Between 1996 and 2006, O'Hara and Levy were a core part of a company actors who appeared together in four films - Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006). Best in Show and A Mighty Wind make for the best pairing as O'Hara and Levy are cast as a married couple and a formerly married couple so there is a lot of screen time with the pair. 

In Best in Show, O'Hara and Levy play Cookie and Gerry Fleck, a Florida based couple who travel to Philadelphia to compete in a dog show which they ultimately win. The pair cannot go anywhere without running into of Cookie's former paramours much to the chagrin of Gerry who literally has two left feet.

In A Mighty Wind, O'Hara and Levy play Mitch Cohen and Mickey Crabbe who were a folk music duo known as Mitch and Mickey. However, the couple have been estranged for years and only reunite when the man who started their career dies, and a tribute show is held in his honor at New York City's Town Hall. 

Both films are uproariously funny. Aside from O'Hara and Levy, we see in both films Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Ed Begley, Jr., Larry Miller, Bob Balaban, Jim Piddock, Don Lake, Deborah Theaker and Michael Hitchcock. This is a remarkable company of actors, and O'Hara and Levy are first among equals.

Of the two films, A Mighty Wind resonates with me more deeply. For starters, I care about more 1960's folk music than I do about dogs. That detail aside, I think O'Hara and Levy do some of their most interesting work onscreen. While plenty funny, O'Hara is far more self-contained as Mickey Crabbe than in other roles while Levy, who is usually the straight man of the pair, plays against type as the unpredictable and volatile yet sensitive Mitch Cohen. Among the laughs, there are moments of warmth and tenderness between the two.

O'Hara and Levy also get to show off their considerable musical talent. "A Kiss at the End of The Rainbow" would have been a great 1960's folk song.

If the loss of Catherine O'Hara was a kick in the gut, I cannot begin to imagine the grief Eugene Levy has been feeling. In June, Levy paid tribute to his friend of more than half a century at the Canadian Screen Awards. 

Levy summed up O'Hara in this way, "For me, she was the one person I spent the most time working with over our 50-year careers and that is something I take great pride in being able to say. Catherine O'Hara was simply the best." R.I.P.

Canada's Premiers Unite Behind Carney - Except for One

In a near remarkable display of unity seldom seen, most of Canada's Premiers have lined up behind Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to walk away from trade negotiations with the Trump Administration.

Keep in mind, there is only one province in Canada currently led by a Liberal government. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said, “New Brunswickers have been fiercely loyal to our local businesses and producers. Now, more than ever, we need to double down on buying local and supporting New Brunswick businesses and workers.”

Canada's two NDP Premiers - David Eby of British Columbia and Wab Kinew of Manitoba are also behind Carney. Eby stated, "The suggestion that Canada would not trade with other countries or reduce our trade with other countries ... would reduce us to the economic equivalent of the 51st state." For his part, Kinew was even more direct:

Everybody has got Prime Minister [Mark] Carney's back today. I'm glad the prime minister has walked away from what would have been a bad deal.

These tariffs that he's putting on us because he's got some sort of need to try and look macho or whatever, is completely wrong and we as Canadians should never accept it — we should always push back.

Canada's remaining 7 provinces are governed by right-of-center parties. Six of those Premiers have been unequivocal in their support of Carney. 

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette, who leads the Coalition Avenir Quebec, came out in support for Carney due to unwillingness to negotiate French language and culture as well as Canadian sovereignty. Frechette stated: 

Our culture, our language is central to our identity, and it is important to exclude that from the negotiation table.

It’s something that is crucial for us and it won't change, even though we are threatened with different tariffs, it won't change. We will stay the way we are.

It is worth noting that Quebec voters go to the polls in October and Frechette, who succeeded François Legault back in April, is not expected to prevail. The sovereigntist Parti Quebecois has been leading in the polls and is expected to win and Paul St. Pierre Plamondon is expected to become Quebec's new Premier. The PQ, first elected 50 years ago under the leadership of Rene Levesque, has long been dedicated to Quebec independence.

PQ governments under Levesque and Jacques Parizeau have initiated unsuccessful referendums in 1980 and in 1995, respectively. While Plamondon has pledged to hold another referendum against the wishes of Quebec voters, recognizing the unique danger presented by President Trump, announced last week that he would not launch a referendum so long as Trump remains in office.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, leader of the province's Progressive Conservative Party, not only backs Carney but has forcefully denounced President Trump. Following Carney's remarks yesterday, Ford said this about Trump:

Let me tell you about President Trump: President Trump is the type of person that would steal your lunch money the first day. He'd steal the toque off your head the second day. And the third day he'd steal your running shoes. He is not to be trusted whatsoever. We need to stay united.

If that wasn't enough, Ford wrote Carney a letter with a demand that he imposes additional retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. states which are "politically significant to the current administration's base of support." The states Ford identified are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. 

The Progressive Conservative governments of three Maritime provinces - Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are also solidly behind Carney. 

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston issued this statement which reads in part:

I continue to stand ready to support and work with the Prime Minister. We will work together to do everything possible to protect the massive number of Nova Scotian and Canadian families, workers and businesses that have now been added to the large list of those directly impacted by President Trump’s devastating tariffs.

It’s clear that we cannot trust or rely on the United States as we once did. This reality must make us more determined than ever to make Nova Scotia and Canada stronger. For Nova Scotia that means developing our own energy, developing our own natural resources and finding new markets for Nova Scotian goods and services.

Houston concluded his statement with, "Let's go Team Canada!"

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham issued this statement on Facebook:

Newfoundland and Labrador stands firmly with Team Canada. I want to thank the negotiating team for their hard work and dedication in navigating discussions with an unpredictable partner.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has my full support as we maintain a united Team Canada approach. Newfoundland and Labrador stands ready to do its part.

PEI Premier Rob Lantz also issued a statement on Facebook which emphasized the Team Canada theme:

The Team Canada approach has kept us strong and united throughout these negotiations, and we need that same strength and unity now.

I will continue working alongside Premiers and the federal government to stand up for Canadian interests and make sure Prince Edward Island has a strong voice in the path forward.

Island workers, businesses, and exporters can count on our government to stand with them and be there for those impacted.

Going out west, Saskatchewan, once the cradle of Canadian social democracy, has been governed by the right-wing populist Saskatchewan Party since 2007. Scott Moe has been Premier of Saskatchewan since 2018. Outside of Ontario's Doug Ford, Moe might have been made the most forceful statement in support of Carney while showing his contempt for the Trump Administration in bold green:

Moe begins by stating "the United States is violating the CUSMA deal." That would be the Canada United States Mexico Agreement which Trump helped negotiate and came into effect in July 2020.

Moe also declared that any attempt by the United States to dictate Canada's trade relationships with other countries is "a non-starter" adding, "Decisions about who Canada trades with must be made by Canada."

For good measure, Moe declared that Carney "made the right decision to not accept an unfair and unreliable, and we support the Prime Minister's decision to enact dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on U.S. products."

Alas, there's always one.

Enter Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party.

In recent months, Smith has been leading the charge on a disingenuous Alberta referendum about whether to have another referendum.

While Smith ceded that terms set out by the Trump Administration made it "untenable for us to sign off", she came out against Carney's retaliatory tariffs. Smith also to go along with other provinces in not stocking U.S. liquor and will not delay this October's referendum on whether to have another referendum. Smith also wants Carney to go back to the negotiating table with the Trump Administration.

Let's be clear. The Trump Administration negotiates with Canada in bad faith up to and including forbidding Canada from entering into trade agreements with other countries and Smith wants more of the same.

Danielle Smith is with a Team Trump, not Team Canada as demonstrated by her visit to Mar-a-Lago last year. When Alberta voters have the chance, they should give her a one-way ticket to Florida. Should she return to Canada, Smith should have a tariff imposed upon her.

Nevertheless, that Mark Carney was able to get 9 out of 10 provincial premiers on board with his decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States is a remarkable achievement. Now it is a question if they will stay on board or be lured by Smith to join Team Trump.