Odds and Ends

I would like to thank my fellow moviegoers Saturday morning for an excellent theater experience.  I'm guessing it was the 8:00 am showtime that kept the younger folks away from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens screening I attended--as it was nearly all middle-aged folks like myself filling the theater that morning.  There was nobody on their cellphones talking loudly before the feature.  I was about 3/4 of the way back and I didn't see the glow of smartphones in front of people's faces once the movie started.  There were no attempts at humor with any catcalls or editorial comments during the screening.  And I don't remember seeing anyone get up--go to the concession stand--come back--get up--go to the bathroom--and come back again either.  We all came to watch our favorite movie--and that is what we did.  And when those in line for the next screening asked how it was, nobody yelled out spoilers or trolled everyone by saying it "sucked--go home--don't waste your money" (it definitely didn't suck).  It would be interesting to see if a theater could make it by having just "adult" movie screenings for blockbusters so we can all enjoy such an "old-fashioned" experience.

I would also like to thank the people out shopping later on Saturday for the respect they showed for each other during the absolute worst day of the year to be anywhere near a shopping center.  Twice, people who had loads of items at the checkout allowed me to skip ahead--as I had just a gift card to purchase.  And where lines were long, there was still amiable chatter among shoppers knowing we were all stuck in the same boat.  (Now, for some people I encountered in the parking lots of said stores--you get your mention on Wednesday during the annual FESTIVUS AIRING OF THE GRIEVENCES!!)

And finally, thank you to Steve Harvey for providing us with the best television moment of 2015--giving the Miss Universe crown to the wrong contestant last night.  I didn't see this live (I was already in bed) but an overnight check of my Twitter timeline showed it to be about the only thing people wanted to talk about (except the woman running over pedestrians outside the same hotel in Las Vegas a few minutes later).  I can understand how Steve got mixed up--since pageants have this ridiculous tradition of naming second and first runner ups instead of third and second and first place.  And for those who say they "feel so bad for Miss Colombia" what exactly did she lose?  A chance to follow in the footsteps of other great Miss Universes like........uh........did Ivana Trump win this and get a marriage to Donald as part of the package?  The pageant could have gone off the air, issued a short press statement saying there had been a mistake on stage a few minutes later, and none of you would have noticed--even when a different woman came out wearing the crown at the start of next year's pageant.  Instead, Steve tried to fix it on "international TV"--and ended up looking like a clown.  I'm just glad that the decision made by the likes of former NFL running back Emmitt Smith as to who is the most beautiful woman in the world was ultimately upheld.