Motley Kamuka

I'm watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) , and I realized it was Les Miserables for children. It was a strange realization. It's another story by Victor Hugo, and he has great themes of justice set in France. I've seen Les Mis, Mamma Mia, Avenue Q, Rent on Broadway, it's not very much.  I'm really into watching them online.  Here are my past posts about musicals: Cabaret Schmiggadoon The King and I Schitt's Creek has some Cabaret that eventually led me to seeing it twice. Favorite Musicals post West Side Story Best Musicals on Netflix right now in USA that I have seen: Tick, Tick...Boom! Matilda Les Miserables La La Land Jingle Jangle The Prom What About Dick? I haven't seen on Netflix, but I'll get to them: Eurovision The Wiz The Queen of Flow Diana : I tried this one. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 12% favorable reviews. I have resistance to the Royalty, I'm not interested, and well, Charles is a cad, I don't need more proof of that. The mus...

Culture wars are about the willingness to be disappointed in our fellow citizens. Godfrey says that in her excellent article in the Atlantic. And yet they create the very pessimism they feed off of. Here is a quote from a movie review of The Sound of Freedom from the Atlantic by ELAINE GODFREY: "Kate Cox, a retiree from McLean wearing little flower earrings, told me before the movie that she was “a pro-life Catholic” concerned about the border. “That’s exactly what this is about,” she said. “They’re taking these people and selling them into sex slavery.” Cox and her girlfriends were also worried about the fentanyl coming in from Mexico: How hard would it be to put up a wall? “And the homelessness!” added Peggy, a friend of Cox’s who declined to share her last name. “Cities are falling apart.” Cox nodded. “Say what you will about Trump, and 99 percent of it’s true,” she said, “but this didn’t happen under Trump.”" I can't help but judge these people, though if they were s...

Fascism: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. In Israel: "Today, Israel’s parliament passed a law that increases the power of the country’s right wing, headed by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel does not have a written constitution, and the prime minister’s ruling coalition is in control of both the executive and the legislative branches of government. The only check on them was the courts, which could overturn extreme laws that did not pass a “reasonableness standard,” which means they were not made according to a basic standard of fair and just policymaking. The new law aims to take away that judicial power, and it passed by a vote of 64–0 after opponents walked out in protest. Netanyahu’s coalition has indicate...

“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.” ― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism “Before mas...

Minnelli told The Advocate editor-in-chief Judy Wieder in September 1996 "I married Peter, and he didn't tell me he was gay. Everyone knew but me. And I found out ... well, let me put it this way: I'll never surprise anybody coming home as long as I live. I call first!" ( Wikipedia ) She also had quite a substance abuse problem like her mother.  Watched a bunch of Cabaret videos, then this video comparing versions. Thinking about Babylon Berlin. I'd like to read  Goodbye to Berlin by Isherwood. I think with the rise of fascism, this story and it's many versions, is more fascinating. It game me an interest in Liza Minnelli, who is perhaps the star of the main movie and was 26 in 1971 when she shot this. Supposedly it's not a musical movie because they took out a lot of the songs, and there's some good dancing in it.   I'm embarrassed but I really liked the version of a song in Schitt's Creek, and that got me looking at it today. The central c...

Song on spotify if you haven't listened to it. Lyrics by Jason Aldean : Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk Carjack an old lady at a red light Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like Cuss out a cop, spit in his face Stomp on the flag and light it up Yeah, ya think you're tough Well, try that in a small town See how far ya make it down the road Around here, we take care of our own You cross that line, it won't take long For you to find out, I recommend you don't Try that in a small town Got a gun that my granddad gave me They say one day they're gonna round up Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck Try that in a small town See how far ya make it down the road Around here, we take care of our own You cross that line, it won't take long For you to find out, I recommend you don't Try that in a small town Full of good ol' boys, raised up right If you're looking for a fight Try that in a smal...