Tag Archives: Commentary

“Case Closed” on “Redskins” Rationale?

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Tom Garrett

On Olbermann last night, host Keith Olbermann delivered a powerful anti-“Redskins” commentary tied both to the team’s ill-advised #RedskinsPride hashtag campaign, as well as a recent discovery that the team’s name was not chosen partially to honor head coach “Lone Star” … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Sports | Tagged Commentary, Damon Runyon, ESPN, General Culture and News, George Preston Marshall, Keith Olbermann, NewspaperArchive.com, Racism?, Redskins, Sports, Washington Redskins | 7 Comments

Untimely Movie Review: Mrs. Miniver

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Tom Garrett

I’ll confess that I knew almost nothing if Mrs. Miniver before I watched it. About the only thing I was aware of was that it won Best Picture. So, with a blank slate, I dove in. As it turns out, Mrs. Miniver is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Commentary, Greer Garson, Movies, Mrs. Miniver, Reviews, Walter Pidgeon | 8 Comments

The WWE Has a Big Problem. Here’s the Solution. Really.

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Tom Garrett

The WWE has a problem. Surprisingly, I’m not talking about anything related to stock value or corporate governance. I’m referring specifically to the aspect of pro wrestling that matters most to me as a fan: Storytelling. And, whether the creative … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Television | Tagged Bad News Barrett, Bray Wyatt, CM Punk, Commentary, John Cena, Monday Night Raw, Pro Wrestling, Professional Wrestling, Television, The Miz, Wade Barrett, WWE | 6 Comments

Untimely Movie Review: The Maltese Falcon

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Tom Garrett

The problem with The Maltese Falcon isn’t that it’s a movie based on a book, it’s that it’s a movie that feels like it’s based on a play. The 1941 film is one of the earliest, greatest examples of film noir. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Commentary, Dashiell Hammett, Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Movies, Peter Lorre, Reviews, Sydney Greenstreet, The Maltese Falcon, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers | 7 Comments

A “Free Speech” Misconception

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Tom Garrett

If there’s an upside to having to listen to national arguments about “offensive” ideas on a weekly basis, it’s this: The increasing frequency of those debates has highlighted a misguided point repeatedly made about “free speech.” The argument normally follows these … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Politics | Tagged Adam Carolla, Commentary, Free Speech, Freedom of Speech, General Culture and News, Leslie Jones, Patton Oswalt, Politics, Stephen Colbert, The First Amendment | 4 Comments

We’re Doomed (Or: A Defense of President Obama)

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Tom Garrett

A recent Robot History Month (a/k/a “April”) visit to Japan by President Obama sparked some consternation among right-leaning media outlets. This bluster arose due to the fact that the president had the audacity to reciprocate a bow from an … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Politics, Science | Tagged Artificial Intelligence, Barack Obama, Commentary, Humor, Politics, Robot History Month, Robots, Science, Stephen Hawking, Steve Omohundro | Leave a comment

Adam Silver’s Mistake

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Tom Garrett

With the Donald Sterling saga now more-or-less concluded (at least the portion that won’t take place inside of a courtroom), I was thinking about NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s press conference on Tuesday afternoon. There was simply too much momentum against … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News, Sports | Tagged Adam Silver, Basketball, Commentary, Dick DeVos, Donald Sterling, General Culture and News, Jay-Z, Jemele Hill, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Clippers, Mark Cuban, NBA, Orlando Magic, Racism?, Sports | 1 Comment

Why I Never Read the Comments Section

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Tom Garrett

This is why I live by a “never read the comments section” rule. You can’t take too seriously what idiots on the Internet say. Why? Because the Internet makes people feel artificially disconnected, and that disconnect makes them behave in … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Politics, Sports, Videos | Tagged Commentary, Jimmy Fallon, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, Politics, Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners, Sports, The Tonight Show, Videos | Leave a comment

Untimely Movie Review: Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Tom Garrett

One of the more interesting bits of classic film trivia is that not only did Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz reach theaters in the same year (1939), but they were actually directed by the same man: Victor Fleming. Those … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Clark Gable, Commentary, Gone with the Wind, Judy Garland, Movies, Reviews, Rhett Butler, Scarlett O'Hara, The Wizard of Oz, Vivien Leigh, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers | 5 Comments

YES-lemania: The WrestleMania 30 Preview

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Tom Garrett

A scant four weeks ago, I was convinced that WrestleMania XXX was in big trouble. It looked for all the world that the WWE had an almost insurmountable task ahead of it creatively. Specifically, it appeared as though the main … Continue reading →