In Memoriam

 Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 - January 27, 2021)

This very funny and talented actress has left the stage for the last time.

Winner of an Academy Award for her only nomination, for The Last Picture Show, she also won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and seven Emmy Awards!!

With almost 300 credits to her name, she was incredibly prolific and reached the pinnacle of her success starring alongside Mary Tyler Moore on the latter's eponymous show.

She was a sunny presence whose shining exuberance will be missed.

Loving

 A spur of the moment purchase that led to a beautiful series of discoveries. Bravo!

LOVING: A Short Documentary from Hugh Nini & Neal Treadwell on Vimeo.

Love Me Like You Hate Me

I consider Shia LaBeouf as extremely talented and usually enjoy his work, no matter how "out there" it might be.

This video is no different, and hats off to all involved for originality.

Love Me Like You Hate Me (2020) from LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner on Vimeo.

Donald and His Little Desk

Donald Trump is a man for whom appearances are everything, so it really makes one wonder what he was thinking when he accepted to sit at this tiny desk that makes him look utterly ridiculous.

Keep in mind that this was his first time in front of the press since HE LOST the election to Joe Biden, so you'd expect extra attention being paid to optics.

And yet, this is the best he could manage. A fitting parable of his failed presidency I guess.

The Moon in 2021

Here's a phenomenal visualization of what the Moon is going to look like next year, courtesy of NASA.

I particularly like the different perspectives that allow you to really understand why our satellite looks the way it does as viewed from Earth.

Enjoy:

The 63rd Grammy Awards - The Nominees

Following are the nominees for the main categories. The Grammys have a literal avalanche of categories, so if you're interested in the full list, click here.

The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, is scheduled for January 31, 2021 at 8 p.m. on CBS.

Album of the Year

"Chilombo," Jhené Aiko

"Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)," Black Pumas

"Everyday Life," Coldplay

"Djesse Vol. 3," Jacob Collier

"Women in Music Pt. III," Haim

"Future Nostalgia," Dua Lipa

"Hollywood's Bleeding," Post Malone

"Folklore," Taylor Swift

Record of the Year

"Black Parade," Beyoncé

"Colors," Black Pumas

"Rockstar," DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch

"Say So," Doja Cat

"Everything I Wanted," Billie Eilish

"Don't Start Now," Dua Lipa

"Circles," Post Malone

"Savage," Megan Thee Stallion

Song of the Year

"Black Parade," (performed by Beyoncé)

"The Box," (performed by Roddy Ricch)

"Cardigan," (performed by Taylor Swift)

"Circles," (performed by Post Malone)

"Don't Start Now," (performed by Dua Lipa)

"Everything I Wanted," (performed by Billie Eilish)

"I Can't Breathe," (performed by H.E.R.)

"If the World Was Ending," (performed by JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels)

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress

Phoebe Bridgers

Chika

Noah Cyrus

D Smoke

Doja Cat

Kaytranada

Megan Thee Stallion

Best Pop Vocal Album

"Changes," Justin Bieber

"Chromatica," Lady Gaga

"Future Nostalgia," Dua Lipa

"Fine Line," Harry Styles

"Folklore," Taylor Swift

Best Rock Album

"A Hero's Death," Fontaines D.C.

"Kiwanuka," Michael Kiwanuka

"Daylight," Grace Potter

"Sound & Fury," Sturgill Simpson

"The New Abnormal," The Strokes

Best Alternative Music Album

"Fetch the Bolt Cutters," Fiona Apple

"Hyperspace," Beck

"Punisher," Phoebe Bridgers

"Jamie," Brittany Howard

"The Slow Rush," Tame Impala

Best Progressive R&B Album

"Chilombo," Jhené Aiko

"Ungodly Hour," Chloe X Halle

"Free Nationals," Free Nationals

"____ Yo Feelings," Robert Glasper

"It Is What It Is," Thundercat

Best Rap Album

"Black Habits," D Smoke

"Alfredo," Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist

"A Written Testimony," Jay Electronica

"King's Disease," Nas

"The Allegory," Royce Da 5'9"

Best Country Album

Lady Like," Ingrid Andress

"Your Life Is a Record," Brandy Clark

"Wildcard," Miranda Lambert

"Nightfall," Little Big Town

"Never Will," Ashley McBryde

Best Latin Pop or Urban Album

"YHLQMDLG," Bad Bunny

"Por Primera Vez," Camilo

"Mesa Para Dos," Kany García

"Pausa," Ricky Martin

"3:33," Debi Nova

Mina - Un Tempo Piccolo

The latest single from one of the most amazing singers ever and a favorite of mine, Mina.

Enjoy:

Mortal Engines

THE GIST: In an unrecognizable post-apocalyptic Earth, people live in towns and cities that move around on enormous wheels and conquer one another in order to survive and prosper. London is one such behemoth and also the place where two strangers meet and decide to stop a dangerous man with tyrannical instincts.

Written and produced by the powerhouse team that brought us The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies (headed by Peter Jackson), Mortal Engines clearly shows promise but ultimately falls short of the greatness it aspires to.

The story is unequivocally interesting and there's plenty of fun to be had. Visually, it is certainly stunning to admire the moving cities.

Hera Hilmar and Robert Sheehan face off against a Hugo Weaving in fine form.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A pity it isn't better because there certainly are many more stories to be mined from such a cool concept. Still, moderately enjoyable.

Grade: 6.5

Overlord

THE GIST: On the eve of D-Day, a small group of American soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission to take out a German radio tower that would otherwise greatly derail the upcoming invasion. When they get to the small French village where the tower has been built, they hear rumors of a secret lab where German scientists are experimenting on French prisoners.

Overlord is a pretty cool movie that expertly blends war and horror genres, with a dash of fantasy for good measure.

Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, and Pilou Asbæk all do a very good job.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I really enjoyed this, especially for the excellent production values, in spite of the obviously limited budget. Interesting story and well made.

Grade: 7

The Meg

THE GIST: A group of researchers investigating a scientist's theory that the bottom of the Mariana Trench isn't the bottom after all, unwittingly end up releasing the largest marine predator that ever existed in the open ocean.

The Meg is your typical midsummer fluff-flick that's laden with visual effects and light on story development.

Jason Statham does a pretty good job, considering, and he's certainly in top physical shape. Rainn Wilson and Cliff Curtis also star.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I checked this out for the visual spectacle, and wasn't disappointed. I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something with any deeper meaning though . . .

Grade: 5