Category: Pop Culture Page 2 of 81

Any trends or popular fads may be described, whether it would be something like the hula hoop or the pet rock or simply new slang.

San Antonio, Texas, on February 28th, 2026

By Connie Wilson

On March 2, 2026

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Pop Culture, Texas

Elise Wilson on Feb. 28, 2026.

On Saturday, February 28th, 2026, we journeyed to San Antonio to watch granddaughter Elise play in a volleyball tournament. The tournament featured the CTX (Central Texas) team, not the school team, but the short snip of Elise playing with her Valor School team at the bottom of the page will give you an idea of what the past three years have meant for her as volleyball player/Captain of her school team (and for us as spectators and fans). We really enjoy seeing her play. I’m so lucky that volleyball was the game of choice, as my enthusiasm for soccer, hockey, et. al., is not nearly as high.

As senior year approaches, we will miss watching Elise do so well as a team member of two volleyball teams. She played very well again on Feb. 28, 2026. I’m sure she will benefit from everything she has learned about teamwork during these last three years. Another tournament in Reno beckons in May.

View from our Mariott AC hotel in downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio is about an hour’s drive away. The location of the tournament was quite a long way from the downtown Alamo tourist spots. After the last two games ended, (which Elise’s team won), we checked into a Mariott downtown with the name AC (which instantly made me think of Air Conditioning).

As my husband went to check us in, he left me in the car with the window open. I was sitting there minding my own business on this balmy night when a woman with a group of passers-by began telling me “Jesus loves you.” I responded, “Good.”

A few more of the group began “chatting” (if that is the right term) with me through the open window ( I am IN the car, waiting for the spouse to check in; the group of 10 is on the sidewalk). I was not in any way indicating that I wanted or needed a sermon right from the streets of San Antonio, but that is what I got.

After the religious talk ceased slightly, I suggested that the members of this random group vote in the March 3rd primary election (They seemed harmless, but later that night, in Austin, a gunman shot and killed 2 people on 6th Street and wounded 14 others, so...). James Talarico is squaring off against Jasmine Crockett to see who runs against a GOP opponent in November. The MAGA crowd is much more concerned about a male opponent than a Black female friend of Kamala Harris’s. Likely MAGA candidate will be incumbent John Cornyn, so we may be witnessing another Beto O’Rourke moment. Or not. Who knows?

Dining along the Riverwalk.

If Texas continues to attract voters from other states because of its beautiful winter weather and its reasonable cost of living, could it represent ALL Texans, including new ones from other states? [Assuming we have fair elections that aren’t rigged and that aren’t called off because of a power grab from the top.]

Maybe some day we could have a few Democrats in office other than just GOP Trump-friendly folk? Is it time to loosen the GOP stranglehold on this very red state? Maybe we could have a different governor than Abbott, who has been in a wheelchair for years from a long-ago accident when a tree fell on him while he was jogging.

Abbott brags about how he went to work every day with the sole purpose of lodging lawsuits against Barack Obama during Obama’s two terms. There seems to be a lot of anger that we elected a Black President who did a good job, tried to help the average citizen with a Healthcare program, and whom most people liked. A God-fearing happily married husband and father who represented us articulately abroad, but was castigated for not wearing a flag pin on a tan suit, as though that were grounds for impeachment. And please get rid of Texas’s Kenneth Paxton. His own party seems to have disowned him. His whistleblower staff outed him. His wife divorced him. (Etc., etc., etc.)

Riverwalk.

Maybe don’t vote for the guy who brags that he has voted with DJT “99% of the time.” (Cornyn) Maybe don’t vote for the guy who puts MAGA in the middle of his campaign slogan (Middleton) and is totally down with things going on in places like Minneapolis or Venezuela. (I did not say “Or Iran” because we can debate Iran’s nuclear ambitions and their stated national goals, but now we’ve martyred their 37-year leader at a time when the experts say there was no “imminent” danger of nuclear weapons being feasible. How popular will we be with Iran’s devoutly religious average citizen whose cities we are busy blowing up?)

It seems that the goal for the incumbent 47th President is to leave a huge mark on the U.S.—and an equally huge mark on the world scene— by throwing U.S. military weight around as bullies and barbarians at the gate, an image that we spent over 60 years trying to undo. ($20 million a day just to float around off the coast of Iran; the need for an excuse to cancel elections and distract from the Epstein files really loomed large.) Plus, there’s the tacky gold redecorating and the proposed Arch de Triomphe that would dwarf the Lincoln Monument (not to mention the embarrassing pleas for trophies and the Nobel Peace Prize and that FIFA monstrosity.)

DJT seems to be arbitrarily instigating decades of war to re-emerge, despite such world wars in Europe involving the U.S. being dormant (because of NATO and negotiating and diplomacy) since 1945 (Remember: Now it’s not the Secretary of DEFENSE; it’s the Secretary of WAR. And it’s not the Gulf of Mexico, either, if you want to rewrite history. Which seems like the goal here.) Putin is pleased that, as a nation, we are repeatedly shooting ourselves in the feet.

Tearing everything down was always the goal of the corrupt Steve Bannon (guilty of fraud) and his interview with Errol Morris should be required viewing if you love our democratic norms and the Constitution that DJT tramples on daily. [2018 Steve Bannon interview “American Dharma”] It’s the blueprint of Project 2025, which DJT always claimed he knew nothing about—until he began following it to the letter.

A good Christian candidate in the Democratic primary March 3rd for Senator is Democrat James Talarico, who is studying to be a Presbyterian minister. His grandfather was a Baptist minister. If Jesus/God loves us (me, anyway, according to the woman on the sidewalk) why did She let the current occupant of the White House wrest power back in 2024? [THAT was a bad move!] Why select a convicted malignant narcissist racist misogynistic felon with pedophile tendencies who has appointed only incompetents and enriches his friends and family while doing little for the rest of us? As another huckster (P.T. Barnum) once said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

DJT has appointed Cabinet members like Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick was also linked to Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to having lunch with Epstein on his island (and he took his wife and kids!). And THAT guy is still around and showing up in international negotiations, sadly. Or RFK, Jr., who is bringing back measles and whooping cough and shutting down research on mrNA vaccines and childhood cancer. Or the woman who shot her dog (Ice Barbie, Krsti Noem, former Governor of South Dakota) who is now supervising the group (ICE) that is shooting citizens in places like Minneapolis. Or Crazy Eyes Kash Patel, widely considered an incompetent buffoon within the FBI/CIA ranks–with good reason. The list goes on and on.

Trump’s kakistocracy (look it up) doesn’t inspire confidence. Makes me less positive about the Deity’s judgment, but nevermind. Talarico believes in the separation of church and state and so do I. I also believe in the Constitution, which is being completely trampled on at the moment on so many levels.

I’m not cool with alienating all of our allies and bombing boats and countries, even if the countries, themselves, as Lindsey Graham has long believed, needed a good old-fashioned bombing. Cutting off the oil to Cuba and China sounds good until you realize that China, if it seizes Taiwan, will be controlling all of the high-end computer chips that our technology must have to function. (We have ignored this warning for years about Taiwan making 90% of the high end computer chips.) And what if the Chinese were to start in on our currency situation, as Michael Moore warned about in his 2009 documentary “Capitalism: A Love Story.” I suggest you watch it, too. (Too many documentaries; too little time.)

Downtown San Antonio from our hotel.

The bombing of Iran will not only keep MAGA from continuing to ask those pesky questions about DJT’s best friend, Jeffrey Epstein (or so he hopes) but will probably cause Trump to try to suspend mid-terms for a “national emergency” that he totally created, since there is data to support the position that Iran was already tottering on its damaged feet and incapable of using nukes against us (too far away). I’m okay with bombing the nuclear sites, but didn’t DJT tell us they were “completely obliterated” quite a while ago? Apparently not, if you need a distraction from the Epstein files.

And let’s not forget: anything to seize power and install friends and family in positions of leadership if you’re Donald John Trump. You want a pardon? Hit him up—for a fee. How about the money Melania pocketed for her quasi-fashion-documentary? (No corruption here—right? And I haven’t even mentioned the Qatar jet plane.) And now the GOP faithful, falling into line behind DJT and spending pots of money, has set their sights on buying up media (CBS, etc.) and distorting our ability to receive real news, just like in Russia, where Putin set about putting the media under his thumb to seize and keep power. (*Note to Fox fans: when lawsuits were underway recently, Fox News claimed to be an entertainment channel, not a news channel, as a defense.) We have already seen Stephen Colbert bite the dust and the Washington Post is dying in broad daylight, rather than in darkness. Can Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyer be far behind?

Soon we may have WWF wrestling on the lawn of the White House to celebrate the years since 1976 to 2026, our Semiquincentennial (250th birthday). Trump’s already ruined the Kennedy Center, so there goes any U.S. claim to culture [with more downgrades to come.] Remember when Pablo Casals played at the White House, November 13, 1961? No? Well, I do. Casals played in the East wing (now torn down by Trump without any permission and with LOTS of money pouring into Trump’s hands from “donors” to build—the wall?). I was 16 years old and JFK’s time in office was the epitome of class and culture for the Presidents I have known, which go back to Truman. And Donald James Trump represents the tackiest and least competent President—even eclipsing “W” of all time. (Which is going some!)

External audio
You may hear Pau Casals performing Antonín Dvorak‘s “Cello Concerto” with George Szell conducting the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1937 Here

Under Trump, for culture, you have to content yourself with a third-rate country singer or Kid Rock or KISS–except that one of them recently died and KISS retired but got the Medal of Honor along with hate-monger Rush Limbaugh— so, yes, DJT is old, as well, and hardly “cutting edge” regarding culture in the U.S.

We may well have Vince McMahon of the WWE putting on a wrestling tournament on the White House lawn, instead. After all, Trump has already appointed McMahon’s wife, Linda, to be in charge of the SBA (Small Business Administration.) Linda McMahon: another member of the kakistocracy. (How very presidential of DJT.)

Netanyahu and Trump are a lot alike in continued clinging to power and favoritism (and pardons) for their cronies. Yes, the avowed Iranian post-Shah mantras were (1) Death to America (2) Death to Israel (3) Women must wear head garb and never have a say in government. So, not waiting until the already 86-year old died of natural causes probably looked like a good idea (especially since there were many more like him to come), but will the Iranian people agree? It isn’t as though this administration, which unleashed DOGE on us, surgically figured out a way, Maduro-like, to off the Ayatollah. Not at all–thanks to the influence of the Lindsey Grahams and the Benjamin Netanyahus, we are still bombing Iran.

Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran’s oldest son, in 2025.

It appears that the Shah’s son—long gone from Iran after Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s overthrow in 1979—may be being groomed to return to Iran and rule. In a “60 Minutes” interview tonight the Shah’s son denied any desire to be a King or a President. He just wants to be a “transitional leader,”since 48 Iranian leaders were killed in the very recent bombing. Of course, the Shah’s now-grown son also admits to consulting with the White House and being in touch with Congress. Hmmmmm…

Meanwhile, San Antonio beckoned. Good idea to get away.

We had a lovely meal at an outdoor venue, enjoying the eighty-degree weather. It’s hard to believe that we are going to have weather this warm for the next two weeks with nothing lower than seventy degrees. And yet when I turn on my television, I see blizzards in the Northeast, temperatures in the single digits in places like Minneapolis (the “nice” neighbors in Minnesota who are standing up for their Constitutional rights while they still have them), and not-very-warm readings in cities and towns like Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Independence (Iowa). But the worst of the weather has been the massive amount of snow in places like Central Park (NYC) and Massachusetts and even the cold temperatures in Florida. (“But there’s no global warming,and all of the brakes on carbon emissions have been kicked to the curb.”)

So, enjoy volleyball while we all wait for the other shoe (or bomb) to drop. Here are my two lovely 17-year-old twin granddaughters, Elise (blonde, left) and Ava (brunette, right) eating ice cream on the Riverwalk.

Elise & Ava in San Antonio.

San Antonio Riverwalk.

Surrealist Paintings at the Dallas Art Museum on February 5, 2026

By Connie Wilson

On February 7, 2026

In Education, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Texas, travel

I just spent 3 days getting to and from Dallas (from Austin, Texas) in order to take in an exhibit of the Surrealist painters.

What I know (knew) about the Surrealists would literally rattle within a pea, but I do vaguely remember that Freud’s dream psycho-analysis methods. when they became popular and emerged upon the scene helped instigate it.

My friend Jackie (pictured on a cool scooter device) knew MUCH more than I do about the Surrealists and did fill me in on some famous names that I actually recognized, including Picasso, Lichtenstein, Magritte, Miro, Salvador Dali and many others. Jackie actually has a lovely Miro painting in her home that she pointed out I had complimented her on; I do remember this painting, but, no, I did not remember it was by Miro.

So color me ignorant, but willing to learn.

One of us read every word beneath every painting.

One of us read the words connected to the better-known artists and took some pictures of their work(s), which I am now going to share without much commentary, because, after all, what do I know about the Surrealists? (A: Very little.) Plus, I had no scooter and took every opportunity to seat myself on one of many benches and rest.

This failure to know enough about art is why I had to drop out of Davenport (Iowa’s) Art Museum docent program early. Did not know enough and got stuck taking a bus-ful of students from Dewitt High School on a tour through “the big room,” (when I had been told I was leading a tour through the Isabelle Bloom display, about which I had a great deal of knowledge, none of which the students on the bus nor their art teacher cared to hear.) It was one of the most embarrassing half hours of my life and seemed to go on forever, so, without further ado, here are some paintings from the display in Dallas. I feel confident that you will be able to pick out the Picasso, the Lichtenstein’s (sp?), the Magritte, etc., better than moi.

Enjoy!

“Joybubbles” Brings Joy to Sundance Film Festival

By Connie Wilson

On January 30, 2026

In Movies, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Joybubbles” at the Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.)

Joe Engressia is a name that you might not recognize. Joybubbles, which legally became Joe’s name in 1991,is a name that might also leave you in the dark. You can learn about Joybubbles in this Rachael J. Morrison documentary at Sundance and simultaneously take a look back at the telephone of yesteryear.

BACKGROUND

“In the dark” describes Joe Engressia for his entire life, as he was born blind. His life path, however, was so unusual that Director Rachael J. Morrison gathered archival footage of Joe as a young boy and as an adult to tell his story in a charming 79 minute documentary. It tells the story of a young innocent blind boy who decided that he didn’t ever want to grow up. Joe even established a church, the Church of Eternal Childhood, getting an online minister’s degree. Its motto “We won’t grow up.”

Joybubbles’ Peter Pan mind-set stemmed from childhood sexual abuse during a brief stay with his also blind sister at a school for the blind in New Jersey when he was 6 and ½,. Joe demonstrated high intelligence (some reports reported an I.Q. of 172), graduating 33^rd out of over 800 students, and he discovered a unique ability to whistle tones with perfect pitch. He was, therefore, able to make long distance calls for free.

TELEPHONES

Phones became Joe’s way of reaching out to the world. We’re not talking cell phones, since Joe was born May 15, 1949. As someone who predates Joybubbles, I can personally testify that long distance phone calls were very expensive and a Big Deal. My own mother basically forbade ever making long distance phone calls unless someone in the family had died, as the hourly wage back then was $1.25 and a long distance phone call could easily run $15 a pop (or more.) In defense of AT&T, which comes off as the $90 billion dollar unpopular monopoly it was for decades, the quality of land lines far surpasses that of cell phones. They’re a vanishing breed, but I still have one.

Joe found the phone to be a real equalizer for a blind person, since you can talk to people without them seeing you. When he learned to make the whistling sound at 2600 mhz that triggered long distance calling, (thanks to his perfect pitch), he earned local and national notoriety. He could make long distance phone calls for the others in his University of South Florida dorm for free. That led to Joe being reported to the phone company and facing charges that were eventually bargained down from federal charges to misdemeanor nuisance variety charges.

LIFE PATH

A near-death experience after Joe contracted what sounded like pneumonia in 1959 at the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship camp for the blind, when the temperatures for the native Florida boy, were in the fifties, Joe may have hallucinated thoughts about bubbles (Joybubbles). He also dreamed of becoming financially independent and living in a high rise with a swimming pool. He continued to want to be embraced by total love. To that end, Joe/Joybubbles placed an ad in the local newspaper and, later in the phone book for Zzzzyerrific FunLine. Strangers could phone to hear his half-hour musings on many subjects.

In 1982 Joybubbles moved to 22 E. 22^nd St. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began regressing to heal himself, traveling to the Mr. Rogers Collection of videotaped programs at the University of Pittsburgh. He watched all of the Mr. Rogers programs on videotape, which took him days. There was a primal innocence about everything Joybubbles did, which may well have “saved” him, as he listened to his inner philosopher.

WISDOM

Rachael J. Morrison, director of Joybubbles, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Worful.)

Joe—or Joybubbles, as he came to be known—shared many words of wisdom. Here are a few: “If you love something enough, it’ll love you back.”

“In the process of being an adult, you have to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. You have to realize that you’re an adult and sometimes you have to gamble,”

The head of a smaller phone company that ultimately hired Joe to work for them (Millington Telephone Company in Eureka, Tennessee) felt that Joe should be shielded from the many requests for interviews about his unique whistling ability. Joe felt that, “I could be my own person, be a real citizen.” Joe told his boss in Tennessee, “I feel that I’m human, and that’s where our philosophies differ.”

And then he quit.

Joe/Joybubbles moved to the Service Center in Denver in September of 197. to Minneapolis in 1982. He felt he “just needed a way to get loads of people to phone me” and attempted a classified ad, with a number that did not work. He finally settled on the last entry in the phone book and provided weekly updates for those who called in, one of whom was Steve Wozniak of Apple.

Said Joybubbles: “It was quite a realization that somebody could love me and I could have friends.” Others, such as CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman, who was sent out to do a story on Joybubbles was also asked to take Joybubbles to the movie “Big.” To Steve, the movie seemed a reflection of the life Joybubbles was trying to live.

PERSONAL OBSERVATION

I lived with a blind roommate in my second year of college. Susan (Willoughby). Susan and her siblings were all born blind to a sighted couple. What made Susan’s story even more unique was that two sisters married two brothers. Susan and her brothers and sisters were born blind, while the other couple had children born with normal sight. This interested the University of Iowa, which immediately conscripted the families for further study. Susan was majoring in Cane Travel when she and I roomed together. She was studying Cane Travel and Orientation and was very smart. She was able to beat me at any card game you can name, and she knew when it was me coming down the hall just from the sound of my footsteps.

I was drafted to help Susan match outfits (color coding on the clothing existed, but sometimes a tag would go missing) and, also, to take her to movies. I was told, later, that the University had hand-picked me to be Susan’s roommate. I remained her roommate all year, despite the fact that the books for the blind were so huge in those days that there was only a narrow path left to wind your way to our bunk beds. Our room became a “hangout” for other blind students and it was not unusual to enter and find a blind student “seated” (if that is the right word) in the waste paper basket, a rather large industrial strength version. I learned braille, but to learn it without sight is a much bigger achievement.

CONCLUSION

Joe Engressio was a remarkable human being who was the Peter Pan of Phone Phreaks. They became known as PhonePhreaks between 1969-1971 when the Captain Crunch cereal whistle opened long distance fraud opportunities to others without perfect pitch whistling skill.

As “Joybubbles” underscores, “Joe Engressia was a joyful person; he wanted everyone else to be happy. To that end, Joe’s simplistic world view was: “The essence of genius is being able to hang onto the mysteries of childhood for as long as possible.”

When Joybubbles was not heard from for a week, friends initiated a wellness check. Joe Engressio, (aka Joybubbles), was found dead in his tenth floor apartment on August 20, 2007, of congestive heart failure. His final thoughts: “Love me enough to let me go. Remember: every day is a gift.”

Good advice for us all in a thoroughly enjoyable Sundance documentary.

“American Doctor” Screens at Sundance 2026

By Connie Wilson

On January 29, 2026

In Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, Mexico, Movies, Politics, Pop Culture, Reviews

A still from American Doctor byPoh Si Teng, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ibrahim Al Otla.)

“American Doctor” is a Sundance documentary that follows three physicians grappling with the unbearable gap between what they’ve witnessed in Gaza volunteering at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis and what the world is willing to acknowledge regarding the reality of what is going on in Gaza. As I watched this documentary I recognized the familiar feeling that, when those in power lack human morality and compassion, the real life crises you are witnessing feel hopeless. The doctors’ concern that their efforts are futile is just one more battle to be fought.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about senseless violence in the Ukraine, Gaza, Iran or Minneapolis, the feeling is the same. As articulated at one point by one of the doctors in this powerful documentary: “There’s an institutional trend to silence and speaking out about this. From the boards of every single university, from the boards of hospitals: they just don’t care at what cost this is achieved…Most American physicians are horrified, but they are too frightened to speak up….” Consider that documentary statement as it relates to January 6^th, Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and victims of senseless violence in any ongoing war: “They don’t give a shit about anybody else as long as they kill the person they’re after.”

CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Director Poh Si Teng keeps the cameras closely focused on the work of three American doctors in Gaza at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, letting the doctors’ exhaustion, anger, and quiet despair speak louder than any narration. Cinematographers include Ibrahim Al-Otta, Ramzy Haddad, Arthur Nazaryan, Chris Rentaria, and Poh Si Teng, with editing by Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Christopher White.

The result is a film that radiates a specific kind of helplessness — not the helplessness of uninvolved bystanders, but of experts who have seen the consequences of violence up close and personal and still can’t get anyone to listen to them. We see the physicians returning to the United States to speak to representatives at Chuck Schumer’s office, John Cornyn’s office, Ted Cruz’s office—all for naught. This feeling of tilting at windmills is so widespread, so ubiquitous, that you walk away from the experience of this film overwhelmed by the realization that Kelly Ann Conway’s “alternative facts,” when truth is what is required in society, has contributed mightily to the mess we are all now mired in.

THE DOCTORS

“The American” doctors followed in the Sundance documentary are (l to r) Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Director Poh Si Teng and Dr. Fereze Sidhwa. (Photo from AFT)

The doctors are Dr. Fereze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California and a Zoroastrian who actively wonders whether his inability to let the injustice of this genocide go on without protesting proactively in perpetuity is what is keeping him from finding the girl of his dreams. Dr. Mark Perlmutter: a Jewish orthopedic surgeon from North Carolina. As a Jew, he is more at liberty to speak out against the repressive far right regime of Benjamin Netanyahu, and he does so. He also shares that his father was a physician who helped concentration camp survivors in World War II, upon arriving with U.S. forces. The third doctor is Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-America from Chicago who is an Emergency Room doctor in real life with a wife and two darling children. He encounters more hassles than the other two doctors just to be allowed to enter Gaza as a volunteer, often being left at the border by red tape just hours before entry. (“It’s a degree of inconvenience that’s essential. The Israelis choose to notify you that you are not being allowed in literally the night before.”)

All three are risking their lives to go into Gaza and attempt to treat dire injuries under the most primitive conditions. Since the Israeli Army intentionally targets hospitals, there is nowhere for the trapped populace—especially the children—to seek care. The doctors banded together to write an opinion/editorial entitled “As Surgeons We Have Never Seen Such Cruelty Like Israel’s Genocide in Gaza.” The X-ray machine at Nasser Medical Complex has been broken for 11 months; there are only 2 operating rooms.

THE TASK

The three weary doctors are followed amongst their colleagues in Gaza through the halls and operating rooms of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. In the 1 hour and 33 minute film, the hospital is hit by Israeli forces three times. In the film’s finale, a rocket hits the second floor men’s surgical ward, incinerating a 15-year-old boy whom the doctors had just saved. We see two little boys, aged 2, dead and brought in carried in their grieving father’s arms. A ten-year-old has no pulse in her left arm and shrapnel injuries to her foot. If she survives, she is going to lose both legs and her left arm. Early in the film, the doctors remark on the number of children brought in with gunshot wounds to the head, which they say cannot be simply accidental. The killing of children here is 600 times that in the Ukrainian conflict.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest civil rights and advocacy organization, has called for streaming platforms in America to carry this documentary, saying: “This important documentary shows, through the eyes of three heroic Americans, the reality of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. All Americans should see this film. We urge all streaming services in the nation and worldwide to host and promote the film.”

POLITICS ASIDE

Poh Si Teng, director of American Doctor, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Marcus Yam.)

After Dr. Ahmad appears with Dana Bash on CNN, he received a particularly hostile e-mail cheering for “Hamas to renege on the hostage deal before the Sunday deadline so that Israel can finish the job of eliminating the presence forever of every single Palestinian member of Hamas. Chew on that, Doctor.” The Israelis have protested that the Palestinian Hamas forces often hid their headquarters under hospitals, to avoid detection. Israel used that as their justification for bombing hospitals. We are all aware of the precipitating event when 251 civilians in Israel were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Dr. Ahmad’s response is: “I’m not a spokesperson for anybody. I’m not ‘pro’ anything. I’m a Palestinian who wants to see babies that look like my babies not being killed any more.” Over 1700 health care workers have lost their lives in Gaza since Israel launched its retaliatory attack on Gaza. 94% of the hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including the Nasser Medical Complex.

The U.S. has provided $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and took 251 hostages, according to a report by Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs.

EMOTIONS UPON DEPARTURE

At the end of the film, on March 18, 2025, when most of the Nasser Hospital seemingly collapses after bombing, the doctors must leave; they feel guilt. “When you leave, you really feel that you have no right to leave. You get this feeling of a kind of shame,” says Dr. Fereze Sidhwa. “I don’t feel like I should have left, because nobody was there and nobody was coming in to replace me. I think it would have been better to have stayed on. I had some access to media and to people who could write about these things.” Also articulated is this thought: “The people in Gaza told us that we have to advocate on their behalf. None of us wants to, but we all feel a sense of duty.”

Peer-reviewed analysis in The Lancet estimated 64,260 traumatic deaths in Gaza by June 30, 2024, rising to over 70,000 by October 2024.
Demographics: Studies indicate that 59.1% of these deaths in Gaza are women, children, and the elderly.
Over 100,000 Palestinians have been injured.

CONCLUSION

A companion piece for “American Doctor” is 2024’s “No Other Land,” a film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective that shows the destruction of the occupied West Banks’ Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers.

“American Doctor” is a very powerful firsthand account of what has happened and is happening in Gaza, told by those who have made multiple trips there to try to help. As the “Vanity Fair” Sundance team that wandered into this one when they couldn’t get into “Shitheads” said, “It’s the most powerful thing we’ve seen at Sundance, so far.”

“American Doctor” underscores the need for people of good moral fiber to stand up against and speak out against injustice anywhere, whether in a place far from home or on our own doorstep. If it is wrong and the PTB have presented a “truth” or rationale built on lies, that must be called out by people of good conscience.

From “American Doctor:” “First responders and journalists are being attacked. Every aspect of life has bee destroyed. There’s been no accountability. Who is going to bring the perpetrators to justice? Who is going to prosecute them? Who is going to confront the perpetrators in a way that they cannot rest without seeing us. It’s the only way that we can achieve accountability and justice.”

Do those words from “American Doctor” apply in other settings?

Yes, they do.

Let’s all act like we get the message that might does NOT make right and we must unite,as Minnesota has, to stand up for our neighbors and the sanctity of human life.

“Norheimsund” Screens at Sundance on January 26, 2026

By Connie Wilson

On January 26, 2026

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Norheimsund” is a 12-minute short from Cuban Writer/Director Ana Alpizar. It is making its North American Premiere at Sundance after its World Premiere on September 4, 2025 at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival’s Sala Giardino. It premiered at 9 p.m.at the Park City Library Theatre at Sundance on 1/26/2026.

Ana is a native of Cuba. Her first short “Fisherman” screened at Sundance in 2017 and played a significant role gaining her asylum in the United States. “Norheimsund” took her back to Cuba to shoot the film. It is the authentic vibe of shooting in the streets of Cuba that makes the film special. The director’s knowledge of Cuba shines through and informs the project. Ana is currently studying for her MFA at NYU’s Tisch School and this film was part of her 2nd year curriculum.

PLOT

Paula Masso Varela as Yamita in “Norheimsund”at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

The synopsis reads: “A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother from their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn’t as idyllic as he seems.”

DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT

Alpizar admits that the original impetus for the film was a story she had heard in Cuba about a young Cuban girl who is taken to a Scandinavian country by her much older suitor. The suitor removes the girl’s eyes to transplant to his sightless daughter and then sends the Cuban girl back to her native country, poor and blind.

Yamita (Paula Masso Varela) and Pocahontas (Darianis Palenzuela) in “Norheimsund” at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.)

Says Alpizar, “Since I was a child, I grew up hearing that story and hearing stories about sixty year-old Europeans who, essentially, bought exotic Cuban brides with the promise of a better life. These women were the Cinderellas of post-Soviet Cuba, seen as heroines not only for having escaped the island’s agonizing reality, but also for their potential to become providers for their families from abroad.

Unfortunately, those stories aren’t just distant memories; they still reflect the painful everyday reality of thousands of Cuban women today. “Norheimsund” is precisely an invitation into that bittersweet world, a door opened to a place where the brutality of circumstance can render deeply human even that which, in another context, would be unforgivable.

This story was born out of a desire to tell an intimate tale of mutual sacrifice between a mother and daughter, two women who carry the weight of each other’s expectations and broken dreams, trapped in a country where hope seems to have faded long ago.”

“Norheimsund” at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

“Norheimsund” deals with the reality of life in poverty-stricken Cuba, where a pretty girl can leverage her beauty to enthrall Scandinavian men and, hopefully, receive financial support. Alpizar, herself refers to it as pseudo prostitution in Cuba.

The beautiful young girl in this 12 minute film is Yamita (Paula Masso Varela). She is talking with Sven, far away in Norway, with her mother Yaima’s (Yaite Ruiz) encouragement. This arrangement, where a young girl must use her sexuality and beauty to “earn” money for her impoverished Cuban family, is commonplace.

POCAHONTAS

Unfortunately, Yamita is not the only beautiful young Cuban girl hoping to ensnare a Norweigan benefactor. The equally lovely Maibelbi (Darianis Palenzuela), also known as Pocahontas, has also been talking to Sven. Yamita feels she is being two-timed.

“Norheimsund” at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

When confronted, Pocahontas quickly acknowledges her conversations with the mysterious Sven. In fact, we learn that Sven sent the money for an air conditioner to be installed in Maibelbi’s godmother’s Cuban bedroom. Pocahontas treats the situation as completely normal, laying it on the line very realistically. She tells Yamita: “These foreigners stink so bad, fucking them ain’t easy.”

THE HEAT

Another character in the twelve-minute short is the unrelenting Cuban heat.

“Norheimsund” at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute.)

The director, in a “Rialta” August 10, 2025 interview, “I’m traumatized by the heat and by those fans that don’t blow any air and that you have to hang on to to get them started.” The weak fan in Yamita’s home is dubbed Panchito. It gives up the ghost by the end of the short. Said Alpizar, “I think the heat is a state of mind, one that makes Cuban reality even more agonizing.”

QUESTIONS

Early in the short one of the women in the beauty shop comments that if you speak English, it makes things much easier. One wonders why all of the women who are seeking a rich Sugar Daddy abroad don’t attempt to become proficient in English? When, exactly, are the girls in physical proximity to these Norwegian men?

Travel to Cuba has been restricted for U.S. residents for some time, although I have one friend who was able to visit during the years that the Obama administration allowed a loophole for cruise ship visitors to the island nation. Is it easier for Scandinavian residents to travel to Cuba?

“Norheimsund” at Sundance. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

Given Pocahontas’ remarks I think the answer must be yes. The only Cuban girl that seems to have been taken back to Norway to live permanently is Camila, whose Norwegian family we hear about secondhand. I would have liked more information about how often and when Norwegians visit Cuba.

I thoroughly enjoyed the twelve minutes of Cuban life in “Norheimsund” and I will enjoy a longer film from Writer/Director Alpizar about modern life in Cuba. I’ll be watching for more films from Ana Alpizar. Cinematography was by Yuqian Zhang and Sound design was by Denis Colina.

“Norheimsund” screens again at these times:

Writer/Director Ana A.Alpizar. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute.)

Sundance at the Megaplex Theater in Park City at Redstone 3 on 1/27 at 1:50 p.m.; at the Holiday Village Cinema 3 on 1/30 at 9 a.m.; and at the Broadway Centre Cinemas 6 on 2/1 at 9 p.m

“Prime” Midnight Short at Sundance on January 25, 2026

By Connie Wilson

On January 26, 2026

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews, Scary stories

“Prime” midnight short at Sundance on January 25th. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute.)

The midnight short “Prime,” written and directed by Meagan Coyle, has some gorgeous images shot on McEnroe Organic Farm. According to Coyle, the entire film started out as a comedy, but morphed into a meditation on the director’s guilt over eating meat. As the press notes say, “The director still eats meat, and she still feels guilt about it.”

PLOT

The plot features an accident survivor who joins a commune group on an organic farm after she has survived a horrible car crash that incinerated her mother. Claire Whitfield (Katie Mumford) joins the group in an upstate New York farm that looks idyllic. In fact, the images in this 16 minute short are outstanding. [If only the acting were as good.]

There is much mumbo-jumbo about “Life’s greatest accomplishment is to maintain the infinite cycle of life.” Exactly what that means is not clear from the outset, but this is a midnight short, so use your imagination.

CAST

Katie Mumford in the Sundance Midnight Short “Prime” on January 25, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

Actress Katie Mumford plays Claire Whitfield. The cult leader is an older woman named Rhea, portrayed by Anita Durst. Durst, who founded this farm collective IRL, has a very Zen vibe. Durst’s real-life background lends itself to her fictional role, as noted in information below.

The various scenes of nature and McEnroe farm are impressive.

The acting is not.

THE GENESIS OF “PRIME”

Writer/Director Meagan Coyle is a graduate of Boston College who has been doing make-up on the New York indie scene since 2017. The lead actress, Katie Mumford, appeared previously in “The Ring of Light” (2022). Anita Durst plays cult leader Rhea. Durst’s career is described as “eclectic.” Here is what that means in more concrete terms.

CHASHAMA

Photo courtesy of “Prime” Midnight Short at Sundance 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

Durst is the founder of Chashama, which is said to mean “to have vision” in Persian. That translation is disputed and some say Chashama is a made-up word entirely. Because Durst is the daughter of a New York real estate mogul, she had the connections to envision support for the arts utilizing locations in the New York City area that were otherwise not being utilized, a project she has been pursuing since 1995.

ChaShaMa has transformed 70 locations throughout the city and launched the careers of over 12,000 artists by giving them access to subsidized space, which supported approximately 10,000 public presentations for over 500,000 viewers. Chashama helps create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world by partnering with property owners to transform unused real estate. These spaces are then used for artists, small businesses, and for free community-centric art classes.

ABOUT ANITA DURST

McEnroe Organic Farm, the location for “Prime,” the Midnight Short written and directed by Meagan Coyle that screened at Sundance at 11:55 a.m. on January 25, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

Anita Durst (daughter of developer Douglas Durst, who is the 81-year-old younger brother of convicted murderer Robert Durst of “The Jinx” fame; Durst died in prison in 202,) Anita has been a star, a muse, and a patron of the avant-garde performing arts and emerging arts scene in New York City, since she was 18.

Following the death of her mentor and artistic professor Reza Abdoh from AIDS in 1995, Durst was driven to create a place for artists free of financial and subjective constraints. Anita has worked for over 20 years to secure over one million square feet of space in New York City for artists. Born in New York City, she has lived in New Foundland Canada, Ibiza Spain, and the New York City suburbs, Anita resisted conventional schooling and eventually ended up caring for her grandfather.

Chashama, as an entity:

Awards 11 million worth of real estate to artists
Subsidizes 300 artist work spaces
Provides over 215 free art classes
Gives 200 artists free space to present
Supports over 75 businesses with free space

“PRIME” IMAGES

One of many gorgeous images from the Sundance Midnight Short “Prime,” which screened at Sundance 2026 on January 25, 2026, (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Institute).

The images in the short “Prime” are what makes this short noteworthy. They are gorgeous and memorable. Cinematography was by Joshua Echevaria. Editing of the many beautiful images was by Mike O’Brien. Ben Chesnau was responsible for sound design and Yan Pavelchuk was the composer.

Onscreen, portraying the leader of the collective farm, Rhea, Durst gives off a very Jim Jones-ian/David Koresh vibe, well-suited to what passes for the plot of this 16-minute visual treat. Enjoy the images and applaud Durst’s tireless work for artists and art, which come to light in this Sundance short,

“Crisis Actor” Screens at Sundance on Sunday, January 25, 2026

By Connie Wilson

On January 25, 2026

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

“Crisis Actor, , Sundance short from Writer/Director Lily Platt screened on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

“Crisis Actor,” written and directed by Lily Platt, highlights Sarah Steele, an actress whose face is instantly recognizable. Although the 13 minute Sundance short relates a message that there are people who thrive on drama, Steele carries the film on talented shoulders. She is ably supported by Philip Ettinger, who has 56 roles to his credit, himself.

Writer/Director Lily Platt of “Crisis Actor.”

Over 20 years ago Steele won honors playing Bernice in the Adam Sandler vehicle “Spanglish,” which was a good Adam Sandler role long before his “Jay Kelly” or “Uncut Gems” praise. Steele’s performance in “Spanglish was voted the BestPerformance by a Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role (2005). In 2010 she won a Dorian Award as Rising Star of the Year. “Please Give” in 2011 earned her the 2011 Robert Altman Award and the cast won a Gotham award for Best Ensemble.

THE GOOD FIGHT

Sarah Steele (IMDB photo)

The role for which much of America recognizes Steele is Marissa Gold on “The Good Fight.” Steele won an award as Best American Actress (Septimius Award) playing Marissa Gold, the daughter of Alan Cumming’s Eli Gold, for 58 episodes between 2017 and 2022.

Her character Celine in “Crisis Actor” has just lost her day job. She lost the job partially because of her own high-strung histrionics. As she is leaving, Celine shares a cigarette on the street with a fellow Al-Anon member (Philip Ettinger, “First Reformed”) before accompanying him to the meeting and then on to his apartment. Philip’s character shares that he just kicked his sister out of his apartment, because of her over-the-top drama/drug habit. He physically demonstrates, to Celine, that being around his sister is like being constantly jolted.

Philip Ettinger (IMDB photo).

His high-drama sister arrives in person and interrupts a conversation the two are having about spontaneity, fighting, and crisis relationships. We also learn, early on, that Celine broke up with boyfriend Henry six months before, but she has been holding Henry’s belongings hostage.

CONCLUSION

It’s all in character and in keeping with the aptly titled short “Crisis Actor.” The original score by Luca-Scoppett Stern is good, especially the song “Hit & Run,” written by Anna Schwab and Alexandra Lily Cohen and performed by Sadie.

Why do I get the feeling that Lily Platt, daughter of Oliver Platt, has firsthand experience with high-strung crisis actor types? Not a lot more happening in this one, but Sarah Steele moves through its brief paces with the confidence and expertise of a true pro.

*******************

Post Script: On 1.28/2026

The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to: Lily Platt for Crisis Actor / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lily Platt, Producers: Sophie Seyd, Alex Bendo, Lexi Preiser) — Fired from her day job, an impulsive actress crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama. Cast: Sarah Steele, Philip Ettinger. World Premiere. Available online for public.

Jury citation: This short is uniquely brilliant in its ability to balance laugh-out-loud levity with the emotional pain of honest self-reflection. This film is a succinct display of craft in writing, directing, acting, and a deeply insightful depiction of the distorted state of American values today. The Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction goes to Crisis Actor.

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple:” Never Boring, But Very Bloody

By Connie Wilson

On January 19, 2026

In Movies, Pop Culture, Reviews

(The voice-over on the trailer is Arthur C. Clarke from a BBC Horizon program, September 21, 1964.)

“28 Days Later: The Bone Temple” is directed by Nia DeCosta, who was the first Black woman (and also the youngest) to direct a Marvel Studios film. Also known for this year’s “Hedda,” 2021’s “Candyman,” and 2018’s “Little Woods,” DaCosta is in hot demand. She was the recipient of a Black Perspective Achievement Award at the 61^st Chicago International Film Festival (October19, 2025).

DaCosta said, “My big pitch when I was talking to the producers, including Danny and screenwriter Alex Garland, before I came on was, ‘I’m going to make this my own. I’m not going to try to make a Danny Boyle movie. That’s impossible to make. He’s so special. And it didn’t really interest me.'” Apparently DaCosta’s vision means blood and lots of it. Be warned.

The film was originally announced as part of a planned trilogy, with Alex Garland (“Civil War”) serving as screenwriter for all three. In January 2025, Danny Boyle confirmed that he would direct the final film in the trilogy. Cillian Murphy, from the original film, makes an uncredited appearance in a tacked-on ending that is obviously a Trump era warning, utilizing references to the Weimar Republic.

A quote is used in a scene between Jim (Cillian Murphy) and his daughter Sam, whom he is instructing in history. The quote “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it” is attributed to Winston Churchill in 1948. Investigation makes it unclear whether it is really original to Churchill or, instead, to George Santayana and/or Edmund Burke. Maybe that’s what happens when you are forced to teach history to your daughter (Sam) in a country over-run by infected humans. (Home schooling does better with more resources—like the Internet.)

CAST & PLOT

The story of humans infected by a virus that turns them into bloodthirsty zombies with superior physical powers first came out in 2002, directed by Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “Shallow Grave”). It was entitled “28 Days Later.” Its plot was described this way: “Four weeks after a mysterious incurable virus spreads throughout the United Kingdom, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.”

In 2005 in “28 Years Later” the story introduced us to Spike and his family, well-played by young Alfie Williams. Alfie is a sweet boy and a brave one. At the end of that film, which was shot back-to-back with this new film, Spike is orphaned and falls into the clutches of Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), who lost his vicar father to the infection at age 8 and now rules as the totally evil son of Satan. Or so he tells his apostles, the Fingers, claiming to be the son of Old Nick, his term for Satan.

“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is a return to the screen of the character Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a doctor who has survived for 28 years alone in the wilderness of Northumbria and Newcastle, creating what he dubs a memento mori, a memorial to the dead, made of the bones of victims of this viral plague. Ralph Fiennes holds the film together. He is always reliably good. The scenes with Jimmy Crystal in conversation with Dr. Kelson are excellent.

Chi Lewis-Parry does an impressive job as Samson and makes Jason Momoa look like he needs to hit the gym.

Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) isn’t just evil; he seems to be totally without human compassion. In appearance, he is modeled on Jimmy Savile (1926-2011), a British pedophile who was Emcee of the “Top of the Pops” music show on the BBC, a program I remember from my days as a UK People-to-People exchange student. Savile, late in his career, was found to have molested more young people than perhaps any other pedophile in British history.

Shortly after being rescued by the Fingers gang, Spike is initiated into the group by being forced to fight to the death against one of the Jimmies, Jimmy Shite (Connor Newall). The opening scene is brutal, bloody and absolutely horrifying. Spike wins, but you know from this opening scene that this is going to be a stomach-churning horror film.

Sir Jimmy renames Spike “Jimmy,” in keeping with his practice of giving all Fingers variations of that name. There is Jimmy Ink, well-played by Erin Kellyman, who shows a tiny bit of compassion to the young Spike. In addition, there are Jimmy Jones (Maura Bird), Jimmy Snake (Ghazi Al Ruffai), Jimmy Jimmy (Robert Rhodes), Jimmy Fox (Sam Locke) and the sadistic Jimmima (Emma Laird.)

As the plot progresses, Dr. Kelson has success in befriending Samson and develops a theory about a cure that seems promising. Dr. Kelson’s ability to befriend Samson is a result of morphine, among other drugs of choice. The plot developments that follow Ralph Fiennes’ dance as the devil provide a unique “surprise” ending and plot twist.

SETS

The sets for the bone temple are incredibly intricate. Production designers Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh used 5,500 skulls and 100,000 bones to construct 1,000 upright columns. Bravo! There is an aerial shot that shows the bone temple amidst the forested lands. It is but one of many breathtakingly beautiful bits of cinematography from Sean Bobbitt. There is also the intricate underground lair where Dr. Kelson retreats to be safe. Wonderful attention to detail is shown in designing both spaces and the forests and sunsets of the area are breathtakingly beautiful, but to be afoot in the area is to risk one’s life. One character (Jonno, played by Gordon Alexander) finds this out the hard way.

MUSIC

When Jimmy and the Fingers stumble upon Dr. Kelson, who is red from the iodine he uses to protect against the infection, Jimmy talks Dr. Kelson into impersonating the devil. That gives us a truly great scene with Fiennes performing to Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast.” The music, throughout, is unique, with Hildur Gudnadottir (“Joker,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”) composing and features a song over the credits entitled “In the House in a Heartbeat.” The song was originally written for “28 Days Later.”

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

The critic for Roger Ebert, Robert Daniels, did not like Alex Garland’s script very much and said, “The hardest part to stomach about “28 Years: The Bone Temple” is its meaninglessness.” That review also said the film was “The second part of a planned trilogy, or I guess the fourth film of a quintet.” [Not helpful.]

I disagree with the ‘hardest part to stomach” remark.

The hardest part to stomach is the unremittingly bloody gore.

It’s well-done, well-acted, with good cinematography and music (although using adjusted camera angles to give the infected humans erratic motion I could have lived without.) For me, the script was fine. The plot made its point, although the gore moved into overkill. But the music, cinematography, acting, production design and overall impact have yielded $15 million at the box office since the film’s release on January 16th. It will be interesting to see if the extreme gore attracts viewers or repels them. (“Different strokes for different folks.”)

Paul McCartney at the United Center (Chicago) on Nov. 24, 2025

By Connie Wilson

On November 26, 2025

In Music, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, travel

Paul McCartney at the United Center on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

I just returned to Austin from Chicago. I traveled to the Windy City to see Paul McCartney in concert at the United Center on Monday, November 24, 2025. Chicago was the last stop on McCartney’s “Got Back” tour.

The place was packed and nobody left early. Paul came onstage about 8:20 p.m. and sang until 11:10 p.m. At no time during his performance did he leave the stage and turn it over to a sidekick, so that he could go offstage and take a break. He was on his feet and climbing the stairs to his piano (which malfunctioned at one point) and seemed very “with it.” He did not sit down while playing (like B.B. King did in his final years) and his endurance was just as impressive as Mick Jagger’s.

During the evening, he pointed out a gentleman who has seen him 142 times and came with a sign that said so. There was another guy with a sign that said “124.” Many signs proclaimed the crowd’s love for Paul and he seemed to return that warm sentiment.

I’ve now seen Paul McCartney five times. I’d love to post video of a few songs from the show, but I’m not sure how that can be accomplished without repercussions for me, so I am posting only a few still photos.

PAUL McCARTNEY & THE BEATLES, Aug. 31, 1965

First time was in 1965 at the San Francisco Cow Palace (afternoon concert). Security was one guy and waist-high chicken wire. (Ineffectual). It was my very first concert. Girl from Iowa climbs on back of a Czechoslovokian motorcycle driven by Philadelphia boyfriend Colgate (William Hopkins), cuts class at Berkeley in the summer of 1965 (Aug. 31), and says, “Let’s go up and see if we can get tickets.” And we could. They cost $7. It is my belief that they had been saved for the Beatles, themselves, to use for friends and family, but now it was showtime. We were in the 7th row on the aisle with folding chairs. There was one guy guarding the stage, which had waist-high chicken-wire. Someone ran onstage and took Ringo’s drumsticks and John’s hat, when they finally showed up, late. I thought we were all gonna’ die during the exiting part, when I was moving but my feet were not touching the floor. People stood on the folding chairs, causing them to go down like dominoes. It was pandemonium, with teenagers passing out left and right.

At the time, the film “Hard Day’s Night” had just been released. Shirley Bassey sang the theme from “Goldfinger” and Cannibal and the Headhunters did their thing (making a train dance on the floor.) The National Anthem was played by King Curtiss. The Astronauts from California were supposed to be part of the lead-in, but they did not show up. The tickets cost $7 apiece, I repeat, because to go from $7 to $800 is quite a big increase, as you will agree.

PAUL McCARTNEY, 2025

The tickets for us in section 302 way up high in the United Center on Nov, 24, 2025 (12 rows from the top) cost $800 apiece ($1600 total) on Monday night. People on the floor had paid $3,000. (Talk about inflation!)

The show began with Paul singing “Help” this night and the lyrics were so perfect for anyone aged 83. At no time did his demeanor, voice, or ability to move about show his age, which was wonderful for me, someone only slightly younger than he is. I did notice that many members of the audience were brandishing canes, but, thankfully, Paul was not, nor was I. I was also grateful that almost everybody stayed seated until the finale, so we could all see. A teenager on the end of the aisle in front of me kept standing up to dance, which pretty much totally obscured the video screens that allowed the far-away fans to see the faces of the band clearly.

Paul McCartney, Nov. 24, 2025.

I took so many videos of his many hits that my phone died, which turned out to be a real problem when both my daughter (who had flown in from Nashville for the show) and I used up all of our phone charge and had to try to call an Uber or Lyft to get home. We had taken a Lyft to get there, which cost $14. There is now a building–run by Uber apparently—that you go to and make these calls for Uber or Lyft drivers. Cabs are like land lines and impossible to find. That building was not there in 2015.

We finally had to go outside and we found a “pirate” Uber driver who quoted us a price of $50 to drive us back to Indiana Avenue’s South Loop. The daughter had already called and been given a $47 price and a 20 minute wait from the normal Uber network. We had no idea what the building name was and there was talk of going to your driver’s “lane.” I last went to a show at the United Center in 2015 (Queen with Adam Lambert). I have been to the United Center to try to see Caitlin Clark play, for my July 23rd birthday, but I have not ventured out for a musical performance there, although I did see the Eagles with Steely Dan in Austin and John Mulaney here on Nov. 14, 2025. There was also a night back in the Quad Cities with the Tennessee comic Nick Bugazzi (sp?) at the Mark of the Quad Cities. But, with Elton John, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, et. al. fading into retirement, there are few musical groups I would spend the time or money to see (although I’d make an exception for Benson Boone or Adele or Bruno Mars.) And I did go see the Dave Matthews Band on June 27th of this year at Northerly Isle Pavilion, so now I see concerts in both states. (Not as many United Center runs.)

PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS

The second time I saw Paul, my name was driven first in the state of Iowa for tickets at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football stadium in Ames, Iowa. Channel 6 anchor Paula Sands asked me if I could get her tickets for the July 31st show at the Ames Hilton Colisseum football field. I did, as I was allowed to purchase up to 8 tickets. That concert was Paul with wife Linda and Wings. Our tickets were in the 7th row from the front. I took my son and my college roommate and her daughter. July 18, 1990, is when Wikipedia says he played Ames, setting an Iowa record for concert attendance at the time. I’m not sure that is right, because that means that daughter Stacey was born, but only 3 years old. She attended with me on Monday night and she is now 38.

When I saw him at Wrigley Field on July 31, 2011, he was far away. It was his “On the Run” tour. The fourth time was at the Civic Center in Moline (the Mark of the Quad Cities,) on June 11, 2019. I know it was then called the Taxslayer Center, but it will always be known as the Mark of the Quad Cities to me. That entire concert was ruined by a drunk girl who insisted on trying to claim a seat in our row when her ticket was far, far away. I missed the entire fire-filled finale of “Live and Let Die,” so I was glad that it was incorporated into this show again (but not as the finale.) At the Monday show there were 6 encores, which were much appreciated by the assembled fans.

ME, @ THE MARSHALL FIELDS WALNUT ROOM PRIOR TO THE SHOW

It was truly a great show. Maybe not as historical as that day I suggested we cut class and drive up from Berkeley via motorcycle in 1965 to see the Beatles, but close. I don’t know if I can post any of the videos. If anyone has any advice there, the only way I know how to do it is to upload it to YouTube, which has become very finicky about a 30 second clip being the intellectual property of the group and, therefore, not to be posted. They actually threatened me over a 30 second snippet of Bryan Adam’s Candle in the Wind tour or whatever it was called. (“Summer of ’69”). Definitely dimmed my Bryan Adams fan-ship.

I haven’t posted since, but that particular song (“Summer of ’69”) was available elsewhere on the web and I used one of him in much younger days.

Paul was soooooooooooooooooo much better!

HollyShorts Concludes Second UK Edition

By Connie Wilson

On November 18, 2025

In Editorial, Pop Culture, Reviews

HollyShorts brought a dose of Hollywood to London this week as its second U.K. edition wrapped with a sold-out awards ceremony at Vue Cinemas West End, where Franz Böhm’s Rock, Paper, Scissors and Sam Davis’ The Singers emerged as the night’s top winners.

The Oscar-qualifying short film festival, now growing a sizable satellite presence in Europe, the Middle East, and North America, drew filmmakers from across three continents as it continues positioning itself as one of the world’s leading incubators for short-form talent.

The awards were hosted by Karen Bryson MBE who recently starred in The Rainmaker and is also loved for The Teacher.

Böhm & Davis Lead the 2025 Winners List

Böhm’s Rock, Paper, Scissors scored the Best Short Film Grand Prize, earning a £20,000 Panavision lens package and a prize package from Essex Bouqcakes. The film also claimed Best Student Film, cementing Böhm as one of the event’s breakout names.

Davis’ The Singers delivered a parallel sweep, taking Best Director, presented by Cotrini Skin Care with a £5,000 post-production package from The Farm, and Best International Film.

2025 HollyShorts UK Award Winners

Best Short Film Grand Prize
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Franz Böhm
Prize: £20,000 Panavision lens package, Essex Bouqcakes prize package

Best Director, Presented by Cotrini Skincare with £5,000 Post Production Package from The Farm
The Singers, Sam Davis

Best Student Film
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Franz Böhm

Best Animation
Two Black Boys in Paradise, Baz Sells

Best Comedy
Chasers, Erin Brown Thomas

Best Drama, Presented by Le Kool Champagne
A Friend of Dorothy, Lee Knight

Best Thriller
ADO, Sam Henderson

Best International, Presented by Sushi Samba
The Singers, Sam Davis

Best Music Video
Bile Bile, Rango Musau

Best Music Documentary
Hugel – The Entourage, Ludovic Genco, Hugo Lucas Pompier

Best Sports Documentary
Fighting Demons, Simon Stock

Best Shot on Film, Presented by Kodak Motion Pictures
A Death in the Family, Yasmin Hafesji

Best Cinematography, Prize Package Presented by ShotDeck
Stomach Bug, Andri Haraldsson

HollyShorts Expands Into 2026

The festival also announced its largest global expansion to date. HollyShorts UK will return for its third edition November 12–15, 2026, with submissions for the 2026 cycle opening tomorrow. HollyShorts Dubai is set to run December 12–14, 2025, extending the brand’s reach in the Middle East.

The year will conclude with the 22nd edition of the flagship HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood, scheduled for August 13–23, 2026.

Founded in 2005, HollyShorts remains a key discovery platform for emerging filmmakers, with Academy Awards-qualifying and BAFTA qualifying categories and deep partnerships across production, post, and distribution sectors. Sponsors for the 2026 London event include Cotrini Skincare, IMGN, Miller Insurance, LeKool Champagne, Panavision, Alta Global, Dumont Luxury Real Estate, Essex Boucakes, Sushi Samba, The Farm, Kodak, and others.