As pretty much everyone knows, this Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is at a record amount of 500 million dollars, or a “half a billion” if you want it to sound even more impressive. That’s not merely a lottery winning pot to make people salivate. No, that’s Tom Cruise money right there, and enough to buy,…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Petty Issues: Trayvon Martin, Newt Gingrich, Mad Men, Mega Millions, and Peyton Manning
Mega Millions is now up to a record jackpot of 400 million (if a single person wins Friday, it’ll be the highest single jackpot in lottery history). The safest bet for the numbers is still 12-14-36-44-52 and 28, but don’t take my word for it, play it…and if those aren’t the right numbers, give me…
Working Class Economist: Contrary to Conservative Belief, Government Jobs are STILL Jobs
Few things are less mind-boggling than the persistent Republican belief that government jobs are seemingly less valuable (or outright destructive) than private sector jobs. Typical comments range from the usual bureaucratic speak “The public sector is out of control…creating jobs at a faster rate than the private sector can pay for them” to this outright…
TV Reviews: Finales of Alcatraz, The River, Archer, Southland, and Premiere of Bent
It’s that weird time of year when not ALL shows are ending their seasons (that would be in May), but some are ending early while other shows are STILL premiering (like Bent). Without further ado… Alcatraz…What Happened (Spoilers obviously): After a season of wondering what in the hell is behind the warden’s precious door (the…
Entertainment Editorial: 5 Struggling Shows that Deserve Another Season (and 5 that Don’t)
Right now is that time when the networks begin deciding what shows are coming back in the Fall, and which ones are going to that big T.V. graveyard of “Gone too Soon.” So I thought it’d be worthwhile to explore which network TV shows I hope come back for another season, and which ones I…
TV Reviews: Grading the “Luck” Series Finale and “Mad Men” Season Premiere
Today brings Alabama Liberal’s first “All TV day” in which I’ll review two critical behemoths now (Luck’s series finale and Mad Man’s season premiere) and then later on today I’ll be bringing you an entertainment editorial about what TV shows I hope get another season and which ones I hope don’t. Plus, a review of…
Larger Editorial: Super-PAC Money is Wrong, but Obama is Right to Take It
A quick refresher just for anyone who doesn’t spend all that much time thinking about Super-PACs or the Supreme Court: A few years ago, the five supreme court justices who are conservative (i.e. Republican, and generally do things that favor the Republican Party like stopping the recount of votes in Florida when Gore was within…
TV Reviews: Walking Dead Finale, South Park Premiere, Awake, Missing, and Fashion Star
It’s been a big couple weeks for TV as the mid-season begins in earnest. Several new shows have debuted or returned or even ended, so let’s get to it… The Walking Dead: Last night was the second season finale of this show. Longtime readers know that I think this is the worst show on AMC…
Movie Review: “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” Go See this Small Gem
Finishing off our independent cinema day comes another movie that’s playing almost nowhere in Alabama (if you don’t live in Birmingham). I know this is getting frustrating guys, and I don’t much like reading about great movies I can’t watch yet either, but maybe these reviews will inspire people to see these films down the…
Movie Review: “Seeking Justice”…A Nicolas Cage Indie-Thriller that’s—-gasp!—-Decent?
In addition to “Detachment,” I caught another independent movie getting a very limited release this weekend, but the big difference is that “Seeking Justice” feels like a studio film in every way. For one thing, it has a high-concept premise. For another, it’s actually an action film. And finally, it stars Nicolas Cage. I’m not…
Movie Review: “Detachment”…an Indie that Gets it Right on Education
Continuing our independent film day, let’s talk about “Detachment.” This is only the second film Tony Kaye has ever directed, serving as his loooooong awaited followup movie to 1998’s American History X (which saw Edward Norton give the best performance of his career as a neo-nazi gang leader), and this time he’s tackling another potentially…
Monday Morning Movie Review: Casa Di Ma Padre
This is the movie that’s otherwise known as “Will Ferrell’s Spanish language debut,” in which he plays a Mexican rancher in a love triangle with his brother for the sexy niece (Genesis Rodriguez) of a major drug trafficker. What Works: Okay, so this movie is a big-time gamble and even if you don’t think it’s…
Mom Jokes: Heaven
The nun teaching Sunday school was speaking to her class one morning and she asked the question, “When you die and go to Heaven, which part of your body goes first?” Suzy raised her hand and said, “I think it’s your hands, because when you pray, you hold your hands together in front of you…