Kennedy Center Horrors

2025 Kennedy Center Honorees and Trump
supporters.

This year's low-rated, horrible Kennedy Center Honors were like an auto accident on the freeway--I couldn't stop myself from looking at the wreckage. Trump has turned what was once a national honor into his own ego-driven, self-gratification ceremony. Probably because he felt slighted by the Center during his first term and refused to attend. It has since been revealed that once he got into his second term and appointed himself Chairman of the Board, he changed the rules of the board so only those he appointed were allowed to vote and thereby stacked the deck to get his name added. Then he announced he would be hosting. The honorees were figures he liked and who had hit their peaks decades ago. The resultant fiasco ceremony was a true embarrassment. 

For the broadcast, Trump made live opening and closing remarks. His opening speech was over 20 minutes and included the usual rants on tariffs, and lies about the 2020 election which he still can't admit he lost. CBS cut the political stuff and left Trump's bloviating about his supposedly saving the Kennedy Center and how this year's honorees are the greatest entertainers to ever walk the face of the earth. Really, Donald? Gloria Gaynor and Sly Stallone are on a par with William Shakespeare, Greta Garbo, and Charlie Chaplin? 

The remainder of Trump's mummified remarks were taped at the White House so Trump and Melania could be seen seen sitting next to the winner being spotlighted. BTW, there was a commercial for the $44 million dollar Amazon documentary on Melania that no one will go see in theaters. 

Gay Marriage and Kennedy Center Horrors--I Mean Honors

I haven't written about the horror show known as the Trump administration for a while. But two major developments have cropped up which call for immediate comment--the first major challenge to the Supreme Court's gay-marriage ruling and Trump's first roster of Kennedy Center honorees after he has taken over operation of the venue and its formerly highly-cherished life achievement awards. 

Both these events are indications of Trump and Trumpism's attempts to take over the culture and set it back to the days before DEI, multiculturism and being "woke"--the right's latest bogeyman phrase (succeeding the L word and politically correct). 

I had thought there wouldn't be a challenge for gay marriage because there would have to be lawsuit, not just a red-state legislature passing a wish SCOTUS would overturn Obergefell. Kim Davis--remember her, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to marry a gay couple and liked to wear Grranimals--has filed a suit that she should not have to pay the $125K fine for her refusal because it violates her religious beliefs. She is also suing to have the entire gay marriage decision overturned. Evidently her religious rights are more important than my rights to equal treatment under the law. 

I was worried about this, knowing the the current court is capable of anything. They overturned Roe v. Wade and are allowing Trump to do whatever he wants even if it's a criminal act, as long it's official business. Then I saw that in 2022 the House and Senate passed and Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act codifying non-discrimination for gay, interracial and international marriages. This law makes gay marriage federal and not just a state-by-state thing, backing up the SCOTUS' Obergefell decision. Also, if I read the law correctly, it says that even if the Supremes do reverse Obergefell, states that have no gay-marriage laws on their books must recognize gay and interracial unions from those states which do have such laws. In other words, if a gay married couple from NY moves to Arkansas which has rejected gay marriage, Arkansas still has to recognize this pairing. I think it can also be interpreted that a gay Alabama couple could go to NY or a gay-friendly state, get married there and return to their home red state and still be legally joined. They just couldn't get married in Alabama or Arkansas or wherever. 

2016 Oscar Predictions

The Oscars are this coming Sunday Feb. 28 and it's time to make my annual predictions. This year has not been particularly exciting with no huge blockbuster dominating the proceedings. The new Star Wars has not generated much excitement, but Mad Max: Fury Road has garnered a bunch of nominations and will probably sweep the technical awards. I usually try to see all of the Best Picture and acting nominees. This time I did catch nine and a half of the top film candidates (I only got through the first hour of Mad Max on HBO.Go before I had explosion overload, I'll try to get back to the rest of it.) I've seen most of the acting nominees, three of the five feature documentaries, one each of the foreign and feature animated films, and all of the short films (I wrote them up for GoldDerby.com and here's a link). I always say some year I will see all of the nominees but I never make it. Here are my predix: