Do you wanna build a snowman?

Here, halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, or as I like to call it, the “Arctic Circle,” winter has come hard.

At first, it teased. Hardly any snow, wind or finger-freezing temperatures.

Until now.

Which is when the “dog days of winter,” as I like to call them, will spin around a bit, seeming to chase their tails, then find just the right place to settle down and make us… cold.

Or should I say “COLD”?

And with that cold often comes snow.

And with that snow often comes feeling trapped in the house, unable to get out and move around.

Then add on a pandemic and, well, you get the picture.

So, I need an antidote.

But what to do?

Well, I could take up the bobsled, but then I’d have to go outside and build a mountain in my backyard, then create an iced track, put in bleachers, build a refreshment stand, etc.

Or I could build an igloo, but I don’t think our refrigerator’s icemaker has an “Igloo” setting.

So, instead, I’ll do what Anna proposed to Elsa. Build a snowman.

Sound childish? Well, yeah, and that’s the whole point.

Because, in times like these, it’s good to see through the eyes of a child again, and touch the world with their oft-sticky fingers.

Who’s with me?

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What do we want?
Free Britney!
When do we want it?
Now!!!

It’s easy to ridicule Britney Spears. I’m sure I’ve done it myself. When my daughters were young girls, the music of that era seemed to be all Spice Girls, Boy bands and Britney. The sounds going through our car were the sounds of those artists. I’d find myself singing along to “Hit Me Baby One More Time” or “Oops!…I Did It Again.” I’m sure I did it with disdain in my voice or sometimes to embarrass the kids when they had friends in the car. It was a dad thing to make fun of Britney.

A lot of the ridicule she brought on herself. There was her marriage that was annulled after three days. She followed that with another marriage to Kevin Federline only a few months after the first failed one. Then there were the multiple pictures taken by the paparazzi that had one or both of her breasts was falling out of her top. There were other pictures taken of her sitting in the back seat of cars with her legs spread and not wearing any panties. And what was the deal with the shaving of her head?

There was no question that Britney Spears was out of control and the press was always around to document her every mistake. It’s tough to grow up when you’re always in the public eye. What made it worse was she was so young and also she was a girl. In the rock and roll world, such behavior by a male adds to the mystique. When a female does it, the name-calling begins. Misogyny was alive and well in the pop music world….and it still is.

The new documentary “Framing Britney Spears” tells us the life story of Britney. From a young age, her fame and talent were used to try to make life better for everyone surrounding her, at Britney’s expense. It’s not a story that is so different from others we’ve heard in show business.

The Spears were a poor family living in Mississipi. Early on they realized that one of their children had a chance to become special.  Britney Spears was groomed for a life in show business from the age of three. It started with dance lessons and singing in church. Nothing out of the ordinary for a young child at that point. But, becoming a performer on the new Mickey Mouse Club at age eleven can be overwhelming for a child who isn’t ready to handle fame at a young age. For Britney and her family, fame and what came with it is what they wanted. Sadly, her family wanted it more than her.

From there it was on to making records. Her first album, “Baby, One More Time” has sold more than twenty-five million copies worldwide. The singles from it were also huge sellers. With it came a lot of money for Spears and her family…more than they ever imagined. Britney Spears was now the financial provider for her family. That’s heady stuff for someone not yet twenty years old. Along with the money comes worldwide fame and attention.

When it became too much, too soon, it was easy to see why she was heading towards the notorious behavior issues and her eventual breakdown and mental health issues. But, the incredible thing is Britney Spears not only survived, but she put her career back together. She continued to make records and also started a residency at Planet Hollywood, in Las Vegas, in 2013. It won awards for best Vegas residency in 2015 and 2017.

However, Spears has done this while under a conservatorship. Her father has been in charge of her life for more than a decade. Yes, he gets a piece of her income because of this, but it’s as much about control as it about money. She has not been able to make even the simplest decisions about her life without getting approval. But, now Britney Spears wants the strings loosened and her fans have been vocal in their support of this. That’s where the “free Britney” chants come from and also what becomes the main focus of the documentary.

Because of the dispute over the conservatorship, Britney Spears has said she won’t work until it’s settled in more favorable terms. She has not performed in almost three years. The film won’t leave you with a happy ending or even any kind of ending because the case is still ongoing, but it will leave you a lot more sympathetic to the life of Britney Spears. There’s no question that she’s a survivor and maybe it’s time to finally “Free Britney.”

Related Post–Amy: You Should Have Gone To Rehab

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There is one more casualty of the beer business fall-off due, partially to COVID: The Hofbraühaus Chicago, in Rosemont, has closed its doors last week. According to the Daily Herald, the location had been going for eight years, but could not keep steady business going outside of Oktoberfest time. But the loss of business during the pandemic was the final straw. Owners Joe and Mike Matuschka indicated that they will reduce the restaurant space in the building and repurpose it as a pizza bar, keeping the brewery equipment.

We are coming into the Valentine’s Day weekend. A lot of places will be offering carry-out versions of traditional Valentine’s dinners, with beer included, of course. When they had a deadline for ordering or pickup, I will try to get the announcement in the proper deadline date.

Monday, February 8
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Tuesday, February 9

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Thursday, February 11

When we talk about “snap” in a hot dog, we’re talking about that toothsome quality in a dog that bites back a little bit – the unyielding before succumbing to the bite. You don’t get it in a skinless wiener or in a cheap dog you buy in bulk. They are found in Chicago.

Chicago is the land of the thick-skinned. In hot dogs and in the people.

That’s why The Wieners Circle is the perfect Chicago hot dog stand. You order your dog and you become the victim of a torrent of abuse – some of it quite profane and obscene. The ladies behind the counter are on their game, and if you are not expecting it, the more relentless they are.

It may be strange to say, but after months of holing up, you begin to miss the muscularity of the abuse, the “stand-there-and-take-itness” of the experience. The purity of well-directed insult! My God, what archery! How Chicago!

Take it all in for a moment:
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“What the f*** you want?” is the typical greeting. The names they hurl on you next are creative in the extreme, but a guy like me couldn’t escape the “Richie Cunningham” label. My hair was red before it turned white, and my cheeks were, pretty much, “apple cheeks.” A former nickname of mine was “Grizzly Opie,” in other words, Richie Cunningham with a beard. They had a field day with me. I laughed my ass off.

Remember when Conan sent Jack McBrayer to The Wieners Circle? They called him “Malibu Ken.” Good thing Triumph the Insult Comic Dog was along:
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As John Keats said once upon a time, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

But some joyful things don’t last forever.

Alas, The Wieners Circle is on hiatus during “these difficult times” and is closed for the next several months. The staff is no doubt standing by and are, as Robert Burns famously said, “kindling their wrath to keep it warm.” Anyone with an ex-wife is familiar with that particular fire that burns slow and hot until you get home.

The people who dish out the abuse (and the excellent food, by the way) still have bills to pay, families to raise, landlords to appease, and groceries to buy. Why not help them out?

Sarah Levine started a fundraiser for the crew at Wiener’s Circle. So far they have raised about half of their goal. Chip in five or ten bucks if you can. Act like you received a char Polish in return and a verbal drubbing of being called something unspeakable. Cut and paste the link to your browser.You’ll feel better. We all will.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-for-the-wieners-circle-staff

Before James Robinson made himself an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was piling up nearly 1,900 yards as an Illinois State senior.

When the Redbirds kick off the spring season Feb. 20 at Missouri State, the rushing attack will have plenty of new faces trying to replace Robinson and two other top rushers, who produced 93% of the team’s yards on the ground a year ago.

“I’m really excited about our backs,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said during this week’s Missouri Valley Football Conference media day. “We’ve got some good young backs. They may be a little different style than James. I think we’ve got two redshirt freshmen and a true freshman that are good players, and (sophomore) Kevin Brown has had some playing time.”

Along with Robinson and his 1,899 yards, the Redbirds also have lost senior Jeff Proctor (476 yards), last season’s backup who left the program earlier this month. Last year’s third-leading rusher was quarterback Brady Davis, who had 160 yards.

During two preseason scrimmages, true freshman Rashad Lampkin has rushed for 120 yards, while redshirt freshman Nigel White has 100 yards. Fellow redshirt freshman Pha’Leak Brown rushed for 37 yards in the first scrimmage.

Kevin Brown, a native of downstate East St. Louis, has 35 carries and two touchdowns in his young career.

“I’m excited to watch that group,” Spack said. “We’re in good shape as long as we don’t lose four (to injury or illness).”

The Redbirds also are likely to rely on the running ability of new starting quarterback Bryce Jefferson, a sophomore from Indianapolis. Jefferson, who started all three playoff games for ISU last season, rushed for 58 yards against North Dakota State in the Redbirds’ season-ending 9-3 loss in Fargo.

Spack said fellow redshirt freshman running back Cole Mueller will sit out the spring after off-season surgery.

Preseason honors

Illinois State was chosen to finish fourth in the league’s preseason poll, which was announced Wednesday, with 80 points in voting of MVFC coaches.

The Redbirds were the top Illinois team in the poll, followed by Southern Illinois in fifth place (68) and Western Illinois tied for ninth (23).

NDSU, which has won the league title nine years in a row, was first in the poll with 101 points, followed by Northern Iowa (92) and South Dakota State (91).

Salukis rack up recognition

Five SIU players earned spots on the MVFC preseason all-conference team, the most of any Illinois school.

Sophomore running back Javon Williams Jr., junior wide receiver Avante Cox and senior offensive lineman ZeVeyon Furcron earned recognition on the offense, while senior defensive lineman Anthony Knighton and senior defensive back Qua Brown were named to the defense.

The Salukis, who begin their spring season Feb. 20 at North Dakota, also placed junior linebacker Makel Calhoun on the honorable mention team.

Illinois State senior offensive lineman Drew Himmelman was named to the all-preseason team while ISU senior fullback Tim McCloyn, junior defensive lineman John Ridgeway, junior linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh and junior defensive back Charles Woods were chosen honorable mention.

Western Illinois had one player, senior punter Adam Fellner, earn honorable mention honors.

Spending the fall as a fan

Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill spent his fall rooting on five SIU players in the NFL. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)

While the MVFC wasn’t playing in the fall, Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill and his staff spent plenty of time watching NFL games that featured five different Salukis – Carolina Panthers rookie defensive back Jeremy Chinn, New York Giants DB Madre Harper, Philadelphia Eagles DB Craig James, Seattle Seahawks DB Ryan Neal and and Tennessee Titans tight end MyCole Pruitt.

“It was fun,” Hill said. “It was a unique fall.”

Hill and his wife made a trip to Carolina to watch Chinn.

“We turned that into a fall trip for my wife and I,” he said. “We stayed in the mountains and then went and watched Jeremy. It doesn’t get much better for me than being outdoors, going on a hike and then watching NFL football.”

Hill told his coaching staff to embrace the chance to do things they couldn’t normally do without a fall football season.

“It was a unique opportunity to do something different,” he said.

New faces in Macomb

Jared Elliott

Western Illinois head coach Jared Elliott’s program brought in 12 transfers as part of its recruiting class announced this week.

The new faces have sparked a different energy, the WIU coach said.

“It’s a brand new football team,” Elliott told the MVFC media. “That’s exciting but also challenging with a short turnaround to get a team ready. In terms of football, they’ve already made an impact and started to show up. They’ve quickly been able to fit into our team and build relationships.”

The Leathernecks open the season Feb. 19 at South Dakota, a date that Elliott can’t wait to arrive.

“I’m having more fun coaching football now than I ever have,” he said. “Every coach wants to have a team that you have fun coaching.”

THE LITTLE THINGS

Genre: Thriller

Rating: R

Running Time: 128 mins.

Where Can You See It?: In Theatres and HBO Max (for 30 days)

Premise: A jaded deputy sheriff “with a secret” (Denzel Washington) partners with a hotshot LASD detective (Rami Malek) to hunt a serial killer in 1990. Jared Leto plays their main suspect. 

Behind-the-Scenes: Writer-director John Lee Hancock originally wrote the script back in early ’90s (hence the setting), before serial killer flicks like Se7en, Kiss the Girls, and Copycat gained popularity. Originally attracted the likes of Steven Spielberg and other big names, but languished in developmental hell for decades. Leto recently earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations for his supporting work here.

The Good: Denzel is always watchable even if the movie around him isn’t. He’s made a lot of stinkers in his career, but he’s never the reason they stink. The Oscar pedigree is definitely here in spades – with all three leading actors having won gold. I’m a big fan of David Fincher’s Se7en, so some of the serial killer story trappings here can’t help but evoke fond memories of moviegoing in the ’90s.

The Bad: This is no Se7en. Even though it may have been first scripted before that hugely influential flick, whatever rewrites occurred over the ensuing years clearly show that Hancock is indebted to that film and trying to replicate some of its same twisty, soul-searching climax. It also borrows heavily from Zodiac. But, let’s be clear – Hancock is no Fincher. Rami Malek is such an odd duck – he brings awkward energy to everything he does. Sometimes it works, but it really doesn’t here. He seems sorely out of place in every scene, with Denzel running circles around him. Hell, even Leto is better (I actually think Leto is pretty good here). At over two hours, it’s slowly paced with large stretches of the film dragging, and almost nothing of note happening.

Should You See It?: No. You might be lured in by the three stars, but this is a turgid thriller. The only upshot for those who can’t help but take a look is that watching it on HBO Max allows you to skip the cost of a ticket. It’s not worth the $10.

Star Rating: ** out of 5 stars

Better Than: Along Came a Spider, The Snowman

Worse Than: Seven, Zodiac

* * *

For more movie/TV commentary and other mischief, follow me on Twitter: @Hammervision and on Letterboxd: @Hammervision

Wake up, Maggie, I think I got somethin’ to say to you
It’s late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused, but I feel I’m being used
Oh, Maggie, I couldn’t have tried any more

I’m conflicted about Rod Stewart. I love the music of the 60’s-early 70’s Rod. But then I hear disco Rod and just shake my head. Confliction!
I see Rod doing interviews and love how funny he is, usually at his own expense. Then I hear one of his standard tunes, realize he’s done three albums of them and just shake my head. Confliction!
I love how much time he’s given and how much money he’s raised for cancer charities (he’s a two-time cancer survivor), but then I hear one of his Christmas songs and I just shake my head. Confliction!

Two of Rod’s biggest albums turn fifty years old in 2021. “Every Picture Tells A Story” was released in May of 1971. It received some wonderful reviews. Lots of five stars. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 173 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. It also was a big moneymaker. It sold more than 1,700,000 records, achieving platinum album status.

It also has one of the legendary classic rock songs. Fifty years later, “Maggie May” is still great. When you hear the guitar intro, you know you aren’t changing the radio station for the next five minutes. It’s also likely, you’ll join in with Rod and start singing the lyrics that are still seared into your brain after fifty years. That’s a great thing. How many songs can you say that about?

As for the rest of the album, side one is pretty dull, but when you flip over the vinyl and get “Maggie May, “Mandolin Wind”, “I’m Losing You” and “Reason To Believe” on side two, you’ll find Rod at his best. Maybe that’s why the vinyl was better than the eight-track or cassette version of this record. You could go right to the great stuff!

Six months later, Rod was at it again. The band, Faces, released “A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse.” What a great, underrated fivesome of musicians these guys were. Ronnie Wood on guitar, Ronnie Lane on bass, Kenney Jones on drums and Ian McLaglan on keyboards were legends. The gravelly voice of Rod Stewart topped it off.

The album received some good reviews, but not nearly as good as the Stewart solo album of six months earlier. It also has good sales. It was certified as a Gold album, but again not as good as Rod on his own. This record also has the one hit song that you can still hear on a regular basis fifty years later. “Stay With Me” became a hit single and like “Maggie May”, when you hear the searing opening guitar from Woody, you aren’t going anywhere. Most likely, you’re playing air guitar with him.

However, on the whole, “A Nod…” doesn’t hold up well fifty years after its release. Besides “Stay With Me”, only “Miss Judy’s Farm” and a cover of “Memphis” held my interest. Maybe if you put these three together with side two of “Every Picture…”, you’d have one great album that you would still listen to half a century later….maybe.

Back to my Rod confliction….in the late 1980’s I was living in Southern California and some friends came out to visit. We went to Beverly Hills, got one of those maps of the star’s homes and went on a star tour. We found Rod’s home and pulled into his gated driveway. As I started to back out, two dogs ran out and started barking. They were followed by Rod’s then-wife, supermodel Rachel Hunter. I guess she just wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

That’s how I like to think about Rod. “Maggie May”, “Stay With Me”, two dogs and Rachel Hunter as opposed to “Do You Think I’m Sexy” and Rod having himself “A Merry Little Christmas. See?? Conflicted!!!

In the mornin’ don’t say you love me,
‘Cause I’ll only kick you out of the door
I know your name is Rita ’cause your perfume’s smellin’ sweeter
Since when I saw you down on the floor.

*Song lyrics from “Maggie May” and “Stay With Me”

Related Post: Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” has aged like a fine wine

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