NY Subway Death the "Next George Floyd"?!, The Rise of "Kidults" Twilight & Harry Potter Resurgence, "Dodgeball" Gets a Sequel?! (The Five for 05/05/23)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Before we dive in, I’ve had several messages asking about this transitional season (post layoff).
The quick answer is…things are still being decided, and every week is a roller coaster ride. If you’re interested in being a part of this journey…
My wife, Amanda, is expanding her art portfolio to include portraits, like the one below of our oldest daughter.
Amanda needs up to five more to launch this as a full service, so five custom portraits will be available starting at $199 (depending on size, etc). After that they go to $599-$2,000, depending on size.
If you want to grab one, email me at sethtowerhurd@gmail.com or text 314.580.3719.
If you’re in St. Louis (or will be visiting), you can catch Amanda’s art on display at the Angard Arts Hotel from June to August.
Expect 3-8 weeks for delivery, depending on how quickly you order.
Now let’s dive into Culture & Commentary.
[one]
Well, rarely do I have an angle on a story this personal…on Monday, I was traveling back from the Chicago Suburbs, running late due to a meeting that ran over.
Thank God it did, as I avoided one of the worst pileups in the history of the state.
Illinois State Police identified two more people killed in the dust storm pileup crash on I-55 Monday. A total of seven people died in the massive crash.
The two victims were identified as Amy and Michael Zinchuk of Champaign. A memorial for will be held for them Friday.
At least 30 others were injured in the massive pileup Monday just south of Springfield.
The pileup started when unusually strong winds blew up an epic amount of dirt from freshly plowed fields.
The incident was a truly a freak accident. There hasn’t been a mass accident event caused by a dust storm in my lifetime…and yet, there were calls for the government to “do something,” like this person who tweeted to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin.
Observations:
A. No, other states don’t regularly close highways for dust storms—I checked.
B. How could a state even track a *DUST STORM*. It’s not like it’s going to show up for the local TV metrological team the way a rain storm does. The wind suddenly kicked up to high speeds, then died back down.
C. This is, ultimately, commentary on religion in modern society. I get that Christianity is a minority belief system in the U.S., but when I was younger I thought much of the country would shift to more of a “reasoned atheist” stance. Instead, the emerging “religions” are:
Wokeness
Weird crystal/astrology/neo-paganism stuff
…and Government.
When I look at my own family’s history…I lost a great aunt to a tractor accident (her jacket got caught in the Power Takeoff-and snaped her neck within seconds). My great-great uncle died in a tractor rollover. My great-great grandfather was murdered by a mob in Iowa.
These events (all before my birth) shaped my family…who have turned to God, the Bible and prayer over the generations in response to tragedy.
“Why didn’t you save people from a natural weather event” is normally a question people ask about God—not Illinois. If people are looking to government for answers, direction, comfort, safety—you’ve got yourself a religious like set of tendencies there.
I realize I can’t control what other people believe—but if you’re going to put a religious level of trust in government, I recommend a state that isn’t strangled by Chicago politics.
[two]
The death of a homeless man on the NYC Subway system, which could turn into a “Georege Floyd level” event in the U.S., has already kicked off a political civil war…but this time, between liberals in the Democratic stronghold city.
Multiple reports have noted Neely, who is Black, was acting erratically on an F train Monday when he was put into a chokehold by a 24-year old white passenger. On Wednesday, the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
The incident has sparked growing concern throughout the week, most prominently from left-leaning New York officials.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in.
“Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges,” she tweeted. “It’s disgusting.”
The former Marine has not been charged in the case. But on Wednesday night, Mayor Eric Adams chided his fellow elected officials for getting ahead of the district attorney, who is looking into the incident.
“I don’t think that’s very responsible at a time when we are still investigating the situation. Let’s let the DA conduct his investigation with law enforcement officials,” Adams said during an appearance on CNN. “To interfere with that is not the right thing to do.”
Adams, who was once a transit cop during his career with the NYPD, urged observers to reserve judgment until more facts in the case are known.
“We cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that,” he said.
It’s possible the bystander, who at this point appears to have been restraining Neely to keep him from hurting others, will be charged. As Mayor Adams stated, we need to see what the investigation finds.
But it appears people are primed to get violent. A reporter for Timcast.com was a already attacked just for filming.
The weirdest take here is that it’s a GOOD THING to let mentally ill people beat you up on the Subway (video here).
If the table stakes for visiting a large city is letting the mentally ill beat you up, I’m fine to stay home.
[three]
Dang, all the 00’s/10’s book-to-screen projects are finding new life, with the vampire/romance saga Twilight up next, per The Hollywood Reporter:
The Twilight Saga is getting the television treatment, as sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that a series version of author Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling book series is in early development via Lionsgate Television.
Sinead Daly, whose credits include Tell Me Lies, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Raised by Wolves, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Get Down, is attached to write the script for Twilight. Sources say Daly is working with Lionsgate TV to determine what the specific take on Twilight will be and if it will be a remake of Meyer’s books or a different offshoot.
Elsewhere, The Hunger Games isn’t getting a reboot, exactly, but it’s still a return to the world of Panem via a prequel which is described as “the worldwide bestseller.”
Maybe, but The Ballad of Songs and Snakes didn’t sell nearly as well as the original trilogy, nor did it seem to bring the same cultural weight upon release.
That being said, the trailer looks suprisingly interesting…I didn’t think I’d care at all, but Peter Drinklage (Game of Thrones, Elf) brings a gravitas to every scene he’s in, and Rachel Zegler (Westside Story, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) may just be a Jennifer Lawrence-esque talent to bring new eyes to the saga.
Finally, the Harry Potter reboot is moving forward on Max (the very stupid name for HBO Max), with one season to focus on each book. The fact that the latest HP video game has been a massive success seems to have pulled the property back into the pop culture lexicon.
HP author J.K. Rowling remains as controversial as ever, thanks to her views that biological men in women’s homeless shelters and prisons can and does lead to an increase in sexual assaults.
Since HP is coming back, it’s a good time to listen to The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, a podcast from The Free Press and hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper (who left the infamous Westboro Baptist).
Phelps-Roper dives deep into Rowling’s story (which includes horrific domestic abuse, and an ex-husband who tried to destroy her first book before publication), interviewing both the mega-famous author, trans protestors, trans supporters of Rowling, and everyone in between.
Some of the former teen fans of Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight have teens and tweens of their own now, so it’s likely Hollywood is trying to both cash in on nostalgia while raising up a new generation of fans…to reap double the profit?!
[four]
The toy industry would be going bankrupt right now, but for one saving grace…the new phenomenon of “Kidults,” grown ups who continue to have a deep love for childhood pursuits.
Kidults, who tend to spend more on toys, have a great fondness for cartoons, superheroes and collectibles that remind them of their childhood. They buy merchandise such as action figures, Lego sets and dolls that might typically be considered “for kids.” However, in recent years, toy makers have created product lines just for these consumers, realizing that demand is high for this generation of adults who still want to have fun.
“The definition of adulthood has definitely evolved,” said Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at toy company Jazwares. “What it used to mean, to be an adult, was to be a very upstanding, serious member of society. And to do that you had to demonstrate it intellectually, emotionally, in every other single way.”
“Now we feel a lot more free to express our fandom as a part of our adulthood,” he said.
In the ’70s and ’80s, the toy business began to shift away from being an industry that was just about the next innovative item and embraced creating more product based on entertainment franchises. To be sure, there were toys based on movies and TV shows prior to this time, but this is when the trend kicked into high gear.
I’m sure this is an easy story to dunk on, but the subject demands more nuance.
For one, I enjoy some “kid” activities of comic book and sci-fi films (sometimes—Marvel is pretty terrible now) and video games (in reality, I work a lot), alongside more “adult” (if by “adult” pursuits you mean “hillbilly” stuff-mainly hunting, hiking, shooting things that go bang or fling arrows), collecting records, reading literature, etc.
And I know multiple high-six-figure earners with “collecting addictions” (toys, legos, etc.) There’s nothing wrong with (most) past times.
However, the growth of the “Kidult” phenomenon draws a strong dotted line to the overall delay of adulthood (which normally looks like a combination of career or business development, marriage or lifetime relationship, kids, real estate, investing, etc).
I’m not worried about successful people who enjoy some Kidult time…I’m concerned about a society where “Kidult” status isn’t a permanent label as many Millennials enter their 30’s and 40’s, many without ANY of the markers of traditional adulthood (no business, no entrepreneurship, no marriage, no kids, no real estate…no…purpose…no…ambition).
It’s great to be a kid when you’re a kid.
It’s unnatural to be “a full time kid” at 42.
[five]
Woooooah, I’m throwing my chips in on Gran Turismo being the surprise hit of the summer. Based on the Playstation video game (which is in turn based on real life racing, with real cars being licensed for the game over the last 20 years), this is apparently a true story of a kid who goes from playing the game…to getting to the real race, piloting a supercar a 200mph?
David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow) and Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean) lead the cast, with a script by the same writer who penned two other standout sports flicks, King Richard and Creed III.
Catch it this August.
“The Five D’s of Dodgeball are dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge.”
And so goes one of the most oddball comedies of the early aughts, 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Stroy. It had an OK run at theaters, a better run at Blockbuster…and is getting a sequel?!
Nineteen years later, Vince Vaugn (The Breakup, Wedding Crashers) returns to play the role of Peter La Fluer, a struggling gym owner who entered a dodgeball tournament to win $50,000 in the first film.
I REALLY like Vaugn (and some of my friends met him in Chicago—great guy), but uhhh…what are they going to do with this one, plot wise? And are they getting the whole band back together, because this movie worked thanks to a stellar cast that included Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder), Christine Taylor (Zoolander, The Wedding Singer), Justin Long (Accepted, Live Free or Die Hard)
No release date yet.
NEW MUSIC
Americana fans were never sure there would be another Turnpike Troubadours album, but here we are with a first single. The band imploded in 2019 due to singer Evan Felker’s drinking. A half decade later, the sixpiece returns with a sober, and focused frontman, ready to release an album produced by Shooter Jennings (the son of Waylon—who gave up a solo country career to focus his time behind the production board).
If you’re a fan, Felker’s latest interview for Rolling Stone is a must read.
Apple Music | YouTube Music
I’m really loving the new (very short) Jack Harlow project, which skips over attempting to create any “hits” for an early 00’s Jay-Z/Nas vibe that focuses on bars and storytelling—and production that calls back to the former’s 2001 album The Blueprint. Up next, we’ll see if Jack can make a turn as an actor in the White Man Can’t Jump remake (on Hulu May 19th).
Even though The Gaslight Anthem is my all time favorite band, I held off on including their new single (to make sure I wasn’t leaning into my own bias), their first original recording since 2014. But after giving in a couple dozens listens…I’m calling this an essential track to add to your upcoming summer playlist.
Until the next one,
-sth