The past eighteen months or so have been more than a little surreal for Butler. He began 2023 in a position that all actors dream of but few know firsthand, nominated for Best Actor by every awards body that matters. It was his portrayal of Elvis Presley in director Baz Luhrmann’sElvisthat landed him there, and the experience—junket into roundtable into podcast, photo shoot into red carpet into reception—was both euphoric and exhausting. But Butler is not one to be idle. While Luhrmann’s film was in postproduction, the actor dove right into shooting a few major projects that are now finally getting released. First up:Masters of the Air, a World War II miniseries from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg that debuted on Apple TV+ at the end of January. And in the biggest theatrical event of the spring—quite possibly the year—he’ll star opposite Timothée Chalamet in the second entry of director Denis Villeneuve’s cyberpunkDunefranchise. With old-school Hollywood charm and a burning ambition, we ask the question: Is Butler the next great movie star? |
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World War II fighter jet and Austin Butler hair swoop not included with purchase. |
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When I started singing "Red, White and Blue," the lefties attacked me. And then the Right came in with heavy support. The righties said, "You're a red Republican, right?" I said, "No, I'm a Democrat." And you could smell the brakes and clutches locking down. Whoa! All of a sudden you don't get Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity and the Fox stuff no more. But I don't see things right-left. I see 'em right-wrong. I don't have an agenda.
There's 10 percent on each end that make all the noise.
It's amazing how much power there is in the phrase "boot in your ass."
My dad always said, "There's ten commandments in the Bible, but if you don't lie and you don't steal, the rest of 'em pretty much follow suit." |
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From the durable details to the beefed-up silhouettes, these will get you from one slippery destination to the next. |
| It's time to rethink the box mattress effect. |
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Regulars here at the shebeen are familiar with my attitude toward cryptocurrency. I have taken it as a good rule for living not to listen to people who come to me and say, "Look! I invented new money!" The whole thing seems more obvious in its scamitude than anything else in the history of American scams. At least Charles Ponzi dealt in actual American cash money. It wasn't his but, hey, you can't have everything. Over the weekend, however, The New York Times published a revelatory piece about how Arkansas has opened itself to Bitcoin "mining," much to the discomfort and consternation of local residents. As Erik Loomis of Lawyers, Guns, and Money points out, it turns out that living close to a "mine" of any kind is an environmental disaster and a catastrophe for the quality of life for the neighbors. |
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