Bad Weather

I will say it ad nauseum. The recent Greenland exercise. ICE thugs apprehending a 5-year-old. Mid-Decade redistricting. This is what folks voted for in 2024. Donald Trump just puts it out there on full display for all to see. This is embarrassing from the Daily Beast:

Billionaire Jeff Bezos is sending in reinforcements to support First Lady Melania Trump’s flailing “documentary.”

The $40 million vanity project acquired by Amazon MGM Studios is facing slow initial sales as its theatrical premiere date nears.

Besides the hefty licensing fee—which was largely seen as a way to appease President Donald Trump—Amazon has committed a staggering $35 million to show Melania in more than 1,400 theaters in 27 countries before making it available on streaming, Puck reported.

For all that, the film is only projected to bring in about $5 million during its opening weekend, according to Puck. Social media has also been flooded with videos of audiences booing the trailer when it plays in theaters in large cities.

To prop up the film, Amazon is holding premiere events in nearly two dozen cities nationwide on Jan. 29, a day before the film’s general release, Fox News Digital reported.

The president and first lady will attend the marquee event at the beleaguered Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., but premieres will also take place in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, as well as in Orlando, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, and Detroit, Michigan.

In an apparent show of support for the film, Amazon executives are also being dispatched to attend premiere events, according to Fox News.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Amazon MGM Studios for comment.

According to Puck, the $35 million P&A spend to market and release the film is “far more” than the budget for Taylor Swift’s 2023 concert documentary The Eras Tour, which earned more than $120 million worldwide during its opening weekend.

Here is the entire read: Jeff Bezos’ underlings are ordered to prop up Melania’s struggling ‘Doc’.

This is disgusting, to put it mildly. MAGA has no morals whatsoever.

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The Chron E-Board today has a take on MAGA Gov. Greg Abbott’s attack on Cy-Fair ISD’s Muslin kids. Here is the hard copy headline of the E-Board take:

Shame on Abbott for going after Muslim students

Here is from the take:

Stretching the truth is a political pastime but this apparent distortion goes too far. Shame on our governor for going after kids. Muslim students and community members are put at risk while Abbott and other state officials make a boogeyman out of them. Students here in Houston have been targeted. CAIR-Houston highlighted an incident in March when three Afghan girls were attacked and beaten at school. In October, a man disrupted a Muslim student gathering at the University of Houston, tossing a Quran into a fire. 

Texans should also wonder which religious group will be the next target for a political two minutes of hate. Will anti-Indian rhetoric simmering on the right-wing fringe explode into the governor attacking Lone Star Hindus? Will the Catholic Church’s pro-immigrant advocacy get them labeled an ally of cartels and drug smugglers? Maybe a rabbi’s ongoing lawsuit against the state’s 10 Commandments law will inspire a gubernatorial fatwa against Austin hosting the 2027 Maccabi Games. The governor, who once served on the Texas Supreme Court, should know better. If one religious group is banned for putting on soccer and flag football games at school grounds, the courts are likely to require the same treatment of Christian leagues. 

We applaud CFISD for its clear and cogent response to Abbott’s bullying. If only we could expect the same kind of integrity from our governor. Come on, Abbott, let the kids play ball.

Here is the entire E-Board take: Who’s afraid of Muslim kids playing soccer? Gov. Abbott is.

Nice take by the E-Board on Abbott’s hate. Abbott is one sick MAGA head.

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Friday’s Chron hard copy has a new look today. Instead of a front section, sports/business section, and a preview tabloid look section, there is a front, sports, business, and preview section. Four different sections. Interesting.

The featured photo is the new preview look with “Sinners” and the old with the scary movies photo.

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Folks continue to prepare for the bad weather. I will make a quick trip to the grocery store this morning and that’s it. I don’t plan on venturing out this weekend.

To drip or not to drip is the question some folks are asking today. KPRC Channel Two News has a story you can see here with an answer: To drip or not to drip faucets? Here’s what Houston, Katy, Harris County residents should do during winter weather.

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FanFest is tomorrow at Daikin Park. Stay safe this weekend.