Wallet Hub has broken it all down for you:
https://wallethub.com/blog/oscars-facts/19250/
Category Baby Boomers
2017’s Most Sinful Cities (by WalletHub)
Of course Las Vegas is in the top spot, but New Orleans, LA is No. 10. The newest article to rate America’s most sinful places arrived in my inbox this morning from WalletHub.
The state of Nevada actually had three cities on the list; Louisiana had two. Orlando, Fla., home to Mickey and Minnie Mouse was rated number two as most sinful. That was kind of difficult to believe, but I haven’t been there in quite a while.
If you’d like to read the report for yourself, go here: https://wallethub.com/edu/most-sinful-cities-in-america/29846/
Mobile, Ala. Is the Newest Location on The First 48
Not only are they playing new episodes of The First 48, they’re in a new city. Thursday’s episode (August 4) was in Mobile, Ala. Since I’ve seen every episode, I don’t think they’ve ever been in Mobile, or I would have remembered the fact that Mobile is the city with the oldest Mardi Gras.
Mobile, is a very intriguing city, with talented and interesting homicide detectives (and they all seem to have a sense of humor). Their motto, or at least the one on their coffee cups is “Homicide, our day begins when your’s ends.”
The one that really had me laughing was the one that was spoken three minutes into the show by Det. Julius Nettles, “if we’re not eating as a unit, we’re not eating.”
The other interesting thing I noticed about Mobile, and it could just have been the case they were working, or this particular murder victim, but when the detectives were looking for witnesses, I never once heard, “I didn’t see anything,” or I don’t know nothing,” I didn’t hear nothing.” Mobile citizens were calling the police to give them information.
With the information from the community and armed with what they find on Facebook – yes, Facebook, they track one of the killers down in the first 16 hours.
What follows is nothing short of hysterical. Just when they’re going to call it a day, a tip comes in about where their suspect is and they find him hiding at his grandmother’s house. They finally convince her to come to the door, she continually denies that he’s even in the house, yet he can be seen through the windows. They get her out of the house, they go in and get him. Now they stay at the house while they wait for a search warrant, and poor grandma has to sit in her front yard while all this goes on.
Once the criminal is in the interrogation room it starts at “I didn’t kill anyone,” to “It was just a robbery,” and when they get sick of hearing that, Det. Nettles shames the guy into crying. But the guy’s only crying because he knows he’s caught and he doesn’t know what to do or say to get out of it. What a wimpy, cry baby little twerp. Hardly worth time and trouble. When he finally calms down and says he want to talk, he says “Zebbie killed him.”
They hit the streets to find Zebbie, but they don’t. So, it’s finally time to eat. Back at the station, they hear from a relative of Zebbie’s, and get him in custody.
This episode ends with Zebbie also going into custody for the murder.
A different city with homicide detectives who get the job done. Three out of every four homicides in Mobile get solved. Higher than the national average.
Recently I heard that the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, may be considering a run for President in the near future. I wonder if he’ll use Facebook crime statistics as a part of his platform.
Mac Users call it The Beach Ball of Death …
That slowly spinning, brightly colored ball, signaling buffering that all of us here at work hate to see when we’re trying to watch a television broadcast or movie clip or whatever.
Yes, I said “watch it here at work.” Now there’s a name for it … ‘buffer rage.’ Oh for crying out loud. Now that you think of it, I did tear up a piece of paper towel into tiny shreds when I was trying to watch the Ben-Hur trailer yesterday but then I just changed the speed and it was fine.
Anyway, read more about ‘buffer rage’ here: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/half-of-streaming-consumers-experience-buffer-rage-per-ineoquest/278176
Criminal Minds – Derek – Stars Danny Glover
The latest episode of Criminal Minds is a study in mind control and how in the face of adversity, you can use disassociation to “save” yourself.
“Derek” — When Morgan is abducted, the BAU scrambles to find him and save his life. Legendary actor Danny Glover guest stars as Morgan’s father, Hank. Credit: Trae Patton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
At the end of the previous episode, Derek Morgan is kidnapped just as he reaches home. He’s on the phone with his girlfriend, Savannah, and she’s about to tell him some good news when he is attacked.
Derek, the episode which aired Wednesday, March 2, picks up with Derek being unloaded from crates, and strapped to beams via cables. A team of six men in an isolated location stands by taking orders from a man leading the show.
When the leader orders them to “wake him,” they realize Derek is awake but is disassociating himself from the pain that is about to be inflicted on him. After two similar dreams, one involving children, the other involving the team, but ending with Danny Glover sitting in his dining room, Derek’s torture begins with some body shots and his conversation with Danny Glover begins in earnest.
He needs a hint to find out who he is, discovers it’s his Dad, and with the encouragement of his Dad, begins a cognitive interview on himself to discover who and why he’s in this predicament and how he’s going to get out of it.
His next torture is nasty – some kind of flammable gel is applied down the center of his chest and lit, and when that doesn’t phase him to the delight of the leader he orders Derek to be stripped. They cut him loose and as he falls to the ground and his shirt is cut off, Derek makes his break, grabbing one of the guys as a shield and begins shooting at the rest, killing and/or wounding all of them.
Meanwhile Garcia and JJ take Savannah home to pack a bag and do some cyber scouting and Garcia discovers an Intranet in their wireless router. It opens up a page about the CIA which causes JJ to get on the phone immediately to a contact of hers.
While searching for a cell phone on one of the six, now assumed dead, Derek finds one, but it displays “No Signal.” He finds an interesting tattoo and discovers the leader is still alive and encourages him to talk, but all he does is mutter name and serial number gibberish. He realizes he isolated and has no way of contacting anyone to help him.
He and his Dad are now standing next to a body of water, and Derek asks him “why are here?” His father says, “you created this space in your head when you were 15.” “I don’t want to talk about what happened when I was 15,” Derek tells him. Dad tells him he’s very proud of him, which floors Derek. “Proud!” “Yes, Derek,” his Dad says, “Proud you turned your pain into your greatest asset.”
Soon Penelope shows up in his dissassociated state, teetering around in heels among the grass and dirt with a furry halo wired to her, appealing to Derek for help so she can do something to find him. Nothing comes to him immediately, but he remembers the tattoo and in the real world, JJ has returned to headquarters with a picture of a six man team that hires itself out to the highest bidder. Hotch tells Garcia to focus in on the tattoo and they have a clue.
Is this a Walking Dead episode?!?…. no but Derek has heard one of the survivors talking on a satellite phone and when he tries to get it away from him the guy swallows the sim card and Derek’s only option is to gut the guy with a knife and get the card …. which he does. When he gets the phone working it says “enter password” and he proceeds to throw a temper tantrum and just like our friend Garcia his Dad says “let me know when you’re done throwing your temper tantrum” and continues smoking his cigar.
Derek calms himself and says, “okay Dad. Hey is that a Dominican? At work we had this Day of the Dead thing and I left it for you,” and Danny Glover takes a puff and says, “well, I got it.”
Still he’s really stressed as he plays with the phone, his only chance and his fear takes over and briefly they show the aftermath of his death … his photo up on the FBI wall, his team solemnly standing in front of it. As he continues to play with the phone he finds the redial screen and with his Dad talking him through it, he redials the first number ….
Which gets Garcia incredibly excited hoping someone answers it, and someone does, sending everything into motion …. Morgan talking to the man who had him kidnapped, the team heading out to rescue him on helicopters, Garcia going to tell Savannah they know where he is and they’re going to get him.
So the guy shows up and tries to finish the job. Kicks Derek down, takes the knife away and stabs him in the hand. Derek is calling to his Dad, wondering where he is, and Derek plays a little possum so Reed can sneak in the front door and shoot the guy.
But it doesn’t end there. Derek is rescued. So go check OnDemand and watch it for yourself. You’ll really enjoy Danny Glover’s performance as Derek Morgan’s dad.
Thomas Gibson (Hotch) directs this episode.
Indulging in New Major Crimes Episodes?
For the first time ever the five winter episodes are one continuous story line, and after seeing the first two, it’s playing like an impeccably acted mini-series.
It begins with a young woman and her infant son getting killed while driving through LA in the wrong colored car threw rival gang territories. When Major Crimes shows up, they discover that some of the shots are so close to the car, there’s powder residue around the holes. They also find packaged heroin and lots of cash hidden in the car.
When the shell casings Amy Sykes takes to ballistics for analyzing uncovers 12-year old wounds from a missing uzi, Sykes is forced to make the acquaintance with a disgraced LAPD detective for some inside information (Mark Hickman).
In the meantime, Rusty catches Gary following him and discovers that his mom has rehabilitated herself right out of custody and into an apartment and a program. But he’s afraid if he goes to see her, Gary will just follow him there so he and Gus concoct a high tech way of communicating with her using Talk Chat on Gus’s cell phone.
Jason Gedrick plays Mark Hickman. Credit: Doug Hyun
By the time the second episode has begun, they’ve discovered the missing uzi in the pulpit of a church that is run by one of the suspects of the 12-year old crime and Mark Hickman has been invited down to the squad for some face time.
Though he does keep his secret liaisons with Sykes quiet, he’s not so silent with his contempt for almost everyone else in the squad: Captain Raydor originally fired him; he asks Andy Flynn if he’s still cheating on his girlfriends, causing Capt. Raydor’s eyes to fly open; and of course he has a lot to say to Lt. Tao, because he was his (Hickman’s) old partner.
By the end of the second episode, their only witness, Emile Fisher is dead, and they still don’t know his connection to the girl who was killed in the car, even though she was calling his cell phone.
So either clear your Monday nights or set your DVRs, or learn how to use your OnDemand, because you won’t want to miss the winter episodes (3 to go) of Major Crimes, on TNT at 8pm CT.
If you haven’t heard, TNT has cancelled Rizzoli & Isles. It will end after a shortened season this summer.
2015 Obits – Those we lost in 2015 – October thru December
Johnny Strange ©2010 Barry King
October 1: Johnny Strange, 23: American mountain climber and adventurer, who at 18 became the youngest to scale some of the world’s tallest peaks, died in the Swiss Alps while making a wingsuit jump. He died on impact with the ground after jumping from Mount Gitschen in central Switzerland.
October 6: Billy Joe Royal, 73: pop and country singer (Down in the Boondocks, Cherry Hill Park, Burned Like a Rocket) died in his sleep at his North Carolina home.
October 7: Helen Wilkes, 88: businesswoman, politician and first female Mayor of West Palm Beach, Florida (1978-1979) and City Commissioner (1976-1988), was also a hotelier and animal lover. She is survived by her husband.
October 8: Lindy Infante, 75: former football coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1988-91 with a 24-40 regular season died of pneumonia at Community Hospital of Northeast Florida. Infante’s wife said he fell at home in late September and suffered four broken ribs. He was hospitalized and it was then doctors discovered through x-rays and tests the seriousness of the pneumonia. Mike Holmgren succeeded Infante as Coach of Green Bay.
October 9: Dave Meyers, 62: former basketball player for UCLA and then Milwaukee Bucks, died from cancer in Temecula, California.
October 9: Jerry Parr, 85: American Secret Service agent, who saved a wounded Ronald Reagan during the 1981 assassination attempt, died of heart failure, his wife said. Carolyn Parr said her husband died three days short of their 56th wedding anniversary.
Robert Leuci
October 12: Robert Leuci, 75: police detective and writer, who exposed graft among fellow detectives in the ’70s as a so-called Prince of the City, died at his home in Rhode Island from complications after surgery.
October 14: Robert M White, 92: meteorologist, director of the National Weather Service (1963-1965), ESSA (1965-1970), NOAA (1970-1977) complications of dementia.
October 16: Bevo XIV, 13: American longhorn steer collegiate mascot for the Texax Longhorns, bovine leukemia.
October 18: Anita Sarko, 68: DJ, journalist, NY Club culture female DJ with a big personality was known for her bracing mix of music. Sarko took her own life, she is survived by her husband, Erzen Krivca.
October 20: Cory Wells, 74: co-founder and singer from 1970s band Three Dog Night, died from complications from multiple myeloma in Dunkirk, NY. He had stopped performing in September complaining of severe back pain.
October 22: Arnie Klein, 70: Michael Jackson’s Physician, “The Father of Botox” and the man rumored to be the father of MJ’s oldest son and Michael Jackson’s closest friend died of natural causes at the age of 70. He was admitted to a hospital in Palm Springs on Oct. 19 suffering from severe abdominal pains and stayed in treatment until he died on Oct. 22 around 7:50 pm.
October 24: Maureen O’Hara, 95: Legendary Irish-American actress who appeared in The Quiet Man with John Wayne and was best known for her role in Miracle on 34th Street died of natural causes at home in Boise, Idaho, according to her family.
Willis Carto
October 26: Willis Carto, 89: American white supremacist, founder of the American Free Press, and one of a handful of people who denied the Holocaust ever existed, died at his home in Virginia, of heart failure. His death was announced in the newspaper he helped found, the American Free Press (and confirmed by his wife, Elizabeth). The Southern Povertly Law Center, which tracks extremist organizations, described Carto as a “white nationalist” who espoused “pro-Nazi and rabidly anti-Jewish views.”
October 27: Sam Sarpong, 40: Yo Momma Host and Tommy Hilfiger model died after jumping off a bridge. The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation but his death has been ruled a suicide.
Tillman
October 27: Tillman, 10: skateboarding English bulldog, heart disease.
October 30: Al Molinaro, 96: one of Kenosha, Wisconsin’s most recognizable native sons, Al Molinaro, was best known for his TV role as drive-in owner Al Devecchio on “Happy Days.” He played Murray the Cop on “The Odd Couple” and appeared in 42 national commercials.
Fred Dalton Thompson
November 1: Fred Dalton Thompson, 73: U.S. Senator from Tennessee (1994-2003), minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee) and actor (Die Hard 2, Law & Order, In the Line of Fire, 90 Minutes in Heaven) died after a recurrence of lymphoma. He passed away peacefully in Nashville, surrounded by his family.
November 7: Gunnar Hansen, 68: Icelandic-born American actor (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre), who played Leatherface, died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Maine. His agent, Mike Eisenstadt said Leatherface was “one of the most iconic evil figures in the history of cinema.”
November 7: Eddie Hoh, 71: rock drummer (The Mamas & The Papas, The Monkees, Donovan) died in Westmont, Illinois.
November 8: Joseph Cure, 31: ice hockey player and actor (Miracle) who was a Minnesota native died in a car crash in Montana. The vehicle spun off the left side of US Highway 284 and rolled over. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Road conditions were reported icy at the time of the crash.
November 9: Tommy Hanson, 29: MLB pitcher (Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) died at Piedmont Hospital after being found not breathing at a friend’s home. He had fallen into a coma with catastrophic organ failure. An autopsy revealed he died from delayed complications of cocaine and alcohol toxicity. The death was ruled an accident caused by cocaine use.
November 10: Vernon Ashley, 99: American Crow Creek chief, Tribal Elder and tribal chairman in mid 1900s who is credited with helping author the tribe’s constitution and bylaws. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and also worked for three South Dakota governors during his lifetime.
November 11: Nathaniel Marston, 40: known for his six-year run as Michael McBain on One Life to Live died of injuries sustained in a late-October car accident. He also appeared in episodes of Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SUV, Castle and White Collar.
November 14: Nick Bockwinkel 80: former CAC (Cauliflower Alley Club) President, WWE Hall of Famer, and “The Greatest AWA World Champion of All Time” died due to health issues.
November 15: P.F. Sloan, 70: singer/songwriter (Secret Agent Man, Eve of Destruction, A Must to Avoid) died after a short bout with pancreatic cancer.
November 18: Abdelhamid Abaaoud: Ringleader of the Paris terrorist attacks, was killed in a French police raid. It is reported he went to Syria and joined ISIS in 2013. His name is connected with the foiled terror attack on a train in Northern France where a gunman was overpowered by passengers, among other attacks.
November 23: Austin Kiplinger, 97: co-founder (with his father) of a personal finance magazine (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance). He also expanded the family’s financial publishing company into a $100 million enterprise into the late 1990s. He died in Rockville, Maryland of brain cancer.
November 27: Garrett Swasey, 44: co-pastor of his church, ice-skating champion and police officer, Swasey was killed during a shooting standoff at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs. He was married and had two young children and had been with the University of Colorado at COW police department for six years and had responded to the initial reports of an active shooter. The suspect was taken into police custody after an hours-long standoff at the clinic where Swasey and two civilians were killed.
December 3: Melvin Williams, 73: drug trafficker and actor (The Wire). Known as ‘Little” Melvin Williams, was an authentic Baltimore drug kingpin whose life in the 1960s and post-prison redemption earned him a place in HBO’s “The Wire.” Williams died at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Friends said Williams had cancer.
Robert Loggia Credit: Photo by ITV/REX Shutterstock
December 4: Robert Loggia, 85: Oscar-Nominated actor Robert Loggia had been battling Alzheimer’s Disease for the past 5 years, said his wife of 33 years. A durable and versatile actor, I remember seeing him in Scarface, Jagged Edge and Big. His TV credits span 1966 to 2015. He has two movies listed for release in 2016. He was working up until his death. He was one of my favorite actors. In addition to being survived by his wife, Mr. Loggia has four children.
December 5: Hack Meyers (Donald Haviland) , 41: professional wrestler (ECW) was in a coma after recent brain surgery and passed away without regaining consciousness.
December 5: Chuck Williams, 100: business executive and author, founder of Williams-Sonoma died of natural causes. His cookware retailer, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. helped spur a gourmet revolution in American kitchens. He helped introduce kitchen equipment including garlic presses, food processors and pasta machines and was the first to import balsamic vinegar from Italy.
December 6: Marque Lynche Jr., 34: former co-star of Justin Timerberlake, former Mickey Mouse Club star and American Idol finalist was found dead by his room mate in their New York City apartment.
December 8: Douglas Tompkins, 72: conservationist and businessman, co-founder of The North Face and Esprit died from hypothermia after a kayaking accident in Patagonia. A group including Mexicans and Americans capsized on Chile’s General Carrera Lake. Three members of the group made it to an island. Tompkins and two others remained in the water until personnel from the Chilean Navy arrived to rescue them. Thompkins was transported by helicopter to the Coyhaique Regional Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him.
Ron Bouchard
December 10: Ron Bouchard, 67: Former Modified great, New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame member and NASCAR Spring Cup Series, a native of Fitchburg, Mass, Ron Bouchard passed away after battling cancer for many years. Bouchard’s wife Paula is the daughter of legendary Modified driver Ed Flemke, Sr.
December 12: Rose Siggins, 43: American Horror Story: Freak Show‘s Legless Suzi died from an infection she contracted that eventually spread through her body. She died in a Denver hospital.
December 13: Don Leaver, 86: award-winning TV director and producer of such likable shows as The Avengers,Police Surgeon (1960), Prime Suspect and A Touch of Frost. He is survived by his second wife, Tania Scott and by their son and daughter and by four children from his first marriage to Caroline Swinton (which ended in divorce).
December 19: Louis DiGiaimo, 77: a casting director who worked on such blockbuster movies as The Godfather, The Excorcist, Rain Man and Sleepers also recommended a relatively unknown Brad Pitt for a role in Thelma & Louise died from complications from a stroke, said his wife, Lee.
December 19: Samir Kuntar, 53: Lebanese convicted murderer, member of Hezbollah, longest-held Lebanese prisoner in Israel, died during a successful missile strike.
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 21: DJ Timbuck2 performs on stage during AAHH!! Fest 2014 at Union Park on September 21, 2014 in Chicago, United States. Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
December 19: Timbuck2 (Timothy Jones), 34: Chicago DJ, who started performing as a DJ at age 12, according to NBC Chicago, died of cancer. He was 34. Derrick D. Brown, program director at WGCI wrote, “Timbuck2 was a premier turntable technician. His creativity and ear for music was unparalleled. He leaves a huge void that will be extremely difficult to fill.” His hip-hop mixes became a radio station staple.
Hamzah Aljahmi
December 22: Hamzah Aljahmi, 19: American bantamweight boxer from Dearborn, Michigan died after collapsing during his first pro fight. He died at a Youngstown, Ohio hospital after undergoing brain surgery.
December 22: Billy Glaze, 72: convicted Minnesota serial killer who was attempting to clear his name, died of lung cancer in prison.
Brooke McCarter, 52: The Lost Boys star (vampire Paul) died from a genetic liver condition alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AAT). It was reported on McCarter’s official Facebook page by his family.
December 23: Michael Earl, 56: Muppeteer, puppeteer and puppetry instructor, Earl took over the Sesame Street role of Mr. Snuffleupagus, originated by Jerry Nelson. Earl said in an interview with Tough Pigs (the Muppets fan site), that when he was 19 years old, Jim Henson gave him his big break, when he hired him for The Muppet Movie. Earl died after a 3-year battle with colon cancer.
William Guest (on left)
December 24: William Guest, 74: member of the legendary Gladys Knight and the Pips died of congestive heart failure in Detroit. He performed with GK&the Pips from 1953 to 1989 when they released such hits as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
December 25: George Clayton Johnson, 86: the legendary sci-fi writer who authored the first Star Trek TV episode and co-wrote the dark futuristic Logan’s Run passed away from prostate and bladder cancer in Los Angeles.
Dave Henderson ©Betty Udesen/The Seattle Times
December 27: Dave Henderson, 57: former Mariners outfielder and broadcaster died from a massive heart attack at Harborview Hospital . He will be remembered for his postseason heroics and his gregarious, outgoing personality.
December 27: Meadowlark Lemon, 83: Hall of Fame basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters) who had a halfcourt hook shot that dazzled anyone who saw it, died in Scottsdale, Ariz. His death was confirmed by his wife, Cynthia. A cause was not specified. Lemon was a gifted athlete who dreamed of playing for the Globetrotters as a boy in North Carolina. He joined the team in 1954, shortly after leaving the Army. I see the Globetrotters play in Milwaukee every New Year’s Eve, I will miss not seeing Meadowlark Lemon.
‘Walking Dead’ Finale Devours 15.8 Million Viewers | Multichannel + iZombie (The CW)
‘Walking Dead’ Finale Devours 15.8 Million Viewers | Multichannel.
Still unsure why you should watch The Walking Dead on AMC. Yes, if you read the article attached to the link above, the stats mention the 18-49 age bracket. But “we” all know just how useless that’s become.
Just look at how our age bracket affected Longmire this past viewing season. A&E dumped it and Netflix picked it up. Very possibly due to pressure from our age bracket and because they realized a quality show when they saw one.
The fact is, The Walking Dead isn’t just about zombies, it’s about humans overcoming adversity. The zombies represent just another wall to climb, negative to overcome, or enemy to defeat.
Just when Season 5 of The Walking Dead began, it was announced there would be a Season 6. The first season only had 6 episodes. Season 5 had 16.
There are more “zombie” related shows on television than you count on one hand. The CW has one that is so unique, you should definitely set your DVR to catch it. iZombie, stars Malcolm Goodwin (you may know him from Breakout Kings) and Rose McIver (The Lovely Bones).
Rose McIver as Liv. The CW © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. Credit: Cate Cameron.
Goodwin plays a homicide detective who thinks McIver has psychic powers. The truth is, McIver is a zombie and when she devours the brains of the dead people in the morgue where she works she ends up “digesting” some of their “personality traits” and can “see” who killed them.
iZombie creators Diane Ruggiero and Rob Thomas are the same team behind Veronica Mars (2004 & 2014). iZombie is slated for 13 episodes at this time and I’ve devoured the first two episodes and can hardly wait for more.
iZombie is on the CW Network on Tuesdays at 8pm CST. Set those DVRs, you don’t want to miss this show.
BTW: There’s very little gore or violence in this show, and yes, she does eat brains, but it’s usually tastefully done in a pita pocket or disguised in other ways, so if you’ve avoided The Walking Dead because of the “zombie” element, you shouldn’t have any trouble watching iZombie and will thoroughly enjoy the cleverness of this show.
Two New Dead Again Episodes – Why a DVR Is So Handy
Joe Schillaci, Kevin Gannon and Michele Wood are on new cases. © AETV 2014
If you own a DVR and really use it to it’s full potential, then you should be able to skip the first couple of paragraphs of this post. I left to go shopping this morning and was completely unaware that Dead Again, one of my new favorites on A&E was coming on with not one, but two new episodes.
Which is where my DVR comes in. Since I have it set to record all “new” episodes of Dead Again, I came again home several hours later, unpacked my groceries, walked my dog, and sat down wondering what I was going to watch on TV.
When I pressed my Play List button, I was overjoyed to find at the very top of the list, a folder entitled Dead Again with two new episodes in it – the case of Margo Prade and the murder of millionaire William McLaughlin.
With these two particular episodes I was one-for-one. I remember the case of Margo Prade, vividly. I’ve seen at least three different television shows on this particular murder, but because Dead Again is so unique, is done so differently, and the real names of the people involved aren’t revealed until the very end, I wasn’t exactly sure it was the Prade case until the last 7 minutes or so.
The second episode, the murder of William McLaughlin, I wasn’t familiar with at all, but when I googled his name, I noticed there was extensive coverage of the murder trials of both suspects that are currently serving time in prison.
One of the biggest enjoyments I get from Dead Again is the affirmation of my own opinions on cases they’ve reexamined. Most recently the Prade case. Last season there were two cases they had a go at that reaffirmed my opinions.
So what’s my advice – if you don’t want to miss any of this season’s Dead Again, you should learn how to operate your DVR.
From 1st Degree to 2nd Degree in 60 Minutes in the First 48 Hours
I’ve seen every episode of The First 48 Hours on A&E. Every once in a while I’ll catch one that I think I’ve never seen and then as it continues, I realize, nope, seen it.
So when a new season starts and they’re in a new city, I really get excited. This new season they’ve branched out into Atlanta (though they’ve been there before) and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The first few episodes they were … well … not that exciting. Actually, they’ve been boring up until now.
But this past episode, which aired Thursday, Feb. 26, has brought Tulsa into it’s own. First let me just say that I had no idea that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) had a much younger brother working in law enforcement and living in Tulsa.
Corporal Nathan Schilling © AETV
More on that later. When a car heist goes wrong and a “Stray Shot” kills the car owner, Corporal Nathan Schilling is up next in the rotation to solve the homicide.
On the scene to help is Det. John Brown and Sgt. Dave Walker. Solving a homicide is definitely team work and having a sense of humor must be an important asset, because I can’t ever remember hearing a man ask another man (much less a cop ask another cop) “do these pants make my ass look fat?”
Or maybe it’s just Det. Brown with the sense of humor. Upon leaving the parking garage it’s “exiting the bat cave.” And when he’s searching a 16-year old suspect he’s looking for “guns or bazookas.”
Detective John Brown © AETV
Even when he’s looking at the ammunition from the handgun to see if it’s the same type from the homicide he’s cracking wise about “he’s the oldest guy in here.” To which one of the other detectives brings him a magnifying glass 5 times the size of the one used by Sherlock Holmes.
With the 16-year old suspect in custody and the gun confirmed as the murder weapon the case is on track and now The Rock’s younger brother can go to work. Head of the Fugitive Warrant Squad, Sgt. Luke Sherman has a profile that would have any woman believing he’s Dwayne Johnson’s baby brother.
I’d show you ladies a picture but A&E doesn’t have one posted with the rest of the “Meet the Officers” photos.
Once they have a majority of the underage suspects in custody and interview them, they have a clearer picture of exactly how the homicide went down and exactly who the killer is. And after searching for him (who is not underage), but not finding him, he eventually turns himself in.
From the very start of the interview he denies involvement … “I was home that night.” I wanted to reach into the TV and smack him in the back of his head.
Sgt. Dave Walker ©AETV
We’ve heard every one of the suspects say he was the one who had the gun and did the shooting. Sgt. Walker and Corporal Schilling tell him that as well. They tell him this is his opportunity to tell his side of the story.
Sgt. Walker gets frustrated … angry … pissed off … or is it just a ploy and exits the room and leaves Corporal Schilling in the room with the suspect. Which works and the suspect opens up and admits that the shooting was an accident. He didn’t mean to shoot anyone.
Which brings it from first degree murder to second degree murder, giving all of them some possibility of a life after serving their sentences.
Don’t take me for one of those bleeding hearts – they definitely deserve to go to jail. But as Corporal Schilling said, the victim lost his life and a bunch of families are going to lose their children. Their are a lot of victims of crime, on both sides of the table.
The officers who fight it see the devastation on all levels.
Small Screen Silver Surfer 