Hot Takes: That Halston Dress, Wobblers, Order 66

Halston is a hot mess. 
Ewan McGregor playing fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick is something I can watch all day. Krysta Rodriguez is equally impressive as Liza Minnelli. I could watch a series on Halston and Minnelli partying through the 70's and 80's, which in fact is some of the best stuff of the Netflix mini-series Halston. Like some moments on Mad Men the historical bread crumbs of brands and products you remember were fun. The structure of the five episode mini-series was lacking, at times dragging things a bit too long but mostly not spending enough time developing other important elements of the story. In particular Gian Franco Rodriguez's Victor Hugo, the evolution from Village People like cheap trick to deep artist seems like fast food. It's hard to really feel anything for Halston's fall at the end. He lives his last days out with big checks, servants, and a driver taking him up and down the Pacific coast in a Rolls Royce. Worth checking it out.

John Nolan is Mr. Rogers with a badge and a gun.
The Rookie finishes season three without being a complete woke train-wreck. There is nothing deeply nutritional about The Rookie. The ABC cops and robbers show is a simple shoot 'em up dramedy. With the horrible death of Gorge Floyd sparking the BLM Summer of Love you knew season three would be different. The danger of course would be the show being brooding, dark and completely different than what fans have been tuning in for. The producers don't take the bold risk of turning one of the main characters into a bad racist cop. They bring in Brandon Routh that you knew at moment one was the new racist cop character. There is nothing deep about this new villain. Just when you think another non-binary pansexual is about to be shoved in your face the show resists doing the cliché. Each episode provides a mostly balanced morality lesson ripped from the headlines. The wobblers lesson was almost offensive because the episode ignores the reality of big city prosecutors being soft. Which leads to more crime. Season three ends on a contrived cliffhanger. Despite my apparent bitching I'll watch season 4. 

Television continues doing Star Wars right.
​With order 66 the empire begins. The animated Star Wars: Clone Wars has always been highly recommended to me. I only have so much time for sci-fi cartoons, that time is devoted to Rick & Morty and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Disney+ has put together a Clone Wars essential episodes, which could probably be paired down a bit. I used that to get up to speed on the newly hyped Star Wars: The Bad Batch. We're only half way in really digging seeing how the republic falls and the empire begins. This is good stuff that adults and older children can enjoy together.  Expect to hear more.  Highly suggested. 

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