Who Can Forget Whatshisname? 03/13/26

John and I recently returned from separate trips to the Galápagos Islands. It is a topic very much made for The New 60, and it’s in our personal incubators. But for now, let’s concentrate on the here and now. The Oscars are coming up. I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I try to see all the nominated movies before the show. But this year’s show runs right up against a Knick game, so all that movie watching was for naught. It’s hard to keep up with current movies. We all have so many distractions now that we didn't have decades ago. There’s movies in theaters. Movies on Netflix. Movies that started in a theater and went straight to Netflix. And let’s not forget Amazon Prime (as if we could). The point is that it’s almost impossible to keep up with everything, especially when you throw in all the great steaming tv shows, that are every bit as good as movies and our ubiquitous cell phones. So if that doesn’t make it hard enough, consider that our collective memories are declining. Most of ours. Our apologies to our younger readers.

But failing memory jokes aside, I have another beef about awards shows. As you may recall, both John and I spent our careers in advertising. Ad agencies figured out that if their agency wins prestigious awards, they’ll attract more clients. So in the period preceding the Cannes Gold Lions (advertising’s equivalent to the Oscars, complete with red carpet, believe it or not), many agencies try to create commercials strictly to win awards, not to sell products. In the same way, Hollywood creates movies at the end of the year specifically to win awards, not to sell movie tickets. They know what fills theaters. Romcoms, Marvel comic superheroes, and extensions of a movie franchise. Mission Impossible part 17 anyone?

And now that we have taken care of the Oscars, what about Friday the 13th, which is…today? Most of us don’t believe in bad luck when a black cat crosses our path or when walking under a ladder (why would anyone do that anyway?) but we all are a little superstitious. Maybe it’s carrying a lucky rabbit’s foot or a picture of a saint. Maybe it’s tossing salt when it spills, or praying to God before your airplane takes off or lands. How about having a “good luck song,” or a good luck omen (every time I see a rainbow, I immediately buy a lottery ticket). They are kind of like conspiracy theories. You either believe in them or you don’t. Now I personally have no superstitious beliefs, except for when I watch a Knicks game and I shout at the shooter, “Make this shot!” Almost every time I do this, the shot goes in. This despite the fact that the shooter can’t possibly hear me and that I am frequently watching the game two hours after it’s already over. It doesn't matter, I believe it works. Until it doesn't. C’mon Jalen, hit it! Damn, he missed.

See you next week with two new ones. Have a great weekend,

Andy and John