2023
sharkonline.org
2023
sharkonline.org

R Kelly’s best album, as far as I’m concerned, is his fourth, or third if you don’t count the one with Public Announcement. I hate the title. Eponymous titles are silly in general and R is his second in row; he should’ve called it VIP as the Chase interlude suggests; but the music represents Kelly at his artistic peak. You can say it’s his magnum opus.
It’s also by far his longest, but most of its twenty-something songs are damn good. Would it be better if it were stripped down à la 12 Play? Certainly, but that can be said for most long albums. What I Feel; a song that should’ve been reserved for his friend Michael Jackson; is superb in any case. Down Low Double Life is another major standout.
I like TP2 and Chocolate Factory. The Happy People [ U Saved Me ] set is probably his second best. R Kelly was making mostly good albums up to that point, but he hasn’t made a good one since. The rest, from TP3 to his 12 Nights Of Christmas; all the 12 Play references suggest a music icon, legend even, longing for his glory days; are merely decent.
my vote : R
This is an easy one because there’s only one good Halloween movie; Rob Zombie’s remake of the original. All the rest; said original, all other remakes and sequels included; are mediocre at best. The worst; Season Of The Witch; is downright atrocious.
I like Michael Myers as a character. His stoic ominous ways make him the quintessential bogeyman; a classic horror movie villain à la Frankenstein; but his legacy has been ruined by vacuous storytelling. Even Zombie’s sequel is a disappointment.
my vote : Halloween
Florida’s always been my favorite state, long before I ever went there, mainly because it’s the warmest. I hate being cold and get cold easier (quicker) than most people, but I’m generally not bothered by hot weather. When I’m getting too hot, I’m more concerned with potentially passing out from heatstroke rather than being miserable from the feeling of being hot itself.
I also like the fact that the state is surrounded by (warm) water but not totally isolated like Hawaii. I get motion sickness on boats and can’t swim, so about knee deep is as far as I ever go into the sea or ocean; I don’t go in lakes at all because most are dirty and harbor snakes/alligators; but I do enjoy going to beaches for their natural visual and auditory aesthetics.
There are other states I like or would like to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Nowhere even comes close. Georgia is the closest physically, so if I had to live somewhere else, it would be there. California used to be my second favorite, but it’s being ruined by crazy politicians. Texas is one of the better states, but I don’t want to live anywhere near the Mexican border.
my vote : Florida
2023
donaldjtrump.com
Why R Kelly would put out a song entitled I Admit while being publicly accused of, and potentially investigated for, real-life sex crimes; a song at least partially about said allegations; is beyond me. He stops short of confessing to an actual crime; in fact he strongly implies his innocence; and a song, even a long-ass rambling one, is just a song, but it’s not a good look.
“I admit it,” the ill-advised hook goes, “I did it.” His detractors (“haters”) will isolate those words and use them as weapons, but his sentiments aren’t lost on me. This is, from the prolific R&B artist whose album titles include Love Letter and Write Me Back, an open diary entry in which the singer; a famous one on the verge of becoming infamous; laments his life struggles.
You can say he’s playing the victim, but, in some ways, he is one. A lot of celebrities are. They’re often taken advantage of for the sake of fame and fortune and Kells is no exception. I think that’s him in “the tape”. I saw it before deepfakes. I also think he’s being falsely accused by lying-ass groupies. Don’t get me started on Jim DeRogatis and the biased news media.
my rating : 3 of 5
2018
2022
rudygiulianics.com

Halloween, the actual holiday, Ends every first of November. The movie franchise might never. Disregard the title of this latest entry and the conclusion of its plot, which seems to display the fate of Michael Myers; Haddonfield’s Bogeyman; at the hands of Laurie Strode; the arch nemesis he first encountered in 1978. Lest we forget she chopped his head off 20 Years Later only for him to be Resurrected.
This is supposed to be their story. Instead we’re introduced to a guy named Corey who, after being involved in a tragic killing of his own, befriends Michael and falls for Laurie’s granddaughter. If that sounds like a silly plot device, it is and his character is the worst thing about the movie, which gets downright corny at times. The best parts are still the kills. Look and listen for the tongue on the turntable.
my rating : 3 of 5
2022
raftd.org
2020