Mimosa, Bloody Mary, nice flute of champagne — or maybe a favorite tipple in your coffee. Make yourself one and, as Dorothy Parker once said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”

The spirit of the December holiday season certainly didn’t live into January, if it made it past the New Year’s Day hangover at all. And here we are, dears, already lifting our glasses this Sunday to the last week of January and, oh my, if this is the start, the rest of 2023 should be a hoot.

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Chicago: Got mugged?

Lori Lightfoot, formerly Michael Keaton’s stunt double in Beetlejuice and now holding the title of Mayor of Chicago, has some advice for her city’s citizens on how to avoid getting robbed.

Enjoy a clip we made about this very topic. pic.twitter.com/PTzuGxsqjw

— Windy City Dash Cam (@WindyCityDshCam) January 26, 2023

The last Republican mayor of Chicago left office in 1931.

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Director fails to get Oscar nomination, blames ‘whitey’

Because, of course she does.

“Till” director Chinonye Chukwu accused the Oscars as well as the entertainment industry of being “aggressively committed to upholding whiteness” after she failed to earn a “Best Director” nomination.

It was only few Sundays ago you and I guffawed over a couple of Bloody Marys at the news Hollywood lost something like $500 BILLION — yes, dears, billion — in 2022. And let no limp-wristed handwave or pinched-faced offered “Ackchyually” try to dismiss that Wokeness was not at rotting core of it. And they are going to double-down on judging movies via race – positively screw merit.

To qualify for a nomination, productions must submit a confidential Academy Inclusion Standards form that promotes standards such as “at least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors” being from a marginalized group and at least two “creative leadership positions and department heads” being filled by an underrepresented minority.

While these forms were introduced for the 2022 and 2023 awards seasons, meeting all the requirements will be necessary for films to qualify for nomination starting with the 2024 Academy Awards.

How fun! No more movies like Dunkirk or 1917 or The King’s Speech … or, can you imagine Ms. Chukwu directing a remake of The King’s Speech, with Colin Firth’s King George VI recast with Whoopi Goldberg in the role? I’m sure the yellow banana slugs inhabiting the Academy would expire in delight while giving Chukwu an Oscar for that.

Refill my champagne flute, won’t you? I need to clear the sour taste in my mouth.

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I don’t know where to start

pic.twitter.com/FCZKVaXmaE

— Women Posting Their L’s Online (Cult Leader) (@WomenPostingLs) January 27, 2023

What drives people to take offense, or worse feel depressed, by a stranger’s good cheer? Unhappy people just make the world a sadder place. Avoid them when you can.

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Your Sunday Smile

Genesis 9:12-13

High winds at the perfect time of day created a previously undocumented 2,400-foot rainbow waterfall in Yosemite National Park pic.twitter.com/24Kq0TNYcj

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) January 28, 2023

Yosemite is a place of almost indescribable beauty. I hope you get a chance to visit one of God’s most majestic creations.

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What a clown world it has become, right? At least we have our friends, our family and each other here on Sunday mornings. Cheers and see you next Sunday.

featured image original graphic by Darleen Click