Kimmel, Colbert, Cartoons and 'An American Tune'

And a bad day for medicine (and Tylenol).

Greg Mitchell has authored 14 books and directed four PBS films in recent years. His latest film, “The Atomic Bowl: Football at Ground Zero—and Nuclear Peril Today” has been airing over PBS stations and now streaming for free (key links to watch now and more here). A companion book is available, and you can read more or order here. The New Yorker magazine this week has a piece about the PBS film, which you can read here. And subscribing to this newsletter is still somehow FREE.

First, a note to my local peeps in Rockland-Westchester-Jersey: Our local film society here in Nyack, Rivertown Films, is hosting a special evening tomorrow, Wednesday, 8 p.m., when they will screen excerpts from all four of my recent PBS films, plus my talk and chat with radio great Elliott Forrest, and audience questions and a book sale. The films are “The First Attack Ads,” “The Memorial Day Massacre,” “Atomic Cover-up” and “The Atomic Bowl,” all award winners or Emmy nominees. Link to their site here for more and for tickets. Thank you.!

Now, on to Colbert monologue last night, focusing on RFK/Trump autism scandal. Trump yesterday: "There are parts of the world that don't take Tylenol. There's a rumor, and I don't know if it's so or not, that Cuba, they don't have Tylenol because they don't have the money for Tylenol, and they have virtually no autism. Okay? Tell me about that one!"

John Oliver’s take on the new free speech crisis.

While we celebrate partial return of sanity and Kimmel:

Sinclair Won’t Air Jimmy Kimmel’s Return on Its 38 ABC Stations

Update: Nexstar also not airing, so that’s 20% of the stations across USA.

Song Picks

The Rolling Stone headline yesterday read: “Paul Simon’s ‘American Tune’ Is Having a Resurgence in Chaotic Times.” Case in point, it was celebrated on Saturday by students from Julliard who unveiled a dance production in the afternoon and that evening supported a performance by singer Rhiannon Giddens with Paul himself on guitar. We posted their initial duet on the song at Newport last year and then later in a TV tribute, with Giddens adding a key lyric relating to slavery. Video from Julliard below. Rhiannon’s comment here:

As I said in the Rolling Stone article, I remember first looking at the lyrics of “American Tune” and going “Oh, my God — did you write this yesterday?” It has stood the test of time, and remains a stirring mirror to society.

Another classic song from much further back (which was also performed by Rhiannon on a recent album): Ry Cooder’s instrumental treatment a few years back for his soundtrack to Walter Hill’s “Geronimo” flick.

From Tunes to Toons

Steve Brodner:

Cathy Hull, who did illustrations for us way back at Zygote…in 1970 (ouch):