For a little while, anyway, here at the shebeen, we"re going to be keeping the ol" weather-eye on the Trumpian hiring hall, because it"s already been shown to be a repository of bad ideas and very strange specimens. For example, there is talk that Dr. Ben Carson will be named Secretary of Education, a cabinet department, you may remember, that every Republican presidential candidate for 20 years has said shouldn"t exist at all. Dr. Ben, of course, is a creationist with some interesting theories in the field of Egyptology.
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More recently, Dr. Ben, crusader against the evils of "political correctness," has proposed that the federal government monitor the nation"s universities for evidence of ideas of which Dr. Ben does not approve. From WaPo:
Dr. Ben Carson, currently running in second for the Republican presidential nomination, told NBC"s Chuck Todd on Sunday that he supports a system under which the government would investigate allegations of "extreme bias" on college campuses. "The way that works," Carson explained, "is you invite the students at the universities to send in their complaints. And then you investigate." He later added, "It"s not a violation of the 1st Amendment, because all I"m saying is taxpayer funding should not be used for propaganda. It shouldn"t be."
There also is talk that the Department of Homeland Security will be entrusted to Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee, who already has said that the outbreak of protests against the election of Donald Trump is overdue to be crushed. It"s possible that Clarke has muted his ravinerrhetoric because he"s preoccupied with finding out how an inmate died of thirst, in 2016, in his jail.
More, I am sure, to follow.
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There is a moment early in the 1986 classic Hoosiers, when Coach Norman Dale introduces his new team to the fans at Hickory High School.
Its just a six man team at this point well, more like five and a half with Ollie as the sixth man. Buddy Luper has quit the team, threatening to transfer to Terhune, and the gifted Jimmy Chitwood has decided not to play basketball.
As the team lines up across the court, the fans who jam the stands start chanting, We want Jimmy We want Jimmy! (Apparently, nobody is upset by Buddys absence).
Gene Hackman, as Coach Dale, grabs the microphone and quiets the crowd.
I would hope you would support who we are and not who we are not, he tells them, gesturing to the six players behind him. This is our team!
I cant help thinking about that scene as I watch Dukes No. 1 ranked basketball team prepare to take on Kansas tonight in New York City. The truth is, the team that will wear the Duke blue tonight in The Garden is not the team voted No. 1 in almost every preseason poll. Its not the team expected to cut down the nets in April. Its not the team Blue Devil fans have been dreaming of for the entire offseason.
This team lacks its own Jimmy Chitwood and Buddy Luper.
Duke enters the season missing three potential NBA lottery picks. forward Harry Giles, forward Jayson Tatum and center Marques Bolden. With those three gifted big men healthy and fully integrated into the rotation, Duke is a superteam and would be heavily favored against any college team in the country.
But that is not who we are at this moment.
The Duke team that opened the season with lopsided victories over Marist (a very weak opponent) and Grand Canyon (somewhat better, but still outclassed) is a very good basketball team probably about as good as last years team was at its best.
The Devils have three explosive wing scorers junior Grayson Allen, sophomore Luke Kennard and freshman Frank Jackson -- and two seniors who are GREAT complementary players Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones.
The post situation is not much better than last year. Jefferson is an accomplished player on the boards and defensively, while sophomore Chase Jeter has made major strides in his sophomore season, but remains a work in progress. Neither is much of an offensive threat.
Thats too bad because Kansas almost exactly mirrors Duke.
The Jayhawks played a majority of three-guard offense in their opening night loss to Indiana with slender 6-8 freshman Josh Jackson actually seeing considerable time at the four. Their nominal big men soph Carlton Bragg and senior Landen Lucas -- combined for 23 points and a mere 11 rebounds in the 45-minute overtime game. The Jayhawks were abused inside by Indianas 7-foot Thomas Bryant.
It would be nice to see what Giles or Bolden could do in the post, but stop thinking that they are not going to be there. Id like to think that Jefferson and Jeter could hold their own defensively and in the boards.
Then it comes down to a shootout between Dukes Big Three and the Kansas trio of Frank Mason (great against Indiana), Devonte Graham and Josh Jackson.
Its a game the Duke team we all dream of would be heavily favored.
But its a game the Duke team as it currently exists will have to play at a high level to win. Its much like last year when the Devils were on their game, they were good enough to win at UNC and beat such teams as Virginia and Louisville. On nights when it was not clicking, the 2016 Devils could lose at home to Notre Dame or on the road at Clemson.
Last years team was a Sweet 16 team.
Its much too early to categorize this team.
Remember, in Hoosiers, Luper rejoined the team and Jimmy Chitwood eventually decided it was time to play some basketball. They sparked Hickory to the state championship.
At some point, Giles, Tatum and Bolden will return to action and that will transform a very good Duke team as now exists into a great Duke team, a potential championship team.
I know that Krzyzewski has discouraged speculation as to the return dates for the three missing players, but I also know that the staff thinks it wont be that long. Try to be patient its still early. If we get to Christmas and one or two or (G*d forbid!) all three are still out, then we can start to worry.
Its understandable that Duke fans are concerned. Injuries have been the bane of Dukes program in recent years. At least two national championship favorites have been derailed by injuries:
-- 2011: Before Kyrie Irving got hurt in his eighth game, Duke was unquestionably the best team in college basketball. Coach K once said that he thought the 11 Devils could have been undefeated without that loss. Irving returned for the NCAA Tournament, but the team never regained its chemistry.
-- 2013: Before Ryan Kelly was hurt in January, Duke was once again the clearcut best team in college basketball a claim proven by an unbeaten record against the toughest schedule in the country. Kelly returned late, but despite a memorable comeback game against Miami, he never regained full speed. Plus, star guard Seth Curry was plagued all year with a stress fracture. Duke was eliminated by eventual champion Louisville a team the Devils beat in November in the Elite Eight.
Two other seasons, injuries spoiled what could have been Final Four, even (with luck) national title chances:
-- 2012: Duke was 26-5 and No. 6 in that nation when Ryan Kelly was hurt in practice before the ACC Tournament. Without that key cog, the Devils scratched out one win over Virginia Tech, but fell in close games to Florida State (the eventual ACC champ) and Lehigh to close the season. Probably not a title team without the injury, but one that could have won the ACC championship and should have gone deep into the NCAA Tournament. It was after all a team that beat Kansas, Michigan and Michigan State on neutral courts and UNC in Chapel Hill.
-- 2016: No telling how good the 16 Devils could have been with a healthy Amile Jefferson. The team actually struggled at times early when he was healthy, but that was due to the growing pains of Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram. They were just starting to click as Jefferson was lost, leaving Duke desperately short-handed in the frontcourt. The team did reach the Sweet 16, but might have made a much deeper run with a healthy roster.
Will we look back on 2017 as another might-have-been?
Or will we be watching a juggernaut in March, barely remembering out injury concerns of November?
We all understand, its not how you start that matters, but how you finish. Coach K is coaching this team to be strong in March, not in November. Its not worth risking Jayson Tatum or Harry Giles or Marques Bolden to beat Kansas. And it wont be worth rushing any of them in a few weeks to beat Michigan State.
Especially since the team that we are now, could be good enough to win those games. What does that say about the depth of this roster that Duke could be without three freshmen lottery picks and STILL be competitive against the best teams in college basketball?
***
The first weekend of the new basketball season was pretty lackluster from an ACC perspective.
Not bad the league went 18-1. Thos only loss was by Boston College, which we knew was going to be awful this season. Oh, N.C. State and Pitt flirted with disaster at home, but each avoided a resume-busting loss.
The blah part of the equation was the low level of competition. Clemsons homecourt win over Georgia was probably the best victory of the weekend, especially with point guard Sheldon Mitchell sidelined.
There will be better tests later this week as several ACC teams start holiday tournament play. That will give us a better gage on the strength of the league.
I should note one disappointing aspect of the last week the poor start by the ACC as the early signing period opened.
Yes, Duke got Gary Trent and hopes to hear some good news in the next day or two from Wendell Carter, but the Devils are always going to recruit well.
However, one reason the ACC is as strong as it is this year is the breath of its recruiting success in recent years. Its no coincidence that six of the 2016 top 15 recruiting classes belong to the ACC.
Thats not the case this year not so far.
Late last week, ACC teams suffered a number of blows usually at the hands of the SEC.
Okay, Kentucky beating Syracuse for Nick Richards and beating UNC for P.J. Washington is no surprise. But it was disappointing to see N.C. State lose Collin Sexton (the No. 10 prospect on the country) to Alabama or to see Georgia beat FSU and Georgia Tech for Rayshaun Hammonds.
Its one thing to lose out to Kentucky on the recruiting trail, but when you see Alabama and Georgia kick ACC-b**t, its a bad sign.
Of course, there is still plenty of time to make up ground in recruiting. Plus, well get to test the theory that the SEC other than Kentucky is the place blue chip prospects go to die (or play in the NIT, which is basically the same thing). Well see if Sexton and Hammonds follow in the footsteps of Ben Simmons and Malik Newman.
Target is launching some of its Black Friday deals more than two weeks in advance of the shopping holiday.
The retailer is offering discounts like 25% off all Apple TV models, 60% off Beats wireless headphones, 30% off all shoes, and 40% off select bedding at Target.com and in storeson Thursday.
Target will launch another round of discounts on November 19 called "10 days of deals." New deals will be rolled out every day between November 19 and November 28.
The retailer"s Black Friday sales officially begin on Wednesday, November 23, however the day before Thanksgiving at Target.com and in all stores. Customers must download Target"s app, called "Cartwheel," to take advantage of the deals in stores.
The deals will be available onThanksgiving as well online and in storesafter they open at 6 p.m. Target stores will remain open from 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving until the following evening, then closing between 10 p.m. and midnight on Black Friday.
Here are some of the Black Friday deals that will be available starting November 23:
50" Hisense 4K UHD TV, $249.99, special purchase
Apple Watch Series 1, starting at $198 (Reg. starting at $269.99)
Anova Sous Vide Bluetooth Precision Cooker, $99 (Reg. $149)
50 percent off select kitchen appliances
Motorola Digital Video Baby Monitor, $129.99 (Reg. $259.99)
50 percent off life-size 48" Big Figs, including Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, $49.99 (Reg. $99.99)
Buy one, get one 50 percent off select toys, including Star Wars, Marvel, Disney and more
30 percent off all apparel, accessories and shoes for the family
Additionally, on Saturday, November 26, Target will be offering one-day savings of $50 off every $100 purchase on holiday decorations like trees, lights, ornaments, and gift wrap.
Throughout the season, Target willoffer these extended store hours:
Nov. 24: 6 p.m. to Friday, Nov. 25: 10 p.m., 11 p.m. or midnight
Nov. 27-Dec. 16: Extended holiday hours go into effect. Hours vary by store.
Dec. 17-23: All stores open at 7 a.m. to midnight
Dec. 24: All stores open at 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 26: All stores open at 7 a.m. and close 10 p.m., 11 p.m. or midnight
CNN: After 15 years, no justice for Amber Hagerman
DETROIT - An Amber Alert is in effect of an 11-month-old Detroit girl who police said was forcibly taken from her foster parent by her biological, noncustodial mother.
READ:How do police decide to issue an AMBER Alert?
Savanna Wreford was last seen wearing a pink-and-white jacket and gray pants with flowers, police said. She was last seen at 3 p.m. Tuesday near I-94 and Moross Road in Detroit.
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Maverick Carter doesn"t like Phil Jackson using "posse" to describe him | THE HERD (FULL INTERVIEW)
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) LeBron James respected Phil Jackson"s unmatched coaching accomplishments. That affection has vanished.
"I"ve got nothing for him," James said Tuesday.
James fired back at the 11-time coaching champion and current New York Knicks president for using the word "posse" in a recent interview to describe the NBA megastar"s business associates. James said he lost all respect for Jackson and his comments underline a larger societal issue for young African-Americans trying to succeed in business.
In the interview, Jackson, 71, said James has always demanded preferential treatment and called his departure from Miami as a free agent a "slap in the face" to the Heat organization. Jackson recalled a time when James asked for the team to stay over in Cleveland while on a road trip, a request that put coach Erik Spoelstra in a bind.
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"You can"t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland," Jackson said in the ESPN interview .
The word "posse" struck a chord with James, who has surrounded himself with childhood friends during his career.
Jackson"s language also touched a flash point at a time of heightened racial tension in the country.
"We see the success that we have, but then there is always someone that lets you know how far we still have to go as African-Americans," James said Tuesday following the Cavaliers" morning shootaround. "I don"t believe that Phil Jackson would have used that term if he was doing business with someone else and working with another team or if he was working with anybody in sports that was owning a team that wasn"t African-American and had a group of guys around them that didn"t agree with what they did.
"I don"t think he would have called them a posse. But it just shows how far we have to go. But it won"t stop us from doing what we need to do as a group. I"ve put together a great team, I"ve empowered some guys since I was a kid and we"ve all grown together and become one of the people that try to model after, so we"re not going to let Phil Jackson"s comments stop us from doing what we need to do. It just gives us extra motivation. But it"s still sad, though, to see that people at the top always want to try to put guys in power down."
James was offended by Jackson"s flippant use of a term many find degrading.
"If you go and read the definition of what the word "posse" is, it"s not what I"ve built over my career," James said. "It"s not what I stand for. It"s not what my family stands for."
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue played for Jackson and said he doesn"t recall him ever being racially insensitive. Lue also has no intention of brokering any communication between his former coach and star player, and said James has never asked for any special treatment.
"We treat everyone the same around here," Lue said.
Along with close friends Maverick Carter, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, James has built a sports business empire. Among the group"s most prominent successes are landing James a lifetime contract with Nike worth nearly $1 billion and launching a film and TV production company that has partnered with Warner Bros.
Carter handles James" business affairs while Paul serves as his agent and for several other top players and Mims works with the Cavs. They formed LRMR marketing shortly after James turned pro, and the 31-year-old three-time champion was criticized for surrounding himself with friends.
"I"ve tried to put my guys in position to where they can walk in a meeting and go places and they don"t need me because they got to a point where they"ve done their homework," James said. "They"ve studied on what they want to do and they can hold a meeting without me because of the respect that they have and the knowledge they have. That"s just 12 years of hard work and dedication that we put to each other. I know Phil"s in a position of power in our sport, but to criticize me and my guys over that is nonsense."
The Cavs play the Knicks on Dec. 7 in Madison Square Garden, a game surely to be intensified by the Jackson-James drama. James seemed hurt someone of Jackson"s stature would try to demean him.
"It seems like when my name is involved with other people that"s helped build the game, it"s like, "How can we criticize what he does on and off the floor?" instead of trying to help me," he said.
James has been outspoken on social issues and doesn"t intend to stop.
"My whole goal is while I have this platform and this muscle that I have right now is how can I better the youth that looks at me every single day and sees what I do and sees what I say and sees the way I walk and talk and what I wear and use it as a positive way to get out of the situation they"re in," he said. "I"m not going to be that guy that ever downplays somebody or tries to knock someone off just to feel better about myself."
Teen Wolf (Season 6) | #ThisOrThat: Dylan Chooses Your Outfit or Your Playlist? | MTV
In last weeks Supernatural, The One Youve Been Waiting For, Sam and Dean kicked n**i a*s with the help of a fan favorite character whos only appeared once before. Who else is it time for the Winchesters to touch base with?
Supernaturals most recent episode The One Youve Been Waiting For featured the return of the Thule Society, a fun group of guys: n**i necromancers with plans for world domination. In their first appearance in season 8s Everybody Hates Hitler, the remaining members of the society were tracking down a lost ledger that recorded the practices of their predecessors, including every member whod become an undead immortal. This time around, they were h**l-bent on resurrecting the soul of Adolph Hitler which had been stored in a pocket watch at the moment of his famous suicide yes, like a horcrux, and yes, the Harry Potter reference is made within the episode itself.
Someone a lot smarter than me could write a poignant think-piece on the relevance of this episode airing the day after the U.S. election, how it felt to see this mixture of flippancy and terrifying reality play out on screen, how different it might have felt with an alternative president-elect on the horizon, and how, this season, Supernatural is apparently choosing to shout their worldview through a megaphone, but Ill note that once again, Supernatural revisits season 12s theme of humanity at its worst and most totalitarian. Yes, the Thule are using supernatural power, but, I mean, come on its Nazis. Not a metaphor for Nazis, real Nazis and real Hitler, with no punches pulled in the confronting imagery or language or attitude.
Once again, Sam tries to comfort a young character Ellie, the Hitler descendant whose blood allows for his resurrection by comparing the truth of his own cursed history, and once again the Winchesters allow the freedom of choice to a character that may not have got a pass from someone less compassionate in this case, Christoph, the put-upon son of the Thule ringleader, is allowed to walk free and make a new life for himself. Also, Dean gets to kill actual Hitler, or at least Hitler in a new body, an achievement he will be bragging about for the next seven thousand years. All in all, its not very subtle, but apparently America needs reminders this blunt that fascism is, you know, evil.
This episode also saw the return of the Winchesters biggest ally when it comes to the Thule. The most significant aspect of Everybody Hates Hitler was the introduction of Aaron Bass, an unwilling descendant of the Judah Initiative, a Jewish secret society dedicated to fighting the Thule, who inherits a golem from his grandfather. Everything about Aaron was infinitely memorable, from his choice to go undercover by making a pass at Dean (a scene that, according to writer Ben Edlund and director Phil Sgriccia, Jensen Ackles played right down the middle, probably the closest the show will ever come to confirming Dean as something other than straight) to the fact that he used his grandfathers ancient handbook to roll joints, to his incredible relationship with the golem and acceptance of his legacy.
Last weeks Supernatural saw Adam Rose return as Aaron Bass in The One Youve Been Waiting For but unfortunately he didnt play as much of a role as one might have liked him to. He and his golem have apparently spent the past few years using the ledger to track down Thule members and eliminate them, and Winchesters touch base with him from Berlin about the movements of the Thule Society. Its interesting to me that theyd bring in a guest actor as a throwback and only have him do a solo scene on the other end of a phone call no face to face interaction with Sam and Dean but given that the episode didnt actually rely on him being involved (they could have gotten the same information from him via email, not requiring a re-hire of Rose) it was really nice to see him there and just have a little reminder of the breadth of the Supernatural universe and all the people the Winchesters can count on.
Supernatural has always had a host of secondary recurring characters over the years many now deceased, but all playing their part as a regular feature in the lives of the boys, people they consider family, or people theyve introduced to hunting. The current ones who are actually alive include Sheriffs Donna Hanscum and Jody Mills, Jodys teenage wards Alex and Claire, and the hunter-turned-innocent-werewolf Garth. Many of these characters are promised to return both Jody and our new resident Reaper, Billie, will actually appear in this weeks episode Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox, about a hunters wake.
However, every single week the boys meet someone new who ends up finding out a bit about whats really out there and who Sam and Dean really are. Sometimes, we see characters who the Winchesters already know people theyve worked with in the past, which helps paint a picture of what their lives have been like off-screen, and sometimes they add new names to their phone book, promising to keep in contact with a new friend that theyve helped. Aaron Bass was very much one of these, but there are a bunch more people in similar positions who I would love to see the Wincesters catch up with.
In order to keep this from becoming an essay about how both Sebastian Rochs Balthazar and Richard Speight Jr.s Gabriel deserved better (though I pray we see one, or both of them, return in the Speight-directed Castiel backstory episode this season) or an itemized list of reasons why I would watch a Linda Tran spin-off, Ive been very strict about who makes the cut here the characters in question must be currently alive out there somewhere in the world, there must be a plausible way to fit them into the current overarching plot, and they have to have appeared in one episode only. Here are twelve single-appearance characters who should make a return to Supernatural sometime soon.
Missouri Moseley from Home
Missouri, brought vividly to life by the legendary Loretta Devine, was the first natural psychic we encounter on the show. Sam and Dean meet her on a mission in Lawrence, Kansas to exorcise their old family home for the new owners, and her single appearance way back in season 1 resonated deeply with audiences, because shes absolutely integral to the Winchester mythology it was she who introduced John to the truth about the paranormal world after Marys death. Given the trifecta of relevant circumstances her innocent supernatural abilities making her a Men of Letters target, Marys return and the many questions she has about her husbands life as a hunter, and the fact that the boys are now based back in Kansas, there is no better time to bring back this wonderful woman.
Deacon Kaylor from Folsom Prison Blues
This one is, again, mostly here for the potential it would give for some Mary Winchester drama, because Deacon Kaylor probably knew her while she was alive, and would potentially be one of the very few people besides Sam and Dean whod be mentally equipped to deal with the fact that shes back from the dead. Deacon, now a prison warden, knew John in his Marine days pre-Mary but also knew that he and his sons were hunters of the supernatural. This suggests that hed been close to the family for a very long time, and in his episode, Sam and Dean are pretty much willing to do anything to help him out in Johns name, including getting themselves arrested. He lied to the (real) FBI on their behalf and promised to see them again one day in better circumstances. Only on Supernatural would an undead mom count as better, but, you know, swings and roundabouts.
Jesse Turner from I Believe the Children Are Our Future
As an immensely powerful being with the potential to do serious damage, Jesse, an Antichrist (well, actually some sort of odd demon/human hybrid due to the pregnancy of a demon-possessed woman) is a perfect example of a supernatural character to whom the Winchesters gave the choice of personhood exactly the sort of character who, like Magda in American Nightmare, Sam and Dean consider worth saving and the British Men of Letters consider worth killing. This kid would canonically be about 18 or 20 (depending on if you count Supernaturals missing years or not) nowadays, and if the BMoL get ahold of the Winchesters case history, you can bet hed be on their hit list. Hed be an ideal candidate for another murder that makes Sam and Dean realize that their task right now may actually be to protect the supernatural.
Jacob Pond from The Girl Next Door
I have no particular affection in my heart for this frankly rather unpleasant kitsune child, but he also fits the bill for a BMoL victim. However, theres more to this one its some of Supernaturals weirdest unfinished business. After Dean killed Jacobs mother Amy funnily enough, Pond is not their real last name a childhood friend of Sams who turned out to be a kitsune, he carried the guilt for a long time, causing an ongoing rift between the brothers. Amys murder was painted as a very bad moment for Dean, especially juxtaposed against the empathy hes had for other supernatural creatures like his best vampire buddy Benny since. Not only that, Jacob left the scene of Amys death with a promise that hed kill no humans except Dean. As in, one day Ill come back and end you. This episode was directed by Jensen Ackles and written by current showrunner Andrew Dabb, so its not much of a reach to wonder if this is ever going to come up again.
Krissy Chambers from Adventures in Babysitting
Whoops. Im breaking my own rule for this one, because Krissys actually got two under her belt. In her first episode she seeks out John but ends up with Sam and Dean to help rescue her dad, another hunter. She proves incredibly resilient, and the boys advise her father to retire so that she isnt drawn into hunting. Dean and Krissy have some of the best and most immediate chemistry between any two characters in the whole history of the show no, not like that, thank you very much. Quite simply, Jensen Ackles and Madison McLaughlin were born to share screen time with each other, and this is why shes a must-have for me Krissy does not give Dean an inch, she sees straight through him, and their relationship is instantly something special. However, her father ultimately does die, and in her second episode, Krissy and some other teens were being housed and trained by a rather corrupt hunter. Theyre currently living alone, looking after each other as part of the next generation of hunters, and its about time we checked in on them.
James and Portia from Mans Best Friend With Benefits
Lets not sugar coat the fact that this episode about a witch and his shapeshifting animal familiar falling in love was weird as all h**l, and that even in-universe, the relationship between the characters was seen as incredibly taboo. However, James has a really interesting history as a cop, he worked with Sam and Dean on a case sometime in the past, and it was his exposure to them that got him interested in the occult. He ultimately became a very powerful witch, got himself a familiar, and, well fade to black. James and Portia are the victims in this episode, and, with Sam and Deans support, drive off together to find a safe place for a new life. Not only do these two have not-evil powers that could make them allies on a case in future, theyre also next-level BMoL victims the Winchesters are pretty much responsible for the fact that James is now a witch.
Sonny from Bad Boys
In this episode, we learnt that Dean, at age 16, spent two months in a boys home after he was caught shoplifting food when John left them alone to go on a hunt. When Deans crime was reported to his father, John left him to rot in jail, however, as he was a minor, the local county handed him over to Sonnys place. Dean thrived at the farm, and its an example of how much he craved normalcy and structure. Eventually, John decides to come claim his kid, and Sonny offers to fight for Dean to stay, if he wants, but ultimately, its the thought of Sam that sends Dean back on the road with John. On one hand, how wrenching to think of Mary learning more about her sons childhood from this guy Sonny clearly loves Dean and hates John Winchester, which makes him a hero in my eyes, and can you tell that I really want Mary to also end up hating John? and on the other, I just want Dean to spend some more time chilling out with a dude that he really likes and who values him. Given that Sonny was able to reach Dean on his cell during season 9, after G*d knows how many phone changes, it would imply that theyve been in touch all these years.
Marie from Fan Fiction
An infectious mix of Max Fischer of Rushmore and Rachel Berry of Glee, Marie a clever superfan of Carver Edlunds Supernatural books was the writer and director of the Supernatural high school musical featured in the shows 200th episode. Realistic portrayals of fan culture in the media are hard to get right unpopular opinion: I dont actually think the show ever did it that well with Felicia Days Charlie Bradbury but Marie is just perfect, in no small part due to the exemplary work of the young actress Katie Sarife. Her conversations with Dean about what Supernatural means to her, and her quiet, un-star-deal realization that hes the real deal, felt like just the start of a lifelong friendship. Dean and teenage girls, man. I cannot get enough of it. Again, no, not like that. Listen, if wanting Dean Winchester to have totally innocent BFF bunker slumber parties with a bunch of smart teenage girls who constantly call him on his bullshit is wrong, then I dont wanna be right.
Sully from Just My Imagination
Ive written in the past about how this episode was one of the shows most evocative for me, due to Sams interactions with his childhood imaginary friend Sully, who turned out to real a creature called a Zanna, an entirely innocent race of child guardians who help and protect kids in need. Sam may be a grown-up, but he still kind of needs a best friend Dean tends to have more history and one-on-one relationships than Sam does so as ridiculous as it may be, Id love Sully to reappear as an ongoing part of Sams support network. And again, if my theory about Sam and Dean protecting the supernatural from the Men of Letters proves true, this is a being that the British Men of Letters may deem reprehensible and in need of destroying, if theyre the heartless monsters that we think they are. Im still very interested in the concept of more good supernatural creatures not exceptions to the rule, but an entirely benevolent species.
Eileen Leahy from Into the Mystic
During season 11, Sam and Dean met fellow hunter Eileen Leahy while undercover on the same job tracking down a banshee. Eileen is deaf, an aspect of her character which was both plot-relevant and totally normalized, a nice bit of representation very well-handled by the show. Shes also a Men of Letters legacy potentially a British Men of Letters legacy, as her parents and grandparents lived in Ireland which could play nicely into the current plot of the Winchesters and Friends Taking A Stand Against Tyranny. Eileen and Sam had an incredible amount of chemistry, and given the fact that Sam ponders earlier in the same season (in an episode by the same screenwriter as this one, no less) about the potential of settling down with another hunter, if Supernatural is going to endgame a romance for either of the brothers, this would be one that would satisfy a lot of people he pretty much asks her out at the end of the episode, at the very least opening the door for an ongoing friendship. Better her than Lady Toni.
Jesse and Cesar Cuevas from The Chitters
In The Chitters, Sam and Dean run into another pair of hunters working the same case as them, a same-s*x married couple, one of whom lost his brother to the monster of the week twenty seven years ago and and is out for revenge. This time-specific case is to be their last hunt before retiring to the ranch theyve been slowly paying off, a hopeful example to prove that hunters can get out of the life if they choose to, when the time is right. Jesse and Cesar are the first people in a long time that the Winchesters willingly want to invite into their lives the four men work extremely well together hunting the bisaan, and Dean considers asking them to stick around, to join their team in fighting the Darkness and helping Castiel rid himself of Lucifer. In the end, he isnt able to bring himself to do it Two hunters who make it to the finish line? Yeah, you leave that alone. so for that reason, I kind of hope we dont see them again, because if we do, it may mean theyve been called back in. However, in a dream world, Id love their fabled ranch to be the destination of one of Supernaturals few and far between Sam and Dean take a d**n vacation episodes.
Which one-off character would you most want to see make another appearance?
Megyn Kelly on her "Year of Trump," dealing with sexual harassment
8:31 AM PST 11/15/2016 by Hilary Lewis
Megyn Kelly sat down with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America on Tuesday for the first in a series of TV interviews about her new book, Settle for More, which hits shelves today.
The Fox News anchor made two appearances on the ABC morning show, first joining Stephanopoulos at the top of the program to discuss Donald Trump"s controversial appointment of Breitbart head and his former campaign chair Steve Bannon as his chief strategist.
Joining Stephanopoulos 30 minutes later, Kelly discussed her book, including what she writes about her complicated relationship with Trump over the past year, with whom she had a high-profile, public feud before she met with him in person at Trump Tower and the two moved on.
Kelly and Stephanopoulos also discussed her relationship with Roger Ailes, who, she says in her book, made unwanted advances toward her, including trying to kiss her three times, many years ago, after which she reported his behavior to a supervisor and avoided him.
Ailes has since responded to those allegations by suggesting Kelly is being ungrateful for his support.
Through his attorney, Susan Estrich, Ailes said in a statement, "I categorically deny the allegations Megyn Kelly makes about me. I worked tirelessly to promote and advance her career, as Megyn herself admitted to Charlie Rose.Watch that interview and then decide for yourself. My attorneys have restricted me from commenting further so suffice it to say that no good deed goes unpunished."
GMA aired a portion of that Charlie Rose interview, in which Kelly says Ailes "has been nothing but loyal" and has "had [her] back," after which Stephanopoulos asked Kelly how she could reconcile those two characterizations of Ailes.
"Both things can be true. A woman can be harassed and then go on to have a good working relationship with the man harassing her and that is what happened in my case," she said, pointing out that Ailes stopped harassing her after she avoided him for six months.
"He stopped and we went on to have a healthy working relationship. What he said about promoting me and having my back over the next several years is true. It was one of the reasons why even I found it hard to believe he was a serial harasser. It soon became clear to me upon reading the allegations that at least an investigation was necessary."
When asked if Ailes would still be the head of Fox News if Kelly"s former Fox News colleague Gretchen Carlson hadn"t sued, Kelly said, "I think so."
At the end of the interview, Stephanopoulos tried to get Kelly to offer some insight into her next move, with her Fox News contract up next year. She indicated she doesn"t think her past year dealing with Trump and Ailes poses a problem, saying, "I can go hopefully anywhere I want. I don"t think anything that"s happened this past year has limited that."
"In my opinion, the Murdochs, who are running Fox News Channel now, are honorable men who want to do what"s right and have a great vision for Fox News going forward," Kelly added. "This is my philosophy: Settle for more. So I"m going to do that."
