__
Once the family conversations start to get… difficult… maybe everybody could go see a movie! Something fun and not too complicated, because all that tryptophan is making you sleepy. Hey, remember that great Red Dawn movie you all enjoyed so much back when Reagan was still alive? There’s been a remake, and Charlie Jane Anders at io9 has the details…
All apocalyptic stories are about wish fulfillment to some extent. But Red Dawn, opening today, is the purest jolt of wish-fulfillment I’ve seen in ages, about the fall of America and the rise of some plucky kids who Suck It Up and Do What Must Be Done. This is an action movie so ridiculous, it barely qualifies as having a narrative, just a river of melted cheese. It’s like going rafting in the Nacho Kingdom…
So what do you do when your entire premise is one big plot hole? You either build a scaffolding very carefully, out of hundreds of planks of setup and plot development — or you just leap in with both feet, whooping all the way down. Red Dawn chooses the latter approach, with a certain amount of gusto, and the result is one of the most hullaballoopants action movies of recent years. This film really is like an episode of Scooby-Doo, or maybe an unauthorized gritty wartime sequel to The Goonies. Those kids! Just watch them blow up buildings and set up deathtraps!…
Joseph Nobles
Holy shit, that review makes me want to go see the movie. If it really does land in “so bad it’s good” territory, it might be worth it.
Well, it’ll get to Netflix eventually.
gene108
From the trailers, I get the feeling the Americans win in the remake.
Catherine
North Korea.
OK!
freelancer
Wow, it’s like the lead balloon indie drama The Myth of Fingerprints, only brought to you by the producers of The Pest.
Fuck dat.
Happy Thanksgiving Juicers.
c u n d gulag
North Korea?
Really?
Are we sure this isn’t a remake of “The Mouse That Roared?”
FSM – Peter Sellers was great in that movie!
Raven
@c u n d gulag: Mouse on the Moon ain’t bad!
greennotGreen
Tryptophan? Don’t you watch “Mythbusters”? It’s not the trytophan, it’s the huge numbers of calories people usually consume at Thanksgiving. If you eat less, you’ll still be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when everyone else is dozing – which probably means you’ll get stuck with the dishes.
jon
Being divorced makes Thanksgiving the best holiday ever. I get to go to the ex-half-uncle’s place and have a little wine and then leave before anything gets uncomfortable, drop in on the kids at the ex-wife’s and have a beer, visit a coworker who is having a Turkey Legs and Vomit party, and then end up at the girlfriend’s house for a bit of dinner and a good night.
Football and snacking and pacing myself is the goal, not assuaging old wounds and pretending to like anyone other than those I truly do. Oh, you want to bring that up? Look at the time! Gotta go to somewhere much more fun! Happy Thanksgiving!
c u n d gulag
@Raven:
I’ve never seen that!
How did I ever miss it?
I’ll put that in my ‘Movie Bucket List.’
jon
@Catherine: North Korea makes sense because they have an army of extraordinary magnitude.
Schlemizel
@c u n d gulag:
I love The Mouse That Roared, its a fabulous movie!
As far as family arguments go we don’t do too badly. The two BILs that might start something (one teabagger & one Randtard-like) go other places thank FSM (although the randian is a great guy as long as you don’t talk politics immigration or social issues).
One brother is a ditto head. He often looks for an opening to start something but they moved away too. ‘Funny’ story there is that he used to be a liberal. He was in a bad car wreck and suffered some pretty severe brain damage, that was when he became a ditto head.
Geoduck
@jon: As the article says, it was originally the Chinese who invade (somewhat less silly), but the studio decided at the last minute that would be.. impolitic.. in today’s global economy, so the North Korean flags and such got hastily CGed into place.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone :)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
rikyrah
I love What’s Cooking.
But, I think Pieces of April is my favorite Thanksgiving movie.
1badbaba3
@jon: For that, you have our gratitude. WOLVERINES!
Mustang Bobby
Happy Thanksgiving to all. It’s a beautiful morning here in South Florida.
For those of us of a certain age, though, November 22 is always a date that we will never forget.
Maude
@Schlemizel:
11
That is one of the best comments I have ever read.
Schlemizel
@Maude:
You heard about the brain scientist that developed a drug to increase IQ?
They gave a dose to a monkey & it was able to form simple sentences. They tried doubling the dose & it said “Megadittos Rush, long time listener, first time caller”
Sadly, my bros story is true.
Rafer Janders
You know what would have made the most kick-ass remake of “Red Dawn”? Make it about a bunch of Iraqi high school kids who resist an American invasion of their country. Mujahideen!
Of course, there is the danger that a significant portion of the audience’s head might explode watching it.
JPL
@Mustang Bobby: Next year is the fiftieth anniversary. I still remember watching Walter Cronkite on TV.
JPL
Happy Thanksgiving all. Eat, drink and be merry.
cmorenc
For an entertaining, yet vastly more worthwhile holiday trip to the movies, I’ll HIGHLY recommend the new “Lincoln” movie. Everything the glowing reviews about Daniel Day-Lewis convincingly “inhabiting” the role of Lincoln are spot-on true without exaggeration! In addition to vividly painting Lincoln the man and his gregarious leadership style, the movie portrays how precariously narrow and uncertain was the passage of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery through the U.S.Congress, something we take fundamentally for granted today as a natural outcome of the north winning the Civil War. Something the movie makes clear is that although of course an enormous number of men died or were maimed in the final months of the Civil War, lots of them died specifically because Lincoln manipulatively avoided accepting any peace negotiations with the Confederate goverment unless and until the 13th Amendment was successfully ratified by the U.S. House of Representatives, despite fierce opposition by the Democratic Party minority which left Lincoln 20 votes short. Much of the movie shows his sometimes unscrupulous genius at cajoling, dissembling manipulating, or bribing his way to achieving the necessary extra votes, while at the same time persuading strong-willed radical members of his own party to avoid undermining his efforts with overzealous insistence on principled purity (specifically, Tommy Lee Jones fabulously portraying Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens).
This is by far the best historical biopic I’ve ever seen; if Day-Lewis doesn’t win the academy award for this, it will be a crime.
WereBear
@Schlemizel: I’m sorry to hear.
A few years ago, the two biggest Faux News fans I knew were elderly men… who turned out to have full blown dementia a couple of years later.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mustang Bobby: I’m definitely of that certain age, and it’s true, just seeing or hearing the date brings it back as clearly as anything in my life, though 49 years have passed.
Understand from a short item on NPR that the city of Dallas is planning something for the 50th anniversary next year. They said it would be tasteful and low-keyed and respectful, but I hae me doots.
bemused
Funny trailer. I freely admit I adore watching dysfunctional family holiday movies that make your own family look fairly sane..
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: Dallas for many years, ignored the significance of the day, so it’s nice to see that the city is planning something.
CA Doc
It’s Thanksgiving and my 15th wedding anniversary…so let the party begin! Thanks in advance to my parents, who’ll be watching the kids tomorrow when we sneak off to San Francisco to celebrate the anniversary part of the equation.
Raven
Headed down to the beach to surf fish for a while. The day on the boat kicked my ass but I’m rarin to go.
jurassicpork
Just wanted to stop by before Mrs. JP and I start dinner to thank you all who’ve stopped by P’ville to help us out during these ongoing trying times. While I’m first and foremost grateful to have Barb and Popeye the surly cat for sharing my life, my readers and erstwhile readers who’ve donated to Pottersville over the years definitely come a close second. Happy Thanksgiving, all!
Comrade Dread
Which is still ridiculous. Were China to attack the US, the first casulty would be their economy.
Right before the US sank their entire flotila of warships.
anibundel
So Willie Geist has escaped the horrific clutches of Mika and Joe…
…only to land in the horrific clutches of Giada and Martha.
RUN WILLIE RUN.
jon
@Geoduck: Hastily? That movie was in the can for about three years. The leadership of North Korea was different when it was made. The only hasty move was waiting for Thor’s movies to give him some star power because the Morgan’s Watchmen didn’t do so well, and then… well, not even that was hasty.
Southern Beale
The only thing I am responsible for is an apple pie but I forgot to dot the sucker with butter before I put the top crust on and put it in the oven. So it won’t be as rich and yummy. I’m verklempt.
RepubAnon
Terrorists or freedom fighters? Fox News makes the call!
(Is Rush Limbaugh doing “Radio Free US” broadcasts in the remake?)
Cermet
@Geoduck:No. In Red Dawn it was the Russians and (mainly in their area) Cubans. The Chinese were American allies! Mixing up your enemies with the friends here.
gene108
@Comrade Dread:
Don’t underestimate the Chinese military. They got their first aircraft carrier recently, a decommissioned Russian diesel powered “sloop”.
They are catching up to our navel capabilities! Oh Noes!
Cermet
@cmorenc: What history do you read (or rightwing stupidity blog?) Lincoln had ZERO control on when the war would end UNLESS he let the South remain a separate nation – what utter bullshit your statement is that Lincoln delayed ending the war. Try reading someone else but a Southern nutcase that spreads such lying plies of shit. Until Lee SURRENDERED, Lincoln had no way to force the war to end before then – period.
Just for your information Lincoln did try to get peace going but the south demanned to be let go – that was the reason Lincoln couldn’t get a ‘deal’. Try reading real history books.
Comrade Jake
Let the smoking of the turkey begin!
J.
For those thinking of deep-frying their bird, I highly recommend this auto-tuned PSA from Master Thespian William Shatner titled “Eat, Fry, Love.” You will thank me for it.
Woodrowfan
KITTEN RESCUE! HELP! Anyone here work with kitten/cat rescue in Northern Virginia/DC? We take care of a feral cat colony and 3 kittens just showed up. They may be young enough to be adoptable if we catch them quickly, but I need some help doing it and finding a home! Alley Cat allies is helpful but can’t help as much as I need at the moment. Are there any Balloon Juicers in the area who could help? thanks… WF
Woodrowfan
@Cermet:
600 million screaming Chinese!
I thought there were a billion?
There were…
1badbaba3
@Cermet: Why does Superfly hate ‘Murica?
And why does he have that outrageous accent?
NotMax
@Comrade Jake
Thoughts a first reading evinced:
Don’t bogart that bird, my friend.
Dang thrill-seeking kids will inhale anything.
Must be really hard to keep it lit.
Mustang Bobby
@Southern Beale: Add a dollop of ice cream as you serve it and all will be well.
Mustang Bobby
@SiubhanDuinne: Yeah, “tasteful” and “Dallas” go together like “zipper” and “penis.”
Full disclosure: I was born in Dallas. QED.
cmorenc
@Cermet:
The authoritative source is Doris Kerns Goodwin’s solidly-researched “Team of Rivals” biography of Lincoln’s life and political career, which the movie heavily relies upon. In January, 1865, a Confederate delegation including C.S.A. Vice-President Alexander Stephens departed for negotiations with Lincoln, with the goal of agreeing to a cessation of the war in exchange for re-admitting the confederate states to the Union while being permitted to continue keeping slaves in states that were part of the Confederacy. Lincoln delayed permitting the Confederate delegation to travel to Washington or to meet with them until Congress (specifically the House of Representatives) ratified the 13th Amendment. The conference did eventually take place on Feb 3, 1865 in Hampton Roads, Va, but foundered in substantial part on insistence that the southern states would have to end slavery as a condition.
CA Doc
@Comrade Jake: I’m planning on doing turkey in smoker for Christmas but have never done it before, I’d love any advice you might have!
Cheryl from Maryland
Waking up after seeing a live performance of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Am still gobsmacked to realize Shakespeare described climate change —
The solution then was for Oberon and Titania to get back together. I’m not sure if that will work nowadays.
Happy Thanksgiving to all BJ’ers.
arguingwithsignposts
@Schlemizel:
I LOL’d
Mike in NC
@Cermet:
Before we moved from VA several years ago we made a trip through the middle of the state which included a stop at Appomattox Court House. It was, and remains, a place in the middle of nowhere, but still a very interesting visit. Might go see “Lincoln” this weekend.
Laura
I went to see Life of Pi in 3D yesterday and it was spectacular, if anyone needs a good movie to see.
Downpuppy
Weird Thanksgiving this year. Very nuclear family. Waiting for breakfast to finish, I launched the War on Christmas, 2012.
This year, no surrender.
Unless I get a new bicycle. Red, please.
Schlemizel
I got the turkey all set up and in the oven soon the house will smell of love ;)
My slab of fake crap only needs an hour to cook, I’ll let ya’ll know how it tastes in a later open thread. Meantime I have found a place on line that tells me how to make my own & since this is not a “religious” thing with me I can probably add real turkey juice and it might taste even better. May do that in the near future.
She who was silly enough to marry me will be up soon & start on home made rolls – I love her bread – too!
Woodrowfan
@cmorenc: Actually, while “Rivals” is very good, it was criticized in the professional historical journals for over-emphasizing the conflict between various members of his cabinet and Lincoln for dramatic effect. it’s a very good book, and very well-written, but it’s not the end-all and be-all of Lincoln scholarship///
1badbaba3
@Comrade Jake: Wakey Bakey, brah. That turkey won’t smoke itself. Also too, Kahlua and coffee. It’s a stone age tradition in my circle that dates back to, well, the stoned ages (about three decades now, by cracky). The former illuminates the trail, the latter sends me down the trail. See, it’s all perfectly normal.
Be thankful, y’all.
Higgs Boson's Mate
Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll! No extended family here so wife, son, dog, and I will be enjoying each other’s company for the day. I prepared everything but the turkey and the salad yesterday so today is about being happy together.
redshirt
Civil war history fight!
AVENGE ME BOYS!
Schlemizel
@cmorenc:
So, you are saying all Lincoln had to do was accept the demands of the people who started the war & were losing the war badly and they would have agreed to going back to the conditions that led the secessionist bastards to go to war in the first place and we all would live happily ever after?
Fuckers are lucky they had Lincoln. If it had been me you could visit the site in Richmond (in the new state of “Grant”) where Lee, Longstreet, Stevens, Davis & about 200 others were hung for treason. You could drive south through several other states, Sherman, Freemen, Douglas and a couple others
jeffreyw
@Southern Beale: Apple pies need ice cream. Vanilla ice cream. Or very sharp cheddar. Apple pies laugh at Colby cheeses. Chocolate ice cream makes pies scream.
NotMax
@jeffreyw
Butter pecan ain’t a bad partnering.
bjacques
@Downpuppy: You see me now a veteran of a thousand Christmas wars…
Downpuppy
@cmorenc: Most every war either ends in stalemate or has that spot where one side knows it’s lost & tries to salvage something. I can’t think of any examples where they managed to negotiate terms. Closest is Japan in WWII – and any terms they got were private assurances.
In the winter of 1865, the Confederacy was small pieces, the Union armies were all over the place with limited communications to some, & Lincoln could barely control the Cabinet, much less the Senate.
So no, I don’t take the possiblity of cutting a couple months off the war too seriously.
jeffreyw
@NotMax: We must maintain Our Standards and Traditions, Suh! Else we have lost. Worse, They have won.
rdldot
@Cermet: Yeah, I’ve read a lot of Civil War history and I’ve never come across Lincoln ‘delaying’ the end of the war for the 13th Amendment. Made me wonder whether the movie was worth watching.
Omnes Omnibus
FWIW I have not seen the first Red Dawn movie and I do not intend to see the second. I am grading some papers and then heading north to my grandmother’s house for turkey. I shall then spend the weekend with my family where we will have no political arguments.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
ETA: Prior to the meal, we always have everyone say what he or she is thankful for; this year, I intend to challenge my 28 y/o cousin to do his thanks Gangnam style.
Cermet
@cmorenc: First off, my words were rather harsh and I apologize – you do have a source for your claim; however, to say that ‘large numbers of Union soldiers were killed because Lincoln delayed the end of the war is nonsense and bordering on twisted southern apologists type thinking.
While I am open to accurate history but I have not read or seen proof that the delegation was delayed just to get the 13th amendment ratified and frankly, I don’t believe Lincoln had the power to delay the war even by doing this; that is, unless he gave into southern demmands..
In any case, by the end of December the war was all but over except for Lee’s army. You do recall that the only significant Confederate army in the West was utterly defeated in detail during the battle of Nashville around Dec 15/16.
Can’t see how any significant number of Union soldiers were dying during the late Dec and early Jan winter months so I still call foul on that silly claim. I call the statement about Lincoln intentionally allow large numbers of Union troops to die still a lie – only by Lee’s surrender would the war end and the Union Army was solely under Grant’s command and he alone would decide when to attack/destroy the army of vile traitors lead by that terrorist mass murdering and utter ass wipe Lee.
Even Lincoln was always at pain to say that General Grant was the sole and only person to decide military events and timing of attacks. All historians point this fact out over and over. Lincoln could not have end the war except by granting independence to the south
So, Lincoln most certainly did not extend the war in any manner must less cause the needless deaths of Union soldiers – period.
1badbaba3
@Schlemizel: I like the cut of your jib. Seems to me a sensible solution. Now, there’s this guy named Bettman, perhaps you have heard of him?
@Downpuppy: Gird? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
Downpuppy
@1badbaba3: Kids? Heck, that’s what the Trojans called it. Or somebody called Trojans. Is 10:30 too soon to start drinking?
Schlemizel
@1badbaba3:
The photographer?
The best part of my ending would be that we wouldn’t have any of the “its heritage not hate” yahoos running around.
I would have had some mercy though, I would not have executed their wives and children and would have paid for their resettlement in the Central American nation of their choice.
grandpa john
@Southern Beale: That’s me. making a pecan pie which is my donation for me and the missus. Grand daughter has dinner at her place helped by hubbies family and my daughters. No thanklsgiving cooking at our house. If it wasn’t for grand daughters meal We would simply had up the street to the annual thanks giving meal at the church
arguingwithsignposts
@Schlemizel: I knew some of those “Heritage not hate” folks. Ugh.
And maybe Gary Bettman? That fucker can DIAF.
redshirt
@Downpuppy: It’s like 4:30PM in England. Go for it!
WaterGirl
@Schlemizel: Can you at least eat the bread?
I was thinking of you this week. I had strep throat and felt like crap and had every drop of moisture pulled out of me by some herbal thing my sister told me to take, which I had a very bad reaction to. I was feeling quite sorry for myself (until I got the magic drugs 4 days in that made my throat better in 8.5 hours!) and then I thought of you and how you have to live with some of that all day every day.
I saw your comment this week that it had been a year. That’s a long time. Is any of it getting better?
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Grading papers? I am clearly behind on current events. Last I saw you were going for a job interview… what did I miss?
Happy thanksgiving to all!
srv
We reserve our Red Dawns for holidays. At my aunts this week, we will take a break from roof leaks, sheetrock and painting for today.
Cermet
@jeffreyw: You win the argument that really matters here!
The very idea of doing that to any pie is painful.
scav
COFFEE!!!!
and I am thankful for the grinder that grinds and the water that boils (get a move on there water) and greetings to those that wrestle with turkeys and sidekicks.
Mike E
Nothing like a discussion about “illegals” and “welfare queens” to start the day off…my sis’s MIL really knows how to party.
Roasting the 22 lb bird and biding my time before the rest of the 14-member crew gets here. My drinking will begin officially at kickoff time. Go Lions!
Maude
@Schlemizel:
18
HaHaHa
Thank you. This date brings such sorrow.
Amanda in the South Bay
@gene108:
Its highly implied that the Americans won in the original, too.
cckids
@jeffreyw:
LOL. You are so right.
hoi polloi
Hey, balloon-juicers,
Best thanksgiving wishes to you all.
I’ve got the braised brussels sprouts (smittenkitchen.com) and parmesan roasted asparagus.
Have a great day.
Schlemizel
@WaterGirl:
Thanks. I can deal with bread in very small bites if I have other stuff in between.
It has not gotten any better. I am learning to make do, there are only a couple of things that bother me (turkey roasted or smoked being a biggie). I could learn to live with that part but the screwed up taste gets me down a lot.
I am thankful I am still alive and with my family this holiday
Maude
@Mike E:
My aunt had to cook a formal dinner for her husband’s company executives.
She was very nervous about it.
She cooked a roast beef with wine. She gave the beef one glass of wine and herself two, for the time it took to cook.
My uncle came home and she was passed out on the kitchen floor by the oven.
She was my favorite aunt.
Liberty60
My 16 year old and her jock bf saw Red Dawn last night.
Even they rolled their eyes and thought it was stoopid.
Suffern ACE
@Mike E: I think if it comes time to give thanks at the meal, you should give thanks for the labor of migrant workers who actually made your meal possible. Except of the stuffing. That was probably packed in China.
La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)
@arguingwithsignposts: Did you work out something fun to do for Turkey Day besides bantering with the Juicers?
Of course, sticking around here to cheer up those among us who must dine with RWNJ relatives would be a public service worthy of your holiday.
Misterpuff
Wolverines!
That is all.
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I have an adjunct gig. My primary job is still with the elections admin folks in WI.
scav
@Misterpuff: ok, but how many hours per pound should I cook them and is that with or without the tradional nut stuffing?
Omnes Omnibus
@scav: He said:
From which I gather the traditional nut stuffing is not included. As for time, just use a meat thermometer.
schrodinger's cat
@Omnes Omnibus: Will you join him in the dancing?
1badbaba3
@arguingwithsignposts: Yes, that’s the one, and yes he can. DIAF, that is. Can’t think about it too much or I will lose it. So I don’t. Moving on.
Mark S.
Did they have to CGI the guys playing Chinese guys to make them look more Korean? Or did they just figure all Asians look the same?
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodinger’s cat:
No.
p.a.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
scav
@Omnes Omnibus: I was rather hoping though, we’ve had a particularily bountiful nut harvest this year. Pecans didn’t do so well, but other southern varieties stepped up and more than filled the gaps.
451°F, no?
WereBear
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Reverend Jim is enjoying his third round at the “cat buffet” Mr WereBear set up.
schrodinger's cat
@Omnes Omnibus: You should. Its not that hard, we dance to it occasionally for my Zumba class, it is pretty entertaining.
Lurking Canadian
@Mark S.: If his name is any indication, the chief bad guy was played by a Korean all along.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
BGinCHI
Happy thanksgiving BJers!
off and on the grid in beautiful Colorado
Origuy
@Cermet:
Haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but twice as many soldiers in the Civil War died from disease as from battle and winters were particularly bad.
redshirt
So much focus on a dead bird.
Thanksgiving is our “harvest festival”, is it not? Does Halloween count as one as well?
CaseyL
@Schlemizel: I almost agree with you. But we’re looking at it from the wrong end of time.
It was Lincoln who said “Let ’em up easy,” but he wasn’t expecting to be murdered before he could pursue Reconstruction. He would have pursued more moderate policies than his successors did. (Johnson wanted to continue Lincoln’s moderation, but a Republican supermajority in Congress had other ideas).
There’s no way of knowing if “more moderate” would have worked better than what actually happened. What actually happened were punitive, economically-crippling policies strikingly similar to what Europe did to Germany after WWI. And the effect was also strikingly similar: a dispossessed, politically powerless, deeply impoverished South became a radicalized breeding ground for fascist extremism, blossoming into the poisonous pit we know and despise today.
That’s the South we wish had been razed and its ground salted. Maybe Lincoln’s way would have worked out better; maybe not.
schrodinger's cat
@redshirt: I am not the biggest fan of the turkey, I much prefer the sides to the bird.
Svensker
@schrodinger’s cat:
The turkey is there for the smell and the gravy and the stock in the stuffing. Mmmmm, stuffing with gravy.
Although in Canukistan, we’re celebrating Turkey Day with our son and an expat friend. Only problem is our son has to work, so dinner won’t be until evening, which will mean we won’t be able to have 2 hours between dinner and pie. If you hear an explosion in the north around 8 pm EST, you’ll know we ended our days happy.
scav
@redshirt: I think Halloween is more one of those about the turning of the seasons, rebirth — or at least, a let’s stop this period of dying and increasing darkness. Pumpkin skulls, but with light in them rather than Easter eggs with life in them. So there’s more of a looking forward. Thanksgiving is more an appeciation of past and present.
feebog
Saw Lincoln Tuesday. It is a great movie. Don’t get to het up about the plot, a little dramatic liscense is all. Now down to business: Smoked Turkey.
I have an electric smoker. Temp is pretty constant at around 200 degrees. Do not try to smoke too large a bird. 13 to 15 lbs. is about as big as you should try. Brine the bird overnight on Tuesday. (go online if you don’t know how to brine). On Wednesday morning, wash the bird and set it back in the fridge. TK day, start by stuffing the bird, I use onions, apples and oranges in large chunks after salting the interior. I also like to add fresh rosemary and sage. DO NOT STUFF YOUR BIRD WITH REGULAR STUFFING. Smokers do not get hot enough to kill the bacteria that may be present. Do whatever else you usually do to the outside of the bird.
Place the bird, breast down, on a rack in the smoker. The smoker should be preheated and up to temp. Smoke breast down for about four hours. Turn the bird and continue smoking. I figure about 45 minutes per pound so a 15 lb. bird is going take a long time. Don’t have a long time? Take the bird out after 8 hours and finish in the oven. The bird will have absorbed all the smoke flavor by that time. And yes, I have started a 15 lb. bird at 2:00 a.m. so we could eat that afternoon. Use a meat thermonitor, put it in the breast, but not touching the breastbone. When you get to 185 degrees, the bird is done.
Have a very happy Thanksgiving everyone.
schrodinger's cat
We are going to see Lincoln on Saturday, besides the Kearns Goodwin book are they any other recommendations for books about Lincoln in particular and the Civil War in general?
Schlemizel
@CaseyL:
I see your point but I think dividing the territory between the former slaves and the former CSA soldiers who pledged loyalty to the country would have bought a lot of loyalty and rebuilt the new states a lot faster. It would have provided the poor whites a real leg up and hopefully enabled them to see they and the slaves had both been mistreated by the barons of the old South
Plus I like the image of Nathanial Bedford Forrest twisting slowly in the wind instead of all that ‘strange fruit’ his devotees planted across the country
LD50
@Geoduck: More basic than that, the Chinese govt. told the studio that if they went ahead with the movie as planned (Chinese hordes invade Indiana), then they could wave bye-bye to distributing another movie in China ever. Whoops.
Downpuppy
@schrodinger’s cat:
The grumpy old man recs, but still good: Sandburg for Lincoln, of course. 3 volume version is best. Catton for Civil War.
Davis X. Machina
@schrodinger’s cat: James M. McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, or David Blight’s Yale course lectures.
Schlemizel
@schrodinger’s cat:
Shelby Foote’s 3 volume history has its problems but it provides an examination of the war like nobody else. I Southerner who understand that slavery was evil and the South was wrong. The first book is the best explanation for the roots of rebellion ever as far as I can tell. It covers the years before the war & details how slavery perverted every aspect of the nation and how it came to war.
Battle Cry Of Freedom is the best history of the actual war I think.
I’d suggest BCoF first and then volume 1 of Foote. If you find a particular battle or campaign you want to know more about there are books detailing each and I have not found a bad one. You can cruise the library but be aware that there are a lot of apologist books out there that will tell you the South had no choice & slavery had nothing to do with it. If you real any actual history these charlatans stand out as ignorant pretty quickly.
You can’t go wrong with Bruce Catton either
Raven
Redfish mornin!
gogol's wife
I just started Thanksgiving off right by watching the fabulous Shirley Temple in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) on TCM. The greatest lineup of character actors — Helen Westley, William Demarest, Jack Haley, Franklin Pangborn — Shirley’s best costar — Randolph Scott, paired with the lovely Gloria Stuart — and the best array of great songs by Harry Revel, Lew Pollack, and Sam Pokrass (who also wrote some of the greatest Russian pop songs of the early 20th century) — topped off by her greatest duet with Bill Bojangles Robinson. Now we go to the assisted-living to visit auntie, then I try to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for two. (No, I am not drunk.)
Happy holiday, BJers!
dmsilev
@schrodinger’s cat: For the war in general, Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson is probably the standard go-to single-volume work. If you want a more day-by-day narrative and have the time to read a trilogy of doorstops, Shelby Foote’s Civil War trilogy covers pretty much everything in exhausting detail.
TD
@schrodinger’s cat: This is the best 2 volume set you’ll find. Probably the best biography I’ve ever read. Very interesting, and full of amazing insights into Lincoln, his family, his cabinet, and the war.
http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Life-Michael-Burlingame/dp/0801889936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353603718&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+burlingame+abraham+lincoln+a+life
PurpleGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Unless it’s a memorial service of some sort, I agree with your doubts. They could mess up a memorial service, though. So, maybe it is a bad idea.
Linnaeus
Looks like I’ll be going out for sushi for Thanksgiving because the two other people I’ll be with don’t want to do the traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
TD
@dmsilev: Unless you want to fill somebody’s head with criminally misleading notions as to the genesis of, and the South’s motivations for continuing,the war, I wouldn’t recommend Foote to anybody.
Battle Cry, however, is a great rec. See also: David Blight.
rdldot
@schrodinger’s cat: There are hundreds but start with Battle Cry of Freedom – best one volume. I didn’t care for Bruce Catton myself – could be writing style. And stay away from Shelby Foote unless you like torture – it’s just too long and tedious. For Lincoln I recommend David Herbert Donald – another one volume. Come back when you’re finished with those.
schrodinger's cat
@TD: I remember TNC had a similar critique of Foote, in his blogposts, when he was visiting the Civil War battlefields a couple of summers ago.
rdldot
@TD: I just thought Foote was extremely tedious. It’s good ‘battle’ history, though, if you’re into those things. I have a friend who has read pretty much everything about the Civil War (and really I’m not kidding – he was even a reenactor for a time) and even he couldn’t get through Foote’s trilogy. I was surprised when he said he got thru about have of the second volume and stopped. That’s where I stopped, too.
schrodinger's cat
Thanks guys for all the recommendations, I is bookmarking this thread. BTW speaking of the Civil War, the only movie/book I have read about the era is Gone with the Wind. It does portray slavery through rose tinted glasses but besides that how accurate is it?
It does bring out the fact that the old South was no place for a woman who had a mind of her own, quite clearly.
schrodinger's cat
@rdldot: I more interested in the political fall out and the effects on ordinary people not that interested in the minutiae of the battles.
mapaghimagsik
@Schlemizel:
“funny” is a word for it. I find the idea I am one brain injury away from being grifted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh a little depressing.
Happily, the only risk at Thanksgiving dinner has nothing to do with controversy, but the idea that I’ll be bored senseless. The nephew in law and such have recently converted to evangelicalism (and filed for bankruptcy! coincidence?) though its easy to blow them off over a Google hangout.
TD
He’s horrible. And unfortunately, a lot of my (otherwise) very intelligent Southern friends quote him like scripture. He’s okay to read, but only after you’ve read more widely on the subject, and can put his particular brand of revisionist historiography in proper context.
But really, I can’t recommend that Burlingame 2 volume set enough. It IS a bit pricey, and the binding really is crappy, but you’ll come away from it feeling like you have a complete picture of Lincoln. The one volume books just can’t give you that.
Brachiator
@Woodrowfan:
Rivals is one of the main sources of the film Lincoln, for good or ill.
As an aside, since there have been hundreds of books written about Lincoln, and will probably continue to be, no work can ever claim to be the end-all and be-all of Lincoln scholarship. Writing a book on Lincoln is almost like acting in Hamlet. Every artist’s dream challenge, along with the need to come up with a fresh interpretation.
All that said, I greatly enjoyed the movie Lincoln. I am a bit surprised that more Balloon Juicers have not yet seen it. Oddly enough, it is more a political drama than a historical drama, and especially resonates with respect to much recent politics. There are even a few surprises, so I hope people see it before discussions become to spoiler filled.
As for Red Dawn, the movie has been on the shelf for two years, never a good sign. There is not much point in beating it up.
rdldot
@schrodinger’s cat: Gone with the Wind is fiction but I guess it gets the basic timelines right – don’t remember, it’s been too long since I’ve read it. It really only took the perspective of a small group of imaginary people in the Southern Planter class.
Citizen Alan
@Rafer Janders:
This. If you needed any more proof that Republicans are complete sociopaths for whom empathy of any sort is completely impossible, just contemplate the fact that the same people who will cheer this movie and question the patriotism of anyone who does not are the same people who would burn down the theater if the movie featured heroic Iraqi insurgents fighting against an invading American army.
catpal
@Woodrowfan: re Kitten Rescue/Help
try to contact this person in the NoVA area. I have seen her comments and writings of cat rescues.
good luck. I hope it works out for you and kitties.
Mr Stagger Lee
@jon: Obligatory Gangham Style Reference Pyoingyang Edition Or if you are old school!
Brachiator
@schrodinger’s cat:
In addition to the other books mentioned, I also highly recommend McPherson’s “Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War.” This excellent collection of essays was recently available as a specially priced Amazon Kindle ebook, and also available as a fairly priced paperback.
@CaseyL:
I always got the sense that apart from being a far less skilled politician than Lincoln, Johnson was sympathetic to notions of the Old South, and more interested in re- establishing a kind of ante bellum status quo than in moving forward.
WereBear
@rdldot: Actually, it’s the attitudes which are terrible in Gone With the Wind, though I must say, probably accurately as far as the white folks go.
It was the details she put in that ring so true, from aristrocrats to “poor whites.” I’ll never forget the account of the teenaged boy who died in agony after eating a hardboiled egg while recovering from typhoid, or the quotes from letters that soldiers got at the front. There was a scene at the telegraph office, as the dead soldier’s names came off the wire, that is as fine a scene as any I’ve read.
She did travel extensively and talked to people who were still alive and remembered. From that perspective, it’s probably as good as can be gotten.
gf120581
Concerning the Red Dawn remake, I always though this was a stupid idea simply because the original Red Dawn is a film that could only be made in the decade it came out in (even writer/director John Milius said the remake was a stupid idea – fun factoid; he’s apparently the real life inspiration for John Goodman’s Walter in The Big Lebowski). The original is perfect Cold War-style paranoid fantasy and simply cannot be remade in the modern world.
But the whole thing of North Korea replacing China as the baddies just pushes the whole thing beyond stupid and into insulting. Now, while the idea of China attacking us is ridiculous (you think their economy would last long?), at least China is a plausible millitary threat. But North Korea? A nation that can’t even feed its own people? I nation that can’t even cobble together a workable long-range missle? Sure, they’ve got a big army, but only because they starve their people. You think they could actually invade us? It’s absolutely ridiculous.
No, they must know this thing is a turky, which is why it sat on the shelves for so long (as well as because of MGM’s financial troubles). They’re just rushing it out now because they’re hoping to capitalize on the recent stardom of cast members Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson after playing Thor and Peeta Mellark respectively. Time to squeeze a few bucks out of this turky before people realize what garbage it is.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I like the original Red Dawn. Sure it’s utterly ridiculous and comes off like the sort of war porn Dick Cheney and the neo-cons jerk off to, but much like another 80s Patrick Swayze vehicle (Roadhouse), it’s a great guilty pleasure. The scene of Harry Dean Stanton screaming “AVENGE ME!!!” still makes me laugh every time, not to mention Lea Thompson and Jennifer Gray as just the cutest little Commie fighters ever.
But the remake? Yuck. Just go see Lincoln or the new 007 flick instead.
Citizen Alan
@CaseyL:
Speaking as a Mississippian, I think we should have pursued policies comparable to the Marshall Plan. That is, try the leaders of the CSA for treason and, upon lawful conviction, hang them. Then, spend as much money as was needed to drag the feudalist South into the modern industrial society, with financial assistance for the former slave states conditioned on how rapidly they assimilate the slave population into white society. Probably a pipe dream (especially considering that most Northern whites weren’t any less racist than Southerners — they just didn’t like slavery) but it’s no less improbable than the idea of all the apologists I have to listen to who think that if only the North had let the South go, slavery would have just died out naturally.
WereBear
For a great Thanksgiving tradition, looks for the WKRP in Cincinnati episode known as “Turkeys Away.”
I’m watching it on Hulu.
Haydnseek
@jon: I hear ya, pal. I call my ex “The Plumbers Helper” because she’s very good at bringing up old shit.
handsmile
@schrodinger’s cat:
In addition to the several excellent recommendations (McPherson, Blight, Catton) offered by others above, here are two more recent works of great scholarship and insight to consider:
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery, Eric Foner
An examination of Lincoln’s beliefs and practices on the issues of slavery over the course of his career. Foner has written a number of acclaimed works on the Civil War period; his book on Reconstruction remains the gold standard in the field.
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust
A study of the impact of the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War upon American society, the changes wrought upon American material, political and spiritual life in consequence of the war’s enormous death toll. Like David Blight’s Race and Reunion, this work is a ground-breaking volume in Civil War studies. Author of several books on Confederate women, Faust is now the president of Harvard University.
Both of these books may be more narrowly focused than you are seeking, but both are deeply illuminating and worthwhile.
Taylor
@schrodinger’s cat:
I recommend The Killer Angels, which is a novelization of the battle of Gettysburg. Particularly noteworthy is the scales falling from the eyes of Longstreet, who became bitterly disillusioned with his own side.
This was the basis for the movie, Gettysburg, which must have included every civil war enactor in the country in its cast. That downplans Longstreet’s disillusionment, I guess to avoid offending anyone.
You might want to consider Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, for the politics of the era.
IMO the best movie about the Civil War is Glory, with Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.
Abe Lincoln in Illinois is actually pretty good for its time. Ruth Gordon as Mary Todd Lincoln is fabulous, and Raymond Massey is great as always. That film ends with Lincoln’s election.
I think it was Charles Dutton who said that anyone that thought that “Gone With The Wind” was a great film should really examine themselves. I mean, I love to watch it as much as anyone, but you have to cringe at the offensiveness of some of it.
Mr Stagger Lee
The reason this country has not recovered from the Civil War, was none other than the fault of Lincoln’s sucessor Andrew Johnson, the Unionist Democrat from Tennessee who basically handed the South back to the Confederates, minus the slaves(wink wink) hell the Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens was allowed back to congress. He PO’s the Radical Republicans so bad they tried to impeach him.
schrodinger's cat
@Taylor: I actually have seen Gettysburg with a friend from Missouri who is a Civil War buff, a while ago, but don’t remember the details, remember it being overly long and everyone had facial hair and it was hard to keep the characters straight.
bemused senior
@schrodinger’s cat: I have a big pot of chile verde made with four turkey leg quarters baked at 200F for 6 hours. You might find that pleases more than a roasted bird.
Daughter flying in from NY, so we are having the traditional dinner tomorrow. Today it is home-made pupusas and chile verde.
Ruckus
@Maude:
LOL!!
My fav was my grandma. Granddad was a bit of a old schooler-wife there to take care of everything etc. Staying with them once when I was about 8 she cooked what he thought was fried chicken. Rabbit was cheaper so she just subbed it in. He HATED rabbit. She had me take the wrapper to the neighbors garbage can so he couldn’t find it. Of course he praised the dinner as the best chicken he had ever had. (It was very, very good) When he said that she winked at me and I could barely keep from laughing. It was our little secret until she passed.
schrodinger's cat
@bemused senior: That sounds delicious! I can has?
Yutsano
@bemused senior:
Got room for one more? I have an unhealthy obsession with pupusas!
bemused senior
@schrodinger’s cat: That recipe I linked is a must-try. I’ve made it the original way and with the turkey quarters several times. And the chile verde is awesome made into enchiladas, with black beans, chopped onion and jack cheese.
bemused senior
@Yutsano: Not too difficult. You can make the masa dough yourself, or if you live close to a neighborhood with many latinos, there are tortillarias where you can buy the dough from fresh ground corn meal. Various fillings: beans, veggies/cheese, and pork are what we’re having. You need a comal (griddle) to cook them.
eta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kShxKY1mrPM
Brachiator
@schrodinger’s cat:
I think there is an official credit to someone for facial hair makeup in “Lincoln.” That’s how they rolled in those days.
On the other hand, there is not much problem keeping characters straight in this film. It helps when you have actors like Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and Hal Holbrook.
gelfling545
@WereBear: I was just thinking how my ex husband has sunk further and further into the right wing mindset as he sinks into old age & incipient dementia (as reported by my daughter – I just stay away from the whole mess.)
Yutsano
@bemused senior: Washington has a large Latino community, so finding masa harina is not difficult at all. I just happen to be one town over from a great little El Salvadorian restaurant that makes great traditional pupusas. Including the chicarron, which is death overload but sooooo good!
Ben Franklin
Will it ever be time…..?
AMY GOODMAN: “Do not undercut the president.”
TAVIS SMILEY: Well, they—that’s the same thing we heard the first term. And we see where we are now. And we—part of the reason why the race was as close as it was, getting down to the wire, is because too often in the first term, the president compromised, capitulated, caved, and oftentimes negotiate against himself with Republicans. And so, I hope that we’ve learned a lesson—that he’s learned a lesson, the White House has learned a lesson, from the first administration, that sometimes you’ve got to draw a line in the sand. And as my grandfather said, there’s some fights that ain’t worth fighting even if you win, but there are other fights you have to fight even if you lose. So I would love this notion of bipartisanship to come to the fore in Washington, but if that doesn’t happen, the president has to stand on a—on some immutable principles and try to advance the conversation.
AMY GOODMAN: Maybe it’s the bipartisan consensus that’s the problem in Washington, not the gridlock, right? I mean, the bipartisan consensus—
CORNEL WEST: That’s right.
AMY GOODMAN: —you see reflected in the presidential debates. There’s no debate over drones.
CORNEL WEST: That’s right.
AMY GOODMAN: There’s no discussion of poverty, absolutely no mention of climate change. And yet, does this represent the majority of people in this country? Hardly, I think this election shows.
CORNEL WEST: Not at all. Not at all
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/11/9/part_2_tavis_smiley_and_dr_cornel_west_on
Svensker
Weirdest touchdown call ever for the Texans. A new rule that needs to be changed, stat.
Peregrinus
@Brachiator:
I forgot Hal Holbrook was still alive. Last time I’d seen him was when I played his Stage Manager role in Our Town.
Today I have no idea what we’re having, because I’m still in the airport and haven’t gotten on the second plane. Going home to have some family time and mourn the family matriarch.
gene108
I bought some paprika, when I went to Hungary over the summer, but I haven’t worked up the nerve to actually cook with it yet.
Anybody know what it’s good for?
It’s the national spice of Hungary, so it must be good for something. But being a vegetarian, I subsisted largely on friend goat cheese salads, wine, beer and whatever the hotel had for their continental breakfasts, so I’m not sure I got to fully appreciate paprika.
Brachiator
@Ben Franklin:
Sounds very much like some of the complaints made about the president in “Lincoln.”
I wonder if any of the ideological purists who go to see this film will recognize themselves or see how thoroughly the foolishness of their position is demolished.
Yutsano
@gene108: A Problem in need of a Solution and Buddha provides. Well really Rachael but this looks amazing.
Ben Franklin
@Brachiator:
We’ll never know what his 2nd Term would have been like, but Obama’s seems already cast in his first term mode.
Svensker
@gene108:
Google recipes for vegetarian Hungarian goulash. Make sure the recipe contains paprika (sometimes “goulash” is used just to mean a mishmash stew).
Brachiator
@Ben Franklin:
We know what the beginning of Lincoln’s 2nd term was like. On the other hand, it doesn’t make much sense to judge Obama’s second term before the man has even been inaugurated.
And if you have not yet seen “Lincoln,” I hope you find time to do so during the holiday.
arguingwithsignposts
@Ben Franklin: Goddammit, man. Why don’t you wait for shit to play out before playing that card? Is that too much to ask?
Yutsano
@arguingwithsignposts: The eternally disappointed will always and forever go out of their way to be eternally disappointed. Such is the nature of the firebagging nation. PURITY UBER ALLES!!
Mike in NC
@gene108: It’s pretty much obligatory to buy souvenir paprika (regular and hot) when in Budapest, but we’ve yet to figure out how to use it. So yeah, I’ll research online.
Ben Franklin
@arguingwithsignposts:
I repeat; When is it Time? He can’t be called a one-termer, any longer.
I’m doing advance PR because I was told to wait until re-election. Now you want me to wait, for what kind of harbinger?
schrodinger's cat
@Yutsano: I find Tavis Smiley extremely annoying. Even more than perennially annoying and smug Charlie Rose.
NotMax
@Mike in NC
Endless variations of both Chicken Paprikash and Hungarian Goulash recipes online.
Sure to find one that tingles your tastebuds with a little Googling.
One thing I like to use paprika in very liberally when I make them is hash browns.
NotMax
@Ben Franklin
One minute after his second inaugural address is completed.
Ben Franklin
@NotMax:
OK, but that’s the last goalpost….
Death Panel Truck
Pork tenderloin, marinated for 48 hours in Worcestershire sauce, red wine, honey, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, cinnamon and green onions.
It’s what’s for dinner.
Svensker
Is anyone watching the football game? Holy moley!
Yutsano
@NotMax: Paprika also gives great colour to fried chicken. It will give a nice taste to any meat really, but it definitely excels in Hungarian style stews.
Death Panel Truck
@Svensker: As far as I am concerned, the Lions won the game. After all, they scored more legitimate points than the Texans.
James E. Powell
@Death Panel Truck:
My question is, how does a head coach not know the rule about throwing a challenge flag on a play that will be automatically reviewed?
The Other Chuck
@gene108: I pour tons of paprika in when I make beef stroganoff (which is russian, not hungarian, but hey it’s tasty). Use your favorite kind of small potatoes and lots of portabello mushrooms for a veg equivalent, I’ve made it that way too.
My recipe for it is pretty random every time I make it, it just involves beef, sour cream, worcestershire sauce, onion, mushrooms, dry white wine (two buck chuck savignon blanc is fine, sometimes I use red. go easy on the wine, too much will curdle the sour cream), and a fuckload of paprika, cooked for a few hours on low in a crock pot, served over egg noodles.
redshirt
I use paprika in everything. Everything! For example, on top of the cheese in a pizza.
A spicy flavor and great coloring.