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‘The Santa Clauses’ returns with a ‘Mad’ twist

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Not only is “The Santa Clauses” building on a phenomenon with a decade-spanning run and, always, Tim Allen front and center as Scott Calvin. It’s also a wildly weird, consistently inventive addition to any Christmas season.It began in 1994 with Allen starring in “The Santa Clause” theatrical movie, which yielded sequels in 2002 and 2006.  Two years ago Allen and his North Pole cohorts returned in this wacky series form; Season 2 begins, again on Disney+, Wednesday.“What’s cool about this Santa Claus franchise is that even though it’s from the ‘90s there were a couple of innovative world-building ideas in it,” said award-winning (“Modern Family”) director Jason Winer, 50. “Number 1 is the notion that Santa Claus the legend is a mantle that can be passed on, rather than a singular figure.“That’s a wild idea that leads to a lot of storytelling permutations. The series takes advantage of that in the way that the mantle was passed to Scott Calvin in the original movie s...

Editorial: Council candidate lineup gets Herald’s thumb’s up

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Bostonians have a big question to answer on Tuesday: How do you want the city to work?Those who want more of the progressive policies and posturing that do nothing to benefit Boston, coupled with internecine drama that distracts from meeting the needs of constituents can find candidates on the City Council ballot who tick all the boxes.Voters who want public servants who actually serve the public, who focus on the community safety, jobs, housing and practical solutions to Boston’s problems can also find candidates who fit the bill.You’ll find them in two women running for at-large seats  — Councilor Erin Murphy and Bridget Nee-Walsh.Murphy, who has steadily supported the Boston Police Department, was one of five on the council who voted in favor of grant funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center.The city needs real-world solutions to our gun violence problem, and providing improved tech aimed at fighting crime, gangs and terrorism to the BPD’s intelligence arm ...

Codeine rides the slow zone to Sinclair show

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

The members of Codeine were amused when writers started referring to their music as “slowcore.” They weren’t aware that their stark, emotive take on guitar-based rock even had a name.“I would say that the people who got it, really got it and liked it right away,” drummer Chris Brokaw said this week. “We weren’t the first band to play slow, stripped-back, challenging rock music, but maybe there were elements that we added. It felt very confrontational during the first year, and I’d say audiences were a little freaked out. We were on the Sub Pop label and people came to see us expecting something like (grunge pioneers) Mudhoney — which was the complete opposite of what we were.”Formed in New York in 1989, Codeine was originally together less than five years. Brokaw has lived in Boston since then, and the original bandmembers — him, singer/bassist Stephen Immerwahr, and guitarist John Engel — last reunited in 2012, behind a box-set reissue of their albums. Last year b...

Lowry: Road to ’24 doesn’t have to end in rematch

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has a history, and a present, of promoting wild conspiracy theories. His independent bid for the presidency is quixotic at best. And yet a new Quinnipiac poll has him getting an impressive 22% in a three-way contest with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and with a narrow lead among independents.This should be less encouraging to RFK than a warning sign to the major parties that they are courting disaster by nominating two candidates so unappealing that a solid bloc of voters, at first blush, would prefer someone, anyone really, with the last name Kennedy.Democracy is usually the art of giving voters what they want. But, apparently, not in 2024.It was pretty obvious that Joe Biden was a stronger general-election candidate in 2020 than Bernie Sanders, and lo and behold, Biden rose from the dead and won the Democratic nomination.The Republican reaction to the likely re-nomination of President Biden is, in effect, “We’ll see and raise your unpopular incumbe...

Friendly Amy is passionate about writing

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Amy is a smart, polite, and resilient teenager with a spunky personality and a great sense of humor. She is very friendly, loves being around others and has positive interactions with peers and adults. Amy enjoys a variety of activities and spending time in the community, but also enjoys quiet relaxing time at home. Amy loves most typical teenager activities such as shopping, music, and makeup.Amy is enrolled for this year and is able to be most successful when provided supports that align with her learning style. She is passionate about writing and journaling. Amy has a number of positive coping skills and is a great advocate for herself.Amy’s ideal family would be a two-parent home, where she is the only child or oldest child in the home. She will thrive with a very patient and laid-back family that can provide a calm, nurturing, stable home and support her independence, privacy, and social activities as a teenager. Amy would love a home with pets, especially dogs. Amy’...

Kids come first, especially at holidays

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Q: October marked the beginning of the holidays at my children’s school. There are Halloween parades and Thanksgiving feasts, and they are even doing a play at the middle school. I know you are an advocate of spending the holidays together, but I hate my ex. I don’t want to be anywhere near her, let alone be around her at the holiday festivities at the kids’ school. Please tell me I don’t have to endure time with her. She’s so obnoxious, and it can’t be good for my children to witness my utter and complete misery.A: First, let me clarify something: I am not an advocate of spending holidays together; I am an advocate for co-parenting, and if parents find themselves comfortable spending the holidays with the kids, that is their choice. But being a good co-parent does not mean you must spend the holidays with your ex and the kids. Things are radically different after a breakup and that must be acknowledged. Some very responsible co-parents choose to celebrate separately. That is ...

Savor the rich scents of the season

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

When you think about your favorite things this time of year, what are the scents that top the list?For so many, the quintessential fragrance of autumn is pumpkin. But there’s also the always-comforting and familiar smell of apple with cinnamon — in a pie, maybe, or a crisp. Or a plum tart spiced with vanilla and cardamom.I also love earthy and musky fragrances this time of year — delights like tobacco and cedar, and sandalwood.Whatever your personal preferences, the latest fragrance potions of the season are just the thing to warm up the chill in the air — whether you use them as a body spray, as a lotion or soap/body wash, spritz your bed linens, your bathroom, as a diffuser throughout your home, or in your car. The point is to surround yourself with the scent of coziness.A favorite is Guerlain’s new-this-season L’art & La Mature Tobacco Honey ($380 for 100ml on guerlain.com). It’s an unusual balance of typically masculine (tobacco) and feminine (honey) scents, and that  wonder...

‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ brings Western legacy to life

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Thanks to prolific, award-winning screenwriter and creator Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”), the Western continues to thrive with Sunday’s new anthology series, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” starring David Oyelowo as the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi.Sheridan and Oyelowo executive-produced this initial entry which was created and written by showrunner Chad Feehan, 45.“Lawmen,” which premieres on Paramount+, covers in eight episodes the amazing trajectory of Reeves’ storied career beginning in 1862 when as a slave he’s conscripted to fight in the Confederate Army. He escaped and spent years living with indigenous tribes before making over 3,000 arrests in law enforcement.“I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas,” Feehan began in a Zoom interview. “I heard stories about Bass as a kid but they were always akin to the gunslinger tales of pursuing hardened criminals in the Wild West.“For whatever reason, those stories embedded themselves in my consciousness. Over the yea...

Dear Abby: Marriage to abusive drunk a nightmare

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Dear Abby: I’ve been married to my husband for almost 43 years. We haven’t had sex in more than 10 years. He is a nasty drunk, which has grown worse. He is emotionally abusive and calls me lazy and fat.He hurt his right shoulder three years ago and refused to seek medical attention for it. Two years ago, he had all his teeth extracted. Since then, he has lost at least 50 pounds, which, unfortunately, I seem to have gained. He drinks until he’s falling-down drunk at least twice a week, and he then becomes nasty with me and our daughter. What should I do? — Hopeless in TexasDear Hopeless: The relationship you have with your husband isn’t a healthy one. Start getting yourself in better physical shape. Once you begin to take care of yourself, the better you will feel physically and emotionally. Begin attending Al-Anon meetings. There are many in almost every community. You can find a location at al-anon.org/info. Al-Anon is an offshoot of AA, and was create...

Arrest made in shooting at a Chula Vista mall

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:16:55 GMT

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that four people were injured in the shooting, including one person that did not sustain a gunshot wound.CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A 15-year-old boy was arrested in connection to a shooting that left four people wounded at a shopping mall in Chula Vista last weekend.The Chula Vista Police Department said authorities arrested the juvenile in San Diego without incident on Friday, Nov. 3. Due to his age, no additional suspect information is being released at this time. Can you believe it? These five San Diego zip codes are among priciest for homebuyers The shooting took place at Novo Brazil, located in the Otay Ranch Town Center. Three gunshot victims were located by officers, and all were transported to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, police said. A fourth person was also transported to a hospital for treatment of a non-life threatening injury that authorities believe was caused by a bullet grazing her leg.A vid...