American actor and singer, Michael Dunn (born Gary Neil Miller) arrived on this date in 1934 in Shattuck, Oklahoma. When he was four, his family moved to Dearborn, Michigan. Parents Jewell and Fred championed his right to live and develop openly, as part of mainstream life, defying repeated pressures from school authorities to send him to a school for disabled children. An early reader, he was a champion speller, showed an early aptitude for the piano, and developed a lyric baritone and was given to crowd-drawing impromptu public performances even while just waiting for a bus. He ice-skated and swam in childhood, remaining a skilled swimmer throughout his life. He attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, but was seriously injured on a stairwell during a "student rush" and was hospitalized for three months. Transferring to the more forgiving climate and accessible campus of the University of Miami, he seemed to excel more in extracurricular...
So much else calling out for attention, and with watchables already piled up, finding even more things to watch doesn't seem like much of a sane prospect. I'm not even fishing around for new things at the moment, as I need to get some other things done and make some attempt to round out my life a little. This week on Paramount+, the fourth season of the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks came to a satisfying end. A manic pace of in-universe nods continues to give it the Star Trekiest of Trek feels with the casual, plot-essential trivia drawn from decades of Star Trek shows, woven throughout. Also there, the contemporary Frasier series' first season hits its halfway point with episode five. I'm enjoying it, but it continues to walk a wobbly line as some of it works smoothly while other moments reek of formula, with some of each overlapping. I'd be very interested in seeing how well or not this new series works on its o...
I continue to be tired and off-step, these Friday posts coming together on the fly and mostly at the last minute. Still, there's more than enough on my returning and new list to leave me with more than I'll have time to actually watch this weekend. Restlessness, impatience, and avoiding tasks I'm supposed to be doing all contributed to my already watching this week's episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks (I've enjoyed every episode) and the third episode of the new Frasier series (still finding its footing, but more there to attract me than put me off) - both Paramount+, and the latest Doom Patrol (a musical episode, including an a capella rendition of the opening theme; this being the back half of the final season, I'm going to miss this crew) on Max. Waiting for me still are this week's Loki (Disney+) and Gen V (Amazon). I've yet to break the seal on the new and ongoing seasons of Our Flag Means Death on ...
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