While Israel and Iran still sling some missiles, Trump drops the bigger bomb for the world to hear
Last night, the world watched with bated breath as both Israel and Iran entered into a fragile ceasefire—announced, of course, by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account. Some said it wouldn’t hold. Others held out hope.
Almost immediately after the ceasefire began, both sides accused each other of violating the terms. Reports claim Israel dropped a large series of bombs in parts of Iran. President Trump was not pleased.
But while Israel and Iran teeter on the edge of peace and chaos, Trump may have dropped the real bomb—live on television.
In a moment that stunned cable news outlets, Trump went where no President has gone before: he dropped the F-bomb—unbleeped, uncensored, and unapologetic.
And yes, it aired. On your friendly cable networks..
If you were between 5 and 15 in the summer of 1989, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You remember that feeling and rush of excitement. It was pretty special
If you look back in the history books, June 23, 1989 wasn’t particularly Earth-shattering. Politically, the world didn’t tilt off its axis. No massive global shift. No historic peace deal. No grand disaster. But… maybe there was something. Something quieter. Something louder. Something bigger than anyone could’ve realized in the moment.
Batman was released in theaters.
This post is a bit self-serving, I’ll admit. It’s nostalgic and maybe even overly sentimental. But I hope some of you reading this remember it too. And if you do—if you lived through that summer—I’d love to hear what it meant to you.
Because for me that summer was magic.
Let me start with a little personal backstory. I was 8 years old when my mom’s friend Janet brought me a few packs of Topps trading cards.
You remember the kind—with the cardboard-flavored gum that could break your teeth. But inside these packs were strange characters. A white-faced, clown-like man. A figure with giant horns and black armor. I didn’t know what I was looking at. (PS I still have all of the full sets of them today)
I had been raised on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Superheroes weren’t quite in my bloodstream yet but those cards sparked something. And eventually, I saw the name.
BATMAN.
Now remember, this was before social media. Before YouTube trailers. Before spoilers and breakdowns and frame-by-frame analysis videos. We had to wait until we saw the trailer on TV. And when we finally did? We were hooked enough to know we needed to be in that movie theater.
There was something electric about the anticipation. The air-conditioned mall theater. The smell of popcorn and the stickiness of the floor under your sneakers. The massive drinks from the concession stand. That hush when the lights dimmed. And then it began…
BATMAN took over the nation. More so here than other countries since places like Great Britain, as documented in this August 1989 article, didn’t let anyone under 11 see the movie due to the ‘extreme violence,’ even with a parent accompanying them:
I honestly can’t tell you how many times I saw Batman that summer. Twice? Three times? More? I’ve probably watched it over a 200 times since. And when I got the VHS that Christmas, I wore it out by the time the following summer rolled around. The video game was also heavily used.. I blew on that Nintendo cartridge with power and prowess..
But Batman wasn’t just a movie—it was a movement.
There was Batman everything. T-shirts. Toys. Posters. Ads. Happy Meals. Prince’s album. Commercials. Crossovers. Batman on cereal boxes. Batman on cups. Batman in every corner of pop culture. Halloween that year? A sea of purple and painted Joker faces. Every kid was trying to out-Joker the other.
It changed movies and the way that movies portrayed superheroes.
Tim Burton’s Batman introduced an entire generation to a version of Gotham that was dark, gritty, and real. That grimy city looked like 1980s New York. The mayor even felt like a caricature of Ed Koch. There were layers—politics, corruption, empathy for villains. And a hero who operated in the shadows because the system couldn’t be trusted.
It was a massive departure from the 1960s Batman TV show, which at that time was mostly remembered for its camp and color. Cesar Romero’s mustache under white clown makeup and shark repellent in the utility belt. Burton’s Batman brought the character home to his darker origins.
Funny enough, the success of the movie brought renewed interest in that old show, and the Family Channel began airing reruns. So, for a kid like me, 1989 didn’t just give me the new Batman—it introduced me to all the past ones too. Campy, creepy, heroic, and weird—it was all part of the package.
And maybe no movie since then has captured that same feeling.
There was one little issue, Adam West, the campy Batdude, told the Associated Press in the summer of 1989 that Tim Burton’s version was “too violent” …Of course that was before he even saw the film:
We talk about Jaws reshaping the movie industry—and that’s true. But Batman did too. It redefined superhero films and gave comics a new life. Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, to this day, are described as their characters from the film.
And here we are, in 2025, still talking about it. Fans are still dissecting every new Batman movie and debating if Robert Pattinson can pull it off again. (We’ll skip over the Ben Affleck years for everyone’s sanity.)
If you were between 5 and 15 in the summer of 1989, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You remember that feeling and rush of excitement. It was pretty special.. And if you close your eyes and think about that summer, maybe you can feel a little of it still buzzing in the air.
So here’s to Batman. June 23, 1989. A day that didn’t change the world—but it definitely changed mine.
Fans of the zombie genre—you’ve been patient. You waited what feels like 28 years for this follow-up to Danny Boyle’s iconic 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. And now, finally, 28 Years Later is here… with more controversy, bigger (literally) zombies, and a lot of very mixed feelings.
Let’s talk about the elephant—or should I say appendage—in the room. Social media lit up after the early screenings, not with praise, but with memes, gasps, and raised eyebrows. Why? Giant zombie genitals. Yep. Not exactly the cinematic moment fans were expecting.
While the critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film some love, the audience reviews are far less forgiving. Some say the trailer was better than the movie itself. Others questioned whether this franchise still has bite in a post-Walking Dead world, where zombie fatigue is very, very real.
Still, 28 Years Later managed to pull in $30 million over its opening weekend, which isn’t bad for horror—but it’s worth noting that it front-loaded heavy with diehards on Thursday previews, then dropped off. Compare that to How to Train Your Dragon, which took $37 million and proved that dragons (at least this week) are hotter than the undead.
Box office stats show the strongest numbers came from the East Coast, West Coast, and South Central U.S., with AMC Burbank leading the pack at $97,000 through Saturday. Demographics? 49% of the audience were men over 25, and 46% were Caucasian, followed by Latino/Hispanic (25%), Black (12%), and Asian American (10%).
There’s also chatter about the ending—some calling it bold, others calling it baffling. Either way, 28 Years Later has stirred up more discussion than devotion. And while $30 million is a solid haul, don’t be surprised if it takes a steep dive as the weeks go on.
So, was it worth the wait? That might depend on how much you like your zombies… anatomically enhanced.
Iranian state television, ‘Mr. Trump, you started it and we will end it’…
Broadcast showed large graphic of American bases in Middle East with headline, ‘Within fire range’…
State TV Claims No Radiation Leak — Enriched Uranium Was Removed ‘Long Time Ago’… Developing…
After his address to the nation tonight, Trump posted again on TRUTH SOCIAL that any retaliation from Iran will be met with larger military actions by the United States..
MORE..
Israel has closed its airspace..
THE ADDRESS…
Military information will not be released tonight, unusual for a campaign of this nature.. There is an 8am press briefing planned for Sunday morning..
If anyone was wondering what Donald Trump would do after his self-imposed “two-week deadline,” you don’t have to wonder anymore. Tonight, the world shifted again.
In a breaking weekend development, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social account to announce that the United States has bombed three nuclear sites inside Iran, including the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan facilities.
According to his post, this marks a direct and aggressive military strike, escalating an already boiling conflict between Iran and Israel ..
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” Trump wrote. “All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.”
Adding to the drama, Trump is set to address the nation tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern Time from the Oval Office. Saturday night live for Trump season 2…
No response has yet been issued by Iranian state media, but observers are bracing for fallout — politically, economically, and potentially militarily. Markets are likely to respond sharply when they open, and global leaders will be watching the Oval Office…
People trying to call friends and loved ones inside Iran have instead been met with strange, pre-recorded voice messages, which some experts believe may be part of the regime’s wider internet blackout.
In a recording of a telephone call heard by CNN, a person outside of Iran hoping to hear their friend’s voice on the other line, was instead met with a robotic voice. “Hello, and thank you for taking the time to listen,” the voice says.
“Life is full of unexpected surprises,” it continues, “and these surprises can sometimes bring joy while, at other times, they challenge us.
“The key is to discover the strength within us to overcome these challenges.”
The unsettling message, which lasts nearly 90 seconds, then goes on to recommend the listener close their eyes and imagine themself in a place that brings them “peace and happiness.”
The bad news? The days are already getting shorter. But let’s put that aside for a second. The real bad news is just how wretched the weather has been. Now, this isn’t a weather blog—but we do talk about things that are frightening. And lately, the weather has been more terrifying than anything hitting the box office or streaming on Netflix.
Just yesterday in North Dakota, a derecho swept through Bismarck. The tornadoes that came with it were compared to a Category 3 hurricane. People died. And some of the weather YouTubers I follow—like Max Velocity—were shaken. He openly wondered during a livestream if they had failed to save people. Not because of anything they did wrong, but because this kind of weather moves so fast, so brutally. Honestly, people like Ryan Hall and Max Velocity have become more important in moments like this than even the National Weather Service. They’re live, in real-time, doing everything they can to keep people informed and safe.
But that’s the point. The fact that they’re this busy on YouTube, day after day, shows how active this year has been for dangerous weather. It used to be that these storms were “once in a lifetime” events. Now? It’s more like “once a week.”
Here in the Northeast, it’s rained nearly every day since March. Sure, that technically ended the drought. But now we’re being set up for what could be a devastating heat wave. Some will say, “It’s summer, this is normal.” And yeah, sure—heat is normal. A lot of people even wish for it. But heat indexes of 115 to 120 degrees? That’s not just summer fun. That’s dangerous. Roads, buildings, and people are all going to bake.
Weather has always been weird. It’s always been the go-to topic in elevators and small talk. But something about this stretch has felt different. More intense. And we’re not done yet—hurricane season is next. Let’s hope it’s quiet. Let’s hope nothing forms. Let’s hope, for once, that land gets spared.
Because if the first part of summer has shown us anything, it’s that the atmosphere is on edge. And places that didn’t used to see tornadoes? They’re seeing them now. Regularly.
Prayers and thoughts to those who lost everything last night. And here’s hoping the rest of summer gives us a break.
Before Jaws, monsters were myths. Frankenstein. Dracula. Godzilla. Fantastical creatures. Jaws made the monster real. Great white sharks exist. We just hadn’t thought to fear them yet. Spielberg didn’t invent the idea of terror — he just relocated it to the familiar.
When a movie makes it big, it’s is half because of the movie.. the other half is due to the culture it is tapping into.
Fifty years ago today, on June 19, 1975, a movie premiered that didn’t just dominate the box office — it redefined it. Jaws wasn’t just a film. It was a cultural eruption. A tectonic shift in how movies were made, marketed, and remembered. And it didn’t just scare people in theaters. It made them afraid to put their legs in the water.
I wasn’t alive in 1975. Everything I know about that era comes from siblings, old newspaper clippings, and stories my late parents used to tell. But Jaws still reached me. Its shadow has loomed over every summer since. And maybe that’s the most powerful legacy of all: a movie so deeply embedded in the American psyche that it still haunts the waves five decades later.
Kids then were playing in playgrounds with metal slides and staying out until the street lights came on.. but fear was lurking in places that people never noticed until then..
The Perfect Cultural Storm…
1975 was a strange, tense time in America. The Vietnam War had just ended. Nixon had resigned in disgrace. Inflation was high, and faith in leadership was lower than ever. There was a national malaise settling in. Distrust of institutions. Paranoia. A sense that the world was changing too fast and too violently to understand.
Then came Spielberg.
At just 27, Steven Spielberg tapped into all of that anxiety — not overtly, but instinctively. Jaws was a movie about a shark, sure. But it was also a movie about a mayor more concerned about tourism dollars than public safety. About institutions failing. About fear hiding just beneath the surface.
And he didn’t need blood and gore to do it. The shark barely appears in the first half of the film. It was mechanical. Broken, half the time. But Spielberg turned that weakness into strength: he let our imaginations do the work. The tension simmered in the absence. The dread grew in the silence. And then there was the score.
The Score That Changed Everything
John Williams gave us a soundtrack of suspense that has never been topped. Two notes. That’s all it took. Dunna… Dunna…
It sounds simple. It was simple. But it was primal. It mimicked a heartbeat, a countdown, a presence just behind you. That score didn’t just accompany Jaws — it was the shark. It was the fear.
And it didn’t stay contained to the screen. It spilled out into the real world. Newspaper articles from the time talked about people who were afraid to go to the beach. Even lakes. Attendance at some coastal resorts dropped. All because a film made the unseen feel more terrifying than anything visible.
(Click the photo to see full size)
From Classic Monsters to Real Monsters
Before Jaws, monsters were myths. Frankenstein. Dracula. Godzilla. Fantastical creatures. Jaws made the monster real. Great white sharks exist. We just hadn’t thought to fear them yet. Spielberg didn’t invent the idea of terror — he just relocated it to the familiar.
He took the safe, sunny world of suburban beach trips and laced it with danger. He gave the ocean teeth. And that idea rippled out far beyond Jaws itself. You can see it in Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4, where Freddy’s claw circles in ocean waves — an unmistakable nod to the shark.
Even Saturday Night Live created a sketch character based on the Jaws concept: a shark pretending to be a door-to-door mailman.
Can It Happen Again?
This is the question I keep coming back to.
Yes, we’ve had massive summer blockbusters since: Jurassic Park, The Dark Knight, Avengers: Endgame. But nothing has ever truly matched the shockwave of Jaws. Nothing changed the entire film industry overnight quite like it.
Why not?
Because we live in a different world now. We’re saturated with media. Spoiled by CGI. We know too much. Trailers give away plot twists. Behind-the-scenes features run before a movie even premieres. The mystery is gone.
So it will most likely never ever happen again. At least not like it did in ’75..
In 1975, a movie could still sneak up on you. Jaws did more than that — it sunk its teeth into a nation’s soul and never let go.
Spielberg would go on to do it again with E.T., with Poltergeist, and with Close Encounters. He has a gift for capturing the temperature of society in a given moment. But Jaws was the first. And maybe the most lasting.
So here’s to 50 years of fearing the ocean. Here’s to two simple notes that made us question whether we really wanted to dangle our feet in the water. Here’s to the monster that was all too real — and the genius who knew exactly when to unleash it.
Happy anniversary, Jaws. The beach was never the same.
The blood will flow on another Mike Flanagan adaptation of a Stephen King story.. this time CARRIE..
The famed dircetor just announced in a new Instagram post that filming on the series has begun, featuring Summer H. Howell as the latest young actress to take on the mantle of Stephen King’s first protagonist.
While it isn’t much of an update, it created enough excitement with just one picture of the series’ day one slate, paired with the caption “and we’re off.”
Nicholas Galitzine (The Idea of You) shared the news on Instagram along with a photo of him as He-Man.
“Well, that’s a wrap on Masters of the Universe,” the actor wrote. “It has been an honour shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He Man. It’s been the role of a lifetime and I put everything into it. There’s not much I can show you, but I am so proud of the movie we’ve made. Thanks to our amazing cast and crew for all your hard work.”
Directed by Travis Knight the film is due out on June 5, 2026 via Amazon MGM Studios.
Galitzine stars with Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-at-Arms, and Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress.
