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|  | Succession: television perfection, with a finale for the ages
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Cheers & Jeers - 2023 Edition
December 21, 2023
Welcome to David Gershwin Consulting's 2023 Edition of Cheers & Jeers – our perspective on the best (and the worst) of politics, media, sports, and culture this past year. 2023 was just like 2022, except Cheers & Jeers has a new category: Pizza. Yes, Pizza.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with our assessments, we want to wish all our readers a loud and boisterous CHEERS for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2024.
Let’s get to our Cheers & Jeers!
NATIONAL POLITICS
Cheers to the State of Wisconsin electorate, for electing a pro-choice majority to the state’s Supreme Court. The April election set records for spending on a judicial race, and for good reason: in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, abortion rights forces rallied to mobilize voters like never before on such a targeted scale. The election affirmed that a strong majority of Americans support reproductive choice.
Jeers to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), for having one of the most embarrassing Speaker of the House tenures in history. When it takes fifteen ballots to get voted in by one’s own party, it’s time to look in the mirror and say: “Well, maybe, just maybe, they don’t really like me.” Had McCarthy had that insight, he might have avoided being unceremoniously dumped by the infamous “Group of Eight.”
CALIFORNIA POLITICS
Cheers to California State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), for being the driving force behind major state legislation, Senate Bills 423, 4, and 593, removing barriers to affordable housing development which California so desperately needs.
Jeers to the California GOP, for blowing the opportunity to be in sync with most Californians by failing to remove opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage from its official party platform. In California, only 28.6% of the electorate is registered Republican, barely over half the total Democratic registration statewide. It isn’t just bad policy – it’s bad politics.
LOS ANGELES POLITICS
Cheers to Mayor Karen Bass, for being laser-focused in word and deed when it comes to addressing the City’s code-red homeless problem. The first-year benchmarks are demonstrating forward progress by the City, but we still have to make up for years of neglect. That’s why we want Mayor Bass to keep her foot on the housing accelerator in 2024.
Jeers to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, for delaying the implementation of Senate Bill 43, a state mental health law that allows local jurisdictions to have greater ability to detain, treat, and provide conservatorship for people with severe mental illness. Citing a need to shy away from potential liability and purported violations of individual rights, the Supes kicked the can down the road until 2026, though it could have implemented it as soon as 2024.
MEDIA
Cheers to Jennifer Senior, staff writer at The Atlantic, for writing a gripping cover story, “The Ones We Sent Away,” documenting her journey in uncovering the history of her aunt she never knew existed. Senior goes beyond the highly personal aspects of the story to immerse the reader in a searing indictment of our country’s failures in helping those with intellectual disabilities, as well as showing our historical over-reliance on institutionalization.
Jeers to Fox News, for the villainous role it played in the defamation case brought against them by Dominion Voting Systems. Settling for $787 million instead of having the prospect of all the Murdochs and major Fox News personalities making public testimony, Fox News showed its true colors: it’s not interested in the truth, only in minimizing the damage to its brand.
BASEBALL
Cheers to the Los Angeles Dodgers, for signing Shohei Ohtani. Sure, the $700 million compensation package including deferred salary to let the Dodgers have more space under the salary cap to acquire more talent (pitchers, hopefully!) is unprecedented, but so is Ohtani, a two-way player in the modern era. Ohtani chose the Dodgers over other interested teams expressly because he wants to win championships. The Dodgers chose Ohtani because they want to win championships and, surprise, they also want to make money.
Jeers to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a two-way Cheers & Jeers winner this year, for losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2023 NLDS playoffs, making disappointment blush. As Earvin “Magic” Johnson said in a tweet that could have come from Captain Obvious, “We’re all disappointed that our Dodgers didn’t hit or pitch well. That’s why we lost the Series to the Diamondbacks!” Thanks, Magic!
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Cheers to Alabama, for a miraculous game-winner in the regular season finale against intra-state rival Auburn. On a “4th and a mile,” as frenetically described by CBS’ play-by-play commentator Brad Nessler, Isaiah Bond caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Milroe that defied physics, probability, and doubt. The win over Auburn vaulted Alabama into winning the SEC Championship against Georgia the following week, parlaying that victory into a coveted slot in the College Football Playoff Semifinal on New Year's Day.
Jeers to UCLA’s head coach, Chip Kelly, for not deciding on a true starting quarterback all season. One of the many consequences of this indecision was a late-season collapse for the ages: an embarrassing loss at home to the Cal Bears just one week after beating the USC Trojans at the L.A. Coliseum. One quarterback, Dante Moore, a top five-star prospect out of high school, headed straight for the transfer portal at season’s end and is now joining Kelly’s former team, the Oregon Ducks. Can we send Chip back there, too?
PRO FOOTBALL
Cheers to the Seattle Seahawks’ backup quarterback Drew Lock, for not only delivering a spectacular comeback victory in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 18, but for giving one of the best post-game interviews in recent memory – in any sport. Lock’s unfettered appreciation for his teammates, his dedication and perseverance while being benched for seasons at a time, his gratefulness for having the opportunity to play on a national stage, and his honest expressions of self-doubt exhibited the type of true character that all athletes should aspire to replicate.
Jeers to the NFL, for suspending ten players for gambling on the one hand, while on the other hand having partnerships with the nation’s largest sportsbooks. Yes, one can’t have players, coaches, or team staff betting on NFL games if one wants to ensure the integrity of the game. But is the NFL so hell-bent on adding to its already overflowing coffers that it cuts deals with sportsbooks that often have their facilities inside an NFL stadium? In a word: yes.
PRO BASKETBALL
Cheers to the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, for showing extraordinary athleticism and skill, a commanding physical profile at 7’4”, and an 8-foot wingspan. In a league that rewards aggressive power forwards, Wembanyama brings his position play to the table, along with a strong defensive presence. He’s the first NBA rookie since fellow Spur Tim Duncan in 1997 to make 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks in a single game.
Jeers to the WNBA’s Becky Hammond, coach of the Las Vegas Aces, for making alleged comments to forward Dearica Hamby that disparaged her pregnancy and questioned her commitment to the team. The Hammond comments were part of a larger pattern of bullying and discrimination investigated by league officials, but she was only suspended for two games without pay. In a league that prides itself on its progressivism on social causes, Hammond’s actions merited even greater punishment.
MUSIC
Cheers to PJ Harvey, for her tenth solo album, I Inside The Old Year Dying. Ethereal, mystical, and personal, Harvey succeeds in basing her entire album on her Dorset-based epic poem, Orlam, which she had been working on for ten years. At times stripped-down and minimalist, at others swirling and magical, but always raw and revealing, I Inside The Old Year Dying is a great reminder of Harvey’s once-in-a-generation talent.
Jeers to the Recording Academy of the United States, for snubbing Diana Ross, who’s never won a single competitive Grammy award. Though the talented Michael Buble was the winner in her category this year, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, it’s hard to understand how Ross missed out on a Grammy once again despite having thirteen nominations over the years. While Ross famously sang “You Can’t Hurry Love” with the Supremes, the Academy might want to hurry and make things right before it’s too late.
FILM
Cheers to Maestro, for delivering a long-overdue biopic on the great 20th-century musician and conductor, Leonard Bernstein. Helmed and written by Bradley Cooper, who also stars as Bernstein himself, Maestro steps up to the challenge of capturing Bernstein’s layered essence. To do so, the time spent on Bernstein’s extensive musical career is balanced with depictions of Bernstein’s complex familial (and extra-marital) relationships. Though Cooper received undeserved negative attention for wearing a prosthetic proboscis, he did so in attempting to maximize his physical resemblance to Bernstein - and he had the full support of the Bernstein family.
Jeers to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, for milking a franchise long after there was any milk to be had. Previous editions of Indiana Jones sagas employed innovative stunts and special effects that are revered to this day. Remember the truck-chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy rides underneath the truck clinging to its suspension? They dug a trench to make it work. Remember the face-melting scene after the opening of the ark at the end of Raiders? They created a face made of gelatin that…melted. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny relies too heavily on computer-generated imagery (CGI) in a half-hearted attempt to bottle the original Indiana Jones magic and to “de-age” Harrison Ford. Sadly, in Dial of Destiny, CGI takes away from the cinematic experience when it is put together in a slapdash fashion.
TELEVISION
Cheers to the entire cast and crew of HBO’s Succession, a repeat winner here at Cheers & Jeers, for having a season finale for the ages. While other TV series finales had bad reviews (I’m looking at you, Seinfeld) or mixed ones (Game of Thrones, The Sopranos), we got a perfect resolution at the end of the final episode that, thank goodness, stayed true to the series’ own title. While we’ll miss some of the greatest lines in recent TV history (“Bodega sushi? Are you insane?” and “You little slime puppy” come to mind), we look forward to seeing the Succession team continue their work on future projects.
Jeers to Secret Invasion, for showing that another installment in the Marvel franchise isn’t necessarily a good thing. And making a poor product with Samuel L. Jackson in a starring role? Inexcusable. Secret Invasion’s writers and cast painted by numbers and sleepwalked through each episode when it came to delivering lines or creating memorable scenes. The secret’s out, I’m afraid – Secret Invasion missed the mark.
PIZZA
Cheers to El Sereno’s Secret Pizza, for creating some of the best take-out pizza my family has had in years. Frankly, we’re sick and tired of folks who say “You can’t get good pizza in L.A.” That’s just hogwash, balderdash, and poppycock. You should be forewarned: ordering at Secret Pizza is Silicon Valley tech meets Seinfeld’s soup Nazi: prepaid mobile orders make everything efficient, but if you don’t pick up your pizza within your 10-minute time slot…no pizza for you! Unlike many over-hyped L.A. dining destinations, it’s worth the trip.
Jeers to…what? Is there even such a thing as bad pizza? Unless it’s completely burnt, significantly undercooked, or spilled all over a Little Rock, Arkansas interstate, it will be just fine. Here’s proof: take an English muffin or whatever random bread slice you have on hand, spread some generic supermarket pasta sauce on its face, sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella cheese, and pop it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the best processed Parmesan cheese in the world on top, and you’ve got quickie pizza. You’re welcome.
And, finally, we would like to acknowledge some of those who left us in 2023 (sadly, we don’t have room for them all):
Andre Braugher, Ryan O’Neal, Norman Lear, Sandra Day O’Connor, Tony Bennett, Elliott Erwitt, Shane MacGowan, Rosalyn Carter, Matthew Perry, Dwight Twilley, Robert Irwin, Richard Roundtree, Burt Young, Suzanne Somers, Piper Laurie, Dianne Feinstein, Gary Wright, Bill Richardson, Jimmy Buffett, Clarence Avant, Rodriguez, Robbie Robertson, William Friedkin, Mark Margolis, Paul Rubens, Sinead O’Connor, Dr. Susan Love, Alan Arkin, Cormac McCarthy, George Winston, Tina Turner, Martin Amis, Jim Brown, Vida Blue, Bruce McCall, Harry Belafonte, Richard Riordan, Al Jaffee, Mimi Sheraton, Seymour Stein, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Willis Reed, Patricia Schroeder, Raquel Welch, Burt Bacharach, Cindy Williams, Tom Verlaine, David Crosby, Lisa Marie Presley, Jeff Beck, Fay Weldon, Anita Pointer
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About David Gershwin ConsultingIf there's one thing we know by now, it's that 2024 will be full of surprises. But to prepare for those surprises, be they good or bad, we must always work on improving our professional game. Whether that means being a stronger advocate for your cause, being a more effective communicator, or simply knocking that next Zoom presentation out of the park, we can help you fight the good fight. Find out more at www.davidgershwin.com or drop us a line at david@davidgershwin.com
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