RIP Eric Dane. I was just having a discussion about disability and accessibility with a student, and I used a few famous and current figures as examples of disability or illness being unplanned, so its best to work to create a more inclusive world, and Eric Dane was the first name I brought up, as his battle with ALS has been so prominent. Seeing those push notifications come through broke my heart. I think the first time I noticed Dane was when he played Multiple Man in X-Man The Last Stand, but I was a hardcore Grey’s fan for the first 11ish seasons, until they played the Grey card one too many times, following a series of major character exits and deaths. Eric Dane’s departure being one of them. Last year, Dane could be seen in the Amazon original Countdown, the Sydney Sweeney film Americana, and an episode of Brilliant Minds, all of which have audio description. He also did a movie called Borderline, which does not have audio description.Dane was 53.

TV Shows Watched: (American Idol still isn’t appearing for me on Disney Plus, nor does Apple say I can watch with anything other than Hulu. hell, I actually have a light cable package, which it could link to an on demand version there, and it doesn’t), though I may have to resort to watching it on demand with commercials). How To Get To Heaven From Belfast: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: S1E6 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Shrinking: S3E2 (Apple) with audio description, Alls Fair: S1E6 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Stumble: S1E4 (Peacock) with audio description.

How To Get To Heaven From Belfast- The newest show from the creator of Dairy Girls. Another Irish centric cast and plot, and I thought it went a bit into the weeds. To me, I was reminded of Bad Sisterds, an Apple show which I just didn’t vibe with, but others really seemed to like. There’s some promise here, as the main lead was on this show playing a detective, so I can see the potential for some black comedy, but Bad sisters is the best comparison. it’s got a certain flavor to it. I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just not hooked. VSI does the audio description, and I couldn’t initially find anything wrong other than typical gripes regarding character descriptions. We default to not bringing up race/ethnicity, but I think a lot of those decisions are driven by an audience that is never underrepresented, to such a fault that the moment they feel even a hint of marginalization, they torpedo the entire concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. In real life, I often give my pronouns, even though it is a more obvious guess for the sighted community. I don’t do it because I am worried about being misgendered, but rather to make it more comfortable for someone who is to include theirs. Sometimes, you have to do the work anyway, even if it isn’t required, though a lot of this are built into the demands coming from Netflix and not VSI. But a broader lesson that truly applies to (possibly) every show I watched.

Starfleet Academy- A lame attempt to bring back Paul Giamatti. While I think he’s one of the best aspects, I still would find a way to rope him in that felt more organic than admitting that all the way into the future, even after Rig Notaro has kept through space and time, and we have hologram students, that there’s an alien race that they still have no idea how to fight, what its weakness is, and apparently the only one who does is Giamatti. Great description in a few parts, including the glitching Sam, but in order to get there, you have to get through the writing for the show, that uses the shows primary antagonist to have thoughts on child abuse. But, it doesn’t really even resolve that in a meaningful way.

Shrinking- Harrison Ford continues his career best work. A role crafted for him, quite perfectly, with a lovely ensemble around him. The second episode basically wraps up Brett Goldstein’s arc, which feels a little like “we’re done with this, and he has to go film Ted Lasso now”.

Alls Fiar- I mean this with all sincerity. I’d nominate Sarah Paulson for an Emmy. She takes the most inane ryan Murphy dialogue and just tramples it. She loses her absolute fucking mind in this episode, and has to stand on a table, talking extremely sexually explicitly, while also being wild and full of rage. then, she’s asked to be vulnerable, and more than any of the other talented actresses, including the wonderful Glenn close, Paulson is the Ryan Murphy whisperer, able to take whatever incompetent thing she’s given, and make it feel like you’re watching something totally different, and for a few seconds forgetting how terrible this show actually is.

Stumble- A cute show I hope NBC sticks with. Though, I could honestly say between Stumble, St Dennis medical, and the Fall and rise Of Reggie Deakins, NBC has the best overall comedy lineup right now of the networks. They have three shows that have a strong sense of identity, and are well written, and consistently funny. ABC, once dominant in sitcoms, has been reduced to just Abbott Elementary and I guess Shifting Gears, and CBS is hoping Ghosts can live on forever, and that Georgie and Mandy can run at least as long as Young Sheldon. But, to have three shows, all good, NBC wins the most consistent.