Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 1-7, 2020 UCW 23 WEEKLY HOROSCOPE NEWS OF THE WEIRD by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication Update Last year during the holiday season, former NASA engineer Mark Rober of Santa Clarita, California, created a glitter bomb exploding package in response to having a package stolen from his front porch. This year, Rober has a new and improved ver- sion. When it is touched, the BBC reported on Dec. 17, the box explodes in glitter and emits an unpleasant odor along with a soundtrack of police chatter. As a coup de grace, it also takes a video of the thief and uploads it to the cloud. One of the spon- sors for Rober's project is "Home Alone" actor Macaulay Culkin. Rober calls it a labor of love: "I have literally spent the last 10 months designing, building and testing a new and improved de- sign for 2019," he said. No good deed Virginia Saavedra, 37, ran to a home in Sophia, North Carolina, on Dec. 11, telling the resident she had just escaped being kid- napped by a stranger. When the man let her sit in his truck to warm up while he called 911, Saavedra allegedly stole the truck, according to the Randolph County Sheriff's Office. Officers responding to the 911 call spot- ted the truck and engaged in a 26-mile high-speed chase before trapping the truck. The Associat- ed Press reported Saavedra then rammed a patrol car before try- ing to flee on foot. She was even- tually charged with more than a dozen crimes, including felony assault with a deadly weapon on a government official. Government in action A sharp-eyed Twitter user spot- ted an unexpected country on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Tariff Tracker list: Wakanda. The fictional country from the "Black Panther" film made the list of free trade agree- ment partners. USDA spokes- person Mike Illenberg told NBC News on Dec. 18 the agency had used Wakanda to test the track- ing system and had forgotten to remove it from the list. "The Wakanda information should have been removed after testing and has now been taken down." Question: Do you think the Disney+ series "e Mandalorian" might start a new trend of shorter episode lengths for streaming shows? As someone who has endured the interminable length of so many Netflix shows — is there an episode of a Marvel series that wouldn't have benefited from being 15 minutes shorter? — I'm finding the shorter epi- sode length of e Mandalorian refresh- ing. — Darren Matt Roush: I couldn't agree more, and I can only hope other shows would fol- low "e Mandalorian's" lead and real- ize that just because streaming gives you the freedom to fashion episodes of any length, that doesn't mean it should always be an endurance test. at groan my coworkers often hear is when I cue up another episode of a Netflix or other streaming series — "Castle Rock," I'm thinking of you, too — and realize from the time code that it's going to oc- cupy at least a full hour of my time. One of the virtues of "e Mandalorian" is its economy within each episode, its tight focus with minimal filler. e cinematic wipes between scenes also keep the pace brisk. Another thing I enjoy about "e Mandalorian" is the weekly scheduling of new episodes. If the whole season had dropped at once, like most Netflix shows do, what are the odds we'd still be obsessing on Baby Yoda weeks later? ere are lessons to be learned here. To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com. By Damian Holbrook Cheers to late bloomers. HBO's ad- dictive "Succession" found an adoring audience in its sophomore season. "9- 1-1" on Fox earned a lot more atten- tion with an impressive Season 3 tsu- nami. And suddenly, everyone is into "Schitt's Creek" now that Pop TV's crown jewel is heading into its final round. Better late than never, right? Jeers to TV's problematic color coding. "America's Got Talent" axed judge Gabrielle Union over her "too black" hairstyles and Orlando Jones alleged that he was fired from "American Gods" because his angry character, Mr. Nancy, sent the "wrong message to black America." Sorry, folks, but this sort of shadiness is be- yond the pale. ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 ere is more to a situation than meets the eye, Aries. Delve a little deeper this week to get to the truth. Uncovering the truth will allow you to move for ward. TAURUS - Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, take a break for a few days to re- charge your batteries. If you work too hard, you are going to suffer from burnout. Make this a week of rest and recreation. GEMINI - May 22/Jun 21 You have a funny way of looking at things sometimes, Gemini. at can work to your advantage in providing a fresh perspective that others may overlook. CANCER - Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, when you are approached with a potential career opportunity, do not immediately dismiss it. It may not be the right time currently, but take inventor y of your future goals. LEO - Jul 23/Aug 23 is week you need to make your mark in some way, Leo. You have many clever ideas circling in your head that want out, so think of how you can deploy your creative side. VIRGO - Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, accept help when it is offered this week, even if it tugs at your pride a little bit. Sometimes even the strongest can benefit from a shoulder to lean on. LIBRA - Sept 23/Oct 23 A failure to recognize all sides of the equation could put you into an unfortu- nate situation, Libra. Do not assume that your perspective is the right one; do your research carefully. SCORPIO - Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, just when you think you have everything figured out, something changes. Just because you don't have the rule book doesn't mean you can't plot a course. SAGITTARIUS - Nov 23/Dec 21 Devote more of your attention to family matters in the days to come, Sagittarius. Work may seem all-consuming, but home is where your heart is. CAPRICORN - Dec 22/Jan 20 Fun times are just around the corner, Capricorn. You must have the patience to get there. Put some social events on your calen- dar so you have something to forward to. AQUARIUS - Jan 21/Feb 18 Before you give up on an idea, run it by some trusted confidantes, Aquarius. You may be missing just one detail that can make this a recipe for ultimate success. PISCES - Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, it's time to get a better feel for your finances. Tweak things as necessary, and make all decisions with your finances in mind.