SCENE OF THE CRIME
Perhaps you've seen the reports of a literary ne'er-do-well visiting Coeur d'Alene Library and hiding books they consider too politically liberal. (Let's pause for a chuckle at the expense of this ostensibly "freedom-loving" self-appointed censor). One of the books is Rick Reilly's Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, a tome in which the former Sports Illustrated columnist writes about Donald Trump's propensity for cheating at golf (among other things). Reilly, having heard about the book hider, is coming to the scene of the crime for a chat about Commander in Cheat on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 pm. (DAN NAILEN)
HARDCORE FANS
Fans of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast have undoubtedly burned through his latest marathon episode "Supernova in the East" — part examination of Japanese warrior culture and part retelling of WWII in the Pacific. But they may have missed the big announcement at the end. If you've wondered why old Dan's history podcasts have been less frequent since 2018, it's because he's been working on a book titled The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses. I imagine the title sums it up. It was released last week. (QUINN WELSCH)
RETURN OF THE CHICKEN
I don't think it would be an overstatement to say the Popeyes fried chicken sandwich changed the world as we knew it when it debuted earlier this year. The simple announcement of the sandwich — fried chicken, pickles and special sauce on a soft bun — was enough to terrify competitors like Chick-fil-A and Wendy's, sparking what will forever be known as the Great Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019. The Popeyes sandwich not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded it. Popeyes ran out within weeks, and the sandwich is only now returning, months after its debut. There's one Popeyes location nearby in Post Falls, so you can count on a long wait. But it's well worth it. (WILSON CRISCIONE)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Some noteworthy new music arrives online and in stories Nov. 8. To wit:
Luke Combs, What You See Is What You Get. A mere week after selling out Spokane Arena, a new album from the country up-and-comer.
John Fogerty, 50 Year Trip: Live At Red Rocks. The former Creedence frontman still sounds great on these 19 tunes.
Allen Stone, Building Balance. The Chewelah-raised R&B man is releasing his first new album in four years. (DAN NAILEN)
FORGOTTEN FILM
As Disney+ is set to suck up more of your streaming dollars, you may have heard some titles from the studio will be conspicuously missing. One is the 1946 live-action/animation hybrid Song of the South, which won Oscars for the song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and its star James Baskett, and inspired the theme park attraction Splash Mountain. Oh, and it's also super racist, which is why it's never been available on any media format in the U.S. The new six-episode season of You Must Remember This, Hollywood historian Karina Longworth's podcast about Tinseltown's dark past, delves into the saga behind Song of the South, from the controversy surrounding its initial release to its insidious influence on other animated properties. (NATHAN WEINBENDER)
