DAILY DIRT: The return of ‘Yellowstone” has made the world a better place

Daily Dirt for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

And in particular, the return of Beth Dutton … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,112 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The long wait for the return of “Yellowstone” ended last Sunday, and I needed a few days to fully sift through and process the storylines.

Here’s my takes on the first episode of the final season (or until we get into the spin-offs, which we know are coming):

• When it was apparent — about two minutes into the opening episode — that John Dutton had died/been killed my immediate thoughts were split between “there is going to be hell to pay” and “will it be Beth or Rip” who extracts the revenge.
• Unless I miss my guess, Beth’s involvement in these final six episodes will be legendary. Whoever it was that made the decision to originally cast Kelly Reilly in that role should be applauded — forever. I just hope Rip (Cole Hauser) plays an important role, too.
• I have a feeling we’ll also be seeing a lot of Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) in this swan song. Grimes has said he is open to being part of whatever spinoff plans come to be, so the hierarchy will want to keep him in front of the viewing public. 
• It looks like Dawn Olivieri, who portrays Sarah Atwood, will be another integral figure. I would have to guess that she and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) will go down in flames together.
• I hope Jennifer Landon (“Teeter”) gets a little more screen time in these final episodes. She can be downright hilarious. For those who might have missed it over the years, she is the daughter of the late Michael Landon.
• In case you were wondering, “Yellowstone” had been on hiatus since January 2023.
• And it’s only three days until we get to view another episode of what might go down in history as the best TV series ever.

2. Did you know (Part 186)

• That “Sour Patch Kids” candy is known as “Very Bad Kids” candy in France.
• That “Milky Way” candy bars are called “Mars” everywhere else in the world.
• That “Burger King” is called “Hungry Jack’s” in Australia.
• That “Dunkin Donuts” is called “Duffin Dagles” in Spain.
• That “KFC” is called “PFK” in Quebec, Canada.
• That “Cool Ranch” Doritos are called “Cool American” Doritos in Denmark and The Netherlands.
• That “Diet Coke” is known as “Coca Cola Light” in Europe 

3. Here are some more remakes of hit songs — and what we think of them:

• “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” a monster country hit from the Ol’ Possum, George Jones, in 1980, was later covered by Alan Jackson. Jackson originally sang the song at Jones’ funeral service in 2013. Pick a favorite? I can’t. Both renditions are emotional classics, and while writing this I played each version at least a half-dozen times.
• “Always Something There To Remind Me,” by Naked Eyes in 1982 was a remake of Lou Johnson’s 1964 version. The Eyes have it, naked or otherwise.
• “Black Magic Woman,” by Santana in 1970, followed the original by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. This is a tough choice for me, largely because I’ve never cared for the song, but since I have to make a pick I lean toward Santana because of the guitar work supplied by Carlos Santana.
• “Love Hurts,” by Nazareth in 1974 was released 14 years after Everly Brothers’ interpretation. As much as I have always enjoyed the Every Brothers’ work, this one is a no-brainer. The screeching of Nazareth earns the nod.
• “Ring Of Fire,” by Johnny Cash in 1963 was one of his biggest hits. The original version was supplied by Anita Carter in 1962, The best? While Carter’s slower version is fine, nothing can compare to The Man in Black’s classic.
• “Piece Of My Heart,” by Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin) became an instant rock classic in 1968. Erma Franklin (1967) recorded the original, which was  a superb effort, but nothing will ever match up with Joplin’s raw, almost savage rendering the following year.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — I saw the following earlier this week and thought it to be quite apropos: “Losing weight does not seem to be working for me, so I’m going to concentrate on getting taller”.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Rumor is, he’ll need a new profile picture very soon.