Today we are kicking off the second and final group of 27 Wildcard contestants! This is Day 1 of 14 in the Season 39 Champions Wildcard (Group 2) - Wildcard Group 2 runs February 5th - 22nd - Contestants are listed here - This will be followed by the Tournament of Champions. I’m posting occasionally on various social media, but this newsletter is the best place to find daily recaps, photos, and announcements.

Larry David attacked Elmo. It sounds like a plot from Curb Your Enthusiasm, but it really happened, live on morning TV, and it was one of the great media moments of the 2020s. It was perfect on so many levels, ranging from the fact that Larry was acting so completely in character through the slightly cathartic aspect of a puppet that was lecturing about mental health being taken down a peg.

I know you’re looking for fun appetizers during this season, so let me tell you all about my take on Moroccan meat cigars (Moroccan briouat or briwat). A perfect finger food, this dish is essentially a flaky, crunchy pastry (warka) stuffed with a flavor-packed spiced meat filling. My recipe is loaded with golden raisins for some extra sweetness, turmeric, cumin and other warm spices. Since warka is pretty tricky to find, I’m using phyllo pastry in the recipe, which will lead to a similar result.

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“I have ideas and I’m itching to write already.” Actor David Thewlis is known for his dynamic characters in many films including Naked, as Remus Lupin, a “Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts” in the Harry Potter series, and many more. He has perspectives on writing fiction that may be of interest. His first novel “The Late Hector Kipling” was the f… ncG1vNJzZmismJqws7HAraCvnZ2eu6V60q6ZrKyRmLhvr86mZqlnnaq5tbXTmqOepqSasW6t0a2grKyjYq6kwM6rrquhpJq%2FtA%3D%3D