Welcome back, dear reader. It has been some time since I last wrote my Monday column, and I’m still deciding whether to go weekly or fortnightly to begin with. I will keep you posted, but I am hoping to be more consistent moving forward.
Anyway, let’s look at the weekend in sport.
Vale Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan
It was a challenging week in pop culture, marked by the passing of three notable figures within a four-day period. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, known for playing Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show, was swimming with his eight-year-old daughter off the coast of Costa Rica when he drowned. When he saw that his daughter was in trouble, Warner jumped in to help his daughter.
Ozzy Osbourne, frontman for Black Sabbath and star of the MTV reality series The Osbournes, passed away two days after Warner did. Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler wrote in an essay for The Sunday Times about how it was a shock to see Osbourne so frail when they were onstage together on July 5. This would be Osbourne’s final performance.
Two days after Osbourne passed, wrestling icon Hulk Hogan passed away. Hogan, along with former WWF (now WWE) owner Vince McMahon, is credited with the “Rock ‘n ‘Wrestling” boom of the 1980s. Hogan would go on to star in movies, such as Rocky 3, paving the way for Wrestlers such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Dave Bautista and John Cena. While Hogan had some low points over the last 20 years, that’s better left for another article.
From all of us here at Game On Oz, our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends.
Storm playmaker injured in win over Roosters
While the Melbourne Storm got the two points over the Sydney Roosters, they were dealt a massive blow with Jahrome Hughes dislocating his shoulder. Scans have revealed that the Storm Playmaker does not require further surgery, meaning he will be available for the finals. While the Storm can cover Hughes’ absence, the chances of them winning a premiership are very slim without Hughes. That’s not a slight on players like Tyran Wishart or Jonah Pezet, who can cover the halfback position. Hughes is just so vital to the side.
Wallabies robbed?
After the Souths vs Cronulla game on Saturday night, I decided to watch the end of the Wallabies vs the Lions, but I probably shouldn’t have. The Wallabies were up 26-24 with a minute remaining, and then the Lions went over for a try. Here is that last play:
Stan Sport commentator and former Wallaby Morgan Turinui was adamant that the officials should have taken the try off the Lions, but the TMO and ref saw it differently. I agreed, but I also acknowledge that I am biased; it doesn’t matter what sport it is and how much of a chance we have, I will always barrack for the Aussies. It’s a shame the game ended like that.
IT: Welcome to Derry trailer two drops
I must admit that I have been living under a rock for the last few months, missing pop culture news and other updates (I’ve also missed some MMA events). I am looking forward to getting back up to speed. I watched the second IT: Welcome to Derry trailer today, and man, it seems scary (I missed the first trailer). I’m not much of a horror movie fan, but in the name of pop culture, I am considering revisiting the original IT mini-series, then the remake, and being prepared to watch the prequel series when it debuts on HBO Max in October.
Here is the trailer:
INXS tops Triple J’s hottest 100 songs
On Saturday, the much-anticipated Triple J’s Hottest 100 Australian went to air, with ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ by INXS named as the number one song, as voted by the public. As you might imagine, some people weren’t pleased with where some songs on the countdown landed. One that has copped a fair bit of flak is ‘Untouched’ by The Veronicas. I understand that it shouldn’t have been higher than some songs, but that’s the fault of the people who voted. Enough people voted for the song that it landed where it did. For those who lived during The Veronicas’ heyday of the 2000s, they know how big an impact Lisa and Jess had on Australian pop culture. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing if there is another Triple J countdown and what happens next.
That brings an end to this edition of Mercer’s Mondayitis. Thanks for taking the time to read. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on how I can improve this, please feel free to reach out in the comments or on our various Social Media platforms.
Until next time, take care.