Thankful Tuesday | April 25, 2023

WRITE THIS WAY
Hello and welcome back to this, an exclusive, comeback edition of Thankful. I am fresh off an extended writing sabbatical and look forward to sharing more good news and hope. My return can only mean two things: 1.) I did not win Powerball… yet & 2.) I have truly missed writing, sharing the good and great with you. I’m back. Let’s go.

THANKFUL FOR THIS
Two years ago, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia lead and showrunner Rob McElhenny did something completely outside the box and bought a moribound Welsh football team called Wrexham FC. They were very upfront about the fact they knew almost nothing about the sport. For the small Welsh town of Wrexham, inextricably linked to the football team bearing its name since 1860 and chronicling its rise and fall to those experienced by the community itself, people were understandably suspicious about the Hollywood invasion. 

Wrexham was a wreck in 2020, trapped in a groundhog day scenario moribound in the fifth echelon of English football for 15 years. After a painful near miss to promotion in 2022 – all captured in the behind the scenes reality docu-series “Welcome to Wrexham”, the squad flipped the script into a truly made for Hollywood finish last weekend. Trailing 1-0, at the historic Racehorse Ground – the oldest continuously operating stadium in Europe – two stunning goals by Paul Mullin staked Wrexham to promotion in a 3-1 triumph against Boreham Wood. Next stop: the English Football League (EFL).

In two years, Wrexham has been transformed into a worldwide brand with millions of new social media subscribers to the official accounts @WrexhamFC More than 80% of merchandise sales have been purchased by international buyers. 

“Ryan and Rob have put a smile back on the face of Wrexham,” Michael Hett, an ex-miner and lead singer of The Declan Swans, told ESPN. “Football fans are always sceptical of people who want to buy their club and we have had our share of bad owners — one of them made it clear he wanted to knock the Racecourse Ground down and build a retail park — but with Ryan and Rob, we have hit the jackpot really.”

BONUS REYNOLDS: For those clamoring, here are my top-four Reynolds roles: 1) Deadpool 2) Definitely Maybe 3) Hitman’s Bodyguard 4) 6 Underground 

BEST THING I SAW ON THE ‘GRAM TODAY
For everyone that has ever heard Aunt Mabel say, “Why can’t you be more like _____…” →  ENJOY

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BEST THING I SAW ON THE TWITTER TODAY

Celebrate the differences →  WATCH

ON THIS DATE – GIVE ME ALL YA GOT!!
Legend of the stage and screen Al Pacino celebrates his 83rd birthday today. The Godfather was his third-ever movie role and he won an improbable Oscar for his work in Scent of a Woman. My favorite Pacino film is Heat and this is my favorite scene (not even remotely safe for work). But the tweet below shows that one time the late Robin Williams photobombed a live Pacino red carpet interview. Enjoy!

 LIVES GIVEN
Harry Belafonte passed away today at the age of 96. From humble beginnings in Harlem to the West Indies, from fighting in World War II to fighting tirelessly for Civil Rights from Calypso to “Day-O” Belafonte impacted the world around him. My first exposure to his musical genius came on this episode of the Muppet Show. Worth the four minutes. I promise!

WHAT I WATCHED
Breaking down and signing up for Disney+ was one of my best decisions of late. I have re-embraced my inner Star Wars nerd and have watched the original trilogy of movies at least four times. I can literally hear you judging me right now, but I am unbowed. 

I recently started Kenobi and enjoy it so far. I am puzzled where the Jedi master picked up the British accent. Maybe this is solved in season two? 

And now a story: I got my Empire Strikes Back lunchbox for Christmas when I was in third grade. Could not have been happier… eating lunch with the Force was a big deal. At the first lunch break my classmate, Erik, came up to me, serious as a heart attack and said, “We have the same lunchbox… Don’t steal my lunch.” Truly words to live by.

All Star Wars content is streaming live on Disney+. Recommend!

QUOTABLE
“My songs reflect the human condition. The role of art isn’t just to show life as it is, but to show life as it should be.” 

– Harry Belafonte, Activist, Artist, Icon 

MIND THE GAP
Thanks for reading. Tune in next Monday for another edition of the Work In Progress newsletter.