When Rod Stewart had a Top-Ten hit with TomWaits’ Downtown Train in 1989, perhaps the song was more personal to him than one might have guessed! As completely absurd as it seemed, I was…
Year: 2012
Blog posts
12 Holiday Songs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard! Day One: Sara Bareilles’ “Love Is Christmas”
I love Christmas as much as the next Jewish guy, (in fact, most of the most famous Christmas songs were written by Jews, which was duly noted in a memorable essay by Michael Feinstein—himself…
Lady Gaga Can (Sort of) Swing! Who Knew?
Given the sheer amount of media-related information floating around today, can a person be blamed if they miss something? I’ve seemed to miss entire years in the digital hailstorm of the last decade! I…
The Doctor Will See You Now…
I may not be a doctor, but I think I look like I could play one on TV. I figured it would it easier for people to imagine me playing a doctor if I…
Quote of the Day: Tennessee Williams
“There are worse things than a fantasy world to live in. I wonder, indeed, if a fantasy world is not the only world inhabitable by artists” Tennesse Williams, Memoirs, 1973…
“Next Stop, Greenwich Village” (1976): Movie Quote of the Day
Almost completely shot on location in Greenwich Village, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Paul Mazursky’s autobiographical film is one of the most overlooked American movies of the 1970s. Having arrived in the Village in 1983,…
You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught, Part Two: Maple Munk Singing “Meet Me In St. Louis”
I’m happy to report that my niece Maple Munk, just shy of her fifth birthday is, if anything, exceeding my expectations as a budding pop culture aficionado! I’ve written before about what I reason…
The Somnabulist Song Stylings of Henrietta and Myrna Neudorf
“Riveting!” “Electrifying!” “Supremely Musical!” These are just a few superlatives that will never be used to describe Henrietta and Myrna Neudorf’s soporific, ostensibly live performance of the moving hymn “Go Tell It On The…
This Christmas, Bette Davis’ Mustard Gelatin Ring is Just the Thing: The Recipe in Eating With the Stars
“While it may be hard for contemporary palettes to even parse the concept of a “Mustard Gelatin Ring,” it strikes me as exponentially more interesting in terms of both gastronomy and semiotics when combined with “Bette Davis.” Just try saying ‘Bette Davis’ Mustard Gelatin Ring’ without smiling.
The Whine Heard Round the World! An Exclusive Stargayzing Interview with Actress, Activist, and Advocate Fran Drescher
Perhaps not since Hollywood’s Golden Age gave the world comic actresses like Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, and Judy Holliday has a comedienne combined brains and beauty as winningly as Fran Drescher, who has built…
Movie Quote of the Day: In a Lonely Place (1950)
“I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.” In A Lonely Place, Nicholas Ray’s gripping drama, is one of my…
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