To those who feel it’s not possible to take Jerry Springer seriously, I usually reply, “But have you tasted his crabmeat cocktail dip?” While I personally have nothing but disdain for the man and…
Year: 2015
Blog posts
Gloria Swanson Recalls the First Screening of Sunset Blvd. (1950)
In Gloria Swanson’s most engaging autobiography Swanson on Swanson (1980), she describes—in typically grand Swanson style—the industry response to the first big screening of Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. In this case, judging by the…
Cinematographer Jack Cardiff on Marilyn Monroe
I absolutely adore Marilyn Monroe, but I don’t write about her much because with so much out there, I honestly feel I have very little to add to the conversation. I do, however, love…
“I Don’t Like Reggae—I Hate It!” A Comprehensive Guide to Reggae Music for the Unpersuaded
Though it may strike you as something less than shocking coming from an analog, Fosse-loving guy like me, but I’ve never cared much for reggae music. Doesn’t everyone like reggae? I like the idea…
Dionne, Whitney, Luther & Stevie Performing “That’s What Friends Are For” (1987)
In the 1980s it seemed like everything was big: big shoulder pads, big hair, and big music sales. But even by that decade’s exaggerated proportions, composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager’s “That’s…
Alec Baldwin on Marlene Dietrich
Of all the TCM guest programmers who have sat down with Robert Osborne, Alec Baldwin stands out as—to use one of the network’s favorite words—the most essential. His fascinating insights are uniquely informed by his own…
Quote of the Day: Julianne Moore on Women’s Movies
“There’s always a female audience. But we will only go if they make movies for us because we’re just too busy. It makes me crazy when people ask why women don’t go to the…
“The Americans”: Working Overnight On the Set of FX’s Hit Show
A year or two ago I got a call to work as an “extra” on an overnight shoot for the pilot of the FX show The Americans, starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. “Extras” or “background…
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