West Side Story parody
If you’re ever seen “West Side Story,” this might hit the spot:
Continue reading →Category Archives: Arts
Nabokov and poetic justice: the artist as scientist
The news that Vladimir Nabokov, illustrious author and respected lepidopterist, came up with a theory of butterfly evolution that was poo-pooed in his time but which has now been vindicated by DNA research has made me unaccountably happy. Nabokov speculated … Continue reading →
Edna St. Vincent Millay, political changer
Perhaps you’ve heard of Edna St. Vincent Millay. She was a lyric poet of great renown during the 1920s and until her death in 1950, known mostly for her sonnets. Her fame as a poet was of a magnitude difficult … Continue reading →
It’s a nice day for a…
…literal video. The best ones seem to take off from originals made in the 80s, the Golden Age of ridiculous rock videos:
Continue reading →RIP Jack Lalanne
Here’s the proof (as if we needed any) that death comes to all: Jack Lalanne, pioneering fitness guru, has died at 96 of pneumonia. Jack in his youth, at the age of 94: “The good old days are this second.”
Continue reading →The obligatory Keith Olbermann buh-bye post
Yes, Olbermann’s leaving MSNBC, and the announcement was precipitous. And no, I’ve never watched his show, except for a couple of YouTube excerpts. I have written very few posts that even mention his name. So in honor of his going … Continue reading →
I’m not going to…
…even try to explain this: Nothing much has changed, except that Jay is old enough to not be a prodigy any more.
Continue reading →David Nelson RIP
It’s not just that David Nelson has died. It’s that he was the last surviving member of the original TV family foursome, his brother Ricky having died twenty-five years ago. And that David was already 74. The Fifties are now … Continue reading →
Spambot of the day
Query for this spambot: ah, but can fun actually ever be captured and possessed? Does it not evaporate at the slightest effort to cage it? Took me awhile to learn all the comments, but make enjoyed the article. It turned … Continue reading →
Hello Parent 1, Hello Parent 2
Oh boy, speaking of depressing news, we now have this: The words “mother” and “father” will be removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with gender neutral terminology, the State Department says. “The words in the old form were ”˜mother’ … Continue reading →
The bleak, baroque, berserk “Black Swan”
“Black Swan” was one of those movies I just had to see. After all, it’s described as a psychological thriller about ballet. So, what’s not to like? Well, just about everything. I didn’t merely dislike this film, I loathed it. … Continue reading →
Huck loses the n-word
It was only a matter of time, I guess. A new edition of Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn will be coming out minus the offending n-word, which will be replaced by the term “slave.” In related news, the same edition will … Continue reading →