I sent this video to a friend of mine and he commented, “I hear a brilliant treble singing with an okay but nothing-special baritone.” And I basically agree. But I think it’s almost unbearably poignant to hear the two versions … Continue reading →
I am often amazed at the singing skills demonstrated by youngsters on those talent reality shows. They seem to be genuinely nice kids, too, full of energy and drive. After all, think how much work it takes—and how much confidence—to … Continue reading →
No real answer is provided in this Vanity Fair article, although the title [“Why Writers Lie (and Plagiarize and Fabricate and Stretch the Truth and…”)] would have you believe it will offer one. This is the closest it comes, and … Continue reading →
[NOTE: The following is a re-edited and updated version of a post that has appeared previously on this blog.] Unbelievable that it’s been eight years since commenter FredHJr died suddenly and tragically. As time passes, the number of readers here … Continue reading →
The current New York production of “Julius Caesar” in which Caesar is portrayed as a Trump-like figure is no ordinary propaganda. Caesar is a particular figure with particular characteristics. Why was he assassinated? Because the assassins thought he had become … Continue reading →
Until a reader alerted me, I hadn’t realized that one of my favorite movies of all time—one I’ve written quite a few posts about—had been turned into a musical. My gut reaction was that it must be a bad idea. … Continue reading →
My first reaction is: for a ton of reasons. And even before reading this article on the subject, I thought of three reasons in particular. The first is greater lung capacity. The second is stride length, although that’s not a … Continue reading →
[Hat tip: Fuzzy Slippers at Legal Insurrection.] The NAS (National Association of Scholars) reports on the slant of the books on the typical college reading list given to incoming freshmen to prepare them for the rigors of college study: Hundreds … Continue reading →
Or certainly the hottest 80-year-old. Freaky. This is a holiday weekend, and you might want to leave politics for a while (I know I often do) and turn to the tale of Deshun Wang (or Wang Deshun), an 80-year-old Chinese … Continue reading →
Yes, they do. But not nearly as dizzy as you and I would. They’ve got a system, although it takes a lot of practice: The short answer is training, but to really grasp why figure skaters can twirl without getting … Continue reading →
[NOTE: This is a repeat of a previous post.] I write some poetry from time to time, And gravitate to forms, I must confess. I crave some meter and a bit of rhyme. Free verse can be illusory progress. The … Continue reading →
People seem to think that new violins sound better: In tests at concert halls in Paris and New York, audiences were asked to listen to soloists performing on brand new violins, and three made by master fiddle maker Stradivari. The … Continue reading →