Actor Kevin Spacey has now been accused of molesting (or attempting to molest) actor Anthony Rapp 30 years ago, when the latter was 14 and Spacey 26. Here’s the situation: In an interview with Buzzfeed, Rapp said Spacey picked him … Continue reading →
The musical “Oklahoma” came out in early 1943, a welcome nostalgic respite from the trauma of World War II. The movie (far inferior, IMHO) was released in 1955. I was raised on Broadway musicals. I know just about every word … Continue reading →
Joyce Carol Oates has been writing short stories and novels ever since the early 1960s. As a writer, she reminds me of Meryl Streep as an actress—that is, skillful, highly praised, prolific, versatile, and not especially appealing (to me, anyway). … Continue reading →
Here’s a roundup of reactions to the Ken Burns documentary about the Vietnam War. Sounds as though Burns’ work was subtly pernicious. [NOTE: As I explained earlier, I didn’t watch it.]
Continue reading →I’ve already said that I wasn’t going to watch Ken Burns’ documentary on Vietnam, and why. But of course lots of other people have watched it. Here’s a report from Powerline’s Scott Johnson: Watching the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary history … Continue reading →
It began with a seemingly-innocuous gift: To celebrate “National Read a Book Day,” the first lady [Melania Trump] had sent out a collection of 10 Dr. Seuss books to one school in each state across the nation. The titles included: … Continue reading →
Almost two weeks ago Jerry Brown came up with this lovely gibe: “You should check out the derivation of ”˜Trump-ite’ and ”˜troglodyte,’ because they both refer to people who dwell in deep, dark caves.” And I say Brown’s supporters are … Continue reading →
Angelica Hale was nine years old when she first appeared on this season’s “America’s Got Talent” and wowed the audience. She turned ten before it was over and sang the following song in the finals of the show. Angelica sings … Continue reading →
Why? Because I enjoy it. First up—somewhere, a raven and a flamingo are missing their feathers: I just don’t understand the need to publicly bare so very much of one’s breasts, but it’s rampant: What’s up with the matching Ace … Continue reading →
Although the program is thirteen years old, I only recently discovered the TV show “The First 48,” a documentary series that follows crimes (usually homicides) in various US cities by filming police as they put a case together piece by … Continue reading →
Molly Worthen has written an article in the the NY Times recommending the memorization of poetry: Since ancient times, humans have memorized and recited poetry. Before the invention of writing, the only way to possess a poem was to memorize … Continue reading →
Nope, I wasn’t at Woodstock—one of the only members of my generation who wasn’t, to hear most them tell it. And I don’t romanticize the 60s and look back on them nostalgically, although many people my age do. I think … Continue reading →