By popular demand, I’m going to try to explain Plisetskaya’s jumping ability as shown in a recent open thread. Here’s the video again: You won’t see other women in ballet jumping like that. You’ll see a few men getting that … Continue reading →
[NOTE: Because of the Gilot open thread earlier today, I decided to look up Jonas Salk and get up to speed on some of the details of his life. What I found was interesting enough, and relevant enough to today, … Continue reading →
Alan Arkin has died at 89. His brand of comedy didn’t quite click with me, but it sure did with a lot of people. He was a Hollywood staple for many years, and had a wide range of roles. RIP. … Continue reading →
William Blake was a unique poet and artist. I don’t think he fits into any category except “mystical visionary” and probably “some sort of genius.” Many people are aware of his poem
Continue reading →Here’s an obituary of Mary Quant, who practically invented the kicky women’s fashions of the 60s. I hadn’t thought about Quant in umpteen years. But looking at the photos there and at other articles about her brought back memories of … Continue reading →
It’s pretty much a standard thing now for people on the right to add the words “Nazi collaborator” (or something similar but even more extreme) to their descriptions of George Soros. But it’s not true that he was a Nazi … Continue reading →
Maybe: Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell has been out of the public eye for weeks, following a serious fall that hospitalized him. Now multiple sources confirm that Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of … Continue reading →
The great ballet dancer Galina Ulanova specialized in the more human roles in the ballet repertory, such as Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet” and the title role in “Giselle.” Becoming the Swan Queen Odette, who was under a spell and … Continue reading →
Take a look. No one could run like Ulanova, and no one even comes close now. Same for her bourrées, which are those quick and tiny steps all on pointe that make it seem as though the dancer is skimming … Continue reading →
Okay, so it’s long. An hour and a half long. You can speed it up by changing the settings (as I often do with interviews), but there’s no getting around the fact that, even then, it’ll be long. Of course, … Continue reading →
An interesting take from Stephen Green, probably the best one I’ve seen so far: By his own admission, Adams was using “hyperbole” to make his point. There are just two problems with that. The first is that his targets weren’t … Continue reading →
Although Welch was 82 when she died, somehow the news is still a surprise. Everybody of a certain age – and even some who are younger – knows that poster with the famous deerskin bikini. It was her body – … Continue reading →