It’s nice to have a drinking pal
Even an esteemed historian might not want to spend all her time with dusty manuscripts. Read more…
News and Quick Comments
Cable celebrates a long and lustful life
The long life and wondrous career of Kirk Douglas will be celebrated on Turner Classic Movies
.That will be March 5, with some of the best-known films at nighttime. It will be “Lust for Life” (shown here, 1956) at 5:45 p.m., “Paths of Glory” (1958) at 8 and “Spartacus” at 9:45.
Douglas died Feb. 5, after a life that was extraordinary in its length (103 years), its impact and how far he had leaped. His first memoir illusttrated that leap with its title: “The Ragman’s Son.” Read more…
The Oscars: No host, no fun (at times) … but great music
My Oscar Day adventures began in the morning, long before “Parasite” (shown here) was named best picture.
I was in a movie theater, watching the pre-previews. (Yes, it’s my fault for getting there early.) Some onscreen idiot said the Academy Award ratings were up last year, “and most people think it was because” the show had no host.
One small correction: Approximately NO ONE — or no reasonable human being — thinks that. In truth: Read more…
Red-carpet: Is EVERYONE an A?
Imagine a grading scale that goes all the way from A to … well, A-plus.
Imagine a 1-to-10 scale being replaced by … maybe a 9.9-to-10 scale.
That’s roughly what watching E’s red-carpet Osvasr coverage was like. Somehow, even Billie Eilish (shown here) — who seemed to be wearing her grandfather’s sweatsuit pajamas — was praised for bringing “a new era of fashion.” Read more…
Confession cleans the soul, shatters the show
If you happen to be a character in a movie or a TV show, here’s important advice:Take pause, whenever you hear yourself say: “I have to tell you something.”NO. No, you don’t have to. This always turns out badly … just as it does when Jim Carrey’s “Kidding” (shown here) starts its second season, at 10 and 10:30 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 9). Read more…
TV’s big night: Three debuts and “Nine-Nine”
At mid-season, TV viewers expect new shows to trickle in slowly.
They don’t expect a cascade like this: Thursday (Feb. 6) has three debuts and a season-opener.
Two shows are worth watching and “Katy Keene” (shown hereP) is worth noting. Let’s view all four, from best to worst: Read more…
Super Bowl halftime: Craving in the closet
This is always a dilemma on Super Bowl Sunday: Should we stay and watch the game or go out to a “gentleman’s club” instead?
This time, fortunately, we could sort of do both.
At halftime of the Super Bowl, two nice ladies came out and performed. There was some pole dancing and some bellydancing; the cameras had a lot of well-planned booty shots. Read more…
Ronstadt film is back and fascinating
Please pardon a brief detour: This item is mostly for people in the Lansing, Mich., area.
Then again, it’s also for anyone who likes Linda Ronstadt (shown here) … which is a lot of people.
Last month, I had a story about the terrific Ronstadt documentary, when it aired on CNN. Now it’s showing at the Studio C in Okemos, as part of the indie film series. Read more…
Yes, Sunday has semi-Super alternatives
There are plenty of people, it seems, with no great stake in the Super Bowl
.For various reasons – sanity or sobriety or sheer orneriness – they don’t carer whether it’s a Chief or a 49er who dumps Gatorade on his coach
.They want to watch TV on Sunday … which isn’t easy. With the game on Fox, the other commercial broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, even CW) are all ducking into rerunsw. So are Showtime and Starz. Still, that leaves some solid alternatives that includes: Read more…
Grammys reflect the pain of losing Kobe, Whitney
It’s happened twice now in eight years.
The Grammy people were ready for the usual fun and flash and spectacle. Then, at the last moment, there was a stunning death.
In 2012 it was Whitney Houston, who had some of her greatest moments at the Grammys
This year it was Kobe Bryant (shown here), who had his greatest moments at the Staples Center, where the ceremony is held.Both times, the Grammy people responded beautifully. Both times, they had the right person hosting. Read more…