December 2011
20 posts
Discovered Thanks To 1950s Radio: Fred Allen’s... →
This week’s holiday atmosphere includes Sirius/XM rebroadcasting classic Bing Crosby Christmas specials, with introductions by recently retired Regis Philbin. Listening to these radio shows is the…
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“the world can be a little bit consoled that the fun and irreverent, erudite,...”
– Katie Roiphe on Christopher Hitchens
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Lyle Lovett Performs Step Inside This House →
Here’s the thing that surprises me about Guy Clark’s song, Step Inside This House. Clark has never recorded it (as noted by Wikipedia). Here is the great Lyle Lovett performing it, at the White…
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Congrats to AdHouse on Nine Great Years … So Far →
Today the great AdHouse publisher, Chris Pitzer, observed the ninth year of being in business. Congrats to one of the good folks and I look forward to celebrating its 10th anniversary next year.
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“He’s in a facility in Connecticut. Physically, he’s okay. Mentally, he’s not. He...”
– Chris Wallace on Mike Wallace.
Masha Hamilton on Afghan Women’s Writing Project →
This email interview with Afghan Women’s Writing Project (AWWP) founder, award-winning author Masha Hamilton, was set months ago, but I dropped the ball. In a sense, though, I am…
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“Unhappily married to a Nazi arms dealer, Lamarr fled to America at the start of...”
– God, the number of times I have read that line in a Hollywood star bio… ;) [An excerpt from the publisher pitch about Hedy’s Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World]
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“In a way, I’ve been fortunate to have success delayed, although I will say it...”
– The late actor John Wood.
Discovered: George Carlin on His Persona →
This Archive of American TV interview (the full version can be found at the Archive’s website) was conducted in late 2007, about six months before his death. In this excerpt, Carlin does a…
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Allstate’s Mayhem Branding is Impressive →
Mayhem’s Allstate Presence
Back in October, I expressed admiration for Allstate’s Mayhem commercial branding.
But today, I got contacted by the fine marketing folks at Allstate,…
Forgotten Favorites: Lou Reed’s Dirty Blvd. →
No matter how many Spotify/Pandora accounts, iPods, CDs, cassettes and vinyl albums I may have, there are always songs that enter my musical memory…only to be forgotten. Such was the fate of Lou…
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Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to Today →
Article first published as Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to TODAY on Technorati.
From Yesterday to Today
In 2012, the U.S. national TV broadcast network NBC will…
David Lynch on His Films →
An interesting series of clips (courtesy of AFI) featuring David Lynch, as well as some of the actors (Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern) that have worked with him, discussing his approach to…
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“And then, my mom called.”
– A tale about a son’s loyalty to his mother.
November 2011
29 posts
Katie Roiphe’s Essay on David Foster Wallace’s... →
Katie Roiphe’s essay about the late David Foster Wallace’s syllabuses at Slate fascinates me on two levels. First, that in this digital age, with one click of the button I can access the…
Rowlf on The Jimmy Dean Show →
Last night, a brief Twitter exchange between writer Chris Roberson and myself got me to thinking about the early career of one of the Muppets, Rowlf the Dog. As noted in his Wikipedia entry,…
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WatchAs much as I love It’s A Wonderful Life, I also love this SNL parody. “Mary, Harry—hold him for me.”
Radoslav Lorkovic on His Music →
Radoslav Lorkovic
What keeps me coming back to Cayamo is the opportunity to discover different musicians. This past year, one of the new musicians I discovered was Ellis Paul….
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WatchWalter the Muppet’s first late night TV show appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Errol Morris: Umbrella Man →
There are few cultural obsessions that annoy me more than the public’s fascination with finding out the so-called truth about the JFK Assassination. Was the event a tragedy? You bet. But a sure fire…
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WatchThis Death Cab for Cutie tune, Stable Song, may be six years old—but I never tire of hearing it.
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“One other thing. A national NBA reporter told me he’d heard—but had never...”
– Actually an interesting piece on Cleveland’s inability to cover Delonte West’s struggle with his bipolar condition. As well as a nice hatchet swing at LeBron. What I quote above is unconfirmed, but there did seem to be a pattern. Also I think we can all agree that at times LeBron’s...
“Dad did LSD, I do archives.”
– From Good Stuff: A Remembrance of My Father, Cary Grant by Jennifer Grant. Not many memoirs can use the subject of LSD as an object of juxtaposition.
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Sara Hickman on The Best of Times →
Article first published as Musician Sara Hickman on The Best of Times on Technorati.
The Best of Times
During 2010, in the wake of the Texas Legislature’s budgetary cuts for…
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Live Nick Cave: Circa 1999 →
This video (sent to me by friend of the blog, Kaya Oakes) is a treat on multiple levels:
Nick Cave on piano, playing his song Into My Arms
The guy on the left at the beginning? John…
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Comments No Longer Welcome →
When I started this blog four years ago, I looked forward to fostering an audience that would get into discussions in the comments section. For whatever reason, however, my blog has never generated…
Just Discovered: The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971) →
In reading about the passing of TV producer/writer Hal Kanter, I learned that among his many projects throughout his career, he once helped develop a 1971 sitcom starring the film legend, Jimmy Stewart
Frank Sinatra: Photographer? →
So, in the New York Times obituary for the late fighter Joe Frazier, I learned a few things. The obituary was far too focused on Muhammad Ali. In 1971, he “became the first black man since…
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Great Songs from 1988: Toni Childs’ Don’t Walk... →
Back in 2008, I expressed my admiration for the old short-lived 1980s band, David & David, by discussing the solo work of one of the Davids, David Baerwald. Earlier tonight, while…
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“A skinny hipster with a demonic, crocodile grin and a rough, lived-in voice, Mr....”
– A Stephen Holden NYT review of David & David’s New York debut concert at the Bottom Line in late 1986
Discovered Gem: Carson Interviewing Letterman... →
I am so glad that Johnny Carson was smart enough to get ownership/control of his Tonight Show run. Earlier this year, the folks managing Carson’s media properties started posting YouTube clips from a variety of
Missed It: Ferguson’s Halloween Clip →
Craig Ferguson had Neil Gaiman, Amanda Palmer, Stephen Merritt and Moby play a cover of The Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s Science Fiction Double Feature on his Halloween episode. It was…
I Love Good Commercials: Allstate’s Mayhem →
Having known actor Dean Winter’s work from various shows, including Rescue Me and 30 Rock, I remain fascinated by his role in the Allstate Mayhem commercials. After visiting Allstate’s YouTube…
October 2011
27 posts
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