Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
Just in case you are one of the few television viewers who, like me, never watched “American Idol,” it’s a reality-singing competition series. The program began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002, and has since become one of the most successful shows in the history of American television. So what awakened me to this …
I’m sure you have favorite programs on television. I find myself avoiding many popular ones that include shoot-‘em-ups, zombies, flash-backs, druggies, decadent behavior, and even (surprise!) music and dance competitions. So, you wonder what is left? If you’re a viewer with a long memory, think of the 1970s series “Upstairs, Downstairs” and then you’d realize …
When I learned that there was a film about the making of a Disney movie (“Mary Poppins”) I immediately thought of a Disney classic, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” That timeless movie was the first one in Technicolor and the first full-length animated feature. When my Aunt Rose took me to see it I …
I was tickled by comedian and actor Jerry Stiller when he appeared on “Seinfeld” as George Castanza’s father. Just looking and listening to him made me laugh. So I followed him to another sitcom — “The King of Queens” — where he did his shtick as the irascible Arthur Spooner. I even enjoyed his barking …
When I was invited to a media event there were two reasons that made me anxious to attend. My friend, who is an undaunted driver, was willing to buck the horrendous New York City traffic because we both wanted to see and hear our longtime favorite jazz guitarist, Bucky Pizzarrelli. Another reason was to see …
Enough Said is one of the last movies James Gandolfini made before he died of a heart attack at the age of 51 on June 10. It was a poignant experience yet a great one to see Gandolfini’s face again. It reminded me anew that the bearish New Jersey native whom I first fell in …
Finally Frank’s movie theater brought a star-studded historical Oscar-worthy drama to Bayonne. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” although not a masterpiece, is worth sitting through. A star-spangled film, it strives to make a serious statement about race, class, and politics. “The Butler” is inspired by true stories about the civil rights movement. Actor Forest Whitaker does …
He’s a film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor, and producer. Most folks know him as the creator of broad film farces and comic parodies: “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “High Anxiety” to name a few. Having read this far you probably know that I’m referring to Mel Brooks who has collected awards across the spectrum—an …
Since I am more into the American Songbook and not into contemporary R & B, I was not fully aware of the talents of the dynamic Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. My eyes and ears were opened to the pop diva when she sang at President Obama’s first inaugural dance. Happily, she sang one of my favorite …
Admittedly I’m a diehard “Mad Men” fan. As I waited not too patiently for its penultimate season to begin I wondered if it would be as good as I had remembered it. If you recall the falling man in the show’s opening credits, I felt as if Don Draper (John Hamm. What a name for …