Tuesday, June 27 2006
Snakes, Planes and the Triumph of Ironic Appreciation
Does the Snakes on a Plane phenomenon signal the End of Days in Hollywood?
Monday, June 26 2006
Agenda of a Broadcasting Company
Think ABC has a hidden agenda against the positive depiction of African Americans in its hit shows? According to this purported communiqué from network brass, it sure seems like it.
Friday, June 23 2006
She Thinks She’s Edith Head
With her severe onyx bangs, owly blue-tint sunglasses and mirthless, tightlipped mien, this classic Hollywood costumer was more recognizable than her designs... and that's exactly how she wanted it.
Thursday, June 22 2006
And I’m Proud to be an American, Where at Least I Know… I’m a Second Class Citizen
A hard lesson in resolve: gay-basher Fred Phelps may have one 'quality', if you will, worth considering.
Wednesday, June 21 2006
Talk of the Town
Cober-Lake speaks with Chris Pugmire of the Seattle band Shoplifting about politics' place in punk rock, the role of men in feminism, and the dangerous power of language.
Tuesday, June 20 2006
The “Other” Football: Watching America Watching the World Cup
From the Cheap Seats -- The 'Other' Football: Watching America Watching the World Cup -- As the FIFA World Cup plays out in Germany this month, the disparity between American interest in 'soccer' and the rest of the world's passion for 'football' is felt now more keenly than ever.
Monday, June 19 2006
And Baby Makes a Mess
In which Sandra Oh inadvertently scares our columnist to death in a new play that's 'like birth control'.
Friday, June 16 2006
Legends of the Fang
Want to know why Richard Matheson's I am Legend is one of the most important horror novels of all time? Our resident scare scholar offers up this comprehensive overview of the man, the book, and the enduring legacy.
Thursday, June 15 2006
From the Beautiful Game to le beau jeu
On French footballers playing in England, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Wednesday, June 14 2006
Prime Location: How Sitcom Settings Add to the Fun
As British sitcoms move higher on the endangered species list, a small number of successful programs are relying on geographic familiarity to attract (and maintain) UK viewers.
Tuesday, June 13 2006
The Battle for M. Night Shyamalan’s Artistic Soul
As the weather heats up outside, all summer blockbuster eyes will be on M. Night Shyamalan's latest epic of the ethereal. But the big question is, Will it be a return to form? Or the final nail in his creative coffin?
Monday, June 12 2006
Little America’s Term of Love
While peering 'down' at Australia from on-high (or rather, up north) through one's proverbial binoculars, one might get the impression this country is closer to North America -- perhaps uncomforably closer -- than mere geography might imply. Hummel hopes that is but a trick of the light... and other changeable circumstances.
Friday, June 9 2006
The Devil’s Music: Franz Liszt’s Musical Representation of Mephistopheles
Liszt's Faust symphony offers a solution to the conundrum that faced so many Romantic and post-Romantic composers: how does one create a musical form that continually and progressively unfolds and yet manages to hold together, to be all 'of a piece'?
Thursday, June 8 2006
The Underground Empire
Are the outposts of underground culture -- bookstores, record stores, etc. -- places where American curiosity and enthusiasm are kept alive, or places where ingrained snobbery is allowed to snuff it out?
Wednesday, June 7 2006
The Trouble with (Net)Time Travel
It's the ultimate in entertainment options when Netflix and the time-space continuum collide.
Cancelled Companions
Does it seem like every interesting, innovative series that you adore and worship gets yanked before its time? According to this rabid small screen fangirl, you are not alone.
Tuesday, June 6 2006
Big Girl Blues
In the realm of enormous breasts, she had no equal. But there is more to this grindhouse icon's enduring qualities than oversized boobs... or is there?
Monday, June 5 2006
Coming Out of the Hazy Past
Even as black America continues to battle crime, violence, and death from within and hostile political and economic policy from beyond, it can be useful to occasionally look back through the haze and marvel at the richness of our individual stories. Two such stories: Floyd Patterson and Fats Domino.
Thursday, June 1 2006
Bradbury on Fire
Though it was written over a half century ago, and the only film adaptation was helmed during the tumultuous and turbulent '60s, Fahrenheit 451 remains a classic sci-fi treasure. Our literary lady of letters believes that now just might be the right time for a remake.
Wednesday, May 31 2006
Postcard from Beijing
The Lovely Club and Mao's Tomb not only seem like two different Chinas from on another -- they seem to be on two different planets.
