HE WAS once called “God’s Rottweiler,” but the entanglement of scandal that has become Pope Benedict’s reign and will be his legacy is now morphing into the stuff of potboiler melodrama. Think Godfather III, the reality show edition. The paper claims that around the time that Pope Benedict decided to step down, the pontiff learned [...]
Tag Archives | culture
Hillary Clinton’s Office, The Website
HILLARYCLINTON.COM now directs people to “Click here to reach the office of Hillary Clinton.” The second run to become the first female president in U.S. history… awaits. At least many of us hope so. It’s not a coronation, as is charged. As I’ve written before, many a Democratic man I have voted for had fewer [...]
Tonight’s Music… Gin Wigmore.
A FRIEND just introduced me to Gin Wigmore after seeing her, ensconced in the second row and then meeting her after the concert. Jimmy Kimmel gave her the spotlight earlier this week. Wigmore’s music would fit perfectly with “GIRLS.”
“The Americans” on FX, A Cold War Ride
IT’S THE new series on FX and the only spy show on TV actually created by a former spy. It’s creator is former CIA agent and “Falling Skies” writer Joe Weisberg. The opening sequence is worth the whole debut episode, for my money, which takes you on a ride back to the bad old days [...]
New York Icon, The Mayor of the City I Knew, Ed Koch Passes
“I’m the sort of person who will never get ulcers,” the mayor — eyebrows devilishly up, grinning wickedly at his own wit — enlightened the reporters at his $475 rent-controlled apartment in Greenwich Village on Inauguration Day in 1978. “Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I’m the sort of person who might give [...]
HBO’s “GIRLS” has Conservatives Tied in Knots, But That’s Not All [Video]
Ep. 14: Preview THIS IS too precious for words. I just couldn’t stop smiling. And rolling my eyes. Then just gave up and started laughing. When Brietbart.com has a blaring headline like… IGNORE LENA DUNHAM’S ‘GIRLS’ AT YOUR OWN PERIL, CONSERVATIVES You know something big, fat an hilariously overwrought is going to follow. Because when [...]
Katie Couric’s Solid Interview with Manti Te’o, While Questions Remain on Notre Dame [Videos]
Hoax mastermind Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, posing as the mysterious Lennay Kekua, was the falsetto voice on the other end of the all-night phone calls with the Notre Dame star, the scammer’s lawyer said. The Heisman Trophy finalist “thought it was a female he was talking with,” lawyer Milton Grimes acknowledged to the Daily News. “It was [...]
Talk About Beyoncé’s Lip Syncing the National Anthem Goes Viral
Beyoncé sang the national anthem at yesterday’s inauguration ceremony for President Obama and received overwhelming praise for her performance, ranging from Business Insider (“It was just amazing”) to TMZ (“f*cking awesome”). But to close observers, it appeared the performer was not singing live. To press seated just below the podium, in front of the “President’s [...]
Shame on Bill Clinton
“Do not patronize the passionate supporters of your opponents by looking down your nose at them,” Clinton said. “A lot of these people live in a world very different from the world lived in by the people proposing these things,” Clinton said. “I know because I come from this world.” – Bill Clinton to Democrats: [...]
Tonight’s Music: President Obama’s Inaugural Playlist, and…
Watch out Beyonce and Katy Perry. There’s another diva set to performing during the inauguration festivities — Lady Gaga. A person familiar with the inauguration tells The Associated Press that the pop star will perform at Tuesday’s ball for White House staffers. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because that person wasn’t authorized to [...]
“Scandal’s” Graphic Torture Scene Nobody is Talking About But A Lot of People Saw
Huck is in a hole, Hollis is in the crosshairs, and Harrison is a gladiator in a suit — this is how you resume a show after a holiday break! – Scandal Recap: Letters, Ligature Marks, and Liars [New York Magazine] THE DISHY D.C. political melodrama “Scandal” is back and this week’s episode was a [...]
David Bowie’s Lush “Where Are We Now?” [Video]
IT’S HIS 66th birthday, but we get the gift. It’s also Elvis Presley’s birthday (TCM aired some of his movies today). But Bowie’s very much alive and he’s not only unleashing a new song, but a new album, too. The song, available on iTunes and free to view on his re-launched website, was recorded in [...]
Painting by Titian of Doctor Who Named “Syphilis” Rediscovered
ANYONE WHO savors art, especially the more erotically sensual varieties as the paintings of Titian (Tiziano Vecellio as he’s known by Italians), will appreciate this piece in the UK Guardian. The rediscovered painting above is of Girolamo Fracastoro, the doctor who coined the name for the virulent sexually transmitted disease that hit Venice back in [...]
Matt Damon’s “Promised Land” no “China Syndrome”
“Promised Land,” which was written by Matt Damon and the actor John Krasinski (with initial help from Dave Eggers), offers observations on something not often seen in movies—the contrasting morality between caring desperately about your work and simply doing it competently and collecting a paycheck. The movie makes the case for both. This is one [...]
Tarantino’s Epic “Django Unchained” and the Culture Nags [Spoiler Alert]
… 75 percent of everyone polled said it isn’t Congress’ or the president’s role to pressure Hollywood to make less-violent movies and TV shows. [...] Meanwhile, 68 percent of liberals say the NRA bears more blame than Hollywood, but 74 percent of conservatives blame Hollywood more than gun-ownership advocates. However, 60 percent of all respondents [...]
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