DJ Kalkutta's New Year's Eve Playlist: 10 Songs to Ring In 2014
2013 - what a year! We laughed, we cried, we saw parts of Miley Cyrus we can never un-see. Now 2014 is looming and the days are numbered til that Times Square Ball drops harder than a Beyoncé album....
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Men With Balls
John Waters: There's something perpetually endearing about a guy -- now 67 -- who refuses to grow up and with a sensibility that makes most hipster-denizens of Williamsburg absolutely prudish by...
View ArticleNever Irrelevant: Beyoncé Does it Again
It was around nine p.m. on Thursday, December 12 when I saw my friend's Facebook Status, "BEYONCE DROPPED FULL ALBUM WITH VIDEOS ON ITUNES" There was just no way. I hadn't heard about her releasing a...
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Dream 13 of '13: Top Albums, Favorite Artists of the Year
This year in music was all about playing favorites. Oh, occasionally a few artists who were a delightful pleasure to hear for the first time managed to move in among the familiar faces. But, for the...
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Kanye West Is Finally Getting What He Deserves
Kanye West is a larger-than-life figure, a self-proclaimed god, and according to him, the biggest rockstar on the planet. Whether or not you agree with him is a different story, but the reality is you...
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Love Considers A$AP Rocky
It was a shock to see newcomer A$AP Rocky, one of 2013's biggest stories, overlooked during the recently announced Grammy nominations. In fact, beyond "Fuckin' Problems" scoring a Best Rap Song...
View ArticlePretty Hurts. Resolving to Fight Perfection
"Perfection is a disease of a nation." -- Beyoncé I'm writing this post at one o'clock in the morning after having one of the greatest epiphanies of my life. It might seem simple to most people, but to...
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On the "A" w/Souleo: R&B Divas: L.A. Star Leela James Talks New Music
Leela James hasn't decided on the title of her forthcoming album, but if her current state is anything to go by, then perhaps the word, "good," should be somewhere in the title. She recently joined the...
View ArticleIt's Not the Scandal, But the Backlash
I'm not a Duck Dynasty watcher, but I've got no particular beef with those that are. And I didn't have any particular beef with the "cast members" until recently. For those who have been on a media...
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Peter Tosh Remembered: A Conversation with Niambe McIntosh, A Chat with The...
photo courtesy ada-music A Conversation with Niambe McIntosh Mike Ragogna: What do you think of Peter's impact on reggae music? Niambe McIntosh: I think that Peter took reggae music to places far...
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Huffington Magazine This Week: Photographic Memories
In this week's special photo issue, we pause to reflect on the year's most memorable moments. During a time when "twerking" eclipsed coverage of the war in Syria, and our government literally stopped...
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Dog Ears Music: Resolution & Regret Playlist
John Coltrane Song: Pt. II-Resolution Album: A Love Supreme (Deluxe Edition) Genre: Jazz Buy: iTunes.com Vitamin String Quartet Song: Regret Album: The String Quartet Tribute to New Order & Joy...
View ArticleThe Filmmaker and the Pirate Negotiator: A Curious Case
When you get your first call from the FBI, you never forget it. The conversation usually starts off as if it were a bill collector, but the voice on the other end of the line sounds more like special...
View ArticleWATCH: This Choir Might Restore Your Faith in Humanity
At first glance, a choir may seem like nothing more than a group of singers. But look a little closer. Conductor Eric Whitacre's performers don't simply sing. They remind us of what it means to be...
View ArticleCharisma and Character of Public Figures Define Documentaries of 2013
There's nothing like a film about a champion. Two surprisingly fascinating documentary films about two extraordinary people were released this year: Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way, directed by the...
View ArticleMarvin Hamlisch Loved Sweets
The entertaining PBS portrait of composer Marvin Hamlisch, aptly titled, "What He Did For Love," provides the music, his method for creating it, and the man. Fortunately for producer Dori Berinstein,...
View ArticleIn the Writing #4: Why Justified 's Dialogue is Best-in-Television
A recurring discussion of writing and literary technique in television and film. In The Elements of Screenwriting, Irwin Blacker explains that dialogue should serve four basic functions: move the...
View ArticleLandon Romano: Vine Famous?
Fame without fortune? That is like wine without cheese or peanut butter without jelly. Not many will ever see their fifteen minutes of fame, and doubtless, no one wants to suffer enough socio-personal...
View ArticleSaving Mr. Banks: Is This Possible?
Spoiler Alert: Going to see the movie Saving Mr. Banks, starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, is not like going to Disney World. Well, it is like going to Disney World if you go mid-August with your...
View ArticleGrudge Match is Disappointing
I had been looking forward to Grudge Match ever since I saw the coming attraction for it a couple of months ago. Starring Sylvester Stallone (now 67) and Robert De Niro (now 70), it promised to be...
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