How Important Is It to See Minorities in Movies?
By Jia Ling Guan; she is a 15-year-old sophomore at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago. She was born in Guandong, China and is a participant in The OpEd Project's Youth Narrating Our World. I often...
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Day 2 at Santa Barbara International Film Festival!
As always with Film Festivals, you race to go see one film and the room is full so you hop into another theatre, seeing a film you hadn't expected and end up being so glad you did! Such was the case...
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Serious Journalism and That Baby From "American Sniper"
This is a fake baby. (Photo credit: Alena Dvorakova) Riveted to the screen, I am awestruck by this suspenseful, humanized version of what war does to people when suddenly, my 'out-of-body' cinema...
View Article"Birdman:" A Triumph of Self-Consciousness
If there were an Academy Award for self-conscious film direction, Birdman would win hands down. The movie is shot as if in one continuous, nearly-two-hour take, with occasional changes of scene, but no...
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Opening Night at the Santa Barbara Film Festival!
Opening Night at the Arlington Theatre on State Street in the heart of Santa Barbara began with a greeting from Helene Schneider, the Mayor of Santa Barbara. Ms. Schneider spoke before a sold-out...
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7 Celebrities Most Likely to Buy a Home in 2015
Most people buy a home and plan to live in it for at least a few years, but we all know that many celebrities change homes as often as they change outfits. Here are our predictions for stars who are...
View ArticleLike Other Major Events, Grammys Cracking Down on Ticket Scalping
It's a feud that's gone on for decades - the constant battle between primary sellers and scalpers looking to provide the best possible ticket deals for consumers. Mending walls will probably never be...
View ArticleAre British Actors Superiorly Talented and More Desirable, Than American Actors?
It took watching a recent Academy Award nominated film to put forth the following question. Are British actors superior in both talent and desirability, in most cases, than American actors? And it is...
View ArticleThe Sony Hack, Gender Pay Gap and the Agents' Role
Congrats to Charlize Theron for reportedly negotiating an equal paycheck to her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth, for The Huntsman. According to some reports, Ms. Theron used the Sony Hack to help...
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Why Am I So Hooked On Empire?
"Empire" is what everyone told me love was. It will sneak up on you unexpectedly and surprise you when you are least looking for it. Comparing "Empire" to love is a little dramatic, but I am hooked....
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Kat Dahlia's My Garden Review
She blew us away with the her 2013 single "Gangsta" and landed on the Latin Airplay chart with "Crazy." Now two years after signing with music label Vested in Culture and Epic records, Kat Dahlia has...
View ArticleIf E.T. Comes Calling
So what happens if the aliens land? Here, on Earth. I'm not talking about detecting a radio signal or a laser flash from hundreds of light-years away. I'm speaking of visitors who actually set their...
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American Horror Story's Unfulfilling Smorgasbord of Gore
This year's American Horror Story gave us a serial killer clown, a serial killer "song and dance man," two pinheads, a tattooed seal, a bearded lady, a three-breasted woman, a double amputee, a...
View ArticleAtwitter With Dan Stevens: House of SpeakEasy
"Are there any thespians in the house?" asked Simon Doonan at City Winery for the second annual House of SpeakEasy gala on Wednesday night, looking for sympathy. The writer and window dresser long...
View ArticleThe Loft Is So Much Better Than You Think It Is Going to Be
The Loft is a surprisingly entertaining film that keeps the audience in the dark as to its villain(s) until the very end. The fact the ending is logical and difficult to anticipate makes this movie an...
View ArticleHere's Everything You Need to Know About What's Going on With Bruce Jenner in...
No matter how many outlets -- from trashy gossip rags to (supposedly) reputable entertainment magazines -- make claims about Bruce Jenner's current "journey," as Kim Kardashian recently put it, citing...
View ArticleWhy Aren't All Commercials As Good As The Super Bowl Ones?
From a car-starting Darth Vader kid, to a football playing Betty White, to a horse befriending dog, Super Bowl ads have entertained, shocked, and even moved us. Even ads from decades ago still have us...
View ArticleInterview: Director Kevin Macdonald on Black Sea
Kevin Macdonald directed one of my absolute favorite movies of the last ten years, the twisty political thriller State of Play. As such, I was especially excited when I had opportunity to chat with the...
View ArticleFACE IT: Let's Talk About Talking About Sex
The New York Times recently led its "Review" section with a very long, data-filled summation of where men and women stand on the subject of sex. Alongside pieces on "How Auschwitz is Misunderstood" and...
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D'Angelo Makes SNL Matter for a Few Mesmerizing Minutes
D'Angelo raises a power salute during his second SNL performance Saturday Night Live became relevant again for about five minutes during Episode 13 of its 40th season. But it wasn't the writers or the...
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