Top 57 Reasons to Watch the 57th Annual Grammy Awards
Okay, let's get real, we're all far too busy for all 57 Reasons To Watch The 57th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday night on CBS, so let's focus on my top 7. This is my 15th year working on the Grammys, and...
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Podcast Review: The Pauly Shore Podcast Show
Pauly Shore's back and podcasting's got him... again. This freewheeling comedian -- and scion of The Comedy's Store's owner Mitzi Shore -- recently launched The Pauly Shore Podcast Show as part of the...
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The Berlinale Diaries: Opening Night and Why Cinema Can Heal the World
Juliette Binoche and Rinko Kikuchi in a still from Nobody Wants the Night, photo by © Leandro Betancor I'll admit I'm going into the Berlinale film festival with a heavy heart. I'm watching more and...
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Grey's Anatomy Recap: Let's Print Derek in "The Bed's Too Big Without You"
Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 11, Episode 8 and 9 of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, titled "Where Do We Go From Here" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You" This season, we are riding a super...
View ArticleSelma Actress Tara Ochs Speaks on Frustrations With Racism and 'Oscar Snub'
Actress Tara Ochs is the quintessential working artist, landing modest roles in independent films, commercials, television and regional theatre for the past 20 years. Being cast alongside Oprah Winfrey...
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The Americans Recap: Breaking Down Bodies in 'Baggage'
NOTE: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 3, Episode 2, of FX's The Americans, titled "Baggage." Apart from the fact that this was one of those episodes that makes me want to buy a new TV...
View ArticleWhat Rap Music Has Taught Me About Entrepreneurship
ONE. LET YOUR DREAMS SCARE YOU. "I'm a monster, I'm a maven, I know this world is changin'. Never gave in, never give up, I'm the only thing I'm afraid of." Amazing - Kanye West Don't let anyone tell...
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A Few Words With the Lord
Public Enemy's 'Unfuckwitable' DJ Talks Spreading His Wings With Eat The Rat and Life with the PE Crew *** CJ: M'Lord! Where are you now and what are you doing? LA: Uh, I'm just here in my Lab in...
View ArticleThe Most Public Gender Transition Ever?
For those of us of a certain age who once exulted in his success and never thought we'd see him again, this is a surprise homecoming. For those of us who hid behind a cloak of exaggerated masculinity...
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Thank You Brian Williams For Making Misremembering Legit
I would like to thank Brian Williams for helping me understand why I do what I sometimes do. No, I do not exaggerate the stories I report on, and no, I do not outright fabricate things, possibly to...
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Chinese New Year of The Ram Celebration in Downtown L.A.
The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is a time to celebrate change and honor ancestors. Following a lunisolar calendar, the Chinese New Year does not fall on the same day every year. Usually...
View ArticleLearning I Had Congenital Heart Disease
It was the spring of 1981, I was 3 weeks old and my 27-year-old mother brought me in for a well-baby check up. After listening to my outrageously loud heart beat the doctor told her, "I don't think...
View ArticleDeke Dickerson's 'The Strat in the Attic 1 & 2': The Definitive Study of...
I collect guitars. Or, as it has seemed over the last few decades, maybe they collect me. This is not just a glib bullshit Snappy Opener. I'll explain... First, if for absolutely no other reason than...
View ArticleWaiting for the Walking Dead: 6 Related Films to Get You Through Sunday
If you find yourself "jonesing" for your Walking Dead fix, and if Sunday night seems just a little too far away, then this post is for you. Keep in mind, however, the following important points: 1. You...
View ArticleAmerican Sniper and the War Story We Cannot Tell
Paul Rieckoff wrote of American Sniper: Most of America is tired of hearing about Iraq. But now, they're at least open to being entertained by it. And as an activist and as a veteran, I'm OK with that....
View ArticleGrammy Preview: The Actual Best Albums of 2014
Who needs the Grammys when you've got me? Ignore that popularity contest and check out some of my favorite albums of 2014. Perhaps every list of the best albums of the year should be labeled "The Best...
View ArticleHBO's Sheila Nevins Between Awards: An Interview
What an impressive record of documentaries on the subject of addiction! Then again, what an impressive record of documentaries! Last week, Phoenix House honored President of HBO's Documentary Films...
View ArticleMy Picks For Gospel Winners at the Grammys
This year's Grammys has a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new, as far as gospel music nominees. As is the case with any kind of music, both spiritual/Gospel and secular, it is...
View ArticleTexas in Paris: The Odd Couple at Saint Peter's
Paris may be exotic to many, but two visitors touring with their music in 1989 had opposite takes: for Osceola Mays, (Lillias White) untrained singer from Dallas formed by gospel at church and a...
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The Berlinale Diaries: Jafar Panahi's Taxi, Breathe Umphefumlo and the True...
A still from Taxi by Jafar Panahi I'll admit it can take just one film to usually convince me to come to a film festival. In the case of this year's Berlinale, it was Jafar Panahi's Taxi. I knew I...
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