Lewis Taunts SVU From the Grave
One week after SVU's heroine survived the ultimate physical danger, the show plunked her in the middle of a legal and emotional dilemma almost as dangerous. I admit, I had doubts about the premise of...
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Watch What Happens When 'Home' Comes On the Radio
Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano, better known as LA-based music duo Johnnyswim, released their first full-length album, Diamonds, on Tuesday. While driving down the freeway that day, they heard their...
View ArticleHere's Looking at You, Kids
Even under the best of circumstances, creating an original musical is tough sledding. But the writers of children's musicals face a special artistic challenge: To build an audience, they need to mount...
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DVDs: The Citizen Kane of TV Dramas? Hill Street Blues
HILL STREET BLUES: THE COMPLETE SERIES ($199.99 DVD; Shout Factory) -- On January 15, 1981, I was a 14-year-old kid living in South Florida. At the time, I probably thought I was savvy and informed...
View ArticleFrane Selak: The Luckiest Unlucky Man to Ever Live
Strange but true, this is an unbelievable tale of survival and cosmic karma.
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The Force IS Strong With Women
Celebrations erupted from a galaxy far, far away all the way to our own this week as the producers of the highly anticipated (or possibly dreaded) Star Wars: Episode VII announced the cast list for the...
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DJ/Writer Sacha 'Son Raw' Orenstein Brings Fresh Sounds and Insights to the...
Photo by Sabina Tang As technology has progressed, the artistic quality of the DJ has been lessened due to the ease of becoming one. All it takes to call oneself a DJ these days are two turntables, an...
View ArticleMay, 1969: My Parents Accost The Who's Pete Townshend in the Lobby of the...
This story took place 45 years ago! Time just keeps plowing forward, doesn't it. It's a lava flow... scary. Meeting at the end of the 1940s, my parents were an almost comically archetypical New York...
View ArticleWATCH: Indianapolis Jones Premiers Glowing New Video
Musician Tim Smith has been all over the map sharing the stage as a performer in the highly influential power pop group Jellyfish, as well as with Sheryl Crow and Noel Gallagher. Now he has joined...
View ArticleEsquire, Drunk Jennifer Lawrence Doesn't Need Your Advice
Esquire writer Ned Hepburn is very, very concerned about Jennifer Lawrence. Specifically, about her drinking habits. More specifically, about a time during this year's awards season when she allegedly...
View ArticleBringing Slavery Into the Heart of Jane Austen
Getting a screenplay from page to screen can be a long process, and this is doubly so when the subject is so different. In 2004 I conceived a Jane Austenesque, costume-drama feature film with a black...
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The Story Behind the Convergence of Social Media and Country Music: Jessica...
Ever noticed how social media stories in the news tend to focus on user numbers, stock prices and PR disasters? In actuality, some of the most fascinating social media stories explore how people are...
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Ray Harryhausen: An Appreciation
Photo credit: The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation genius who learned his craft from Willis O'Brien, the man who invented King Kong, died a year ago,...
View ArticleJack Bauer Is Back and He's a Jumpin' Jack Flash!
Jack is back and he is a jumpin' Jack flash as he sets up business on the streets of London. It has been four years since we have seen the adventures of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and his return...
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From Alabama Shakes to R&B Divas, Women Rock Jazz Fest
"Ask me how I'm doin? I'm doin alright. I will remain alright. Cause this is up to ME," said Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes, whose soulful set was quite alright with a huge audience as she...
View Article'Belle': An Austenesque with a Racial Twist
The name of this utterly charming movie conjures images of the Disney cartoon feature with a brunette cartoon star singing in the library. Dido Belle, however, was a real life mixed race woman, smart...
View ArticleIs Redemption Possible for Anybody in 'Game of Thrones'
"ONE OF the things I wanted to explore [with my characters] is the whole issue of redemption. When can we be redeemed? Is redemption even possible? I don't have an answer. But when do we forgive...
View ArticleMay The Fourth Bring Forth More Female Jedi
Many girls dreamed of being a Disney princess -- I wanted to be a Jedi Knight. I have this vague memory of being 9 or 10, standing in our neighborhood grocery story, amidst the gossip magazines and the...
View ArticleWinter Is Coming: Teaching Net Assessment in Game of Thrones
Is Game of Thrones soap Opera or literature? Nobody knows just yet, but we know this truth: literature has the knack of telling us who we are, just when we really need stories that tell us why we are...
View ArticleIn Fed Up Katie Couric Gets Behind a Film You Can't Afford Not to See
So you think that opting for Lo Fat items at the market and hitting the gym will keep you in fighting form? Fed Up, an essential documentary narrated and executive produced by Katie Couric and directed...
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