Cat Power convinced me I might be wrong, or maybe just short-sighted. In the past, I’ve enjoyed certain songs from Lana Del Rey (usually the expected culprits), but I didn’t consider her an artist of real significance, someone who demanded … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Norman Fucking Rockwell
Panic in Year Zero (Ray Milland, 1962). This Cold War drama, one of a handful of films directed by Ray Milland, takes a fascinating approach to its tale of U.S. society in the immediate aftermath of nuclear weapons leveling a … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Panic in Year Zero; Searching; Stronger
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Dolly Parton was well-acquainted with the top … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “But You Know I Love You”
648. David Byrne, The Catherine Wheel (1981) In September, 1981, next to an ad for the retrograde comedy Carbon Copy (in which George Segal plays a man who is shocked to discover he has a black, adult son, played by … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #648 to #645
They Are What You Eat by Caity Weaver Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the past couple weeks in a unique vocational space that I so enjoyed Caity Weaver’s tour through the offices of Focus Brands, the company that specializes in … Continue reading Outside Reading — Fudgie Ho! edition
I should be taking this space to expound at length on the fascinating songwriting style of Sophie Allison, in particular the way her dreamy approach to a thick indie rock sound helps render direct emotional sentiments that are familiar of … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Soccer Mommy, “Lucy”
Since great television comedy always begins with the script, this series of posts considers the individual episodes that have claimed the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series over the years. For many people, myself included, recognition … Continue reading Golden Words — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “Pilot”
These posts are about great acting performances sustained across the full run of a television series. Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates in Bates Motel (2013 – 2017) In direct opposition to the apparent certainty that it is easy to replicate … Continue reading The Long Haul — Freddie Highmore in Bates Motel
In its overarching narrative, Veep was designed to stay locked into place. Created by Armando Iannucci, who was essentially striving for the U.S. equivalent on his scathing satire of British politics The Thick of It, the new comedy series looked … Continue reading That Championship Season — Veep, Season Five
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. The primacy of one particular periodical in my pop culture–obsessed youth can’t be overstated. There was a … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — TV Guide listings ads
