8.28.2018 How ‘Sharp Objects’ ultimately lost its teeth and cheated viewers in the process
Warning: Spoilers. Oh, so many spoilers about the full season of Sharp Objects below. Sharp Objects, the adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s (Gone Girl) first novel just wrapped up its one and only season on Sunday. Having missed most of its original run, I blazed through it in just a couple of days, and let’s just…
Read More8.20.18 ‘Your misfortune is my good fortune’: How Ed Sherin made ‘Law & Order’ TV’s best damn show, for a time
If you loved Law & Order, you had to love Ed Sherin. Even if you didn’t know what he did on the show (directed dozens of episodes and produced over 160 episodes of both the original and SVU) you certainly saw his name up there in the opening show credits. Directors and producers of TV…
Read More7.12.18 Why billionaires are not your financial angels, or your moral compass
Did you hear the news? Flint, Michigan’s water supply is going to be saved. Elon Musk said so in a tweet. So you know everything’s going to be all right. Cue the Bob Marley music. Now, let’s take a breath and understand why – even if Musk does come through on his internet promise, even…
Read More6.29.18 ‘Westworld,’ ‘Humans’ forget to ask the big question: What does a robot want?
(Warning: Somewhat spoilery.) What does a robot want? In this time of real-world troubles among flesh-and-blood humans, I suppose it’s easier to think about robot needs and wishes, of androids dreaming of electric sheep. To consider where Westworld thinks its going, and about the hole Humans appears to have fallen into. And so …. As…
Read More6.13.18 We are officially old: Simon Le Bon is a Glamfather. Er, Grandfather
Duran Duran fans, it’s official: We are old. How do I know this? Because — as had to happen eventually — Simon Le Bon became a grandfather on June 6. I figure there are stages in the life of teen fandom: You find the object of affection (OOA) You lust after OOA You write fanfic…
Read More5.22.18 How To Review Your Friend’s Book in 5 Easy Steps, and Why Authors Keep Asking You To
A friend writes: “Someone close to me has self-published her book and asked me to write a review. I helped her with edits years ago, but haven’t read it since she published. It wasn’t really my style, but I was happy to help. I have no idea what to write for a review. We’re trying…
Read More5.17.18 9 Ways I Know ‘Book Club’ Will Stink, Based on the Poster
Last night, Dear Husband and I were talking about what we might do this weekend. (We still haven’t seen Black Panther, which is a stain on our character, and that is probably what will happen.) But then he brought up Book Club. I’m not sure if my eyes dropped out right then or a few…
Read More5.13.18 How a musical called ‘Chess’ keeps making all the wrong moves after 34 years
Chess is not a great musical. It is not even one of Tim Rice’s greatest musicals. But if you’ve ever heard “One Night in Bangkok” or “I Know Him So Well,” you know this: it’s got some pretty awesome 1980s-era pop music. And I love it dearly. How could I not? Along with Rice, the…
Read More04.03.18 Farewell Steven Bochco, who knew TV audiences wanted to be ‘transported’
He was the man behind Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law and Cop Rock. OK, nobody’s perfect. But Steven Bochco, who died of a rare form of leukemia on April 1 at age 74, bridged classic old TV procedurals with a new, edgy way of storytelling that was also hugely commercial. As I grew…
Read More3.31.18 Shiny, Happy, Drunken People … and a Dash of Racism
Surely, no one wants to read about my first cruise. But if you do, then you are totally in the right place. This is a long one, so settle in, won’tcha? Also, here’s a shortcut to a few high- and low-lights: Food Drinks Activities Off-Ship Entertainment The Ugly In Conclusion Ah, cruising. When I was…
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