Madonna At Halftime: What It Takes To Last
Madonna is just about the only thing I remember about the Super Bowl last night, and interestingly, it made me think about the fact that she’s just about the only thing I remember about Live Aid, which was more than 25 years ago. Notwithstanding the specific images that would come to define her — Marilyn [...]
‘Stay Awake’: Stories On Grief And Everything After
Grieving is a series of a million heartbreaks. Every morning, you wake, temporarily freed of the memory of what you’ve lost, only to have the memory rush in and crush you all over again. Mourning meddles with sleep and thought; it makes an hour feel like a month, and a year seem like a lifetime. [...]
‘The Fear Index’ Trades In Thrills
When British novelist Robert Harris set out a couple of years ago to write his next thriller, he drew inspiration from George Orwell’s 1984. He wanted to explore how humans fall victim to the domineering forces of their time. In this age of economic distress, he set his sights on global finance. As he wrote, [...]
How Whitey Bulger Corrupted The Justice System
When Whitey Bulger was captured last year, he’d spent close to 20 years on the run — and on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Bulger was the head of an Irish gang terrorizing the streets of South Boston. The Massachusetts State Police wanted him gone, but curiously couldn’t touch him. Why? Bulger was a confidential [...]
A Tale Of Two Centuries: Charles Dickens Turns 200
Charles Dickens — one of the most beloved storytellers in the English language — was born 200 years ago Tuesday. He was a comic genius and a social reformer whose novels made him famous in his own time, and continue as classics in ours. At the Morgan Library in New York, the Dickens bicentennial celebration [...]
Rearranging The Deck Chairs On The Anti-Tic
On-Air Challenge: Each clue contains at least one seven-letter word. Rearrange the letters in that word to answer the clue. Last Week’s Challenge from listener Ed Pegg Jr.: Write the digits from 1 to 9 in a line. If you put times signs after the 2 and 4, a plus sign after the 5, and [...]
Media ‘Miracle’: The ‘Big’ Story Of Three Whales
In October 1988, the big news was presidential politics — the race between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis was in its final weeks — but a dramatic whale rescue was about to captivate the world. This story is the focus of a movie now in theaters starring Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. It’s called [...]
This One’s For The Chicken: A Super Bowl Party With A Purpose
This Sunday will mark the 16th annual installment of “Chicken Bowl,” my Super Bowl party, which doubles as a grand fried-chicken-eating contest. As many as 80 friends, coworkers, enablers and hangers-on will cram into my long-suffering house for this noble occasion. But even with all the extravagances I’ve cobbled together to keep them happy — [...]
Director Ti West Talks Slow Horror, ‘The Innkeepers’
There’s a kind of horror movie you don’t have to be a horror fan to enjoy: The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby are a couple of examples; but The House of the Devil, a film from three years ago, might belong on that list as well. House, about a seriously unlucky babysitter who reluctantly takes a [...]
Actor Gary Oldman Plays Not My Job
It was a huge surprise in Hollywood last week when actor Gary Oldman got an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — people weren’t surprised that he was nominated, but they were shocked that this was the first time. We’ve invited Oldman to answer three questions about Up With People [...]
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