The Hollywood think is one glittery rut
Once again, to the delight of publicists, entertainment reporters, clothing designers, and the various people who really make movies — bankers, lawyers, agents, accountants, etc. — next Sunday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents its annual awards ceremony, more familiarly known as Oscar night. The moment represents the film industry’s own depthless…
Rolling out the beige carpet
It went largely unnoticed by most media outlets, but the 1st Annual Daynas were held recently in my tiny apartment. It was a rather casual affair — no sequins or tuxes allowed, and the invitees and I dined on tuna sandwiches, nacho cheese Doritos, and Ovaltine (the chocolate malt kind). I didn’t have any swanky…
Hitting the high notes
The history of jazz may be a field of study to most of us, but not to Clark Terry. He’s lived it. Over the past eight decades Terry has brought his trumpet — and his voice — into just about every possible setting on the jazz landscape. In small groups and big bands, Terry has…
The depths of a shallow cool
It certainly has been the winter of my discontent so far: slim pickins for shows. I’m getting a little stir crazy. The last month was peppered with a few musical highlights. Jazz chanteuse Jane Monheit warbled in front of two sold-out crowds and in front of a killer band whose drummer (Monheit’s ball and chain)…
Xx Files
It’s tempting to gloss over the news because, well, it’s depressing. And hard to follow. All that policy stuff. All those numbers. As a woman, I have a brain which — any Harvard president will tell you — can barely recall my own phone number, never mind conceive of all those facts and figures. The…
The Pataki budget: Bush Lite?
So you think the new Bush federal budget is a disaster? A closer look at the New York State budget proposed by Governor George Pataki indicates that another disaster is in the making and, as they say, the devil is in the details. Grover Nordquist, one of the Bush administration’s government-spending gurus, is famous for…
Is it art or is it anarchy?
Matthew Friday, local artist and member of the national antagonistic group the Society for the Representation of Society, has for a long time feared the marginalization of art. So eight years ago Friday, then a student and now an art professor at SUNY Oswego, and various other art, theater, and music students thought they’d cause…
Reader feedback 2.23.05
School closings, Ohio and the presidency, nukes and us
Body count 2.23.05
The totals: 1,476 American soldiers, 172 Coalition soldiers, and approximately 16,036 to 18,305 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq from the beginning of the war and occupation to February 22. American soldiers killed from Feb 14-22: Specialist Dakotah L. Gooding, 21; Des Moines, Iowa | Sergeant Rene Knox Jr., 22; New Orleans, Louisiana |…
Family values 2.23.05
It’s a secret A few Sundays ago I was hosting an event held in the Secret Room of the Central Library. As I watched people discover the room and come into the space, I was struck by the sense of awe and wonder that brightened each face. Each person had a story to tell. Many…
Burned out
Peter Christ will be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Rochester Libertarian Party on Saturday, February 26, at the Park Place Hotel (formerly the Radisson), 175 Jefferson Road. The convention begins at 11 a.m.; the program starts at 12:30. A business session begins at 2. Admission is $30, including lunch. Information: www.rochesterlp.org;…
Hats off to ‘Crowns’
Both in tribute to a rollicking show and in deference to folks sitting behind them, the audience doffed their hats during Regina Taylor’s Crowns at Geva. But men and women wore fancy hats to the opening, and some bought fancy hats from Rochester milliners in the lobby. The show celebrates the “hattitude” of Southern African-American…
What’s in a name?
The Bills’ first order of business during the new J.P. Losman era is to change the second-year quarterback’s last name to “Winman.” Losman is pronounced LOSS-man, and that makes me uneasy. Hopefully, his name doesn’t reflect his on-field performance. My concern, unfortunately, has merit. I can think of three pro athletes whose real names sparked…
