A recent tour of the Hollyhock House by architect Frank Lloyd Wright near my home featured breathtaking views of Los Angeles and a wealth of information about Wright (whose Prairie style home, studio and works I toured last year, as I wrote about here) and his client, leftist socialite Aline Barnsdall. These tours usually skimp [...]
TV and DVD Review: Eight is Enough
ABC’s Eight is Enough (1977-1981), based on columnist Thomas W. Braden’s (from CNN’s original Crossfire) book Eight is Enough, premiered on March 15, 1977 and went up against Good Times and, later, The Jeffersons. It ran for five seasons. The first season, co-starring Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker in Star Wars) in the pilot as first-born [...]
Remembering the 1992 Los Angeles Riots
This week marks the 20th anniversary of L.A.’s riots, which were sparked by a mixed verdict in a racially-charged trial of police officers accused of using excessive force against a suspect. His name was Rodney King. He had refused to cooperate in an arrest which had been secretly videotaped and was subsequently – also repeatedly, [...]
Dick Clark, 1929 – 2012
I don’t know what it was that I liked about Dick Clark, who died in Santa Monica, California, this morning, but I think it has something central to do with accessibility. Whether he was hosting American Bandstand on ABC and asking the questions you’d want to ask of the latest rock star or recording artist [...]
Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan
[1999] “Before my teacher came to me, I did not know that I am.” These are the words of Helen Keller, whose legendary triumph is the subject of William Gibson’s play, The Miracle Worker. The story of how Keller first gained awareness of her own existence, and, later, much more, is the story of one [...]
- Movie Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel May 20, 2012
- Donna Summer May 18, 2012
- Obama on Same-Sex Marriage May 10, 2012
- Obama, the Nothing Man May 2, 2012
- Anticipating ‘The Avengers’ April 27, 2012