The Opera and the Musical
The cancan answered the question men have always asked. What do women have under their skirts? Legs. We remember Jacques Offenbach for the music he wrote for the dance called … Continue reading
The Story of Film
Edwin Stanton Porter invented the action film in 1903 and influenced thousands of film makers with The Great Train Robbery. He’s still being imitated. Eat your heart out John Woo. … Continue reading
Talking to Robots
I received an email yesterday (actually a blog ‘comment’) that really made me think. First of all, I didn’t know the sender at all: his name was nmvlvcgniz, writing from … Continue reading
Half-famous, half-forgotten
Performers, whether on stage or screen, attract our adulation at times. Some become obsessed, but for most fans, the stars they admire bring a lot of happiness into their lives. … Continue reading
More than meets the eye
Every Picture Tells a Story is an eight part series on paintings written and presented by British art critic Waldemar Januszczak. As the “zcz” part of his name indicates, Januszczak … Continue reading
A Story of Time
This is the story of James Knowles, who lived 1779 to 1862, and who has the distinction of being the most remote of my direct ancestors about whom I have … Continue reading
Satirists, atheists and humorists
I watched one of George Carlin’s shows the other night. The man is a hero of mine, and I think of him as one of the great figures of world … Continue reading
