Archives for December 2006

COLD SWEAT Idolator lists Jonathan Lethem's Rolling Stone profile, Ben Greenman's New Yorker overview, and Douglas Wolk's WFMU 2001 playlist (somebody BURN this). Alongside Jon Pareles's big statement, I'd put Phillip Gourevitch NY unposted profile from a couple years back. Besides Milo Miles at … [Read more...]

SNAPPY HEADLINE Paper Thin Walls, with links to Douglas Wolk's 2006 double-disc mix. … [Read more...]

Rosenbaum in the NY Observer: Holocaust denial is a particularly insidious evil. It was almost painful to read The Times’ earnest struggle to report on the Iranian Holocaust-deniers’ conference in anticipation of its opening on Dec. 11. It will be fascinating to see how the rest of the media … [Read more...]

SITE OF THE WEEK indexed LEAD OF THE WEEK SENTENCE OF THE WEEK PHOTO OF THE WEEK … [Read more...]

Is it a coincidence that two of the best dramas on TV are savage critiques of medical culture? ER thrives in its 13nth season, even if it errs on the side of cheap laughs, disaster blowouts and sentimentality. Besides taking the most prized advertising eyeballs to Africa, it boasts complicated, … [Read more...]

NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE Anyone else toss their NYTimes across the room twice in one week when Rummy was prominently displayed above the fold? First he threw out a ceremonial football at the Army-Navy game. Then he held his hand to his chest, all choked up, saying bye to the Pentagon staff. Can you … [Read more...]

(Boston) Several giant supersquids are on track to hit Boston harbor this coming Monday, December 11, in honor of a terrestrial pagan ritual. The scientific names given these sprawling herbivores, who swam all the way from Scotland, include Fats, Wills, Buddy, and Graham. Go to this web page for a … [Read more...]

So, if you had to guess based on last night's show, is Aaron Sorkin Protestant or Jewish? SKL says Protestant, since Jews already know all that abstruse Christian arcanae. (Matthew Perry sure ain't Jewish.) SKL thinks the problem is direction, too many overplayed expressions, telegraphed emotions, … [Read more...]

Another barometer of the press losing its head under Bush came when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down last year. The NYTimes lauded her as an essential centrist, a fine judicial mind who balanced her opinions and offset in Scalia and Thomas. At 75, few mentioned her reasons for her retirement … [Read more...]