Jewish History & Culture
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No Laughing Matter (Calvin Trillin, Peter Lefcourt and the comic novel)
New Trillian novel bucks literary trend and provides comic relief. Over the last year, I have read many wonderful novels: “The Lovely Bones†by Alice Sebold, “Atonement†by Ian McEwan, “The Hours†by Michael Cunningham. Well-written, emotionally resonant, all best-sellers, these highly praised literary works are required reading in book groups in Los Angeles and […]
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Polanski Hits a Sour Note in 'Pianist'
Truth to tell, I didn’t start to despise “The Pianist†— Roman’s Polanski’s Oscar-nominated film of concert pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman’s memoirs of Warsaw during World War II — until the very end of the film: The war has ended and a friend has taken Szpilman to a farm in the Polish countryside. There used to […]
Is Hollywood Against the War?
Across the country, Americans are wondering, “Why is Hollywood against the war?†On TV programs and TV and radio talk shows, in magazines and newspapers, they see actors and actresses opining, talking the talk and walking the anti-war walk. This has led to a separate thread of programs and opinion pieces about whether Hollywood stars […]
Is Lucian Freud Hot?
His paintings ask: Is this all there is? British painter Lucian Freud is considered Britain’s greatest living painter, one of the towering figures of realist portraiture. The largest retrospective of Freud’s work has now come to Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the only U.S. venue for this exhibit. Organized in 2002 for the […]
Overnight Sensation (Jill Sobule on The West Wing)
The Beatles on “Ed Sullivan.†Michael Jackson’s Moonwalk on the “Motown 25th Anniversary Special.†Ricky Martin at the Grammys. Each of these TV appearances launched a musical career into the stratosphere. On Wednesday Feb. 12, 2003, Jill Sobule appeared on “The West Wing.†Will lightning strike again? If you watched the episode, you may have […]
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