American celebrity culture has become exhausting
There are simply too many stars demanding our attention
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
February 16, 2022
When did pop culture stop being fun?
From Bel-Air to Frasier, we’re losing our sense of humor in favor of ‘social consciousness’
February 14, 2022
Ivan Reitman wasn’t afraid of no ghost
The Ghostbusters director’s style effortlessly captured the fun and cheer of life
February 9, 2022
The Oscar noms are out but does anyone care?
The Academy Awards have come to matter less
February 8, 2022
Is Euphoria too bleak to be good?
The show claims to be honest but its hopelessness may be leading teens astray
February 3, 2022
Will the real Pamela Anderson please stand up?
The actress and model has confounded expectations and taken control of her own story
January 31, 2022
J.P. Morgan and our gilded age
The house of Morgan — the literal house of Morgan — is tying itself into knots to ‘prioritize’ all things black
January 28, 2022
The Gilded Age is a Bridgerton-esque disappointment
Some of the acting has promise but the show is a reminder that Julian Fellowes has passed his prime
January 26, 2022
Don’t cancel Damon Albarn for attacking Taylor Swift
He was wrong and the Swifties swarmed him, but there’s value yet in his critique
January 24, 2022
Hogarth framed
Books and ArtsGreat artists like Hogarth are getting the trigger-warning treatment
John Wayne behind the blue line
Books and ArtsThe Seventies weren’t John Wayne’s decade, and that was fine by him
Serve and volley
Books and ArtsKing Richard reviewed
Nanny bait
Books and ArtsMrs. Doubtfire reviewed
Returning to live gigs
Books and ArtsWhen Covid rampaged through the world like a Viking raid of death-cult realtors, the world was suddenly shorn of live music
Get with the program
Books and ArtsBoth in Pittsburgh and Miami, I was struck by the rousing enthusiasm that the symphony and soloists evoked with their temerarious playing
January 21, 2022
Hollywood awards shows have become boring
Let’s just hope Spider-Man doesn’t sweep all the Oscars and Golden Globes — then we’ll know we’re in real trouble.
A fond remembrance of Meat Loaf
The singer once christened ‘the uncoolest man in the universe’ delivered Big Rock Drama in spades
January 19, 2022
Where does Joss Whedon go now?
The talented writer-director is disgraced but Hollywood loves a penitent comeback
January 17, 2022
Writing and the conservative impulse
All writers are, in a certain sense, conservative
January 15, 2022
The joie de vivre of Emily in Paris
It’s a charming escape from all the virtue-signaling and haranguing — which is why the elite critics hate it
January 10, 2022
Thanks for the laughs, Bob Saget
He was America’s dad and a filthy comedian; his range was just one reason so many loved him
If Hamilton is cringe, then America is done for
The woke, and a few on the right, are ready to jettison the Founding Fathers
January 9, 2022
Sidney Poitier refused to be defined by race
The Old Hollywood great once declared, ‘I am artist, man, American, contemporary’
January 4, 2022
‘Don’t Look Up’ and Hollywood virtue-signaling
If the filmmakers are correct, debating the legacy of a 2021 comedy will be the last thing on anyone’s mind
January 3, 2022
Kandinsky’s colors
Books and ArtsKandinsky is getting spun up the Guggenheim’s spiral
Wynton’s works
Books and ArtsWynton Marsalis has not allowed tradition to become self-serving traditionalism
How did Walt Disney learn from Ancien Régime decoration?
Books and ArtsInspiring Walt Disney makes the case that Disney’s studio functioned in a similar way to an eighteenth-century decorative art manufactory
Truth in Duluth
Books and ArtsGirl from the North Country is a delight as pure as birdsong
Jake Gyllenhaal is guilty
Books and ArtsHe carries his latest film and keeps it from going off the rails