In this episode of The Spectacle podcast, what was planned to be a regular discussion of American politics quickly turned into something else altogether. Melissa Mackenzie begins with a discussion of a YouGov poll that covers political orientation and how…
Roald Dahl: Teller of the Unexpected: A Biography By Matthew Dennison (Pegasus Books, 272 pages, $24) The iconic children’s book writer Roald Dahl (1916–1990) concluded his last book, The Minpins (1991) with these poignant words: “And above all, watch with…
In an episode of the late, great sitcom The King of Queens, Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) and his wife, Carrie (Leah Remini), meet their friends Deacon and Kelly at a cineplex for a night at the movies only to discover…
Many comedians root their humor in the images they’ve chosen to project. The premise of Jack Benny’s comedy was that he was cheap. Rodney Dangerfield didn’t get any respect. Phyllis Diller was unsightly. Woody Allen was a nebbish. Back when…
Jerry Lee Lewis died on Oct. 28, 2022. He had not charted a hit song for many years. His trademark furious movements were distant memories. His voice had grown scratchier. His visibility had receded to an audience comprised of loyal…
Arthur Miller: American Witness By John Lahr (Yale University Press, 264 pages, $26) Art imitates life, and that is certainly true in the case of the playwright Arthur Miller (1915–2005), whose personal and professional life defined and added verisimilitude to…
As a skipper, I hate being told what to do while on board. The girls screamed that if I accelerated too hard the towels would fall overboard. The boys howled. I accelerated in order to narrowly miss an oil tanker….
Major League Baseball (MLB) should be experiencing a banner year in 2022, what with the worst of the pandemic behind us and nearly half of the teams entering September with a legitimate shot at the postseason. Despite that, attendance is…
As Louis C.K. put it, with only slight exaggeration, during a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Hollywood movies these days are all about either superheroes or slaves. Instead of knocking themselves out trying to find first-rate original scripts that…
