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Judith Trojan on Remembering Elie Wiesel (… Anonymous on Remembering Elie Wiesel (… Anonymous on Ken Burns Revisits The America… Anonymous on Ken Burns Revisits The America… Judith Trojan on HBO’s Country Doctor Cas… Anonymous on HBO’s Country Doctor Cas…
Author Archives: Judith Trojan
American Experience Shines a Light on the NYC Blackout of 1977
Thirty-eight years ago, on July 13, 1977, New York metro area residents were sweating through a scorcher. New York City was on the brink of bankruptcy: Cops and firefighters and hundreds of city workers faced layoffs, afterschool services were being cut, residents and … Continue reading
Liz Swados Takes the High Road in My Depression on HBO
Born in 1951, Elizabeth Swados was a wunderkind, given the range of talents she enjoyed to great success while still in her twenties: composer, performer, music conductor, writer, illustrator. Then regarded as avant-garde, her creative spirit proved to be as natural as life … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Cable, Film, Illustration, Music, Theater, Theatre
Tagged Children's Books, David Wachtenheim, Depression, Elizabeth Swados, HBO, Linda Feferman, Mental Health, My Depression (The Up and Down and Up of It), Robert Marianetti, Sigourney Weaver, The Girl with the Incredible Feeling, Women's Issues
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Jane Aaron (1948 – 2015) Trailblazing Indie Animator
“Light is thrilling for me.”— Jane Aaron. On June 27, the animation community lost a trailblazer. Jane Aaron’s untimely death at age 67 is a heartbreaking loss for her family and for those of us who’ve enjoyed her whimsical animated films, her … Continue reading
The Lion’s Mouth Opens on HBO
For many of us, May is a month rife with promise and new beginnings… trees and flowers are blossoming; days are brighter and longer; nights are balmy. Summer beckons. If your only problem so far this year was sneezing and coughing through May’s stepped-up allergy season, … Continue reading
Queen Latifah Is Red Hot as Bessie Smith on HBO
“I’m looking forward to people finding out who Bessie Smith is, if they don’t know about her already.”–Queen Latifah. You may come to HBO’s latest bio-pic, Bessie, knowing little or nothing about blues singer Bessie Smith (1894-1937). But by the end of … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Music
Tagged African-American Studies, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Bisexuality, Dee Rees, HBO, Ma Rainey, Mo'Nique, Music, Queen Latifah, Racism, Singers, The Blues, Women's Studies, Zanuck Company
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Last Days in Vietnam Not To Be Missed on American Experience
I’ve always been fascinated by the offspring of super achievers. If their moms, dads, grandparents or great grandparents are heavy hitters in politics, the arts, medicine, sports, the military or scholarly pursuits, these kids have quite an act to follow. Independent filmmaker Rory Kennedy, … Continue reading
Children of Giant Takes a New Look at an Old Film on PBS
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo and film director George Stevens. Through the years, it’s been hard to dodge the after-hours buzz on this stellar crew. It’s also hard to imagine them playing second fiddle to anyone, but that’s what … Continue reading
HBO’s Living with Lincoln Reveals One Family’s Magnificent Obsession
My dad was a hard-core Lincoln buff. And, frankly, he didn’t have to work very hard to get me on board the Abraham Lincoln bandwagon. When Ken Burns’ groundbreaking miniseries, The Civil War, debuted on PBS, my dad and I shared that experience and every … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Cable, Film, Photography, Publishing
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Brian Oakes, Children's Books, Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt, Family Relationships, Frederick Hill Meserve, HBO, Ken Burns, Living with Lincoln, Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, Pat the Bunny, Peter Kunhardt, Photography, The Civil War, U.S. Presidents
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Scientology and Sinatra: All or Nothing at All on HBO
Director Alex Gibney is on a roll. The Oscar and Emmy Award winner’s latest two documentaries landed prestigious back-to-back premiere time slots on HBO, and deservedly so. I’m still shaken by Gibney’s riveting exposé, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Music, Radio, TV
Tagged Alex Gibney, American Songbook, Frank Sinatra, HBO, Lauren Bacall, Lawrence Wright, Mia Farrow, Music and Musicians, Sinatra All Or Nothing at All, Singers, The Rat Pack
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