Category Archives: Books

Ken Burns Celebrates Patriot Benjamin Franklin on PBS

Writer, printer, newspaper publisher, humorist, pundit, educator, scientist, inventor, postmaster, politician, diplomat, abolitionist, patriot. The list of Benjamin Franklin’s accomplishments and aphorisms is long, storied and impossible to condense effectively in one short film, book or review. But Award-winning filmmaker … Continue reading

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Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street Bows on HBO

“We don’t play down to kids.  We just have a very short audience.”—Joe Raposo, Sesame Street composer. There are few more pleasurable strolls than the one kids take every day down Sesame Street.  Since its debut on public TV on … Continue reading

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HBO’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Returns with Gripping New Episode

“A violent crime never ends with a victim. A singular act reverberates, its wounds appearing in other people, sometimes months and years later. The pain ricochets.”—Michelle McNamara. Nothing fascinates me more than twisty murder mysteries and psychological thrillers. Binging on … Continue reading

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Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Tackle Hemingway in New PBS Series

“Our intent is to offer viewers an honest portrayal of a complex and conflicted writer who left an indelible mark on literature.”–Ken Burns. The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea, The Snows of … Continue reading

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Ruffalo, Panjabi and O’Donnell Shine in HBO Literary Adaptation

“There has always been the tyranny of the word over the image: anything that’s written has got to be better. Most people feel it’s more genuine if you express yourself in words than pictures.” —Martin Scorsese. Works of literary fiction … Continue reading

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Remembering Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020)

“The characters in my books are resilient and resourceful. When calamity strikes, they carry on.”–Mary Higgins Clark. There are times in our lives when we hit that proverbial fork in the road… when our feelings of self worth are shaky … Continue reading

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Gentleman Jack Proves She Ain’t No Gentleman on HBO

“She was a real player.  She was very good at sex. It was high on her agenda of what was important.”–writer/director Sally Wainwright. There was nothing ordinary about Anne Lister (1791-1840). Wealthy Yorkshire landowner, businesswoman, diarist and international gadabout Anne … Continue reading

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Remembering Perry Miller Adato 1920-2018

“I don’t think you can teach anybody anything, whether it’s about art, architecture, literature, or social issues unless you entertain them. You simply cannot lecture people.  You have to involve them emotionally: make them laugh, excite them or make them … Continue reading

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Carol Burnett Celebrates a Golden Jubilee on CBS

“There is a place for good fun that the whole family can watch.”– Carol Burnett. If, like me, you’ve been held hostage this year by the psychodrama playing out in our nation’s Capitol and the devastation left behind by horrific hurricanes … Continue reading

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