blog riley

Lisa Napoli at Marketplace talked to me for a short industry story this morning (RA). Thanks Vince! … [Read more...]

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things. Among them are a … [Read more...]

Oprah picks three Faulkner novels for her summer reading club, complete with free online commentaries by scholars... The Vintage box includes AS I LAY DYING, SOUND AND THE FURY, and LIGHT IN AUGUST, which is more like the novelist's broiling core than a 8th-grade educated audience's introduction. … [Read more...]

Don't let the opening number put you off: Mario Cantone captures Norma Desmond as well as Jim Morrison (the lost Christmas special), and his Laugh Whore Showtime special makes the direct and necessary connection between gay-bashing and lynching. Nobody's caught Liza quite this well, and for … [Read more...]

The Man Who Stole Ewan McGregor's Charisma ... and that makes Jimmy Smits the new... Billy Dee Williams? TWOFER NOT MO BETTER Although he gets a big piece of it wrong, Tierney's column last Monday in the TIMES cites SKL's book on the web page. While we're linking to Tierney, I can understand why … [Read more...]

LINGWEENIES ARE THE NEW PANSY HAWKS Merriam-Webster's Top Ten Faux Words GOOD FIT Richard Linklater signs to produce Fast Food Nation... … [Read more...]

This is a good example of a strong film nearly bleached out by its precious New Age score. It's worth seeing, but the neat script tidys things up perhaps too much, and it casts a shadow of self-importance offset by Cheadle's mournful expression. Can a critic complain about a literate script that … [Read more...]

"Who didn't flush the toilet...?" "Upstairs or downstairs?" "Why don't we flush the sky?! THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TUMBLING INTO THE SEA Directory of mp3 Sites WHICH QUICKLY LED ME TO This mp3 blog roundtable on the redoubtable etc... (more roundtables)... … [Read more...]

From David Corn in Huffington: ...Yes, we all know how much McClellan and the White House are addicted to truth and honesty--especially when it comes to the war on terrorism. Seems to me that with a few slight amendments McClellan's remark might also apply to another institution that got an even … [Read more...]

"Making sure nobody walks in LA," Jiffy Lube, Santa Monica WHO KNEW? Los Angeles supports TWO classical radio stations: KUSC and KING ... AND NOW, THIS About time... … [Read more...]

Caught Thom Anderson's sprawling LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF with a full house last night at the restored Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, and while I admired its slew of ideas, and the wicked dry narration (Encke King), it's too long by at least half and the organization is a mess. The clips are choice … [Read more...]

"Just think, you could be governor someday..." Gold's Gym, Pasadena … [Read more...]

S F/J says it better than I'm inspired to. Ghost of Tom Joad Part DEUX (with a bullet). NEBRASKA works better as metaphorical Bush critique than the title song. Although, word from California is that star-studded shows are stunning, including solo piano "Incident on 57th Street"… 2005 LIST (IN … [Read more...]

Hedy Lamarr (Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler), b. Vienna, 1913 "… And so she came west, perhaps as beautiful as any woman ever filmed, but nearly stunned by all the things being said about her, and by her extensive limits as an actress." — from David Thomson's BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF FILM (third … [Read more...]

Three lists for Rock Snob's Dictionary's "real" and "snob" formats, which makes more and more sense as you work on it: REAL FAVS (changes daily, no particular order) 1. BLONDE ON BLONDE + BASEMENT TAPES + BEFORE THE FLOOD + LOVE AND THEFT, Bob Dylan (w/Band etc) 2. LET IT BLEED, Rolling … [Read more...]