STEAMPUNK—PASTS AND FUTURES
WAY BACK IN THE LATE AUGHTS, Robert Wright defined Steampunk as “a subculture that encapsulates the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and … Continue reading
RENÉE’S COSÌ—AND OTHERS PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE RECALLED SEVERAL PRODUCTIONS of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte ranging from the traditional to the A.I.-robotic. Today, we learn what star soprano Renée Fleming has in mind as a … Continue reading
RENÉE’S COSÌ—AND OTHERS PART 1
MOZART’S COSÌ FAN TUTTE HAS BEEN TRANSLATED “WOMEN ARE LIKE THAT, but the famous soprano Renée Fleming is out to correct this opera’s misogynous implications. Here, in Parts 1 and … Continue reading
OPERA—PARK AND BARK, VERISMO, BUT ALWAYS RIDING THE RAZOR EDGE OF ABSURDITY
IN HER A MAD LOVE: AN INTRODUCTION TO OPERA, Vivien Schweitzer describes “park and bark” singers as those “who mostly stand immobile, or limit themselves to stock gestures, as was … Continue reading
CBS—THE BEST, THE LAMENTABLE, THE MIDDLING PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1 WE SAVORED CBS RADIO WORKSHOP and enjoyed entertaining CBS corporate suits through the R&T slalom. Today, lamentably enough, we recount CBS actions that seemingly replace freedom … Continue reading
CBS—THE BEST, THE LAMENTABLE, THE MIDDLING PART 1
I’VE KNOWN COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM, now a division of Paramount Global, at its best, its lamentable, and—first hand—its middling. Let’s briefly recount the best and middling of these and then … Continue reading
BOROWITZ WISDOM
I BELIEVE ANDY BOROWITZ IS the preeminent political satirist of our time. As I noted in “The Best of Lines,” he has “an amazing way of condensing his satirical news … Continue reading
HURRAH FOR THE ACLU! HURRAH FOR CLASS ACTION!
LET’S APPLAUD THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION! Never has its activism been more critical. Zach Montague and Pat Grossmith’s article “Judge Blocks Trump’s Citizenship Order in Class-Action Challenge,” The New … Continue reading
SONO TUTTI BUGIARDI PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, WE TRACED TRUMP MENDACITY, from the seemingly inconsequential (“architectural envy”) to the profound (his worldwide dissolving Voice of America truth). Today, we start with his biggest … Continue reading
SONO TUTTI BUGIARDI PART 1
I MAY WELL BE MISQUOTING (after all, it’s almost 50 years ago), but my editorial mentor Larry Givens at the Society of Automotive Engineers cited his father believing “Sono tutti … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 