LYNN PECKTAL’S DESIGNING AND PAINTING FOR THE THEATRE, PART 1
IF YOU’VE EVER DREAMT—AS I DID—OF A CAREER in theater set design, then Lynn Pecktal’s books would have been your required must-reads: Designing and Painting for the Theatre, 1975; Costume … Continue reading
CELEBRATING SADYE MARKS/MARY LIVINGSTONE
I DELIGHT IN THE HUMOROUS WRITING for The Jack Benny Show, as broadcast these days on SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” Favorite quips come from Jack’s interactions with Mary Livingstone, in real … Continue reading
TRUMP ON HISTORY—160 YEARS AGO, 5 YEARS AGO, AND JANUARY 7, 2026.
TRUMP HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN TO PREVARICATE. To lie and go on is bad enough, but to attempt rewriting history is another matter entirely—and markedly contemptible. Image by Flavio Pessoa … Continue reading
CELEBRATING AYRTON SENNA, LEGO, AND GRANDSON CARTER
CARTER RECENTLY SHARED NEAT PICS, the topic of which suggest the efficacy of DNA. He along with his mom, Daughter Beth, are hooked on Formula 1 (along with Daughter Suz … Continue reading
ON ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION PART 2
LET’S CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION of Lord Acton’s adage “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Part 1 dealt with Trump; here in Part 2 we focus on Pete … Continue reading
ON ABSOLUTE CORRUPTION PART 1
IN 1887 JOHN DALBERG-ACTON, 1ST BARON ACTON, wrote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” These days, lamentable, Lord Acton’s adage comes to mind increasingly often. John Emerich … Continue reading
AS SHAKESPEARE WOULD SAY….
IN A MUCH-NEEDED ATTEMPT to raise discourse out of the low-IQ/LARGE CAPS level of Truth Social, here are tidbits gleaned from Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, MBEBooks, and Goodreads. (See also “Bereft … Continue reading
CELEBRATING A TALENTED ARTIST RECYCLING BODY PARTS
“THE ORIGINAL BARBIE GAVE SIDE-EYE,” Daughter Suz explained to me. “But Malibu Barbie’s eyes looked absolutely blissed out,” Suz recounts, “and that’s why she continues to appeal to me.” A … Continue reading
A NEW YEAR’S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, I REMINDED TRUMP THAT he is merely a temporary resident of our White House. Today this train of thought continues. Preferred Tenant Limits. As one of The … Continue reading
A NEW YEAR’S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT PART 1
YOU, DONALD J. TRUMP, ARE MERELY A TEMPORARY RESIDENT of The White House—which belongs to the American people; not to you, not to your cowered MAGA sycophants. And, like any … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 