Inquisitionist

Thanks. The scenes were DeNiro's Sherran was supposed to be much younger (say, early 30s) were jarring and unconvincing for me.

Do you know what year this photo was taken?

I hope the series has more character development than I found in the first few chapters of the book. I expected to tear through this novel, but found it less well developed (at least in its first few chapters) than I was expecting. I'll pick it up again later for a fall book discussion group. Just watched this on Hulu and it was AMAZING! I had to pause and catch my breath after some of the performances. I also loved the interspersing of current reactions by people who were there, especially Marilyn McCoo and and Billy Davis of The 5th Dimension. Rolling Stone has some reflections on that. It was also sad and infuriating to think that this chapter of Black history was nearly erased. Thank you, Questlove, for bringing it to us now!

Jeepers, that guy needs to take a chill pill!

Just watched the HBO movie Oslo, which is excellent. What a treat to see Dov Glickman (Shulem) as an Israeli professor and Sasson Gabay (Nukhem) as Shimon Peres. For those who have watched Unorthodox, be on the lookout for Jeff Wilbusch (Moishe) as well!

Just watched the HBO movie Oslo, which is excellent. Jeff Wilbusch (Moishe) plays an Israeli negotiator. I didn't recognize him without his special dispensation iPhone, but my husband did. 😄

Just watched it tonight and thought it was very well done. I want to do some background reading, then watch it again. It was a particular treat to see Dov Glickman and Sasson Gabay from Shtisel in the cast as well as Jeff Wilbusch from Unorthodox.

I believe the Srugim characters were Orthodox, in that they kept kosher and followed rabbinic law regarding sexual relations, prayer rituals, Sabbath observations, etc. They were not ultra-orthodox, which applies to the Shtisel family. My husband and I watched Shtisel earlier and just finished Srugim last night. I miss it already!

When was Ross and Rachel's first kiss? But their characters actually kissed in the final episode of S1, on the balcony. It was an imagined scene, as Rachel couldn't stop thinking about Ross while having a glass of wine with a doofus named Carl, but it was the first time those two actors kissed as Ross and Rachel. I think there was a very brief kiss in the laundromat episode as well. But the S1-24 kiss (The One Where Rachel Finds Out) was passionate enough to send Rachel racing for the airport.

NPR's Fresh Air recently rebroadcast part of a 1995 interview with Clarence Williams III. It's the first 20 minutes or so here. It was a treat to hear him sounding so jovial and animated, as that's not what I associate with his characters! RIP, Clarence -- and your legendary 'fro! 😉

Oh, my -- I somehow missed this news until just now. As the article states: Time to pull out the DVDs and salute both Ned Beatty and Yaphet Kotto. 😪

I've finally resumed an exercise regimen that allows me to catch up on podcasts. 😊 Today I listened to Jeff Daniels interviewed by John Heilemann on Hell or High Water. It's from Sept. 2020, just before The Comey Rule aired. He talks about that mini-series and many other things. Well worth a listen.

OMG, that is terrific!

Yeah, I think Tina was kind of winking at us about the quality of TGS, while Sorkin thought they were writing actually good material for Studio 60. But this doesn't have a lot to do with Friends. 😄

I think the difference was that Fey knew the world she was writing about and Sorkin didn't. Much of Studio 60 didn't ring true to me. Sarah Paulson is a good actress, but she did not come across as the comedy genius the show said she was. And that whole HMS Pinafore "apology" sketch? Eye-rolling. Definitely true for Kudrow, but I think Schwimmer looks best among the men. Matt could take some work-out lessons from him. ;-) I love Kudrow's interviews about Friends for EmmyTVLegends. This is probably the one to start with. She's obviously a smart woman and very thoughtful about her work. She also seems very grounded. Interesting that she's the only one of the cast who's had a lasting marriage -- to someone not in showbiz.

I've read that this is why some movies (such as Silkwood, a favorite of mine) are not available for streaming -- it's not clear who owns the rights. Happy to join you in the shallow end. I had that scene saved on my DVR for years! What can I say? I love a nice torso. 🤤 (See also Stuart Wilson as Ferdinand Lopez in The Pallisers. Hoo-boy!)

While some of the business press has used sloppy language, there is a corporate entity called MGM Studios, and it appears this is what Amazon purchased. Per the wikipedia link I provided above: According to this article, what the purchase means for amazon Prime streaming content isn't immediately obvious:

There is an entity called MGM Studios. Here is the investor relations page. Contact info at the bottom says: MGM Studios 245 N Beverly Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Here's the wikipedia description of the company.

As a Prime subscriber, I'm glad the MGM content is going somewhere I can access it!

Re Kevin Clark's death, the Chicago Sun-Times reported: That intersection is less than 2 miles from my home, but it's one I'm able to avoid. While Chicago has installed a lot of bike lanes in recent years, there is still a lot of confusion between drivers and bikers about right-of-way and basic courtesy. I've seen a lot of bad and risky behavior from both groups. I'd imagine that biking at 1:20 AM heightens those risks. Very sad circumstances. 😢

Thank you! We are a few episodes into the 2nd season of Srugim and loving it. Even when I can see what is coming, the show portrays it so honestly and unsentimentally. It's lovely.

I find her jarring with blonde hair, even though it's her natural shade. I think she looks better with darker hair. That was some impressive no-look wine tossing! Another "musical" guest I skipped over. Good lord.

There were a few seafood dishes that looked gorgeous but I could not eat -- oysters, mussels, and squid are just too pungent for me! I've been to Venice briefly 3 times and can't wait to return! As much as I love it, though, I have never associated Venice with great food. That pork chop could change my mind. I think I could die happy after devouring one of those! But this summer I also want to try making some of the cold vegetable dishes the owner had Phil try first. I remember an assortment of such dishes at a lunch buffet in Florence -- just delectable!

You're thinking of Albert Brooks who, fortunately, is still with us at almost 74.

Personally, I'm thrilled that Platt's performance as Evan Hansen will be captured on film. He is a unique and powerful talent. I had the pleasure of seeing him as Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon in Chicago when he was 19 or 20 and was blown away. Judging by the trailer, I think complaints about his age relative to this role are exaggerated. Judge Reinhold and Robert Romanus were in their mid-20s when Fast Times at Ridgmont High came out. Anna Camp was almost 30 when she filmed the first Pitch Perfect, and Anna Kendrick was almost 27. This Vanity Fair article gives some insight into the movie version of DEH. I'm looking forward to it.