It's raining in New York today, September 11, 2018. If the weather always matched our moods and emotions, like so often happens in books and movies, then it would storm on this day each year for a few lifetimes. It wasn't raining in NYC seventeen years ago. Ask anyone there on that day and they'll… Continue reading The Hell of the Cost
5 Eye-Popping Things about “Seinfeld’s” Pilot Episode
Seinfeld was one of the greatest television shows of all time. It was hilarious and quite unlike anything that had been seen before. It became such a classic, pervasive piece of pop culture that, today, if you were to say a line from the show (such as "yada, yada, yada" or "no soup for you") to… Continue reading 5 Eye-Popping Things about “Seinfeld’s” Pilot Episode
“Early Autumn” by Robert B. Parker: A Great Late Summer Book
Looking to read a good book before fall arrives? Perhaps one that's easy to read, but has some substance and emotion? Check out Early Autumn (1981) by the late Robert B. Parker, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the Apple book store. Early Autumn is the seventh novel in Parker's series of best-selling novels about Spenser,… Continue reading “Early Autumn” by Robert B. Parker: A Great Late Summer Book
5 Songs That Created Incredible Movie Scenes
via 5 Songs That Created Incredible Movie Scenes
5 Songs That Created Incredible Movie Scenes
Movies and music. Flicks and tunes. Two great things that go great together. Since the advent of motion pictures, music has played a huge part in cinematic storytelling. In the days of silent movies, pianist, organists and, sometimes, small orchestras would play music along with the movie. Later, after films incorporated recorded sound, music (either… Continue reading 5 Songs That Created Incredible Movie Scenes
One Great Movie, Three Great Scenes: Casablanca (1942)
What makes a great movie great? The talented director Howard Hawks (The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo) provided an excellent answer when he declared that a great movie had "three great scenes, no bad ones." In light of Hawks's definition, today we're looking at three great scenes from what many consider the greatest movie of all… Continue reading One Great Movie, Three Great Scenes: Casablanca (1942)
Struck By A Great Idea
Have you ever had a really great idea, one that came out of the blue and hit you like a thunderbolt? As a writer, I love when a thunderbolt idea strikes. It's like magic. One moment, the idea doesn't exist. Then, next, it appears out of thin air like a rabbit pulled from a hat, bringing… Continue reading Struck By A Great Idea
Journey Before Destination
"Life is a journey, not a destination." Are you familiar with this quote? If you're not, the saying (attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson -- according to some -- incorrectly) suggest that we are aware of the present rather than focuts on some future outcome or goal. The thought is that, if you base your happiness,… Continue reading Journey Before Destination
A Blight of Typos
I hate typos. I mean it. I really, really f#*king hate typos. There's a special pain that you feel when you've written something you like, perhaps something good, and then later (after publication of course), you find an obvious typo, usually in the first few paragraphs. Typos are like weeds that pop up, marring an… Continue reading A Blight of Typos
Jaws (1975): A July 4th Celebration
This July 4th, I'll be sitting on a beach in Westhampton, NY, looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, and, as I do so, my thoughts will be on those things that represent the holiday to me: America's independence, fireworks, hot dogs, and the movie "Jaws." What? "Jaws" is a July 4th institution? Absolutely. The film is… Continue reading Jaws (1975): A July 4th Celebration
