Dear fantasizing-about-Springtime readers, Johnny Carson once quipped, “It was so cold today that politicians kept their hands in their own pockets.” And on another occasion: “It was so cold in New York City today that flashers only flashed pictures of themselves.” Anyway, old stale jokes aside, it’s been COLD! One of those Southwest “wanna get […]
Dear disgusted-by-the-latest-revelation readers, If you’re like me, you’d be hard-pressed to come up a satisfactory description for 2017. What’s a word for non-stop drama? And thus far, it seems like 2017 is the gift that keeps on giving to 2018. Of the many recurring drama themes from last year, perhaps the foulest was that of […]
Dear polar-vortex-and-tweet-storm survivors, In 1974, the highly acclaimed 26-episode series, World at War, was released which began with a segment chronicling Hitler’s rise to power. In the opening scene, we see a massive torch-light parade snaking through the streets of Berlin accompanied by triumphant Wagnerian music with a voice-over of the narrator, Sir Lawrence Olivier, […]
Dear drama watchers, You might have been thinking, does this guy never not use a movie reference? Rest assured, if you’ve had that thought or uttered those words, you’re not alone. You have a large peer group. So, I’ll do it again this week. Perhaps my favorite Christmas movie of all time is It’s a […]
Dear ready-for-the-holidays-to-be-over readers, My business is usually brisk in December and January. December clients talk about things like the dreaded upcoming family gathering which creepy Uncle Virgil never misses. Or the internal list of holiday expectations that can never be met. Or the gap between the December of Christmas cards and the one that plays […]
Dear ready-to-change-the-subject drama watchers, If you’re like me, I’m fairly exhausted by all the national drama. But then, real-life dramas are just that . . . exhausting. The ones on TV shows or the big screen are fun, compelling, and enervating. The ones on the news are sickening, maddening, and energy-draining. So, you’d think I’d […]
Dear something-really-stinks drama watchers, We love dramas because they’re entertaining. They’re intriguing and captivating. Whoever thought up the cliffhanger should be awarded the Nobel Cliffhanger Prize. Something happens you absolutely didn’t see coming and then have to wait till next season for the darn thing to resolve. Like when certain-that-he-was-dead Bobby Ewing turned up alive […]
Dear here-we-go-again drama watchers, Well, it had been my plan to meet my self-imposed Friday deadline for The Drama Review and I obviously missed it due to travel busy-ness. But as Mel Gibson has been known to say so often, “Sorry about that.” Do you sense a repetitive theme in the news these days? Some […]
Dear adjusting-to-the-next-belt-notch readers, Thanksgiving Day lunch always brings to mind my will-power deficiency. That bothers me but after the high level of turkey tryptophan kicks in, I don’t care all that much anymore. I should probably see someone. Last week’s letter was awfully serious but, after all, we were talking about a serious subject. So, […]
Dear overwhelmed-by-all-the-grimy-information drama observers, In Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, a boy in the crowd says what everyone else knows but won’t admit—the emperor is as naked as a jaybird. Others quickly follow suit and take up the cry. It would seem that we’re witnessing a sea change of sorts in which […]