By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up In 1977 my mother, my brother and I spent the entire summer in Greece. One quiet, warm night in a city called Tripolis she took us to a local cinematorium that showed a different old American movie every night. Upon entering the theatre we discovered why […]
Books
Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (The Penguin Press, $29.50)
By Stuart Nulman Montreal may be riddled with allegations of corruption within its administration, is caught in the middle of yet another bitter, divisive language battle, its streets pockmarked with potholes and its infrastructure literally crumbling; however, we can practically say to ourselves that it could […]
The Soundtrack Of My Life by Clive Davis (Simon & Schuster, $34.99)
By Stuart Nulman When longtime record executive Clive Davis was profiled on “60 Minutes” in 2009, he was called “The Man with the Golden Ears”. And after reading his just released memoir “The Soundtrack of My Life”, I can readily understand why the late Mike Wallace gave Davis that label.
Moneywood by William Stadiem (St. Martin’s Press, $31)
By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up Hollywood has long been divided into different “eras” or “ages” often referred to as “Golden” or “Great.” It is probably Hollywood itself that created those names in order to sell movie tickets and create interest in and increase the value of film their vast film vaults. I came of […]
Hopper by Tom Folsom (it Books, $28.99)
By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up In the annals of Hollywood history Dennis Hopper was and will remain an enigmatic figure. Actor, writer, director, photographer, artist; he had it all, lost it all, and got some of it back in a place renowned for being cold and unforgiving; from character actor, to toast of the […]
Moonlight Miles by Chris Epting (Miniver Press, $2.99, e-book)
By Stuart Nulman Author Chris Epting is a pop culture traveler. For years, he has travelled the length and breadth of the United States, from coast to coast, in search of the still standing and disappeared landmarks of American pop culture. He searches for the places where its significant events happened, as well as […]
We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy…A Very Oral History (Sarah Crichton Books, $31)
By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up It has long been said in the comedy world that “women aren’t funny.” It was even the subject of a Vanity Fair article by Christopher Hitchens (a well-written piece that, like everything by him, was serious and I must admit rather convincing). I for one had never carried […]
Whitney: Tribute To An Icon by Randee St. Nicholas (Atria Books, $47)
By Stuart Nulman In his introduction to this book, recording industry mogul Clive Davis, whose Arista record label the late Whitney Houston recorded on, has this to say about the legendary singer who tragically died over a year ago: “Whitney and I were special creative partners on all her songs that have become the soundtrack […]
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (Dutton, $19)
The scourge of cancer is never easy for anyone involved, especially if a teenager is diagnosed with this dreaded disease, and should be focused on high school, friendships and shopping instead of chemotherapy, radiation treatments and debilitating side effects. Award-winning author John Green has touched upon this very unthinkable subject with his latest novel, the […]
He Who Laughs, Lasts by Josh Freed (Vehicule Press, $20)
By Stuart Nulman After the craziness we Anglophones have experienced in Quebec throughout 2012 (especially the student tuition fee hike protests, ongoing revelations of rampant corruption at the Charbonneau Commission hearings and the election of another PQ government and that nasty “pasta” business) — not to mention the everyday stresses and headaches that make up […]