By Andreas Kessaris for Curtains Up! “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.”-F. Scott Fitzgerald Few people have lived the “American Dream” like Hollywood actor Tom Sizemore. Born into poverty on the bad side of Detroit, (which begs the question: Where is Detroit’s good side?), […]
Books
Why? Because We Still Like You by Jennifer Armstrong (Grand Central Publishing, $28.99)
By Stuart Nulman In memory of the recent passing of Annette Funicello at the age of 70, I thought of reprinting a review that originally appeared in the West End Times nearly three years ago, “Why? Because We Still Like You”, an interesting book about the classic kids’ TV show “The Mickey Mouse […]
Make ‘Em Laugh by Jeffrey Gurian and Richie Tienken (Skyhorse Publishing, $28.95)
By Stuart Nulman If you were a working or aspiring stand-up comic in New York City about 30 years ago, there were three major comedy clubs where you plied your trade in order to make it in the world of comedy: the Improv, Catch […]
Lee Marvin Point Blank
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 […]
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 […]