Columns
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Disney, Please Take ‘Beyond Scared Straight’ Off the Air
If you think screaming at kids until it gets your stomach churning is inspiration to make a lasting change, then you have a problem
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Leonard Witt -
Review: Jake Owen’s ‘Blue Jean Night’ Revels in Ordinary — and Not in a Good Way
The country hunk can’t rise above the idealized clichés of backroads romance on his determinedly upbeat third album
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‘Cary Grant Is on Line 2’
“There is a buzz going around both the 32nd and 33rd floors, I could feel it, people gathering outside my little office. Lucy returns and sees that the phone call is real and now all the secretaries and assistants are walking by…”
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Arthur Axelman -
New Steve Jobs Fake Surfaces — as a Taiwan Bestseller
A whole legion of young Jobs fans in Taiwan have read a book that he never wrote
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Dan Bloom -
The Digital Revolution’s ‘Citizen Journalists’ Are Ruining Our Film Experience
If they were bona fide movie fans, they would truly understand the pleasure of being teased with trailers instead of shaky YouTube footage captured on a lunch break from half-a-mile away
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The 25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Film and Why I Love Improvisation (Video)
No matter what kind of business you’re in, or what kind of life you’re envisioning for yourself, improvisation rules
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Mike Bonifer -
Charts: Jay-Z & Kanye Unbowed; Lil Wayne Can and ‘Will’ Sell Singles
Modestly debuting releases from the Eli Young Band and Jeff Bridges posed no threat to week 2 of the Kanye/Jay-Z dynasty … or to Adele, whose album passed the 3 million mark
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How Hollywood’s ‘F-Bombs’ Are Impacting Overseas Markets
When I hear cute little Japanese or Taiwanese kids saying “f– you” to each other as a greeting call, I wonder just what Hollywood’s gift to the outside world really has been
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Dan Bloom -
Andy Richter Hosting ‘Pyramid’ — Why It Makes Sense
From “Family Feud” to “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” celebrity game show hosts have made their mark
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Kenny Pickett -
Review: Pavement Hasn’t Run Out for Stephen Malkmus on Nostalgia-Defying ‘Mirror’
With fellow ’90s indie-rock icon Beck producing, Malkmus has an album captivating enough to make you forget about his old band … again
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Remembering Jerry Leiber, a Friend
I would sometimes fix Jerry up with dates, but he never seemed satisfied with my model friends — and he never ever liked my dating Norman Mailer
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Carole Mallory -
Review: Miranda Lambert’s Side Project, Pistol Annies, Pull Trigger on 2011’s Best Country Album
Sly country comedy competes with stark economic realism in the rude, charming debut from Lambert’s off-hours female trio
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The Cinematic Magic of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Iris’
The new show at the Kodak is a true nirvana ride of eye-popping magical wonder and movie world appreciation
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Guy Magar -
Review: Barbra Streisand’s Gracefully Aging Voice Is ‘What Matters Most’
The songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman alternate schmaltz and profundity, but Barbra’s unerring phrasing makes every line sound like buttery holy writ
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Review: O Brother, There Are Lots of Alternate Takes in the Revised Soundtrack
The real reason to say “oh, boy” is remembering original performances by Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley