Sanjayamania!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

A smattering of recent Sanajaya related comments from the media and around the blogosphere: Washington Post: Sanjaya, if you’ve missed the show to date, is the Heather Mills of "American Idol." Instead of dancing without a leg, he’s singing without a vocal cord. A talent amputee. New York Times: Outsiders always have an inside edge. Mr. Malakar, who is of … Read More

Movie-In-A-Minute

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Selections from the Movie-A-Minute website: THE SIXTH SENSE Haley Joel Osment I see dead people. Bruce Willis Try talking to them. Haley Joel Osment It worked. THE END BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Sessue Hayakawa Build a bridge. Alec Guinness Only if you ask nicely. (Alec Guinness helps the BRITISH by building a BRIDGE for the JAPANESE.) Alec Guinness What … Read More

How Bad Is Sanjaya?

Ken AshfordPopular Culture1 Comment

Very bad: Simon Cowell went so far as to say if Malakar wins, he’ll quit. One YouTube contributor in New York has launched a hunger strike and vows not to eat until the 17-year-old is ousted from the show. Words cannot express the monumental badness of this guy.  He’s not even bad in an entertaining way (like the dubious singing … Read More

In Which I Demonstrate How I Channel The New York Times Theatre Critics

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

My review of "Curtains", March 5, 2007: Much about "Curtains" is familiar and predictable, even stereotypical.  New York Times review of "Curtains", March 23, 2007: There’s something soothing, even soporific, about such unaggressive predictability. But I’m assuming — and maybe I’m wrong — that you don’t go to Broadway for lullabies. My review of "Curtains", March 5, 2007: But this … Read More

Sorkin’s Latest Venture? A Broadway Musical

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Aaron Sorkin came to prominence with the play (followed by the movie) "A Few Good Men".  That lead to some of his best work on TV — the cult fave SportsNight (which sadly never found its audience), the widely acclaimed The West Wing (which foundered after Sorkin moved on to other things), and the recent not-as-good-but-getting-better-until-it-was-axed Studio 60. What’s his … Read More

Spoiler Alert!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Jack dies of hypothermia. Jenny dies of AIDS and Momma dies of cancer.Jesus dies but then lives again.Malcolm was dead all along.Norman had his dead mother in his basement.They didn’t move the graves, just the grave makers.Private Ryan lives.Dorothy makes it back to Kansas.ET makes it home.Marty makes it back to 1985.All the passengers on the train did it.Elaine doesn’t … Read More

Theatre Reviews

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Well, although U.S. Air’s computer reservation problems made national news, but it didn’t deter or delay my travel plans that much, and the New York Theatre WeekendTM was a very pleasureable success. Below the fold are my "reviews"….

Harry Potter – Nude!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Nice to see actors buck the sterotypes that made them famous: On stage in London’s West End and stripped of his cinematic magic (and for a while his clothes), Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame proves he’s no-one trick pony. Last night’s much-anticipated revival of Peter Shaffer’s “Equus” showed off a darker, more mature Radcliffe. Gone was the bespectacled schoolboy … Read More

I Rule The Oscar Pool!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

I usually do well in these things, but this year I did exceedingly well. I got all the "major categories" right: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director. I also got right: Best Cinematography, Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup, Best Art Direction, Best Live Action Short Film, … Read More

Why Jennifer Hudson Shouldn’t Win

Ken AshfordPopular Culture2 Comments

[UPDATE NOTE: I may or may not be liveblogging the Oscars this Sunday, as I may or may not be attending an Oscar party.  Depends on my mood.  I’m fickle that way.  In any event, to all my readers (both of you) have a good weekend.  Don’t shoot anybody in the face.] Below is a repost of my Oscar predictions … Read More

A Nice Tribute To Actors You Know But Don’t Know

Ken AshfordPopular Culture2 Comments

Daniel Carlson sings the praises of consistently good, hard-working, character actors who never receive due praise or nominations.  He notes that some of these actors — people like Paul Giamatti or William H. Macy — break the ceiling, but many of them don’t. Here are a few of the un-nominated, but praise-worthy charactor actors cited by Carlson: James Rebhorn: (The … Read More

Guess What? The News Is Overplaying The Anna Nicole Smith Thing

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

This is a little bit "dog bites man", but still…. From Pew Research: I find this encouraging.  It shows that the American people are more interested in important topics (like Iraq) than they are the fluff, like dead models and batshit insane astronauts.  It’s just that the news organization are feeding us mindless "infotainment" instead of news. But here’s what … Read More