One way to tell whether an upcoming event really has deep roots in the popular imagination is to look at how far in advance of its date its publicity wave pushes. If it’s a genuinely big deal, you ought to see newspaper and magazine articles, TV interviews and reports, and internet buzz appearing at least a couple of weeks ahead of air time.
And on that basis, the Oscars are a very big deal indeed. Like the top tier of cultural events—a Presidential election is probably at the top of the list, with the Super Bowl a respectable second—Oscar buzz can rope in people who don’t ordinarily care much about movies. And it can also have economic consequences, giving a multi-million-dollar bonus to winners and a permanent credit even to losers.Read More
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Oscar nominations and the ceremony are a great help in getting through February, especially for entertainment writers/bloggers and talking heads. Lots of these folks favor the Who Will Win vs. Who Should Win format. This give a writer a chance to show off his/her insider chops, demonstrating a deep familiarity with Hollywood, the Academy and pop culture trends while also playing the higher role of arts critic.Read More
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I’ll never forget reading the story of the Stanford Sexual Assault Survivor. I can’t imagine the strength that it took for her to stand up, face her attacker, and tell the world her story. To then watch it downplayed by the justice system because her attacker was a star athlete really stuck with me. I wondered what kind of message we were sending, not just to the children watching this play out in the news, but to the other people who had suffered the same way this woman had, or worse what does this say to the people who have committed this crime.Read More
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Snow. Yes, we had a lot of snow. It’s February, and we often get a lot of snow in February. But while it’s customary to mention the weather in conversation, it’s my belief that we badly need something else to talk about, as the intellectual content of snow is negligible. (Note: you get a pass if you’ve had a slip-and-fall, fender bender, been stuck in a drift or had a horrible/wonderful shoveling experience.)Read More
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I’ll be honest, as I sat down to write this week’s blog, I kept coming back to how great the Super Bowl was. The crazy come back, Lady Gaga, I don’t even know where to begin. So instead of going on and on about the game, I figured I’d give you one last sneak peek at this year’s Gala, “An Affair to Remember” or as I now like to think of it, our Super Bowl. Read More
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In the past couple of months, we’ve had a few lovely, very quiet films (Cameraperson, Certain Women, Moonlight) that remind us that plot isn’t everything and that if you slow down the pace and keep the heat on low, you can see things that would otherwise elude you. I love films like that.
That said, I have to admit that I also love a film that empties both barrels directly into my brain, filling me up so full with action that I feel like I’ve been eating hot peppers.Read More
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This past month, as you may have noticed, I’ve been on an interview kick here on the blog. It takes me back to my high school newspaper days. Anyway, now that I’ve digressed, or regressed, I love a good interview and this week, I caught up with Ashleigh Tucker Pollock, our Special Events Manager & Rental Coordinator. I get the pleasure of working on a lot of projects with Ashleigh and wanted to learn more about how she creates amazing theme parties, what her design inspirations are, and what her good luck charm is (not to spoil the interview but it turns out, I am, mostly because I’m on the Gala committee but I’ll take it). Check out our interview and make sure to get your tickets for this year’s Gala, An Affair to Remember coming to the Historic Theater’s stage on Saturday, February 11.Read More
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I have a confession, I am not a public radio listener. I know, I know, I missing out on a lot of great content, but I just don’t listen to the radio. So in December, when our Writers on a New England Stage producer Margaret Talcott told me that we had booked Krista Tippett, I didn’t understand just how cool it was. After talking to Monte (Director of Marketing and my NPR authority), I took to Google. After reading through several interviews with her and listening to a couple of her podcasts, I was blown away. If you’re like me, and you’ve yet to discover Krista, check out my interview and get your ticket to see her at our Historic Theater on Thursday, March 2. Read More
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