Greg Ippolito's Blog, page 5

Shutter Island

I stopped getting excited for new Scorsese movies after Bringing Out the Dead. And I've never loved anything Lehane wrote. But somehow, Shutter Island intrigues me. It intrigues me in a I-look-forward-to-Netflixing-it sort of way, but still.


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Ben Kingsley pulling a full-on Donald Pleasence (at the :58 mark) cracked me up: "It's as if she evaporated...straight through the walls." I hope she escaped to a nearby Nifty Fifties, where she shared a malted with Michael Myers. (Can you picture ...

Sarah Silverman: Genius

Leonardo da Vinci wrote, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." By his gauge, Sarah Silverman has to be considered one of the most sophisticated comedians alive today.

Yes, I'm talking about the same woman who simulated f**king a sack of Babybel cheese. I'm talking about the woman who's said things like, "Whether you're gay or bisexual, it doesn't matter ... because at the end of the day they're both gross" and "whether you're black or white or Asian — but just those three — we're al...

J.D. Salinger

Strange. Salinger had vanished from the public eye for so many years, his death almost didn't resonate; it was like we'd lost him years ago and gotten over it. Almost.

For those of you who have been feeling the void (at whatever level), check this out: the New Yorker's Adam Gopnik discussing Salinger with Charlie Rose:


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-G

P.S. Also, if you haven't experienced Salinger in awhile, do yourself a favor and read "Teddy" (the last short in Nine Stories). If you have a little more time, pick ...

Pink

I haven't watched the Grammys in years. I flipped it on last night out of boredom, waiting for Big Love to start (which has been a real let-down so far this season, hasn't it?). Saw Beyonce. Lots and lots of pomp...that just didn't resonate. Then I caught this (below):



Just so well-done on so many levels, I don't have the proper words to sum it up (...not a mere 12 hours after-the-fact, anyway). Beautiful song. Brilliant theatrical presentation. Stunning performance. And no one saw it ...

"School is a complete failure..."

Linchpin author Seth Godin on the conspiracy of the public school system. Ironically, it's a thinker.



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10,000 Maniacs

Great band, terrible name. Maybe that's why 10,000 Maniacs failed to achieve mainstream success in an era when absolutely nothing important was happening in pop music (unless you consider Guns 'n' Roses important).

Anyway, here's Natalie Merchant, Steve Gustafson, and the late Robert Buck (yes, Peter's brother) performing "Dust Bowl" in 1989 — one of the best tracks on an almost completely forgotten-about album (Blind Man's Zoo).



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Harry Potter

This Onion piece (from "Today NOW!") just killed me. Watch and enjoy. Unless you're a person over the age of fourteen who claims a Harry Potter book to be one of your favorite all-time novels; in that case, watch and feel embarrassed.


Adults Go Wild Over Latest In Children's Picture Book Series

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Insufficient funds

Everyone knows the stirring end of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. But when is the last time you read the beginning? In honor of the day and the man, please find it below:



I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to...

Andre Dubus III

The cure for your Monday morning boredom: a four-part interview with Andre Dubus III, from the Iowa Writers' Workshop:

Stephen King pitching a novel...