James Frey's Blog, page 86

Sunshine Of The Eternal Bob Ross

from The Atlantic Why Is Bob Ross Still So Popular? Twenty-five years after his death, the painter who gave us “happy little trees” is more ubiquitous than ever. Story by  Michael J. Mooney “Every day’s a good day when you paint.” —Bob Ross (1942–1995) Staring at the empty canvas on the easel in front of me, I couldn’t […]

The Truth Down Here

from The Science Times Pentagon’s U.F.O. Unit to Disclose Some of Its Findings to the Public by Mark B. Although the Pentagon has previously announced that they disbanded programs concerning unidentified flying objects (UFO), reports show that it is not the case. UFO programs apparently reside within the  Office of Naval Intelligence. A Senate committee report last […]

Wells and Shaw and The Fabians

from The New York Times H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw Fight Over Socialism In his latest installment of The Literati, Edward Sorel illustrates the epic battle for control of the Fabian Society, an elite group of socialists, at the turn of the last century. By Edward Sorel In his 1901 book, “Anticipations,” H.G. Wells offered […]

Nukes On Luna

from US News & World Report US Eyes Building Nuclear Power Plants for Moon and Mars The U.S. wants to build nuclear power plants that will work on the moon and Mars. By Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. wants to build nuclear power plants that will work on the moon and Mars, and […]

Plus ça change…

from The Charlotte Observer What did people say about wearing masks in the 1918 pandemic? It sounds familiar BY CHARLES DUNCAN A different pandemic swept across the world a century ago, killing about 60 million people.  Schools and businesses closed, and many cities required people to wear face masks to slow the spread of the […]

Stone on SCARFACE

from MovieMaker When Scarface Was In Trouble: Oliver Stone Looks Back in An Exclusive Excerpt From Chasing the Light By Oliver Stone Before Scarface launched a boatload of T-shirts, posters, memes, and dubious imitations of Al Pacino’s cocainized Tony Montana, the film, written by Oliver Stone, was just a movie in trouble.  In this excerpt from his new memoir Chasing the […]

Back To The Horror

from The Atlantic Why Low-Budget Horror Is Thriving This Summer These dirt-cheap productions are making money, finding eager audiences, and garnering critical praise during a largely dead box-office season. by DAVID SIMS The gory thrills of Becky make the film solid drive-in theater viewing. QUIVER Only during a global pandemic would the biggest film in the U.S. […]

The Real Burning Bed

from The New Yorker “The Burning Bed” Recalls the Case That Changed How Law Enforcement Treats Domestic Violence By Anna Boots For thirteen years, Francine Hughes’s husband, James (Mickey) Hughes, beat her routinely. Something as small as the inflection of a word would set him off: he’d pin her down in a chair and pummel her. […]

Alexandrian Glass

from Real Clear Science Where Did Rome’s Famous ‘Alexandrian’ Glass Come From By Ross Pomeroy Two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire was cranking out glassware unsurpassed in intricacy, beauty, or design, with skill and efficiency that wouldn’t be topped until the advent of modern industry in the 18th century. Large production operations scattered across the empire […]

The Silver Swan

from Vanity Fair Homicide at Rough Point BY PETER LANCE In the fall of 1966, billionaire Doris Duke killed a close confidant in tony Newport, Rhode Island. Local police ruled the incident “an unfortunate accident.” Half a century later, compelling evidence suggests that the mercurial, vindictive tobacco heiress got away with murder. On the last full […]