Late British Deejay John Peel’s Legendary Radio Sessions Are Findable Again by Brad Balfour Back when I was a rebel-rock whippersnapper, the British/UK scene – and by association, that meant Ireland and Scotland as well – were considered pop culture highlands that one wanted to visit and climb. Going to England was the idea; to … Continue reading
Doing the Binge This Labor Day – A Way to Visit Other Worlds and Save a Mind in Lock-down by Brad Balfour Yes, I did. I let a lot of things go when the pandemic shut-down kicked in. My hair grew out; I ceased emailing and texting with a lot of good and great people; … Continue reading
What a Weird Pandemic Summer It’s Been – We need Bruce Springsteen To Save The Day by Brad Balfour Around this time of the year, I usually look back so as to orient myself about going forward. But, what a wack summer it’s been. Having suffered through the coronavirus – literally and conceptually – I … Continue reading
Dominic Keating Star Trek Veteran Remains an Unbelievable Actor Even with the Pandemic by Brad Balfour In the Star Trek universe, British actor Dominic Keating established himself as a significant player once he joined the Star Trek: Enterprise cast as Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, one of its core members. As the Enterprise’s armory officer, he was … Continue reading
Jane Birkin Cultural Icon / Singer / Actor / Writer Presents a One-Time Concert – Birkin Gainsbourg The Symphonic by Brad Balfour In the late-’60s, a French song, “Je t’aime, moi non plus,” came out and stirred both controversy and accolades as well as becoming an international pop hit – even getting considerable airplay in … Continue reading
Oscars On My Mind – To Worry About Them in This Age of Greater Anxiety The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony Dolby Theatre Los Angeles Feb. 9th, 2020 airs live on ABC starting at 8 pm Yes, I have been anguishing over the upcoming Oscars far more than I should in light of all the other … Continue reading
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino & Martin Scorsese Cinematic Icons Bring The Irishman to Life Adding to Their Catalog of Mob Mayhem by Brad Balfour While master actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese have separately established voluminous and highly praised careers, their work together has stirred hurrahs that have made them Olympians of … Continue reading
Todd Philips and Joaquin Phoenix Director and Actor Formed a Unique Union in Making Joker an Award-Oriented Hit by Brad Balfour Attending a Joker screening a second time – thanks to Deadline‘s Awardsline screening series – not only provided further insight but also a chance to hear director Todd Phillips explain himself, just as he … Continue reading
Greta Gerwig Makes Little Women with Big Characters and Award Ambitions by Brad Balfour Of the controversies associated with this year’s Oscars, the absence of women among many of its categories – especially Best Director – have highlighted the inequity of this award’s process. Of the many women creators considered, Little Women director Greta Gerwig’s … Continue reading
Chrissy Metz Breakthrough Faithfully Makes Actress a Film Star and Garners Her an Oscar Nom for Its Featured Song by Brad Balfour It used to be that faith-based films were low-budget productions, cheaply made with cheesy storytelling and wooden acting – more about propagandizing than worthy narrative. Nowadays, they’re labelled as contemporary Christian and as … Continue reading
