RICHARD PRICE BETTER THAN FICTION BY RONALD SKLAR If Richard Price’s life story were made into a movie, you would accuse the joint of being too far-fetched. But, as the old cliché goes, truth is stranger than fiction. Price came up in a Bronx housing project, but his gift for writing gained him entrance into the … Continue reading
Barney Miller The First Season – 1975 (Columbia Tri-Star-2004) In 1975, New York City was on the verge of financial and moral ruin. Criminals ran rampant in the streets and terrorized the weary riders of the graffiti-drenched subways. Times Square was bursting with X-rated peep shows and drug-addicted hustlers. The city’s plea for Federal help resulted … Continue reading
James Pickens, Jr. Into The Lyon’s Den by Jay S. Jacobs Every year, TV Guide does a special issue called “The Best Show You’re Not Watching.” In it, they champion a TV series that has fine acting, excellent writing and good production values, but somehow has not seemed to attract a huge audience. Sometimes the honor has … Continue reading
JOSS STONE SOUL SISTER by Jay S. Jacobs You can’t help but notice the voice. It is strong, sensuous, assured. It soars to a crescendo or sighs to a whisper. It flat-out belts a soulful, joyful noise that reaches for the heavens and tries to box with God. Yet it doesn’t fall victim to the showiness … Continue reading
Shakira Tour Service by Jay S. Jacobs The Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Plaza in New York City is a world famous old restaurant right in the heart of downtown Manhattan’s entertainment district. A classic old club that was opened in 1934 in the heart of the Great Depression, designed to radiate class, glamour, elegance, luxury and the spirit of New York … Continue reading
THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS (1999) Starring Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, John Cleese, Mark McKinney, Oliver Hudson, Valerie Perri, Steve Mittleman, Randall Arney, Carlease Burke, Christopher Durang, Mo Gaffney, Josh Mostel, Gregory Jbara, Cynthia Nixon, Joseph Maher, Ernie Sabella, William Deull, Joe Grifasi and Rudolph W. Giuliani. Screenplay by Marc Lawrence. Directed by Sam Weisman. Distributed by Paramount … Continue reading
Vincent Patrick Putting Up a Smoke Screen by Ronald Sklar If you lead a squeaky clean (read: deadly dull) existence, chances are the closest you’ll ever get to an exhilarating, rewarding life of crime is by reading the great works of Vincent Patrick. His two previous novels, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Family Business, … Continue reading
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