My friend Bill had an expression that he loved to use in the mid 1970s. Whenever we had a difference of opinion, as often as not he would respond by saying, “Well, that’s what makes horse races.” If you don’t quite get that, most people who attend horse races go there to bet and try …
MOVIES DON’T ALL HAVE TO HAVE CAR CHASES & GUNFIGHTS Read More »
Thje 1970s and ’80s were a gloriously goofy time. Here are 35 pop culture references from that time and the answers as to where they came from: 1. “Are you calling me a pussy communist?” G.D. Spradlin played a lot of heavies, and he was a mean redneck sheriff in the 1984 James Garner movie …
FROM PUSSY COMMUNIST TO NO GRINDING, THE ANSWERS Read More »
Here’s a look at pop culture from the ’70s and ’80s, movies, sports, pop music, television and politics. It’s 25 questions, and if you can answer all 25 of them, you are the man — or woman. Enjoy. Unless otherwise noted, I will give you a piece of information. You tell where it came from …
“It’s a free country.” Is it? If there’s one thing people in this country seem to do, it’s overrating the level of freedom we enjoy as Americans. There are actually three types of people in our country — folks on the left, folks on the right and those who are neither. Far too many of …
Somewhere in a parallel universe: It’s April 19, 2024, and another Michael Paul Rappaport is celebrating his 49th wedding anniversary. We’re still one year away from the big one, and if we live another year, we will become the third consecutive generation in my family to make it to 50 years together. It’s not like …
One of my favorite writers had a new book published today, and a line in it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. I have loved Doris Kearns Goodwin’s work since I read “No Ordinary Time,” her 1994 book about Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during World War II. I read her books about Lyndon …
I’ve got a new contender for absolutely worst situation comedy ever. It’s a perfect example about how the BBC does television better than anyone else, and it’s also about how when they know they’re wrong, they step back right away. In 1990, the Beeb made eight episodes of a show designed to spoof American television …
Originally written July 4, 2020 On the day Trump leaves office, we’ll still have a younger generation with worse life prospects than their parents had faced.”— DAVID BROOKS, New York Times” David Brooks might be the closest thing we have to a philosopher among modern newspaper columnists. The talk about one generation not having it …
Not all the movies I enjoy watching are good movies. In fact, there are some bad ones I have watched over and over again, sometimes because they’re fun and sometimes because they bring back memories of when I saw them or who I saw them with. I’ll always associate seeing “M*A*S*H” — not a bad …
I have never been a big believer in Hell. Oh, I believe in God, if for no other reason than not wanting to believe that man is the crown of creation. I think it’s important to believe there is a greater purpose to life than just individual happiness. Religion is a tougher call. To me, …
IF THERE’S A HELL, A SPECIAL PUNISHMENT FOR THE JUICE Read More »
