June Issue

There's so many good things to write about in the summer--especially if you're a culture editor.

Summer Reading

A round-up of summer books suggested by our bookstores: "Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can give up all your intellectual pursuits. Off to the library with you. We solicited recommendations for summer reads from our local, independent booksellers. From their suggestions, we culled a list of recent and upcoming books that are smart, fun, and thoughtful—so you won’t feel like your brain is melting in the sun."

The Dan’l Webster Inn and Spa

A small piece within a larger travel package about an inn in Cape Cod (second item down): "The 300-year-old Colonial B&B and spa is the perfect gateway to Cape Cod; you save yourself all of the gas it would take to sit in the bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to Provincetown."

Ask the Expert

In a column that answers persistent questions, a fashion-industry vet explains why men's pants and women's pants are sized differently: "“Historically, men’s sizing followed the measurement system because of the nature of men’s tailored clothing, which originated with Savile Row in London. Men were more likely to buy suits and coats made by tailors, and these tailors kept all measurements in formal customer record books. Women were more likely to either make their own clothes or use less established enterprises like seamstresses to make their clothes."

Culture, Etc.

Moon, the Old 97s, mambos, and more.

Home Theater

Revolutionary Road, Woodstock, and Spring Breakdown, plus this month's Quadricentennial events.

Just Not "Arrested Development"


After it was posted, my review of this new Fox animated show was one of the most read and most commented items on PopMatters.

Sit Down, Shut Up: Series Premiere

"For the new series, Hurwtiz has tapped three Arrested Development alumni (Bateman, Arnett, and Winkler). But while the blueprint looks the same—self-interested characters go about their daily dramas while Bateman plays the straight man who thinks he’s above it all—the shows operate on very different levels. The first offered sophisticated wordplay and superb timing. Sit Down, Shut Up makes jokes about nut-sacks (of the legume variety). Still, it does one thing very right, and very like the beloved Arrested Development, with talented comedians delivering gags at an exhilarating, rapid-fire pace."

May Issue

This issue looks at the future of the county--and it looks good! My contributions:

Summer Film Preview
A guide to summer movies: "Hugh Jackman may have looked dapper soft-shoeing in a tux when he hosted this year’s Oscars, but he doesn’t look so charming when the adamantium claws come out. Jackman returns to his popular X-Men character in a film that goes back to learn how Wolverine got so scruffy and angry."

The Future of The County's Demographics
As part of our package looking into the year 2020, I wrote a small item about the county's changing demographics: "The Department of Planning predicts that if the trends continue, the elderly will account for a greater share of the county’s total population in 2020 than at any point in recent history."

Why So Many Tutors?
A look at one of the industries that still seems to be booming: "'Tutoring is so popular now because the college-admission process is so unbelievably competitive,' says Anthony Green, an ex-Westchester resident and president of the tutoring service My Ivy Leaguer. 'More kids are applying to college today than ever.' And, while parents have been cutting back on restaurant splurges and shopping binges in The Westchester, tutoring seems to be a luxury few are willing to give up. 'We’re still growing pretty rapidly,' Green says."

Beyond Brunch with Mom
A round-up of ideas for Mother's Day that go beyond the boring brunch routine: "We’re Westchester—our moms are not impressed by mere omelets, and we can come up with something more interesting to do with the women who gave us life."

Brother, Can You Spare 25,000 Dimes?
A look at indulgences the wealthy might have to give up because of the economy: "Looks like we’re all going to have to do a little belt-tightening—even if that belt used to be a Dolce & Gabbana."

Quadricentennial 2009
A survey of events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage: "'My belief is that the most interesting thing about historical celebrations is the ability for them to hint at the continuum we’re always living within: The Hudson was, the Hudson is, and, under any name, it has supported civilization from the Lenape people, to the Philipse clan, to industry and recreation today,' says Brittany Wheeler, museum programs coordinator at the Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site."

Cuture, Etc.
Judah Friedlander, Paul Taylor, an art fair, and more

Home Theater
Star Trek, True Blood, and classic musicals.

Harper's Island


A cool-sounding genre series doesn't live up to its promise in the first episode.

Harper's Island: Series Premiere

"Even without a killer traipsing around the island, this party would be in trouble. The bride has a boyfriend on the side. Her father is trying to stop the marriage. The female guests maraud around in their underwear, Henry’s uncle threatens to blackmail his father-in-law-to-be, and Henry’s brother is suicidal. Even the flower girl seems pained, frying slugs with a magnifying glass and looking generally creepy."

April Issue

In times like these, it's refreshing to see such a thick issue.

The Gowns in our Towns
A round-up of profiles of local college students: "Q: When the election happened, and Sarah Palin was picked as a VP candidate, did everybody look to you as a representative of Alaska? A: Absolutely. People were always asking me about Alaska and cracking jokes about her. When I first came here, I would get questions like, ‘Do you live in an igloo?’ or ‘Are you an Eskimo?’ During the election, people were finally asking me actual questions about Alaska."

Laid Off...Now What? & Open..Now?

In a special look at the economy, we profiled residents who have recently been laid of as well as new businesses opening in a tough climate. (I profiled Jules C., the seventh person included, for the first item, and Five Corners, the sixth business, for the second article.) "Q: Is there an upside to being unemployed? A: I can do small improvements around the house. I always have a home-cooked meal prepared. I also work on my art. I do commission artwork, but no one is paying me to do that now."

Better Than Epcot

A look at the county's cultural centers: "India Center president Ralph D’Souza says the India Center of Westchester includes 'Indian Americans from all regions of India and really represents its many cultures and religions.' It makes sense, then, to offer classes in a slew of languages, including Telgu, Kannada, Sanskrit, Tamil, and Hindi. Languages at the India Center aren’t just spoken, they’re sung, too, with classes available for Carnatic, Hindustani, and other classical or semi-classical vocal styles. (You can also learn to back up these singers on the sitar and tabla, or with Bharata Natyam or Kathak dance.)"

Pure Poetry

Celebrating National Poetry Month: "D
o you think that you will never see a poem as lovely as Westchester County? Since April is National Poetry Month, we figured we'd try to capture the county in verse. Here, we asked the local Longfellows at the Hudson Valley Writers' Center in Sleepy Hollow to write haikus inspired by Westchester."

He Talk Pretty

A blurb about David Sedaris: "'I haven’t the slightest idea how to change people,' author and humorist David Sedaris wrote in his book, Naked, 'but still I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out.' Hopefully, he doesn’t include himself on that list—we like him the way he is."

Culture, Etc.

This month's highlights: Earth Day, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and more.

Beyond Race Two-For-One

Lots of good shows going on in New York. I managed to write up a couple for Beyond Race.

OK Go @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg

"For better or worse, OK Go owes a lot of its fame to a cheap little video it made for 'Here It Goes Again,' a song off their last album, Oh No. No doubt you've seen it: The four band members lip synch while deftly performing a synchronized dance on a series of moving treadmills. At the Music Hall of Williamsburg, one of a handful of dates on a short tour, indeed the crowd seemed most familiar with 'Here It Goes Again.' The task for the band was to prove that it was more than just a viral Internet novelty."

The Mountain Goats @ New York Society for Ethical Culture

"Vanderslice joined Darnielle on stage to do some of the songs they've written together (for a concept project about an organ-harvesting colony on the moon), but only got through two songs before they realized they were way over curfew. Darnielle raced through 'See America Right' and perennial set-closer 'No Children,' and, with the house lights already gone and the assurance that there wouldn't be an encore, the crowd mostly left. The stragglers were rewarded, however, since a few vocal and determined fans demanded a real encore. Darnielle came back on stage and played a cover of Ace of Base's "The Sign" to a half-empty auditorium—and, since the show was officially over, the night ended as it began: totally unamplified. But, with Darnielle and the stragglers singing along, it was no longer wordless."

Double PopMatters Day


Another show canceled before its time:

Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series

"While there are unbelievable moments involving kangaroo fights, sequined in-office song-and-dance routines, and Andy squeezing coal into a diamond, the characters on the show are always seen as realistic. Nobody is a moustache-twirling villain. The closest thing Andy has to a rival is his very attractive coworker, Keith (James Patrick Stuart)—who also happens to be one of Andy’s best friends and is an all-around nice guy. Life is just easier for him because he’s handsome, and Andy is understandably bitter about that, but the show stops there and doesn’t fall into the trap of turning Keith into a cartoonish, womanizing jerk. In fact, they go out of their way to give him some insecurity about his looks. (He has small feet.)"

Party Like It's 1999

In honor of PopMatter's 10-year anniversary, we're taking a look back at the (many, terrific) films of 1999. Since I've lived so close to the actual town of Sleepy Hollow, I chose Tim Burton's film to write up.

Decade-Dense: The 60 Most Memorable Films of 1999: Sleepy Hollow

"Like their first collaboration, 1990’s brilliant Edward Scissorhands—and like fellow 1999 honoree American BeautySleepy Hollow is an examination and condemnation of the suburbs. Poking beneath the seams of the idyllic countryside (which, to be fair, never looks quite that idyllic through Burton’s lens, as there’s a permanent gloom and fog that’s a stark contrast to Scissorhands' bright palette), he finds horrors far worse than the street thugs of the city: a ruling cabal of unstoppable men (whom Burton calls the “Dutch Masters"), materialistic and status-seeking women, and, only slightly less scary, a reanimated, decapitated Hessian who preys on the town’s residents."

Hail to the Kings


I got to review the craziest new show on television.

Kings: Series Premiere

"Repeatedly, Kings shifts from personal to political conflicts, intimating that they are, after all, the same thing. Whether disputes occur between two nations or two people, all the relationships here have to do with power. Players do what it takes to get and keep it, exploiting others and making sacrifices. King Silas and David Shepherd are alike in that they both wonder if, in the end, those sacrifices are worth it."

Whose House?


House: 100th Episode

"In many ways, the 100th episode of House is just like the first, or the 35th, or the 62nd, or any of the other 99 that came before it. The show always starts with the patient of the week collapsing while doing something routine (this time, it’s chopping onions). The team starts its diagnosis. While they’re working their way through theory after theory—and no, it’s not lupus—each learns something about him or herself, based on the patient’s condition. The 100th episode hews close to this formula, and without tricks. Nobody threatens to blow up the hospital. There are no storytelling gimmicks, no time travel, no dream sequences—even though House has employed all of these tactics in the past."