May our weary world soon rejoice as yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. May those walking in darkness see a great light – may a new light dawn for those living in the land of the shadow of death. … Continue reading The Night Thread feels a thrill of hope
For those who don’t know, Tom Lehrer was a cutting-edge satirist and musician of the 1960s before shunning the spotlight in favor of relative seclusion. In his short career, he wrote thirty-seven songs, and all of them are essential. This … Continue reading A Cynical Tom Lehrer Christmas Carol Night Thread
Renée Richards is a retired tennis player, and was one of the earliest and most prominent transgender athletes in the American sports world. In her youth, Richards was a stand-out athlete – she was invited to try out for the … Continue reading The Renée Richards Day Thread
On November 21st, 1620 (in the modern calendar; in the calendar used then, November 11th) a ship of about 100 refugees of religious persecution landed in what is now Providencetown Harbor near the end of Cape Cod in modern-day Massachusetts. … Continue reading 401 Years of the Mayflower Compact (a Day Thread)
From Wikipedia: Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture. In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University, brought him to live in Shibuya, Tokyo, as his pet. … Continue reading The Night Thread Celebrates the Birth of Hachikō, Japan’s Most Loyal Dog
Our top eight Coen Brothers movie: 8) 7) 6) 5) 4) 3) 2) And your winner: Thanks for participating, everybody. Leave your comments below! I’ll be back in a few weeks with a new director and maybe a slightly new … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (Results)
The results from the last round: Semifinals: O Brother Where Art Thou 53No Country For Old Men 45 The Big Lebowski 35Fargo 60 Consolation matches: True Grit 46Barton Fink 37 Raising Arizona 55Blood Simple 19 Vote early, vote often, have … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (Championship Round)
The results from the last round: No Country For Old Men 66Blood Simple 19 The Big Lebowski 76True Grit 20 Fargo 78Barton Fink 17 O Brother Where Art Thou 56Raising Arizona There are four matches today to help determine a … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (Final Four)
Voters reported a few difficult choices, but in the end we didn’t have any nailbiters. The tallies from the round of 16: No Country For Old Men 65Hail, Caesar 25 The Big Lebowski 81Burn After Reading 15 Fargo 69A Serious … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (Elite Eight)
No drama in the opening round – Hail Caesar beat Intolerable Cruelty by 51 votes, 63-12, and The Ladykillers found only two supporters versus 86 for Burn After Reading. But now the real drama starts. Vote early, vote often, have … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (Sweet 16)
To qualify, an entry had to be a feature-length film (sorry, that one segment in Paris, je t’aime) and directed (not just written – sorry, Bridge of Spies) by both brothers (sorry, The Tragedy of Macbeth). That leaves us with … Continue reading Tournament: Best Coen Brothers Movie (opening round)
First all, thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks to your efforts, not only do we have a song to crown, but my upvote count is all the way up to … still zero, actually. But at least we have a … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Results
In the end, it had to be these two: the two most iconic musical cues in Bond history. Goldfinger wiped the floor with Carly Simon, while James Bond theme edged out Live and Let Die by a single vote. Different … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Championship
Four matches (five including the 9th-place round) and all decisive. Let’s hope these next few are closer. The following are now eliminated from title contention, but will face each other in consolation bouts: Shirley Bassey, Diamonds Are ForeverChris Cornell, You … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Final Four – VOTING IS CLOSED
I had to break a tie, and it was a tough choice, but I went with You Know My Name over You Only Live Twice. That gives us the following eight eliminated songs: Louis Armstrong, We Have All the Time … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Round of 8 VOTING IS CLOSED
Eliminated in the first round: Kingston Calypso, Dr. NoOpening Titles, From Russia With Love (both instrumental and with vocals)Lulu, The Man with the Golden GunShirley Bassey, MoonrakerRita Coolidge, All Time High (Octopussy)Gladys Knight, License to KillSheryl Crow, Tomorrow Never DiesMadonna, … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Round of 16 – VOTING IS CLOSED
Pretty simple really: there are 25 films in the Eon/Broccoli Bond series (which does not include the original Casino Royale or Never Say Never Again). Three movies have multiple themes, so we have 28 songs competing for the title of … Continue reading Best Bond Song: Seeding/Elimination Round VOTING IS CLOSED
By Jean Caffey Lyles. Originally published in the April/May 1983 print edition of the Wittenburg Door, #72. I think there are a few different things we can take from this. Much of Fred’s behavior is now de facto among both … Continue reading From the Archives of the Wittenburg Door: Macho Feminism
The following passages are all taken from Claire McNear’s new essay for The Ringer “A Smile With Sharp Teeth”: Mike Richards’s Rise to ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Sparks Questions About His Past, which can be found here: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/18/22631299/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments. This represents a combination … Continue reading “A Smile With Sharp Teeth”: A discussion space for the new allegations/complaints against Jeopardy host Mike Richards
When you’re lovers in a dangerous timeSometimes you’re made to feel as if your love’s a crimeBut nothing worth having comes without some kind of fightGot to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight – Bruce Cockburn This day … Continue reading Day Thread (8/1) In A Dangerous Time
