dirac

No doubt about it, innopac. I suppose there is some "weeding" that can be done responsibly, but I don't necessarily trust those doing it to do so responsibly.

Thanks, Anthony_NYC. Most informative.

San Jose Ballet just presented Graduation Ball as the finale of their first program of the season. They've done it before but not for some time. It's dated a bit but retains considerable charm, as cubanmiamiboy says, and presents some technical challenges for its dancers. It was my first time seeing it and I enjoyed it very much.

University libraries here on the other coast are getting rid of their stacks to make room for more group study areas and non book related business. If you want a book from the stacks, a robot gets it for you. No one wants to stand in the way of "progress." of course, but the whole point of stacks is to be able to wander through them and pull books at will. Browsing through titles electronically is not yet anything like the same thing. Oh, well.....

With all due respect to those here who enjoyed it, I can't say I regret my initial decision not to see this during its theatrical run. A loooooong ninety minutes.Once again, Allen plays off his old conceit from "The Kugelmass Episode" and I'd say his returns are diminishing. To call these characters stock is considerable flattery, bart. (My heart went out to poor Rachel McAdams.)

As Croce points out in the article, Astaire was highly regarded as a singer, and had more songs written expressly for him than any other musical comedy star save Merman. There were a few dissenters, notably the Gershwins.

Arlene Croce has a piece in The New York Review of Books writing on two new Astaire-related books. Not much new information for Astaire buffs or new insights for Croce close readers, but nice to see her in print again.

Thanks for the update, Anthony_NYC. Well, they better do it soon, lest it be necessary to rename the protagonist Grandmama Rose. Perhaps in the Fellowes version Rose and her daughters will be driven onto the vaudeville circuit because the family seat, Eggroll House, is entailed??

I remember it as a good book. Thanks.

Perhaps a dispute over seating arrangements???

You seem to be taking a harder line than you did earlier in the thread, where you said that you weren't knocking O'Connor for taking up the subject. To each his own, though.

To each his own, as they say.

We're all free to disagree here, of course. However, I think it's quite a stretch to call Lobenthal's review a negative one and readers can make that judgment for themselves. My point was that if the preservation of Le Clercq's treasured privacy is the concern, as many seem to suggest, a full biography is potentially just as invasive as a respectful and sensitive piece of fiction based on fact, if not more so.

I don't find it a good "review" really. However the information he provides is very interesting and appears to be factual. As it has been said, time for Lobenthal and Brubach to team together and produce that tome! The article is actually a generally favorable review of the book. Why wouldn't a biography violate Le Clercq's privacy as much, if not more, than this novel? Lobenthal notes that Le Clercq's father was a lush and there was much tension with Mom. I didn't know that before, but I do now......

I think Plutarch got there a few centuries ago. Lucky you getting to see Howard - wonderful actor and I'd have loved to see him in the role.

True, sidwich. (Nice to hear from you, BTW.) I think you're right. Also note that Pickford is not only small but has the large head in proportion to a small body, which adds to the childlike effect. In her movies she still looked older than the other kids, but nobody seemed to mind at the time. Thank you for that picture, Kerry1968.

Good question, Kerry1968. Crawford was short but I'm not sure if she was Princess Margaret short and I would doubt it. Nor is it likely that the studio resorted to Alan Ladd measures like putting her on a box. She tended to wear heels and carry herself well. I would wager that she was just that much taller than Blyth.

And Irving Thalberg was hardly taller than his wife..... Both ladies also had another frequently-observed characteristic of the movie star, a largish head.

Bringing a post from Quiggin over to this thread: I don't know about the "thankless" part, but that's a good article, Quiggin, thank you. Wald's comments about Hollywood's factory town habits are worth noting, and it's very true that stars traditionally tend to be on the shorter side.

I remember reading that Hendrix spent a very brief period opening for these guys, which must have presented an interesting contrast for those in the audience seeking non-threatening entertainment.

MakarovaFan, did you ever see it?

Oh, you know what I mean.

Thanks for posting, PeggyR. He did good work with Tarkovsky late in his career, as well. From the obit:

Odd choices, but then it's Rivers. I agree. I wanted to root for that frock because Mara was plainly trying to do something different and one respects that in view of the fact that Rivers, et al. are waiting out there to take the actresses apart, but she didn't carry it off well. Nothing wrong with the dress, although the back did look like some kind of orthopedic support. The dress of the night was Chastain's. Gorgeous with some unusual details, just a wonderful gown. Octavia Spencer looked smashing in a beautifully draped and fitted beaded number (and her acceptance speech was a highlight of the night).

Thanks for posting, Anthony_NYC. Given the competition I didn't mind seeing The Artist win. It's very tough for a movie to win the top prize when it's not chock full of Importance, so in a way it was a nice change from ordnance disposal, enigmatic serial killers, abdications, etc. The movie is being compared to Singin' in the Rain but I'd not say it's anywhere near the level of the earlier film and in some ways the comparison is misleading. I like Bejo's lanky looks but her beauty is very contemporary and she didn't convince me as a starlet of the period although there was nothing wrong with her performance per se. Dujardin was marvelous and I expect that on a second viewing he will only get better.