Memo to Hollywood: Guard Your Traditions

OK, we know that the business of moviemaking has always skewed more to the business side than to the movie side when big money is involved — the history of cinema has always revolved around a balancing act between art and commerce — but the folks over at The Grauman Chinese Theatre in Hollywood seem [...]

Rock ‘n’ Roll Greed — The Saga of The Malibu Edge

OK, time to put on our angry hat. Despite the fact that the boys of U2 are noted as being politically active, socially conscious and incredibly philanthropic (Bono, for one, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize), at heart they’re super-rich rock businessmen. In the past they’ve been criticised for trying to skip out on [...]

Movie Poster Slide Show

    Dreamsville’s Movie Poster               Slide Show   Here’s a slide show we put together a couple year’s ago as an electronic holiday card. Click the poster and enjoy.                                  

Films & TV We Grew Up With: April

OK, kids. Time for another trip down memory lane. Here’s a smattering of some films and TV shows making their way to DVD this month — films and TV shows that were part of our cultural landscape and influenced us as we grew up. So here’s to the start of a new monthly column. Dirty [...]

The Ernie Kovacs Collection

The Ernie Kovacs Collection On April 19, Shout! Factory will release a lavish six-disc set compiling the work of one of the greatest comics of the 20th century — Ernie Kovacs. This is a collection not to be missed. Here’s the press release: Featuring more than 13 hours of Kovacs’ original classic television content, unforgettable [...]

Father’s Day

Father’s Day Sunday was so very nice in Beverly Hills. The sun was warm, its rays sparkling through the swaying of the elm and eucalyptus trees. It smelled fresh and clean. Early in the evening I decided to ride my bike up to the post office  — about a mile away — and maybe cruise [...]

Capitalist Shibboleth #39: Land Is the Basis of All Wealth

While rummaging through some old file folders I found this advertisement; it appeared in the Los Angeles Times on February 24, 1970 –  while the Cold War was still raging.

Water, Water, Every Where ….

Southern California has been inundated these past several weeks with rain storms; it’s something we’re not used: There’s flash floods, mud slides, overflowing storm drains and traffic jams. What’s really scary, though, is an advisory sent out by L.A. County’s environmental health division, advising people to stay out of the ocean because of the possibility [...]

Taylor Swift’s Performance Malfunction

What are we to make of the ongoing controversy over 20-year-old country singer Taylor Swift’s off-key performance at the Grammys last week? The Web world is abuzz with fans and detractors defending or denigrating the singer. MTV News even published an article titled “Why You Shouldn’t Hate On Taylor Swift” in response to the backlash. [...]

Healthcare Costs on the Rise. Why?

OK, everyone leery of government intervention in our health care system. Take a look at what the L.A. Times reported today under the headline: Anthem Blue Cross dramatically raising rates for Californians with individual health policies. Policyholders are incensed over rate hikes of as much as 39%, which they say come on top of similar [...]

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