Entries Tagged 'Writing' ↓
September 24th, 2008 — Music, Writing
Here’s a great piece from The New York Times’ fantastic “Measure for Measure” series, which documents the songwriting impulse and process. In this edition, artist Suzanne Vega, above, talks about her computer systems analyst mom, her techy daughter, and how ease with digital tools seemed to have skipped a generation in her family.
But, most of all, she discusses creating her a cappella song “Tom’s Diner,” which became a 1990 hit when British producers Nick Batt and Neal Slateford, aka DNA, remixed her vocals over a shimmering, trampolining beat.
Continue reading →
June 13th, 2008 — Children, Culture, NONFICTION, Race, Writing
Unusual sighting: Monty (Idris Elba), a mechanic, fathers his brood
It’s a story told so rarely—as it is, for example, in Tyler Perry’s 2007 film, Daddy’s Little Girls, above—that it’s, for the most part, nonexistent: What are the travails, challenges, joys, and rewards of bringing up children, alone, as a Black male?
In his new book, Bedtime Stories: Adventures in the Land of Single Fatherhood, suave literatus Trey Ellis grapples with the transformative experience of raising his daughter, Ava, 10, and son, Chet, 7, as a solo dad.
We’ll talk with him about his book on my WBAI-NY / 99.5 FM radio show, NONFICTION, this afternoon, Friday, June 13, 2 pm ET.
Continue reading →
May 9th, 2008 — Books, Controversy, Entertainment, Humor, Internet, Pop Culture, Race, Writing
Margaret Seltzer: Liar, yes; fraud, affirmative…but sex symbol?
As you’ve perhaps noticed, our little MEDIA ASSASSIN YouTube, “Margaret B. Jones / Seltzer’s Lie-All Gangsta Video—Exposed!”, which debuted exactly ten days ago, with an accompanying breakdown of the imaginary memoirist’s tall tales, became something of a sensation, returning the blog’s highest page view numbers to date.
Thank you, everyone.
Continue reading →
April 29th, 2008 — Books, Controversy, Entertainment, Journalism, Media, Pop Culture, Race, Writing
Keepin’ it real unreal: Margaret “B. Jones” Seltzer gets into character
Who, exactly, is Margaret Seltzer? Empathic writer? Gangster wannabee? Estranged daughter? One-time aspiring eco-terrorist?
MEDIA ASSASSIN has obtained what appears to be the only known copy of a damning video that Margaret “B. Jones” Seltzer’s publisher, Riverhead/Penguin, buried last month, once the book documenting the author’s foster home-living, gangbanging, drug-running past—Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival, right—was revealed to be completely and totally fabricated.
The 10:10 video, shot and edited before she was exposed as a liar, may be the only existing footage of Seltzer in her full-on “hood” persona.
Continue reading →
March 19th, 2008 — Film, Obituary, Science-Fiction, Writing
A scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey (MGM, 1968)
Arthur C. Clarke, perhaps best known as author of the 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and co-writer, with director Stanley Kubrick, of the eponymous film released the same year, died today in his home in Sri Lanka. He was 90.
2001 is my favorite film of all time, and has been since I saw it in the seventh grade, with commercials, on a 25″ black & white TV, a viewing upon which, even in such primitive conditions, the movie did no less than totally blow my mind.
Continue reading →
