selected journalism
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"At
Home on
the Range"
From cutting hits singles to jamming with the Dead, Bruce Hornsby goes
where the music takes him
"The
Bard in
the Booth"
With a stack of unpublished novels to his credit, Stanley Blakeman is
more than just your neighborhood movie projectionist
"Convictions"
Novelist Vincent Zandri's hard-driving work ethic pays off with the
launch of a mystery series about a prison warden
"The
Daughter
Also Rises"
Sally Taylor wants to be known for more than famous folks Carly and
James
"The
Dream
King"
Writer Neil Gaiman lays low between the end of "Sandman" and the launch
of his movie career
"The
Evil That
Men Do"
Merciless playing and morbid lyrics make death-metal outfit Skinless
the area's masters of disaster
"To
Hell and
Back"
How a spiritual journey led William Peter Blatty from writing "The
Exorcist" to directing cult-favorite thrillers
"Independent's
Day"
Filmmaker John Sayles reflects on a singular career that's being
celebrated at dual events this week
"Passion
Statement"
Singer-songwriter Rosanne Raneri ends a three-year recording hiatus
with a new album and a new attitude
"Righteous
Return"
Five years after scoring with "One of Us," Joan Osborne takes another
shot at fame
"Seasons
of
the Soul"
After struggles with addiction and a string of tragedies,
composer-pianist Cole Broderick scores with a musical celebration of
Saratoga
"Thanks
for
Sharing"
Meet a woman named Jewel, who's as serious about her songwriting as she
is about her yodeling
"Up
Close and
Personal"
Robert Redford on "The Horse Whisperer," directing himself, and Capital
Region hospitality
"Women
on the
Verge"
After years of chasing mainstream success, all-female band Antigone
Rising gains notoriety by rocking to its own beat
"Young
at
Heart"
A popular radio show is part of the Zucchini Brothers' quest to prove
that kids' entertainment doesn't have to be childish
"America
the
Bootylicious"
(exploring the sexualization of pop culture)
"Let
Us
Entertain You . . . Selectively"
(considering post-9/11 censorship)
"Seduced
by
Savagery"
(looking at perverse violence in movies)
"Skin
Deep"
(comparing superficial and inner beauty in cinematic storytelling)
"Something
Happened"
(remembering Louis Malle)
"That's
Cybertainment!"
(considering what entertainment might look like in the 21st century)
"Thrill
Has
Gone"
(lamenting the slow fade of single-screen theaters)
"Trivial
Pursuit"
(weighing the use of trivia as movie dialogue)
"What
You
Don't Know"
(contemplating the impact of excessive behind-the-scenes information)
"X
Marks the
Generation"
(looking beyond a generational stereotype)
"After
the
Honeymoon"
He created a hit opera in 1960, and a cult-classic movie in 1970. Now,
30 years after his big moment in the pop-culture spotlight, Leonard
Kastle is ready to revive his cinematic career
"The
Mall, the
Merrier"
The comfort zones of consumer culture, shopping centers offer an
intoxicating illusion
"The
Monster-Made Man"
For writer-filmmaker Bruce G. Hallenbeck, ghosts and ghouls and goblins
aren't the stuff of nightmares -- they're tools for holding onto the
wonderment of childhood.
"On
a Fin and
a Prayer"
With "The Little Mermaid," Disney seeks to reclaim its place atop the
animation business
"Out
of the
Broom Closet"
Persecution behind them, witches enter the mainstream
"Panels
Discussion"
Faced with a maturing fan base, comic books ditch the kid's stuff and
tackle themes that appeal to adults
"Rhythms
of
the Night"
When it comes to bedroom music, different strokes please different folks
"Rumble
in the
Jungle"
Sigourney Weaver experiences close encounters of the primate kind while
playing slain naturalist Dian Fossey
Movie scripts are usurping novels as the medium of choice for many writers -- but what does that mean for the future of literature?
"Straight
Outta Kinderhook"
Local airplay gives small-town punk act F-Timmi a shot at stardom --
just months after a recording contract slipped through their fingers
"Agreeing
to
Disagree"
It's up to the voters now as opposing sides in Albany's charter-reform
debate hold fast to their differences
"Closing
Time"
After nearly 13 years of musical mayhem, Charlene Shortsleeve cuts her
losses and puts storied Albany nightclub QE2 up for sale
"Dumping
Ground"
Schenectady residents express concern about possible toxins in a
long-closed city landfill
"A
Facelift
for Albany"
Will low-income neighborhoods pay the price for downtown renewal?
"Filmdom's
Finest Take Spotlight in Woodstock"
Today's events at film fest include the presentation of an award to Tim
Robbins
"Mind
Games"
Attorney General Spitzer's proposal to broaden use of involuntary
commitment draws fire
"Rock
&
Roll With the Changes"
Assessing the new landscape one year after a conglomerate took the
reins of Saratoga Performing Arts Center
"The
Shot
Heard 'Round the Colonies"
Thousands converge on Ticonderoga for the 'Super Bowl' of War
Reenactments
"Southgate
Bites Dust"
How community activism helped derail construction of a massive shopping
center
"They
Only
Come Out at Night"
An appearance by author Anne Rice draws over one thousand horror fans
"Ali"
"Apocalypse Now Redux"
"Before Sunset"
"Black Hawk Down"
"Collateral Damage"
"Death to Smoochy"
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"
"Iris"
"K-PAX"
"Last Night"
"Pearl Harbor"
"The Pledge"
"Series 7: The Contenders"
"The Thin Red Line"
"Twist of Faith"
ALBUMS
Holly Cole: "Temptation"
Counting Crows: "This Desert Life"
Electric Light Orchestra: "Zoom"
Eurythmics: "Peace"
Radney Foster: "See What You Want to See"
Ben Murray and Siobhan Quinn: "Two Rivers"
No Doubt: "Rock Steady"
Eddi Reader: "Angels and Electricity"
3rd Matinee: "Meanwhile"
Wild Colonials: "Fruit of Life"
CONCERTS
Browne/Colvin/Hornsby/Lindley/Raitt
Celine Dion
Don Henley
The Mavericks
Moby, Hybrid
Britney Spears, O-Town
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
U2, PJ Harvey
Brian Wilson
Trisha Yearwood, Randy Scruggs
These articles are from the following publications: defunct Albany, N.Y., newsweekly "The Source," for which I wrote from 1993 to 1997; Delmar, N.Y., community weekly "The Delmar Spotlight," my journalistic home for much of 1998; Albany newsweekly "Metroland," which carried my work from 1998 to 2002; Albany daily "The Times Union," for which I freelanced sporadically from 1997 to 2003; and online 'zine "Film Threat," which featured my writing in 2004 and 2005. The earliest pieces, circa 1988-1990, are from the NYU student paper "The Washington Square News."
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