I don't know if schools are still touting 'Go Ask Alice' but I LOVE that book. The way it catapults from an unexpected acid dosing to strung out bisexual prostitution in the span of a year? Back when I was a bookseller I remember this 13 year old girl coming in and asking if we had any books about "girls with…

Of course they aren't—even a child knows a car's eyes are it's headlights.

My son loves Paw Patrol as well—and it isn't as bad as it could be (I'm thinking about the godawful things I watched at his age). I keep trying to draw parallels between Mayor Humdinger and a certain other dastardly political figure who has appointed his own CAT-astrophe Crew.

It's hard when you as a parent latch onto something you think is great and enriching but your kid doesn't—I don't know how old your daughter is though, so maybe don't give up on 'Sarah and Duck' yet?

'Sarah and Duck' is the go-to bedtime ritual for my three year old—it has a really nice calming effect on him and it's really sweet and funny. It has great music, non-confrontational humor and a ton of re-watchability. The best episode is the one where Scarf Lady is knitting a new roof and Sarah falls asleep only to…

Now that's the stuff.

"Hearing those 30,000 groups before I heard the Velvets didn’t do them any favors"

Thanks Lurky—I been in an out.

Wallace Brothers — I Stayed Way Too Long
Rufus and Carla — When You Move You Lose
Badmarsh and Shri —Mountain Path
Fine Young Cannibals — Good Times and Bad (Dust bros mix)
The Doors — Strange Days (Thievery Connection remix)
Dillinger — Chucky Skank
Steve Earle — Think it Over
Tom Waits — Saw Sage
Four Tops — Lonely Lover
DJ…

I had been wondering if Sandow Birk was going to revisit his "Great War of the Californias" (see also: http://www.sandowbirk.com/p… ) in light of the Trump administration. It seemed like a good idea to me, and the kind of "enemy of my enemy" situation that would get the two factions (North and South) to put away…

All these comments and no mention of cornbread?

Okay—I love 'Black Narcissus'. It's really a gorgeous film and a real intense hothouse drama—a kind of British Raj Gothic.

I think my wife would never forgive me if I didn't say the Australian film 'Flirting'.

That's a fair point—but these "Fantasy Comedies" are certainly marketed as Romantic Comedies, and a fantasy of romance seems to be the main attraction. I should mention here that I am also including a whole run of Julia Roberts movies and attempts to recreate that formula with Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Anniston,…

That they are.

I almost mentioned 'Reds' and I didn't intend to take anything away from Reiner—or Ephron for that matter. It's just that the aura of Allen is apparent. And nothing else either of them ever did felt that way.

That's awfully reductionist. The Woody Allen-ness of 'When Harry Met Sally' is all about the narrative style, the self-examination manifest as witty banter, the Swing soundtrack, the breaks and transitions, the on camera interviews with couples that punctuate the story, the role of NYC as a supporting character and…

I dunno. "The Modern Romantic Comedy" of the 80's and 90's owed more to "Splash" than real life—how will they ever find love when one is a mermaid, a ghost, a time traveler, an alien, etc.

It's a good movie—Certainly the best classic Woody Allen movie ever made by someone other than Woody Allen.

Free Speech Outs Idiots