Can you name the actors in this clip from a 1993 episode of Batman: The Animated Series? Two starred in popular 1980s TV series, and the other is currently starring in a critically acclaimed cable show.
Category Archives: Pop Life
Caine and Reeve…
Our clips today are scenes from two movies starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, both based on plays I enjoy. The first is Sidney Lumet’s Deathtrap (1982) with Dyan Cannon. Ira Levin wrote the play, which is as suspenseful as his more well-known Rosemary’s Baby but without the supernatural elements. Reeve plays very much against type, and Caine is as marvelous as always. The second is Peter Bogdanovich’s Noises Off (1992) with Marilu Henner and John Ritter. I had the chance to see the 2001 Broadway production with Patti Lupone and a pre-Grey’s Anatomy T.R. Knight, and I think it works better on stage than film. However, I highly recommend both movies as a pleasant evening’s entertainment.
Richard Matheson…
Richard Matheson, who along with Charles Beaumont and series creator Rod Serling wrote most of the classic episodes of The Twilight Zone, died Sunday. My favorite Matheson Twilight Zone script is “The Invader,” which features an amazing pantomime performance by Agnes Moorehead (Bewitched).
A giant (forgive the pun) in science fiction, Matheson wrote “The Enemy Within” episode of Star Trek, which I’ve always enjoyed perhaps because it feels like an installment of The Twilight Zone.
“The men call me Prince… the women call me Electric Man.”
My favorite Prince era is the Parade period. The music is mature and challenging (“Under the Cherry Moon,” “Venus de Milo,” “Do U Lie?”) yet still funky (“New Position,” “Mountains,” “Kiss,” “Anotherloverholenyohead,” and well shut all ready, damn!). I also adore (wait, that’s next year) the slick zoot-suited outfits he wore at the time. So, this clip, which you can view here, is quite a treat. It’s Prince’s 28th birthday concert in Detroit on June 7, 1986.
Enjoy it while it lasts. The famously litigious Prince actively stalks the Internet and removes any of his videos or concert footage. A shame because his live performances are stunning theater. When I saw him most recently — almost 25 years after this show, he hadn’t appeared to have slowed down much if any. That’s clean living for you, I guess.
Deconstructing the Rich-Wich…
Adam Richman (Man vs. Food) prepares the type of sandwich I used to eat before my third heart attack.
I do stand behind avocado on a sandwich but as a more healthful substitute for mayonnaise. Richman ventures into Elvis territory with the addition of a fried egg and bacon (unnecessary protein overload, I think). The potato chips are unconventional but if you’re going to eat them with your meal anyway, have at it.
My favorite sandwich from one of the best sandwich shops in the world, Parisi Bakery, was smoked mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and very light mayo on seeded bread. When I started eating meat again in late 2001, I added smoked turkey to the mix. It was delicious but nap-inducing, which was problematic for a sandwich I regularly ate at lunch.
I’m more salads than sandwiches these days because I think most restaurants, especially in the Northwest, make their sandwiches too rich and heavy. If you need to eat it with a knife, fork, and pack of napkins, you have a problem. The gourmet sandwich craze isn’t for me.
There is an elegant efficiency to fresh bread and vegetables with a light touch of meat. I suppose that’s why the Germans do it so well. I left Bavaria singing the praises of pretzel bread.
It’s all about the voice…
The just-released Man of Steel film, which I don’t plan to see, has already generated speculation about who would play Lex Luthor in the now-likely sequel. Benedict Cumberbatch is a popular choice. He’s played a genius (Sherlock) and a superman of sorts (Star Trek Into… Really, That’s the Title?). But his most compelling credential is his voice. Put plainly: Lex Luthor is a baritone, which explains my two favorite Luthor performances.
Clancy Brown, from the Bruce Timm Superman and Justice League series.
And Anthony LaPaglia from All-Star Superman.
“I don’t know you, lady”…
Sarah Palin is now back on FOX News, where her mission to avoid forming a coherent sentence can safely continue.
Palin and Fox News had parted ways this year, ending a three-year stint that reportedly paid $1 million a year. At the time, Palin said she wanted to do other things.
Palin was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. Since leaving her TV stint, she has remained outspoken on issues, assisting GOP candidates and criticizing President Obama through posts on Facebook and her website.
I’m glad that Palin has used her fame and influence to do what pretty much any halfway literate conservative with an Internet connection can manage. Thanks to John Edwards, she’s not the most embarrassing former vice presidential candidate out there. However, the GOP mainstream tends to regard Palin, who was not invited to speak at the 2012 GOP convention, with the same contempt Superman held for the moll he hooked up with while evil in Superman III.
Obligatory Tony Clips…
I didn’t watch the Tony Awards this year; although thanks to Mark Evanier, I saw Neil Patrick Harris’s sensation opening number.
Here’s a more subdued but still thrilling clip from the 1976 Tony Awards. Donna McKechnie wins Best Actress for her performance as Cassie in A Chorus Line. (Small thrill for me to notice Cheryl Clark, who played Liz in 1975’s Chicago, posting in the comments. She even refers to herself as “the original POP!”)
McKechnie defeated Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera from Chicago, although the role of Velma Kelly would eventually win a Tony for Bebe Neuwirth’s performance in the 1996 revival. Here she is accepting the award from Mandy Patinkin, who is inexplicably wearing space-age sunglasses.
I just noticed that Tonya Pinkins was also nominated that year. I’d seen her in Play On! during the spring of 1997. She and the rest of the cast were great in a production that unfortunately did not live up to its title.
serhasacomplaint 
“You’re saying black people don’t eat bread with holes in it?”
Aisha Tyler on the idiocy of qualifying “blackness.” The relevant section begins at 7 minutes into the interview; although it’s also worth watching in its entirety.
Posted by Stephen Robinson on June 13, 2013 in Pop Life, Social Commentary
Tags: aisha tyler, blackness, wayne brady