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- “I prefer a national film to an international film.” — Jean-Paul Belmondo
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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 2
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- “It sounds like something from a Woody Guthrie song, but it’s true; I was raised in a freight car.” — Merle Haggard
- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- “There won’t be another Bette Davis. There can’t be.” Mitchell and I discuss Bette Davis
- “I’d marry again if I found a man who had fifteen million dollars, would sign over half to me and guarantee that he’d be dead within a year.” — Bette Davis
- In the Criterion Closet
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Category Archives: Personal
In Memory of Roger Ebert: Michael, Roger & Me
Roger Ebert died 13 years ago today. I wrote about him and how he reached out to me a couple of months before he died and how it coincided exactly with the other Great Event in my life in the … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, On This Day, Personal
Tagged drama, friends, July and Half of August, Kwik Stop
8 Comments
March 2026 Snapshots
I’ve been go-go-go-go for months. Hitting a speed bump, but I’m still going. In case this isn’t clear, this means a little bit of mania. So I’m riding it out, and still saying yes to everything. Family time. Time with … Continue reading
Coming soon …
Sean Abley – whom I have known since my mid-20s – and whom I interviewed about his queer horror film anthology – thought up a project late last year, and asked a couple of writers to contribute. Abley is doing … Continue reading
The night we performed for William Hurt
It’s William Hurt’s birthday today. Back in the day, when Twitter was still a thing, I would often write long stories which occasionally went viral. My story of meeting William Hurt was one of them. When I deactivated my account, … Continue reading
February 2026 Snapshots
February is the shortest month but this February felt like it lasted two months. At least. I spent a week in New York, then a week in Chicago, and then I was basically housebound for a week because of the … Continue reading
Still no power.
They’re saying tomorrow. UPDATE: now they’re saying Friday. FRIDAY??!! I went and charged my phone in my nearly buried car. My laptop is on its last legs. I texted Mitchell to see how they were doing in Puerto Vallarta and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
21 Comments
Thundersnow, a pine tree on fire, and plumes of black smoke across the continent
I just got back from Chicago, right in time for a blizzard whose “stats” beat the still-legendary blizzard of ’78, which brought Rhode Island to a halt for weeks. For once, the hysterical tone of the news before the storm … Continue reading
It’s Ron Eldard’s Birthday: the first famous person I interviewed
Here’s the story of the first famous person I interviewed – an actor I had admired for a long time: Mr. Ron Eldard. I saw the excellent Roadie at the Tribeca Film Festival. Eldard plays a roadie fired from his … Continue reading
R.I.P. Tom Noonan
“I don’t think you go to a play to forget, or to a movie to be distracted. I think life generally is a distraction and that going to a movie is a way to get back, not go away.” — … Continue reading

