Category Archives: On This Day

“I’m very concerned that we don’t make movies that are original anymore.” — Robert Zemeckis

Posted on May 14, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. While Robert Zemeckis has gone on to be a bazillionaire and one of the most successful producers in Hollywood of fairly middle-brow movies, he started off small and rowdy – with two films I love: first, … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged | 8 Comments

“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.” — Stevie Wonder

Posted on May 13, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. I love that quote because I have so many memories “attached” to Stevie Wonder’s songs, so attached that they don’t feel “attached” at all. The song IS the memory. And more than a memory, really: these … Continue reading →

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“I was a sinister child, lazy and cynical.” — Eve Babitz

Posted on May 13, 2026 by sheila

“What I wanted, although at the time I didn’t understand what the thing was because no one ever tells you anything until you already know it, was everything. Or as much as I could get with what I had to … Continue reading →

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“I don’t care how afraid I may be inside — I do what I think I should.” — Katharine Hepburn

Posted on May 12, 2026 by sheila

Barbara Walters: “Kate, you always wear pants. Do you even own a skirt?” Katharine Hepburn: “I have one, Miss Walters. I’ll wear it to your funeral.” Dan and I discussed her, in my interview with him about his new book. … Continue reading →

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“I think a fear of portraying something negatively ends up creating more stereotypes.” — Sophia Takal

Posted on May 12, 2026 by sheila

It’s Sophia Takal’s birthday today. “You probably can’t tell this from “Green,” but I actually think that art should have a sense of humor about itself. Art is very important and it can change lives, but it doesn’t actually save … Continue reading →

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“My dear child, I’m sure we shall be allowed to laugh in Heaven!” — Edward Lear

Posted on May 12, 2026 by sheila

Edward Lear (the “father of nonsense”) was born on this day in 1812 in London. I could recite from memory a lot of his stuff when I was pretty close to the age I was in the “candid” photo above. … Continue reading →

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“I know that for myself, what is deeper than I understand is often the most pertinent to me and the most lasting.” — Lorine Niedecker

Posted on May 12, 2026 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. I had not heard of Lorine Niedecker, until 2010, when I took the Norton Anthology out to Block Island with me, in the hopes it would help me get back to reading again. It worked. And … Continue reading →

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“If you are going to do good work, you have to risk failing badly.” — Natasha Richardson

Posted on May 11, 2026 by sheila

It’s Natasha Richardson’s birthday. I have seen a couple of live performances I will never forget, performances where I think as they are happening: I am so lucky to have witnessed this.. It’s rare. Natasha Richardson, in Cabaret, gave one … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, On This Day, Theatre | Tagged , | 9 Comments

“Maybe it’s a generational thing but I never wanted to be the best black dancer in the world. I wanted to be the best.” — Judith Jamison

Posted on May 10, 2026 by sheila

“The first time I started choreographing was in the dark, in my living room, with the lights completely out, to some popular music on the radio. I put the radio on full blast and I started moving. I didn’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in On This Day, Personal | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Before verse can be human again it must learn to be brutal.” — Austin Clarke

Posted on May 9, 2026 by sheila

“He cleared a non-Yeatsian space in which an Irish poet might build a confident poetry in English for which the term ‘Anglo-Irish’ is meaningless.” – Michael Schmidt, Lives of the Poets Austin Clarke was born in Dublin on this day … Continue reading →

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