Just a critter in the Gutter.
Jan Berenstain, co-creator of the Berenstain Bears picture books, has died. She and her husband Stan wrote and illustrated the first Bears book in 1960 and it was the first of many books published by Theodore Geisel’s Beginner’s Books. The Los Angeles Times has more here.
Cinematographer Bruce Surtees has died. “He wasn’t afraid of having the character exist in either silhouette or total darkness and letting the dialogue do the work.” The Los Angeles Times has an excellent overview of his career with recollections from Clint Eastwood and Tom Stern.
Teleport City has a transcript of the Mysterious Order of the Skeleton Suit’s viewing and live tweeting of the notorious Sompote Sands film, Magic Lizard. The Cultural Gutter was a proud participant.
Ralph McQuarrie has died. McQuarrie was an artist best known for his conceptual work for Star Wars. 24 Frames has a brief obituary with links to some of McQuarrie’s work. McQuarrie’s personal site has more galleries and a place for tributes.
Ben Bertoli tries out a new management system in the classroom: ClassRealm. “The system would have [role-playing game] elements and focus on various achievements. I made the achievements tiered so students would be able to earn the lower ones quickly and get a sense of how it felt […]
Riffing off Melissa McCarthy’s Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Academy Awards and off the film Tootsie, film critic Bobby Rivers writes: “Hollywood, please give us more witty comedies like Tootsie and make the casts racially diverse. Give minority actors more opportunities. Then start giving more love to actors […]
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The Cultural Gutter 