Tag: California

Xanadu’s Persistence of Memory

I watched Xanadu on HBO dozens of times in the early 1980s. My obsession also included the soundtrack, which I listened to on a Walkman while attired in scarves, leotards, ruffled skirts, and legwarmers. Sadly, my skills at ballet, tap, and jazz did not translate into roller skating, […]

The Projection Booth Goes Clear

The Projection Booth Podcast has an excellent two-part series exploring Scientology on film. The first part focuses on Craig Baldwin’s Mock Up On Mu, with discussion of L. Ron Hubbard and rocket scientist/occultist Jack Parsons, and a comparison of Peter Alexander’s The Profit with Paul Thomas Anderson’s The […]

RIP, Jack Vance

Author Jack Vance died. He is probably best known for his collection of linked stories, The Dying Earth., and he was a tremendous influence on contemporary fantasy and science fiction authors.  The Los Angeles Times   and The Guardian have obituaries. Here Jack Vance talks about censorship on […]

RIP, Deanna Durbin

Actress and singer Deanna Durbin has died. The Los Angeles Times and The Guardian have obituaries. Audie Cornish and Melissa Block remember Durbin on NPR.  Here Deanna Durbin sings, “Good-Bye” in Because Of  Him (1946)