We love one particular national institution here in Washington, the Kennedy Center, and last evening we had a unique experience there. It was a genuinely odd production of "Measure for Measure" -- considered to be Shakespeare's only "other" play about justice and mercy ("Merchant of Venice" being the first ( Read more... )

David Brooks is a busy journalist. He goes from being the Friday co-prophet on PBS Evening News to writing important op-eds in the New York Times. He picks pop music for today's column ( Read more... )

http://ultradevi.tumblr.com/post/129515197307/justine-i-think-this-is-emma-watson-rocking-out

But you lovely readers KNOW that I really like her acting -- and, heck, damned near everything about her.

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For the past 15 years or so, Kennedy Center hosts each Labor Day weekend a "page to stage" festival -- dozens of local theater groups (the Washington region abounds in such entities, from minuscule to quite well established) present a gamut of their current projects ( Read more... )

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http://ultradevi2.tumblr.com/post/121328563739/justine-again-woohoo-i-note-that-this-is-todayRead more... )

A nice late-spring Sunday -- went to Glen Echo Park out in Maryland for the annual "folk" festival. ("Folk" here refers to more than American music -- "ethnic" might be a better word, but it was really quite good, including Czech, Greek, and Latino...) Anyhow, there was a good crowd -- but it wasn't mobbed -- one could stroll among the half-dozen ( Read more... )

Yeah, you saw it right, her new album title refers to sado-masochism. The song is a bit silly* but the video is filled with mock-erotic imagery. I say "mock" because it seems to be making fun of media critics -- shown as guys in suits wearing ball-gags and various sex toys. Rihanna herself is wearing a vinyl panty-girdle, a white bullwhip and other ( Read more... )

Not to brag, but the weather here in Florida has broken loose from that of the Washington DC region (our other home). A good part of late January was rainy and cool, but "Canadian air" (which we Floridians see as nearly Biblical -- the Apocalypse AND Canadian air!) finally gave way last week to tropic breezes ( Read more... )