JeremyKotin @ January 5, 2009 # One Comment
Year Begins: Things to look forward to…
1. STAGE 9 to 5 (April 2009)
Based on the 1980 femme centric revenge film comes a new musical with new songs composed by Dolly Parton to accompany her iconic title track. It’s that last bit of information about the composer that keeps me from grousing at the idea of [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 29, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Year Ends: Not necessarily the best, but the best of what I remember…
1. STAGE August: Osage County
Beyond supporting my hometown players of the Steppenwolf Theater, this play sizzled with a fresh and new voice. Creating a complete family tree and watching them self-destruct on stage generates a fascinating and haunting night at the theater. But [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 15, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. SHOW Liza’s at the Palace
Age may have withered her, but her innate star quality and talent shines through even when her voice and body fail her. The first act is a mash-up of standards and Liza favorites, slurring her way through “If” and spotlessly singing “Cabaret” among others. But it is the second act [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 8, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. ALBUM Funhouse P!NK
Clearly breakups bring about some of the best music and P!nk packs quite a punch in this album of love lost from the hit angry single “So What,” to the heart wrenching “I Don’t Believe You.” Seriously, just try to not have your heart break when you listen. But don’t get me [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 1, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. ALBUM Day & Age The Killers
This is another excellent entry in the evolution of The Killers’ canon. Of course nothing is as catchy or anthemic as “Mr. Brightside,” but this CD has deeper roots than the pure electronic rock that dominated the previous two albums. Just listen to the opening aboriginal chant of “This [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 24, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. THEATER Farragut North
The NY Times said this play was predictable but enjoyable. I agree with the latter, the former is a bunch of crap. While it didn’t exactly have me on the edge of my seat, thanks to a fantastic set of performances, this play about a presidential campaign went from good to fantastic. [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 17, 2008 # 2 Comments
1. WEB The 404
Maybe it’s because I work from home by myself that I just enjoy having the sound of other people’s chatter, but if I had to choose the chatter, I would definitely go with the guys at The 404. This live video stream of a radio show covers pretty much any topic you [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 10, 2008 # 2 Comments
1. EVENT Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion in Central Park
This exhibition transformed me over the course of a 45-minute guided tour. Equipped with an MP3 player telling me exactly how to move through Zaha Hadid’s fantastic sculpture of a structure, I experienced modern art in a way I wish more museums would adopt. Each piece, given [...]
JeremyKotin @ October 20, 2008 # One Comment
1. ALBUM Gossip in the Grain Ray LaMontagne
Another stunner from LaMontagne, this time he returns to his folkier,‘60s horn-tinged sound that he explored back in 2004 on Trouble. It doesn’t reach the levels of lyricism of 2006’s Till the Sun Turns Black, but this is a worthy entry into what is shaping up to be [...]
JeremyKotin @ October 6, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. MOVIE The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)
This stunner of a film from director Max Ophuls has always been one of my absolute favorites ever since Andrew Sarris mumbled an incoherent introduction to the classic in a film course of mine. But once the screen went dark and Danielle Darrieux appeared, I was transfixed watching [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 22, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. ALBUM Johnny Flynn “A Larum”
The sound is something like The Decemberists if Josh Ritter were the lead vocalist, with a bit of a country bent. Here’s a sample lyric from “Tickle Me Pink,” one of my favorite tracks: “Pray for the people inside your head/for they won’t be there when you’re dead/muffled out and [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 8, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. MUSEUM “Polaroids: Mapplethorpe” at the Whitney, NYC
Nestled in the mezzanine of the Whitney, there is a single room filled with the most beautiful polaroids by Robert Mapplethorpe. Dating from the 70s, this work demonstrates the very early signs of what would soon become his shocking seminal works of the 80s. Never have I seen [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 2, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Every now and then there’s a new sound in music, a sound that makes you sit up and ask what the hell is that, and then you ask do I like even like it. At the core this music is standard folk guitar, but the addition of such an odd [...]
JeremyKotin @ August 25, 2008 # One Comment
1. “Elegy”
This little gem of a film is far from perfect, and yet it totally captured and captivated me. Where the story failed time and again, the performances from Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson carried me through from beginning to end, as did the fantastic soundtrack with its mix of melancholy piano, jazz [...]